Grimson clutched his chest, stumbling desperately through the forest, the heavy scent of blood filling his throat and nasal passages.
It hurts too much...
He had forgotten when he last sustained such a grievous injury.
His large ears twitched slightly, allowing him to clearly hear the deathly footsteps rapidly closing in from behind.
Grimson stopped, leaning against a large tree to rest for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, his body flickered!
"Crack!"
A sharp cracking sound resonated through the forest, causing Braun to immediately halt and frown slightly.
—Apparition?
Did he manage to escape?
Unfortunately, the wizard's Anti-Disapparition Charm was of no use against goblins, otherwise he would have asked Abigail to set a spell in advance on the way here...
But since they knew what this guy looked like and his name, the little house was full of evidence of him living there, like the hair he'd shed and the clothes he'd worn...
Taking these back should make finding his location less difficult.
On the path of pursuing the Dream Weaver, he'd also received information from other poppets, learning how Vid used Divination to precisely locate the fleeing Laira.
While filled with awe at his master's endless capabilities, Braun quietly adjusted his own plan.
He pondered for a moment before preparing to return to meet up with Abigail and the cloak, when his steps suddenly halted.
The surrounding forest... felt off somehow.
"Rustle rustle..."
Strange sounds arose from all directions, suddenly followed by a sharp howl!
Braun spun around, seeing a red-eyed squirrel catapulting towards him, claws aimed for where his eyes should be!
He shook his arm, swiftly drawing a slender, sharp military dagger, slicing the incoming squirrel in half with a flick of his hand.
From the shadows came the low growls and panting of animals.
Turning, Braun saw several wolves baring their fangs, bodies lowered to encircle him, saliva dripping from their mouths.
Dozens of startled birds formed a chaotic and deadly cloud circling above his head.
Further away, even a white-tailed deer he'd seen earlier lowered its head, its sharp antlers aimed at Braun, hooves scraping the ground, charging fiercely!
Grimson did not take the opportunity to flee.
To him, this place was his home. It was these intruders who should be fleeing in disgrace or getting killed, not him!
He couldn't bear to leave his little house to the enemies—it contained the "treasures" of his entire life!
The old elf, hiding among the treetops not far away, casually shot a silver light, hitting a sleeping black bear, his eyes devoid of sympathy for the animals, filled only with endless malice towards Braun.
"Die... all of you die! You lackeys of wizards..."
Mumbling hadn't finished, when Grimson's mouth opened wide in shock.
The man in the woods seemed like a cold and efficient killing machine, Grimson could barely discern his movements.
But he saw—wolf throats blossoming with blood, birds striking what seemed an invisible meat grinder, feathers and blood flying chaotically; the stag gutted upon approach, its enormous body collapsing with a thunderous crash, blood and viscera gushing out!
The fearless black bear roared as it charged, Braun didn't even dodge, instead counter-charging, sending the bear's head flying.
The elf shuddered all over, terror gripped his heart, leaving him momentarily immobile, dumbly watching as the man, splattered with warm blood across his face and body, expressionlessly slaughtered the last attacking eagle, then whipped around, "looking" towards Grimson.
Despite his face being entirely "melted" and devoid of eyes, the sensation of being watched was unmistakably clear.
Grimson immediately felt a chill throughout, with only one thought in his mind—
Run! Must escape immediately...
"Shoosh!"
A crossbow arrow shot through the air, piercing Grimson's thigh, interrupting his thoughts.
The elf screamed, falling directly from the tree and crashing onto the thickly leaf-covered ground below.
"Snap!"
A dry branch crackled as it broke, the God of Death was closing in on him!
Grimson closed his eyes, hastily muttering a string of awkward words, desperately trying to sketch in his mind a small cave on the other side of the mountain.
That place was far enough, enough to shake off this terrifying creature!
But his voice trembled badly, every syllable quaking, and the images in his mind always shattered and couldn't form, constantly broken by the sudden emergence of Braun's blood-soaked figure!
He was too afraid, so afraid that he couldn't think clearly of anywhere, even the magic power within him felt as if entangled in mud, heavy, sticking him firmly to the spot.
Grimson emitted a near-whimpering gasp, forcibly trying Apparition again, he spun rapidly on the spot, let out a "pop," and then clumsily fell to the ground, dizzy.
He did not manage to move himself away, only tore off half of his sleeve.
Grimson collapsed onto a rock, his chest heaving violently, he looked in terror as the inhuman Braun approached, shouting loudly:
"You're not human! You're not human at all! What on earth are you? Why do you serve those wizards? What do they offer you?"
In return, there was only Braun's increasingly close footsteps, and those bright, emotionless eyes in the shadow that were still frighteningly vivid.
Grimson wanted to run, but his legs were too weak to stand; he propped himself up with his hands and scrambled back, shouting shrilly:
"Unfair! This world is unfair to goblins! To all of us non-human races!"
"The wizards have oppressed us for hundreds of years! Thousands! Which of the swords, golden cups crafted by goblins, have they not taken? The piles of Galleons in Gringotts—goblins are managing those for wizards! But we aren't even allowed a magic wand!"
"I took one for myself, what's wrong with that?!"
"And the centaurs! The merpeople! The house-elves! We're all being persecuted, is that fair?! Do you think creatures like you are exceptions?"
He looked at the blade flashing coldly on Braun's arm, trying to grasp the last straw:
"Wizards are the bane of the Magic World! Only by eradicating them can other races live well! You're not human, why help them? Join us! We can create a world that truly belongs to magical beings together!"
However, Braun turned a deaf ear to his pleas, only recalling Vid's instructions—
"You have three chances."
"Remember, be quick and decisive!"
He suddenly pressed forward!
"Wait, don't kill me!" Grimson screamed: "I know countless secrets! Of the Scourers, of Prometheus, and that ancient presence in the forest..."
Braun's hand, like an iron clamp, grabbed Grimson's head, pressing it onto the moss-covered rock. Hearing this, there was a slight pause in the force of his grip.
Grimson seized the moment, suddenly reaching to touch Braun's head, silver light bursting from his fingertips!
"Pucha!"
A startled Braun gripped harder, an ominous thud, and the frightening sound of a skull shattering echoed on the rock.
The goblin's last plea and curses abruptly stopped, convulsing violently a few times before completely going limp and unmoving.
Braun expressionlessly struck his heart and throat twice more, ensuring the goblin was entirely dead before letting go and getting up.
A sharp intake of breath suddenly sounded behind him.
Braun turned, seeing Abigail cloaked, staring at him in horror, stammering: "You... your face... your face..."
The man's face had become utterly unrecognizable, blackened as if corroded by acid, emitting a dreadful stench.
Abigail couldn't understand how he could still move in this state.
Even if he wasn't human... even if a poppet... but can a poppet make such compelling magic spells ineffective?
The Magic World had many powerful and ancient magic tools, but didn't curses destroy them all the same?
Braun unconcernedly extended his hand, gently wiping his face, and astonishingly peeled off his own skin!
Abigail watched in horror as Braun instantly restored his original appearance, and the "skin" that fell to the ground wriggled, gradually separating!
She was instantly horrified, but her body felt as if nailed to the spot, watching... After a moment, Abigail suddenly noticed a clue.
That was no "skin" at all, but three extremely elaborate masks, which should have looked identical to Braun, still showing familiar features.
Only, one was ashen, like a lifeless thing; the second melted, deformed, undulating like a jellyfish; the third turned most terrifying, curling black not long after falling, turning into a small pile of ashes.
"What is... what is this?" Abigail's voice still tinged with fear.
"As you see—a mask, or rather a substitute poppet," Braun said calmly: "They have weak thoughts too, so Forgetfulness Spells and the goblin's Evil Curse can also work—thanks to them bearing the magical effects for me, I could smoothly kill Grimson."
"So that's... so that's it..."
Abigail muttered, her fingertips still tingling as if electrified, with goosebumps on her arms that wouldn't fade for a long time.