Shadow Slave: Back in time

Effie's day was going on as usually. She had woken up at midday, eaten some meat, and treated what remained of the carcass. The bones could be fastened into blades or traded for other goods. The meat, meanwhile… Effie ate it, of course, but such low quality wasn't suited for her sophisticated palate!

Then she trained a bit. She wasn't about to let herself be caught rusty by some abomination and die a miserable death! Well, at least, she tried to delay that as much as she could. She had long accepted that she would eventually, in fact, die a miserable death. Everyone would, in the god forsaken hell that was the Forgotten Shore: it didn't matter if you were a king in an impregnable golden armour, a mysterious butcher or the poorest dweller of the slums. It was set in stone the moment the Spell had sent them here.

However, Effie never let that demoralise her. When she had become aware of the truth, she had been too inebriated by the joy she felt. She had been able to feel the rush of the wind in her ears when she run. Her muscle burning under the strain, her lungs desperately asking for air. The different things under her hands, a world she had always seen from afar, but had never truly been able to experience, blocked in that damned wheelchair. The Nightmare Spell had given her a chance to live, and she wasn't going to let anything nor anyone make her waste it.

However, that wasn't what she was thinking about. It was something she had never explicitly said, but had become an inherent part of her way of life.

What she was doing at the moment was cursing the meat she was eating while lying on a soft mattress made of beast fur. She had cooked it for a little too long, and it was a bit burnt.

Just then, a knock resounded from her door. Annoyed, she stood up without even covering herself.

"Who the hell is it?"

If it was that damned hunter who wanted to trade some meat for her special Memory -as if!- she would…

"It's Nephis."

That silver-haired girl who claimed to have received a True Name? Effie blinked.

She opened the door and found herself facing four people. There were that beautiful blond blind girl, Cassie, Doofus, who was, for some unknown reason, covering his eyes and a brown haired, tall, athletic man. Ahh, she recognized him: he was that Legacy, Caster of the Han Li Clan. Whose face was reddening at an alarming rate.

Nephis' grey eyes hid a hint of irritation as she commanded:

"Effie, cover yourself."

 The huntress chuckled as she summoned a Memory.

"What are you here for. I already told y'a. I ain't a babysitter."

Changing Star face was composed as she answered.

"You told us to demonstrate our strength. Can we come in?"

Perplexed, the huntress shrugged.

"Uhh, If you want. Don't eat anything."

The four entered her humble house as soon as she gave her consent.

Cassie was gripping Sunny's arm with one of her hands, while she used the other to carefully explore her surroundings.

Effie's smile sharpened. 'I see.'

However, she found a much more alluring source of fun before she could dig her claws in. The Legacy was looking everywhere except at her, his cheeks still as colourful as a tomato.

Her smile turned wolfish.

"Ohh? Have you never seen a woman's body, boy? You can admire me all you want, I don't mind: after all, it isn't every day that you see someone as fine as me."

Somehow, if it was even possible, his face became a shade darker. He gasped for a moment searching for an answer, turning to Lady Changing Star in despair.

If he were the pale boy watching the teasing he was enduring, he would've easily recognized the amusement dancing in Nephis' eyes, but he wasn't, so her face appeared as impenetrable as ever.

Changing Star watched his reddened face for a moment.

He looks like a tomato.

Yeah, he reminds me of the Master from the Aegis Rose Clan.

After deeming Caster had suffered enough, she turned to the huntress, and threw her a bag.

The bag made a strange noise as it flew through the air, like the one bottles made when they clashed. Effie remembered the stories about snicking out with alcohol in their bags of acquaintances, but she never had the opportunity to do anything of the like. Or anything alone, really.

Her trained reflexes caught the bag without effort. She weighted it in her hands: it was pretty heavy for a bag.

"Open it."

As Effie complied, her expression grew shocked. More soul shards than she had ever seen in a single place came out in a second. There were the Awakened Soul Shards she was familiar with and…

'Are those damned Ascended Shards?'

She stared at the pile for a moment, dumbfounded.

"What, you thought we couldn't kill a Fallen Creature or two?" Sunny mocked her.

"What- What is this?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the mountain of shards.

"The proof of strength you requested. We have slain the Spiders nestling in the city, and annihilated the great stone knights that held the south plaza. Will you join us?"

'The knights!?'

Effie was one of the most experienced fighters in the whole of the Forgotten Shore, and had killed all kinds of dreadful creatures that her peers couldn't even imagine facing. And yet, she had always tried to stay clear of them. She had once witnessed them brutally butcher a pack of Blood Fiends with ease. Their mastery of combat surpassed even hers.

How the hell had those four Sleeper managed to kill all of them!?

She chuckled for a moment, shaking off her stupor. She slowly rose from the bed and scratched her neck.

"What the hell can I say? I guess I'll join you, princess."