A Sudden Shadow

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There was a celebration in Chartreuse Town when the princess returned with the missing children, and the last of the golems were reduced to dust.

Everyone celebrated their survival, cheering and drinking and feasting, grateful to the Goddess above that they lived another day. They partied around the large carcass of a dead demon, bigger than any house in town, as the bodies of the slaughtered invaders burnt at the edge of town, a message to those who would attack the lands under the protection of the Goddess of Light;

‘My champion was here, and they will see my light remain unfettered across these lands.’

All but one person in the village celebrated, a cloaked man in dark leather armor with a neck gaiter of a silenced mouth around his lower face. His body was merging with the darkness of a destroyed building, all but concealed from sight. Two white lines where his eyes were hidden behind his cloak watched the princess share a drink with a stranger in torn clothes. A knife rested in his hands, as he waited for the perfect opportunity.

One might think that killing the knights the princess gave her magic to was a foolish idea. That he only made the princess stronger.

The man would consider those people fools.

Yes, the princess with all her halos returned was incomparably stronger than she was with just two. But she would retrieve her halos once the threat was over anyways.

Killing the knights was, in fact, the smartest decision one could do here. With every death, the halos would return, but the magic spent to both loan out halos, and for the halos to be used by the knights, along with whatever damage to the stores of magic the cloaked man’s attacks did, saw the princess with a significantly impacted amount of magic.

Not only that, the emotions of her close companions dying, and especially her dear friend being a sacrifice to the God of Blood, would see her burn through the recently returned magic like a fire burns through logs.

Furthermore, wine and ale can addle the minds of the strongest of champions, and the princess was a known lightweight when she felt her duty complete. As soon as she was too dizzy to even pray for help, his sanctified blade would end her life, and her blessed lineage in a moment.

So yes, the princess had all nine halos right now. But with how today went, she’d be lucky to have the strength of one halo.

A perfect retribution for the princess who slaughtered his companions. And a perfect chance to soothe his own pride for the injury he suffered earlier.

At least, it should have been.

Yet, the man found himself slammed against a wall of the broken house. The force was enough to spread cracks through the stone. Four shadowy tendrils pressed against his shoulders and his thighs, keeping him pushed into the wall by a figure appearing from the shadows before him.

For a moment, the man thought it was one of the Chosen, and the emissary of Blood was here to punish him for wasting so much life.

But he never heard of that woman having eyes like silver slits, popping out of the darkness, moving too fluidly for a human body, too alien. As if the mysterious attacker was the shadows themselves.

The man was not the type to be afraid. He believed fully in his cause. Yet, as the tendrils felt slimy and cold against him, and the eyes studied him, slinking around the shadows, he felt a chill travel through his spine.

“W-who ar-”

A voice, low yet undeniably wrong, came from everywhere, and nowhere. It felt like a voice whispered in his ear. It felt like a voice scratching at the back of his mind. It felt like a voice spoken in front of him. It felt like a voice spoken from the wall behind him. It felt like a voice from the tendrils pressing against him. And it felt like his own voice leaving his mouth. “Shush now.” A fifth slimy appendage pressed against his lips, as if ignoring the cloth around his mouth. The man kept his lips as shut as possible, feeling that if he allowed the appendage in, he would die. “I’ll be asking the questions.”

Despite the situation, the man refused to give up. Refused to be strong-armed. Not when he was so close to succeeding. If he had to die to advance the cause, then he would gladly give his life. All his brothers and sisters would. So he struggled. He forced his limbs to push against the walls, and began to force back the tendrils.

Until a cracking sound from the wall behind him began to slowly drag out. A white, toothy cheshire smile appeared in the shadows. “Ah, ah, ah.” The voice teasingly taunted. “I would think twice about moving, unless you’d like everyone to come investigate the noise.”

Reluctantly, the man gave up, but still stared daggers at the 'face' in the shadows. He kept his mouth shut, even as the slimy appendage began teasing at his chin and cheeks. The cloaked man would bide his time and listen. He couldn’t afford to waste this perfect opportunity, not after so many died!

“Good boy.” A hand could be felt patting his head. The appendage around his mouth pulled back. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

The man kept his mouth shut, but his eyes glanced at the princess, whose cheeks were turning red as she chugged another mug of ale. The strange man next to her was shoveling food down his throat like he’d never have another chance. Occasionally, the two would clink their mugs together.

The eyes followed his, and the smile grew. “I see. Revenge against the princess. And why would you want to kill a pretty little tool like that?”

“She killed-”

The smile flipped upside down, followed by the eyes, recreating the smile from another angle. “Petty revenge? Boring! Is that all you’re here for? You attacked a town for revenge? I guess you’re not as interesting as I thought.”

He suddenly had the feeling of impending death. He didn’t know how he was about to die. Just that he was a rabbit in front of a wolf. “Wait! Wait!” The man whisper-yelled, stopping the feeling for a brief moment.

But when the man didn’t continue speaking, the feeling grew closer.

“I-I-I… We’re trying to overthrow the Goddess of Light! Or besmirch her at least! And killing her champion would forever damage her connection to this world!"

With every word he spoke, the feeling of impending death retreated, until it felt like the unseen blade of murder was sheathed.

“And, who do you wish to see supplant this Goddess?” The voice was curious, yet seeming to already have an answer in mind.

“The… the Trifecta, the chosen of the champions of the Pariah gods…”

The voice hummed. “I’ll let you live if you take me to these ‘Champions.’ I have much to discuss with them.”

“I am not afraid of de-” The man tried to say, but he suddenly felt… a warmth move through him, from the pressure on his chest. And without meaning, he began to smile. A genuine smile. His cheeks stretched unfamiliarly as he felt like laughing in joy.

Panic rose in the man. He had no reason to smile. No reason to find joy, yet it felt like he was one of those spoiled brats who got presents on their birthday. His whole body felt like rejoicing in his newly found good mood. He felt like he could burst out into song at any moment.

And that was terrifying. The shadows were doing something to him! They had to! Why else would he be chuckling! No affliction existed that could affect him through his blessing of Silence!

Tears streamed out of his eyes as he felt lighter than ever. The smile wasn’t unnatural, but he was not one to smile and laugh. Not after all he had been subjected to. Not after all others had done to him.

“Wha-what are you doing?!” He choked out past giggles and laughs, trying to bite his lips to hold the joy back. “S-stop it!”

“No, I don’t think I will. You’re not afraid of dying. But what about identity death? Do you even have that concept? To live on, but as someone else. Maybe I’ll remove your past memories, so this new you is all that is left in your body. Or I could leave you painfully aware of how much of an airheaded bundle of joy you’ll become? Up to you. I’ll find your leaders regardless, the only thing you can do right now is determine my mood when I find them.”

The man wanted to call the shadow’s bluff. There was no such magic that could erase someone’s personality. No spell or ritual that could force joy and laughter. Yet when a particularly high pitched squeak of laughter escaped his lips, and his body desired to dance with the villagers, he knew something was inherently wrong with this monster. If he could be affected by this thing, even through the blessings of his god, who knew what else it was capable of.

“Fine! Mercy! Please!” He began giggling nonstop, crying harder as he writhed like he was being tickled. “Just make it stop!”

And then the bubbly feelings began leaving his body. He was dropped unceremoniously down to the ground, where he rubbed his sore cheeks. “What…. What are you?” He glared at the eyes in the shadow, a mix of anger and fear in him. But were either of these emotions his own? Or were they implanted by this unknown thing?

The figure in the shadows moved closer to the edge of the alleyway, glancing at the princess drunkenly dragging the stranger into an impromptu dance. Both kept tripping over each other, barely keeping their own balance. The princess was drunk, but the man clearly had no experience in dancing.

“I’m looking to experience what I was robbed of before.” The smile in the shadows grew sickeningly wide when the two dancers finally fell to the ground, a pile of giggles. “And I do so love stacking a deck in my favor.”

The eyes turned back to the man, moving over him, and a tendril grabbed his shoulder, heaving him up to his feet. “As for what I am? I doubt you even have the concept. But you may call me… Shoggoth.”

One of Shoggoth’s tendrils glowed orange, before the two disappeared in a brief flash of otherworldly magic.