Valdo saw Rem crash into the cottage and hit the ground, he rushed the creature to prevent it from delivering the final blow, But it had already turned around going after Niall instead.
Nial retreated beneath a flurry of claws, twisting aside whenever he could and using his sword when he couldn't. By the time Valdo crossed the distance, sweat was running down Niall's face like a waterfall, his breathing came in sharp, ragged bursts.
He hadn't been able to retaliate a single time. One mistake would be enough to kill him.
With the creature's attention fixed on Niall, Valdo approached from behind and was about to raise his balde, when the creature's left arm swept towards him.
He jumped out of the arm's reach, the bloody claws passed close enough he could smell the stench of blood.
Nial Stumbled Under the abomination's next attack, his sword knocked wide, but Doran and Cathan were already closing in from either side. Before they could surround it the monster broke away and disappeared into the plume of dust where Rem originally was.
Valdo walked closer to Doran and Cathan and he said. " It's smart," His casual tone completely gone. "It's trying to pick us one by one."
They regrouped in the open space surrounded by dust, closer together than before. Niall followed slowly, panting with sweat all over his face.
Valdo noticed that Rem hadn't moved. he sat slmuped against the wall with his arms still raised in front of his face.
"Roeslle! Come ov—" He screamed, when suddenly Niall broke into a run towards Valdo which he noticed. His exhausted expression had twisted into the same wild look they had seen in the tunnels. His sword was already in motion towards Valdo's head.
At the same moment Cathan spotted the creatur's figure through the dust and he screamed "There!"
The shape passed through the thinning cloud of dust. The moment Cathan spotted it, the creature changed direction and rushed towards him.
Valdo ducked Niall's swing, caught his arm that held the sword, and struck him unconscious. He lowered him just enough to keep his from hitting ground, then ran towards Cathan.
Doran had reached him first, his blade forced one of the creatur's hand back, but the other was already coming down towards Cathan, and he stood motionless beneath it.
His sword had stopped halfway through a swing. His eyes remained open, fixed on the creature, the rest of him had gone rigid.
Valdo lunged and shoved him aside.
Claws struck the stones where Cathan had been standing, which left shallow marks in the stone.
"It got him too!" Valdo shouted.
Doran pressed forward, keeping the creature occupied while Valdo struck Cathan unconscious and dragged him away. A moment later, the monster slipped away between the ruined houses.
Valdo laid Cathan down near Niall and straightened, sword in hand. Two of them were unconscious, and Rem could barely move.
If their earlier assumption was right, the creature could still control one of them once before it's ability needed to recover.
Rem could hear the others, but their movements were difficult to follow. The worst of the blur had begun to ease, he could distinguish their figures now, though he still could't make out the details.
He lowered his arms a little.
No claws came down. Nothing rushed him from the dust.
But why?
It could have easily killed him after it had thrown him crashing into the cottage. He was helpless, he still was, so why did it go after someone else?.
Why Hadn't it ambushed them while they were walking through the settlement? why had it waited until they found it feeding? and why hadn't it tried to possess him again? His back throbbed against the cottage wall. Every breath pulled at the pain in his abdomen, and beneath all those questions, another kept returning.
Was he going to die here?
Then the world around him slowed to a halt — his attribute [Unbidden Alarm] finally activated. His thoughts stirred and clashed, and in front of him small White threads appeared across his blurred vision. Each thought drew out another thread; each choice sent them branching in new direction, some crossed and brightened where they met. Others darkened, twised away, or vanished before he could follow them.
Rem held on to the questions, the creature had charged him the moment he spotted it beyond the dust. Then it had thrown him into the cottage. His sight had failed him, and it had abondoned him. Two thread met and turned brighter another twisted away.
He remembered approaching the creature while it fed. It had continued eating until they came close enough to see it. Only then had it turned towards them. The threads shifted again, possibilities fell away until only a handful remained.
Rem swallowed. Given his injuries, he had little room for error. If he was wrong, he might direct the others' attention away from the very attack that will kill them, but waiting would accomplish nothing. He had to take a risk!
He drew a paintful breath as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Valdo! Doran! Look at Niall — it's going for him!"
Valdo turned first. Doran followed a moment later, that's when a pale shape emerged from the ruined cottage beside Rem. The creature ran upright this time, covering the distance to Niall in a few long strides. It's right arm swept towards the unconscious man's body.
Doran intercepted the attack again, but the impact drove him back several steps. his boots scraped over stone before he managed to brace himself, both hands locked around his sword.
The creature tried to reach for Niall again. This time Valdo stepped in it's path, he slipped past the outstretched claws and struck, then twisted away from the coming blow.
His sword landed twice more. Each strike made a hard jarring sound, but the creature kept coming. Whatever damage he was doing, it wasn't enough to slow it down.
Rem stared through his blurred vision, it had gone straight for Niall as soon as they looked at him!
"It's blind!" He shouted. "It's using us as hosts — seeing through our eyes! when we look at it, it can find us. When we look at each other, we give it a target!"
Valdo broke away at once as he said "Close your eyes!"
He and Doran shut their eyes and withdrew. Valdo caught Niall beneath the arms and dragged him back, while Doran reached for Cathan and pulled him out of the creature's reach.
the next sweep of its claws found only empty air. It lashed out again, then slammed both hands into the ground. Stone cracked beneath its fingers. it turned, striking blindly at the space around it, each blow landing farther from the retreating men. Rem could still make out it's shape through his blurred vision. He watched it thrash among the ruins.
Then it stopped.
One arm remained raised. it's body went utterly still. Rem waited for it to move, when an explosion thundered somewhere deep underground. the gust followed a moment later tearing the settlement. Dust streamed between the cottages and scattered, stripping away the alread thinning cloud.
Rem fixed the others' position in his mind as best as he could. Then he closed his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. Pain caught beneath his ribs. He braced a hand against the broken wall until his legs steadied, he then limped towards the others.
Behind him, the creature struck the ground again, he flinched and nearly lost his footing.
Another blow followed, close enough for him too feel it through the soles of his boots. He kept his eyes shut and took another step.