Shadow Slave

Moving through the ashen sand and piles of fallen leaves, a giant monster was coming down the hill.

Sunny gulped, his expression turning dark.

The creature was as large as a house, with its eight segmented legs resembling tall pillars. Its form was similar to that of scavengers and centurions, comprised of a crab-like carapace and a protruding, somewhat humanoid torso. However, this was where the similarities between them ended.

Instead of chitin, the behemoth's shell was seemingly made out of polished, lustrous metal. It was as though its whole body had been once submerged into a crucible of molten steel, emerging from it encased in an impenetrable suit of shining armor.

Beams of sunlight were reflecting from the chrome surface of the carapace, creating the bright glimmer Sunny had noticed. Massive but strangely elegant, the steel monster resembled a giant knight. Sunny was ready to swear that he had noticed the shapes of seven stars carved into its chest.

However, that knight was corrupted and evil. It radiated a sinister aura, like a demon summoned from hell to sow death and slaughter. The polished armor of the creature was covered with long, jagged spikes. Its humanoid torso had four mighty arms, two ending with powerful pincers, the other two — with razor-sharp, terrifying scythes.

The demon's head was more pronounced than that of a scavenger and crowned with several tall, sharp horns. Its metal face was almost human-like, but simultaneously repulsively monstrous and bestial. Just looking at it made Sunny's skin crawl.

'That thing… is scary.'

Whatever that creature was, its rank within the carapace legion was clearly higher than that of a centurion, not to mention of a lowly scavenger. It was the next step in their evolution. A general or a commander, perhaps. What were they called… legates? Praetorians?

Holding his breath, Sunny watched as the Carapace Demon descended from the Ashen Barrow. Stopping in front of the transcendent soul shard, it looked briefly at the kneeling centurion.

The deadly awakened monster shrank under its gaze, as if terrified of the larger Nightmare Creature. Sunny knew how it felt, since he did the same when the behemoth's eyes had briefly glided past his shadow's hiding place.

Not paying the centurion any attention, the Carapace Demon picked up the gleaming crystal and turned around. Then, it unhurriedly returned to the shade of the giant tree's branches.

Sunny slowly exhaled.

"Sunny? What is happening?"

He looked at Cassie, whose face was full of worry and curiosity. After hesitating for a little while, he said:

"There's a new threat. Stay quiet a bit longer, I'll explain later."

Back at the footsteps of the tall hill, the carapace centurion was finally ready to stand up again. Sunny was in a dilemma. He had to follow the monster to make sure that it doesn't stumble on their hiding place on its way back to the labyrinth.

what the Carapace Demon was up

was no time to think things through

the grey sand. It masterfully avoided the carapace centurion's eyes and was already climbing the tall

I'll just take one

tree's scarlet crown, the shadow glided up

covered with fallen leaves. The Ashen Barrow was indeed larger than any high natural feature they had encountered before, vast and

island, where the obsidian tree's enormous trunk was rising

at its lower branches. The transcendent shard

is it

shadow trace the creature's gaze and noticed several round, appetizing fruits hanging between the scarlet leaves.

raised its body. It stretched a pincer up and gently grasped the fruit, then pulled

something fragile and extremely precious, the massive creature slowly lowered itself to the ground. Then, it carefully brought the fruit to

fruits? This

hurry to the base of the hill. The time was up, and if he wanted to catch up with the carapace centurion, he had to

shadow descended from the Ashen Barrow and flew back in the

'Phew.'

him on the

waited until the scythe-wielding monster was completely gone before slowly rising back

to

massaging their limbs. Suddenly remembering how tightly they were pressed against each other while hiding behind the knoll, Sunny just barely avoided turning

uh… was a necessary

had appeared at

"What happened?"

once, her

glanced at the not-so-distant Ashen

Bone Ridge. I'll explain everything once we're safe and

and remained silent, simply giving him a nod.

makeshift saddle back on

up the saddlebags, he fixed them back onto the scavenger and took a step away. They

however, Sunny had one more thing to do. Coming close to the knoll, he used his

as