The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Dropping the boys back at the house, Rain left her brothers playing a board game. They were old enough to fend for themselves…as long as there wasn't an active volcano involved.

The wall was a long way from her home, but Rain had found the most efficient way to get to her goal without being too noticeable.

That wasn't to say no one noticed. The guards at the edge of the city gave her the same strange look they always did before letting her pass.

"Be back before dark, Miss," one reminded her.

She waved at him in thanks, trying not to betray the nervousness she felt.

Rain pulled her jacket tightly around her and hurried down the hillside until she was out of their sight.

She glanced at her shadow.

"What now, Teacher?"

A voice from the darkness answered her. "First, stop looking like you have just committed a crime! You are just going to hunt down a Nightmare Creature. Why are you feeling guilty?!"

Rain puckered her lips. "I'm not feeling guilty! I'm just anxious to get started."

"Good." Her teacher manifested next to her, something she had grown accustomed to in the past few months.

He was as dark and mysterious as ever, and just now he had a determined expression on his face.

"Did you make all the preparations?"

The teen nodded. "I lined my clothes with the toughest material I could find. It's heavy, but I can still move."

"And?" The dark deity raised his eyebrows.

Rain reached into her jacket and pulled out a dagger. Its sharp tip shimmered in the afternoon sun.

"I got one like you asked, but I don't see why I can't just shoot it."

"You can try," the teacher told her, the corner of his mouth turning upward, "but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"I'm almost ready." Rain tucked the dagger back into her jacket, "I just need to get my bow."

Reaching into a hidey hole that she had carved out of the rock, Rain retrieved her weapon of choice as well as a quiver.

Her father had gotten her the sturdy bow just over a month ago for her birthday, but she doubted he would approve of her using it for this particular purpose.

Rain winced.

'I need to get stronger and this is the way to do it,' she reminded herself.

Her father would understand in time…hopefully.

Slinging the mundane arrows over her shoulder, Rain could barely contain her bubbling excitement. Rubbing some dirt on her face and body to hide her scent, she turned expectantly to her teacher.

"Which way?"

The teacher shrugged.

"This is your hunt."

'Thanks for that…' Rain glared at her teacher. 'He could have at least given me a general area or a hint for what we are seeking.'

The shadowy figure chuckled.

"Don't look at your teacher that way. Use what you have been taught. Track, observe, and make a plan to defeat it. Today is about honing skills. And no, one of those skills is not trying to bore a hole through my skull with your eyes."

Rain looked away, embarrassed that he had read her thoughts.

She would show him!

Looking at the terrain, Rain tried to guess the most likely path that an abomination might take.

"Are we looking for any of the creatures on the bounty board?" She asked, hoping to narrow her search slightly.

"Ha! No, anything dangerous enough to end up on that board is too far above your ability. The creature we are tracking was specifically selected for your current skill level."

While Rain was a little relieved to hear that, she was also offended.

'He didn't have to say it so condescendingly.'

The girl clicked her tongue.

"So, you really aren't going to give me even a starting point? What kind of teacher are you?"

The dark deity gave her a strange look. After a moment, he shrugged. "I like to think of myself as the best teacher in two worlds, but if that doesn't suit you, perhaps you should think of me as a big brother instead."

The shadowy figure glanced at Rain.

"Big brother?"

Was it her imagination or was there extra meaning behind his words?

The teacher smiled lazily. "Of course, didn't I tell you I was your older brother? Maybe I should start calling you little sister."

Rain rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny."

Why was her teacher so insufferable?! As if she could be related to someone who was so powerful and ancient!

The dark deity pointed.

"In the spirit of familial harmony, your big brother will give you the first clue. The creature went that way."

'Well, that is something.' Rain adjusted her coat and looked in the direction her teacher indicated.

Almost immediately she spotted a strange pattern in the ground. The snow was disturbed.

'That isn't from me.'

The rhythmic marks were unlikely to be caused by the wind or the volcanic ash, which meant that something living had caused them. And the only living things in the Dream Realm were humans and Nightmare Creatures.

'These weren't made by any human.'

"You finally caught on, I see," the teacher nodded with a small hint of approval. "Good luck, little sister."

The man dissipated into her shadow, leaving her to her own devices.

'Fine. Be that way. I don't need you anyway!'

Rain narrowed her gaze. She would find this creature.

Hadn't she been trained for this? Yes!

Tracking wasn't hard, especially when the thing didn't care if it was being tracked.

All Rain needed to do was follow her instincts and look for the signs of the creature's path.

Soon, she was hot on its trail.

The longer she continued on the path, the fresher the tracks became.

Rain gathered all the information she could glean as she traveled.

The creature scraped the ground as it walked, leaving gashes in the frozen earth.

Was it so bulky that it couldn't raise itself as it walked? There were two lines of such markings a large distance apart. How big was this abomination?

Rain shivered.

It was getting colder, and she was getting closer.

Closer to the lair of her prey. Closer to the monster. Closer to the moment of truth.

Closing in on a small cave, Rain finally heard the sounds of the abomination she sought.

It sounded like…chewing.

'I can do this.' Rain repeated to herself. Tucking the dagger in her belt, Rain stopped and strung her bow.

Nocking an arrow, she crept closer to the hole.

Today's goal was to observe the creature and learn its habits. But it seemed her prey was resting in the alcove.

Perhaps it was hoping to trap her. That was something she would not let happen.

Waiting outside until the thing decided to leave was not a great option. It had been out recently, and who knew how long it would take for the creature to exit its hovel again.

Should she try to lure it out?

That would require going back for some kind of bait.

'Yeah, I'm not doing that…'

As risky as it was, Rain would have to peek inside if she wanted to get a view of the monster that she wanted to slay.

With measured precision, Rain moved almost silently to the small cave and aimed her bow at the entrance.

Her eyes opened wide.

'What in two worlds?!'