After that day , surprisingly everything was going on very fast. It was as though he was being pulled forward by an overpowering current. It almost felt too hard to adjust.
After that first hunt where Nephis had chosen to give most of the spoils away, she led them on several more. Not all of those hunts went as smoothly, but they did manage to return victorious, if a little battered. Every time, she paid Effie her share of the meat, took a small amount for them to consume, and gave the rest to the people of the outer settlement free of charge.
Because of how little their own share was, the group was forced to hunt every other day instead of once or twice a month.
Effie , combined with Sunny's shadow scout , the party rarely faced something they could not deal with. This gave us a huge advantage over the other hunting parties.
Of course , I kept not sharing my food with Nephis. I did not need food as much as others did due to my flaw. So I sometimes secretly gave Sunny a big portion of my own meal.
Soon, our flawless and intense track record earned the cohort reputation and renown. We weren't seen as newcomers anymore. Instead, people considered us to be nothing short of the strongest hunters in the slum. Many even believed that Changing Star and her people were in no way inferior to the Hunters of the Bright Castle.
Nephis herself was known to be a fearsome fighter ever since her dramatic duel with Andel. Effie had the reputation as one of the outer settlement's best from a long time ago. Handsome and capable Caster quickly won respect and adoration thanks to his amiable personality, noble bearing, and skill.
Shashi had also gained some fame due to her interesting aspect ability , which could manipulate her own blood like it was an extension of her body. Many people were fond of her and some even were frightened of the pale woman , calling her a vampire of sorts. Shashi had also decided to reveal her true name: Crimson Matriarch.
Well.. as for me.. Things were difficult to say the least. Most people were scared of me because I had recently outright insulted Nephis in front of many people. This had lead to rumors spreading about me that I was nothing but a hateful demon that way praying upon their lady's downfall. Combined with the rumors about my strength and by Sunny boasting about how I also had a true name , I was somewhat of a scary villain in their eyes.
The five of them us considered were to be the core of the party, with Cassie and Sunny existing somewhere on the periphery. People loved Cassie because Neph had entrusted her with the responsibility of handing out the free meat ... and also because it was nearly impossible not to love this sweet, exquisitely beautiful, and tragic girl. For most of the slum dwellers, she was the welcoming face of the cohort.
Sunny, on the other hand ... no one really paid him any attention. With no valiant feats of vanquishing monsters of the Dark City under his belt, most considered him to be a mere support member of the party.
I had a feeling that my short friend was feeling left out most of the time , so I had been keeping him company.
I was also keeping an eye on that Caster guy.. Whenever he was near Nephis I always felt deep rooted killing intent towards her. But he was masking it perfectly , if my aspect did not allow me to sense intent , I would have never even been suspicious of the man.
I was not particularly worried about Nephis , I was more worried about the effect he could have on the cohort.
After each hunt, Changing Star would provide the dwellers of the slum with free food. At first, they treated her with distrust, then with gratitude, and finally with something akin to reverence. The strange light that Levi had noticed in their eyes after that first time was slowly growing brighter and brighter.
Some people even started jokingly calling her "Saint Nephis", as though she was some sort of an angel. However, he felt that these words strangely contained less and less humor with each day.
***
During one night , Cassie woke everyone up , telling us that a nightmare creature is headed in the city's way.
Since their lodge was on the edge of the slum, right in front of the entrance of the ancient road, they had no choice but to fight.
That night, the five of them - Changing Star, Sunny, Caster , Crimson Matriarch and No Return - battled a devil that had wandered up the hill and fought it off before it could reach the outer settlement.
When dawn came, terrified people walked out of their hovels on shaking legs and saw the horrible marks left on the white stones by the beast's claws, as well as puddles of blood, both human and that of a monster, steaming in the morning cold.
They also saw Changing Star leaning tiredly on her silver sword.
We , other four were also present , however people paid attention to their Saint at most.
...Back when Sunny was describing to Nephis why Gunlaug could never be defeated, he had told her that every facet of life here was under his control: food, safety, hope, fear, even power itself.
Now, Changing Star had given these people food. By protecting the outer settlement, she had given them safety. She had even given them hope.
There was also the fear that the inhabitants of the castle felt after Neph had easily beheaded one of their Pathfinders.
All that remained was power.
Levi's mind went blank as he remembered the prophecy that Cassie revealed to them..
***
After about a month of living in the outer settlement , I sat up in my bed. Letting out a deep sigh , I stared at out small cot. Sunny and I were living together in a room , his bed was on the other side of the room , while mine was on the opposite side of the room.
Getting up from the bed , I summoned a new memory I had earned from an Awakened Demon , [Veil of Still Waters].
Yellow sparks came to life , they immediately draped around me and formed themselves into a loose set of black robes. As far as I could tell , these robes were called a 'Hanfu.' It used to be a traditional clothing in the past.
I summoned the runes to check the new memory I had received once again.
Memory Name: [Veil of Still Waters]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Tier: III
Memory Type: Armor.
Memory Description: [Woven from silence , it drapes the soul in quiet grace. Like midnight rain upon stone, it stills the storm within.]
With a satisfied nod , I commanded the runes to close. In the meanwhile , Sunny seemed to be getting up from his sleep , his famous armor was weaved into life as he got up from his bed.
"Rise and shine , gloom."
"Actually.. my shadows name is gloomy , not me."
I took a look at Sunny's shadow , which had crossed his arms sassily.
"Well , that makes two gloomy Sunnys then."
Sunny rolled his eyes at me like usual. My short friend had been getting neglected most of the time , he most likely felt like he was getting left behind.
After some banter , we went to wash up outside. On our way back to the lodge , Sunny stopped by to talk to a guy named "Harper." I did not pay it much mind and went back to the lodge , giving Sunless some privacy with his friend.
Walking towards the main hall , I noticed that Shashi was standing outside the door , waiting for someone. Turning her gaze to me , she gave me a small smile. We had gotten somewhat close with the pale woman in the last month.
"Morning blood sack."
I let out a snort at the nickname. "Good morning."
"Come on in , people are waiting."
We both entered the main hall. Nephis and Caster were already discussing the plans and there were other hunter parties around too. We were going to have a big joint hunt. Sunny soon entered behind us , I didn't miss the discontent in his expression.
In the past month, their lodge had gone through a transformation. The remnants of broken furniture were long gone and replaced. Some of the new pieces of furniture came from the ruins, some were made right here by the craftsmen of the outer settlement. There were monster hides and decorations hung on the walls, making the space look neat and presentable.
These days, the lodge appeared as the headquarters of a small, but prosperous Awakened cohort. There was even a large map of the Dark City on one of the walls, with various symbols marking all kinds of useful information.
Currently, the hunter was pointing at a particular spot on the map:
"This spot right here is much more promising. Blood Fiends are known to dwell in these parts. They hibernate during the day, so if we manage to find a lair or two ... "
Caster shook his head.
"The area you're suggesting is too close to the territory of those strange living statues. We all know how formidable those bizarre creatures are. I still think that south of the lighthouse is better. We just need to think of a way to deceive the hearing of the monsters..."
Hearing Sunny's voice , I turned to look at him. His words were cut short when he realized no one was listening to him. He made a second attempt , however his words fell on deaf ears.
I was about to slam my hand onto the table to get some attention , however at that time caster got up with another plan.. I looked at Sunny apologetically , however he didn't acknowledge my gaze.
Soon we departed.
***
The unusual hunting party left the outer settlement at noon, heading east, to the massive ruin of a collapsed lighthouse that was situated at the edge of the city. There were almost twenty of them gathered together, all carefully making their way through the deadly maze of narrow streets, with Effie serving as the chief pathfinder and Sunny helping her by scouting ahead.
The plan was as straightforward and simple as possible. However, nothing was really ever safe in the Dark City. Everyone was prepared for the worst.
And pretty soon, their fears came true.
Halfway to their destination, a sudden sound made Effie freeze in place. Raising a fist to signal everyone to stop, she peered into the fog, a dark and foreboding expression on her face.
'Shit..' I thought as I felt a strong sense of killing intent falling from the sky.
Then, Effie's pupils suddenly widened.
"Scatter!"
As soon as the word left her mouth, the experienced hunters dashed in different directions. Sunny himself grabbed Cassie and lunged to the side, dragging her along with him.
I was immediately near them for their protection.
Then, something large and heavy crashed from above into the cobblestones where the Sleepers had been standing just a second ago. Luckily, most of them were already somewhere else due to Effie's timely warning.
However, a couple of people were a little late to react. Their screams drowned in the sickening sound of tearing flesh.
I cursed as I watched it happen. Sunny and Cassie were right behind me , my arms were already enchanted by my memories. However I froze when I finally took in what kind of beast we will face.
Out there in the middle of the street, a massive, winged creature was standing on the cracked cobblestones, its pale body and black feather stained by the blood of the unfortunate hunters. Its terrifying beak was open, revealing rows of sharp, needle-like fangs.
A Spire Messenger!
After that, everything happened incredibly fast, but also felt like an eternity. The hunters had a simple choice to make: either separate into smaller groups and retreat into the ruins, risking encountering something equally as or even more terrifying, or stand their ground and try to drive the Fallen Beast away. Without having to discuss it, everyone chose the second option.
No matter how dangerous, a familiar enemy was always better than the unknown.
The surviving hunters attacked the abomination with all they had. Even though their Memories had no chance of breaking through the skin of the terrible creature, each strike still hurt it. Those who had Aspect Abilities capable of dealing direct damage immediately used them, hoping to at least disorient the beast.
My selfishness got to me and I only focused on protecting my friends instead of the others. So I did not outright attack the beast , and unsurprisingly , I did not feel guilty. Because I did not care if the others died or not , what mattered to me was my two friends behind my back and their lives.
For several seconds, it wasn't clear which way the situation would turn. The Messenger easily shrugged off the rain of attacks and lashed out with its beak, piercing one of the hunters clean through despite the man's mighty build and heavy armor. Another was almost torn apart by terrifying talons, but at the last second, Caster managed to pull the young man away thanks to his incredible speed.
Sensing the beast gaze finally settle on the three of us, I immediately cleared my mind out of the things that were unnecessary , my new armor helped me in this regard a lot as the memory had the power to calm minds.
I was reluctant to activate my corrosion augmentation , because I had never activated it after forming my second soul core. Even while I was a beast , the hatred that it emanated was immense. However now , I needed to activate it , I simply hoped that my memory would at least ease some of the hatred.
I activated corrosion and touched my arm , immediately my mind went hazy with hatred. The skin on my hand took a blacker color as it extended to my forearms , my nails were replaced by sharp dark fangs , the bulging sickly black veins appeared around my arms and extended to my neck. There were some around my eyes too , making me look horrifying and mad.
'Slaughter...'
With a burst of speed , unimaginable for a sleeper , I leaped in the beasts direction. The beast was already swinging one of its sharp talons right at me , but at that moment a sharp blood colored sword collided with the talon , making way for me. I thanked Shashi in my mind.
With a sickening smile appearing on my face , I immediately took a hold of one of the legs of the Fallen Beast , my new fangs dug into its skin as I immediately activated my corrosive touch. Corrosion started spreading around the leg in immense speed , however the beast wasn't going to just let it happen , one of its talons was already swinging at me again.
..But Effie wasn't going to let it happen it seems.
Summoning her weapon, she leaped forward. I could see her lean, powerful muscles moving like wire ropes under the olive skin. As though turning into a spring, her whole body tensed, and then exploded with momentum. There was enough force behind her attack to split a mountain apart.
Miraculously, the tip of her weapon managed to break the pale hide on the Messenger's chest and stab deep, causing a stream of blood to shoot out. It seemed as if the Fallen Beast did not expect to meet such fierce resistance from a bunch of ants, not to mention actually being hurt by them.
I gripped its leg tighter , however it waved its wings to send the Sleepers flying back, Letting out a mad shriek , I held on as tightly as I could , but I was still sent flying from the force of its swing.
By the time I opened my eyes , the spire messenger let out another scream, it picked up the dead hunters, and jumped into the air. It was only then I realized that I was holding onto its ripped off leg. I had actually ripped the leg of a Fallen Beast while being a dreamer!
I put a hand to cover my face , laughing madly at myself. The augmentation was a huge toll on me , making me go mad and be consumed by hatred. The hatred was not artificial either , it was my own. A proof of my deep rooted hatred.
Soon, the abomination turned into a dark spot in the skies. All that remained behind were puddles of blood, broken stones, and the moans of battered humans.
I got up to my feet , I finally let go of the augmentation. Calmness seeped into my mind with the help of the new memory. I looked around and realized that people were staring at me.
However what was in their eyes was not hope or gratefulness to my act of stalling the beast and even scaring it away , what remained in their eyes was primal fear.