Shadow Slave: Eternal Dawn

Just as the sunset began to fade into the encroaching darkness, a pristine figure in simple cloth garments, wielding a bloodied mace in his right hand, returned to the circle of hovels that surrounded the imposing gate of the Bright Castle.

A strange creature was following behind him. It was a mix between a demonic crab, a centaur, and a sprawling humanoid torso that jutted out from its carapace, covered in chitinous armor as well. It had four sets of long, segmented legs, and two scythes for arms. A disgusting, salivating maw with viscous mandibles and two crimson flames for eyes replaced its head.

Nico observed the abomination.

He sensed two decrepit, abyssal cores instead of the four flaming nodes that should've been there.

'So the possession can fool me. Makes sense. Probably because I'm a dormant creature... I wonder what would happen if I killed the host while the shaman is inside.'

The idea seemed test-worthy, but he had already gotten his answer. Earlier, when he tried summoning the wraith back to his Soul Sea, it had appeared, and without its current vessel.

Killing it would probably do nothing to the wraith so long as he didn't use his roots to deal soul damage.

Giving one last glance at the Carapace Centurian, he ordered the Echo to vacate its host and swung the [Mourning Star] down on the segmented portion of its torso, where a small crack had already split its impenetrable armor.

With an audible thump, the mace — empowered by two soul roots — burst through the plates of armor and its spine easily, killing the startled Nightmare Creature on the spot.

[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurian.]

Nico dug out the two glowing shards and quickly absorbed them.

[Your soul grows stronger.]

[Your soul grows stronger.]

He dismissed his mace and infused himself with the roots he'd bestowed upon the weapon, dragging the humongous corpse behind him as he crested the hill that separated him from the slum dweller's prying eyes.

The Echo of the Barrow Wraith Shaman floated behind him invisibly.

'I wish I could've gotten the chance to test whether the possessed creatures truly encompass an Awakened Devil's might — Echo or not.'

He had decided to hold off fighting any other monsters today since finding another Awakened one was out of the question. He could've tried to help the Echo battle a Fallen Beast, since there were plenty around, but with his only armor repairing itself in his Soul Sea, he was reluctant to tempt fate.

'I did plenty enough today, anyways.'

Really, the shaman had exceeded his expectations. Its ability to subjugate the minds of something like an Awakened Demon or higher seemed questionable thanks to their superior intelligence and the slight weakening Echo's had in relation to their real counterparts, but Monsters and Beasts seemed to be well within its ability. The poor centurian couldn't even see or attack the plague that was assaulting its mind before it inevitably became enthralled.

Another thing he had tried was granting the Echo his roots, and it had worked beautifully. With two augmentations in the Echo, it seemed capable of taking the mind of even a Fallen Beast, given lots and lots of time; let alone any Sleeper he wished to influence.

'If only I could be confident in it bypassing Gunlaug's Transcendent Echo.'

Unfortunately, he had no doubt that no matter how many augmentations he stacked on the shaman, it would fail to best a difference of two whole ranks. Its passive resistance to mind-attacks was too strong. Because there was that enchantment, plus another that released its own mind-attack, meant it had at least come from a Corrupted Monster.

Sadly, the Echo didn't appear capable enough to take multiple bodies from what he'd gathered. Whether or not it could puppet more than one thrall, though, was questionable.

He passed the first row of buildings on the main path, dragging the carcass effortlessly behind him.

Invasive emotions stole into him, but this time, he focused in on them.

***

...The people of the outer settlement were just preparing for another cold, miserable night when the sound of chitin scraping against stone drew their attention. Each Sleeper instinctively made two choices: hide or fight.

Though they couldn't see the approaching monster, they knew that it was coming, and if enough of them banded together, they might be able to either drive it away or kill it. Still... some would most-likely die. The people who lived here weren't well-fed, and they didn't possess powerful Memories, so it was always a gamble whether their meager, pathetic Aspects would be enough to slay it.

Around two-dozen or so experienced hunters from the slums gathered on the dim street, watching the sun set in front of them.

One of them, Jubei, was speaking:

"We'll drive the monster back before the sun sets. If it becomes dark before then, the situation will only worsen."

The rest of the slum dwellers — all painfully lean and exhausted — nodded bleakly.

They knew the price of survival.

Behind them, some of the other Sleepers had gathered, watching from the doors of their hovels or the corners of dark streets. They all wanted to live, but not knowing what was attacking them, and hiding without understanding just when their existence might be snuffed, was even more suffocating.

All of them tensed as, for a moment, the scraping stopped, and a loud noise that sounded like the shattering of stones pounded in their ears. Then, the monster's steps resumed. Only, this time, it was louder — like its body was pressed against the road as it crept.

The hunters shivered, then grew deathly still as a dark shape crested the first line of abandoned shelters, and the setting sun cast a long, menacing shadow on the street.

However, just as they were prepared for the abomination to lunge, and combat to begin, two piercing eyes, blue as the ocean and as unfathomably infinite as one, too, met their gaze. All of them watched idly as the familiar figure of "their" lieutenant dragged a Carapace Centurian behind him by one of its legs.

He wore no armor and wielded no weapon.

One of his hands were slick in monster blood.

 All of them stood in stunned silence as he approached, eventually moving to let him pass, carcass in tow, a look of boredom on his face.

More and more Sleepers gathered once they realized the threat was no longer, and watched as he journeyed, silent loathing burning in their throats.

Even if the monster would've killed them. Even if he could slay ten of them alone. Why, just why, couldn't he grant them a morsel to eat? The Hunters already ventured outside the Bright Castle and brought segmented meats back with them on display, so must they continue to tantalize them further?

It was nothing but cruel.

However, when the stoic Sleeper trekked half-way into the slums, he suddenly stopped, turned, and smoothly tore the leg he had been using to drag the creature at the knee joint. After that, he clutched its bloody stump and turned right back around, walking away without a word or glance at his spectators.

The slum dwellers were thrown for a loop.

Everyone there — two hundred or so Sleepers — waited until he disappeared into an empty street, picking a random hovel and entering without discretion.

Then, the first boy ran and scavenged a share of meat.

The others watched skeptically as he tore free a large chunk with a jagged knife and disappeared back into the crowd.

Nobody was beaten or injured as a result.

Gradually, another person tempted fate, and another, and another, and more and more until dozens at a time were severing their own portion of the monster to eat.

The meager hides were taken. The chitin was broken and salvaged. All the meat was gone.

And every Sleeper, no matter their grudge, was at least partially thankful for the young lieutenant that night.