Genis whimpered in pain, blood still pouring out of his chest.
Lloyd ran down the moonlit hall carrying his wounded friend as fast as he could. He was afraid to jar the young half-elf too much, fearing he might hasten the poor child's life. It was difficult work, even with an ex-sphere.
"Don't worry, Genis," Lloyd said while starting to look down at his friend, "Even though I don't understand what's going on, I'm sure you'll be okay." Genis responded by coughing blood onto Lloyd's shirt. "We'll, uh, just bake you a shortcake and it'll all be okay."
"L-l-look up-p," the tortured half-elf meeked.
"Huh?" Lloyd responded, following his instructions. He narrowly missed colliding with a random coat rack. "Whoa," Lloyd laughed, "that would have been bad." He smiled at the friend in his arms. Genis did not appear tickled with laughter.
At the end of the hall, Lloyd paused as he fumbled to ready his sorcerer's ring to open the door. He looked behind him briefly, for he could have swore he heard a sound down the hall, almost like a quick wind blowing. He shook his head: he had to concentrate. A fast burst from the ring and the door to Raine's room opened.
As Lloyd entered the suite Raine appeared to be studying a thick book, but not the kind of musty one that she normally would choose to digest. Instead it was a tome with a picture of a black stove on the cover. As soon as she saw Lloyd and Genis enter she gasped and flung the book onto the floor where it made an explosive "booming" sound. Genis, who could not see with the blood in his eyes, thrashed slightly in fear.
"Dear Martel…" she muttered in horror after seeing the bloody mess that was her brother. "Lloyd, what happened!" she asked, her voice raising uncharacteristically. She was breathing hard.
"Honestly, I don't know," Lloyd answered truthfully and, though he'd never admit it, sheepishly, as well. "Kratos seems to have some clue, but he won't tell… wait, what book were you reading?"
"That Kratos with his secrets… it'll cost us all dearly some day." She pointed toward her bed and Lloyd immediately walked over and gently laid Genis on the soft mattress. He was shaking horribly and still whimpered, although slightly more quietly. Raine quickly walked over to the quivering child and began whispering an incantation to herself. As Genis's body began to glow with a white illumination, Lloyd took a look at the novel on the floor. The title said, The Wonder Chef's Guide to Great-Feasts! Lloyd looked back over at Raine.
"Professor, were you reading a cook book?" he asked bluntly.
Raine blushed as she continued to look over her brother. "This appears to be a very deep wound from a large sharp object. I don't know whether he was stabbed three times with the same object or three different ones." She furrowed her brow as she spoke. "I can't seem to heal it completely with magic. We may have to use more conventional means, like time and patience. We've been through worse, right?" she concluded, smiling weakly. Tears were held at bay in the corners of her eyes.
Lloyd still couldn't get the book out of his head. "Professor, why were you reading a cook book?"
"If you must inquire," Raine said defeated, never taking her eyes off Genis, "I was trying to learn how to cook, obviously. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to expand my knowledge on the subject." Genis made a noise that sounded like a laugh, and Raine smiled weakly. "Anyway, Regal offered me his cookbook and said he'd help me out with some of the basics later tonight."
Lloyd picked up the culinary tome. "This thing is enormous!" he exclaimed.
"It supposedly has almost every recipe known to both Sylverant and Tethe'alla. Honestly, I don't know how the 'Wonder Chef' hasn't run out of ideas yet." She walked over and touched the hardcover absentmindedly. "Regal should have been here…" She paused, terrified. "Regal!"
It took Lloyd a second to catch on. "Oh crap! Raine, stay with Genis! I'll go check on Regal!"
Lloyd burst into the hallway and slammed the door shut behind him. Regal's room was just down the hall to the left. He sprinted to Regal's door and harshly knocked, not caring whether or not the muscular patron was sleeping or not. Lloyd hoped he just peacefully was. To his surprise the door swung open as his fist collided with it.
The sight that meet Lloyd's eyes was beyond any horror that he had witnessed on their adventure. Regal was suspended in the air by his greave equipped leg, which appeared to be held by a shadow high in the rafters. The rest of his body thrashed wildly, his hand-cuffed arms attempting to swat at the darkness as he pulled his upper body up with his stomach. The lights flickered on and off rapidly.
"That's insane! I won't let you have it! You're mad!" Regal yelled angrily at the entity hidden by the shadows, which was laughing hysterically.
"Regal!" Lloyd yelled, finding his recently lost voice.
Regal let his head flop down after hearing the voice of his fellow party member. "Lloyd!" he shouted in pain, "get the hell out of here! It's too strongaaaRRRGHHH!"
Regal screamed in agony as his leg was held taunt and the rest of his body began twisting. The presence in the rafters would reach out with a silver instrument and spin the screaming man more and more. With a sickening ripping sound Regal's leg was torn from it's socket and his body was thrown into the wall. Blood splattered across the entire room, splashing the walls a crimson red; it poured onto the ground with wet splats from the disconnected limb.
"I'mmm loooosiiiiing tooo muuchh blloooodddd," a smokey, worn voice announced from the rafters. It then started to laugh insanely as it pulled the greaved leg into a mist that enveloped the shadows.
Soon all that was left in the room was Regal's shallow breaths from his bleeding body, Lloyd's astonished gasps, and the faint echo of demonic laughter.