This was fine, right? As long as he did whatever she asked she wouldn't have a reason to vent her anger, the young Rune Knight recruit content with sifting through the dirty patch as long as his sister ignored him, the other sibling stomping off to begin plucking the orange squashes from their stems. It wasn't really what he'd imagined doing as a Rune Knight, but it was oddly befitting for someone as useless as himself. Shen didn't have any talents or real skills. This dull and arguably degrading form of labor was what he did best. He hadn't left home for this, but it was what it was. He'd just clear his mind, think about nothing and keep working, probably until he was sore and sick of the task only to leave the patch dirty and in dire need of a shower, ultimately sinking into his unfamiliar bed in the Rune Knight's barracks. Why had he dared to dream to begin with? All that would come from that was disappointment. Disappointment that was, arguably, Lilith's fault. He was angry. Angry that she'd followed him, angry that she was making him do this, angry about the teasing, the insults, the missed opportunities. Of course, Shen would never express those emotions in any kind of capacity. He'd swallow his anger along with his pride and keep digging through the cold dirt, trying his best to separate a particularly stubborn pumpkin from its vine, pulling out a pocket knife that he used to make this task at least a little easier, a slightly saddened look on his face. He should've brought a jacket, at least.
That was, of course, until he heard Lilith's voice, glancing up at his sister who seemed particularly interested in the sky for some reason. Shen's head instinctively tilted upwards, eyes widening in shock when he spotted the unnaturally large, swirling swarm of birds above.
"Uhhh ...", he scrambled to his feet, stumbling back a couple of steps before freezing instantly upon his sibling's command.
"W-will do". Shen wasn't stupid. He knew that he couldn't compare to Lili, particularly because of his lack of magic, but if anything the young man was not a coward. If he could help fight whatever this was he would, but he carried no real weapon other than the knife he'd used for the pumpkins, which, in his eyes, really wouldn't be useful against a swarm of crazed avians. Like, at all.
The crows wouldn't linger for long, either, coalescing into an almost cohesive black mass of feathers, screeches, and claws before swooping down towards them. Bracing for the impact and attack of countless birds, Shen closed his eyes and crossed his arms before his face, feeling the explosion of magic echo around just a few moments later. He risked a peek, opening one eye, his mouth falling open with astonishment and surprise without delay. Lili had taken out the entirety of the swarm with a single hit. One more reason not to mess with her, lest he would end up like the dead crows that now literally covered the pumpkin patch with corpses. Although ... were they really dead? He could've sworn that that one crow was moving. Another one, too. Wait. All of these were still moving. The cold sweat began breaking out on Shen's forehead as the crows began shifting, the inching closer together before finally forming a dense mass of bodies that molded into each other ... and began taking a new shape.
"Uhhhhhm", the young man stuttered, staring, frozen in place, at the vaguely humanoid shape that began emerging right before him, two glowing, undead eyes opening and looking down at him. The creature was taller and most definitely more muscular than him, a beast of feathers and claws, unlike anything he'd ever seen before, drawing back its clawed arm to attempt and strike the Rune Knight recruit. Shen wasn't the best fighter, he wasn't even sure if he could be considered a decent fighter at all, but he was nimbler than this thing for sure, ducking under the swing. This would be it! Finally, he could have some use of his own, twisting the knife in his hand before jabbing it forward triumphantly, the glistening blade promptly sinking into the creature's chest.
The thing was wholly unimpressed.
A small trickle of foul, purple blood dripped from the tiny wound where the knife was still stuck in its torso, although the actual damage to its combat capabilities was obviously negligible.
"Well ... shit", was all Shen could say before the crow-like monster grabbed him by his throat. He struggled, grabbing the creature's arm, but to no avail. The beast was leaps stronger than himself, and freeing himself from the grapple as he was lifted up, his feet leaving the ground, was impossible. He couldn't breathe, and his vision began to blur, although, in a twist of fate, the thing seemed to take pity on him. That or it wanted to finish the recruit slowly, slinging his form through the air like a sack of potatoes and throwing him away, Shen flying through the air before impacting the hard, frozen ground with a pained scream and an audible crack. Whatever had just happened, he was sure that something on the left side of his body was broken, a sharp, burning pain surging through him, his vision almost going white with shock and sheer agony. So ... this would be it? An unspectacular end for an unspectacular kid? He couldn't move. He didn't even think of moving at the moment, the overwhelming sensation of pain dulling his senses.
He hadn't imagined to go out this way, dying while picking pumpkins for Halloween, but it was what it was. People couldn't pick how they'd go out. Maybe, he thought, maybe Lili would at least get a good laugh out of his embarrassing demise.
Word Count: 982
Word Count Total: 1,326 /1,500
