SNT: Shattered Dimensions

Chapter 9 part 2: Sacrifice

Edit: 7/6/2020 Chapter has been revised from the ground up.

The sound of crushed shrubs echoed within the willful silence of the forest. A traveler of its woods stood within the shadows of moonlight.

"This smell..." he muttered with a quick whiff. This traveler looked up at the one who cast his shadow and gazed upon the statue of Iblis. Its horns gleamed from the surplus of lunar luminescence. The moon poked its head out and shined its reflected light on the traveler's dark purple fur. A grin cracked from his muzzle as he knew what the smell meant.

"Death is watching."

Chapter 8 part 2:

Sacrifice

A deafening scream was all that was audible, but even something that loud was quickly devoured by silence. Mere moments seemed to have passed before a young fox opened her eyes.

"W...what the hell?" She gasps, for the environment she had awakened in could only be described as a hellish landscape. Black pillars with seemingly corrupted cracks filled her sight, and the background being nothing but a crimson void. The imagery was so unpleasant that the young fox worried about what it meant.

"Did I die?" she asked herself. After all the torment she had suffered by the hands of Merlina, it felt as if this place served as the punchline of her fate.

Suddenly, a slight groan perked her ears. It seemed that she wasn't alone. Pumpkin sat up and noticed that the groaning came from the echidna she had fought in the past. At first, Pumpkin hesitated to interact with Shade, but immediately remembered that it was the wicked witch that made them fight. They both had suffered from Merlina's mind control, so Pumpkin couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with the echidna.

"Hey," she called, placing a hand on the echidna's shoulder and gently shaking her. "C'mon, wake up," she pleaded. Through a stroke of luck, the echidna opened her eyes. They first appeared irritated, then confused in their new environment before finally settling on Pumpkin's visage. Shade's eyes widened before she pushed herself away from Pumpkin.

"Where have you taken me, Pumpkin?" She questioned. The two stood to their feet and stared into each other's eyes.

"Not another move. You may have fooled my comrades, but you haven't fooled me."

Pumpkin paused and sighed in relief. For a moment there, she was afraid that Merlina's mind control hadn't worn off. This attitude and precaution must be Shade the echidna's true personality. Now only one problem still lingered.

"I didn't do anything. It was Merlina that brought us here," Pumpkin explained. Shade appeared stunned for a moment, but her eyes immediately returned to the glare she gave before.

"Merlina, as in the Emperor's court wizard?" The echidna questioned. Pumpkin nodded her head and explained everything that had happened so far.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked. The young fox was slightly annoyed by the question, but understood why it was brought up.

"The truth is you can't. I don't completely trust you either. But until we can find a way out of here, I don't exactly have a choice," Pumpkin explained. This did nothing to soothe the echidna's suspicion, but it did manage to earn a temporary truce.

"Fine, but try anything and I'll leave you here, got it?" Shade threatened, her words serving to annoy the pyrokinetic fox more. Pumpkin wished that a more understanding ally could've ended up here with her, but she had to take what she could get.