Riley was seething, the metal of the scissors bit into his skin as he squeezed tight. A single slice was all it would take. Just one.
The blades clattered against the ground lightly, fading in a sea of sparks and returning to the depths of his soul core.
Julien pulled out the dagger, a chilling smile painted his face.
The Progenitor continued its pained wailing. It might have even gotten worse as she inspected every single body of her pups.
Riley gritted his teeth. The pain was searing. And the only thing worse than that agony, was being backstabbed after offering a chance to the thug.
He grasped the lantern in his hand and breathed in as much air as his lungs allowed.
"WE ARE OVER HERE YOU DAMNED MUTT!!"
At the same time, his lantern blazed with a blinding intensity that bathed the entire cavern in incandescent white light.
In that same moment he veiled himself and fell from the pedestal.
"Huh-"
Julien's body was filleted by the giant hound. It continued to pounce on his remains, taking out its misguided frustration on a bystander.
But it was Riley.
He was the true killer of her children. And he prayed to whatever dead god was listening. That she would never find out about it. That would spell certain death, until he became at least a saint.
A streak of blood marked a path as he ventured back through the woods, not yet ready to turn off his veil.
Though it was small, a part of him was afraid to find out what his friends had forgotten about this time. Was it his name again? Or perhaps the battle against the hounds from before.
The tree came into view, and he called out to Lucy.
"Psst- help me up! I'm injured."
Lucy instantly jumped down. She tied a vine around both of their bodies and mounted him on her back.
"What happened?! Why are you bleeding?? And where is Julien?"
Yara paled, already cutting a piece of cloth from her top to tie around Riley's wound.
Lucy had been cooking song monster meat before, and that quickly found its way to Riley's stomach.
"Turns out a thug is always a thug."
Richard stepped closer, his own face was a little blue.
"He is gone…right?"
Silence clung to the air for a second, he hoped that it would convey the answer. And he was thankful Richard picked up on it.
"Don't worry about me, this little old wound will heal in no time. But let's get out of here. ASAP."
Riley finished the last of his meat and unsummoned his lamp.
After a quick final check with everyone, he determined no one had lost any significant memories of him. How had he gotten so used to assuming the worst already?
'I hope I won't have to use that ability again.'
He leapt down.
With the wind on their tails, they ran through the forest. Praying that any creature was just as terrified of the Progenitor as they were.
In the clearing that stood between the black sea and forest, creatures prowled.
Some avoidant, others engaged in combat for their survival.
A beast lunged, but it was decapitated by Lucy who swung with a wide arc. Black blood shimmered in the lantern light.
'This is not good… we barely managed to get out of the woods and monsters are already this violent.'
The chill withered his bones and the searing pain of his stab wound flared with every step. How could he allow himself to trust Julien? There were signs, too many of them. From just his involvement with those other thugs, to somehow justifying his intention toward killing Richard in the Bright Castle. Riley was nothing if not an idiot.
His blade swung wide, missing the twisting torso of a vulpine beast. Its jaw came to chomp down on his neck, but it missed by a small margin. Instead, an arrow pierced its neck and it convulsed on the floor as black blood gargled in its mouth.
For a moment the world grew still. All sounds muffled into a deafening silence as the giant hound pierced the veil of the woods. Its titanic body towered over the battlefield.
ROOAAAAAARRRRR
The cohort struggled to keep their balance. Tremors shook the earth from its pained cry, as if it would tear the world apart for the crimes committed against her pups.
And instantly, her gaze locked onto Riley. Her nose twitched, inhaling the distant scent of blood on his clothes. Blood that belonged to none other than her children.
In an instant the distance vanished. If not for the fact he was pouring his dread into the lantern, it would've been too fast to react to.
'Crap…it can resist the fear of the lantern….this is shit!'
Riley rolled to the side, barely dodging another furious swipe that carved valleys into the soil. Many nightmare creatures had been severed, their soul shards shining brilliantly in the darkness.
The beast roared again.
Earthquakes knocked him off balance, timed perfectly by the Progenitor to land a definitive swipe on Riley.
Everything seemed to slow down in his mind. Was it really over? Already? Not even a full week into the world of Shadow Slave, and he would be departing. In such a pitiful way no less.
He clenched his fists. No. Not yet. It was too soon to give up. Riley believed there was some way to dodge the impending attack. There had to be. Fate wouldn't be so cruel as to not grant him a way of escaping. And in that moment, his eyes widened, the escape he prayed for shoved him to the side.
A splash of red blood spurted through the air, accompanied by an agonising elderly scream. The old man clutched at where his leg had been. A never ending stream of burgundy ran into the soil. Every twitch. Every scream, it pushed more blood out, drawing his demise closer.
"Wh-Why would you do that?!"
Richard's hand came up to seal his mouth, pointing a single finger across his own.
Keep quiet? In such a harrowing situation the damned old man wanted Riley to shut up?
He was seething with anger. Worry. Despair. Disappointment. And a feeling he knew all too well, fear. How could he sit still when his teammate, one he swore to protect, was bleeding out in his arms.
'This is so unfair. Fucking unfair.'
Riley gripped his blade hard enough to draw blood. Dari had dashed over to take over for him.
He stood face to face with the massive hound, her toothy frown faintly glowed. She lunged forward as Riley planted his scissors into the ground after having altered its weight.
A titanic body jerked to a halt. Its head had crashed against the now massive scissors and cracked its skull. Black fluid dripped down her head as she struggled to regain her footing.
The sea stirred violently, twelve massive tentacles rose from the dark waters and weaved themselves around the massive body of the Progenitor. It slowly dragged the beast toward the cliff, its massive suction cups lined with razor sharp teeth pierced her limbs and drained the remaining strength.
'Oh no you don't!'
It was reckless to follow them in hopes for a last hit.
It was because of the anger. Or the fear. But a chance to kill a beast of this magnitude did not present itself often.
Had he always been brave? Never once in his life had he taken a leap of faith. There was no bone in his body that craved the dopamine hit that came with risking his own life. And he definitely was not the sort of person to let emotions cloud his judgement. So why was he running now? Why were his legs moving on their own? Why did he crave revenge?
Before he could even stop himself he lunged into the fray and stabbed his long scissors into the hound's eyes. Over and over and over and over. Stabbing until he was covered in the gooey black liquid that ran in the veins of all monsters.
[You have slain a Corrupted Demon, The Progenitor.]
[You have received a Memory.]
He watched as the giant carcass was dragged into the ocean by the tentacles. Checking the new memory hadn't even crossed his mind.
"RILEY! QUICKLY!"
He sped toward the cohort who were still tending to Richard's wounds.
Riley winced at the torrent of blood that continued to gush from the large wound. He knew what this meant, he knew what he had to say. The decision he had to make. But could he? His previous decision to flee the safety of the tree had led to this blunder.
Sensing his unease, Richard grabbed his sleeve and pulled him closer.
"Don't look so glum. It is just this old man's time to go…"
Tears trickled from the side of Richard's face. He didn't want to die. Not yet, not until he saw his grandchildren again. But showing weakness would only make the will of those who need to survive waver.
"Live. And remember me Riley. When you four become big, please send some money to a girl named Sarah Lichen, she is the mother of my sweet bundles of joy."
He coughed, a small bit of blood now painted the palm of his hand.
"Go now. I will be bait for the creatures until you guys make it farther than here."
"W-We can't just leave you here-"
Riley squeezed Lucy's arm. Every word she wanted to say would only dig the knife deeper into Richard's heart. Her head slumped down and tears cut paths through her dirty skin.
"Alright…I'm sorry."
No words left Riley's throat despite his mind being so full. But opinions were the poison of the powerless. And Riley's powerlessness led to Richard's demise. All he could do now was honor the old man's wish.
"Y-Yes…"
He latched his hand on Lucy's and ushered her along. A quick nod called for Yara and Dari to follow, but there was no real confidence in his command. It rang hollow. But they followed nonetheless.
And they marched forward, leaving behind the first member of their cohort to waste away.