Shadow Slave: Gleaming Stars

[Audun's POV]

The sun began to set as Effie started answering Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie's questions.

I was kind of zoned out the whole time, more focused on consuming food than on all the details, but I still made out all the important bits about the castle.

TLDR: The whole thing was run by some posh wanker named Gunlaug, and he required a tribute in the form of soul shards from any sleeper seeking asylum within the castle.

Failing to pay the tribute would result in getting evicted from the glorious castle and thrust into the poverty-stricken boonies beneath the castle walls, something that you'd probably want to avoid.

Aside from the monthly rental fee disguised as a tribute, there was an entire community housed within the castle, complete with a corrupt monarchy, a barter and comadity-based economy, and a healthy dose of assholes.

The way that Effie talked about the Castle made it seem like a pretty shitty place, but even still, she continuously stressed the fact that it was a haven for anyone looking to escape the dangers of the dream realm, especially for non-combatants and those with utility aspects.

Addressing the four of us, Effie let out a low hum as she concluded our little Q&A session.

"It's already pretty late. If you guys want to make it to the Castle tomorrow, we'll probably have to leave around dawn. Traversing the ruins is a slow and dangerous process, so the more daylight we have, the better. Get comfy and start snoozing, I'll wake you guys up when it's time to go."

As soon as she finished, Effie got up and whipped out a long knife, walking over to the heap of abomination corpses piled in a shadowy corner of the tower with a melodic whistle.

Cassie, Nephis, Sunny, and I exchanged blank looks as we watched the eccentric hunter process the deluge of nightmare creature carcasses, but we didn't bother speaking up.

The others looked quite somber after the series of heartbreaking revelations, and I, not sharing that same hollowness, could only offer pitying looks and a few pats on the back.

Eventually, the white light of the sun faded past the horizon, the eternally black canvas of the night blanketing the Dark City in darkness. 

With how tired my companions were after the Dark Sea fiasco and the Soul Tree mind control situation, it didn't take long for sleep to hold them in her embrace. 

I stayed awake for only a little longer, just idly scrolling through my runes before settling down with everyone else.

-------------------------------------------------------

Keeping her word, Effie woke us up at dawn, giving us a rather odd set of instructions that I basically ignored.

After a quick meal, we quickly set off, the experienced hunter guiding us through the ruins with finesse.

We traveled in complete silence for hours, the scenery becoming increasingly more dreadful as we pushed further towards the Castle.

Compared to the relative emptiness of the Coral Labyrinth, the ruins were covered in the eviserated corpses of numerous nightmare creatures.

Sinews and organs were spewed across the cracked streets of the mysterious city, half-eaten carcasses strewn haphazardly wherever you turned your gaze.

Every once in a while, foul shrieks and inhuman noises echoed through the ruins, a reminder of the dangers lurking around every corner. 

Despite her naturally playful demeanor, Effie's current expression was anything but, her eyes glinting with abject seriousness that spoke volumes.

We had naturally fallen into a tight line formation: Effie standing at the front, Nephis just behind her, and Sunny behind Nephis.

Currently, I was standing in the back, carrying Cassie on my back in response to Effie's worries about her speed.

Unfortunately for me, Cassie wasn't very good at controlling her strength, unconsciously tightening the dainty arms she hung around my neck into an ironclad noose as the profane noises of distant abominations put her on edge.

In consideration for her current fear, I said nothing, but seriously, with how perfect her chokehold form was, I was starting to think that she was doing this on purpose.

Enhancing my body with a tiny stream of aura, I afforded myself the luxury of a forward glance-

...and caught Sunny staring at Effie's ass absentmindedly.

I couldn't even fault him... the crafty pervert knew how to use the situation to his advantage.

Letting out a small, imperceptible sigh, I shook my head in silent exasperation.

Our route was becoming increasingly more complex, our guide directing us through a series of improvised passages with a bit of tension.

Slowly, our pace sped up from a cautious walk to a careful jog as we continued to dart through the ruins. 

As we ducked under a couple of rocks, Effie tentatively glanced towards the sky.

"Why's it looping back around again...?" she whispered in a raspy tone. 

A scowl spread across her face.

"...Is it following us?"

Following her gaze, I saw the distant shadow of a vaguely familiar creature flying through the air, a recent memory replaying briefly before my eyes.

'Nah, it couldn't be...'

I quickly dismissed the thought.

Turning to face the rest of us, Effie hissed in a hushed tone. 

"We're rerouting again."

Effie continued to guide us through a series of complicated passages, occasionally glancing up towards the sky and cursing quietly.

At this point, all of us could tell that something was going very wrong. 

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Sunny decided to speak up as our group took shelter in the remains of what looked to be a house.

"Effie, what's going on?"

The olive-skinned hunter turned to face Sunny, a retort building in her throat, though she seemed to swallow it down.

With a slightly frustrated sigh, she whispered:

"I think we're being tailed by a spire messenger... I've been trying to shake it off, but that ugly bastards been hot on our trail for a few hours now."

Peering outside the shattered wooden frame of an ancient-looking window, Effie let out a visceral swear.

"The messenger's circling around our position. If we step out now, we're definitely screwed..."

Nephis frowned. 

"What's a spire messenger?"

Effie hesitated for a moment before answering in a hushed tone. 

"They're these abominations with crow heads and pale bodies. You might've seen them while you were traveling through the labyrinth, but they got their names because they come from the spire."

I frowned

'Wait... it couldn't be..."

I let Cassie down, the blind seer also seemingly recognizing the description, her eyebrows furrowing as she continued to listen to the exchange. 

"Rank and Class?"

Sunny shot Nephis a wide-eyed glare.

Just before he could speak, though, Effie cut him off. 

"Shut it, doofus."

She turned to Nephis, a tiny shiver snaking up her upper body.

Taking a deep breath, she said:

"They're fallen beasts, way above our pay grade."

Nephis fell silent in contemplation before turning her eyes to me.

Embedded in her gaze was a single question.

I gave her an indifferent nod

Nephis then turned her attention to Sunny, her gaze identical to the one she gave me. 

Unfortunately, Sunny wasn't as accommodating.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you crazy?? Audun's one thing, but me? We could barely manage the Carapace demon! Are you trying to kill us all???"

Watching the whole exchange, Effie wore a strange expression.

"Hate to agree with doofus here, but trying to fight that flying fucker with just the four of us would be suicide."

She continued:

"The castle used to be the nest of a spire messenger. It took the combined might of 15 sleepers to take it down, and each of those sleepers was the crème de la crop."

Nephis cut in.

"We're different."

Effie smirked while Sunny buried his face in his hands with a groan.

"I'm not doubting your strength, princess, but you and Prince Charming are still sleepers, and unless something's changed, there's a pretty big rank disparity between dormant and fallen."

"So then what should we do?" 

Effie shrugged.

"We can't do much, honestly... we just have to hide and hope it goes away."

While the others continued conversing, Cassie tugged on my sleeve and grabbed my hand, tracing her finger on my palm with shocking fluency.

(A/N: the asterisk means that the dialogue was written, not spoken aloud or traced using the thought quill.)

Didn't you fight one of those things in the labyrinth?*

I hesitated for a moment before writing out my response.

I think so? *

Cassie tilted her head in confusion

You think so?*

I shrugged unconsciously.

No clue. Effie's description was a little vague. It might be a Carapace family situation where there are stronger and weaker versions of the Spire guys. Since it kept running from me, I never got to kill it, and thus the spell never gave me its name. For all I know, I could've fought a Spire Farmer or something.*

Cassie let out a snort at my light-hearted response, bordering on a giggle.

Well, what did the "Spire Farmer" look like?*

My eyes narrowed as I dug through my memories.

It was definitely an ugly bastard... Massive wings, pale emaciated body, black feathers, a raven's head... oh! It also had 6 arms sticking out of its chest.*

Cassie furrowed her eyebrows.

6 arms sticking out of its chest? The one I saw you fight didn't have any extra arms...*

I let out a small sigh.

I cut off all of the arms on its chest, but it escaped before I could finish the job. Every once in a while, that specific creature would come back looking for revenge before escaping just before I could kill it. *

Cassie nodded.

Do you have a plan?*

I thought for a moment.

Well, if I just need to distract it long enough for you guys to escape, I could probably handle that without any issues.*

Cassie's mouth tightened a bit, expression growing a bit complicated.

Noticing her restrained look, a small, helpless smile spread across my face as I understood what she was trying to ask.

If you can convince Effie to bolt, I wouldn't mind holding it off. The only reason I haven't done anything is that I thought arguing with Effie would be a hassle.*

Cassie pursed her lips, this time asking me aloud:

"Would that... be my one favor?"

The others turned to Cassie, but neither of us cared. 

Nah, this one's free of charge... Do we have a deal?*

Cassie hesitated, but ultimately she nodded.

Ignoring Effie's strange look, I began to walk over to the exit.

Locking eyes with Sunny and Nephis, I summoned the [Thought Quill].

I got this one.

Nephis nodded.

"You need help?"

I waved my hand dismissively.

Sunny seemed like he wanted to say something, but he shut up after I tossed him a small pouch full of soul shards. 

I took one for myself, so there should be nine in there. If you guys get to the castle before me, don't bother waiting, I'll meet up with you later.

Effie, realizing what was going on, spoke up,

"Wai-"

...before getting cut off by Cassie.

"He'll be fine."

"But-"

"He'll be fine."

The usually soft-spoken girl's tone was filled with surprising finality, momentarily silencing the hunter.

Taking a good look at Effie's shocked expression, my evaluation of Cassie subtly rose.

"If you want to do something, get us to the castle before the sun sets."

Silently praising her decisiveness, I walked out of the fractured remains of the house, summoning the [Midnight Shard].

Realising that most of my armor was either under repair or too weak to take a hit from a fallen beast, I didn't bother donning any, instead pulling the singular accessory memory in my arsenal from my soul.

[Arachne's Band] manifested in my open palm, the hairband emitting a faint platinum light. I plunged the midnight shard into the ground beside me.

Muscle memory took over as I brought the hairband to my mouth, using my lips to hold it while I used both of my hands to sweep my shoulder-length wheat blond hair into a ponytail.

While I was putting on my accessory, I felt the eyes of the Spire messenger lock onto my upright form, a cacophony of foul screeches flowing from its mutated form.

The Spire Messenger fell into a dive, homing onto my position like some kind of profane missile.

My movements were slow as I released the band from my lips, using my left hand to hold the braid in place as my right hand began to gracefully tie it. 

I could hear Sunny and Effie scream at me from behind, probably begging me to take cover, but I couldn't care less.

I was too busy baiting this bird-brained retard into a trap.

My mouth contorted into a malevolent grin, my eyes shining with childish delight as the newest addition to my arsenal made its debut.

In its gluttonous rage, the spire messenger continued to accelerate towards me, before an ebony pillar slammed it down to the ground like a volley ball.

Pulling the [Midnight Shard] from the earth, I let out a chuckle.

'What a fucking chump.'

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(A/N: lwk this chapter was supposed to come out 12 hours ago, but I had a family gathering I had to attend, and thus I spent the rest of my night writing this chapter for u guys.

This was a pretty dialogue-heavy chapter, and the first part of it was kinda a nothing burger as I was just rehashing some details of the castle in case anyone forgot, but I digress.

It turned out longer than I thought too, landing in the 2k word range.

The power of unnecessary word slurry ig...

Anyway

as usual

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and thanks for all the support!

See you guys on Monday :D )