Earth: Castle Keep

Ymir closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the boat, exhausted. She hadn't slept since they left the Survey Corps' ship, and her body was starting to feel the strain.

Suddenly, the boat lurched violently, jerking Ymir awake. She sat up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. They had collided with another boat, and the impact had sent a shockwave through the vessel.

"What happened?" Zar called out, his voice filled with urgency.

"There's something in the water!" Felan shouted from the front of the boat.

Ymir peered over the side, her eyes widening in horror. The river below was stained crimson with blood.

"We're in a river of blood," she whispered.

The river was filled with the bodies of the dead. Soldiers, civilians, and even children. Their bloated and disfigured forms bobbed in the water, a nightmarish sight.

She felt her muscles tense, paralyzed by fear. The bodies, once living beings, now seemed like a macabre threat. She couldn't shake the feeling that they might rise from the water and attack her.

The boat came to a stop as if caught in the web of death that surrounded them. The river, once a steady flow, was now a sea of floating corpses. The soldiers stood in stunned silence, grappling with the horrifying reality before them.

Faces disfigured, bodies ravaged, it was a grim reminder of the merciless nature of war. Each life lost represented a story cut short, a future unfulfilled. The weight of the moment hung heavy in the air, casting a sombre pall over their hearts.

In that harrowing scene, time seemed to stand still. The river of blood became an indelible symbol of the horrors they had witnessed and the price they had paid. They were mere travellers on this river of death, navigating its treacherous waters in search of a semblance of hope.

The current carried the boat onward, the soldiers staring at the river of blood in silence. The journey ahead had become even more arduous, the weight of their mission and the ghosts of the fallen ever-present in their thoughts.

"Paddle, and take cover behind the cliff," shouted Zar.

The soldiers paddled in unison, the boat rocking violently as they neared the shore. As they got closer, they could see bodies floating in the water, their limbs severed and their faces disfigured. Some of the bodies were children.

The boat hit the shore with a thud, and the soldiers jumped out. They ran to the cliff and took cover, their weapons drawn.

The shore was silent, but the soldiers could hear the sound of gunfire in the distance. They knew that the enemy was close, and they had to be ready.

Zar scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of the enemy. "I don't see anything," he said. "But that doesn't mean they're not out there."

The soldiers waited their nerves on edge. They knew that the enemy could be anywhere, and they had to be ready for anything.

They moved slowly waiting for someone to attack but the path to the base was empty and there was no one except the dead and the bodies.

Zar signalled Felan to scout ahead.

Felan signalled four soldiers to follow him, and they moved out in single file. They moved cautiously, their weapons drawn.

They had been walking for about an hour when they came across a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a large campfire, now cold and dead. There were also several tents, all of which were empty.

The ground was littered with severed heads. They were stacked in neat little piles, not yet so decayed that they had become skulls, but no longer recognizable as human faces. Those that still had enough flesh to show expressions wore identical looks of blankness, as if they had never been alive.

Felan signalled the others to stop. They all looked at each other, their faces grim. The evidence was clear: the Keep's Soldiers had been here, but they were gone now.

Rin felt a sense of unease. He knew that the Keep's Soldiers would not have left without a reason. They must be planning something.

"I don't know if this is a trap," he said, "but I don't like it."

Felan nodded. "I agree," he said. "We need to be careful."

The soldiers continued on their way, but they were now more alert than ever. They knew that the Keep's Soldiers could be anywhere, and they were ready for anything.

They walked for another hour, and then they came to the edge of the city. The city was deserted, and the buildings were all in ruins. It was clear that the Keep's Soldiers had been here, and they had left a trail of destruction in their wake.

The soldiers looked at each other, their faces grim. They knew that they were in for a fight.

"Let's go," said Zar. "We've got work to do."

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The dead were arranged in a deliberate pattern as if someone had wanted to leave a message for the next people to enter the city. The destruction was strangely artful, with a sadistic symmetry. Bodies were piled in neat, even rows, forming pyramids of ten, then nine, then eight. They were stacked against the walls, placed across the streets in tidy lines, and arranged as far as the eye could see.

Nothing human moved. The only sounds were the wind rustling through the debris, the buzzing of flies, and the squawking of carrion birds.

The Ymir's eyes watered from the stench.

She glanced at the man beside her, but his face was unreadable. He marched them purposefully down the main street into the city center, as if he was determined to see the full extent of the destruction.

He pulled a large metal object from his back and held it nozzle-forward.

"Boom!"

A burst of fire erupted from the nozzle, and the ground beneath them collapsed. Something just missed them by a few meters. The blast knocked everyone to the ground, sending debris flying through the air.

Zar unsheathed his obsidian blade and charged at the man. He wanted to kill him.

The man stood before him, wearing full body armour with tubes and pipes connected all over his body. He looked like a walking tank.

Zar swung his blade at the man's face, but the man dodged with a beep. Zar swung again, this time aiming for the man's heart, but the blade missed by inches and cut through the man's arm instead. Black fluid began to gush from the wound.

The man stumbled back a step.

"Hussssssshhhhhhh,"

And with a sound like thunder, the man's body flew backwards several meters.

Zar stood in shock, his eyes wide. He had never seen anything like it.

The man stood up, his armour smoking. He looked at Zar through his armour and shook his head in anger and threw his hands to charge again towards him.

And with that, he raised his weapon and fired.

A bolt of energy shot from the nozzle, and Zar barely had time to react. He dove to the ground, and the bolt missed him by a hair.

The man fired again, and again Zar dodged. The two of them circled each other, each looking for an opening.

Zar was being outmatched and he had some kind of power that allowed him to fly.

Zar moved to the right, but the armoured man was too quick. He flew forward and hit Zar in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to grab his obsidian blade, but the Zar was too strong. He grabbed Zar's hand and squeezed, forcing him to drop the blade.

The armoured man then lifted Zar into the air and threw him to the ground. Zar hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. He lay there for a moment, gasping for breath.

The armoured man stood over him, his sword drawn. Zar knew he was in trouble. He was outmatched in the air.

The man took his knife from the seated pack on his shoulder, but Zar rolled out of the way. He scrambled to his feet, but the man was too fast. He swung his knife, and Zar barely had time to dodge.

The sword cut through Zar's shroud, and he felt a sharp pain in his side. He knew he was bleeding, but he also knew it'll heal.

Zar held his obsidian tightly and with a leap targeted his waist and the blade carved through it.

The man rolled back.

He took his weapons out and started firing at Zar.

Zar kept on making leaps while evading and then with a single blow, he cleaved the armoured man's head from his shoulders. The head rolled to the ground, and the body followed.

Zar stood over the body, panting.

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Red blood started flowing and with it a dark fluid from its armour, and everyone was just standing there in silence.

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