Chương 37: Beast Tide II - Overwhelming Senses.
Midnight had long since passed, and while silence was the norm at this time of night, today was an exception, it had been a whole hour since the attack on the village by the beast wave started.
After the first wave, then the second and third collapsed on to the villages defences casualties began to appear, albeit not too many, the defences still managed to hold with the relentless work of those guarding them and the people supporting them, but unfortunately slip ups and mistakes were bound to happen.
Just like before, people overextended and were either dragged through the small gaps, crushed and eaten by the ravenous pack, others did the same but were lucky to get away with few gashes or a lacking limb, the rooms reserved for injured were steadily filling and the expressions of the people tending to them were slowly darkening.
Those guardian the top of the fence were in not much of a better position, the 'Black Mountain Lions' that had climbed in the beginning had done so throughout the attack, catching people off guard and crossing over causing fatalities inside the safe zone, there wasn't a moment where the villagers could catch any rest and it began to wear them down physically and mentally.
And to make matters worse, the entirety of the tide hadn't even arrived yet.
Under Shu Li's guide they had killed many beasts, more than 100, with many being Shu Li himself; however, that number was only a smaller fraction of what there was.
Their only saving grace was that the beasts weren't intelligent, they held none of the sharp cunning or instincts they should have, instead they were more like mindless depraved killing machines in the form of beasts that just moved to kill, it was for this reason that the fences still managed to hold.
At first, many found their appearances grotesque and scary, but as they faced the beasts in combat, as they stabbed them, cut them, slaughtered and attacked by them, seeing the gore and blood drip and flow, that feeling receded, all that was left was ever present sense of living hell.
'When will this end?' they wanted to ask someone.
'Will we live?' they wanted to cry.
'Someone, please save us' They screamed at the bottom of their souls.
…
Atop one of the buildings, wearing a tattered cloak splattered with bloodstains, holding a bow in hand and arrows in the other, a young boy looked over the village, a golden flicker flowing through his eyes.
Normally, would create an image of a heroic youth, one defending their village with his life on the line, however that wasn't not this youth in any sense.
His face was pale as a sheet as his breathing was heavy and laboured, his breath spouting condensation as his small body shivered under his clothes.
'This… this can't be happening' He stared at the scenery surrounding him, using his Keen Sight he took everything in, all the details he shouldn't have seen.
He saw the people of the village, faces he's come to know well throughout these nine years, defending the fence with their live.
Their faces filled with endless fear masked by hardened determinations.
He saw the injured, grunting and screaming in pain as blood flowed from their wounds while their bones threatening to protrude from their bruised skin.
The cries of the young children inside and the worried or heartbroken expressions on the women taking shelter or supporting the men filled his mind.
He felt something crack inside of him.
It was the image of peace and safety that he felt from his home, it was gone.
He couldn't control himself anymore, his emotions overflowed his control of his Keen Sense, and its range and senses grew and changed, encompassing the entire village around it.
Immediately, Shu He fell to the ground, throwing up.
His senses had become overwhelmed, he felt hundreds of voices piercing his fragile mind, he felt their emotions filled with dread and desperation, with little hope to be found.
The mutterings of madness and hopelessness that people spoke under their breaths found their way into Shu He's 'ears' like an infectious disease.
The smell of iron from the running blood, the scent of desperation from the people, the torn carcasses and limbs, the remains of the casualties after becoming food, the organs that had ruptured and spilled their putrid scent of acid and faecal matter over the fields.
Everything assaulted his 'nose'.
He gripped the hair on his head, pulling and tugging, scratching his scalp and face, he wanted the pain to stop, he wanted the words being whispered into his mind to go away.
His eyes became seared with the visages of remains and blood, eve n when he looked away it wouldn't disappear.
No-one came to help him, no one even realised what was happening to him, the chaos around him was too much and hid away his suffering.
That is all except one person.
"SHU HE!" A loud voice boomed throughout the air.
It entered Shu He's ears, causing him to stop and twitch.
His 'Senses' immediately targeted the source of the voice.
A familiar visage, a familiar sound, a familiar scent.
They all struck Shu He, calming him down, he fixated on that feeling, that one source of solace.
His father watched him from far away, a worried expression filling his face.
For a moment, Shu He felt his mind and senses clear, like an oasis in the centre of a desert; he took that moment and grasped the chance, he reigned in his 'Senses'.
Very soon, the golden flicker receded from his eyes as he sat up, staring back at his father's figure in the distance.
He sat up, breathing slowly and trying to remove what he saw from his mind, even if only for now; He felt like he had been shocked with electricity for hours on end, only now getting to relax.
His father saw him get up and although his face was still filled with worry, he returned his focus to the battle.
"Sorry" Shu He apologised, a simple mistake like that had taken his father's attention, away from something far more important.
Slowly, he pulled himself up off the floor… or roof of the house he was on, his body felt stiff, his muscles had spasmed madly before, so he felt sore all over.
Still in pain he stumbled a bit before holding his forehead.
'What was that?' He had lost control over his 'Keen Sight' returning it to the original 'Qi Sense' he had used before, but there was something more.
'It was like I felt… thoughts? Emotions? I thought it just extended my senses… is that not it?'
He felt he had discovered something far more than he originally thought he had.
'Can I make use of this?' Was his first thought.
"Hey watch out!" Suddenly a shout came from behind him, Shu He quickly twisted his head in the direction of the shout and saw someone running towards him from the distance, yelling and pointing behind him.
'Behind…? Shit!' Everything that just happened had removed Shu He's mind from the one thing he needed to be doing, guarding the wall!
He turned to look, and just as he did he witnessed one of the tigers vault over the fence and began to charge right for him.
It was still to be noted that Shu He was a 9-year-old boy that was fairly average in height and weight, even though the tiger was emancipated it was easily enough to overpower him.
'My bow!' His first reaction was to try to nail it in the head with a shot, however he had dropped it when he fell before, it was too far!
Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and neither did the tiger, as soon as it was in range it began to prepare to pounce.
Shu He, without hesitation, reached for the dagger he had sheathed on his side and drew it in front of him, his eyes locked on to the giant creature and flickered with gold once more.
He wasn't merely using Keen Sight, but the full 'Sense', locking it in a small area covering him and the tiger.
Everything was relayed to him, the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures, but he kept it going, trying to find something else, something with less foundation, something more ethereal.
Shu He grimaced as he faced down the beast.
The sound of its guttural growl and breathing, the texture of its skin and claws, the horrific smell of its breath let alone the tastes that made him want to throw up once more, he embraced everyone and went deeper, deeper and deeper.
Until he found something, he couldn't describe it with words, but he felt a one-sided connection form, like listening to someone rambling to themselves.
This all happened in a split second, and right as the tiger's claws sunk into Shu He, his entire body shifted carefully, the azure Core Flame inside his body burst his body and muscles with as much Qi as possible to make the movements possible, he seemed to slot himself between the tiger's limb and body, falling beneath its torso that had leapt over him.
His hand that held the dagger moved, stabbing directly into the jugular of the tiger and cutting downwards, causing a stream of blood to pour out of the cut as the tiger's body stumbled and collapsed, struggling for a few seconds before death.
Shu He on the other hand, collapsed on the spot.
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ShiroN3K0
ShiroN3K0 Hey, sorry this chapter took a while; I may have been a bit addicted to something that just came out, should be back to mostly regular releases again now though.
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