Love of a Sister

Gustav stepped forward, his hand still tight around the handle of his axe, "Master Sewell is not here, but i'm his deputy. What do you want?"

Enigma's smile was cold and calculating, "Ah, Gustav. The Baron wishes to speak with your Master. It's about a little... situation in the city, you see." He gestured towards the shattered doorway, where the sounds of chaos and screams grew louder by the second.

He paused briefly before continuing. "The Baron wants to make sure that the Houses and Guilds support his coming lordship."

Gustav's grip tightened on his axe. "Look at the chaos... It all started, because he's a power-hungry bastard! He takes everything by force, he even sacrifices people's lives for it."

Enigma's smile didn't falter. "Ah, but in the grand tapestry of fate, sacrifices must be made for the greater good." His eyes narrowed slightly, taking in Gustav's defiant stance. "But we are not here to debate politics. We are here to discuss a proposition. The Baron is willing to offer your House and Guild a place in his new order. In exchange, you will pledge your loyalty and aid in consolidating power."

Gustav's gaze remained fixed on Enigma, "Lila! You and the others, get out of here. Go to the streets and help the people to escape!"

Without wasting a beat, Lila nodded, gathering the remaining members of the Hall of the Sword. They dashed out into the chaos, the echo of their footsteps swallowed by the cacophony of the city's descent into madness. Gustav faced Enigma alone, his axe a symbol of steadfastness against the shifting shadows of the night.

"We will never pledge loyalty to the Baron," Gustav declared, his voice a thunderous roar amidst the chaos. "His 'greater good' is a lie cloaked in deceit and bloodshed."

Enigma's smile grew colder. "Such conviction," he mused, his eyes flickering with amusement. "Yet, the Baron is not without mercy. He offers you a chance to reconsider."

But Gustav was beyond words. With a primal roar, he charged at Enigma, axe swinging in a deadly arc. The air crackled with the intensity of his rage. Enigma's eyes narrowed, and he drew his own weapon—a rapier that seemed to shimmer with an unnatural light. "And I thought you were smarter than that," Enigma added.

....

The once majestic hall was now a battleground, the grandeur marred by the chaos of battle. Lord Charles Brarnsaiph stood tall amidst the fray, his eyes ablaze with a fierce determination that mirrored the flaming torches lining the walls. He wielded his ancestral blade, the "Stormbringer," a weapon that whispered of ancient battles and storied victories. The demonic creatures that had once been his loyal guards had turned against him, their forms twisted by the dark magic of the High Confessor.

With a mighty swing, Lord Brarnsaiph cleaved through a creature that had once been his most trusted advisor, now a nightmarish amalgamation of man and serpent. The creature's hisses turned to a gurgling cry as it fell to the ground, lifeless. The remaining transformed guards circled him, their movements erratic and unpredictable. Each step he took echoed through the hall, a testament to the gravity of the situation.

The three members who had managed to stand by his side were a testament to the strength and loyalty of House Brarnsaiph. They fought with a ferocity born from desperation, their weapons flashing in the flickering torchlight as they hacked and slashed at the demonic assailants. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning fur and the coppery tang of blood.

Amidst the carnage, Lord Brarnsaiph noticed something strange happening to the bodies of the slain creatures. They began to dissolve into a thick, black smoke that curled and twisted before dissipating into the air. He knew this was not the work of mere mortal deaths; there was a darker force at play. He shouted orders to the surviving members of his house, his voice cutting through the din of battle. "Do not let them touch you! Finish them quickly!"

....

Lady Althea eyes burned with a feral hunger that sent a chill down Lady Eilif spines.

"Sister... You... Why are y..." Lady Eilif could barely get a word out as she saw her sister in this state.

Lady Althea's transformation had left her unrecognizable. Her eyes had become twin orbs of burning crimson, her skin had turned a sickly grey, and her once-graceful hands had morphed into claws that seemed more suited for tearing flesh than playing the harp. Her lips had stretched into a rictus grin, revealing teeth that were pointed and jagged like those of a beast. Her once-elaborate gown hung in tatters, revealing a body that was now a twisted mass of muscle and bone, covered in a thick pelt of fur that stood on end, bristling with aggression.

With a snarl that would have made the fiercest wolf cower, Lady Althea lunged at the two terrified men standing next to Lady Eilif. They had been loyal servants of the House, but in that moment, they were nothing more than prey in the eyes of the monster that had once been their mistress. Her claws swiped through the air, moving with a blurring speed that seemed impossible for one who had been human moments before.

The men tried to scramble away, their eyes wide with horror, but they were no match for Althea's transformed agility. She caught them both by their throats, her grip tightening with inhuman strength. The sound of bones cracking was muffled by their gurgling screams as she lifted them off the ground, their legs kicking wildly. The room stilled as if time had paused, the only movement the macabre dance of the transformed lady and her doomed victims.

Eilif's heart ached at the sight before her. She had to act, but the horror of what Althea had become was paralyzing. She took a deep breath, focusing her mind. Her eyes searched the room, finding a delicate vase resting on a sideboard, its shadow cast on the floor by the flickering candlelight. With a thought, she reached out to the shadow, feeling its cold embrace. The vase quivered, and then, as if pulled by an invisible string, it shot through the air, shattering against the wall behind Althea. The monstrous creature's head snapped towards the noise, giving Eilif the opening she needed.

Eilif's silver blade sang as it sliced through the air, aiming for the shadow at Althea's feet. The shadow writhed and split as the blade passed through it, and with a cry of pain, Althea stumbled, her legs buckling. The room's shadows grew more substantial, responding to Eilif's call. They coiled around her blade, giving it an ethereal glow. She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving her sister's, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands. "Althea, this isn't you. Fight it!"

Althea snarled, dropping the lifeless bodies of the men. Her eyes searched the room, wild with rage. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a shadowy tendril shooting towards Eilif. It coiled around her neck, tightening like a noose.

Eilif gasped for breath, her eyes watering as she struggled against the unseen force. Her hand shot up, grabbing at the shadow, and with a grunt, she yanked it away. The tendril retreated back to Althea, who hissed in frustration. The room grew colder, the candles flickering as the shadows thickened around them.

With a swift sidestep, Eilif avoided another attack, the shadow sliding harmlessly across the floor. She spotted an ornate mirror on the wall, its surface reflecting the chaos. With a silent plea, she called forth the shadow of the mirror frame, wrapping it around her blade. The metal grew colder, and the shadow took on the shape of a serrated edge.

Lady Althea lunged again, her claws leaving trails of darkness in their wake. Eilif met her sister's attack with the shadow-enhanced blade, the steel and shadow ringing out as they clashed. The mirror's reflection shimmered and rippled with the impact, distorting the room around them. Each strike sent a wave of cold through the air, the very essence of the shadow world trying to claim the space.

Eilif stepped back, her eyes flicking around the room for another advantage. Spotting a chandelier, she reached out with her mind, coaxing the shadow beneath it to rise. The candles' flames danced as the heavy fixture lurched upwards, then swung down towards Althea with the force of a falling tree. Althea roared, her eyes flaming brighter as she leaped over the chandelier, her shadow stretching out like a living thing as she did so. The shadows coiled around the chandelier, and it stopped in mid-air.

Eilif knew she had to end this now, before more lives were lost to the Baron's twisted games. She focused her will on the blade, the shadowy essence pulsing with power. In a single fluid motion, she swung the sword upwards, slicing through the shadow that connected her sister to the chandelier. The shadow screamed, a sound that sent shivers down Eilif's spine, and the chandelier plummeted, shattering on the ground. The impact sent a spray of crystal shards glittering through the air, briefly illuminating the room like a deadly rainbow.

Lady Eilif used the opportunity to leap towards the creature that once was her sister. She formed her hand into a fist and with a fierce punch she pierced the creature's chest.

With a loud scream, she pulls her fist out and a black mass hangs hanging from it, moving like a living organism.

She threw it into the air and cut it to pieces with her sword, until there was nothing left.

Althea staggered, the light in her eyes dimming. The fur and claws receded, her skin returning to its natural color. She looked down at her human hands, the horror of what she had become dawning on her. "Eilif... what have I done?" she choked out, her voice hoarse.

Lady Eilif looked at her with tears in her eyes. "My lovely sister... Don't worry, you're saved! It's not your fault!"

Lady Althea hurried towards her sister, they hugged and began to cry.