Shadow Slave

Tatal was an Ascended by then, having lived up to the expectations of the tribe's elders and become as powerful as her grandfather had been at the peak of his power. She had learned how to be a warrior from him. The previous shaman, meanwhile, had taught her the secret of sorcery, making her a Shaper.

Most of those elders had already left for the Realm of Shadows by then, and those who still lived were too old and decrepit to manage the affairs of the tribe. So, the responsibility for its well-being lay squarely on Tatal's shoulders. She did her best to safeguard her people — but, just as she had mentioned once, disaster was always around the corner.

Sometimes, it took less than a single bad decision to doom a tribe of humans. All that stood between them and extinction was a bit of bad luck.

This time, the bad luck of Tatal's people came from far away.

North of their valley, deep in the primal forest, lived the tribe of the One-Winged Crow. And beyond that, on the shore of a wide river, lived the tribe of the Sabertooth Tiger — they were the ones who brought calamity upon the people of this distant land.

No one knew how it happened, but the people of that tribe had somehow earned the wrath of a powerful Transcendent creature that dwelled in the heart of a vast and deadly marsh. Perhaps they had offended it somehow, or perhaps they had simply disturbed its slumber...

Perhaps the creature needed no reason at all, and was simply incensed by the smell of humans.

That creature was the Basilisk, and before anyone knew it, the Sabertooth tribe was entirely wiped out.

The shadow was not just anyone, of course. He knew it all because the den of the Basilisk was well within the borders of the vast area encompassed by its senses.

But what did he care if some tribe was destroyed by an enraged Devil? The Basilisk was not a Creature of Corruption, after all, and those people had brought its wrath upon themselves.

There was no peace among humans and noble creatures that populated the world. So what if all of them had come from the Flame? They still competed for the same forests, plains, and lakes. Some creatures built a relationship with humans, but some saw them as hateful pests instead. Some simply treated them as all other living beings — the weak were prey, the strong were a threat.

That Basilisk had been slumbering in the marsh for centuries, patiently incubating a clutch of precious eggs. The crafty humans thought that they could steal the eggs without awakening the giant creature, but panicked and destroyed them instead.

So, the shadow saw no reason to intervene... he did not care to intervene even if there had been a reason. Bullying a little Transcendent wyrm was not a good look for beings like him, anyway.

The problem, however, was that the Basilisk did not stop after destroying the Sabertooth tribe. Its rampage continued unabated, as if it was determined to eradicate all humans, everywhere, and soon, the neighboring tribes had tasted its wrath as well.

News spread slowly among the ancient humans, so most of them died without knowing the reason why their lives had come to an end. Entire villages were wiped out... the forest burned.

It was only when pillars of smoke rose into the sky, and battered refugees reached the surrounding tribes, their glassy eyes full of terror, that people learned about the approaching calamity.

But, for most of them, it was already too late.

That Shadow Tribe was late to learn the news, as well. In fact, they only learned it after tragedy struck.

When a handful of surviving Crows stumbled into their village — the last of the destroyed tribe — and told their tale in quiet, trembling voices, the first thing Tatal did was turn to look at the forest.

That was because her husband had led his men on a hunt a few days ago, venturing in the exact direction where the Basilisk was prowling.

Nobody knew if the hunters would return alive.

In the end... only a few of them did.

The hunting party had encountered the giant wyrm in the depths of the forest, and despite their courage and quick reflexes, the battle was brutal and one-sided. Most of them perished in a matter of moments,

and those who survived were only alive because of their chieftain's swift thinking, composure, and personal valor.

The chieftain himself — the little Wolf who had married Tatal once — returned alive, as well. However, he was grievously wounded. Worse than that, most of his right arm had turned to stone.

It was apparent that he would never hunt again.

The loss of the hunters and the crippling wounds of its chieftain were already a terrible blow for the tribe. But that was not where their problem ended — the Basilisk was still full of wrath and bloodlust, after all, and if it had already come this close to the village, it was only a matter of time before it descended upon it.

A world-ending disaster seemed to have befallen Tatal and her people.

The survivors of the Crow tribe, who had seen the Basilisk destroy their settlement like a living calamity, had only one piece of advice — run.

Run away, and pray to the gods for mercy. However, Tatal was in no hurry to flee with her people.

Looking at the village with a somber expression, she saw what others failed or refused to see.

There were too many people in the tribe now. They could abandon their homes and their livelihoods, but not all of them would survive away from their land — many would starve or die from exposure. Perhaps even most of them.

The land was a generous mother that fed and clothed them, but it was also a trap that tied them down like an inescapable shackle.

Even if they did survive... there was nowhere else to go.

After all, there was a reason why the elders had been forced to settle down. The land was vast, but it was not boundless. Every place where humans could survive had already been claimed by older and more powerful tribes, and those tribes would not welcome a crowd of hungry strangers — life was harsh for everyone, after all, and they were struggling to sustain their own people. So, if Tatal chose to take her people and flee, they would have only two ways to survive.

One would be for the tribe to disband, its people scattering to look for new homes. A few would be accepted by this village, a few would be accepted by that one... some would not be accepted at all. Most would perish in the wilderness, trying to make their way to a human settlement, and many of those who survived would spend the rest of their lives being treated badly by the original members of their new tribes.

The other way was simpler.

It was to take the land from another tribe, slaughtering its people and taking their place.

Things like that happened often. This realm was too remote and sparsely populated, and most of the tribes populating it were young, having only settled recently. But in the places that the Shadow Tribe had come from, humans turned their weapons against each other often... that was what the elders said, at least, since the oldest of them had witnessed it personally.

But even if Tatal was willing to take another tribe's land by force, there was no point in trying. She wouldn't do it, anyway.

Looking at the people of the Crow tribe, whose faces were pale like those of corpses, she said in a dark tone:

“Run? Can you outrun a Transcendent beast? How fast are you going to run, fools?"

If the beast was determined to eradicate all humans in the land, trying to run away would not save anyone.

The people looked at her in despair.

Several tribes were already gone. The Shadow Tribe seemed like it would follow them soon. Only gods knew how many more would be wiped out before the beast's fury was satiated, or before a more powerful creature stopped its rampage. They couldn't even flee.

Such was the fate of humans in the age when gods and daemons walked the earth. They were like ants beneath the feet of great and terrible beings... the horror of such existence could only be endured by turning yourself blind to the truth of the world.

But when the truth came knocking on your door, shutting your eyes was useless.

Tatal looked at the healer's house, where her husband was being treated. She looked at her frightened people. Then, she looked at the vast, dark forest beyond the fields.

"So what do we do, shaman? How can we survive?"

She remained silent for a long while, then unsheathed her precious copper knife and lowered her gaze to its sharp, polished blade.

At that point, the shadow expected her to pay his cave a visit.

But, to his surprise and dismay, Tatal went in the opposite direction instead.

Taking her bow and her spear, she changed from her beautifully embroidered wool dress into hide and leather, then left the village alone and entered the forest. She walked in the direction where the tribe's huntsmen had died.

‘What is that child doing?'

The shadow stirred, frowning mentally.

‘Has she lost her mind?’

Tatal did not seem panicked or grief-stricken. Her expression was somber, but also calm.

Her eyes were full of sorrow, but also dark and unshaken resolve.

‘Where are you going, fool?’

The shadow gnashed its teeth — he would have, rather, if he had them. The vast darkness of his being seethed restlessly. But, oblivious to his inner turmoil, Tatal continued moving toward danger.

By the morning of the next day, she reached the spot where the Basilisk had attacked the hunters. There, paling at the sight of carnage, she gritted her teeth and began tracking the beast.

It was then that the shadow did something he had not done in countless years... that he had never wanted or thought to do since the birth of the world.

He left his cave, manifesting into a vaguely human shape in Tatal's path.

His cold voice was stern when he asked, barely suppressing his irritation:

"What do you think you're doing?"

Tatal looked at him in confusion, then smiled faintly.

"Shadow?"

She hesitated for a moment, then continued walking, soon passing him.

“I'm on my way to kill the Basilisk. What else?"

Tatal inhaled deeply, then said in a lighthearted tone:

"My husband will be down when he comes to his senses and finds out what happened to his arm. So... I'll bring him the Basilisk's hide as a present. It won't be as soft as bear hide, but it might still lift his mood."

The shadow pursed his lips, then spun around and followed.

“Foolish girl, you have barely Ascended. That wyrm is a Transcendent Devil... it was one step away from becoming a Tyrant. Why are you trying to fight it? Why are you here alone?"

Tatal shrugged.

"You said it yourself, Shadow. The beast is Transcendent... those of my warriors that still live are no more than Awakened. Their spears won't even scratch its scales."

The shadow almost cursed.

"Isn't there someone else who can help you?"

Tatal raised an eyebrow.

"I can pray to the gods, I guess. But the gods are too great and distant to care about a mortal woman like me. So I'd rather not waste my breath."

This time, the shadow did have teeth. So, he gritted them and fell silent for a short while, trying to suppress the words that struggled to escape his mouth.

But, in the end, he couldn't — even if his entire being rose against uttering them aloud.

“Me! You could have asked me! That little worm is nothing for me! I can kill it in a second!"

Tatal continued walking, a pale smile illuminating her face.

In the end, she shook her head quietly.

“No, Shadow. I could never ask you to kill someone for me."

He scoffed.

“Why?"

Tatal lowered her head.

After taking half a dozen steps, she turned to look at him, a deep emotion hidden in her eyes.

"I think I understand now, Shadow... the reason you refused to kill me, all those years ago."

Tatal looked ahead.

"I have only ever killed one person, and the burden of that death is still following me around. But you, you said that you had killed too many living things to count. That weight... it must be crushing you, Shadow. How could I ever ask you to kill more? For me?"

She smiled sadly.

“What kind of friend would ask that?"

The shadow stared at her, aghast.

That foolish, little human... was pitying him? Was concerned about him?

‘Humans really are the silliest of creatures!’

He exhaled slowly.

“So you'd rather put your entire tribe in danger? Your husband? You children? You'd rather risk... yourself?"

Tatal remained silent for a long while. When she looked at the shadow again, her smile was gone, replaced by a soft expression.

"Shadow... I'm not that selfless, Shadow."

She shook her head slowly.

"It's just that even if all of them have forgotten — and you as well, perhaps — I still remember. I realized it at some point, years ago."

She smiled at him.

"You are the greatest danger to my tribe, Shadow. We are alive only because you allow us to live. If you can kill the Basilisk in a second, then how long will it take you to wipe us out? How easy would it be for you to kill us all?"

She pursed his lips.

"This calamity has happened because the Basilisk started killing and couldn't stop. What happens if you start killing on my behalf? Will there come a day when you won't stop?"

Her voice grew quieter.

“Will there come a day when I won't be able to stop myself from asking you to kill for me?"

Looking down, Tatal shook her head.

“No... that man I killed. I sentenced him to death, so I took his life with my own hands, without asking someone else to bloody theirs. The Basilisk is no different. I have decided that its life must end, so I will end it!"

With that, she hurried her steps.

The shadow fell back, watching her go in stunned silence.

At that moment, he felt something he had not felt in a long while... had never felt before, perhaps.

The familiar, biting sting of powerlessness.

...A few days later, after a long and dreadful battle, surrounded by shattered cliffs and ravaged earth, Tatal slayed a Transcendent Devil, the Basilisk, with her copper blade. She ended its life with her own hands, without asking anyone else to do it for her.

She could not take its hide to gift it to her husband, though, because it was as tough as stone — the copper knife was utterly powerless against it. So, the shadow helped her skin the dead Devil.

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