The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Rain watched for a moment in disbelief. 

The creature was not facing her, gorging itself on something that was out of her view. The back facing her was full of grey hair jutting out at odd angles. Now she understood the odd scrapes along the ground.

They were not from many legs but from the fur dragging below the monster as it entered and exited its home. Though not incredibly long, the hair must have been very sturdy to etch its movements into the mountainside. 

That was the only strong thing about this beast. Rain's face burned.

She had seen enough. 

The huntress exited the cave and moved away from the entrance without being noticed. 

Then with a low growl, she addressed her shadow. 

"Is this some sort of joke, Teacher? If so, it isn't funny." 

"A joke? No. This is your first hunt. Not everyone can be like your teacher and kill an Awakened Tyrant as easily as dying before they Awaken. I thought you would appreciate taking it slow." The man defended himself from the shadows. 

"Slow is one thing. That thing is an insult. A human toddler probably weighs more than that monster!"

"Don't let its size fool you," the man warned her. "Do your research and then we will come back another time to finish it off." The shadow fell silent, pointing toward the cave. "Hm, seems you've been noticed." 

Scraping filed the air followed by a low rumble.

Bracing herself, Rain looked up to see a furry creature leave its cozy home and hobble up the hillside toward her.

The grating against the stone was awkward and uneven. It seemed to have one additional leg on its right side than its left.

Its strange gait tugged at Rain's heart in a way she couldn't describe. 

'Poor thing! It looks hurt.' 

"Put away those dewy eyes. It is still a Nightmare Creature! Did it put you under a mind hex or something?" An impossibly long hand reached out of Rain's shadow and waved in front of her face. 

The girl blinked and swatted at the incorporeal fingers.

"What? No!" Rain whispered to her companion. "It's just, kind of cute in a pitiful kind of way." 

The shadow scoffed. "Leave it to my baby sister to find an abomination attractive. You are supposed to be gathering information, not looking for a new pet!" 

But the girl tilted her head.

It was such a little guy! Or was it a girl? How did one tell genders of creatures from another world?

How did it even survive so long in such a desolate place? While she didn't want it for a pet, her teacher was right about one thing. Even with the spiny covering, it did look oddly petable.

The man in the shadows clicked his tongue.

"I can see it on your face. You are second-guessing yourself. I will have to go find something more ferocious-looking for you to battle. I should have known you weren't strong enough for this." 

The words pricked the girl's pride. She scowled.

"I am strong enough!" Rain straightened her back. "I don't need to do any more research. I can kill it here and now." 

The shadow sighed. "So stubborn and petty," he muttered. "Where did you learn such terrible traits?"

The girl ignored his barbs, focusing on the Nightmare Creature making its way toward her.

It was a little sad to end the life of something so small, but it was corrupted and already limping.

'I am putting it out of its misery,' she assured herself. 

Raising her bow, Rain placed all her focus on her aim. The thing was moving so slowly that it was almost a still target. She could hit it with her eyes closed. 

It was too easy. 

Under Rain's guide, the arrow released with a whizz through the air and struck the small critter directly in the back.

The spectacular clang like a bell made Rain flinch. Yet she did not take her eyes off of the scene.

Stunned, the beast finally opened its beady eyes for the first time. Then they shut almost immediately. The tubby body of the creature rolled to one side with a lurch and fell.

Then, everything went silent.

Rain held her breath and counted to twenty. Nothing happened.

She lowered her bow, slightly bewildered. 

She had done it? She had done it! She had killed her first Nightmare Creature with a single shot!

Of course, her teacher remained silent. He didn't even congratulate her. And he said that she was petty!

'He is probably fuming that I proved to him that no more observation was needed. Now, let's go see this thing up close.' 

Rain crept forward, paying attention to anything around her that might move. One thing was sure in the Dream Realm: death attracted attention.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like anything would immediately come out of the mountainside to swallow her and her prize.

Rain pressed her toe against the creature. It was twice as wide as her foot and three times as long. It looked a bit like a creature called a hedgehog that she had seen in a book once.

'Quite curious.'

She studied the spines of the beast more closely and a small smile came to her face.

"I see why you wanted me to track this creature. The spines will make beautiful arrowheads!" Rain's eyes glistened.

Her mundane arrows would be ok for piercing the eye and mouth of some creatures, but this material would go a long way to helping her attack more powerful monsters in the future.

It was very lucky that her equipment was strong enough to get through the creature's hide on the first try even though she hadn't hit a sensitive area.

Oh, the possibilities for the future! She would be like her teacher and take down Awakened Tyrants. Maybe someday she would be just like the ancient deity teaching a pupil of her own!

Rain picked up the butterball of corruption, careful not to cut her hands on the needles. Idly, she began to count the spines to see just how many arrowheads she might be able to make from the small critter.

She might even be able to make a better knife than the one she had!

'I take back what I said about my Teacher. He was very generous to give me this gift.'

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The figure in question came out of her shadow to look at her seriously.

"What do you mean?" Rain felt her ears burning.

The man tapped his foot.

"Think for a moment. Did you hear an announcement of the Creature's death?"

'An announcement?'

She had seen in webtoons that the Spell announced a kill, but she was not Awakened or even a Sleeper.

"Why would the Spell talk to me?"

"The Spell? What nonsense are you talking about? The Spell wouldn't talk to you!" The teacher rubbed his forehead. "I meant, did you hear me announce the kill?"

Rain frowned. "Oh, no. I didn't hear that."

Her teacher lowered his chin. "That's because I didn't say it."

The girl bit back her retort, considering his words for a moment.

Then a startling realization came over her as she looked down at the creature in her arms.

"Uh oh."