There was no time to grieve! At the same time that the two siblings had knelt beside Masha, another beast had appeared from the creeping mist around them!
It had glaring red eyes and a head like that of a mushroom, with a spindly trembling neck shaped like a tentacle. Its mouth was on the underside of its head, wrapping around the entire diameter of its edge. Thousands of miniscule, grinding, razor sharp teeth protruded between fine bristle-like hairs, and saliva dripped from its edges like rainfall from a rooftop after a storm.
Damn it! Damn it! Why...!?
Eshent raised his hands, he had no blade. His head still pulsed with an inconsiderable pain, it was almost blinding!
This can't be real! This is just another daydream! I'll snap back into it at any moment! I surely will! I have to-
The monster lurched towards him, having put distance between himself and Corrin. Its mushroom-like head curled up on itself, squinching up tight until it had been elongated before pushing itself flat with an extreme force, sinking teeth deep into Eshent's arm. He tried to kick at the creature's body in the meanwhile, but he fell backwards, the muscles of his legs worn by their fleeing of the wolf-like beast previously.
His mind raced, struggling with the newly-appeared monster. He caught sight of his brother lying on the cold soil once more.
Masha's dead! Masha's really-
The beast slammed into Eshent's side, sending him flying across the stone ground, the harshness of the floor cutting into his skin. His arm was flayed, covered in thick streaming blood that dripped down his wrist, crimson droplets falling to the floor. He glanced over towards Corrin, his legs tense and weak.
He watched as the monster dropped its attention on him, slowly trudging over towards where Corrin crouched over Masha's body, sobbing unceasingly.
"Masha... Masha..." Corrin cried out. "Get up..."
She tugged at his sleeve, trying to pick up his hand. It was heavy, cold, stiff. When she let go, it slammed back down against the ground, lifeless.
"Corrin-!" Eshent's voice was hushed, choked up in his throat by the blood that collected in his mouth. The monster lurked ever closer, his sister unaware of its approach! She was too grief-stricken by the death of their elder brother, she could not become aware of the world around her!
His vision had blurred considerably, the rough shape of a small rock appearing like nothing but colour next to him. Still, he grasped at it, its sharp, rough surface cutting into the flesh of his palm as he propped himself up, letting out a groan as the torn muscles in his injured arm constricted, sending waves of flaming agony up towards his shoulder and neck.
Eshent lurched forward, still half-collapsed against the ground, his face hitting the rocky soil below as the rough stone was thrown in the general direction of the mushroom-headed beast. It hit its side, bouncing off as if it had been no more than a pebble, but this was enough to draw its attention. It quickly diverted its gaze from Corrin, looking back towards Eshent.
I need her- to run... damn it, she needs to be the one... who lives...
He spat out a mouthful of blood, crying out towards her, "Corrin! Forget his body, leave this place! Find its exit-!"
The inhuman scream of the beast echoed through the dilapidated fortress as it lunged towards him, but he quickly rolled to the side, avoiding its multitudes of razor sharp teeth. Its head still contracted and flattened once more, sinking its teeth into the stone, which chipped and shattered into thousands of microscopic pieces, leaving bone-like fragments littered across the floor. Like the saliva, blood began to drip from its mouth, but it seemed undisturbed by its injuries, as if it was in its nature to harm itself in the pursuit of death.
"Corrin! Go!" His sister's attention had already been drawn, and she hesitated for a moment as she watched Eshent stumble to his feet, barely supporting his weight as he stared down the terrifying monster before him.
Corrin just stared at him, blank-eyed, a distraught look on her face. She could not decide, she could not move.
"Eshe... really...?"
Eshent nodded, smiling as tears collected at the edge of his eyes. "Go... live, sister. This is all you can do, don't waste Masha's hard work..."
She grimaced, taking a step back slowly from the slaughter, turning her gaze away as she quickly ran in the opposite direction, as fast as her feeble body could go.
The mist engulfed her, and she disappeared from his sight.
Eshent was left alone in the fortress, save the company of the beast that slowly approached.
How did this happen...? What kind of inane tragedy is this... no warning, no explanation, no reasoning at all! Why have we been transported here out of nowhere! I'll die with no knowledge of my sentencing!
The beast moved face-to-face with Eshent, snarling and gurgling. The strands of hair beside its teeth had become covered in blood, both of itself and of Eshent, and what teeth remained were chipped and shattered from striking the ground. This creature simply wanted to kill him at all costs!
Ha... perhaps this was the punishment for associating with the man who called the Witch-King a 'False King'. Maybe 'the Light' was capable of transporting us here. But why punish my siblings too? I am the only sinner...
"Go on then." Eshent leaned in towards the monster, grimacing. "Try..."
However, this time, the monster seemed... docile. Its eyes, multitudes of them, were fixated on the ground below.
Eshent glanced downwards, his own eyes widening. The black booklet had slipped out of his pocket!
Does it... have a liking for this book?
Eshent slowly reached down, grasping at the booklet as he kept his eye on the monster, raising it slowly. Its gaze, expectedly, followed the book as he held it up high in the air.
But why? Don't tell me this monster is interested in that Yellow Priest's God too...
He suddenly dropped the book, his hand red-hot, a fiery pain singeing his palm. When he glanced upwards, the skin of his hand was mottled and red, burnt.
The creature snarled as the black booklet hit the ground, its aggressive state resuming as if the previous event hadn't occurred at all!
Damn it...
A bolt of light erupted from the sky above, crashing down on the beast in front of Eshent like lightning. He fell backwards, glancing at the heap of smoke that had engulfed the monster, grimacing. What had happened?
"Indeed, there were people here..." a voice muttered from amidst the cloud of smoke, a shadowy figure enveloped by its haze. It cleared, slowly but surely, revealing the crimson stain of the monster that had been plastered onto the ground like a bad painting, flat and charred.
A man with pitch-black hair stood before Eshent, wearing a black mask with a mouthpiece resembled interwoven worms, a bright-silver bastard sword slung over his shoulder. His right hand extended, glowing a radiant golden colour, like flames that danced at the edge of his fingertips.
Was this...?
My punisher...
From the mist, another form suddenly lurched forward. It was five-times the size of the figure that had appeared, with an elongated snout that snarled viciously, and claws the size of blades. It had pitch-black fur, and its eyes were a bright-glowing red that shone through the darkness of Shadowhaunt's night.
In the distance, lightning flashed, truly this time, blue in its hue. It illuminated the shapes of monoliths in the distance, obscured by the sky-high haze. The figure and the beast behind it seemed lofty, inconsiderable, like otherworldly beings!
Eshent grimaced, his gaze moving towards the man standing only a few paces away from him. His countenance was blurry yet still, but the pain in his head seemed to have dissipated slightly. The man paid him no mind, looking towards the wolf-like beast as he smiled.
"Ah! It's you!" The figure exclaimed happy, jumping back as he patted the beast's thick fur. "You're a wonderful dog after all, returning to me so loyally... I'm still afraid I can't take you... I've recently acquired my own puppy. He's definitely bigger than you!"
The figure turned towards Eshent, kneeling down as he outstretched a hand. "Boy, are you alright?" There was a worried expression on his face.
Eshent looked in a horrified manner at the monster, ignoring August's words.
That beast... isn't that the wolf that killed Masha...?
He grimaced, glancing up at August with vitriol.
If this man treats it like a dog... if it's under his command, then...
Eshent reached over to his left, procuring the stone that he had thrown at the mushroom-headed monster only moments prior.
He really is my tormentor!
Eshent swung the rock towards August's head, catching the side of his face. August stumbled slightly, groaning as he reached towards where he had been struck. Blood, in minute amounts, had begun to drip down his cheek. He grinned, glancing back over towards Eshent, who had already stood up and begun fleeing, albeit slowly.
What an ungrateful boy!
August chuckled, standing up as he placed a hand on the wolf-like monster.
"We should follow him, just to ensure his safety... how is it a boy ended up in Shadowhaunt? Gwennaude apprised me of the guard that had been posted. Should I punish all my Archknights? If I imprison them, I won't have to deal with their incessant pleas to accompany me..."
Still, it's dangerous for him to wander alone. I'll try and tacitly guide him to the exit...