Shadow Slave: Eternal Dawn

The Hunters returned around an hour before dawn. Carrying thick, makeshift bags filled with cleaved monster meat and skinned hides, they strode past the envious Sleepers of the outer settlement and entered through the pearly gates of the Bright Castle.

Found with nothing much to do in their group, Nico bid a brief farewell to Gemma and Andel, then began trudging deeper into the castle.

This time, he wasn't going to Gunlaug's underground dungeon, or back to his own cozy room in the main keep. There were other urgent matters to discuss, and his relocation to the outer settlement was the perfect excuse to have them.

Following a winding path that led around the throne room, he made it to a long staircase that spiraled up to the very peak of the castle, where the king's quarters would usually be situated. He ascended to the second level, and standing before the vast, open hall, he observed a swarm of beautiful figures performing a variety of menial tasks.

When he entered, the closest Handmaidens paused for a moment, lapsing into dark expressions before returning to their work.

'Seems I'm not popular.'

Nico didn't blame them. He had always been a cold, callous person in the Bright Castle. Drenched in viscous monster blood, layers of dirt, grime, and the majority of his plate armor warped, his scarred helmet making visible only his two luminous eyes, he looked like a holy knight that had crawled his way out of hell.

One Handmaiden that seemed to be directing the others walked forward to receive him.

She had a calm, steady gait, and her blonde hair flowed around like a heavenly shroud. A bloodred tunic sat on her shoulders, covering her pale skin.

"What brings you here, Sir Nico?" she asked stiffly.

He stared down at her from beneath his visor for a moment, then said:

"Fetch me a set of clean clothes and water. And take me to Seishan."

Her feet shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't everyday someone requested to see their lieutenant personally and let alone someone like Nico.

"I see... May I bring a message to the lady, then? So that she might know as to why?"

Nico considered it briefly.

"I'd like to discuss the movement of my things towards the outer settlement."

The Handmaiden froze in stunned silence; her mouth half open in preparation of some response she didn't seem to remember anymore.

'Seems the news hadn't been announced yet.'

Nico rose a hand and dismissed his helmet, sweeping back his bangs just as they began to fall over his face. He glared coldly.

"Hurry up. Give her my words. I'm quite filthy and bear many wounds."

The woman stammered:

"Oh, yes! Yes. Apologies. Lady Seishan will be here shortly."

She plucked a random passing girl by the hem of her tunic.

"And she will take you to a room in the meantime to clean up."

The young Handmaiden snapped her head indignantly at the first woman, then reluctantly craned her head up at his imposing figure, swallowed, and nodded politely.

"Yes, um, Sir Nico. Please, follow me, if you will."

He nodded curtly.

The Handmaiden instantly turned, weaving through the bustling crowd of her sisters. He trailed behind her, catching passing glances easily due to his height and obviously disparate attire. They passed the crowded hall of sectioned rooms, entering a small, private corridor with a single dark door at the end of the hall.

Twisting the knob, she entered and revealed what seemed like a lavish bedroom repurposed into a break room. It was wide and luxurious, filled with an assortment of out of place furniture. There were cracked stone chairs, chipped wooden tables, shabby couches furnished with monster hide, and anything the Handmaidens had been able to scavenge from the Bright Castle.

She led him in, then slunk back out the before he noticed, mumbling something about full buckets being in the corner and no one else entering.

Looking around, he noticed a couple spare pairs of freshly washed pants and shirts and sighed.

He completely dismissed the [Silver Wraith]. Both the battered plate armor and his clothes beneath went to his soul sea, to slowly repair their damage and cleanse themselves of filth.

Standing stark naked, covered by a menagerie of wounds and bandages, he lamented the fact that he'd never procured any real clothes for himself. It had just never seemed applicable until now.

Unfortunately, it would take more than just eight hours for the Memory to repair itself this time, so he would have to bear that consequence.

Scouring the pile of clothes for something that could fit him, he eventually found one pair and set it aside.

'I'll ask Seishan if I can take this with me.'

Wincing, Nico began treating the minor wounds that had already half-healed over. His blood was very funky in that regard. Despite being intrinsically part of his soul, it still performed all the normal functions like clotting injuries and distributing oxygen to his cells. When his wounds were fresh, his scabs carried a blue sheen, then subtly bled a normal color as the essence within was filtered out by his body.

Sighing in relief, he pulled on his new trousers and began cleaning out the innumerable cuts on his upper torso and arms. Luckily, there were no cuts on his back, so he wouldn't need anyone else's assistance. Not that he would've asked any of the Handmaiden's to clean his injuries anyways. With his lineage, even a severe infection would heal before long, not to mention the subtle influence of soul essence flowing through his body.

When he finished peeling away all the drenched bandages and replaced them with new ones, pulling the fresh tunic over his shoulders, the door finally opened.

Then, walking in with measured steps, was a striking lady with skin as gray as a stormy sky, soft and unblemished with striking beauty. Her ebony hair flowed behind her in silk waves, and her dark eyes pierced his with sharp intent. Her full lips curled downward.

She closed the door, lidded her eyes for a moment, then chided:

"Little brother, why are you so injured? The hunt was merely for an Awakened Devil, was it not?"