It didn't take long for Siegmun to slip into unconsciousness, the sheer agony of his wound overwhelming him until his body shut down. Nearby, Niann still sat trembling, clutching his mangled hand, his sobs quiet but unrelenting.
'Niann,' Riniock called.
The young maegi turned sluggishly, his face twisted with grief and shock.
'Help me with him…he's too heavy for me to drag over all these corpses alone.'
'S–Sure…' Niann stammered, forcing himself to his feet. He barely managed a step before his knees buckled, tripping over a mere crack in the floor.
Shaking off his daze, he helped Riniock lift Siegmun, the two of them struggling to haul him towards the door.
Halfway across the room, something coiled around Riniock's leg.
Without hesitation, he transmuted his odh into ice, sheathing his limb in a thick frost before stomping down. A sickening crunch echoed beneath his foot.
His eyes darted downward.
Another corpse writhed at his feet, its cracked skin splitting to reveal rows of needle-like fangs. Unlike the shapeshifter they had slain, this one was smaller, weaker – still in its early stages, judging by its sluggish movements. It had caught him off guard, yet it was far too slow to be a true threat.
Its fully matured kin, however…that was a different story. The one they had fought moved with an unnatural, terrifying swiftness.
Riniock didn't linger.
He shoved Siegmun over Niann's shoulders and pushed him forward. 'Go. Get to the door – I'm right behind you.'
'O-Okay…' Niann mumbled weakly, his legs unsteady beneath him.
Within seconds, the corpses strewn across the room began to convulse, shuddering violently as if roused from slumber. One by one, they stirred, their forms twisting, reshaping – mimicking the monstrous guise of the shapeshifter he had just slain.
A dozen cadavers, now awakened, slithered across the floor like reptilian beasts, their movements frenzied and erratic as they dragged themselves towards Riniock.
He held his ground.
Summoning the winds to his palm, he unleashed a powerful blast, hurling most of them across the chamber. The rest, undeterred, clawed their way to his feet, swiping at him with jagged nails and snapping jaws.
Riniock weaved between their attacks, dodging where he could and shielding himself with his ward when necessary. One attack grazed him, but he was fine.
A quick glance back confirmed it – Niann and Siegmun had made it out. With no reason to linger, he raised a wall of ice between himself and the creatures, then turned and bolted in the direction of the exit.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, Niann slammed the door shut. His remaining fingers fumbled desperately with the key, trembling too violently to fit it into the lock.
A thunderous impact shook the door.
The force sent Niann sprawling, the key slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor.
'Damn it…' Riniock cursed, diving for it.
The door rattled as the creatures pounded against it, the hinges groaning under the relentless assault.
With a frantic motion, he snatched up the key, shoved it into the lock, and twisted.
The door sealed with a magickal thud just as the next blow landed.
'My word!' Riniock gasped, collapsing to the floor to catch his breath. 'The shapeshifter must have reproduced…or something.'
His words, however, fell on deaf ears – Niann had already succumbed to exhaustion, slipping into unconsciousness now that the ordeal was over.
Riniock chuckled at the sight.
His gaze drifted to his companions' wounds, and a grim thought settled in his mind. In their current states, they were in no condition to continue. He would have to leave them behind and press on alone.
The tower of K'zarg was relatively safe – so long as they avoided the shapeshifter's chamber. Niann could still accompany him if he wished, but that would mean leaving Siegmun behind, forcing him to take care of and fend for himself with only one leg.
Hours later, both men stirred awake. Their wounds had been treated, stitched, and bandaged, the bleeding long since stopped. Siegmun, more than anyone, looked as though his entire world had crumbled – and in many ways, it probably had.
They sat upright on the halflings' stone beds, staring blankly into space, their faces devoid of emotion.
'You're awake,' Riniock noted, closing Jirash's journal he had been reading halfway through.
Siegmun blinked, his voice hoarse and weak. 'R–Riniock…'
'No need to say anything. I can only imagine what you're both going through, and I hate to do this, but I have no choice – I must move on.'
'You're…continuing?' Siegmun asked.
Riniock nodded. 'I have to. Besides, there's no way back for either of you, and in your condition, neither of you is fit to come along.'
Siegmun slumped forward, his eyes flicking towards the stump where his leg had been. He still wasn't used to the sight of it. Once he was done lingering on the loss, he turned his gaze back to Riniock.
'I asked you, back there… about what you did to stop Niann's bleeding. And mine. What was that?'
'You mean Mesyo Mahas?' Riniock raised two fingers in demonstration. 'It's a technique that blocks odh, generally. But it can also be used to force blood vessels – by disrupting the odh flow – to constrict and seal themselves, stopping blood loss.'
Siegmun frowned. 'Where did you learn something like that?'
Riniock's expression didn't change. 'I cannot say.'
Siegmun exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I understand.'
'Take this time to adjust to your body. I also scouted the tower – it's stocked with materials for both alchemy and enchanting. Since you have nothing else to do, you might as well put your time into something productive.'
Siegmun stiffened at the suggestion. Like Riniock, he was a fighter. The thought of being reduced to academic pursuits gnawed at him, striking a nerve he wasn't ready to confront.
Denial was written all over his face.
'I'll do my best, then…' he muttered before waving him off. 'You'd better get going. The longer you wait, the more those Ikshari bastards seize the best opportunities.'
'Right.'
Riniock turned to Niann, who had remained silent since regaining consciousness. Unlike Siegmun, he wouldn't even meet his gaze.
'Well then, best of luck to you,' Siegmun said, instinctively trying to stand – only to be reminded of his missing leg. His expression darkened for a brief moment before he shook it off.
'And if you find Irgod…' he added, his voice laced with quiet venom, 'maim him beyond recognition…'