Chapter 200- Defending the farm (Patreon)

Defending the Farm

As the recollection of the terrifying first contact between him and an indomitable legend stifled his breathing, a relieving hand patted his shoulder. He turned to face the yellow eyes of the owner which narrowed while focusing on the demon in the distance.

"It's not the same. This is a different creature."

"Chu, this is no time to be reminiscing because it's coming!"

Ming tugged his cloak from the side while watching the incoming horde. Chu watched as the swelling and oncoming pack engulfed the five larger demon beast in darkness. He whirled to Bon on the nearby multishot ramp. Overriding the communications to the command center, he shouted.

"Drop the multishot and fire!"

He watched as the weapon operators deftly made their adjustments followed by the swishing launch of the arrows. The group managing the multishots utilized the gains from the previous probe by the agile Bitzers. The short experience caused the storm of arrows to descend and thump into the heart of the rushing horde.

The swarm churned as the beasts dodged and skirted around the falling arrows but howls confirmed the blind artillery managed to pierce into living flesh. The howls increased as the Bitzers plowed into the outer fence and entered into Chu's version of the Goblin stake trap.

This, however, did little to seethe the beasts who trampled over their skewered companions.

Another whistling volley of arrows zipped into the snow as the eastern ramp offered assistance. The bloodletting seemed to increase the aggressiveness of the demon beasts as they savagely bit and clawed at the wooden posts. Ripping and tearing from behind this seemingly thin and fragile separation of death, filled the mind of those nearby with dread.

Like starving wild animals fighting for limited food, the Bitzers ignored their crippled allies caught in the snapping beartraps.

"Forget the pack, find the four bigger ones and the leader. Concentrate on the leader!"

Chu yelled at the nearby archers.

"There!"

The warning came late from Lucy as a large hulking figure leaped and scrambled atop the wall. Perched on its four, clawed feet, the Bitzer raised a fanged mouth to the moon and howled. In a flash, it careened along the narrow ramparts. Sickening wails accompanied by the tearing of flesh and spraying blood followed.

The unlucky defenders who occupied that length of the wall never stood a chance as the beast tossed the mangled bodies away like broken dolls.

A man stabbed a sword into the back of the humanoid beast which towered over the desperate defenders. A visible blue spark blasted along the weapon. Less than a second later, a swiping clawed arm glimmered while leaving the tethering man clutching his missing throat after recovering from the paralysis.

Another man screamed in terror while trying to back away from the approaching monstrosity. His mouth remained frozen halfway as a swift claw punctured into his chest and then crushed his terrified heart. Freed from the paralysis, the limp body toppled over the wall and disappeared among the lurking creatures below.

"Use the wooden spears to surround it. Running away means certain death!"

Chu shouted but his words fell on the ears of terror-stricken men. Mercenaries, guards, adventurers, and villages scattered while fleeing from the overwhelming menace.

"Fools, without ranged defenders to thwart them, the Bitzers below would tear through the wall."

He muttered while raising his crossbow. Unlike the experienced fighters who fired their bows and crossbows without aiming, he paused before shooting. The bolt reached the Bitzer while it busily tore into the leather armor of a mercenary. The claw ripped the thick leather and then opened a nauseating gash along the sternum to the abdomen.

The gutted carcass slumped sprawling on the wall while the internal contents decorated the site with splattered blood, and draping intestines. With a burst of indecipherable activity, the clawed forearm then spun to protect the defenseless chest.

Chu watched in disbelief as the instantaneous movement converted a critical shot into an aggravating flesh wound. The bolt lodged halfway inside the bulging muscles as the beast searched for its attacker. A guttural snarl escaped its dripping fangs as the sole, demonic eye landed on him.

With a cracking acceleration, the thirty feet gap between them shrank in an instant. The warning yells from the multishot platform behind him drowned out as the beast towered inches away from the lone spear tip barrier.

The spiteful red eye glimmered while raising the clawed arm.

Then it froze.

The large pupil constricted while the eyelid popped open. An innate sense of terror tingled along the spine of the fearless demon beast. One born from submitting to the natural hierarchical ranking on the food chain. With a howl, it retreated at a breakneck pace but the keeper of the yellow eyes surpassed its speed with meteoric momentum.

Sparks flashed when the two adversaries engaged in an imperceptible skirmish. Lucy deflected the sweeping horizontal claws with her dagger while countering with the other. The blade stabbed into the chest of the upright beast before she retracted from the sizzling slash of the answering claw.

The combatants disengaged as the Bitzer dropped on four legs to harness its newfound power. Ripping the planks of the rampart floor, it lunged towards her with an open maw. The diabolical features of the red-black snout fitted with wicked fangs, vile, frothing spit, and an evil red eye, could render an opponent terrified. With nimble movements, however, Lucy unexpectedly darted towards the pouncing beast.

Inches away from the accelerating beast, she performed a dodging leap to one side. The toes of her leather boot barely touched the top of the wooden rail when the force propelled her over the raised, snapping jaws and stupefied red eye.

Her ocular-gifted opponent barely followed the lightning action much less for the remaining defenders. When she nailed the landing like an Olympic gymnast, it appeared as if she teleported through the Bitzer. As the beast swiveled with thoughts of retreating from this fearsome adversary, Lucy raised and swiped a clawed finger.

The puzzling action spawned a spontaneous, horrendous yowl from the upright Bitzer which staggered on its hind legs. Blood sprayed from a footlong vertical gash on its muscular chest delivered by inexplicable means.

As the wounded beast belched a mouthful of blood between its fangs, a crossbolt whizzed and penetrated into one of the slits on its back. A hail of bolts assaulted it from all sides, suffering the beast from regaining its mind. The finishing blow arrived from below as Rugol arrived with a party of designated spearmen. The tall, muscular man launched a javelin strike with his spear, powered under the years of farming and healthy living.

The innate ability to doge tried to override the torrent of pain assailing the brain of the predator but to no avail. The spear slammed into the belly, tearing through entrails and organs before the iron tip, glinted from the upper back. The fearsome demon crashed through the rails and thumped lifeless on the snow inside the fence.

Ming scuttled across while grabbing a spear to conduct his signature move.

He soon yelled his verdict.

"It's dead!"

"Bon, send men over with repeating crossbows, secure the walls. Use the multishot to wipe out any retreating creatures. Lucy, Ming, help me find the other large ones, don't let them escape!"

Chu shouted while firing at a Bitzer literally burrowing into the wall. His mind popped out an idea after the near-death experience. If he could possibly kill the remaining four larger Bitzers, the others would continue the suicidal attacks. This plan, however, hinged on wiping them out before they ordered a retreat.

In the villa, Lucy confirmed no Bitzer escaped nor fled in defeat. Over the bridge, the Bitzers attacked without reeling in fear when having to confront her, yet a howl emanating from the forest sounded a retreat. On the rampart, the humanoid leader controlled the raid while executing a cunning strike but displayed signs of fear.

"Chu, I found one here! Crap, it's ripped through a post already. How sharp are those claws?"

"Wait don't attack. When we strike we must make sure it's dead or critically wounded. Do the same for the others. Rugol, climb up with a few spearmen, let's see how good you guys are at skewering these beasts."

Currently, the Bitzers indicated no signs of escaping but Chu preferred taking no chances. He wanted to deliver a swift simultaneous blow to the surviving four before concentrating on the lackeys.

"Send a message to Miki, I want a coordinated attack on the large demon beasts. Have the villagers use the logs and spears to ward off any Bitzers from ripping through."

A minute later, an eerie silence descended on the farm, broken by the splintering of wood. For a brief moment, the jaws of death tore and ripped closer as footsteps clambered on the ramparts to certain positions. Even Captain Joss and his team halted their attacks from the stables.

A gong radiated from the command platform as the epicenter rippling uniformly outwards to the walls.

"Attack!"

"Throw the spears, aim for the big one!"

"More bolts, I need more bolts!"

Shouts echoed immediately while coinciding with the barrage of attacks.

With Lucy beside them, Chu and the ranged attackers swiftly dispatched the large Bitzer at the wall. By the south wall, one of the two-tiered demon beasts fled leaving a trail of blood. Stumbling over the traps and outer fence, it tasted freedom until a barrage of arrows from the multishots tapered the escape route. A mournful howl originated as an arrow lodged into its rear, forcing it into a tumble.

Seconds later, another deadly shower rained down from another source, this time silencing the beast.

With the four leaders eliminated in various fashion, the fifty or so remaining demon beasts continued their assault. Luckily, Chu did not need to rely on his own limited number of defenders to eliminate the surrounding threat. With over a hundred extra hands, every inch of the walls was covered. Currently, he sat resting on the rampart, overlooking the organized chaos of the defenders below.

"I don't like this kind of demon beast Chu. They give me the willies. Look at that one down there, it's ripping and poking out through the hole without care. No matter how skilled you can dodge an arrow, you can't escape a hundred spears mere feet away."

Ming said while wiping the perspiration dripping into and burnings his eyes. He pointed to a hole in the wall not far below. A Bitzer crawled out halfway but before gaining the footing to dash, numerous spears skewered into its head, neck, and back. Writhing and yelping on the blood-stained snow, the attackers parted to allow a band of men to walk up with pickaxes on long wooden handles.

With brutal strikes fueled by anger, the iron spikes punctured between the ribs and back of the dying creature, as the men dragged the beast over the melting snow. Their actions served to open the entrance for another single-minded victim.

"Personally, I actually think they require a little effort to eliminate. These common class demons are inflamed with an overwhelming urge to feed on humans. The urge even overrides their sense of self-preservation. Only their innate abilities seem to save them. Imagine if they were all freed from their primal instinct like the big one?"

Ming shuddered at hearing his words.

"I agree with Chu, I would rather face a hundred Bitzers than one Wolf Demon. Don't forget, the Wolf demon possessed impenetrable, thick fur. Something like that would have already wiped all of us out."

Lucy interjected as she joined them.

"That is what scared me the most when I spotted that two-legged beast. If I didn't witness the sword from the dead fighter stabbing into it, I would have ordered us to retreat. No way, even with Lucy's power, could we defeat such a foe."

Chu said while shifting on the narrow landing for Lucy to sit beside them.

"I have no idea what time it is. I'm hungry, thirsty, and I want a hot bath. As soon as Miki sends word that we killed all the Bitzers, I am taking a week rest. These vile creatures didn't have the courtesy to allow us time to settle down."

"Oh, you're going to rest?"

Chu glanced at him while beckoning him closer with a finger. Lucy leaned in from the other side as their three heads converged.

"If you rest now, you're going to miss out you know."

"Miss out on what?"

"We have loads of work to accomplish within the next five days. Didn't you always beg for an ability like Lucy..."

End of Book 4