The Red Lands 1
Page 23
At least she was able to control her night vision skills. Unless she willed it, it remained deactivated. This went a long way in placing them at ease in the dark cellar.
Nobody was really to keen to wake up at night and see those eyes staring back at them. Especially so soon after their last ordeal.
One thing of note was that the cubs they left in the open area of the barn had decided to raid the demon wolf carcass during the night.
Small and skinny enough to pass between the inner fence at the trap entrance, they tore apart the canvas and tried to feast on the body. Luckily the fur and skin could withstand their feeble attacks. However they did manage to chew into the frozen heart.
By the time Dyna caught them in the morning, the heart was completely eaten. After a serious beating by Chu who saw his money being swallowed, they cowered behind their new master and trainer.
Dyna started her new occupation and began to feed and train them on the rights and wrongs in this household. For Chu this came a little too late.
"Lucy keep practicing the night vision in the cellar. When you switch with Miki, check if you can see around better during the day."
Chu instructed her hoping that her eyesight was sharper than before. He was waiting for her full recovery to test her night vision from the lookout post. Her other senses could be tested slowly everyday.
"Ming get our outdoor equipment ready, as soon as the weather changes, we are going. If not this evening, then tomorrow."
"Clod, make a check on the walls of the barn. I want to make sure that all weak areas are repaired."
Receiving a grunt and a nod from the two he immersed himself in the book.
The more Chu deciphered, the more worried he became. The fact was that this talisman awakening was next to impossible. The amount of knowledge that flowed over the ages showed countless people at some point in time awakened powers through certain lifestones.
Most of the demon characteristics that were under the title of Low, Medium or Normal had information on abilities gained from their respective lifestone. This indicated that over the few centuries covered by the book, persons were fortunate to activate these lifestones.
The problem was that demons ranked High, Rare, Extremely dangerous and such levels had no such information recorded. This matched the information given under the wolf demon.
This thing was starting to become a major headache.
From the information gleaned of the book, these high level demons were either killed of for safety or provided no chance for a person to awaken during the last couple hundred years.
Now he had Lucy who was an awakened under the lifestone of a wolf demon.
To make matters worse, a Tower talisman usually affords the user a better chance at awakening. However it does so by significantly decreasing the powers absorbed from any lifestone.
An Ancient talisman has near impossible chance to activate, but when it does the awakened one is granted near full power of the lifestone. This short statement from the book under that heading increased his worry.
There were many pages that Chu skimmed through. He was a new reader so this deciphering didn't come easy. He focused on those pages that introduced the Talismans at the back.
With this limited knowledge he did understand one fact.
Miss Lucy has been the proud owner of an Activated Ancient talisman.
Simon told them he had a tattoo from a low-class demon boar. This was a demon that was just higher than a wild beast. It had not yet leveled up to a humanoid demon as the wolf demon.
With this Tower talisman he could perform rapid charges and overpower a dozen normal guards in a short space of time. His experience and little stories that mentioned Frost city led Chu to interpret that most of the awakened ones were from low-class demons. Only few from the military had intermediate level tattoos according to him. Chu remembered the admiration and awe in Simon's eyes when he spoke at that time.
Now take Little Lucy who had awakened a wolf demon lifestone on an Ancient talisman. What kind of chaos would that bring when those educated and knowledgeable persons were to find out. Even him with his little mind could understand the massive upheaval this thing was going to bring.
Crap
He was in the center of this damn storm!
Chapter 35
Questions and Answers
The weather finally held up the next day, as the continuous snowfall ground to a halt. Chu decided to take advantage of the blue morning skies, before the unpredictable weather continued.
Reminding Lucy to spend the time resting, instead of playing around with her newfound powers, they set out, with Ming pulling the sled.
Dyna and her small wolf cubs saw them to entrance. She didn't want to let the cubs out, for fear they might escape. Only until they became accustomed to her, would she then allow them to play outside.
The journey started uneventful, and free from danger like he suspected. Chu stopped Ming upon reaching the ruined house where Lucy was attacked.
"What are we doing, shouldn't we keep moving?"
Chu placed his fingers to his lips, signaling for the boy to be quiet. He slowly readied his sword and crouched forward. Ming finally understood his intentions, and left the sled. He held the spear and moved to the front as a vanguard. They both kept their guard as they approached the ruins.
In a corner partly sheltered from the snow, under the broken-down roof lay the body of a wolf. By all accounts it appeared dead, with the body becoming frozen stiff, from the cold. The end of a crossbolt remained visibly sticking out from its head.
"Crap! She did it Chu. And here I was thinking, I needed more power to get revenge for her."
Ming walked up and prodded the wolf with the tip of his spear. By now all of them were well versed, in telling the difference between a dead or alive wolf.
Chu scanned the area, and found something not totally unexpected. Under the crude shelter, small paw prints criss crossed each other, before heading out and disappearing in the fallen snow.
It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. Because of the heavy snow yesterday, all the tracks in the plains were covered. If wasn't for this place being partly sheltered he wouldn't have spotted it.
"I’ll fetch the sled Chu, you really have a nose for making money don't you. Hahaha."
"Wait Ming."
Chu called out, as the boy made his way to the sled. Sighing he continued.
"Help me bury this wolf under these stones."
"Eh?"
"We can't dig the ground, so let’s bury it using the stones around here."
"What about the money?"
Chu started to move some stones to get the job going.
"Don't need it. Let’s just call it even, between us and this particular wolf."
He should have considered that during winter, he would not be the only one seeking some form of shelter. Ignorant of this fact, Lucy almost died by intruding into the temporary lair of a wolf. Like them, it simply defended its new home and family.
Chu became not overly soft-hearted, but he had received some valuable lessons, when his path crossed with this beast. Not to mention, it had indirectly been responsible for his recent gains.
All he had to do, was figure out a way to keep these gains as well as his life.
It was in the late afternoon when they stumbled across the village entrance. They had spent the morning in hard labor and then the freshly fallen snow had then slogging tirelessly across the plains.
A somber mood greeted them on walking to the closed south gate. The usual lazy guards patrolling the south entrance stood ramrod straight clutching their staff while their eyes darted on any signs of movement.
On the path leading to the slums, a group of soldiers walked on patrol, whispering nervously. The iron breastplate strapped across half their chests, confirmed that they were not from the garrison.
Chu and Ming gave a quick nod to the guards and entered under the guise of beggars from the slums.
The two boys headed to their destination taking in the unusual activity.
"I don't think I have ever seen these soldiers before Chu. Normally the shift in the garrison changes at the end of winter."
Chu gave him a nod. With half of the garrison soldiers killed and the threat of the wolf demon hanging over them, it was understandable for the commander to call for reinforcements.
The Trading Post had a few soldiers from the garrison who bickered, while negotiating for supplies and dry goods. The assistants busily searched through those giant ledgers, calling out prices. The Master leaned at the counter, speaking with two unfamiliar men.
From their countenance and speech, Chu gathered that they were merchants who remained over the winter, braving the hardship in the village. These merchants seized the advantage of choosing the pelts caught during the season.
The snow white pelts of the wild beast during winter was worth a fortune and had high demand.
"Griz, this is the last time I would ever listen to you. I have no idea how you can remain in this hell hole.”
"Look at you Kim, one little problem and you want to run back with your tail between your legs."
"Now, now you two. None of us could have imagined this winter was going to blow up to such a problem. We can at least return with the patrols from the town, but Griz has to weather it out."
"Ah, you are right Habil. But even if I could leave we don't know if this demon will ambush those on the road. I am vexed I invited you at this dangerous time. Who knew it would be like this.”
"Not much you can do, it wasn't your fault. If we knew this was going to happen I would have been prepared. We could have made a killing in this little village."
Chu loitered around listening to their conversations. Little by little he pieced together some facts. After a few minutes the three merchants shook hands and left the store. Chu then sauntered to the counter.
"You brat, I saw you straining your big ears in the shadows. What do you need today? I have to warn you though, the village is going to swell in numbers during the next few weeks. I can't sell anything in bulk to you."
Chu nodded. Even an idiot would hoard food and supplies knowing such news. When these visitors arrive, the limited supplies are going to be worth their weight in gold. Until the commanders and the merchants decide to take the risk to open and travel on the roads, scarcity would drive up prices.
Chu glanced around the store. The soldiers had left and the clerks worked feverishly on scribbling down orders of some form of the other.
"Hey Griz, I need to know if you have some time. I need some information."
The Master glanced around the store before beckoning him to the corner.
"Are these new soldiers from Frost city?"
"Huh you know about Frost city. Oh yea, Simon told you about it right? No, no these soldiers come from Karst. That is the town that oversees the nearby villages. It’s from Karst that the message to Frost City went via falcon."
"Will these soldiers be able to..."
"Don't waste your breath, I know what you want to ask. These are soldiers from the town garrison. In front of a demon, they are just fodder. They were sent to help in beefing up the village security so the demon might be spotted faster. Hopefully it would be deterred by the sheer numbers."
So it was like that, Chu thought. The nearest town was four to five days on horseback. These soldiers would have just made it to the village not to long ago. Now the question was...
"How long will it take for somebody to come who can actually do something."
He asked in a concerned tone.
"Normally the ones who can actually fight against these demons are located in Frost. It takes about two weeks hard riding to reach us from there. I estimate that within the next two weeks or so those from the Military will be here."
"I see, but even if they arrive, how are they going to find this thing. By the time they arrive, it may be long gone."
Griz nodded in understanding.
"In a situation like this I think they are going to send some trackers and scouts. Those people usually employ certain skills to find their prey. Can't tell you much, even Simon doesn't know the full extent of the Military."
"Don't they have trackers who have a means to pinpoint this demon? Otherwise it is going to be hard to track in the winter."
Griz gave him a look of disdain.
"Brat, if it was that easy to track this demon. Do you think it would have gotten this far?"
Chu nodded. One of the main problems that were nagging him was the ability to accurately find the beast. With such OP skills out of the question, this gave him the assurance that all he had to do was bury the body.
His problem lay in the plains at the front of his house. Even a blind dog might be able to track that scent.
Chu was still hoping he could salvage a profit from this situation.
"What would happen if they even found the demon?"
"Then all hell will break loose. The importance of that wolf demon is rumored to have mobilized top officials from the Military, high standing noble houses, and even people from the Imperial Palace. Thirst for its power has caused a mass movement.”
Crap!
That was the last thing Chu wanted to hear. Even if they died it would not save them from the wrath of some of these arrogant people. His low status in society led to one outcome-- screwed.
"But will all those people combing the area, wouldn't there be fighting once the demon is found and killed? Nobody wants to be caught in the crossfire between nobles."
"Hmmm, you understand the situation well. The only way to stop the impending escalation is if the demon disappears. Or else if some idiot actually kills it and uses the lifestone. If he turns into a Sersen then the Military or the Tower will own his ass. If not, then everyone will, well you understand right?"
"I know right, where the heck can you find such an idiot."
Chu glanced at the boy sitting and drooling in his sleep beside him. He already had the burden of taking care of one of those.
"I say Griz, what is this thing about you having to serve a term here?"
Griz sighed, it was something he did not want to really talk about especially to a kid. He still decided to say something since he treated this boy like an equal when it came to business.
"My family is from the city of Haven. Its located to the east and south of here. We are a small merchant family that holds a minimal interest in the Trading post company. Five years ago my old man finally decided to step down from his position in the Trading Post. As such, for our family to hold onto our little gains, I had to undergo training within the Company to vie for his position. If I can show sufficient skills in increasing the profits at these border towns, I will be eligible for the Head position in a town. As for the city position, there are too many contenders for that position."
Chu straightened his back as he stretched. Merchants were really ruthless. As a successful company starts to falter the sharks would begin circling to stake their claim.
As for the rough and scheming city life, Chu had no problem if he ever decided to resettle. Just like in his old life, a country bumpkin moving to the city would learn from his experiences the hard way.
Different world's same conditions, he had a boat load of grievances to complain about.
A plan was beginning to form in his little mind, but it was too intangible for him to grasp as yet.
Right now though he had an idea that could be milk this situation and make a truck load of cash.
Cough, cough.
He meant wagons of Gold.
"Hey Griz, I have an idea how you can really impress this company by making a ton of gold."
Griz stared at the little scamp before him
as his heart skipped a beat. Those statements from this brat now had the effect of making him start hyperventilating.
After that Snow bear incident, he learned to expect the unexpected wherever this kid was concerned. The boy drummed his fingers on the counter as he gave him a sly grin and spoke.
"You interested?"
Chapter 36
You need Gold to make Gold
Griz gazed at this boy sitting nonchalantly across from him. The bearings and that confidence that seeped out from his body posture was shocking. Even more amazing was that the brat was as comfortable as he would be in his own home.
Just who exactly was the Master of this place?
Chu glanced at Griz and continued to press on. From the time he entered college and began his first part-time job, he learned an important fact.
No matter what job you held, whether it was a laborer, manager or medical practitioner. Your job could be at the highest landing, or the bottom rung in the eyes of society. Once you are good at it, then you should never be ashamed to display your confidence and pride.
When he finally found his little niche in the field of business, he never forgot this lesson.
It was precisely because of this exhibition, that those old fowls he interacted with always failed miserably in their attempts to intimidate him. At the end of each day, whether he cursed, cried or jumped for joy on reaching home. He never forgot to chalk up his daily highlights as well earned experience.
"Given what you told me from before, I think as the Trading Post Master. A huge opportunity has now opened but the value of this humongous profit is falling like a rock as we sit and speak."
Griz gave him one of those looks that killed. He restrained himself from jumping over the counter and choking the little bastard to death.
"Brat, the longer you dilly dally and beat around the bush, the longer it takes for me to hear you plan. Quit spinning a yarn and blurt it out."