Mathias and Emil didn't have to move Berwald very far before Perussi came back and made another attempt at killing the three men, only to stopped once again by Emil and a still strong Mathias before the creature backed up right into a large bear trap. Mathias nearly whooped with glee as Perussi shrieked in pain as he clawed at the contraption and succeeded ripping it off only at a deadly consequence. His leg was shredded terribly, blood pooling around his leg in a large circle that made it impossible for the monster to stand on that wound.

"How does it feel to be the one hunted?" Mathias demanded, using his axe to support himself now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Perussi hissed darkly through his teeth in response. He lifted his arm to make a swing at the Dane's head, causing Mathias' eyes to widen before the arm was halted by Emil using Berwald's bow staff in a round-house style swing followed by a sicken crunch that had Perussi howling with pain and snatching his arm back to its grotesque body. Emil held the staff before him, standing between the creature and the wounded Berwald, who breathed deeply and clutched his wound tightly.

"Little boy wants to play?" Perussi asked almost mockingly, as he moved slowly toward the younger man.

Emil's eyes narrowed into slits and he gave off a feral growl, standing firmly in front of the Swede. Mathias' eyes widen as he watched that tail reach sneakily toward the Icelandic man as the creature himself reached out toward them with his remaining good arm. He began limping toward them in a desperate attempt to reach them before the bastard could strike. It seemed like the whole world entered the realm of slow motion.

But Berwald was faster.

Just as Mathias opened his mouth to warn Emil who in turn was looking behind him almost in slow motion, eyes wide when Berwald leapt up and stood between Emil and that dangerous scorpion tail. Berwald let out blood chilling cry as the sharpen tail pierced through his already damaged shoulder blade as Emil let out his own cry to mingle with the Swede's as he lost his balance, reaching for him and instead, fell onto the floor. Berwald gripped the tail tightly to try and remove some of the treeible pressure as he was lifted high into the air.

"SVE!" Mathias shrieked.

"BERWALD!" Emil screamed.

Berwald struggled weakly as he attempted to remove the sharpen tail from his shoulder as Mathias struggled himself to reach the Swede as Perussi gave a laugh of triumph. Before Mathias could reach out and stop them, Perussi vanished taking the struggling Swede with him.

"NO! BERWALD!" Mathias all but screamed as he tripped, falling to the ground, hand outstretched toward the darkness where his best friend, the closest thing he had to a brother was taken, tears forming in his eyes. "Berwald… No Berwald…"

Never before had the Danish man felt so weak and helpless. In a fit of anguish, his raised hand curled into a fist and he brought it down to the floor, the concrete cracking below his fist.

"NO NO NO NO!" He chanted angrily. "First Lukas now HIM! I can't seem to protect anybody! WHY? WHY?!"

"Mathias…" Emil whispered, hand reaching out for the miserable man in front of him. "Mathias…"

"I can't protect the people I love. No matter how hard I try." Mathias sobbed, tears flowing his face as he curled into a ball, face deep in the floor, whole body shaking. "I barely saved Lukas, but at the cost of my best friend slash brother? It's not fair. IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Maybe we should get Mr. Braginsky." Emil suggested.

"We can't!" Mathias replied harshly.

"Why not?" Emil asked, a bit taken back by Mathias' tone.

"Because that will leave Tino and Lukas vulnerable." Mathias answered. "I need Lukas and Tino protected. No matter the cost."

"Even if it means you lose your life?" Emil asked, eyebrow raised in utter disbelief. "Don't think that's a cost worth paying…"

"Well I can't sacrifice Lukas' life!" Mathias retorted. "But I can't give up on Berwald's either. I mean, yeah, he and I don't see eye to eye sometimes, but he's still my best friend."

"Then let's meet up with the others and think of a compromise. A plan." Emil said, helping Mathias up onto his feet. "If we don't want to lose anymore lives, then we need to brainstorm."

"But Berwald…"

"We need to meet up with the others." Emil stated firmly, helping Mathias walk down the hallway. "Luring him out clearly didn't work out. Yeah- sure you damaged his leg and broke one of his arms but now Perussi has Berwald. I don't think he's going to devour him, rather, he's gonna use him as bait to capture you."

"Me?"

"Both you and Lukas." Emil auto-corrected. "He wants my brother for dinner more then anything else. And he wants you—"

"Dead? I couldn't have possibly figured that out." Mathias replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Well, that too…" Emil agreed. "But after I helped Leon escort Hercules to the hospital, I found a book there that explained more about Carne Dolors."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Emil nodded as they walked further down the hall. "If they find and fight an opponent they consider worthy, the people of Medieval England believed that if the Flesh Eater consumed the person that they considered worthy, supposedly they either A. grow stronger and powerful or B. they remain sated for several years, not consuming another human until supposedly they say, 20 years."

"Now I'm hoping that B is the answer." Mathias chuckled nervously.

"You better hope so." Emil agreed. "Although, with Berwald, I don't know what he plans to do with other then try and bait you…"

"Won't he eat him?" Mathias asked, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Maybe." Emil replied. "I don't know if he like the taste of the Swedish."

"Please don't say that."

Berwald had passed out as Perussi carried him down the hallway by his shoulder, he could feel his blood seeping and staining the entire back of his shirt and a third of the cloth in front. By the time he regained consciousness, he found himself strapped down to a table that looked rotted by metal bands that were around his neck and wrists that were locked down by heavy iron locks. He pulled and struggled against them for while until after awhile he gave up, and looked around as much as his collar restraint would allow him.

"Awake?"

Berwald looked to left and found Perussi, still in his monster form though clearly it appeared that he struggled to regain his human form. His pale eyes watched the still Swede as Berwald returned the favor.

"What do you want from me?" Berwald asked, fist clenching. "I'm not Lukas…or Tino."

"No. You're not." Perussi agreed. "But you have your uses."

"Oh I do, do I?" Berwald growled, gasping as he felt a sting in his shoulder.

"Yes." Perussi smiled, or at least that's what it looked like. "Your friend seems to have some worth for me after."

"And me?"

"You are going to bring him to me." Perussi smirked. "Mr. Kohler seems to be a guy who deeply cares for you Mr. Oxenstierna. He'll come back for you and bring me take-out as well."

"Leave them alone." Berwald hissed through his pain. "You have me, don't you? Why not eat me?"

"Because that would rile Mr. Kohler up." Perussi replied as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Anger and rage aren't really good spices, Mr. Oxenstierna. Now fear… Fear is the best spice that I clearly get enough."

"Bastard…" Berwald breathed harshly.

"Although…" Perussi hummed as he stood up and walked toward the restrained Swede. Berwald watched him with wide eyes. And then—

CRACK!

Berwald let out the loudest scream he didn't think he could possibly muster. Perussi dove his entire hand into his wounded shoulder before wrenching it out hard and fast, his fist soaked in blood and bits of flesh, he grinned and licked and suckled on his fingers. Berwald panted harder, feeling his consciousness was slipping from him and maybe even part of his life.

"Savory." Was all that was said.

"F-f-fuck… You…" Berwald breathed heavily.

"I think that little toy of yours is more suited for the job."

"Stay… Stay a-away from Tino." Berwald growled. "Ah…"

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" Perussi asked as he twirled his finger in Berwald's open wound, earning him a gasp, and took another taste. "You can barely keep yourself alive."

Berwald didn't answer.

"Perhaps we need to set up our own plan."

"Plan?"

Perussi didn't answer him as he walked toward a large cauldron-like pot and lite a fire underneath. After a while, the smell a warm home-made soup filled the still air.

"What are you—"

"Who can resist the smell of homemade soup?"

"No…"