After about a month of living in the outer settlement, Sunny woke up one morning with the feeling of not belonging anywhere in this world. This familiar feeling had pursued him for most of his life, and had returned recently after being gone for some time.
With a sigh, he rose from his narrow cot and summoned the Puppeteer's Shroud. The stone lodge was already full of sounds and voices. The tempting smell of breakfast filled the air.
Coming out of his small room, Sunny saw a bunch of Neph's helpers rushing here and there, busy with various tasks. Some of them stopped to greet him, others did not. He paid no attention to them and went outside to wash his face and take a look at the sky.
The grey sky of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e looked as it always did. Nothing ever really changed in this loathsome h.e.l.l.
On his way back, Sunny noticed a gaunt figure standing hesitantly near the doors of the lodge. The ragged young man looked very familiar.
Reaching into his memory, Sunny identified him as the friendly, but nervous receptions from the castle. His clothes were much less clean and tidy than they had been before, and his face had become even thinner.
The young man had clearly seen better days.
'What is he doing there?'
Coming closer, Sunny called out to the young man:
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"Uh… Harper, right? How come you're here?"
Harper flinched, then looked at him with anxious eyes:
"Oh… Sunless! It's, uh… it's so nice to see you."
Sunny stared at him for a while, then asked bluntly:
"Did they kick you out of the castle?"
Harper's face instantly fell. Lowering his gaze, he stayed silent for a few moments, and then said quietly:
"I haven't been able to pay the tribute anymore. So… yes. I guess they did."
Then he glanced up, hesitated, and asked in a weak voice:
"I… I heard that I can get some food here?"
Sunny tried to give him a rea.s.suring smile.
"Sure. Usually, we give out meat after the hunts. But if you're hungry right now, I'm certain there's something we can do. Just talk to… uh… a girl with red hair. She's in charge of breakfast, I think."
Harper smiled, too, the weak light of hope igniting in his eyes.
"Really? They will just give me a meal for free?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Why not? We have enough food right now. Most of those guys and girls are always here, anyway. They're like guests that won't le… uh, doesn't matter. They help around, doing this and that, to express their grat.i.tude, I guess. If you feel guilty just eating for free, ask them for some ch.o.r.e. This might not be the Bright Castle, but you'll see that life here can be not bad as well."
Guiding the gaunt young man inside, Sunny directed him toward the kitchen and sighed.
Even castle dwellers were now coming to their lodge. If this went on, he would have to share his room with some random stranger. What a joke.
Entering the main hall, he noticed Nephis and Caster standing near the window, discussing the approaching hunt. This morning, there were several hunters from other parties surrounding them. The cohort had been planning a big joint hunt for a while now, and today was the day.
'Did they just... start without me?'
Hiding his discontent, Sunny walked over to the group of hunters and greeted them. Caster smiled at him, while Nephis simply nodded. The other hunters glanced at the new arrival and didn't pay him much attention.
'Fools. If you knew who stands before you…'
Consoling himself with these childish thoughts, Sunny listened to the discussion. One of the hunters was speaking:
"...South of the collapsed lighthouse is a good choice, but the Awakened creatures living there have an incredibly sharp hearing. Attacking them in large numbers won't be easy."
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 s.p.a.ce 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…"
Suddenly finding something that he could be helpful with, Sunny said:
"Uh, I have a bell that can…"
However, his voice drowned in the buzz of the conversation. No one paid attention to his words.
Embarra.s.sed, Sunny inhaled deeply, waited for a few seconds, and spoke again:
"Actually, we can use one of my two sound-producing Memories to…"
But right at that moment, Caster seemed to come up with a brilliant idea. Everyone listened to him, turning their backs to Sunny. It was as though he was completely invisible.
'What… what's even the d.a.m.n point?'
Sunny stood there for a minute or two, feeling awkward, angry, and utterly stupid. Then he simply turned around and walked away.
Finding his way to the roof of the lodge, he climbed on top of the second-storey addition and sat there, solemnly watching as the sun slowly climbed up. After a while, Sunny sighed and closed his eyes, letting the shadow slip back into the building.
Just as he had expected, no one even noticed his absence. Not surprised, he sent the shadow around the lodge, watching all the people who were busy making Neph's mysterious plans happen.
Everyone seemed full of energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of belonging.
Why was he the only one who couldn't fit in?
Even that guy from the castle, Harper, had already found some friends. He was currently helping the red-haired girl who was in charge of breakfast wash the dishes.
Sunny frowned.
Something… something wasn't quite right with Harper. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the gaunt young man seemed a little off, somehow.
Forgetting all about his bad mood, Sunny concentrated on watching the timid Sleeper. Harper seemed to do just what any newcomer would do: helping people, learning their names, and asking questions about how things worked in the Changing Star's party. It seemed as though he wanted very badly to stay in the lodge and become useful. Which was understandable.
But something was wrong.
Sunny's suspicions were confirmed when, about an hour later, Harper left the lodge and went back into the slum. With the shadow stealthily following him from behind, the gaunt young man made sure that no one saw him and hurriedly dove into a secluded alley. Deep in the darkness of that alley, a man was waiting for him.
Sunny frowned, recognizing one of the high-ranking Guards from the castle.
'So that's what all this is about.'
The Guard, meanwhile, glared at Harper and asked in a rough, unfriendly tone:
"Well?"
Harper looked down, his fear and anxiousness apparent.
"Yes! Yes, uh, sir. I've done what you told me. It wasn't very hard."
The Guard smiled.
"Good. It seems that you really do want to return to the castle."
Harper glanced up, a desperate light igniting in his eyes.
"Really? So… I can return? Even though I don't have any shards to pay the tribute?"
The smile disappeared from the Guard's face.
"You will be able to return after you gather all the information that I told you to learn. If you do, I'll invite you inside myself. No need to even worry about the tribute. But! Remember: I need to know everything about the core members of the cohort, including Saint Nephis herself. Their Aspects, their Abilities, their Flaws. I even want to know what hand they use to wipe. Understand?"
Harper paled.
"But, sir… things like that… it won't be easy to learn them! Especially for, for a simple servant like me."
The Guard frowned.
"Didn't you say that you knew two of the cohort members already? This is why I gave you this chance to begin with. Did you lie to me, boy?"
The gaunt young man flinched.
"No! No, I do know them. I actually spoke with Lady Changing Star's scout already. He… he is a friend of mine."
A wide, menacing smile appeared on the Guard's face.
"When what's the problem? Just get that fool talking. Rats like him will tell you everything as long as you pay them a little attention, believe me. I'm willing to bet that this useless freeloader is walking around full of jealousy and delusions of grandeur. Pretend to respect him even a little, and he won't be able to shut up."
'Ouch.'
Harper nodded, then suddenly hesitated. After a few moments of silence, he asked in a timid voice:
"Sir… you won't hurt them, will you? They are… they are good people."
The Guard stared at him for a second or two, then said in a dark, mocking tone:
"Why do you ask if you already know the answer?"
Hearing those words, Harper deflated. His face darkened, and he lowered his head, as though ashamed to look straight.
...However, he didn't object.
'That b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Just wait and see…'
Sunny was already planning the beating he was going to give the cowardly young man before throwing him out of the lodge, but at that moment, a voice called out for him.
It was Effie.
"Hey, doofus! Are you asleep? Come down, the hunt is starting!"
Torn away from the shadow's perspective, Sunny threw a dark glance at the tall huntress, called his shadow back, and sighed.
'I'll deal with him after we return.'
…But by the time he returned, Sunny was in no state to deal with anything.
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