Chapter 189- Halfstone? What the hell! (Patreon)

Halfstone? What the hell!

While the guards cautiously secured the broken shutters, Chu walked over from the stairs and crouched next to a dead Bitzer. Unsheathing his dagger, he tapped the side of the demon beast with the flat of the blade.

"Hah, guess when it's dead it can't channel electricity."

"Only a living Bitzer can cast the spell to freeze someone. In the north pass, we also have a surefire way to tell if a Bitzer is really dead or pretending."

Mr. Thomas joined him with the wooden spear. The retired Military man tapped the short, bitten ends of an ear with the iron tip.

"A living Bitzer would cause a flint-like spark to appear at the spear tip. You've just experienced the savagery and seen those fangs and claws in use. Remember to never let your guard down against a demon beast. Their powerful attacks put the random wild beast to shame but what's this elec, electricity thing? First I heard of it."

"Just an assumption of mine, nothing worth mentioning. Ming, let's get to work."

Chu nodded to Mr. Thomas in appreciation for the life-saving information. He raised his hand to stab into the chest of the beast when Mr. Thomas questioned.

"What are you two doing?"

Chu slanted his neck to look the man in the eye.

"What do you mean? With over a dozen Demon beast lying in the hall, I'm aiming for a lifestone."

Mr. Thomas replied to his words with an expression as if discovering the prince of idiots.

Twisting his eyebrows into a frown, Chu glanced at the guards busy dragging heavy stone statues to block the windows. It suddenly dawned on him that for men trained in the academy, they did not show signs of rushing to carve up a beast. Practically everyone in the Empire thirsted to join the ranks of the Sersen.

"These are demon beast right?"

"Yes."

"So what's the problem? Is it that Bitzers don't have lifestones?"

"No, on the contrary, every Bitzer possesses a lifestone."

Mr. Thomas couldn't help but chuckle at the puzzled face.

"Have you ever heard the term 'halfstone'?"

"..."

Chu sat on the steps dipping a rag into a washbasin filled with hot water. Wringing the cloth, he wiped the dried blood and grime from his face. Lucy had returned from scouting on the roof stating she detected no signs of lurking beasts. At the base of the staircase, the four remaining guards gobbled a bowl of hot soup while scanning the blocked entrances. Two male servants conducted a jittery round, topping the oil lamps and changing the torches.

Halfstone...

Bitzers ranked among one of the more common demon beasts to prowl the North Pass. After facing these terrifying speed demons in the open, a Bitzer rated as the most useless of demon beasts. The materials gained from the carcass of a Bitzer were practically worthless. The flesh and bones of a Bitzer underwent massive degeneration within hours of the kill, rendering it unprofitable.

Every Bitzer contained a lifestone called a halfstone. Like the name suggested, the halfstone could not function as a full lifestone thus crushing the dreams of becoming a mighty Sersen. From a philosophical standpoint, Chu felt the Bitzer's sole function lay in tormenting humans from a military and social perspective.

The demon beast used the open spaces to terrorize and drop the morale of the military. Not satisfied with that, it also ensured that no adventurers and mercenary groups would bother wasting their life and time in hunting them down for a pitiful sum.

"What a pain in the ass..."

Yet I refuse to believe a beast with the capabilities of harnessing electric power could be deemed worthless.

He thought.

"Lucy, have Dyna and the wolves patrol in shifts between the bedroom balconies. Miki set the injured guards as lookouts. We want no surprise attacks, especially from downwind like last time. Elder, I am unresigned. Show me!"

Mr. Thomas sighed while placing his empty bowl to the side.

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't keep quiet. Ming, have a servant bring out the pokers for the fireplaces. Instruct him to tie them on the ground to form a rod of about twenty feet and over. Oh, and also fetch about four buckets of water."

The man led Chu over to a Bitzer and inserted a dagger into the chest while lecturing for the second time. Chu had already personally tested all these deadly beast using the spear. If a Bitzer surprised him because of negligence, he would brand himself as an idiot.

"Pay close attention to the eyes. Although a Bitzer only has one eye, it also varies. It is a matter concerning life and death when removing halfstones. Never, never place a halfstone from a left eye Bitzer into a pouch or even near one from a right eye Bitzer. Okay, this one is a left eye, so find a right-eyed one for me."

When Mr. Thomas removed and cleaned the halfstone, Chu found it emitting a purple-blue hue. The man dropped the halfstone into a wooden cup and placed it at the eastern end of the hall. He then proceeded to remove the stone from a Bitzer with an eye in its right socket. This Bitzer lay close the door.

"It's ironic to note that unlike a lifestone a halfstone remains dangerous for longer than a month. It's also why adventurers hate dealing with Bitzers. Since Bitzers roam in packs, you have to sort and bury them separately. Imagine not having the time to bury a companion in the wild but having to do so for a demon beast."

Mr. Thomas placed this halfstone in another cup and tied it to the end of the long makeshift rod, lying on the ground. Crouching down he slowly pushed the rattling cup along the floor so as to meet the solitary companion near the east window.

When the distance between the two cups shrank to around three feet, Chu witnessed an unbelievable sight. A few seconds later, he coughed among the dust and smoke splashing water on the charred windows. Luckily, the hall consisted of mostly stone with only the window shutters made of wood.

Chu turned to Mr. Thomas while wearing an amazing expression of surprise. From the demonstration, he grasped the reason for at least separating and burying the halfstone for proper disposal.

"How the heck can you guys say this thing is useless?"

***

A few hours after midnight, Chu woke up from the sounds of Lucy calling out his name. When he opened his eyes, he found her leaning next to the bed. In the middle of an uneasy rest, he appreciated the fact she didn't try and shake him. The skirmish between the vicious beast remained fresh in his mind.

"Is it my shift already?"

"No, but I have been hearing a noise of shouting and clashes of iron. I first doubted them since they sounded faint. For some time, however, they have become louder. I had to wake you because I've now heard the sounds of horses."

Chu buckled his sword belt across his waist and armed himself. Sleeping in full leather armor proved discomforting but he had years of practice. He followed Lucy to the balcony overlooking the front of the villa.

"Coming closer?"

He asked while straining his ears.

"Yes, I climbed down that tree and listened to the ground. The stamping hooves indicate it's a lot."

"Inform Elder and the guards. Wake Miki and Ming, most likely their coming to rescue us."

Chu instructed her, as he stared out into the darkness. Two questions occupied his mind while he stared out at the road hidden under the overhanging trees.

Was he so important for the Academy to send out aid the moment they found word of Bitzers attacking the villa?

Or did the attack on the villa suggests something much more frightening?

Unconscious, and without him knowing, Chu's eyes turned towards the west.

The thunder of running calvary broke the silence of the darkness first, and then the flickers of moving light tried to pierce it. Chu stood on the balcony watching the arrival of a large group of fully armed soldiers. The clamoring riders split on the open field to surround the villa while a smaller contingent rode towards the door.

The guards of the villa verified the position of the leader before opening the doors. The survivors displayed relieved faces on seeing the armor of the Military and two blue robed apprentices. The apprentices from the Tower came with the responsibility of identifying him and his companions. Chu greeted them while Ming squeezed out the doors to the outside. The Captain spoke after the introductions.

"Greetings guests. I am Captain Wheeler from the Military barracks stationed at Limerock. The academy sent word after the attack, for us to rescue and provide safe passage into the city for their members residing in the villas outside the city... huh?"

While the jaws of the captain and his subordinates dropped on registering the unbelievable backdrop in the hall, Chu interrupted their gawking.

"Captain, I take it that we alone were not raided tonight?"

The bodybuilder-like figure severed contact with the interior battlefield turning his eyes to Chu. When it skimmed over Mr. Thomas it halted. Lacking one arm, Mr. Thomas still commanded the aura of an officer from the Military.

"We temporarily lost communication with the Dawn and Dusk forts. By the time a messenger falcon arrived, a horde of Bitzers had already broken through. The cavalry managed to clash with the horde but the majority scattered. Bitzers now roam and raid all the lands to the west and north of Limerock."

"How many escaped?"

"The Fifth Cavalry which intercepted them near Woodhaven estimates three hundred or more."

Chu legs buckled while he zoned out the gasps and heavy intake of breathing around him. Given the speed and method of attack which favored ambushing, the inhabited farms and villages would become a disaster. Already the demon beasts demonstrated their cunning during the night by launching their attack from downwind. Garrison and cavalry patrols could only respond reactively since the beast possessed a whirlwind speed for escaping.

His legs did not turn to rubber on hearing about the sheer numbers but on the area where they roamed.

"Ah, Chu thank the heavens we're saved. Those demon beasts ignored the horses in the stables in favor of eating us. I borrowed Clod's favorite horse for this trip. He would have killed me if something happened to it... huh, why the long faces?"

To the west, and far from Limerock and immediate reinforcements, lay his home...