After the explosion, Tatsu slowly raised his head from the floor and saw his friends and Teba lying motionless against the ground and the wall, their bodies heavily injured by the blast. He breathed rapidly, his chest rising and falling as panic consumed him.
For a moment, it felt as though he were the only one left alive to witness the horrors before his eyes. Tatsu slowly turned toward the hole in the wall, desperately trying to see what had attacked them.
He slowly got back on his feet and walked to the hole in the wall, peering out to see what was outside, and saw another large eldritch monster walking up the ramp road.
It was a seventeen-foot-tall dark-gray, four-legged creature covered in thick, stone-like armor. Stone spikes protruded from its back, and large shield-like plates covered its two front legs. Three long tails trailed behind it, and layers of armor surrounded its head. Three white eyes glowed beneath the armor, while several tendrils covered its mouth. A massive cannon was attached to its back, making the creature look like a living siege weapon.
The siege monster charged its cannon to its minimum energy level and fired. A powerful blast erupted from the weapon, tearing through the castle structures and reducing parts of them to rubble. Tatsu stared out at the city in horror. Flames engulfed the streets, monsters roared from every direction, and countless creatures flew through the dark sky above.
Tatsu remained frozen, staring at the devastation in disbelief. Then, a gharzthul suddenly appeared through the hole, gripping the outer wall as it lowered its head and snarled directly at him. Tatsu was instantly startled and fell backward onto the floor, his body trembling with dread. Slowly, the gharzthul began climbing through the hole and into the castle.
"No! No! Stay back!" Tatsu pleaded, scrambling backward across the floor as the gharzthul slowly advanced.
Tatsu desperately tried to crawl backward, but he suddenly felt the wall behind him. His heart sank. He was trapped, with nowhere left to escape. The gharzthul slowly approached, its monstrous gaze fixed directly on him.
"N-No!!"
The gharzthul lunged at Tatsu, its jaws opening wide as it prepared to devour him. Tatsu could do nothing but shut his eyes in terror. But just before the creature reached him, a sword violently pierced through its head and jaw, pinning it to the floor and killing it instantly.
Tatsu slowly looked back and saw Teba standing over the dead gharzthul, having saved him at the last possible moment. But Teba had paid a heavy price. His armor was nearly shattered, and his right wing hung limply, barely able to function. He gripped his sword and pulled it free from the creature's head.
"D#mn it…" Teba muttered, breathing heavily.
"T-Teba!"
"Huh?" Teba slowly turned toward Tatsu, who was lying against the wall. He let out a shaky breath of relief. "Tatsu… you're alive…"
"Y-yeah, but Haru and E-Emi, they-"
They heard someone coughing beneath the rubble. Teba walked over and removed the debris, finding Haru trapped underneath. He was covered in ash, and a wound on his forehead was bleeding.
"It's Haru, Tatsu, help me up!"
"Ok!"
Tatsu and Teba hurried to remove the debris covering Haru. But as they cleared away the rubble, they discovered a heavy chunk of debris had crushed his abdomen. Haru suddenly convulsed, coughing up blood as his condition worsened.
"Crap... is it bad?" Haru asked.
"Don't talk, Haru, we're gonna get you out of here!"
Haru groaned weakly, wincing in pain. "W-Wh-What about Emi?"
Teba desperately searched for Emi until he spotted her legs beneath the rubble. Blood seeped out from under the debris, spreading across the floor. Her body was buried beneath multiple heavy chunks of stone, leaving little doubt that she had been crushed beneath their weight. Teba looked at both boys and slowly shook his head. His silence was enough to tell them that Emi was gone.
"Oh, God…" Haru whispered, tears streaming down his face.
A horrifying screech reverberated through the hallways. Tatsu and Teba immediately recognized the danger. A squadron of gharzhtuls was likely closing in on them.
"We need to hurry! Now!"
Tatsu and Teba worked together to lift the heavy chunk of debris off Haru's crushed abdomen before throwing it aside. They each grabbed one of his arms and carefully lifted him, supporting his weight as they slowly carried him toward the keep's doorway.
They arrived at the end of the corridor, and Teba let go of Haru's arm so Tatsu could bear his weight alone. Teba turned toward the bricked-up doorway and pushed it open before stepping aside to make room for the two of them to enter the keep.
"Get in, quick!"
Tatsu carried Haru into the keep and gently laid him on the floor. He quickly tore a strip from the hem of Haru's robe and wrapped it around into a makeshift bandage against the wound in his abdomen, trying to stem the bleeding. Once the makeshift bandage was in place, Tatsu carefully lowered Haru's head to the floor
"It's ok, you're ok now, Haru."
He then glanced toward Teba, who was getting ready to close the door before the gharzhtuls could reach them.
"Teba?"
"The keep and the cells are empty. You should be safe here for now. Take the torches. Keep pressure on Haru's wound, avoid the windows, and make sure that door stays barricaded at all costs. Understood?" Teba paused briefly before adding. "Godspeed, boys."
"Teba! Wait!"
Teba pulled the door shut in front of him, stood still for a moment until the screeches of gharzhtuls came closer. He turned around, walking towards the squadrons of gharztuls before picking up the broken shield.
Teba shut the door behind him and stood silently in the corridor, listening to the increasingly loud screeches of the approaching gharzhtuls. After a brief pause, he turned to face the incoming squadron and began walking toward them. Along the way, he picked up his battered shield, preparing to face the monsters once more.
"You won't find anyone here to feast on, you filthy mutts! It's just you and me now! SO COME AND GET ME!!!!"
At the very last moment, Teba unleashed a fierce battle cry and threw himself at the approaching gharzthuls, wielding his sword and battered shield as he charged headlong into the horde.
Meanwhile, inside the keep, Tatsu desperately scrambled to barricade the door. He wedged a thick wooden plank against the doorknob, then shoved crates and whatever else he could find against the entrance. Finally, with the makeshift barricade in place, he stumbled back and breathed heavily, hoping it would be enough to keep the monsters out.
"Teba… please be careful out there." Tatsu whispered. A cough from Haru caught his attention, prompting him to turn around and crouch beside his injured friend. He carefully placed Haru's hands over the wound on his abdomen, urging him to keep pressure on it.
"Keep pressing on it, Haru. Please, just hold on." Tatsu pleaded, helping his injured friend keep pressure on his abdomen.
"Gosh...is it just me, or is the whole room cold?"
"It's going to be ok, Haru."
"This is not... an isekai adventure that I had.... in mind. Or any of... us, especially Daiki and... Kenji."
"Can't you just use magic to close that wound?"
"C-Can't...too weak right now..."
"Dangit."
"I'll be fine...like this...right?"
Tatsu stared helplessly at Haru, unable to think of anything he could do to help his injured friend. Then, a faint glint of light flickered beyond the barred window. He glanced toward it, confused by the unexpected glow, before turning his attention back to Haru.
"Can you keep it hold?"
"I think so…" Haru murmured weakly, keeping the makeshift bandage pressed against his wound.
Tatsu got to his feet and cautiously approached the barred window. He peered through the gaps, careful not to draw the attention of any monsters lurking outside. From the towering keep, he could see Commander Corvik and the remaining soldiers battling desperately against the countless monsters overrunning the castle grounds. Their enemies surrounded them from every direction. Then, a monstrous roar echoed from the castle gate, sending a chill down Tatsu's spine. He looked toward the source of the sound and stared in sheer terror at the horrifying sight before him.
"W-What is that...?"