Chương 42: Cathedral under the Black Skies
"Mhhhmm… so what now, dear master?" Regis asked as I looked around with a bit of annoyance.
"We kill them all" I said flatly, and he gave me a look before huffing, licking his paws, and stretching.
I myself got ready by summoning the shard. As it manifested, I focused downward, glancing over the sight beneath me.
Currently, Regis and I were perched atop a ruined tower. Below us were a couple dozen blood fiends. They had a humanoid shape, but instead of skin, they wore pale white bones as armor. Between the bones, writhing red flesh pulsed.
They looked ghoulish, with pale orange eyes staring directly at us. They were attempting to climb the tower, but every time they got close, I'd just switch their positions with some rubble.
A little distance away stood a large maroon flower that reeked of blood. Around it were pitfalls meant to keep one or two of the blood fiends at bay, but clearly, that had failed.
Since each of these fiends was of the Fallen rank, I stood no chance. Krabs could take two or four, but at the cost of its life.
Regis turned incorporeal and entered my core. Taking a step forward, I summoned the luggage and took out the red bag containing the marbles.
[Hey, Sunny.]
(What, another absolutely flawless plan?)
Clearing my throat, I opened the bag and took the marbles in hand. After putting the bag back in the luggage, I dismissed it and activated [Greater Stasis].
Upgrading the marbles by three times, I clutched them tightly. Then, I simply opened my hand and dropped the marbles onto the approaching abominations.
With that, I switched positions with a broken door frame that blisto had been observing farther away. As soon as my feet touched the floor, I activated the explosives.
BOOOOM
The explosion sounded at least a kilometer away, and with it came a small shockwave that rustled the cloth I had draped over the shroud.
>>Uuu, an impeccable decision.<< Regis sounded impressed, and I stood for a moment. After the explosion cleared, I quickly sent Blisto to survey the aftermath.
Then, I switched positions with the charred limbs of a blood fiend and looked around, surveying the newly made crater where the fiends had been moments before.
The explosion had wiped them out, leaving behind little more than charred remains and scattered fragments of bone and flesh.
Regis, still nestled within my core, let out an approving hum. >>Now that's what I'm talking about. Sometimes, the direct approach works just fine.<<
Brushing off a layer of dust that fell from the sky and onto the cloth, I answered plainly, while looking down with mild satisfaction.
[It was effective, I'll give it that. But it's a bit too loud for my taste.]
Sunny chimed in, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm. (Oh yes, definitely subtle. Just a tiny explosion, nothing that would draw attention.)
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. For some reason, I didn't get the achievement for the kills, and the corpses were too damaged to be used for anything.
Since the original plan of picking off a few of the fiends bit by bit had failed, I was left with nothing—except for the soul shards scattered on the ground.
With about thirty or so Ascended soul shards, I had still managed to turn a decent profit.
Before leaving, I gathered up the soul shards, stored them within the luggage, and located the cathedral.
Blisto flew over it, and since I didn't see the knight guarding it, I just switched positions with a piece of wood plank and was immediately met with the expanse of the hidden chamber inside the cathedral.
And it really was beautiful—aged and weathered, but still stunning.
The room was spacious, with stone walls engraved with intricate patterns that created an atmosphere of sanctity and elegance.
The furniture was made out of pale polished wood. The room had no windows, but light wells were cunningly hidden here and there.
However, the ingenious system of mirrors that was supposed to bathe the chamber in sunlight had long been destroyed, leaving the room shrouded in darkness.
Fixing my gaze on a very comfortable-looking bed, Regis immediately manifested, aware of my intentions, but I sprinted toward the bed as fast as I could.
Regis, not even fully manifested, tried to leap for the bed, but I intercepted him with a tentacle, restraining him.
Baring his teeth, Regis snarled and bit into the tentacle, ripping it apart with great effort. But it was too late—I was already laying wistfully on the bed.
Spitting the dust from his mouth onto the floor, he walked over and glared at me indignantly.
Giving him a side-eye, I put on a confused face and hummed, "You don't mind sleeping on the floor, right?"
Regis bared his teeth in a mock growl, his eyes narrowing as he eyed the bed—and me—accusingly.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he muttered, his voice dripping with exaggerated betrayal.
Stretching out luxuriously on the soft mattress, I clasped my hands behind my head and looked up at the intricate ceiling of the hidden chamber.
"Hey, I found it first. Finders keepers, right?" Regis huffed and plopped down onto the cold stone floor with an overly dramatic sigh, glaring at me.
"This is a cruel and unusual punishment. A companion like me deserves better accommodations."
"You'll be fine," I replied, smirking as I adjusted the pillow beneath my head. "Besides, you're practically a shadow—sleeping on stone is probably more natural for you anyway."
He glared harder. "You know, I could just burn that bed of yours down."
Chuckling in amusement, I focused entirely on him and smiled. "Go ahead, if you want both of us to sleep on the floor."
Regis looked me over for a second before huffing and lowering his head, expecting some quip that didn't come i was a little dissapointed.
(Had your fun?) Sunny inquired, and I nodded in agreement.
Immediately, I felt my body become weightless, and I lost control of it. It had been so long since I wasn't in control that it felt a little strange.
Even if it was odd at first, I quickly got comfortable with it and looked through Sunny's eyes. He looked around and began to explore the room.
[You moron.]
(What?) Sunny turned back just in time to see Regis sneakily climbing onto the bed. Once spotted, Regis shamelessly got onto the bed, circled a few times, and lay down.
"Hopefully 'YOU' don't mind sleeping on the floor" Regis hummed excitedly, laying down.
"I don't really care, honestly" Sunny responded, still looking around.
[I care. Now you'll have to get comfortable on the floor—good job.]
Turning to the bed, Sunny looked baffled. "But there's so much room; I could easily fit."
Regis perked up and put a paw forward. "I take offense to someone insinuating that I'm small."
Frowning, Sunny thought for a moment before his flaw kicked in. "I'm not insinuating that you're small... I'm just saying that you're... compact."
[Good save.] i added sarcasticaly and sunny responded by rolling his eyes.
Sunny continued to explore while Regis took a nap. Examining the room, Sunny found his way to the balcony, which revealed the entirety of the grand hall below.
Noticing the statue of the goddess, he silently looked it over before sending a question to me.
(Do you know who this is or was?)
Thinking about the implications of revealing some lore, I decided to go ahead. There was probably no harm in doing so.
[Well, she was the goddess of the black skies, more commonly known as the storm god. But the gender of gods is kind of iffy, so take it at face value. She had a relationship with a daemon, and he built this for her.]
Contemplating what I just said, Sunny pried further. (And what's a daemon?)
'>>I have a suggestion. Why not do our whole progenitor of the unknown thing?<<'
'[We did agree to talk about it later, but why not? If we go with that, though, it means I killed my siblings. What do you think—should I roll with it?]'
'>>Hmmm, why not? I don't see anything wrong with killing family members in an act of revenge.<<'
'[Such lovely words from my dear companion.]'
Feigning sadness, I waited a bit before answering with as much raw emotion as I could.
[A daemon is a... a flaw which those gods shed and left behind. I could be considered somewhat of a family member to both sides, but I'm much different from them, which is why they did what they did.]
Letting the answer sink in, I waited for Sunny's response. He looked over at the statue and then down at the hall below.
(Sorry... I didn't know it would be such a... bad topic.)
Suppressing the urge to praise myself for the performance, I let go of the sad undertone and returned to my usual demeanor.
[It's fine, really. I'm not going to be mad at you for being curious. But hopefully, your curiosity has been satisfied.]
The tension was thick as the sound of steel boots echoed through the cathedral, cutting through the silence like a blade.
In an instant, Sunny ducked behind the railing, trying to make himself as small and hidden as possible, which wasn't difficult.
His heart pounded as he peeked over the edge, catching sight of the Forsaken Knight entering the cathedral.
The knight's black armor gleamed with a dark, ominous energy. The intricate engravings that covered his armor twisted and shimmered, making my head spin just by looking at them.
Sunny stepped back, his breath ragged as he slipped into the hidden chamber, shaken by the sight.
Regis, having noticed, hopped down from the bed and waddled toward him with his usual nonchalance.
"Why the face? You look like you just saw a fallen devil" Regis said, his voice laced with lazy humor. It was the kind of joke that even Nephis could have made better.
Sunny shot him an incredulous look. "That's a Fallen Devil? What the hell are we doing here with that thing around?"
[Don't you like it? It's like we've got our own little roommate. Though, I'll admit this one's a frenzied abomination filled with the power of darkness] I replied cheerfully.
"Isn't darkness my natural enemy?"
"Yup," Regis chimed in with a grin. "That's what makes him so great."
Sunny glared at him, but Regis just shrugged off the look. With his curiosity piqued, Regis sniffed around the mostly intact cabinet nearby, ignoring the tension in the air.
With his core filled, there wasn't much else for him to do, and he was content to wander while Sunny's mind raced.
(So, do you plan for us to just stay here with that thing lurking around?) Sunny asked, his anxiety creeping through the link.
[Oh, we'll be staying for a while,] I assured him. [Since we're finally free from the other two, it's the perfect time to test out our abilities.]
I paused, letting the idea settle in before adding, [And also, it's about time we got you a brand new shadow, don't you think?]
Next Chapter: Food for Thought
A/N: The bonus Chapter for the 100 k views. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
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