Shadow Slave

In the morning, they set out for the castle.

Before leaving the safe haven of the granite tower, Effie gave them a list of instructions:

"Follow behind me. Listen to everything I say. Don't make any noise. Don't bleed. Don't think too much. Some of the creatures out there can hear noisy thoughts, others can sense strong emotions. So don't feel fear, either."

Sunny stared at her with a grim expression. How was he supposed to control what he feels?

The vigorous huntress grinned.

"What? You never tried to solve math equations in your head to impress a lovely lady? Just do the same."

As Sunny's сheeks began to turn bright red, she giggled and turned to Cassie and Neph:

"Correction. The two of you, try not to feel fear. Doofus, you try not to get too excited. If walking behind me turns out to be too much, ask to get slapped, alright?"

Sunny scowled and uttered through gritted teeth:

"That… won't be a problem."

Effie blinked a couple of times, then smiled.

"Ah! Playing for the other team? I see, I see…"

What… what was that supposed to mean?!

Trying to get his emotions under control, Sunny took a deep breath and counted to ten.

ass… who does she think she is?! Wait… why

that they understood her instructions, the huntress turned around and rolled the massive slab of granite that blocked the exit from the tower to the side. Lean muscles tensed and moved under her olive skin,

weigh a couple of tons, at least. How strong was the

of his stare, Effie raised an eyebrow

"Like what you see?"

He answered on autopilot:

not why I

at the granite

Aspect Ability. It's a

warrior Ability. With not only her strength but also her speed, agility,

absorbed a very large amount of soul essence over the years of hunting monsters in the Dark City. All those shards the recalcitrant huntress refused to pay as tribute

her Ability was? Sharing secrets like that was not a wise thing to do, especially not in the ruthless reality of the

his surprise,

eyes knows what my Ability can

a mischievous glint in

anyone is insane enough to share

needs. Why do you think I ate enough meat to create a literal pile

laughed and shook her

fun, not gonna

the Dark City, where food was scarce and hard to come by, it was a dangerous Flaw to possess. It

what hunger, real hunger, felt like. What it could do to

was the reason why Effie was out here in the first place. Perhaps she had become a huntress

do people have?" Sunny thought, a little confused. "Air, then water and food, then… uh…

said not to get

looked up at Effie, who was staring at him and cackling.

'Don't flatter yourself, beanpole!'