The Red Lands 1

by ForestRage

  He raised his head on hearing his name. Rubbing his face vigorously he looked at the caller.

  "Hey Chu, I think this is one of those talisman thingies. It's at the back of the book so maybe it’s a dud."

  Chu looked at Ming flipping through the book.

  The boy pushed it towards him, pointing the page in question. The slip looked like the talismans he used but had much more drawings and scribbles on it. The jet-black writing made it near impossible to find an unused place on the slip. Only the larger circle in the middle remained devoid of writing.

  Unlike the others, the publishers placed it a few pages at the back seemingly to act as a reference. Chu remembered Griz mentioning about it back in the village. On reading the sentence above it, he recalled the words.

  A dud.

  Ancient Talisman.

  "Damn.”

  He didn't mention anything else, because the odds against them were staggering.

  "Sakura."

  He took the talisman and rubbed the blood on it. Following through for action sake, he pressed the lifestone against it. Only then did he think about visiting the Trading Post and buying another talisman when he carried Lucy.

  “So stupid!”

  He shouted, glancing down at the lifestone expecting it to shatter.

  Five times and this stone would be rendered useless.

  He felt it start to break down as he pressed it into the paper. By reflex he removed his hand, expecting the familiar sound and dust.

  "Sakura, get the cloth and clean..."

  The eyes of the girl stared at the arm in focus. Chu looked back, his jaw dropping.

  The lifestone continued breaking, but in a different manner. It melted into the talisman, spreading slowly like liquid mercury covering the inscribed circle. Chu held the torch closer, as the liquid left the circle travelling down a preordained path.

  All eyes locked onto the talisman that seemed to defy gravity, clutching onto the arm. Holding their breaths, they looked on in anticipation. In one hour, the flow ceased as the parchment disintegrated.

  A tattoo, black as night, and devoid of blood, contrasted against the pale skin.

  During this time Chu pored over the book, trying to glean information of this talisman. Unfortunately, most of the information centered around the Tower talismans. As for any additional information needed for activation, the book contained nothing.

  Chu had the strange feeling that the Tower Mages kept this information vague in the hopes of having those successful with a talisman to come calling. He realized that on activation, he had no knowledge if it would take a day or a week for the body to gain the effects.

  Now he needed to wait. If by morning Lucy showed no signs of improvement, Chu would risk all and journey to the village. Hopefully on learning about the talisman the garrison would spare no expense on treating her.

  "What is happening now?"

  Chu turned from the book towards the children. Ming moved to the side while pointing to the arm. Chu bent down and squinted along with the other curious onlookers. Inside the blank circle, faint black lines appeared as if someone painted with a thin brush from the inside.

  The blank lines weaved and spun, gradually becoming darker. Soon a visible shape manifested itself inside the broken circle. The tattoo, the size of a playing card was complete.

  "It kinda looks like a wolf head…”

  Dyna voiced the thoughts inside the spectator’s minds. Chu slumped on the bench drained. In the middle of a long sigh, Lucy screamed. Chu jumped to only see her trashing on the bed. She extended her hand and began clawing at the tattoo on the other.

  “Hurry hold her down. Don’t let her damage it.”

  Chu shouted as he grabbed at her hand and held it down. The three boys easily subdued the feeble girl. After over half an hour of gut-wrenching screams from a face contorted and foaming in agony, Lucy calmed down.

  Looking at her disheveled blond hair plastered on her drenched face, his heart faltered. At least her complexion and breathing seemed stronger than a few hours ago. Maybe it had been the work of the medicinal pill taken a few hours earlier, or an effect from the talisman.

  "Ming help Clod secure the trapdoor to the platform and double check the fence. We will rest here for the remainder of the night. Sue have the girls help tidy up the place.”

  “Do we wait for now?”

  Ming asked.

  “Keep watch, two on shift until tired. At first light, we take Lucy to the village.”

  Chu slumped down on the table, as plans and thoughts bombarded his mind. He examined the sleeping girl and lay at the table. He never knew when the exhaustion claimed him. He woke up in a jolt, not knowing how he fell asleep. Light from the morning streamed into the barn.

  Looking around, he found all the children standing around the makeshift bed. Bracing his heart, he stood on shaking legs and stepped towards the group.

  "Chu..."

  He stopped in his tracks on the tired voice.

  Slowly he approached the makeshift bed as the others made way for him.

  There, half lying, half sitting, Lucy stared back at him.

  She had awakened.

  Chapter 32

  What is this?!

  Chu stared at the girl sitting on the makeshift bed. The roll-a-coaster of emotions he had faced for the last few hours seemed to have finally ended.

  He choked back the emotions trying to erupt inside of him. Calming himself to maintain the disposition of a leader, he nodded. Wiping his face under the guise of having now woken up, he managed to take care of the few tears.

  His voice however, chose to betray him at the end.

  "H-how a-are you feeling?"

  "I feel tired, but the pain is gone."

  She answered softly in an exhausted voice.

  Her complexion looked deathly pale, probably from the loss of blood. That amount alone should have her bedridden for a couple of months at best. If not for the stitches, it would have been worse.

  Something seemed off though. Up to this morning, her body seemed drained of energy. Barring the period where she thrashed around, lifting her hand might lead to untold exertion. Her eyes were already dim and glazed.

  This morning those blue eyes had regained their vitality, brighter and sharper than before. They radiated health and gave him an impression of a hidden explosive power. Something seemed different, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it yet.

  He came over and squeezed between the others crowded around at her side.

  "Chu, Chu look. Look at her cut. Chu look at her cut!"

  The boy next to him grabbed the sheet and without a care stripped it from the bed in excitement. Lucy had on a clean top vest and a long pants that resembled and functioned like pajamas for sleepwear. Sue and the other girls had wiped and dressed her while he slept.

  Lucy's face started to turn red. Chu wanted to say something at first, but the words choked in his throat. His eyes stared, locked onto her abdomen. Lucy blushed some more, glancing at the eyes filled with curiosity rather than lust, now focused on her.

  Whether from the village or the slum, a female did not expose that much skin without a reason.

  Chu had lived on earth and had access to all sorts of lifestyles courtesy from the internet. His curiosity stemmed like a grown man inspecting the bruise of a child, to gauge the rate of healing.

  This rate of healing however, surpassed his expectations. The three large wounds had changed to three scars. He was no medical doctor, but this rate of regeneration astounded and frightened him.

  If wasn't for the threads from the stitching the day before, Chu might have thought the injury for this scar occurred a few months ago. On earth this might have been considered a miracle and prompted a horde of researchers and investigators.

  It seemed the girls had spread word of this discovery, prompting the crowd. Since Lucy showed signs of recovery, the children agreed to allow him a rest.

  "Miki, later you are going to have
to cut the threads and pull them out from the skin. "

  Medical technology in this world differs from his limited knowledge. The technology of noninvasive procedures, antibiotics and after care made way for potions, salves and pills. The closest representation of antibiotics came from those antidote potions sold by the shops.

  Chu’s main concern at the moment lay in what else to expect. Ming broke his train of thoughts again.

  "Chu, Chu look, look see how the cut is healed? Even her scabs and sores have disappeared.”

  Totally oblivious to the hostile stares from the girls standing around him, Ming grabbed Lucy's hand and started pointing to places on it. Pointing at the places on her stomach he highlighted the problem.

  Clod backed away slowly, unwilling to be caught in the crossfire. He had long noticed the glaring eyes and stiff smiles. He turned and mumbled something about repairs before dashing out.

  "See Chu, this thing is amazing…”

  Slap

  "What the heck are you doing?"

  Slap

  "I didn't tell you nothing when you first flung the sheet, but you do know this is a girl in front of you right?!"

  Slap

  "How can you embarrass a girl like this. Which hole did you come from?”

  Slap

  "How much of an idiot are you. Look around you, you klutz!"

  Slap

  "Do you even know what shame is?"

  "Take Clod and wrap that carcass in some sacks. Drag it to the cage and crack open the outside door. I want it frozen before lunch."

  Chu vented his emotions on the idiot with satisfaction. He felt a mountain of worry lifted from his shoulders.

  When he first opened his eyes in this world, he found himself alone. Through various circumstances he estranged himself from his parents and ended up forced to live a life in abject poverty.

  According to the workings of this world, he was doomed to continue into a downward spiral until death.

  Given his dire situation, he could not have survived without help. Ming and Lucy trusted him with their little lives, hoping for a miracle. If it was not for the help of two children, Chu might not have survived a week. All his modern-day knowledge failed in the presence of hard labor.

  Because of this, he would risk everything for those two. They had joined him when he was penniless. Friends like that were hard to find in both worlds.

  In a strange world, having a group of trustworthy companions to roam made life easier. He never planned to be a loner in this world but wanted friends to chatter and prove his existence. Unlike fictional novels, Chu felt his current life placed him in a position to be easily bullied.

  Chu made a note on investigating this world medical technology and services. This experience showed how ignorant he was in that important field.

  "Miki, deal with the stitches first. Whatever tools you use should be boiled in hot water like we did last night. When your finished have the girls help you take Lucy down to the cellar to wipe her down again."

  "Sue, I need you to make some fresh soup for Lucy. Heat the remainder from last night for us to eat. These few days will be soup and maybe bread on the menu until Lucy recovers fully."

  "Soup! But I want meat!"

  The wails of the boy clambering through the trapdoor were conveniently ignored as Chu continued talking.

  "Clean up this place and have the oven going for warmth. We will set up a bunk bed for Lucy to relax. I need to do some reading on the effects of these tattoos on people. Organize a watch in the lookout."

  Chu grabbed the big book and headed up the ladder to the deck. Spreading the quilt on the rough boards over the oven, he began the arduous task of reading. The warm boards underneath this sweet spot provided comfort from the radiating heat, without the stifling smoke.

  This 'demon compendium' as Chu named it contained the information of most of the demons that have been sighted for the past hundreds of years. Compiled by the Mage Tower it had sketch illustrations and some description about creatures’ habits and haunts.

  Large as this old tome may be, it could never account for the sheer numbers of different demon beast sighted over the centuries near the Nord Pass. It did list the ones that filtered through the mountains and into the Empire. This special edition he purchased had a foreword dating back over a century.

  Who knows how long this book sat on the shelf of the Trading Post waiting for purchase. Besides adventurers, not many villagers had the coins for this antique.

  Since the time of publishing the habitats of demon beasts might have changes, or new ones could have arrived. This book had survived-- the talisman had survived for two generations of the average citizen.

  The more Chu read, the more he burned in anger. The information was vague and not specific at all. Take the demon they killed. The information gathered from the book was as follows.

  'Demon wolf spawn from beyond the North mountain. Hunts alone. Found near the mountainous regions. Highly dangerous and cunning. Known to chase its prey over large distances. Last known sighting two hundred years ago. On sighting immediate message to Frost City command is required.

  This book was over a hundred years, does that mean that the last time a demon wolf prowled around was about three hundred years ago? Where did it live? Did it hunt in packs? What did they mean by chasing prey over large distances?

  As for abilities and what effects such a creature possessed and information about its lifestone, the pages lacked such knowledge.

  From chatting with Simon, he figured Lucy should have received some sort of special ability. Chu found himself in the position of a caveman holding onto an iphone. How did the successful ones activate their tattoo?

  Chu sighed while wrinkling his brows. He stretched his back, massaging his forehead in thought. Understandably, the poor success rate of the talismans, coupled with the rarity and danger of confronting the stronger demon beast led to this lack of information.

  In a world of a budding civilization, written information remained the privilege of the few. Only in the libraries of the Mage Tower could he possibly find the comprehensive knowledge he desired. Those places remained unreachable to the present him.

  The sun rose to the peak in the cold blue sky when his eyes turned heavy. The nightly ordeal had taken its toll on his body. If not for the need to scour for more information, he would have eaten a hot meal and crashed for a well deserved sleep.

  Chu had barely stepped onto the ladder when he heard the yells.

  "Chuuuuuuuu......."

  He nearly toppled from the rung in surprise as he peered towards the sound. As if having a fire lighting under his ass, Ming bolted out from the cellar. The wide eyes, panting breath and heaving chest caused Chu to stiffen on the ladder.

  "Chu...In the cellar, eyes… eyes like that..”

  Ming stuttered and pointed to the entrance where the dead carcass was securely wrapped.

  Chu frowned while raising an eyebrow. Lack of sleep affected his mind, as he walked towards the cellar. Thinking that Ming tried to pull a prank, he shuffled towards the cellar, but Ming grabbed him from moving closer.

  “What the heck? What’s wrong with you…”

  Chu choked on his words as he stumbled backwards, falling in a tangle together with Ming. The sight in the darkness of the hole reminded him of the depths of hell. Within it, a pair of eyes glowed faintly as they stared back.

  Yellow eyes with vertical slits.

  The eyes of a living nightmare.

  His brain finally processed the information as to why Ming had held out a trembling hand towards the cage entrance.

  The eyes of the wolf demon...

  Chapter 33

  More what is this?

  The best horror movie Chu had ever seen, never raised the hair on his pores or stifled his breath like this moment. He felt his heart had literally slammed against his chest in an effort to escape. Untangling himself from Ming, he scrambled on all fours away from the cellar entrance. The two boys stoo
d up on wobbling legs, their eyes glued towards the source of an apocalypse.

  Despair flooded Chu’s mind, on remembering the overwhelming power of the demon. Death in front of such an adversary became the only option. His muddled mind shook on remembering something important.

  Lucy...

  From the darkness two dainty hands emerged slowly and grasped onto the sides of the cellar entrance. A top of blond hair topping a familiar head poked out, while an unharmed petite body appeared.

  Lucy climbed out of the cellar and then stretched herself, since she was not accustomed to being lethargic. Halfway through arching her back, she suddenly became aware of the fixed gazes of the onlookers.

  Ming and Chu practically hugged themselves as if witnessing a ghost. For over a minute the parties locked eyes with each other, not moving an inch. Lucy faltered first, breaking the stillness through sheer embarrassment.

  "What are you two doing to each other. You’re staring at me as if I’m a Snowbear."

  Her playful words shattered the paralysis.

  "Crap Lucy don't scare me like that. What the hell! I pissed my pants..."

  Chu swallowed his heart back into his body.

  Literally.

  Breathing heavily while thumping his chest, his eyes narrowed. The blue eyes blinked, gazing at him in curiosity.

  "MEETING! Except the lookout, have everyone gather at the oven."

  Chu felt flustered while shouting out his commands. He had never lost his composure because of the numerous drills, but this event had his mind reeling.

  "Settle down, settle down everyone."

  He said, trying to reassure himself in the process.

  "First, let’s begin by recapping the time from when the talisman activated. I want everyone to recall what they remember and their actions since then. Clod, close the trapdoor.”

  Chu unknowingly had developed himself into an enigma in the eyes of his companions. Even the vocal Ming followed his instructions before asking why.

  A rough timeline soon formed.

  “We removed the stitches like you instructed. We waited with Lucy until Sue finished boil the water. We left the cellar after wiping down Lucy, and lighting the fire.”