Chapter 28: Chapter 104 – Shadow Movement

After around two hours, they were done collecting all the pieces of the Core and Dragon’s bones, which had been cut into comfortable parts. Umbra was still busy absorbing the abundant essence so they all sat together to catch a breather. Miria quickly snuggled to Asterios from one side while Selene seated herself on the other, with her arm still slightly shaking from time to time.

While brushing through Miria’s hair, he glanced at the foxkin. “How are you feeling now? You should have left the cutting to me instead.”

She smiled at him softly. “It wasn’t too straining, my Lord. And while I am much better, it won’t be that fast for me to recover from all the backlash, even with your and Suanori’s support. I will, unfortunately, have to reduce any additional strain to a minimum for a few days at least. But, the internal pain has almost subsided.”

“Good. Rest as much as you need and want. You’ve done plenty for us during this whole expedition. We can take care of the rest alone.”

“That’s right. We were able to blast all the Gates so easily thanks to you, Selene. And even the Core!” Miria beamed at her while enjoying some pats from Asterios.

“Fufufu~ I’ve only been fulfilling my duty.” Selene’s tail started charmingly moving behind her back, clearly showing that she appreciated the praise.

Asterios rubbed Miria’s head with some more force. “And that includes you too. Don’t even think about acting strong when I have to catch you from suddenly falling now and then with how wiggly you are.”

“Ehehehe~” Miria blushed and glanced away.

He sighed and moved his hand to gently scratch behind her ear just the way Miria loved it and she quickly melted into a blissful smile, purring quietly. He glanced at Suanori and refilled her glass with the tasty apple juice the panthergirl had brought for them from her home.

“So, assuming that we have succeeded and there’s no unexpected cataclysm happening on the surface, what should we do next?” he asked.

“Well, I’d like to ask you to lend us Umbra’s services for a moment to inform the diversion teams that their job is done if they haven’t surfaced yet, but after that, we’ll have to report the completion of our task, of course. Then, you don’t have to worry, I’ll handle all the formalities.”

“It would be good to observe the changes for a few weeks. I don’t think there’s a need for any additional restrictions and things can go back to how they were, but better warn the adventurers that the dungeons might be a little more unpredictable than usual while they are recovering,” Asterios suggested.

She nodded. “Right. The other Cores should quickly notice that the middle dungeon is now a graveyard, even more than it was before.” Miria giggled. “The war should stop and they will most likely focus on slowly expanding into the dead zone. With how far the two are from each other, we should have gained a few hundred years with this if they were to start another war when running into each other again.”

“And that isn’t so sure to happen either. The Cores don’t just dig around wherever they can, as we all know. The two might not meet ever. Parts of this dungeon will definitely be consumed though, around the edges. It could be dangerous but also quite interesting for adventurers.”

“In any way, you don’t need to bother yourself with that too much. I’ll make sure to get you a boat as soon as possible. You guys were delayed long enough already. Unless you wish to wait for everything to get processed so that you can receive the additional rewards I had promised you, besides the completion ones.”

“If Umbra succeeds, there’s a chance that we’ll be able to return at any given moment, so it’s fine with just the completion. And we’ll stay in Nebula for a bit to recuperate.”

“I should be able to work on your rank before you guys depart then. Might come useful in the Demon Continent. If you were an A-rank, this stunt would have definitely boosted you to an S-rank instantly. Not many can boast crushing an old Core into bits.”

Asterios chuckled. “You are praising the wrong person. I would break all my fingers if I tried that. I feel kind of bad stealing all your glory,” he said while glancing at Miria and Selene.

“Our strength is yours to command, my Lord. A mere tool in your skillful hands. Even if the tool is of amazing quality, it’s only natural for the wielder to be surrounded with the same, if not greater praise. In the end, a tool is nothing without the one that operates it.”

He smiled wryly. “You are not tools, even though I get your analogy. Anyway, it feels like Umbra is finishing.”

They all turned towards the half-sphere of black shadow that had remained on the floor since the moment Umbra started his thing. It would occasionally swirl or tremble, but other than that, the ominous half-orb that leaked grim shadows from its structure just lay there silently.

Shortly after Ast’s words, a powerful spiritual pressure exploded from it and the shadow morphed into a tall pillar, just like on the day that Umbra had been summoned. The looming dark mist spread over the stone floor while the surroundings seemed to lose illumination a little. A scary atmosphere was quickly created.

Fifteen seconds later, all of it retracted to the center and two purple spots lit up at the top of the tall shadow. Umbra slowly sucked all of his body in and switched into his usual shape of a head-sized raven, flying down to sit in the middle of them.

“How did it go?” Asterios asked.

~Perfectly as expected. Or even a little better. I’ve completely recovered and pushed my power to around fifty percent, maybe slightly more. Before you suggest, consuming more of the Core won’t have that much of an additional effect on me now. Nevertheless, I should be able to do as I said.~

“Well then. Should we move out?”

Suanori nodded and they all stood up. Miria and Selene jumped back to their realm, to the foxkin’s house, and promised to rest properly until he would call for them. Umbra first approached the Dragon’s skull and enveloped it in his shadow. It then plunged into the ground, leaving no trace of the bone structure.

Ten seconds later, Asterios could see through Umbra’s eyes that the skull popped out near the entrance to the dungeon, toppling a few trees in the process with how big it was. But, the first experiment was a success.

Then, Asterios offered to be the actual living test subject before having Suanori try it, feeling quite responsible for his familiar’s power and possible complications. He could feel Miria and Selene wanting to offer their own participation instead, but he quickly turned them down. Just to be safe that nothing suddenly happened down here while he was gone, he asked the former to stay behind in his realm.

“Alright. Anything I should know about this beforehand?” he asked as Umbra started swallowing him whole.

~You have already partially experienced my Shadow Movement through the technique you had used earlier. It might feel a bit more twisty this time, though.~

“Here it goes then. See you in a second.” Asterios waved at Suanori and Miria and plunged into the floor after getting completely covered in a black shadow.

His vision got enveloped by darkness that seemed to be very close and at the same time unending. Something tugged his body in random directions at a very fast pace. He traveled the black abyss in complete silence; only the noise of his blood flowing through his veins and the thumping of his heart seemed to break that stillness.

Then, after what felt like five minutes or so, his eyes were hit with light and colors again. The shadow surrounding Ast’s body retracted and he found himself next to the giant skull. A calm breeze ruffled his hair. Asterios stumbled a little and supported himself on the nearby bone.

“Ugh… That was quite… scary… and longer than I expected…”

Umbra shifted into his raven form and hung in the air in front of him. ~It took ten seconds to get here. After you get used to the darkness, your perception of the flow of time inside will change too. Are you fine, Master?~

“Just a little dizzy but nothing else. I’m glad it worked. You can grab Suanori while I calm my body down. Let her know about my experience first.”

The misty bird nodded its beak and dove into his shadow. Asterios chuckled.

“I pity anyone who gets forcefully taken for a ride through that darkness without their consent.”

A moment later, a black shadow rose from the ground and formed a humanoid shape. After retracting itself, it revealed the elf woman, who frantically gasped for air and fell to the ground onto all fours. Asterios quickly kneeled by the side of the distressed Guildmaster, who was calming down her palpitating heart.

She looked up at him with a ghastly face. “You said… five minutes… ughhhh…”

Asterios furrowed his brows. “Did something happen?”

“I was stuck in a never-ending… horrifying... darkness… for three hours… Gods take me…”

He glanced at Umbra while gently rubbing Suanori’s back and supporting her to a sitting position. 

~I don’t know,~ the shadowy raven answered before the question came. ~It could be because of our bond that it affects you less. Or it’s just your mind that’s really strong. I do think it’s quite impressive. I’ve never transported an entity that wasn’t somehow familiar with the darkness.~

Asterios sighed, feeling bad now. “I’m sorry about that.”

Suanori shook her head, slowly regaining color on her face. “You couldn’t know… It’s good you went first… This could make people lose their minds… You feel completely helpless inside whatever that is… I’ll respectfully pass on any further attempts...”

“Looks like I’ll have to remember not to transport random people with this. Anything you need?”

“Just a few more minutes… I’m fine… Thank you…”

So they waited until Suanori recollected herself. In the meanwhile, Umbra scouted their surroundings and confirmed that adventurers were still heading in and out of the two dungeons and there weren’t any weird events taking place on the surface.

He then was sent to find Tishnera’s and Svertaniel’s teams and instruct them to return if they were still inside. Suanori covered the Dragon’s parts that had been brought to the surface by Umbra with her Earth Magic after calming down and she called for her flying companion.

They traveled to the guild together on its back. The impressive bird landed on top of the building and the two jumped off. The inside was very lively, as expected. Many adventurers were reporting back their delves and attempting to cash on their spoils of war. Some were being briefed about the dungeons, looked for a party, or just generally spent their time in the lobby.

After Asterios and Suanori walked inside, most of the people instantly recognized them and went silent. The bunch that was still talking, quickly caught on that something was wrong and also quieted down until the whole hall turned their attention onto the slightly roughed-up duo.

“The middle dungeon is dead! The main part of the operation was a success! But! Do yourself a favor and don’t rush into it blindly! It will take time before the created holes heal up! More official statements will follow soon!”

After Suanori relayed what she wanted, she nodded at Asterios and they began heading towards the stairs.

“What? Already? Did even a day pass since they entered?”

“Impossible. No one can reach the Core so fast and even destroy it.”

“Hahahaha! Told you suckers! Where’s my money now? I knew the brat was something special the moment he glared at me!”

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“Piss off you fucking cheat! This is all one fucking scam! You are in cahoots with them!”

Various different comments and shouts filled the air even before the pair disappeared on the stairs leading up. Asterios could only smile wryly and Suanori chuckled softly. She knew very well that the reaction would be something like this with what they had done. But, she didn’t worry about being accused of lying or altering facts. An official announcement would be made after she showed the remains of the Core to the others.

They went together to meet this branch’s Guildmaster and shortly informed him about the completion on their side of things. He was as surprised as the adventurers but didn’t dare to doubt the duo and began to work on the formalities immediately.

Suanori thanked Asterios for his willingness to help but sent him back to rest or do whatever else he wanted while leaving the guild’s things to her and the others. She would call for him after everyone from their previous meeting session gathered to wrap things up. He let her know that Umbra would be checking on her regularly for that and left the office.

Not wanting to walk through the main hall again with everyone now definitely interested in their delve or him specifically, Asterios decided to wait for Umbra to return and use Shadow Movement to escape the unnecessary attention. Fortunately, the raven in question came back around ten minutes later.

To test if the distance affected the time inside the black abyss, he made a jump to the inn they were staying at since it wasn’t that far. He judged the time spent in the darkness to be around twenty seconds, which was clearly shorter. But then again, they did jump forty-five dungeon floors worth of distance before.

He checked on the girls through his bond, surprised that Miria wasn’t joining him, and found both her and Selene peacefully sleeping on the latter’s bed, with the panthergirl comfortably snuggled to the foxkin from the front. He smiled at the adorable sight and left them to rest.

After getting something to eat at the restaurant part of the inn, he thought about what to do until he was called and decided on practicing the transportation method more while taking care of some errands.

First, he wanted to try getting to Tyrienheim. The single-edged purple blade was currently strapped to his belt with a makeshift holder so it would be a wise thing to do to get an actual scabbard for it. He wasn’t sure if he would be the one to carry it or if he would give it to Selene, but nevertheless, a proper sheath was required. And he knew just the person to turn to for such a thing.

With just a thought, his body was swallowed by darkness again and plunged into the ground. This time, it felt like he was stuck in the black abyss for about eight to ten minutes, which was surprising considering the distance.

During that time, he tried to explore it with his senses but it was really hard. He didn’t feel exactly helpless as Suanori stated, albeit he definitely wasn’t in control. But, he could probe the abyss to some extent, even if his attempts were suppressed by a horrifying pressure shortly after they began. He did feel like he was gaining some understanding the more he tried to fight it though.

Meanwhile, in Imadil’s workshop, Cynthia was currently carrying a crate with supplies from the entrance towards the door behind the counter when some weird black shadow started swirling on the ground right in front of her feet. She quickly stepped back, and the moment a pillar of darkness shot out of it, she dropped her cargo in shock.

Before she reached for a nearby sword from the showcase, the ominous mist retreated and revealed a person in its place.

“Hi.” Asterios waved and smiled wryly at the wide-eyed elf girl.

Cynthia’s mouth went agape. “Wha—? Whe—? Ho—? What?”

He chuckled. “I apologize. I should have chosen to show up in front of the entrance, I guess.” Crouching down, he reached for the crate.

“Wait, that’s hea—”

In one swift motion, Asterios lifted it and raised his brow at even more flabbergasted Cynthia. She was using special gloves that greatly boosted strength and even they had barely kept up with the quite hefty alloys in that box. Of course, she couldn’t know that Ast’s body was enveloped in a much stronger Umbra-type suit.

“Where do you need it? I don’t mind helping out a little. There’s something I’d like to ask if you guys have time.”

She shook her head with a faint smile. “Follow me. Father is in the storage room, waiting for this package.”

He walked behind her as instructed and they entered a room with plenty of barrels and crates arranged in a neat formation, making it easy to access any of them. Imadil stopped moving one of the boxes and glanced up.

“Put it next to—… this one…” 

He seemed as surprised as his daughter seeing Asterios casually walk around with the crate towards him and place it down where he pointed at. Looking at Cynthia, he only got a shrug of her shoulders in response.

“Well then, nice to see you again, Asterios. Didn’t you leave Tyrienheim though?”

“Yeah, I did. Technically, I was in the port town of Nebula a minute ago. I might be looking for something to order so I figured I'd come to you guys.”

“What?” Imadil furrowed his brows. “Did you make some teleportation sigils? It’s such a waste to use it for something like this though. It certainly couldn’t have been made out of some cheap crystal.”

Asterios shook his head. “No, I don’t have any spells like that currently. One of my familiars gained quite a bit of power after our recent adventure and I can now jump to any place I have visited in the past. It’s a quite scary trip though.”

“Ah. The shadow?” Cynthia asked and he nodded. “That’s insane. How long did it take for you to get here?”

“Umbra?” Asterios asked and his shadowy familiar moved to his shoulder.

~Thirty seconds, more or less. I had to avoid a few spots since they were interfering with my ability. It’s not omnipotent, unfortunately.~ Umbra’s ancient voice resounded in their heads.

“And it was like eight minutes in a bottomless void for me. Trust me, you don’t want to try it.”

“Why? It’s so useful. Not that I even thought about using you as my personal teleporter.”

“Do you know who Suanori is?”

Cynthia smiled. “Of course. What elf wouldn’t?”

“A jump that felt to me like five minutes was three hours for her, causing her to almost faint afterward. She would prefer to never go again.”

“Okay, forget about that…'' Cynthia paled a little. “So, what brings you here anyway?”

Asterios brought forth the longsword and held it in front of the father-daughter duo. “I want to get a nice sheath for this little guy. It might be a bit troublesome though.”

Imadil whistled at the sight of the longsword and his eyes began to glow with a faint light. They quickly widened to the brim.

“This is some serious stuff. A real masterpiece, even if really, really old. It’s even covered with a myriad of arrays preventing me from using my Spellsong abilities to pry into its secrets. I do get that it can change the size and its weight, at least. It’s extremely sharp but I don’t see why it would be a problem to make something for it.”

Asterios pointed the tip towards the floor and rested it on the stone pavement, leaning the hilt towards the elf while raising one of his brows. Slightly confused, Imadil grabbed the handle and almost fell forward when he tried raising it and instead pulled himself down.

“Wha—” He grabbed Ast’s shoulder to stop himself while Cynitha snickered softly. “Come on. I thought you were different from her and here you are pulling such a prank. I saw how strong you are with that crate already.”

Chuckling and shaking his head, Asterios brought the weapon up and laid it down on a nearby pile of boxes.

“Try it now then.”

Imadil sighed and grabbed the hilt again. Unfortunately, he did so with a bit too much force again and ended up pulling himself into the boxes, toppling them in the process. The sword fell onto his back with a soft thud.

“Ow, ow, ow! It’s crushing me! I can’t breathe!” 

He was barely able to shout while wriggling under it; both he and his daughter were looking at the purple weapon with wide eyes. Asterios chuckled again and lazily lifted the mischievous blade by picking it up with two fingers. He then helped Imadil up.

“Get it now?”

The elf rubbed his back and smiled wryly. “Unbelievable… I think I do. Unless you accompany us during a few steps, we might have quite a problem getting measurements and such. Or even moving it around.”

“I can drop by whenever you have some time.”

“What about now?”

“Should be fine.”

“Alright. Let’s do it then. Want to join, Cynthia?”

His daughter nodded. “Of course. This seems very interesting. And I would gladly hear more about the circumstances behind its discovery.”

“I don’t mind. I’m almost sure some rumors will start spreading about us in a week or two so you at least won’t fall for the fake ones.”

“Now I’m even more interested.”

 

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