Shadow Slave: Gleaming Stars

I've been having some diabolical internet issues these past few days. I wrote two chapters and combined them into one for another mega chapter.

...(°ー°〃)

Anywaysssss

I had to post this using my workplace's wifi, so enjoy!

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[Audun's POV]

After our chat, there was a clear shift in the dynamic between Cassia and me.

For one, she insisted I start calling her Cassie instead of Cassia, saying that it was "too formal" and that it gave her the "creeps".

A demand that I wasn't necessarily opposed to.

Though the biggest change was something else. 

Ever since Cassie found out about my nighttime strolls, she demanded that I not put her under my so-called "sleep spell" as she began making an effort to wake up early.

Cassie started greeting me as I returned, sopping wet, from my everyday danger management. 

I didn't question it for a multitude of reasons, though, mainly because I was barely lucid enough to remember to dry off, change, and make breakfast. 

Every once in a while, Cassie would try to make small talk, and I'd do my absolute best to respond.

And to my surprise, though it might've been due to my lack of cognitive awareness, conversations with her flowed rather...

smoothly?

Well, maybe not smoothly.

More along the lines of adequate. 

It was more of a Q&A in which I'd form 3-4 word answers, and if I was feeling particularly talkative, perhaps even a full sentence of dialogue. 

But honestly, I was happy with any progress. 

Moving on

We've made significant progress over the past couple of days, our journey from my humble stone abode numbering a full 18 days now, though for me, it's felt like months.

Our group was beginning to approach the areas that I had yet to explore, meaning that the significance of my role as a navigator had dwindled significantly, a decrease in workload I appreciated greatly.

I had essentially become Cassie's babysitter, Sunny and Nephis often leaving us to fight some of the exp boosters I sprinkled along our path, and even in my sleepy delerium, I could still see the genuine progress they were making as combatants. 

Nephis was pretty good with the sword, the faintest whisp of intent lingering within every stroke her sword carved through the air. 

She had a solid base built upon extensive training and a respectable swordsmanship, her movements economical and efficient enough to warrant praise.

Though Nephis wasn't the one who caught my tired eyes the most. 

Sunny's change was the most jarring.

I watched in hazy surprise as the scrawny black haired kid's swordsmanship blossomed from a collection of desperate swings into efficient, clean lines. 

It was a prodigious pace considering his brief experience with the blade, and while it wouldn't be a stretch to call Sunny a genius, compared to the absolute freakish talent of the Sword of Selections' successor, he was mediocre at best. 

But Sunny's strengths were multifaceted and unique compared to the obsessive sword nerds of the continent, a fact that made me certain he'd bloom into a fearsome warrior. 

I had certainly lucked out, meeting perhaps the only two sleepers that could push through the demonic difficulty of this forgotten face of the dream realm without much difficulty. 

Perhaps they had uh... what're they called again?

Divine Aspects?

Yeah, those things.

Judging from the grandiose title, they were probably pretty strong, though I had yet to feel any tangible benefit from receiving one. 

I had essentially been given abilities I already possessed, a fact that I was still a bit bitter about, and a massive fuck you in the form of a direct nerf to my already atrocious social capabilities, something I was still absolutely fuming at.

Man...

Ultimately, it didn't matter what arbitrary rank the spell gave them; they were strong enough to deal with whatever trouble came our way.

I digress. 

Anyway, today was the beginning of another eventful day of travel for our team. 

We had been getting closer and closer to the human castle, and despite the rather our rather worn appearances, we wore optimistic expressions.

Though mine was born from the fact that my arduous task was nearing its end. 

Whatever, it doesn't matter; the feelings were still genuine.

We were currently camped out on a flat hill, a skeletal ridge visible not too far away.

Sunny and Nephis were discussing our game plan while I packed up whatever supplies we had used during our night on the hill.

With the sun shining brightly from the east as daybreak passed, I listened absentmindedly to their talk.

"What do you think, Neph? The Bone Ridge isn't too far from here. I think we could probably make it past the Bone Ridge today, but with our limited hours and our lack of knowledge, we have no way of knowing whether or not there'll be another place like this to shelter us from the Dark Sea. You think it's worth the risk?"

Sunny's tone was light, begrudging trust bleeding into his voice. 

There was a brief contemplative pause before Nephis voiced her thoughts.

"Let's push to the Bone Ridge first. Worst case scenario, we stay there, if not, we'll travel further."

To this, Sunny merely nodded.

After Sunny and Nephis finished discussing some of the more intricate details, details I was too tired to really remember, they turned questioning looks towards Cassie and me, probing us for our opinions.

To which, Casse merely nodded, and I flashed a rather unenthusiastic thumbs up as I finished packing up.

Apparently, before sleeping, Sunny had already scouted out a direct and pretty safe (Courtesy of me) path to the ridge, so despite my lack of guidance, our group was still able to travel with relative confidence. 

With nobody objecting to Nephis' sound logic, the group consensus clear, we began the rather uneventful trek through the labyrinth.

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[About 2 hours later]

Long story short, nothing of note happened. 

Sure, there were a few stray abominations here and there, but they stood no chance against the silver and black haired duo that were now heading our party.

Sunny and Nephis' teamwork was flawless, the two of them practically dismantling the nightmare creatures that thought it'd be a good idea to mess with our group of four. 

And to our credit, Cassie and I also exhibited "sublime" teamwork, though ours involved a lot more hiding, sitting, resting, and chatting. 

With a group dynamic that perfect, it was no surprise we made it to the bone ridge with little to no issue; in fact, we had completed the trek far faster than we had initially predicted.

Perks of being efficient, I guess.

The white light of the sun shone radiantly from the dreary gray sky like a beacon guiding our path, the faint salty smell of the Dark Sea mingling with the ominous stench of death radiating from the red coral walls of the labyrinth. 

Sunny and Nephis had lovingly named the gargantuan landmark before us by themselves, and I couldn't help but acknowledge how fitting the name "Bone Ridge" actually was.

It was a towering landmark that appeared to be the remains of a colossal sea creature, judging from its anatomical structure and the presence of several massive fins lining its skeleton. 

The skeleton lay atop an enormous throne of unnaturally grown coral, its ribcage and shattered bone fragments forming the arches that inspired Sunny and Nephis' ingenious name. 

I had seen the corpses of so many large Dark Sea leviathans that I had long since grown desensitized to the awe-inspiring size of these titanic life forms, but the mind-boggling scale of this particular skeleton wasn't lost on me. 

I nearly did a double-take when I noticed it on one of my strolls, the bony arches piercing through the dark, murky waters of the Dark Sea like towering alabaster talons. 

My mind sluggishly registered the flash of fear that shone through Sunny's obsidian eyes and the contemplative gaze of Nephis' silver ones. 

Briefly summarising the characteristics of our rather foreboding setting to my blind companion, I watched her expression change subtly as I signed each word on her hand. 

For the most part, the rest of the group seemed to be completely fine, just a tiny bit unnerved by the geography, especially a certain ominous landmass within a visibly walkable distance. 

With the black tides of the Dark Sea pulled back, a tall hill, bordering on mountainous, stood tall in the distance. 

Composed of a grey ash colored sand, a gorgeous and oddly familiar-looking tree was placed atop the mountain of gray soot like a regal crown.

The tree, even from this distance, towered beautifully, its trunk the same shade of abyssal black as the tides that consumed the labyrinth during the night, and its branches, covered in shining crimson leaves, contrasted against the monochrome colors of the landscape like glittering rubies surrounded by dull rocks.

While it was a pretty sight, anything beautiful in this grotesque, abominable land warranted significant concern.

The presence of the mountainous landmass in the not-so-distant distance meant that there was, in fact, a place we could take shelter from the rising tides if we did decide to push forward despite the ominous-looking tree. 

With the sun still blazing brilliantly overhead, we were currently struggling with the luxury of having a plethora of options. 

Honestly, there wasn't necessarily a "wrong" decision we could make.

We either stayed here, hunkering down on a particularly tall arch and camping there before setting off the following morning, continue and make our way to the tall hill formed of ash colored sand, or perhaps split into two groups, one group gathering supplies from the labyrinth while the other set up camp. 

Ideas were exchanged between the four of us

Concerns hung in the air, Sunny's biting sarcasm highlighting each of the worries plaguing our minds with a quiet cynicism. 

But in the end, the final decision was left to Nephis. 

"Since we still have plenty of daylight hours, it'd be a waste not to make use of them. Sunny and I will venture out and grab supplies from the labyrinth while you and Cas set up camp. When we get back, using whatever daylight we have left, Sunny will scout the path ahead just in case. Tomorrow morning, we'll leave for the Ashen Barrow."

My expression blanked.

'They already named it...? It's been five minutes...'

Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Nephis had gone for the lattermost option, choosing preparation and carefulness over a blind trek into possibly treacherous territories. 

The smartest plan, in my opinion.

As we unanimously agreed to follow Nephis' plan, we split our group of four into groups of two, the silver and black haired duo venturing back into the labyrinth while I set up camp on an abnormally tall bone arch.

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[Sunny's POV]

Damnation

What is that?

After Neph and I got back, there were still a few hours of daylight left. 

Naturally, using my shadow, I utilized whatever time I had left to search as far ahead as I could, though I noticed absolutely nothing that would warrant any kind of special caution. 

But eventually, Shady stumbled upon something familiar, a carapace centurion.

A carapace centurion that was currently getting bullied by a far bigger and far more menacing creature. 

I gulped, sweat trickling down my brow as I observed the mighty creature. 

It was as large as a house, it's eight-segmented crab-like legs resembling towering iron pillars. It bore a striking resemblance to that of the carapace scavengers and centurians, having that same crustacean-like carapace and that somewhat humanoid appearance.

Despite the resemblance, though, this thing was an entirely different beast altogether. Its sinister shell was made of a polished, lustrous material that gleamed menacingly, the metallic sheen of its exoskeleton looking like an impregnable suit of devilish armor. 

The thing practically radiated pure malice and evil, two pincers and two terrifying scythes hanging on the ends of four powerful arms, completing the demonic knight look that it currently had going on.

But the thing that disturbed me the most wasn't its terrifying appendages or its disgustingly perfect defenses. 

It was the creature's head, several demonic horns sprouting from a human-like face that looked like it had been carved into the blackened steel of this monstrous being's shell.

It made my skin crawl, just looking at it inspired fear. 

Worst of all, its home turf seemed to be the ashy mountain we had set our sights on, the diabolical creature housed by the glorious crimson tree that stood tall on the gray hill.

Whatever it was, it was evidently far stronger than the carapace centurion that Nephis and I had struggled against, the centurion's submissive behavior indicative of the vast difference in strength between the two.

I shivered, shooting a glance at the not-so-distant Ashen Barrow before a voice interrupted my fearful thoughts. 

"What happened?"

Nephis, ever inquisitive, was looking directly at me with a questioning gaze, eyebrows raised. 

I opened my mouth for a moment, hesitating before I answered, sort of compelled by my flaw. 

"On the Ashen Barrow... there's this nightmare creature."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Audun scooting closer, eyes hazy yet focused as he listened carefully.

Recounting what exactly I saw to the rest of the group, I observed the myriad of reactions.

Nephis stayed silent in contemplation 

Audun looked blankly at me, an exhausted guilt evident in his eyes. 

Cassie's reaction confused me the most, though.

Normally, she'd look somewhat concerned, perhaps even nervous or fearful.

Instead, she subtly tugged on Audun's silk robes, turning to face him as she wrote something on his palm, her expression masked by a flawless poker face. 

I observed their interaction quietly, taking note of the subtle change in dynamic I had missed previously.

A clear, indifferent voice broke the silence after a contemplative moment. 

"It's probably an awakened demon."

Giving her a nod of agreement, I gave her a rather serious look as I voiced some of my concerns.

"That's still just an assumption, though. It could be a devil for all we know. In any case, I think we should avoid that creepy bastard at all costs.... It's just not worth the danger."

I added that last part in hopes that I had misread Neph's intentions. 

Unfortunately, after engaging in a silent conversation through eye contact, it seemed I was correct.

'Damnation, this crazy bastard...'

My expression fell before morphing into a warped smile. 

"You want to kill it... Don't you..."

Changing Star stayed silent, her gaze focused firmly on me, that characteristic unreadable expression plastered all over her face. 

"Did we not just lowball the scary bastard at an awakened demon? You got a death wish or something???"

Neph simply shrugged, opening her mouth indifferently

"We won, didn't we?"

I was about to start pulling my hair in frustration before I heard someone clear their throat. 

Cassie shook her head slightly, holding Audun's hand gently, and chastised our socially inept nuke while writing something out on his palm, something that I couldn't quite make out. 

For a few minutes, Nephis and I engaged in a back-and-forth, debating the pros and cons of confronting the menacing beast, with Cassie interjecting every once in a while when Changing Star started speaking cryptically.

We reached a standstill, neither of us willing to compromise, but the presence of gleaming purple letters gave us both pause. 

The "Ashen Barrow" is the only way west.

Audun, unfortunately, brought up a very good point.

Nephis' face was a mask of indifference, but her eyes betrayed a slight hint of triumph as her gaze alternated between the glowing text and my face. 

'Shoot.'

I let out a weighty sigh.

While it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, I conceded, acknowledging the truth that had been brought to my attention. 

"Fair enough... But I still don't think it's feasible for us to beat an actual awakened demon in direct combat."

"Bu-"

Before Nephis could interrupt, I continued, cutting her off.

"That just means we have to use less... savory means, no?"

Inwardly I blinked

'That sounded far more evil than I intended it to...'

'Welp, may as well lean into it.'

A dark smile bloomed across my face. 

With a raised eyebrow, Nephis asked:

"You got a plan?"

Oh, I had a plan alright!

I opened my mouth, my intonation possessing a cartoonishly evil cadence as I cackled out the beginnings of my genius plot.

"y'know, from what I saw, that demon seemed wayyyy smarter than the scavangers or centurions."

Now everyone's eyes were focused on me, eagerly awaiting the next part of my dastardly plan. 

"Which means it can be fooled."

I grinned devilishly, not looking too different from the demon we were about to hunt. 

"Hey, Neph, remember that ancient fellow you told me about that one night? That Odyssey guy."

Changing star shot me her trademark raised eyebrow, questioning stare.

"You mean... Odysseus?"

I waved dismissively

"Whatever."

At this point, our group had gathered around in a circle like formation, the perfect orientation to wow them with my cunning. 

"Guys..."

I paused for a moment, eyes gleaming.

"We're gonna build..."

I paused again for dramatic effect, an eager smile spreading across my face.

"... A trojan ass!"

Contrary to my expectations, what I got wasn't applause or admiration. 

Cassie and Nephis stared at me an abject confusion, before their confused expressions morphed into a complicated mess of emotions. 

"pft"

A strangely unfamiliar yet recognizable melodious voice filled the air. 

For the first time in weeks, I looked over at Audun, and what greeted me wasn't silence or his usual expressionlessness. 

There were tears in the corners of his brilliant purple eyes

He was covering his mouth with his fist, cheeks bulging slightly.

His shoulders were trembling, shaking with the subtlety of a dandelion in a vicious tornado. 

His eyebrows were curved into arches, veins popping in his neck.

As he looked up, our eyes met, and in that moment, desperately, I wished that I could've taken back what I had just said.

Burning red embarrassment spread across my face as I watched his eyes bulge slightly.

I buried my face into my palms, in a desperate bid to hide my expression.

But I forgot one crucial detail.

When you suppress one sense, the rest get stronger.

By covering my eyes and nose, I had inadvertently amplified my sense of hearing.

"AHUHHHGAHGHAGHGAHGA"

and therefore was forced to listen to every decibel of our resident mute's hysterical laughter. 

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(A/N: This chapter is like 3k words long as it's a more of a two-for-one combo deal. 

I honestly have a question, would you guys prefer waiting a bit longer for longer chapters, or would you prefer daily chapters that r like 1.5kish words?

Ok, moving on to the actual chapter

I couldn't in good faith cut out the Trojan ass joke as a fan of Shadow slave, and I hope u guys think it was well executed.

I personally think that the build-up in the original was peak, but the result was lackluster, so I leaned more into my OC's personality to make Sunny's slip-up more impactful.

Honestly, not too much changed in this chapter as I was more focused on setting up for what's to come and improving my descriptions and storytelling, but tell me what you guys think ykyk.

Thanks for the support, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!)