Shadow Slave

It would have been hard to fight the creature dwelling on the dark slide of the island in usual circumstances - after all, below it was the endless expanse of the dark abyss, and humans were not known for their ability to fly. Fighting a Corrupted abomination while hanging from the treacherous stone surface of the underside of the isle was a suicidal task.

Of course, there were ways to gain an advantage even in that situation. Kai, for example, could indeed fly. Sunny could assume the shadow fiend form, which was perfectly suited for just these kinds of battles. Effie was strong enough to dig a path to the creature from the surface in no time - and so on.

None of it was necessary today, though, because they had Cassie and the flying ship. The graceful vessel dove into the Sky Below and descended until the Shipwreck Island, as well as the creature hiding in its shade, was above them. They maintained a safe distance for now, but the main disadvantage was already erased.

Sunny peered into the darkness shrouding the bottom of the isle. There were large cavities in the stone and soil, making the whole island seem like a giant beehive. These caves were narrow and deep, and there was something hiding in their depths.

'Big...'

He did not have to rely on his eyes, though.

Cassie let go of the steering oars and stepped out of the runic circle, getting closer to the wooden railings. She observed the dark ravines for a while, then sighed.

"It is a Corrupted Monster. An old and powerful one."

The blind girl could perceive Aspects, Abilities, and Attributes of Awaweked... but that power allowed her to learn about Nightmare Creatures, too. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their nature - Cassie was an invaluable source of knowledge in that regard.

And knowledge was the origin of power.

She tilted her head a little.

"It is a plant abomination. Blood-Nourished Root. I... I have an idea of how it came to be."

The others looked at her with interest. Sunny raised an eyebrow.

you know

pointed at the

enchantments of this vessel are meant to be powered by a sacred tree from Heart God's grove. I found a sapling to replace the

thought for

tree must have survived the destruction of the vessel and rooted itself in the soil of the island. However, the Wormvine had been unleashed within the wreck. It grew and suffocated the tree, turning it into a corpse. The roots remained, though... and so did Solvane. Her blood seeped into

sigh escaped

vast and ancient, but weak to fire. We can burn the Root

words, everyone involuntarily turned to Nephis. Changing Star's

later,

"...I'll do it."

Sunny shook his head.

"No need."

slay the Blood-Nourished Root without too much trouble. She could also lend her flames to him or

Aspects was as natural as breathing - especially so for Sunny, who always observed the world through his shadows. However, Nephis very rarely used her own. Strangers might not have noticed it, but

how it had been on the Forgotten Shore, and that was how it was now. Usually, Neph relied on only her physical prowess and skill to

alive every time

vacation would it be, if she was forced to

at her and

We'll deal with the

but theirs were curses of

his side, Effie

"Ah, hell."

polished metal suddenly covered her skin, making the huntress look like a beautiful steel statue. By her side, Kai summoned his ivory armor, as well as the Transcendent bow he had received after slaying the Corrupted Tyrant, Malignant Grave Root. An arrow that seemed to contain a sea of flames appeared on the black

Sight, which ignited with the