Chapter 13

Clan

Rorrim's message faded away into a blurred consciousness, bringing Luna back to her own body as her throat felt clogged. She blinked a few times to bring her world back into focus, only to regret it as soon as she felt her body trapped in a painful predicament. Both hands were strapped down hard against the arms of a chair, roughly cutting into her skin as her elbows crashed against the wooden back.

She struggled briefly to break free, but her attention fell to her feet, which were clearly in danger. What appeared to be two young boys were busy playing with her boots. Already a bizarre scene, but the moment their mouths opened, revealing pairs of teeth that looked far from human, She quickly began to kick.

"Woah, get away! Go!" She yelled.

The boys looked up at her, and she quickly held her tongue. Their faces were supposed to be adorable, even having that charm she saw all the time in her own twin siblings. Smiles encroached their cheeks, and everything should be normal. Should be.

But their eyes... what were they? Luna trembled at the sight of four eyes looking like that of a fly's, staring up at her with their bulged appearances. Even their smiles broke against the skin, showing hundreds of razor-sharp blades that were ready to slice her open. Both sniffled at her, licking their mighty chops.

"Bro, she's awake!" One shouted.

"Dah, I wanted to rip her apart! She looks tasty!" Cried the other.

More psychotic, cannibal children; exactly what Luna ordered. She continued to struggle, unable to break free from the bondage. What the hell secured her, and for that matter, where the hell was she? Regardless, she had to scare the kids away. "L-Look, I'm not that tasty. I'm... I'm bad, yeah! So go on, uh... eat something else!"

Both kids pouted, folding their arms and stomping their feet. "Mommy said you were bad, but maybe's she right. The boots taste awful!"

"You idiot! You're supposed to take the boots off!"

"But they're purple! It looks like the little grubs from the village!"

As they bickered, slowly grabbing at each other's neck, Luna quickly took the time to observe the room around her. It was dark and massive, illuminated only by scant flames resting against pillars on all side. The outside world was visible behind mighty glass windows to her left, obscured by a mighty fog full of ice and ruin. A blizzard was still raging, with the moon peaking its way through one small crevice.

That pale light gave enough exposure for the young rocker to truly comprehend where she was. The perfect carpet, the beautiful pictures against the walls, along with a table resting against the opposite side: this was the dining hall of Loch Loud's most prestigious castle. The looming artifact of another era, at last welcoming her back in, though in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Her mouth dried up, trying to recall how she even got here.

Though those thoughts were put on hold once the kids resolved their differences, choosing instead to focus their strength on grabbing hold of her weary body. "Woah, brah, wait!" She begged, before one placed a dirty palm against her mouth.

"Wowzers, she has a big head! Ever notice that?"

"Yeah, no duh! Mommy says it was ugly, and guess what? She's never wrong!"

"Well, at least the neck looks good!"

Luna's eyes grew wide. "No, don't!"

And perhaps they would've, had it not been for an unlikely savior coming back for a second time. Walking in from the doors to the main hall was that knight in heavy armor, looking tough as both kids stared at him in fear. Though his visor continued to obscure all, it was obvious how angry and disappointed he was.

"Lorenzo, Mattia! Out! Head down to the underhalls pronto!" He ordered.

The young twins pouted, before quickly breaking down into a begging position. "Please, Sir, we want to mess with her some more!" The one apparently named Mattia spoke nervously.

With a guffaw, the knight held firm. "Mother wouldn't want you breaking her trust, right? You know how she gets!"

And apparently they did, for they both shook like rapid dogs. One last look was given to Luna, before they at last relented. "Oh, fine! You better leave something of her, okay? We're hungry!"

The two vanished deep into the room. Luna would assume they would've charged towards a door, but one dash to the corner, and they were no more. A secret hole? No matter, for now it was her and the man in armor, though even that brought up a contentious subject.

"Welcome to your former home, Loud. Me and my friend are happy to welcome you back!"

She tried to remain calm. "F-Friend? Just who the hell are you?"

Above them, the ceiling seemed to quake. She feared it was the man that was once Angus, somehow stitched to the ceiling above, but once she got a good look at the rafters, she realized there was no ceiling to speak of. Instead, the strange appearance of stained glass graced her appearance. Staring high, it seemed to shake at her.

But no further stare was granted, for the knight ordered her face back down. "Well, Loud, how are we feeling? As the murderer of Abraham Loudson, along with his wicked group, I must ask how your tainted blood is roaming through your body this wondrous evening!"

What the hell was he on about? She shuddered hearing that "M" word, but she refused to give him the dignity of seeing her afraid. She nearly spat at him, glaring at his ugly suit. "Stop messing around, what is this? What have you done to this place, and where's Angus?"

Her question was met with a swollen cheek, for a heavily-armored fist came crashing down against her face. "There, now you should be quiet for some time!" The man folded his arms behind his back, looking about the giant room like it was some sort of museum. Laughing to himself, he stared at an unused chandelier swinging high above. "My, have I introduced myself yet? That's not right, and very unknightly of me! Please forgive my bad manners, Miss Luna!"

The rocker spat some blood out. "You expecting an answer? I thought you wanted me quiet?"

"Ah, I heard you may have some more confidence in situations like this. Make sense. Not everyone lives Julius's mountain, right?" He walked right back over, seemingly ready to backhand her one more time. Luckily for the young teen, he seemed to be in an especially generous mood. "Well, let me dispel this anonymity. My name is Sir Columbus Savino! Proud warrior of my family or over eight hundred years. Quite the long run, wouldn't you say?"

Luna wanted to be shocked, but she knew the denizens of that mountain. "What? You want a medal or something?"

"You speak tough for a girl trapped in her ancestor's castle! At any moment, I can easily pull a weapon and slash that pretty face of yours. You understand the stakes, yes?"

Strangely, Luna chuckled, bothering the man's ego. "I'm not an idiot, Columbus-"

"Sir Columbus!"

"Heh, Sir. I know you can't kill me. This ain't exactly my first time being captured by psychopaths! You need me alive!"

The knight laughed once more, even prompting the ceiling to let out a holler. "Oh, I see why mother hates you. Man, you even sound like your ancestor. Must run in this disgusting family of yours."

It's amazing how unfazed she was feeling. Anger swelled up within. "Don't you dare make fun of my family! Screw you, brah."

"Watch that mouth! I'm in a good mood, so I won't punch again, but the more you speak-"

"Go ahead, jerk!" She rallied back, even catching him off guard. "Go ahead! Tell me how much you need my bro. Go on!"

He looked at her confused, before scratching the back of his head. "Who, Lincoln? The descendant of the Duke's image?" Weird way to put that. "Well, lucky for you, we can't find the little squirt. Damn, mother won't be happy knowing we didn't get the whole set..."

Wait, what? What the hell did he just say. "What, couldn't grab a little boy? Heh, and I thought you were pretty good at your job, at least!"

"Quit it with this nonsense! Besides, we don't need him. Mother hated the duke, but rather not see his face. At least, I hope!" He chuckled nervously, before returning to his firm stance. "Besides, we really wanted you, so it's nice we got most of the set along with your ugly head!"

Whole... set? "W-What do you mean by that? What the hell did you do to my family?"

"Why, nothing! We just wanted to give them a chance to return to their ancient home before we truly end its legacy. Is that truly wrong?"

Thank god the binding was tough. "You son of a bitch!"

"Hey, look at it this way: you were the main attraction, and yet we couldn't get ya. Damn white-hair version of ya!" Rorrim? "Even still, those lovely jerks decided to take you for themselves. Idiots. You'd think the United States would have some sort of intelligence, right?"

Way, way too many questions. She hated to admit it, but she had to focus on her family first. "Where are they? I swear, if you even dare touch one hair on any of them..."

He didn't even have to respond, for he looked to the ceiling. "Old pal? Do you mind shutting this wench up? Pull the carpet!"

Pull the carpet? Luna watched as the stained glass above somehow grew a hand, and with a powerful thrust, reached to the other side of the room. Luna didn't even realize there was a carpet covering most of the wall, blocking off a rectangular-prism-like object. With glee, it was pulled off, and what she saw made her scream, but not as loud as those within.

Inside the cage, her family minus Lincoln screamed: "Luna!"

"Oh God... guys! Oh no, what the hell is this?"

Like her, they too were strapped to a bunch of chairs, all forced to stare forward. Not injured, but just seeing them like this made her blood boil. Columbus laughed, unable to contain his excitement. "Ah, what a lovely reunion! How are you, Louds?"

Lola glared, hiding her terror. "You disgusting, monstrous, evil person!"

"Ah, I think mother said you'll die first if necessary."

That shut the young girl down. Luna growled. "Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

"And what are you to do about it? You're useless in that position!" As he spoke, he heard heavy boots slowly marching their way down towards the hall. Everyone, including Columbus, had no choice but to be silent. It grew louder and louder, bringing forth a foreboding dread that encapsulated the entire room.

Finally, the Knight laughed. "Ah, mother. It is time, isn't it?" He looked over at Luna, before slowly approaching the door. "Heh, good luck Luna. Hopefully the Devil will understand your sins!"

FROM: Sir Columbus Savino's personal log, circa 14th century

"This disease is getting worse, but that is of no concern. Our men need practice, and I shall grant it as much as possible! Mother isn't kind to those who are lazy, and sickness is no excuse. Laziness... my mortal enemy. I must keep this energy up. Those boys below me must understand what a true warrior is worth!"