199 Little Lina (2/2)
”I'll protect Lina with my life.” Proceeding to take out the velvet bag of EXP pots, Jack retrieved one and placed it on Linala's chest.
Linala, like any other baby, bit down on the EXP pot. But before she could swallow it, it glowed and disappeared as the EXP transferred to her.
The baby hydra started to grow, quickly becoming lv. 6 in an instant. Soon, Lunara was forced to put her down.
Jack pulled out another two EXP pots and put them on the ground for Linala to play with. Again, she bit down on them until both vanished and her level rose to lv. 14.
This process continued until seven EXP pots were used and Linala had grown to lv. 32.
Also, her body was now ten meters long from head to tail and she had three heads. Linala no longer acted like a baby, but she did seem shyer.
She noticed something strange about Jack. For some reason, Linala felt some both her father's and her mother's energy when she looked at Jack. Because of that, she slowly brushed her three heads against him, testing to see if he was friendly.
Jack pet all three of her heads. ”Little Lina, I'm your big brother, Jack.”
”Ja-ck?”
Everyone was startled. Linala had already said her first word, and it wasn't they had expected.
Sensing that something was off, Jack pointed one of Linala's heads toward Lunara. ”That's Mom, can you say hi?”
”Mom!”
Lunara felt like electricity had just run through her body. Hearing her newborn baby calling her that was too much.
”And that's Dad, say hello.”
”Dad! Hello!” Linala repeated anything Jack told her.
”Lina, for now, you'll have to travel with me and your sisters.”
”Sisters?” Linala saw Jack pointing at the other girls behind him. ”Sisters!”
”Yes, they're your sisters. I'll keep you safe, together with your sisters and your uncles.”
Linala saw the two middle-aged men in the back. ”Uncles!”
”Yes, but now we have to say goodbye to Mom and Dad.”
”Good-bye?”
”Yes, we won't see them for a while, but we can talk to them whenever you want, okay?” Jack pet her heads and led her to Lunara and Sterfen. Once in from of them, he hugged one of her necks. ”Make sure to hug them tight, just like this, okay Lina?”
”Hug!”
The young hydra wrapped one head around Jack, one around Lunara, and one around Sterfen.
Both parents were teary-eyed, happy that Jack was really acting like a big brother. They both felt a bit more at ease, glad to have chosen him of all people as the son they had always wanted.
”Little Lina, do you want to know something cool?” asked Lunara. As Linala nodded cutely, the mother leaned in and whispered something into her ear.
Suddenly, Linala started glowing bright blue and her form started shrinking. Just like her mother, Linala was able to take a human form. Normally, it was only possible for bestial gods, but having no mortal blood and being born a demihuman allowed her to inherit the ability naturally.
As she shrunk and the light started to fade, Lunara retrieved a blanket and covered her naked daughter.
Linala looked like a young, barely-teenage girl. She was small and cute, with bright blue hair, just like her mother.
Sterfen held up the blanket as Lunara helped Linala into a battle dress, made for both beauty and battle. At last, she handed her daughter a ring. ”This is a special kind of spatial ring that will hide in your scales when you transform. That way, you won't need to worry about it.”
Sterfen threw Jack a ring as well. ”There's not much in there, but consider it a sort of early inheritance.”
With a questioning look, Jack inspected the ring and almost had his eyes pop out of his skull.
Inside the ring were all kinds of gold, platinum, and luxury items for travel. Also, there were many water type and illusion type spellbooks, two of each kind.
Jack mumbled to himself, ”Yeah, not much at all.”
”One last thing,” stated Lunara, staring at Maura. ”By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Maura Dyrshire.”
Blue energy gather around Maura, gently merging with her, giving her a sense of comfort. It was over in but a moment and Maura quickly bowed. ”Thank you, Mistress Linara.”
”Please, you can call my Mom. You are my daughter-in-law and my daughter's sister, after all,” laughed Lunara, not thinking much of it.
Sterfen looked at them all and gave his final hug to his daughter, together with Lunara. ”Little Lina, make sure to listen to Jack and your sisters. Do whatever they say, okay?”
”Okay, Dad! Okay, Mom!”
”Alright, now go and stand with them. We'll send you off,” stated Lunara, again with a smile filled with both sadness and hope.
When Linala ran to Jack's side and grabbed his hand, Sterfen and Lunara also grabbed each other's hand. Together, they recited, ”To the base, we send you, to the place marked in the past. Down the mountain you'll go, to the city you saw last.”
White, blinding light filled the room, originating from Jack's party. Like a bolt of lightning, the light appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye.