On the last day they would spend in the Dark City, Nephis led a small group of her most powerful warriors on one last hunt.
The members of her cohort were all following behind her. Sunny, who stubbornly refused to accept his status as one of them, walked apart from the group, idly looking around and observing the ruins.
Gemma and Seishan were also with them, as well as ten or so of the most experienced hunters — some of them formerly from the Host, some formerly from the outer settlement. There was no difference between the two anymore.
All of them were simply Changing Star's people now.
As they were walking, Gemma approached Sunny and glanced at him with curiosity.
After Tessai had fallen to Neph's blade, the tall man seemed to have found some measure of peace. Somewhere deep in his eyes, however, there always was a hint of sorrow.
Sunny stared at him and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
The hunter smiled slightly and asked in a friendly tone:
"You're Sunless, right?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Yeah, that's me."
Gemma silently measured him and then asked with interest:
"I've heard that you lived for months alone in the city. Is that true?"
'Ah, makes sense.'
The tall man was perhaps the most experienced hunter on the Forgotten Shore. He had survived countless battles on the streets of the cursed city. It was natural for him to be curious about this matter…
Sunny gave him a nod.
"Sure. A little over three months, I guess."
Gemma rubbed his chin, then asked bluntly:
"How did you survive?"
Sunny grinned.
How had he managed that, indeed?
lots of killing. A modicum of madness,
stared at him for
about right,
Changing
what we are going
looked at him with
"She didn't tell you?"
hesitated, then shook his
I'm just not sure that I
and looked
me guess. Your first thought was that she had lost her mind. What can
moments
can
'Poor guy…'
him, lingered for a
my guess is correct, you know more about it than
just like that, their conversation
the imposing monolith of the great wall. Standing on top of it, they saw the colossal crater and the headless statue that stood not too
hiding in a vast underground chamber
they were going to hunt the Lord of
***
in the mud. Thousands of years ago, it had broken off and fell, crashing through the dome of the underground chamber. Now, there was a chasm in the ground that led into the lair of
escape from the
return to this place.
how exactly she was planning
in the mud, Changing Star glanced at him
your shadow take a look at the
on the mud and entered the dark hole, then hid in the palm of the giant stone hand and
bones was still there, in the middle of the vast
from
of them comparatively thin, others as thick as a human body. They weren't growing just between the ancient remains: the vines were bursting through the bones, too. Almost
weaker. More brittle. As though it was sick, sapped of
commanded his shadow to look closer, and finally noticed
small wooden box lay on the floor of the underground chamber, open and empty. The exact same box Nephis had mysteriously entrusted to Caster
appeared on his pillow with a small note. That note had been written by Changing Star's spy — Seishan. And the contents of the box had been created for her by Kido, who was
been the leader of the Artisans. Her Aspect Ability allowed her to control and
bone-eating vine, as it turned out, was her last creation and
a moment and then
tyrant is heavily infected by Kido's
nodded and remained silent for a few moments.
we enter the chamber, the Lord of the Dead will attack us. Now that its power is reduced, and with the help of the Dawn Shard, we should be able to survive the onslaught. We should also be able to wound, and
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