Riven created space between them. He hid behind a tree, and when he saw a branch on the floor that was perfectly weighted, he picked it up as a weapon, although he knew his sister would take care of it.
"Just as she took care of me all these years," Riven thought. It was the only thing that kept him sane, living in the village that made him feel worthless and unworthy every single day.
If not for her, he didn't know what he would have done with himself.
The monster paused as it saw them, and the green fire flared. Its lips pulled back to show sharp fangs, and black drool dripped from its mouth.
"Well? You're here now. Come and kill me," Ysmera said. Red aura covered her, warping around her like a second skin. Even the clothes she was wearing were covered as well.
If the monster was surprised that the prey it had been chasing wasn't running anymore, it didn't show it. Instead, it began to creep toward her, its fur blending with the darkness of the forest, but its eyes were a dead giveaway.
Riven saw its muscles tense, and he knew it was going to leap.
Ysmera knew as well and braced herself, her foot digging into the ground. With a roar, the monster leaped, so fast Riven couldn't keep track of it until it was above his sister.
But she was ready. The monster's claw stretched against her shield without effect, but its weight wasn't a joke, a monster the size of Riven, filled taut with muscles.
Her leg dug a line as she was pushed back, and the monster's mouth clamped shut on her head. Only she had already ducked down, and the sharp clicking of fangs didn't touch her.
From below, she got her hand where she wanted and then pushed out, making her hand into a knife position. With a sharp crunching sound, ribs snapped.
The monster howled in pain and pushed against her, but her hand was already in its chest, and she ripped out its heart. The monster fell like a puppet without strings.
Ysmera curled her mouth and threw away the black heart she was holding. "That's disgusting."
Riven came out of his hiding place, and he smiled, the first big smile he had since he heard his sister was getting married.
He thought, "Somehow, this all works out in our favor. We will leave the village behind to start in a new place where they don't know who I am. They won't avoid me."
Out loud to his sister, he said, "I didn't know undead monsters could feel pain."
His sister opened her mouth to speak, but someone else answered for her—an unknown voice that had crept up on them without them knowing.
"They don't, in the general sense of the word. It's just muscle memory."
Riven flinched and raised his club while Ysmera raised her fist threateningly. The two of them turned their backs to each other and faced the forest.
The voice continued speaking without revealing itself. "The brain is so powerful that even after death, it still retains some of its functions. Impressive, right?"
"Show yourself!" Ysmera demanded, but Riven could hear the fear in her voice because they both found the voice familiar. It was one of the two strangers.
The forest ruffled as the man laughed, and then he stepped out of the shadows. The man was sitting atop a flying sword covered in green aura, his expression bored as he looked down on the two of them.
"You, girl, you have some spirit."
Riven turned to face him together with his sister, and the action drew the man's attention. His eyes narrowed as his gaze pierced through him.
"And you... are empty. I can feel your Sigil, but you have no aura in it? What are you?"
"He sounds curious. Maybe he won't kill us," Riven thought.
But the hope was crushed moments later as the man landed on the ground, his sword floating beside him. His gaze flickered to the dead monster.
"I thought it trailed something bigger and fun, but you guys made me come all the way over here, so you'll have to entertain me now. It's the least you can do.
"Let's see, the boy won't make for a good doll, no lick of aura in him. But the girl... easy on the eyes. Maybe I'll keep her as one of my dolls."
Riven heard the creak that came from Ysmera's clenched fist as she said, "We did not do anything to you."
The man's face twisted in disgust. "Yes, you did. Why don't you guys have catacombs around here? There's one found in the Shadowwood, so there must be others as well, but you filthy villagers..."
He didn't get to finish as Ysmera flung herself forward, trying to use the distraction to attack, but it was all for nothing. The man didn't even move a single muscle.
All Riven saw was a flicker of green, and then his sister screamed in pain.
She stared at her hand in shock, blood spurting from where it had been cut off just below the elbow, the severed limb twitching on the ground.
"Ysmera!" Riven shouted, abandoning all reason as he ran to his sister, who had fallen to her knees, too shocked to do anything but stare in dumb silence.
Bitterness and anger swelled in Riven as he stood, just as frozen, but he shoved all emotions away as something came to his mind.
"Healer. Healer. I must get her to a healer. She's losing so much blood."
He tried to carry her, but it was like moving a tree. He grunted and tried again, but something slammed into him, throwing him down in a body slam against the floor.
Pain ran through his body as he stood, swaying slightly as he tried to get his bearings.
"Foolish boy, what do you think you are doing? Don't be impatient. Your turn will come soon enough."
All Riven saw was a glint and a blur of green, and then he was back on the ground. But this time, it was different.
The clearing suddenly came alive with his painful scream.