SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: Aftermath
"What did you do!" Kai exclaimed as he looked at Nephis and cassie with eyes brimming with hatred.
"I wanted to survive, I needed to live another day."
"At the expense of his life! His freedom?"
"Yes."
"Despicable" Kai said, after spitting those last words at Nephis left the room leaving an eerie silence and a tension in the air. Cassie looking at Effie would say:
"Look you don't under-"
"I understand perfectly what happened. You chose to have Nephis over Sunless because you knew Sunless would win. Don't ever contact me again."
And with that Effie left the room. Leaving the Cassie and Nephis there. Fully breaking apart the cohort.
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It has been six months since Sunless was abandoned in the dream realm. During these months he has been training, absorbing essence and gaining memories. Today however he was in a completely different place. He looked ahead of him, seeing the tall sand dunes in front of him. The place was a barren wasteland, he could feel the heat scorching his skin, the little grains of sand blinding him.
The dry winds moved with a force that could pick him up and throw him far away. Sunless decided to move further into the desert and towards the pyramid that he saw in the distance. On his way there sunless was truly feeling the pain of the desert. It was as if it was designed to sap away his energy, and he would truly be feeling its affects as even when he used the memory Cassie gave him, he still felt thirsty and dehydrated.
However using his Wilderness survival knowledge, Sunless knew that all hope wasn't lost, if he was lucky, he could maybe find an oasis, or a citadel and get the fuck out of there. However Sunless was many things, and lucky was rarely one of them.
Sunless then decided to find shelter, a place to keep warm because he knew that if it was this hot during the day, then at night he would probably freeze to death. After a while of randomly walking around, Sunless found a ruin, it was half covered in sand but it was more than enough for his purpose. Entering the place, sunless saw a deep pit inside.
Curiously but cautiously, he approached the pit and looked down it, seeing nothing sunless still decided that safe was better than sorry as he found random flammable objects in the ruin, set them on fire and threw them into the pit.
[you have killed a fallen monster, a baby Shai - Hulud] Seeing this Sunless knew he made the right decision, as the abomination could've crawled upon him while he was resting. Sunless then decided it was time for rest.
"growl"
Sunless woke up with a jolt, as he saw a massive creature in front of him, it looked like a big worm with a huge mouth filled with rotating razor teeth. Sunless looking up at the creature with a hint of dread in his voice and in a scared tone he uttered:
"That wasn't your baby that I killed right?"
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The past 6 months in Ravenheart had treated Kai and Effie wonderfully. After the fight with Cassie and Nephis, Kai and Effie decided to go to Raveneart and become legacies of the song domain. This decision saw them fighting and training each day. Today however was not one such day as they were both called to have an audience with the Queen of the living and the dead. Dubbed as the Queen of Worms by many soldiers of Valor.
"Do you two know what I've called you here for" The queen asked the two awakened. Her voice, sending shivers down their spines had a ethereal quality to it. She spoke with an authority that as unquestionable, forcing people to listen to her every word.
As Kai continued to observe her, he realized something that simultaneously filled him wth dread and awe at the same time, the queen looks dead, her eyes were glassy, and they had a sort of milky color to them. Her skin was pale, paler than any human had any right to be. She sat tall and unmoving in her throne, she looked strangely stiff, and she didn't blink, her eyes just stared at you, as if looking into your soul. The most unnerving part by far in Kai's eyes was the way she just sat there, like a doll. She was extremely beautiful on all accounts but that beauty was lifeless, making Kai want to throw up and bow before her in the same instant.
"No my lady, we don't know why we are here." Kai responded, with his head bowed and his posture straight, he responded with a panic laden voice.
"Don't be afraid. I've brought you here because I want to turn you into my children. That is of course if you want to be my children?" The queen responded, her palpable aura spread across the room. And as she asked her question, both Kai and Effie knew that refusal meant death, or something worse than that.
"Of course we would love to be your children" Effie said, looking at Kai with a terrified look, knowing how close both of them had come to death.
"Great." The queen smiled, "take this." As she held out her hand, two pieces of golden ichor would present themselves in front of the two awakened.
"Take these, once you're done come back here and I will tell you what to do afterwards. You are dismissed."
After her swift dismissal both the awakened didn't dare to spend a second more In the throne room. Running outside Kai and Effie would start talking about their peculiar predicament.
"What should we do Kai! She gave us this memory, should we take it?"
"Are you dumb? If we don't take it then our life is as good as done. I don't know what happened there but I know that the queen is no long a saint, I have been in their presence before, and although they were overwhelming, they were never like her. Anyways, just take a look at the memory."
***
Memory Name: Drop of Ichor
Memory Rank: unknown
Memory Type: unknown
Memory Description: [ The Beast god had been wronged, tricked by the one she loves the most, her death shook the realms and as her soul laid in oblivion, she let her blood drip down to the mortal realm. Creating these drops of divine Ichor ]
[You have acquired a drop of ichor. Do you wish to consume it?]
These runes would be shown simultaneously on both Effie's and Kai's status.
Looking at Effie, Kai would say:
"Since when can you consume a memory?"
"Since now I guess" Effie would reply, as she would look at Kai she would say:
"I guess we better get to eating this memory quickly before the queen comes and kills us or something."
"Well then, here goes nothing"
"I want to consume it" Both Kai and Effie would say, their voices carrying a hint of trepidation and anticipation for what was to come, but they still decided to go through with it.
[As you wish]
Immediately, they both felt pain all throughout their bodies, as Kai fell to the floor, thrashing and howling in pain. While Effie who was more pain resistant still started screaming, as the blood of the beast god entered inside them and integrate itself with them the spell would once again speak out:
[you have gained an attribute]
[you have gained an attribute]
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Sunless screamed, this was the fourth time this week? month? year? that we would be chased by the same creature, the Shai - Hulud. After accidentally killing the baby of the Shai - Hulud, the mother followed him all around the place the accursed dessert, now normally sunless would be able to hide like the slippery shadow he is, but today that was not the case, as blood dripped down his arm, landing on the hard sand sunless couldn't help but start to doubt himself.
"why, am I doing this? For revenge, for power, for glory? Why am I hurting myself? In this world, two worlds even, there is nobody who would give a fuck if I died in this hell, nobody, absolutely fucking nobody. What is my conviction?"
Sunny while pondering the meaning of his life, the reason for his existence and his overall conviction failed to realize that the dream world doesn't care about his existential crisis and was fully focused on murdering him. Sunless would then be cut on the arm by the fallen devil that was chasing him, using his blood as a means of tracking him, the abomination continued to follow him.
"Damnation, I can't do this shit anymore, I just want to drop dead." Sunless, looking behind him, he would see the worm do a thing he never seen before. it jumped from the sand, releasing waves of arid wind towards Sunless.
As the teeth of the monster arrived in front of Sunless, he suddenly felt clarity, he knew exactly what he needed to do, he summoned the shadow serpent and turned it into a sword, then he augmented it with one of his shadows while augmenting himself with his remaining shadow. On the brink of death, Sunless suddenly felt more alive then he ever had, feeling this newfound power Sunless found his conviction. It wasn't revenge, it wasn't power, it was . . .