Fernando coughed, the metallic tang of blood filling his mouth. He looked up, his lips twitching into a grin. "Glad... everything worked out nicely, ya know?" he rasped, his voice weak but mocking.
Before Alexander could react, he felt the ground beneath them shift, turning soft, almost fluid. The crater transformed into loose mud, and Fernando's body began to sink. Alexander's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching as Fernando's form disappeared into the muck.
Back at the castle, Fernando dropped to the ground, his body a mixture of blood and mud. He landed heavily near his throne chair, rolling over onto his back, gasping for breath as he clenched his stomach, the pain of his broken ribs and previous wounds making his vision blur.
