Chapter 195- Battle on the bridge (Patreon)

Battle on the bridge

A lone wagon headed towards the bridge.

"Chu, you do know I never doubted any of your plans but this one is a bit much, don't you think?"

"Stop whining, as soon as we make over the hill, drive to the bridge. The cornerstone of this plan depends on positioning the wagon on the bridge."

Chu replied from above. He held the iron rails as the wheels began churning faster over the slush. Something he compared to a four, horsepower engine. The wagon sped over the hill, racing down towards the bridge as if in flight. The eyes of the driver opened wide, along with his mouth on the increasing speed.

Bulging with an expression of fear rather than excitement.

The three passengers above, shared his appearance while clutching on for dear life.

The savage howls on the opposite end of the river, the snow on the slushy road, both aided in concealing their arrival. The rapid pace on the jolting wagon planted their hearts in their throats. Even if they wanted to yell in euphoria, no sound would escape.

"Stop the wagon! Ming, unhitch the horses and move them to the rear in single file. Lucy, cover him from the front. Miki, remain here and prep the crossbows."

Chu instructed while keeping his voice below the level of a shout. Crawling above, to the corner of the wagon, he removed an iron pin and bolt. Within a minute, the large pins on the four corners had been shaken out from their holes. Chu considered that these pin bolts had to be the best thing man ever created. Only a lazy, industrious man could think up this method of attachment.

By the time he finished, Ming had removed similar pin bolts to unhitch the horses. In the event of an emergency, this allowed for a quick ditching of the wagon and escape on horseback. The wheels of the wagon practically jammed the short but wide stone railing. At the other end, it created a narrow space, wide enough for Ming to lead the horses in single file.

Two hundred feet away or so to the south of the bridge, three Bitzers darting around at the rear of the skirmish turned towards the johnny-come-latelies.

"Ming, continue with the horses. Miki will cover us."

Chu instructed. With two horses remaining, Chu climbed down the front of the wagon and then received a spear from Miki. Picking his way across the trampled and wet snow, he assumed a defensive stance. Watching the gaping fangs drawing nearer on wicked claws, he steadied his breath to calm his nerves. During his short life, he faced off against packs of wild beasts but never the unrelenting, suicidal kind.

The resulting clash between him and the leading Bitzer occurred within expectations. The demon beast accelerated with a burst of speed as it uncannily dodged his thrusting spear. Literally following his spear while the spearhead retreated for a second thrust. The intimidating head then tilted as its bloodstained mouth opened. Halfway down the shaft, the single red-eye goggled in response to the unseen dagger piercing its neck from the side.

Chu ignored the Bitzer slumping and sliding past him while raising his spear to act as a lone pikeman. The pair of incoming Bitzers skidded while trying to launch a pincer attack. Taking advantage of the slide, Chu thrust again towards the open target presented before him. This time, the iron tip successfully entered one of the slits behind the beast's front leg.

With a howl, the demon beast stamped its claws into the snow to regain its footing. The action tumbled the two of them as they slipped and scrambled while joined together with the spear.

"Gotcha this time..."

He muttered with a foggy breath as a crossbolt whizzed over his head. It thumped into the ribcage of his adversary causing it to thrash on the ground. Chu never boasted about his skills as a spearman ever since the night in the forest when Lucy chided them. Mr. Thomas only taught him the basics while encouraging him to focus on the sword. His only aim in using the spear was to slow the Bitzers because unlike them, he possessed ranged firepower.

"Chu, Lucy. Fall behind the wagon. Two more Bitzers have spotted us."

Miki reported from above the cage while loading her third crossbolt. She had buried the first one into the head of the twitching Bitzer behind Chu.

"Ming, take the spear and block the space from behind the wagon with Lucy. We will pick them off, one by one."

Chu said while scrambling up the cage. Lucy retrieved her daggers which had left a wicked scar on the mouth and neck of the remaining Bitzer and collected his spear. Chu barely had time to catch his breath when a fresh pair arrived. Howling, one of them pounced snapping and clawing at the wagon while the other raced towards Ming at the side.

Ming raised the spear tip from the ground at the same time the Bitzer accelerated through the narrow gap. The intimidating growls switched to a yelp as the beast tried to backpedal only for the momentum and slippery surface to send it crashing into the spear. The spear skewered the twisting creature on its side and ripped a hole as it emerged. The two opponents went tumbling down behind the wagon.

Ming sat sprawled on the bridge, watching the Bitzer thrash on the spear, mere feet away. Scrambling to stand so he could draw his sword, a large, white figure flashed beside him and clamped down on the defenseless neck. Freezing for a few seconds, it continued crushing the throat until the victim turned limp.

"We're back!"

Chu shot a bolt into the chest of the Bitzer snapping and shredding the stitched hide, covering the front of the hidden cage. The beast howled in pain twisting its head to glare at the boy with its lone demonic eye. It found itself staring into the end of a loaded crossbow. While Miki shot the creature at point-blank range, Chu turned to the arriving redhead.

"Dyna leave two of them here, to assist Ming and Lucy at the rear. Help the men who forded across the river, carry the rope with you. Secure the horses, and then send the men up here. Ming, I have a job for you..."

***

A couple of Bitzers dashed towards the circle of riders, twisting with bursts of acceleration to dodge the quarrels. Howls ran out as one of the creatures wrapped its fangs on the throat of a horse and ripped it open. The paralyzes animal fell to the ground, humping and thrashing. The soldier dragged himself clear but not before his longtime mount gifted him a fractured leg as it departed.

The killer also did not live long to celebrate as the surrounding spears skewered it to death. The horses reared while clopping backward into a tight circle formation, leaving the blood draining from two Bitzers and the dead horse. Thirty feet of the unclaimed zone between the Military cavalry and the surrounding Bitzers littered with casualties from both sides.

"Captain, we've lost nearly half the cavalry. Most of the horses and men have been injured, we need to break out."

"Curses, I loathe these battles with demon beast. Have the men on the wagons pair up on the horses, we'll break for the trees. No use trying to escape since they will kill us before we can muster the speed to outrun them."

"Vice-captain, look! out there, by the bridge!"

A soldier holding a torn flag soiled by blood and dirty snow yelled and pointed to the east. He stood on top of a wagon having taken up the role of flagbearer from his dead predecessor. The pair of heads turned in the direction of his fingers. A horseless wagon stationed itself nearly halfway on the bridge. Standing on a stone parapet, a figure shouted while waving and pointed with his hands. His actions attracted men and beast alike.

"I think he wants us to cross the river?"

"They blocked the bridge. Is he saying the Bitzer won't ford the river?"

The Captain replied. He had never heard of any precedent where a Demon Beast feared water. But then the North Pass held very few perennial rivers.

"Gather the men, leave the wagons. We will break the encirclement with the fewest Bitzers in the south and turn to the river. We counter during their next attack."

When a group of Bitzers rushed towards the circle, the entire cavalry exploded outwards, under a hail of quarrels whizzing in all directions. The surrounding Bitzers scattered to avoid the incoming crossbolts allowing the cavalry to pierce the infringement with minimal loss. Before the Bitzers could mount a strike, the horses plunged splashing into the river. Howling at the water's edge, the Bitzers raced towards the bridge.

Ming stood on the balcony of the bridge, watching the scene unfold. Witnessing a portion of the horde, comprising bloodstained, aggressive incoming predators, he turned to the cage. Chu and Miki stood on the top, busy in emptying the contents of two large chests.

"Well... it's been a good run."

"Stop talking nonsense and prepare yourself. We have to hold out by ourselves."

"But Chu what if they cross the river?"

"They won't. Wow, so fast, they're here!"

Five Bitzers churned up the slush on the bridge as they dashed towards them. These had broken away from the pack on initially seeing and hearing Ming. Funneling between the low stone walls of the bridge, they accelerated in a typical burst which made it impossible to track. The dripping mouths, unexpectedly released mournful wails as the savage, bloodstained beasts slowed to a patter before the wagon.

Ignoring the whimpering howls of agony, crossbolts thumped into the heads and chest of the preoccupied beasts. Two of them staggered into the narrow space, only to receive a deadly barrage from a spear and a pair of daggers.

"The horde is coming! Miki help me raise the bars."

Chu said while bending down and grabbing the top of the cage. Miki followed his actions as half of the iron bars for the cage lifted to form a waist-high metal railing. Chu secured it by placing the iron pins into the slots. He designed this metal cage with double bars to allow half of them to slide upwards along grooves. By raising and attaching the four ends with the pins, he created a standalone fortress.

The high balcony allowed free movement and ranged attacks out of reach from climbing creatures. In the event he did face such an opponent, he could still retreat through a trapdoor at the top to the confines of the cage below. The design had one terrible flaw, in that it offered no protection for the horses. It also offered limited protection against the cold should he loosen the stitched hides.

Chu armed his crossbow and fired freely at the thick mass of Bitzers storming onto the bridge. About twenty Bitzers packed the bridge in front of him, collecting the whizzing bolts from the readied crossbows. Lucy assisted from behind the wagon, rapidly reloading and firing from her own.

By the time the soldiers arrived shivering from the icy river, the Bitzers were forced to climb over the dead or twitching bodies of their species to assault the deadly iron fortress. A Bitzer finally broke through with a burst of speed, only to be skewered by the waiting spears behind the wagon.

"Captain, have someone take all the firewood from our baskets and light a campfire to warm the horses and injured. Ming, lead some soldiers and drag away these carcasses. We have to keep the narrow opening clear to entice the beasts."

The first wave of demon beasts on the bridge had been swept clean rather easy. But with the Bitzers using their companions as stepping stones to assault them at the wagon or burst through the narrow space, his successful trap turned useless. Still, the agonizing howls of the overwhelming attackers proved he managed to snare a few.

A Bitzer finally decided to brave the odds and jumped on the stone balcony. As it rushed forward on the icy wall, Ming slapped it on the side with his spear. With a long howl laced with spite and despair, the Bitzer slipped and then plopped into the river below.

Ming retreated as another soldier speared the next incoming Bitzer. Looking over the stone balcony, he watched the Bitzer thrash in the water before sinking like a stone.

"Don't just stand there you idiot, take someone and drag it out before it floats away."

Chu yelled from above. Currently, the cage supported the Captain and five other soldiers who attacked with swords, spears, or crossbows to help thin the tide. Even facing a solid defense the Bitzers pressed on as if wanting to see the battle, through to the very end.

His eyes shined under a bloodied face while glancing at the drowning Bitzer.

"Can a dog swim with a nose on its side?"