Shadow Slave

Sunny studied the tranquil surface of the crimson lake, unnerved. He had died in its waters a few times, and each of those deaths was both torturous and gruesome. But now that he knew what had caused him to die, he felt even more wary of the red water than before.

Indeed... the entire blood lake was, in a sense, a Nightmare Creature. However, it was not a single living being.

Instead, there were mindless, microscopic, insatiable creatures living in the bloody water, too tiny to see and too numerous to count. Each drop of the bloody water contained millions of them. Sunny had fought and killed many abominations, from titanic behemoths to insect-like vermin that hunted in giant swarms. However, he had never faced Nightmare Creatures that were no different from flesh-eating bacteria.

The whole lake had become a colony for these tiny horrors. Sunny did not know whether they had come from inside the giant corpse, or if the winged being simply was one of their victims. Perhaps it was both. What he did know was that the abomination's blood provided nearly endless nourishment for the tiny devourers, allowing them to propagate at astonishing speed and infect the entire lake.

Thus becoming the lake.

...No wonder he had died screaming in its crimson waters.

Sunny took a deep breath, dismounted, and gave Effie a grim look.

"Stay away from the water."

The huntress climbed off the Covetous Coffer and sighed.

"Yeah. I gathered that much... but, Sunny. How are you going to kill a lake? Short of somehow evaporating the entire thing, I don't see a way."

He hesitated.

Indeed, how was anyone supposed to kill a lake?

then headed

Making it out

stuck to the shadows. Tense, they made their way to the shore

overbearing stench of blood assaulted his

summoned a Memory. White sparks swirled around his hand, and soon, a beautiful chalice of white jade appeared in his hand, overflowing with

a poisoner, he did not use this Memory often. The last time he had, it was to coat the arrows

would come in

wrap themselves around the Bitter Cusp, Sunny tilted it and watched

sweetest nectar. No matter how much of the sweet nectar

words of the description of the

how much of the glossy black liquid he poured into the lake, it continued to flow. There was no doubt that more of it had flowed out of the Bitter Cusp

was always like that, as were many Memories. Mundane

not need an explanation, though. All he needed was for the blood lake to drink as much of the

a while, it seemed as though the crimson waters had become restless. Subtle ripples spread over the lake's surface, and shallow waves licked its shore. Forcing himself to stay still, Sunny

"Step back."

obediently waddled a few steps away from him and grew still. He did not move a centimeter, though, no matter how much he wanted to, and continued to pour the black poison

waters seemed to be tinted a subtly darker shade now, and rippled silently. Although there was no wind, the waves rolling across the surface

a deep

an hour had passed, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, the stream of poison grew thinner, then thinner

Bitter Cusp was

"Well. That's done."

distance

so thoroughly... what are you going to do