The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 314: Gathering the eggs

Chapter 314: Gathering the eggs

HAPPY VALENTINE 2025

A/N: this is the regular Chapter of today.

These notes aren’t a permanent thing. I will only do so when I have multiple bonus Chapters to release, which I secretly hope is always.

Bonus Chapters owed: 2 out of the 4.

Thank you for reading and supporting me. Please continue to do so.

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The Dryads – Hex found it cumbersome to say Daughters of Wrixia each time – worked tirelessly on saving the victims. The dense natural element in the air helped them work without a need for rest.

At first, Hex decided to stick around in the hall for a little while to see whether there was hope for these people. But as he watched the Dryads work, he stayed to observe the way they applied and absorbed the thick natural elements.

Hex, his affinity with natural elements increased due to him having the Dragon Bear Soul. The Bear was a beast linked closely to the earth and natural elements, giving it a boost in strength and regenerative abilities.

As he watched the Dryads, Hex’s understanding regarding the element increased with each passing moment. He had to admit his application of the element was crude at best.

So far he used the natural element by applying a lot of it on an injury and letting it work its wonders. Compared to the wonderful and graceful ways of the Dryads, his method was akin to heaping everything on a wound and hoping for the best.

The Dryads on the other hand molded and applied the natural elements in a way quite reminiscent of a master painter creating a life-like art.

And that was without taking their control over the element into consideration. His heart enabled him to sense and ’see’ the flow of elements. In the Dryads’ hands, the element mimicked physical substances, capable of changing their states.

In the hand of one Dryad the natural element nebulized and entered the airways of a victim, healing the tears in her trachea – a term he learned under Hestia’s tutelage.

Another one used the natural element as a liquid to rinse the private parts of a woman. As Elize explained, standing beside him, the Shadow Snakes used the female uterus to lay and nurture their eggs. If they didn’t remove all contaminated pieces, the chances of complications would increase when the woman in question got pregnant.

There had been cases of either the fetus dying, the woman bleeding to death, and mutations. In a hidden, quarantined part of Wrixia existed a small tribe of Snakefolk who originated from such a mutation.

Elize didn’t delve much deeper into the lives of such tribes – from the sound of it, it would seem there were several such tribes – but Hex could infer the plight of such people. He suffered from being considered an outcast when only the color of his hair and eyes differed from others. If the differences were much more prominent, such as with these people, they wouldn’t even allow him to live in the slums.

Right then, the woman in charge of this hall walked up to Elize and Hex. Her beauty lost to those like Hestia and Althea but she compensated with her grace and gentle demeanor. From what he gathered, the Dryads had a ranking similar to the Knight path. They just used Class to differentiate between themselves.

A Class One Dryad was comparable to a Knight, Class Two to a Refined Knight, and so on and on. Only those in Class Four or Five could be in charge of such halls with multiple workers and patients. After all, the one in charge had to be able to fill in gaps and take care of any and every complication that occurred during the process.

"It will take far longer to heal them to good health. The two with the shortest time of being forced to be hosts, are already out of danger and will be on their feet in a week. We will monitor for a few weeks more to prevent complications with them.

As for the others, they will need far more time, but there is hope we might be able to save everyone."

"Thank you, Charon," Elize said, thanking her. It made sense that she knew such a Dryad. As the person in charge of the Coast Defenders, she would need plenty of visits to the healers. Ranging from being injured to her underlings suffering some wounds, connections with healers were inevitable.

Hex let a breath out, feeling relieved. Others might mistake it for showing care and compassion towards fellow humans. He, however, knew the truth. It would weigh on his mind if he witnessed the dire consequences of his mother’s deed.

He couldn’t explain it. His brief encounter with both women left him wanting more. The baroness’ warmth had lit a fire in his heart to desire more motherly love. But it didn’t stop there.

He had to confess, that even if he never learned about the Witch’s innocence during her childhood, he still would crave her affection. And he craved it despite remembering the brief moment she almost killed him.

"What will you do now?"

Elize’s question pulled him out of his musings and inner feelings. She stood in front of her, probably willing to guide him around the city. There was no point in staying here unless he planned to put a bed and remain there for a week. Which he didn’t.

"I guess I should group with the others and see what everyone plans to do from this point on."

Hex didn’t think he would remain with them for the remainder of his time in Wrixia. They had their objectives and he his.

"Sure. It’s not far from here, so let me walk with you. We still have plenty to discuss."

...

"Make sure to cauterize the wounds inside her pelvic region," Charon instructed as she made her rounds.

Her people liked her for this very reason. Despite it being their main task, many heads of the groups didn’t bother to stick around. And if someone screwed up, they were put on morgue duty – a dull experience to dumb the minds and skills. No Dryad liked being down there.

Charon, on the other hand, stuck around, instructing and guiding them with each process. Those under her guidance often experienced the fastest growth in their specializations.

"Did you get all the eggs out?" Charon asked a newly-appointed Dryad. The young woman nodded, her nervousness apparent from her shifting feet and trembling hands. She looked horrified at seeing such a vile thing growing inside a woman around her age. At the same time, her nervous smile indicated excitement about getting her task done on her first try.

"You did well. And don’t worry. You will learn how to prevent this from happening to you, in case you ever encounter such monsters, as long as you keep working hard and growing. We are healers. We heal others but we need to take care of ourselves too."

The young girl nodded.

As soon as Charon turned away with the petri dish full of eggs, she heard the girls giggle. She didn’t turn. A smile appeared on her lips. She remembered her experience many years ago.

She exited the hall, walking out, greeting others she met on her way. The eggs were supposed to be deposited in the labs for research. The information helped them create better measures against the horrors of such creatures.

Charon, however, didn’t walk to the lab. She went to her room.

Her room was large and well-decorated. The comfortable bed, wooden furniture, and imported vases could make a Queen of a small country envious. She ignored them and walked to her bookshelf.

She pulled on a book, which made the shelf slide, revealing a smaller office. Such a thing was common in rooms of Class Four and Class Five Dryads.

Dryads, like other people, liked to compete with each other and as such kept their research a secret from others.

She put the dish on her table and pulled a small box out. The intricate rune on the box revealed its worth. Such a thing would cost more than everything in her room put together.

She poured a little blood on it, causing a click. The lid jerked up, opening by itself. She opened it further. The inside seemed frozen. Similar eggs lay inside.

She put the dish and closed the lid.

After that, she tapped on her mirror. Her reflection stared back, as if alien to her.

"Tell the others to pick up the box. I have another batch of the eggs. Our children are safe."

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