Shadow Slave

As somber silence settled among the cohort, Effie grimaced.

"The weirdest part is, no one has even seen him come and go. Every time Harus was sent into the outer settlement, we only learned that people were dead in the morning. Doors, locks, and barricades can't seem to stop him, either. Once Harus is ordered to kill you, you just die. It is as though fate itself abandons you."

Caster frowned.

"So are you telling us that we stand no chance?"

The huntress shook her head.

"I'm saying that fighting him right now would be stupid. Not unless we learn how he is able to seemingly turn his victims… no matter how many of them there are… completely powerless."

With that, she glanced at Nephis, who lingered for a moment and then shook her head.

"Our friend in the castle doesn't know either."

Effie grinned.

"Ah, so that mysterious friend of yours is not omniscient after all. Well, in that case, my advice stands. We should run."

At that moment, Sunny finally spoke up:

"But, Effie… can we even run away from him?"

The smile disappeared from her face. Suddenly grim, she hesitated for a while, and then said:

"I know of a way. But… it's going to be dangerous. Very dangerous. However, I don't know how else to shake him off our trail. So you decide, princess."

for a bit,

Right now, reaching the resting place of the first cohort is the

as if relieved. Then, she

me. And

***

their course slightly. Instead of moving straight south, they were now traversing the ancient city heading for its

He stayed away from the western areas because they

against the Spire Messenger. Back then, they

had a lot of time to observe the surroundings. Pretty much all of his attention was

having to stare at the

fight some Fallen creature and die,

ruins just as well as Effie. He somehow avoided the worst creatures on his path while never losing the scent of Changing Star's cohort. At one point, a lone Blood Fiend attacked him from the deep shadows of a dilapidated building. Gunlaug's executioner simply raised a

He didn't even blink.

deal. I… I killed plenty

unnerved by the power of the murderous hunchback. Maybe because he couldn't get rid of the feeling that by the end

wasn't

tower lay broken on its side, stretching far away

the people of the ancient city, burning as a shining beacon in the eternal darkness of the cursed night. But it had fallen a long time ago… just like the

its ruin remained. The ancient inhabitants of the Dark City had just vanished, not even leaving bones

Sunny sighed.

"Where to now?"

at the massive

"Inside."

the collapsed tower. This area was populated by an especially vile tribe of monsters, and attracting their

back and keep it close. When we enter the lighthouse, we will have to act

to