The warrior Lucy

  Before the body of the deceased captain hit the ground, Lucy streaked past him while holding the pair of twin daggers in her soft hands. Her swift response startled the killer.

  As a demon beast relying on a burst of speed, a Bitzer possessed superior ocular vision. Unfortunately, even it could not follow the movement of the human darting to its side.

  Its brain had not issued the signal to remove the embedded claw inside the dead man when the twin daggers flashed. The fluid motion reaped additional power from the impossible speed of the moving blond.

  Lucy halted at the window, with half of the Bitzer hanging behind her, and the sounds of pandemonium breaking out.

  "We'll handle this one, take out the ones that have entered already!"

  Seeing Chu and Ming rushing towards a window, she raced to another. Behind her, the Bitzer turned a glazed eye while twisting its neck. Two faint lines of red appeared, running from the base of the neck to behind the ears.

  Blood mixed with saliva dripped from the open maw as the head slumped down listless. The tilted neck unveiled the white bones to the world. The spurts from a dying heart, quickly formed a large red puddle, staining the marble floor.

  A Bitzer jumped inside from a splintered hole in the shutters and exploded towards the approaching girl. In a flash, it leaped into the air with its extended claws aimed at her chest and the open mouth locked onto her little throat.

  Its solitary eye blinked once and lost sight of the girl. The innate ability of the Bitzer warned it of impending danger but its mobility suffered during the leaping charge.

  Searing pain birthed from the receptors at its abdomen as Lucy dived below its four feet high jump twisting her horizontal body inches above the floor. The iron crossbow strapped to her back shrieked along the marble floor.

  The tips of her daggers pierced into the skin of the beast and left a pair of neat parallel incisions.

  They cut deep from the base of the ribs, along the underbelly, and ended generously on both sides of the genitals.

  Rolling on the ground she crouched in an attacking stance while on one knee. The Bitzer clattered on the stone twisting to face her. A snarl followed by an unnatural shriek burst from its fanged mouth as the internal organs spilled onto the polished ground.

  Dragging its intestines while leaving a bloody trail it lumbered towards her. Until a cross-bolt smashed into the side of its head courtesy of the commanding black-haired girl.

  "Lucy, help the guards at the door!"

  Miki yelled from the vantage point on the balcony while reloading her crossbow. At this point, three Bitzers had broken in at the east windows and dashed among the guards and fleeing servants.

  When another Bitzer splattered the floor with the brains of a dead guard and raised its triumphant head, Lucy turned towards the door. In the middle of its rush and retreat assault, the Bitzer collected an unstoppable blow.

  A white-colored flash streaked across the hall and then slammed into the base of the skull at the back of the neck.

  The companion of the slumping Bitzer turned its reddish eye towards the source only for a second dagger to thump into its ear. With a mournful howl, the Bitzer slumped and thrashed on the floor before twitching sporadically.

  The blood spray hadn't subsided as yet when the angelic reaper coated in blood appeared among them.

  Lifting and arming the crossbow strapped on her back in a dexterous motion, she aimed and clicked. The iron bolt buried itself into the head of the next demon beast trying to force its way in from the broken barricade.

  Three terrifying demon beasts issued mournful wails while expiring within seconds of each other.

  "Handle the others, we'll cover you."

  Lucy ordered the guards while removing her ivory-handled daggers from her kill. Ignoring the shocked and worshipping gazes of the survivors, she followed the orders from above.

  "Lucy, cover Ming and Chu. Retreat with them to the stairs.!"

  "Dyna help Mr. Thomas!"

  While Lucy wiped out the gathering threat near the guards, the remaining survivors among the terrified servants cleared the hall.

  While in the barricaded bedroom upstairs every mournful bellow, blood-curdling scream, and hair-raising howl, generated stifled shrieks from the maids. Armed with readied crossbows. Sakura and the remaining girls scanned the room while listening intently.

  Chu managed to kill another Bitzer trying to force its way from a broken shutter. Together with Ming, he practiced the sound plan of attacking the demon beast in sequence. This prevented both of them from becoming victims of paralysis at the same time, helpless to protect the other.

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  The command to retreat to the stairs, however, was impeded by a Bitzer darting haphazardly in the hall. Ever so often, an iron bolt clanged on the marble, chipping the polished surface as it missed the elusive target yet again.

  Facing an adversary with the uncanny skill to evade cross bolts and the ability to double its speed during short bursts of explosive power, his mind whirled. If not for his extensive experience in life-and-death battles, his legs might have crumpled beneath him.

  In the open field, even with a shield, he admitted he was no match for a single Bitzer much less a pack. Confronting a darting, unpredictable Bitzer versus a stationary one was like comparing Heaven and Earth.

  "Chu, Ming! Regroup at the stairs."

  Lucy repeated while running towards them. The three of them converged and covered half the distance from the windows to the stairs when the Bitzer attacked.

  Darting in a bee-line towards them, it then exploded in a powerful burst, twisting and changing directions. The unpredictable zig-zagging confused the retreating boys.

  "Look out!"

  "It's coming!"

  As the Bitzer doubled its speed, so too did Lucy. In the middle of clawing the smooth floor to turn at a tight angle, the lone eye suddenly wheeled to the side. The retina locked onto the image of the blood-splattered face of a human girl who effortlessly matched its maximum speed.

  The cold yellow eyes of impending death locking its gaze, narrowed, instilling fear for the first time in the creature. At the heels of this overwhelming terror followed two flashes of reflected light from the human version of claws.

  The daggers pierced into its flank and ear, generating a bone-chilling howl. Tumbling away like a racing car toppling on a curved bend, it rolled on its side while counting the last breaths.

  "This is the last time I am ever going to stay in a place with a wide-open hall. Heck Chu, these things are more dangerous than a Jaga."

  Ming mumbled. The shout from the commanding raven-haired girl above them continued.

  "Dyna, take out the one on the left!"

  Chu pulled his gaze from Lucy to see a wolf crash into the side of a hurling Bitzer. The predators tumbled to the floor, with the Bitzer drawing first blood by leaving a deep gash with its claw on the paralyzed wolf.

  A split second later, another wolf clamped into the neck of the demon beast, its jaw contracting because of the electric-type jolt. The weight of the attackers had the smaller Bitzer sprawling on the ground on its side.

  A dagger punctured the exposed neck of the beast near the jaw of the wolf, increasing the spray of blood from the severed artery, and painting the killer red.

  The four adversaries twitched together until the redhead and the two wolves separated from the corpse. They wasted no time in lingering while making a cautious retreat.

  The companions converged at the base of the staircase as the last Bitzer fell. Chu felt his heart thump madly under the effects of the adrenaline rush.

  The eerie silence that now descended after the merciless skirmish sent a shiver down his spine. A sob or a painful moan ever so often only served to add to the chill.

  The survivors spent minutes holding their breath or sigh of relief while glancing around at the entrances to the hall. Chu finally relaxed his grip on the sword.

  "Lucy, take Miki and scour the bedrooms, then the balcony on the top floor. I want feedback on if there are more lurking around on the outside."

  "Can you hold the defenses?"

  "Yes, don't worry. Scouting information and securing our backs takes priority. Dyna, take Fenrir to the bedroom with Amarok and dress his wounds. Don't forget the antidote potion."

  "Okay, but what about the guards?"

  "We'll have them assist in defending the staircase. Ming, help them bring the injured upstairs."

  Chu ordered while scanning the hall for movements. He turned to Lucy who answered him with a nod of all clear before she joined Miki.

  The pristine open hall intended for serenity and leisure had degenerated into purgatory.

  The bodies of guards and servants lay strewn across the floor, their corpses contorted and sprawled out in contrasting patterns. Pools of coagulating blood soaked into the white marble along with tossed pieces of torn windpipes and mangled flesh.

  The pieces of grey brain matter floating near a cracked skull allowed a glimpse into the alternate future should the Bitzers have achieved success.

  Chu squeezed his leg which spasmed intermittently while sitting on the stairs beside Mr. Thomas. The adrenaline rush deserted, dropping him into a condition similar to a junkie denied of his fix.

  Below him, the guards barricaded the wide but much easier-defended staircase. Two pairs of returning, clattering boots, from above signaled the much-required report.

  "I can't see or smell any more of them in the surroundings. Sakura and Sue are tending to the injured while Amanda is comforting the maids in the bedroom."

  Lucy squeezed in next to him while whispering. Chu nodded as his eyes moved up the sticky, discolored leather armor and gauntlets touching him, onto the white jade-like, oval face sprinkled and daubed with blood.

  The clear blue eyes looking at him, however, never questioned their lifestyle. For the first time in two lives, emotions of pride and pity originated from his heart. A gruff voice, laced with admiration originated from below.

  "Ah, the young miss possesses the heart of a warrior. Thank you for helping us back there."

  "My daughters have been trained from young under Military rule. Bitzer's have an uncanny way of dodging. By sheer luck, she managed to kill them while you kept them occupied."

  "True, it's unfortunate our brothers had to pay such a high price to kill the beast. What now? As the most senior guard remaining, do you want me to send a scout out?"

  The middle-aged guard asked while clenching his fingers nervously. As the guards assigned to the estate, they held the responsibility to protect the guests.

  But who would willingly step into the night serving as fodder for any lurking demon beast?

  One glance at the hall and the fresh memories of the recent battle predicted a gruesome future ending.

  "Senior, you don't need to risk the lives of your remaining brothers. Let's wait until morning, by then I am sure the Tower will mobilize a patrol. As for the demon beasts, please feel free to take all the credit for the kills. That way, the Tower will not blame you for negligent duties but will compensate you and your dead brothers."

  Chu rose stiffly from the stairs while talking.

  "Have your guards find and barricade the windows around the hall. In the meantime, we will have a few of the male servants scour the kitchen for a hot meal. I do have a favor to ask..."

  He shook off the lethargic feeling soaking into his extremities and cracked his knuckles. Before his blood ran cold, he had something important to attend to. His eyes skimmed across the host of four-legged corpses scattered within the hall or hanging limpid across the windows.

  Fourteen carcasses of freshly killed demon beasts.

  Common and low tier, they still held the name of Demon Beasts.

  Did the odds favor him to gain a lifestone?