90 Creature of Shadow (2/2)

Rainer did just that. Weaving in between them and draining the life from said wolves was a creature of shadow. It distorted itself and seemed to move in and out of space as it teleported between them and avoided all attempts to be attacked in turn. One by one the wolves started dying.

After several tries and an assist from [Arcane Revelation], Rainer finally managed to pin it down with an [Appraisal].

[Shade-being, Undefined, Chimera Shade lvl 14]

[Title: Life-stealer]

It was one of the Souls they agreed as a possible target. When it came to information on it in the Hunter's Guild, there was a simple 'do not antagonize and avoid it at all cost' message. It seemed the monster was almost impossible to hit. And even if its attacks were weak, the being was tenacious. It was only the final note that a Spatial Mage had managed to pin one down and kill it, that Rainer knew he possibly could do the same.

Of course, Rainer had [Void Hold] and knew it had a high chance of stopping it from running away, especially given the difference between them with the shade-being around the strength of mid tier 2. And after that, he still had his [Arcane-Spatial Domain] to try a more magic-based method of capture if need be.

He might also be able to just stun it by attacking its Soul directly. The difference in their resource pools and Souls was enough that it stood little chance in defending against that. Worst case scenario either running or killing it with spatial magic, [Void Call], or [Arcane Blade] was always on the table.

The only question was if he could switch from holding it to holding its Soul quick enough. Either way, its soul, full or partial, should be useful given its natural skill set.

”I'll go grab Kara,” Rainer said, drawing Arcane from the Arcanium as he weakened the space around him and then vanished. He left Luna and Tiamat behind with Gunthar so that he could make the Void-walk with Kara easier. Especially given that he wasn't fully used to long-distance travel with another person under the Magic of the Dragon Isles. They had long since agreed and talked with Kara about having her help given what happened after Gunthar consumed the last Soul.

”Where is it?” Kara asked with a slight hitch in her voice, when the freezing air entered her lungs.

”Down there, attacking those monsters. I'll Void-walk us in before it absorbs any more life and strength. I'll hold it down while you and Gunthar finish off the others.” Rainer said, the creatures the Shade hunted were nowhere near the second tier in strength.

”Ready when you are, Sorcerer.”

”As am I,” Kara said, easily fixing the issue of heat by cladding herself in a thin layer of Aura.

Rainer nodded before taking Gunthar with Kara and [Void-walking] forward. It took just moments for the Undead's blade and Kara's own to cut through the wolf-monsters.

Rainer appeared instantly beside the target and put the shadowy beast in a [Void Hold]. Momentarily surprised at how little Void Will it actually took to pin this shade thing, he watched as it's shadowy form oozed into reality and took a physical form.

”Can understand?” Rainer asked in his disjointed Druidic Language, before waving Gunthar to kill the shadowy creature when there was no answer as expected. Whatever this mountain did, it was thorough in turning monsters into mindless and aggressive beasts.

”Speaker, speaker can speak.”

Though it seemed this one wasn't so mad. Rainer stopped Gunthar in his tracks by grabbing his shoulder. It was just like the poor Undead's luck that when they finally found and captured the most needed Soul, it proved to be intelligent.

”Sorcerer?”

”Looks like our search isn't over,” Rainer said, gently releasing the being from his [Void Hold] but keeping a close watch nonetheless. While the notes on this creature were general and not necessarily specific to any of its members, it was hard not to be cautious around a monster known for tracking down those who've tried to attack it no matter how far they run.

”What do you mean?” Kara asked.

”The monster is similar to Delilah it seems,” Rainer replied and wondered just how bad the Undead's luck really was given that monsters at this level of strength were almost never intelligent enough to speak.

”You speak?” The shadowy being shook itself as it gently floated towards Rainer. It looked like some sort of a demented black creature covered in fur and scales with three shadowy paws and a single arm from various species, a goat's head next to a lizard's, and a tail instead of legs now that it stopped constantly distorting itself and took on a physical shape. Not that it mattered since it floated naturally.

”I speak,” Rainer sighed.

”No speaker here long time,” The being added, as Rainer noted unlike Delilah, who could speak well even if Rainer couldn't, this monster seemed to be less intelligent.

”You free to go, sorry attack.”

”Why attack?” The being asked curiously, seemingly not at all bothered by their previous conflict.

Rainer raised an eyebrow as the shadowy thing sort of floated beside him but didn't make a move to remove him as said being kept its Aura fiercely restricted.

”Need Soul, your kind. Help friend, lots,” Rainer answered before making a note to level the language when he had a chance. He did have a [Soul-Trace] on Furtak after-all, and it shouldn't be hard to visit Delilah from there, though, he needed to remember not to bring Tiamat to that meeting.

”You spare being, being help you find another me.”

”Not willing to kill sane being. Speaking being.”

He felt the thing thinking. Before Rainer had a chance to even understand that new sensory input, it spoke again.

”Mountain makes us mad. Magic of angry dead dragon fill us. Change us. Cannot Save. Only I stay normal. Put madness in second head. Hunt for brothers. Free from madness.”

”Can brothers leave not madness place?” Rainer inwardly cringed as he tried to piece together this sentence.

”Leave no help, madness follows.”

”Lead us to brothers?” Rainer asked, before realizing that he should probably take Tiamat away from here before that. It was easy to forget the little dragon technically fell under the same category as any monster and might eventually be affected by the mountain. Or she might not be, she was a dragon after all. And he wasn't entirely sure she fell under the same category as most considered dragons as. Either way, It would take only a moment to go to Lilia and find her and ask her to stay with Tiamat in their room for a bit. One could read anywhere after all.

”Lead, will lead. Will lead new brothers to old brothers.”

”Stop chewing on my hair…” Rainer said as the goat head of the Shade-being recoiled back. Messing around with [Arcane Sound Infusion] and [Will of the Arcane] made it easy enough to modify the [Druidic Magic Language]. Though, he doubted he would have succeeded in that effort so quickly were it not for the concept being an entirely new skill. His [Archon] class truly helped him out. He thought as he momentarily looked over the recent skill gain.

[Skill Gained: Arcane Druidic Magic Language lvl 1/10]

[Title Gained: Arcane Shaman]

[Experience Gained: 0.1%, 1.7%]

With the Arcane bonus and his own control over Arcane, speaking normally with the monster was easy enough. On top of that, keeping a bit of Arcane in the air made the reverse easier to understand.

”Sorry. Second head is mad.”

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Not that the monster spoke any better. Rainer rolled his eyes at the distorted giggle-laugh that came from the goat-head. He got the feeling both shared a bit of the madness. Nothing on the notes of this monster ever had it shown as a thing like this. They were described as shadowy beings, and the rare record of its actual appearance showed something akin to an oblong amorphous blob.

”So why are you sitting on me?” Rainer asked, hoping not to lose any hair. He found himself a bit more attached to it after his experience with Void Will. That, and obviously no one would like to have their hair eaten by a goat-head attached to a chimera...shadow?

”Brother comfortable. Brother have great shadow within. Great Brother to have such shadow.”

So the Void Will? Rainer assumed. The shade-being had warmed up to him strangely quick, especially given they had attacked it. Now he was less worried about some weird plot, given that said closeness could be entirely artificial. So he made no moves to remove the thing from him.

He also could speed up the growth of his hair with a targeted [Arcane Invigoration]...maybe. It was a thought of his that he never really got around to trying. It might also be fun to pretend that he spent decades in some weird time-altered realm by growing his hair down to the floor and surprising Kara. Getting Luna to glamour in some wrinkles or signs of aging wouldn't even be hard. Even better, his coming reunion with his grandfather and mom...

”I can hear you plotting something from here, Sorcerer. I only ask if it is related to me?”

”It's not.”

”Then that is most excellent. Continue with your plotting, Sorcerer.”

”What about me?” Kara asked and found the silence more telling than anything else. She briefly recalled Rainer still owed her his promised revenge for when she had Gunthar trick him. Back when Gunthar pretended that the ritual to make him Rainer's undead went wrong.

The [Chimera Shade] had led them to another shade easily enough, and it proved no more difficult to catch. Rainer stared at the struggling Shade-being in his [Void Hold], his new 'brother' went around and then grabbed the same being with his own power. The [Archon] switched his target to the being's soul as an [Aura Blade] covered Gunthar's sword.

[Shade-being, Undefined, Twisting Shade lvl 21]

[Title: Shadow Controller]

”Hello?” Rainer checked again, and like with the hawk the attempt to communicate failed. Knowing they were once at a similar level of intelligence to the Chimera, he checked over the being with [Arcane Revelation] but came up short. Whatever the cause to their madness was either not easily visible or something that changed the monsters on a physical level rather than magical.

”I'm ready, go ahead Gunthar,” Rainer said before calling out with the [Devil's Soul Language] just before an [Aura Blade] dealt the finishing blow.

With a force of will, Rainer descended the Void and then quickly grabbed the entire soul before any parts could escape. Gunthar slowly assimilated with it, having a prior experience with a far more powerful soul. It seemed Gunthar would be taking far longer this time, Rainer noticed as he glanced around the dark cave they found the thing in. Only the light of his armed [Arcane Bolt]s lit the surroundings.

With the task complete, the [Chimera Shade] did...something...to the body and it vanished within it. That made Rainer grow cautious. He'd have to make sure the shade didn't grow powerful enough that the situation could end up going poorly.

”I check surroundings, Brother stay with New Dead Brother,” The shade said before giving a long look at Gunthar, who now already emanated a bit of the shade's power from the full soul.

Before Rainer could stop it, given that he could easily check with [Soul Detection] and [Void Detection], the shade crawled on the ground like a 5-legged spider with its four arms and tail giving him a distinct flashback to a certain alien movie. He'd be protecting his face from now on.

It moved with a slight hitch from uneven limbs as it went on surprisingly fast. Rainer felt a shiver as he watched it disappear further into the cave. Luna's comment, coming from his shoulder, caused him to shiver even more.

”How cute…”

What was with her sense of aesthetics? He complained to himself wondering, when one day they would have a home, what Luna's decoration tastes would lead to.

”Yes Luna. It is most certainly the type of thing that can be called cute,” Kara deadpanned, she too had stared at it when it cluttered away.

”Can we keep it?” Luna asked with shining eyes as she fluttered in front of Rainer.

”Luna, I think it's a bit too intelligent to 'keep'. We'll wait and see,” He was curious what exactly the shade-being planned on doing once they found all of its brothers. Luna, however, did not accept his answer. The pouting Fairy kept floating right in his face.

”We'll wait and see?” Kara mumbled in the background with more than a bit of concern.

”Even if you pout Luna, I can't make it stay.”

”Even though Luna is so cute?”

”Even so.”

”Even Luna will hope for the best then.”

”If you're trying to continue the chain at least try a bit harder.”

”Rainer complains the same as Boob-Rainer.”

Before Rainer could dissuade her from using that nickname for his sister, he heard Gunthar stand and felt a surge of power as their connection demanded more resources. Rainer gladly gave in, hoping that this time his friend could manage the Soul.

Rainer opened his eyes wide as he watched the former [Arcane Reaper] turn ethereal, before disappearing like a puff of black smoke.

”That is a most unpleasant form of travel,” Gunthar's voice came from behind Rainer, forcing him to turn. His bones were still a strange black as he himself looked like a distorted hologram. Moments later, he dissipated the ability and was back to usual.

”Congratulations, Gunthar,” Rainer said as the Undead stood still as if getting a sense for the changes in his body.

[Undead, Male, Arcane Lord of Souls(2nd)lvl 5, Death Knight lvl 25]

[Title: Soul Harvester]

Gunthar shifted his body as he took on the [Devil King] form. His shape changed, growing to a greater height with more fearsome horns on his head. And like never before, he called upon a second Soul and vanished. Reappearing like smoke he struck out with an [Aura Blade], cleaving into the cavern wall.

Rainer watched the far more powerful energy emerging from Gunthar. The [Devil King] soul transformation seemed far more manageable by the Undead than before.

”Thank you, Sorcerer, for everything.”

”There's never a need for thanks between us.”