“So… you were falsely accused, huh? Of what, exactly?” Ayden asked with narrowed eyes.

“That’s for me to know and for you to wonder-"

Ayanna stopped rowing for a moment as she too narrowed her eyes.

“Theft. The court and imperial guard thought that I stole a precious family heirloom from some noble family. I told them I didn’t do it, but the words of a commoner mean little, especially when pitted against those of nobles.” Jean said.

“Mmm… sounds like you’ve fallen on some rather unfortunate times,” Ayden commented.

“Hehe, you don’t even know,” Jean said with a pained smile.

“Anyway, do either of you know what in the world is going on around here? I’ve heard many things about this place, but I never knew that you people had a hobby of conjuring beasts from nightmarish realms.” He asked.

“We don’t know. There’s a man in town saying that he asked a great one to do this, but he also looked a bit crazy, so we’re not sure what to believe.” Ayden said as they continued down the river.

“Great one? Do you mean a god?” Jean asked.

“Maybe. He spoke with a grim vagueness and kept calling me Prionnsa, for some reason.”

“Well, you are one pretty boy, I’ll tell you that. Chances are, he thought you were of noble blood.” Jean said.

“That’s the thing, I’m not. But he seemed certain that I was an heir of some kind. Anyway, that’s all we know. What about you?” Ayden asked as they arrived at a certain pier.

“One thing I can say for sure is that this isn’t an isolated incident. I’ll bet money on the possibility that the whole country has sunken into this awful state. Wherever we’re going, those things are waiting.” Jean said before they all disembarked from the boat.

They made their way down the street before Jean stopped.

“Umm… mind if we stop by that shop for a second?” Jean asked as he pointed at a small building that once served as a place where seafarers purchased various tools and equipment.

Ayanna nodded and the three promptly walked into the little shop.

Jean rummaged around the place before finding what he was looking for.

He sat on the dusty wooden floor before hacking away at the chain around his ankle with a rusty saw.

Ayden and Ayanna patiently waited as Jean loudly freed himself.

He then got up and looked at his damp clothes.

“Give me a moment,” Jean said before walking into the back of the shop where he loudly rummaged further.

He then emerged wearing a denim onesie. It was quite dusty, but it was an improvement from his mud-drenched clothes.

“On we go!” Jean declared before marching out of the shop.

The three continued eastward and the dark town of Dachaigh Gual grew more distant as they went.

Ayden didn’t have any attachment to the place, but he felt a bit sad that things turned out the way they did.

The boy sighed as they walked along a rather wide path.

Grass had begun to grow over the tracks that carriages once travelled along. Well, they still did, but in far fewer numbers.

Dark and damp forests could be seen in the distance, but the path Ayden and company were taking, fortunately, avoided them.

.

..

About three hours passed and the trio came to a stop upon seeing a rather strange sight in the middle of the grassy planes east of Dachaigh Gual.

About fifteen or so blood-soaked men stood around what looked like a giant dead beast which hung on the makings of a large bonfire.

The beast itself was a nightmarish thing. Most of its head and torso were covered in teeth and along with fur, the creature had shiny scales that were covered in its own blood.

“We should avoid those people,” Jean whispered as they walked past the group.

“Oi! Where might you be heading?” A man with a raspy voice asked.

“East,” Jean said.

“That’s not very specific.” The man said as he walked out from the group, revealing that he too was covered in blood.

“That’s because our heading is our business, mister,” Jean said.

“That may be true, but those weapons you’re holding tell me that the place you’re coming from has seen its fair share of death.” The man said as he scratched his neck, scraping away at the dried blood that clearly wasn’t his.

“Even if that is true, why do you care?” Jean asked as Ayanna stood in front of Ayden.

"Ravenous beasts roam the land. A storm of madness and violence approaches. Let’s just say that there’s an undeniable need for cooperation between groups with common interests. Survival comes to mind.” The man said as his companions surrounded Ayanna and company.

Ayden’s heart began beating madly as he fearfully clung to Ayanna’s side.

“What if we’re better off on our own?” Jean asked, his eyes trembled but they didn’t break contact with those of the man in front of him.

Silence then fell on the grassy plane.

“Then I wish you the best of luck.” The man said with a smile.

“If I can be completely honest, I wish you’d join us, but alas. Dòchas, home of the Bloody Numbers will be waiting to the south of here should you find yourself needing a place to rest.” The man said before his companions opened a path for Ayden and company to pass.

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“Ok…” Jean said as he walked past the bloody numbers.

“That was unnecessarily tense,” Ayanna whispered.

“You can talk? Then why didn’t you say anything when that man came up to my face?” Jean asked as buckets of sweat rolled down his face.

“She can, but she really shouldn’t,” Ayden said while staring at Ayanna with narrowed eyes, but she defused his concern by gently rubbing his red hair.

“I’m guessing that she can’t for very long,” Jean said as he looked over his shoulder.

“Yes. Now, it seems like your theory was right. Our town wasn’t the only one that was affected.” Ayden said as they walked.

“Yes and it looks like some people are developing a taste for blood,” Jean said as he cautiously looked back at the grassy plane.

.

..

Ayden and company came to a stop upon seeing Sùith in the distance.

Ayden wasn’t sure, but it looked as though a dark cloud hung over the city.

“Shall we?” Jean asked as he raised his spear.

“Yep,” Ayden said as they walked toward the city's western entrance.

Countless empty carriages lined the path and yet not a soul could be seen.

Several holes were also scattered across the land that surrounded Sùith.

Almost as though some mole-like creature had burrowed its way all over the city's exterior.

“Mmm...” Jean droned as they walked.

“Help! Somebody!” A voice cried as the sun slowly set.

Ayden frantically looked around, but Ayanna immediately spotted where the scream came from.

She tapped Ayden’s shoulder and pointed east.

“This way!” Ayden said before they all broke into a sprint.

They ran for a few minutes before arriving at what could only be described as a pit of blood. A hole, filled to the brim with mangled corpses.

Ayden saw a man weeping and on his knees, as the darkness of the evening hung.

“Help!” The man screamed as he clutched the head of a woman.

Ayden and company kept their distance as the man slowly turned his head, revealing that his eyes were closed.

“What happened?” Jean asked as he walked forward, but Ayden grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“What? What’s wrong-?”

“Sir… could you open your eyes, please?” Ayden asked, but the man’s face twisted into a frown.

“What? All I’m asking for is help! I need more eyes! I’m so close to seeing it! So close to seeing him!” The man yelled as he opened his eyes, revealing that they were almost purely black.

Countless pupils swirled inside his eyeballs as he stood.

“Wait a minute! You both have perfectly good ones!” The man yelled before Jean fell to his knees.

“What’s happening? I can’t see! Ayden?” Jean cried as he felt around in search of something to grab.

Ayden turned to find that Ayanna was stretching her arms out towards him.

“Ayden?” She called out, but as soon as her hand touched Ayden’s, the man lashed out at Jean before mounting him and clawing at his face.

Jean cried out in pain as he frantically kicked and punched the crazed man.

“Help!” Jean cried, but Ayden was too focused on Ayanna.

“Mom, can you see-?”

“Shh!” Ayanna said as the man continued to claw at Jean’s face.

Ayanna took a deep breath before dashing towards the man at an incredible speed.

She then kicked the man in the face, sending the man tumbling sideways.

Jean then quickly stood up before cautiously backing away.

“Why? Why would you want to rob me- oh… you want to see him as well. I won't let you!” The man screamed before lashing out at Ayanna, but she spread her arms before slashing at the man’s chest in an X-like motion.

This tore off large chunks of the man's chest and his body fell to the ground shortly after.

Jean then frantically rubbed his eyes.

“Hey, I can see again!” He cried. His forehead and cheeks were scarred to a notable degree.

He then stared at the pit of blood before him.

“Whoever or whatever they saw must have been purely evil. Only that could explain why everyone is falling so deeply into this madness,” Jean said to which Ayanna nodded.

Everyone then stared at the pit where they were seemingly enhanced by the floating limbs and organs that floated in the muck.

“Think we should enter Sùith still?” Jean asked as he rapidly blinked.

Ayanna turned to Ayden, who had managed to shake himself out of his gore-induced trance.

“Uh- yes. We need to see if Uncle Randal is safe. Then we'll search for any other survivors.” Ayden said.

“Hopefully those we find still have their sanity intact,” Jean said as they walked past countless empty carriages.

They eventually arrived at a rather large open gate that led into the city of Sùith which once served the role of a military outpost but that was during its infancy.

The city that Ayden and Company entered was the home to wealthy merchants and nobles that had ties with the Imperial Guard.

The streets were paved with smooth stones and relatively clean.

The buildings stood tall and proud even though the city was drenched in a deep darkness.

Ayden and company walked towards the western part of the city.

They would make their way to the city centre after they found Randal.

Silence filled their air, broken only by the loud footsteps Ayden and company made as they walked past buildings that were many decades old.

Ayden wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard someone singing.

He tried focusing on the sound, but when he did, it disappeared.

He shrugged the thought away as he returned his focus to the real.

Ayden spotted numerous lantern posts beside each and every door.

He assumed that they’d be lit by the tenants as night approached.

Ayden also noticed more holes in the ground but paid them no mind.

The group eventually arrived at the building that was Randal’s home to find that the door hung wide open.

The three cautiously entered the building after knocking a few times.

“Uncle Randal! Its Ayden. Mom and I have come to visit.” Ayden said before the sounds of a laughing child filled the place.

Everyone froze.

“Mom… does Uncle Randal have a kid?” Ayden asked and Ayanna shook her head.

They then made their way up a short set of stairs and with each step they took, the childish giggles and gurgles got louder.

They eventually arrived at what was Randal’s bedroom where they found what looked like a pig, but with the head of a human child and large furry limbs.

The child ate away at what barely counted as a corpse. A pile of bones and scraps of flesh that were scattered across the floor.

The room was covered in mud and blood and a hole could be seen in the wall.

No one moved as the child ate away.

Ayanna raised her arms to prepare for combat, but just as she readied her body for the first strike, Jean fell to his knees, alerting both the creature and Ayanna.

Ayden looked into the creature's many twisted eyes.

Some were in the confines of its eye sockets, while others dripped out from its nose and ears. Each of those eyes, some bloodshot, some yellow and some pearly white, had countless pupils within them.

A thick slimy mucus ran down its rather cute head as it burped.

Then, in an instant, the creature lashed out at Jean, but Ayanna kicked it in the face to little effect.

The kick may have battered the creature's face, but its sturdy mass continued forward before hitting a frozen Jean in the chest.

Ayanna stabbed the creature in the fat folds of its neck before pulling at her daggers, dragging the creature backwards.

The creature let out a squeal and it quickly wriggled free from Ayanna’s blades and crawled into the hole in the wall.

Ayden then ran over to Jean, whose eyes trembled.

“Jean!” Ayden cried as Ayanna investigated the hole.

Jean blinked a few times before his eyes locked onto Ayden.

Tears welled up in his eyes before he convulsed and a stream of vomit flew out of his mouth.

Ayden was lucky enough to be standing beside him and so none of Jean’s stomach juices landed on him.

“Are you alright?” Ayden asked as Ayanna looked at the pile of bones that were on the floor.

Jean shook his head as tears continued to flow down his cheeks.

Ayden frowned and turned to face Ayanna who had her hands crossed as her silver eyes caught what little moonlight shown past the clouds.

“Mom, I think we should head on to the town centre now,” Ayden suggested.

Ayanna replied with a quick nod before helping Jean up.

His eyes still trembled, but he could walk on his own.

The three exited the house and Ayden heard the singing again, but he ignored it as they walked westward.

They eventually arrived at Sùith’s centre to find that all of the stalls which were once used in jolly banter and trade were empty. But then again, it was rather late.

The group stopped by one of the stalls and Jean sat down as they allowed their thoughts to catch up to them.

“Jean, how are you feeling-?”

Ayden was interrupted by a loud caw interrupted him.

He looked up to find a rather large and strange crow perched on the top of the stall Jean sat against.

“Greetings, humans! Feel free to bask in my presence. I’ll allow it.” The crow said.