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?"

Without the bronze cuirass with leather pteruges, as well as other elements of the archaic armor, even more of

back together, huh? Judging by how clean and shiny the other two look, I'm guessing that their stay in

Cassie, then said in a

Just like you said, the ambiance there is…

Effie grinned.

Anyway, how can I

Star motioned

"Can we come inside?"

unruly huntress glanced back,

"Sure. Why not?"

it didn't seem that lavish, but once it hit Sunny that each

extravagant

one could only imagine what went on

'Pure thoughts, Sunny! Focus!'

by various curios that the huntress had scavenged from the ruins over the years. There was

to her pile of furs,

what's so important that you had to come and wake me

in the morning? It's already

a few moments, then

hunted since the day

said in a

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

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

Changing Star nodded.

with us. Be

certainly doesn't beat around the

to be this direct. He had always imagined this conversation taking much longer before getting to its

then threw her head back

good one! Do you want me to be your

down, she shook her

the Dark City. You are as green as it gets. Best hunters out here wanted me to become a part of their

with a serious

your Flaw, you can't allow yourself to do the same. You need all the sustenance

Effie smiled.

see someone has been

tilted her head a little and, not paying any attention

solve

the solitary huntress interrupted