Artemis shot backwards, propelling himself with his hands as he cursed.
"Stay away from me— Daemon!" He spat through gasping breaths, the approaching miasmic ivy seeking his very soul.
He knew what manner of beast this was, what vile creature he was staring down. He needed to flee! This wasn't something he could fight, it was certainly something he didn't want to have a discussion with! He kicked back with his feet, his hands dragging along the surface of the white powder as he distanced himself as fast as he could from the trembling liquid.
"Daemon… yes… well, don't retreat too far just because you're scared."
He suddenly felt nothing underneath his hands. Only air. His heart suddenly felt heavy as he began to tumble backwards, directly off the face of the black-stone cliff he had appeared on.
Artemis quickly thrust forward, burying his blade deep into the stone, leaving him dangling high above an endless sea of coruscating grey fog.
Aagh, damn it! Why is everything going wrong today!?
First the disappearance of my attendants and Guard, and now this!?
Whoever is meddling in my affairs is someone I need to have a serious word with!
As he began to hoist himself up, he felt the weakness in his muscles from his training directly inhibit them. If he had know he was going to face such a perilous situation, he would have slacked a bit, just like his Guard tended to do…
…then again, even with the strength they often saved, none of those fools would be able to contend with something like this!
The thought almost robbed him of his immediate sense of urgency, wanting to laugh once more at their expense.
He saw the black liquid peek over the edge, peering down at him. The hidden facial expressions gradually warped into a cruel smile.
"You might just find yourself falling if you run too far, boy." It let out a sinister and hollow chuckle. "But why run from me? Do you fear such pleasantly generous beings?"
"Daemons!? Generous!?" Artemis retorted, struggling to find a foothold in the craggy stone. Each point he tried to rest his boot on was sharp and jagged, biting into the leather and causing pain to radiate through his soles. "Tricksters, fiends, Sinners!"
"An enticing idiom. Certainly fun. But have you yet considered where you are, dear Hunter? I am here to help you."
Artemis scoffed.
"Well, I first considered that I might have fallen below the Palace. But unless a cluster of crystals has suddenly littered the cavern ceiling, I fail to believe that I'm anywhere near the Capital, much less the Blackbaast. My continent does not bear such fantastical arrays of lights in the sky, much less this myriad of beautiful colours."
The bright abyss overhead which he had seen out of the corner of his eye as he began his climb was truly gorgeous. If he were not in danger of dying he might have spent more than a moment to study it, these splashes of paint which illuminated the shadow overhead.
"A mere illusion from the moon. But this Blackbaast you speak of, I know no such continent by that name."
"So we come to the same conclusion." Artemis grinned as he spoke through gritted teeth, finally finding a place for his foot as he propelled himself up. He pulled his sword from the stone, flipping over the edge of the cliff before landing beside the black liquid, raising the point of his blade to it. "That you are either a great fool, or this is not my home."
"And that is the most enticing truth. Are you not, by chance, a Hunter?"
Artemis shrugged. "I am a Prince. We employ Hunters, not act in their stead. But I am also a Captain of the Palace Guard. I hunt men when they have done wrong. So it would be wise to say that I am, and am not."
The Daemon clicked its tongue, spinning around like a fiery wisp in the air, flecks of black liquid trailing behind it.
"It would be wise to remain a Hunter in this Shadow. No one has use for anyone otherwise."
"No one else? So you imply that there are others here, in this strange plain?"
He watched as the hidden expression in the shifting liquid gradually twisted. He couldn't quite discern the emotion, but it certainly didn't look pleasant.
"People? In the Shadow? Oh no, dear Hunter, none of those. Just monsters, and the one who watches. Perhaps He has sent you here with some hope. I have been waiting here for someone like you."
"The one who watches? What do you mean by that?"
"The creator of the Shadow, of course. Who else would I mean? You really aren't from here, are you?"
An odious chortle rang out through the air.
The Daemon continued.
"I cannot leave this Cradle of Ash of my own volition. It is habit, I'm afraid, for a Spirit to remain tethered without a vessel."
"And that's why you say you've been waiting for someone like me?"
"It only makes sense, that if a Hunter were to arrive in the Shadow, they would seek the City beyond the Cradle of Ash. That is where nearly all monsters reside. And if I were to promise them my assistance, of course they would take me along with them. What eschews you from the help of a Daemon?"
"Upbringing. My people do not like yours." Artemis had relaxed himself slightly, lowering his sword, but not his guard.
"And what of you? Are you the sum of your people?"
"I am just someone who wants to go home. Maybe this really is a realm of dreams for a Hunter, but I am just a man. My brother will soon return from a journey, I would like to greet him. And I will not ask you if you know of a way to return home, I know you Daemons lie." He paused for a moment, weighing his words as he mulled over his options. If he wanted to escape this place, to return home, he needed to find a certain way out of here. And this Daemon, this incomprehensible being… it was capable of doing so many incomprehensible things. "But in deals, your contracts, you tell truths. So Daemon, how about this? I will be your Hunter, so help me leave this… Shadow."
Artemis extended his hand outwards. The tendrils that had paused their advances now twitched slightly, as if contemplating his offer. Daemonic Spirits loved to make deals, contracts, as all Spirits did. While the terms of these contracts were often dire, their promises were always met.
This would be his way out of the Shadow.
"I can certainly accomplish this. But if you wish to be a Hunter, I will give you many things to hunt. They will be terrifying beasts, terrible monsters that plague not just the body but the mind. I am not just a lost soul, I am a glutton. I love to eat. I will feast on the corpses of the creatures you fell through your body, I will inhabit you in place of your left eye. I will grant you immense power at great cost, and infest your mind with my endless quips…"
The Daemon paused for a moment, slowly extending its hand instead.
"Is this something you can accept?"
He took his time to consider this initially, and now countless thoughts ran through his head. But the debate at the forefront of his mind was his focus.
I could abandon this creature, perhaps run away from it. But it might chase after me if I don't accept its deal, and I am too exhausted to continue for long. At the same time, I can't see anything but this plain of ash for as long as the horizon stretches. What if I choose the wrong direction, and I can't reach this 'City' that the Daemon spoke of?
There was also the point that I caught earlier. The Daemon said that 'most' of the monsters in this Shadow reside in the City. But not all. There may be some beasts in this Cradle of Ash that I would have to fight while simultaneously fleeing from the Daemon. Too tired to run, too tired to fight… I would certainly die, no matter what manner of monster it is.
But on the other hand, this Daemon offers me power. Strength. The ability to continue, and the promise that I can return home.
There is no other choice for me.
Artemis reached forward and touched the tendrils, wincing as they wrapped around his hand, embracing it in a handshake. He felt the Daemon's malice instinctively surge through his body, causing his heart to beat much faster. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he felt a little woozy.
"As a hunter, all things will try and kill you. They will hunt you down themselves, desperately trying to grasp the top spot in the food chain. But you must not let them. Do not let their attempts to diminish you truly snuff you out. I've given you a list. Hunt these things, and you can go home. I, Lark, will guide you to exiting the Shadow."
He suddenly saw floating words appear in front of him, illusory and wavering, as if he were viewing them through a veil of water.
[Hunter's Guide]
[To be eaten and consumed by the Hunter, so that Lark might feast.]
— Innocent Light
— The Thing that Sleeps
— The Stranger
— Vaultracht
— The Painter
— Lautstarke
— Grand Widow's Spawn
He heard the illusory, vile voice ring out through his head.
"In this Cradle of Ash, beware of the Thing that Sleeps. When you dream… well… you'll find out eventually."
And as half of the world he saw turned a bright crimson, he realised why the floating words were wavering. He touched a hand to his left cheek, feeling heat and wetness seep down his cheek. Blood that burnt like embers.
He could not see through the redness anymore.
"Ah, human eyes are a delicacy…"