Glyn stares down at the butler as Mila leaps ahead of him. Miller runs to the side, drawing his sword as the two stare at each other. Sebastion smirks and motions for the two to approach. They charge ahead, swinging their lades as Sebastion leaps backwards. He thrusts a pair of armored guards at the pair as Glyn stares at him curiously. The siblings slice through the armor, knocking the guards to the ground as Pepper floats into the air. She fires off a fireball at Sebastian, who, without touching them, flings another guard into the way of her attack.

“He’s sacrificing his allies,” Mila says.

“Who said these are allies? They are but puppets who exist to serve our Mistress.”

Miller runs ahead towards him as Sebastian effortlessly dodges his attacks. “Your pretty spry, aren’t you?”

“I have to. I can’t let people like you injure me or dirty my suit.” Sebastian plants his foot on the ground and thrusts forward, throwing a punch at Miller.

Miller blocks the attack as the punch sends him flying back into the cavern’s walls.

“Brother!”

“I’m fine.” He coughs, forcing himself to stand. “If we take this one down here and now, then we can take down the other Pieces.”

Sebastian smirks. “Oh, you plan to defeat me? I’d love to see your attempt. It’s been some time since I’ve left the Mistress’s side, so I want to have a fun excursion.”

Mila stares at him as her eyes go red and two tails grow from her back. Her tails ignite as raging flames burn around them as she charges forward. Sebastion stares at her, dodging her attacks, sensing the ever-increasing power from her flames.

“You are fascinating. That power, I can feel it’s overwhelming strength…. Are you….”

“Hold him down, Mila!” Glyn yells.

Sebastian turns to Glyn and sees something in his hands. He takes a thin thread and puts it into his book. Glyn closes the book as a powerful sensation overwhelms Sebastian. and forces him to the ground as a strange sickness comes over him. Mila stands over him and forces his face into the dirt, stepping on him as Sebastian struggles to breathe.

“This feeling…”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“How do you like it?”

“This is a curse.”

Glyn smirks.

“How’d you do that?” Miller asks.

“Easy.” Glyn pulls out a thin thread as everyone looks on. “This guy’s using spider silk. All I had to do was use it against him since technically he’s touching the book, too.”

“A curse? How is it possible for someone like you to..” Sebastian smiles. “I can see it.”

“What?”

He laughs, his cries echoing across the cavern. “You’ve been touched by ‘him’, haven’t you?”

“What’s going on?” Otso asks. “It’s like he’s seeing Glyn’s curse or something.”

Miller steps forward. “I say we take care of him now so he won’t be trouble for us later.”

Glyn nods. “I’d rather not. But….”

“Sorry, but I can’t let you kill our lady’s dear butler. She’d cry herself endlessly if he were lost to her.”

A large stone slab flies across the area, hitting Mila and Miller and forcing the pair back. Sebastian stands as he looks back and dusts off the dirt from his uniform.

“Thank you, Oscar.”

A man dressed as a priest clad in black walks forward as he snaps his fingers and commands the stone slabs to his side. Sebastian smiles, staring at Glyn and Mila as threads come out of his gloves.

“We have to capture them.”

“What?”

“That woman, she’s the one. The perfect sacrifice we were looking for. The one we sensed before.”

Oscar nods. “And I’m free to kill the others?”

“No. The little Lord there appears to have been blessed by him.”

Oscar’s eyes widen. “That will make an excellent meal to celebrate the Great One's awakening.”

“I don’t like this,” Oscar says.

Pepper nods. “Glyn. I sense something odd coming from those two.”

“Oscar, take out the Spirit. She doesn’t serve much for our purposes.”

Oscar smiles as his stone slabs float into the air. “Fine then. Let’s all work our best for the honor of the Great One!”

He fires off the slabs with Pepper barely dodging the attack. Glyn turns up only to see a web fall blocking the pit’s opening. Sebastian laughs as a series of threads fall from above, with Mila staring up at the web. Pepper fires a flaming sphere, only for the flames to extinguish in the web.

“Please run.” The father clings to the bars, looking at Glyn. “Run before it’s too late before….”

He slumps over and collapses, with Glyn clenching his teeth. “Oscar we’re out!”

“But the hostages?”

“It’s….”

Oscar stares and sees the group sitting motionless. “Alright. I’ll get us out! Miller, Mila, give me a cover!”

Miller nods as his sword ignites with Mila holding out her tails. The pair shoot out fireballs that collide and extinguish, creating a large smokescreen. As the smoke clears Oscar and Sebastian standalone with another large hole in the middle of the pit where Glyn and the others once stood.

“How did they get out?” Oscar asks.

“That bug. Their sort are good at digging through the dirt. He used something for them to escape.”

“Should we pursue?”

“No. If we follow them to cramped spaces, they’ll burn us up before we can reach them.” Sebastian smiles as his eyes roll into the back of his head. “I can’t wait to have the Great One devour them. It’ll be such a glorious awakening.”