-Break-
The men picked up all of their scattered and smushed food and ate it even in that state, even the ones who weren’t previously eating started to eat as well.
Little by little as they ate the food, their worries, and tension vanished as they were raptured by food they would have never eaten in their lives. It was a sight that many would call pathetic, the beastkin around them even snickered at the view.
But to these men, it was the best thing they had eaten in a long time, so they couldn’t help but smile as they ate with all of their hearts.
And once all the food had been finished Bricriu stood up and says, “Now what a wonderful meal that was but we should start getting to the main topic of the day.”
A beastkin screams, “EVERYONE STAND UP RIGHT NOW!”
Remembering the beating they have all just taken not a single one of them wastes a second and immediately complies with the order.
Bricriu then says, “We will be going on a rather long walk, to my favourite place here. But I have a few surprises to prepare so I will be taking a carriage ahead, so don’t walk too fast.”
With that Bricriu leaves and moments later we are all escorted out of the building.
When we leave and go outside I am greeted with the sight of black and blue wonderbeasts. They have bodies sort of similar to animals I have found in the ocean, yet they have fur and four legs. The two in the front are covered in fur and might like the legs of a lion but have two fin-like blades protruding from them, while the back two are also strong and look similar to a goat’s.
You can tell by the way they look at us and the way they are restrained that these wonderbeasts are excellent hunters. They have probably set these wonderbeasts as a deterrent for anyone trying to start anything.
This really is a weird situation, but the path we are following will lead me towards the eastern part of the plantation so I will finally get a good look around
-Break-
3 hours later
As all the men with sweet trickly down their faces are brought towards a hill, a beastkin shouts to them, “Line up on top of the hill now!”
Whilst I walk with sweat trickling down my face, I say, “This is fucking stupid, I swear when I get out of here I am going to ki-.”
The young boy stopped talking as he reached the top of the hill, but that wasn’t strange because all of the men who had witnessed the scene in front of them would have had similar reactions.
A very short distance away from the top of the hill were red pillars, with some discolouration throughout them. Each pillar had a unique shape, and if one was to look at them from a distance they would even admire them.
But due to all the men being on the top of the hill they were able to see what the pillars were made from; humans.
Their skin, their flesh, and their bones, were all amalgamated into these pillars and throughout the pillars you could still make out some faces; old ones, and young ones.
When faced with this sight, some cried, some stood there in shock, some voided their stomachs, some fell to the ground, some felt rage, and some just laughed unable to process the sight in front of them.
But the two boys simply stood there. The older of the two shook slightly as the idea of what he was seeing started to bare weight, and in a desperate attempt to confirm whether this was reality he looked to his left where he saw his roommate.
“Hey is what I am seeing real?”
With the same tasteless tone he always uses he says, “Yes.”
“Ok then,” he says turning his face back towards the sight in front of him.
If this is reality then why wasn’t my roommate reacting at all!?
Unknown to everybody at the time the only one who didn’t have any reaction to the sight in front of them was the younger of the two boys. He didn’t go through any physical or mental changes from looking at the sight in front of him, it was no different than anything else he had seen today.
Still, despite not behaving just like everyone else, he and everyone understood the same thing whether through logic or instinct that if they move that might become us. That’s why through all of their reactions not one of them ran away.
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Bricriu seeing the two boys on the hill says, “Life really is amazing.” Then walking forward toward the first of the pillars he says, “The people you see here were one of countless tribes of people who used to live on this land, this tribe in particular wiped out many other tribes and soaked the ground in blood.”
Bricriu is a far distance away from all of the men, but his voice is so powerful, that each and every one of the humans can hear it perfectly as if he is whispering directly into their ears.
Walking over from pillar to pillar, Bricriu says, “This pillar is made from a few nomadic bandits who decided they wanted to take a piece of our land, and this one is made from a small village of people who used to live at the base of River Lúide.”
Stopping in front of a pillar, he says, “Now this one is one of my favourites, this is made by a group of men who once tried to start a rebellion on this very land. We took our time to make this to commemorate their bravery.”
Turning to face the men, Bricriu says, “Do you know what every single one of these people has in common? It is very simple, they tried to oppose us, so we crushed them.
But still many refuse to understand this simple fact such as these fools.”
Pointing his left hand to his side, we see the beastkin lead a bunch of humans with bags over their heads in front of Bricriu. Each of them are placed on their knees and all have their hand and feet bound.
Then after Bricriu makes another gesture, the beastkin takes the covers off the face of the humans, with Bricriu taking off one covering by himself.
Throughout the hill where all the men stand, almost all of the newly brought-in men have faces of shock and horror, as each and every single one of them recognizes one of the faces.
Including the older of the two boys, who mutters, “Father.”
Immediately that boy tries to move his body, but at the same moment when he tries to move forward, the other boy puts his foot into the foot of the older boy and uses his hand to grab his arm.
He struggles to break out of his roommate’s grip, so he says, “LET GO OFF ME.”
“No.”
Feeling his grip tighten, I say, “Let go, let go, let go!”
“No, because if I do, you’ll die.”
Seeing the sight of the two boys struggling on the hill, Bricriu smiles and then says, “These brave yet foolish men before you, were all taken from my recent conquests into the underworld Terrafide. Some were from villages ruled by women, some were from warrior clans, whilst some lived in mounts. But none of that matters to any of you because to all of you who recognize these people as brothers, sons, uncles, and even fathers.
Many of them were captured by me as I hunted down the runaways, but some of them were captured while trying to sneak into our land,” after saying that last sentence Bricriu hit my father across the head.
“And even though these boys you see in front of me tried to escape our reach, they were still caught in the end, because that is the fate of you humans. Because each and every one of you are no different than cattle, and the very fact that you can even understand our words is the crowning achievement of your race.”
“Still knowing this these people fervently tried to defy us and will pay for their sins.”
All the beastkin beside the captives place their hands on the head of the captive they unmasked, and as that happens the captives begin to shake with fright as bloodlust so tangible you could drink it fills the air around them.
Seeing this most men looking on from above feel terror in their souls as they have already anticipated what is about to happen. But others unable to watch any longer start to run down the hill towards their loved ones.
Some scream, “FATHER!”
Some, “BROTHER!”
Some even shout names, “THOMAS.”
But in the end, they all might have the same fate, because moments after they run down the hill their heads are ripped from their bodies by beastkin, leaving only mutilated bodies rolling down the hill.
Many who see this sight feel their feet freeze to the ground, but the older of the two boys still tries to move screaming, “FATHER!”
But the hold of the younger of the two holds him down with an inhuman grip, not allowing him to move an inch.
Bricriu making another gesture, says, “May Danu forgive you.”
The rest of the beastkin say the same, “May Danu forgive you.”
At that moment all the beastkin break the necks of all of the humans they are holding, with the only other sound in that moment being the crying of the older of the two boys.
Letting out another smile, Bricriu says, “Open your souls and engrave these next words into them, you are slaves. Every single one of you is a slave, so from this moment till the death of your world, you will all be slaves. That is the only fate where you can live. Now I want each and every one of you to turn around and look into the distance.”
Following his instructions each and every one does this, with the younger of the two helping the collapsed older move.
Holding his hands up, he says, “But if you continue to be good slaves you will get to see that scenery over there whenever you wish, but if you disobey the hell you see in front of you will be a fate that you will succumb to. Now just like the obedient objects you are follow these instructions; go home.”
Each and every one of the men walks home with their heads swinging down low as if they had just been beaten in a war, there is only one exception to this the younger of the two boys.
They walk a long path home, with their souls so broken that not one thinks about running away. Some people's feet stop walking and just lie and the road back, but those same men are killed moments later.
As this goes on Bricriu stands on the top of the hill saying, “You humans are truly a delicacy of the highest order. Now it is time to make my new sculpture.”
-Break-
After an arduous walk back to the campsite, the two young boys are greeted by another sight. Bodies are hanging off the edge of the walls around the campsite, but the older of the two boys recognizes one body in particular and runs towards it.
Looking up he says, “Vul, no it can’t be, it can’t!”
Behind me I hear, a voice say, “But it is.”
Turning around, I see a bat Beastkin; the one from my first day here.
Getting close to my ear, he whispers, “You should be careful about what you say since we beastkin have rather amazing hearing. Because if you don’t more cattle might die because of your actions.”
Hearing this I fall to the ground, and simply just cry, I cry my heart out.