The Lord of Veins | Shadow Slave

With the assistance of his Aspect Ability, Dex climbed the jagged steep walls of the ravine. Arising from the depths, he found himself standing on the edge of a rugged valley.

The landscape was scarred, and serpentine pathways forged into the deep snow by the howling winds. Deep gorges and fissures were scattered about the valley. Their mouths gaped open, as if ruptured from within. A stream meandered through the rugged terrain, continuing its journey along a path toward a dense line of trees. And a small offshoot of the stream split off and trickled down into the ravine from which he had arisen.

Dex looked around, his sharp gaze sweeping across the rugged valley with purpose. It was not fear; it was hunger. It had only been just over a day or so since he arrived, in The Dream Realm but the thought of sizzling fish over a crackling fire drove him mad. He didn't quite know how he would manage it, but he was determined to find a way to satiate his hunger.

Beginning the descent down the valley, he followed the stream's path. He held a jagged icicle in hand. Raising it to his mouth, he took a bite of the ice. The hard crunch of the icicle momentarily suppressed the hunger raking at his insides

Following his current path, he occasionally encountered stretches where the stream was frozen solid. The water beneath flowed with a gentle murmur, carving narrow tunnels through the thick ice before emerging once again, rushing downstream. As he pressed on, he could see the line of trees drawing nearer, and faintly, through the trees, an expansive lake came into view.

"I heard you bastards last night... Where the hell are you hiding now?" Dex murmured.

Last night, he had heard them just outside the ravine. And now? They were nowhere to be seen or heard—no tracks, not even a single one, remained in the snow.

Lifting his head, he raised his hand defensively, stumbling back. "What the fuck?" 

As the sun reached its pinnacle, something strange began to occur. His heart sank as he saw it rapidly descend, disappearing behind the distant mountains. The sun fleeing to the horizon, taking it light with it. 

The Dream Realm was a place of unpredictability, but he had been trained by both a Sage and a Master. Their training was far more grueling and punishing than anything he had experienced so far. In this harsh realm, failing to endure mentally was a mark of weakness.

***

After walking through the trees, Dex arrived at the lake. A vast frozen plain of ice stretched before him, its surface blanketed by a faint sheet of snow; each flake in the moonlight's rays appeared like powdered diamonds. Then, as if drawn by an unseen force, Dex's gaze left the sparkling snow shifted to dancing lights across the other side of the lake.

The delicate flickers reminded him of fireflies, and though he had never been particularly fond of consuming bugs, right now he could make an exception. Stepping onto the frozen over lake, his foot slipped slightly. In that instant, he activated his Aspect Ability—[Friction Control]—and the once slippery ice under his foot became as reliable as the ground. 

But this power had a drawback: a crippling fatigue would begin to seep in after prolonged use. He learned to manage this issue through his experience and a specific enchantment of his armor. By using this ability in short burst, he minimized the strain on his body. Additionally, the enchantment of his memory---[Efficient Silk]---was expected to alleviate the burden further, but he had yet to fully test its limits.

Suddenly a crisp, sharp noise followed by a grating, grinding noise caught his attention. Dex turned reflectively, taking a defensive stance, quickly summoning the [Pale Stick]. Illuminated by the blue light, was two large metallic blades that began carving through the thick layer of ice. In mere moments, the carved ice was violently pushed aside with such force he didn't expect. 

From the hole in the ice, three amphibious creatures emerged onto the frozen lake. They carried a scent of their arrival, that was faintly fishy. To Dex, they were nothing more than angler fish that grew legs. Their bulbous eyes were large and inky black, and their massive, toothy jaws were far too large for their humanoid heads. However, among them, one creature stood out as the most fearsome.

This notable creature drew his attention: it had a deep blue color, and its arms were elongated, ending in sharp, scythe-like appendages. These weapons, made of natural steel, gave the creature lethal capabilities, promising to gut any being caught within its reach. Another feature Dex noticed was its small fins, which the others did not possess.

Within the guise of his memory, one would have thought that he held an inch of fear, but that was far from the truth. Dex allowed himself to smirk; It seemed that fate had delivered dinner right to his feet. He was not merely prey; he was the hunter. 

Dex waved his torch at them; unexpectedly, they reeled in pain. The creatures squinted their bulbous eyes as they attempted to cover their inky black orbs, stumbling back and gurgling in anger.

His overconfidence spilled out. "So... not fans of the spotlight?"

In a frenzy driven by the light, the blue underdweller swung its scythe-like arm downward. Dex swiftly avoided the deadly strike, sidestepping.

I'll take that as a yes!

With a quick shift of his feet, Dex immediately followed up with a powerful kick, slamming into the creature's arm mid-swing. The force redirected the blade's vertical arc, sending it into its ally—a green underdweller that was also blinded by the pale light.

The razor-sharp limb sliced through the creature's abdomen as though it were paper. Its inky bulbous eyes widened in shock before it stumbled backward, releasing a choking gurgle. Then, with the final remnants of its life, it shuddered and immediately collapsed into its own blood.

The blue creature stood momentarily bewildered, its scythe-like arms pausing as it glanced from its fallen ally to Dex, anger displayed on its horrid face. But Dex didn't let a single moment slip away. With a swift motion, he drove his fist into the creature's jaw—a powerful strike fueled by the rotation of his body and enhanced by his Aspect Ability. The impact was so explosive that it unleashed a torrent of vicious saliva from the creature's mouth.

The force of the blow caused the creature to stumble back before it fell backward with a thud, completely unconscious.

With what was left of his adrenaline, Dex turned to confront the white underdweller, raising his torch high to illuminate more of the area. The creature looked at him, and immediately fled, diving back into the circular hole from which it had come.

"No point in chasing a coward," Dex commented lightly before turning to the creature that had been gutted by its ally.

Unfortunately for Dex, the creature had succumbed to its ally's attack, robbing him from a potential reward from the spell. But at least he could obtain the creature's soul cores from its body; he just needed a way to harvest them.

Making his way to the unconscious underdweller, he thought of a way extract the soul cores hidden within these creatures' hides, though he knew he would have to get his hands dirty.

Standing over the body of the blue creature, he raised his torch in the air. "Trust me, it's nothing personal. Just business."