Shadow Slave

Some time later, they were standing in front of a makeshift cabin. Just like Changing Star's patchwork dwelling, the cabin was constructed out of mismatched stone blocks that had been scavenged from the ruins. It was reinforced with monster hides here and there and seemed to be built slightly better than the rest of the hovels in the outer settlement.

There was a large bestial skull hung above the door, its thick forehead split apart by a devastating strike of some sharp weapon.

Glancing at the skull, Nephis took a step forward and knocked on the door. However, no response followed.

Sunny sighed.

"Maybe she's not home."

Instead of an answer, Changing Star frowned and banged on the door with her first. The first strike was somewhat gentle, but by the last, the bestial skull was on the verge of flying off the wall.

A sleepy and irritated voice sounded from the inside:

"I swear to gods, whoever you are, you'd better be a Nightmare Creature!"

A few moments later, Sunny heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Before it opened, though, Nephis suddenly spoke:

"Sunny, turn away."

Hearing a strange urgency in her voice, he scowled and did as she had asked.

"Your shadow, too."

'What is going on? Are we expecting trouble?'

As he was staring away from the cabin, the creaking of wood informed him that the door was flung open.

"Who the hell is… oh. It's you."

He swore he could hear Neph's teeth grinding against each other. A few seconds later, Changing Star spoke, her tone especially flat:

"...Put on a Memory, Effie. Please."

'Wait… what?'

Why would she… oh…

Oh!

When he was finally allowed to turn back, the last glimmers of ethereal light were yet to disappear from the fabric of Effie's provocatively short chiton. She wasn't wearing anything underneath, either.

"Here. Better?"

same as the last time he had seen her — tall, strong, and brimming with vitality. Without the bronze cuirass with leather pteruges, as

Judging by how clean and shiny the other two look, I'm guessing that their stay in the Castle

glanced at Cassie, then said

you said, the ambiance there

Effie grinned.

said! Anyway, how can I help

motioned at the

"Can we come inside?"

huntress glanced

"Sure. Why not?"

its corners was occupied by a large pile of furs that served Effie as a bed. At first glance, it didn't seem that lavish, but once it hit Sunny that each of the furs had come from

the most extravagant thing he

one could only imagine what went on between those

'Pure thoughts, Sunny! Focus!'

table with a single wooden chair, and a pair of sturdy chests. The rest of the space was occupied by various curios that the huntress had scavenged from the ruins over the years. There was no particular logic to this opulent collection except for the fact that each object had once caught her fancy for this reason or

her pile of furs, wrapped herself in one of them

come

in the morning?

a few moments, then

haven't hunted since the day we met.

then said

I'll go back into the ruins once my food runs out. Which will be in a day or

feed a person for a couple of months. It was all

Changing Star nodded.

do, come with us.

certainly doesn't beat

not expected Neph to be this direct. He had always imagined this conversation taking much longer before

threw her head

Do you want me

died down, she shook her head

You are as green as it gets. Best hunters out here wanted me to become a part of their party, and I refused them all. Do you

with

Each hunter keeps a part to eat and sells the rest to the people in the slum. But because of your Flaw, you can't allow yourself to do the same. You need all the sustenance a hunt can provide. The more partners you have, the lesser your share will become, so… you hunt alone, and never sell the meat of your prey,

Effie smiled.

has been doing

head a little and, not paying any attention to the irony in those words,

solve that

the solitary