Shadow Slave

Raising his hand, Sunny gave Aiko and Stev a signal to remain quiet. Then, with a frown, he commanded the shadow to abandon its hiding spot and find the Guards.

'They can't be near us… I would have heard them.'

Then where did the bastards go?

Soon, he had his answer.

The three Guards were in the corridor a hundred or so steps from Sunny's current position, just behind a corner. In a place where they shouldn't have been, since it was way off their previous route.

They were also dead.

Two had their skulls smashed in. Sunny did not know what weapon, tool, or limb was used to kill them, because their Memory armors had already disappeared. It had to have been something capable of piercing through steel, though, because the Guards had been wearing helmets the last time he saw them.

The third was even worse. His throat was torn, seemingly with terribly sharp fangs… to such degree that the young man's head was almost separated from his body. One would expect a sea of blood to come out of such a terrible wound, but in fact, there was surprisingly little of it on the floor.

However, the corpse of the Guard was unnaturally pale, as if devoid of blood completely.

'Curses…'

Sunny felt a cold shiver run through his body.

The shadow cautiously looked around, but didn't notice anyone else present on the scene of the gruesome slaughter.

Aiko and Stev were staring at Sunny with alarmed expressions. After waiting for several minutes, he finally relaxed a little and motioned for them to follow.

"What happened?"

He hesitated for a few seconds, then said in an even tone:

"The Blood Lord has just been here."

Their eyes widened.

"That fiend?! Then why aren't we running?!"

Sunny glanced at them with a calm expression.

worry, it's

he was anything

was not necesarrily something he would be scared of. One that managed to get past his shadow and slaughter them just a

what kind of an abomination

where the Guards had been killed to reach their destionation. Soon, the smell of blood hit their

slightly, while Aiko and Stev had to struggle to

"Gods… poor bastards…"

around with a dark expression. He was hoping to notice something that his shadow had missed to give him a

no signs that anyone except for the three Guards had been

Sunny? Can we please leave? This crap doesn't seem to bother you, but I… I mean, Stev seems to be really

for a

pool of blood. The shadow had not noticed it earlier because there was nothing to shine on the small object and make it

he reached out with his hand and picked up the bloodied piece of metal, then brought it close

between his fingers was an intricate silver earring in the shape of a flower blossom. It wasn't a charm Memory, though… just a simple piece

that thing doing

moments and then stood up, turning away from the

get out of

***

Sleepers standing watch were surprised to see Sunny come back with two

Aiko raised an eyebrow.

going to inspect us?

other,

would. But

young

he in very

then coughed with a

not that. It's just that starting a conversation with him is, uh… well,

at him with an

that supposed to

watchman hurriedly shook his

I need to inspect the barricade. If you'll excuse

that, he made a

him out

turned away and led the two newcomers deeper into the stronghold, searching for