Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell.
WHERE... AM I?
THE MOON IS MOVING SO FAST!
TIME...
IT'S FLOWING IN REVERSE!
WHAT THE HELL ARE ALL THESE BONES?
A WAR? OR...
A MASSACRE?
PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST TRIAL!
!
WH-WHAT IS THIS?
SHACKLES?
WHAT...
THE HELL IS GOING ON?!
I HEARD ASPIRANTS USUALLY GET SCENARIOS WITH AT LEAST SOME DEGREE OF AGENCY...
OFTEN SETTING YOU UP AS A MEMBER OF A PRIVILEGED OR WARRIOR CASTE.
SO WHY AM I...
...BEING DRAGGED ALONG IN CHAINS LIKE A SLAVE?!
DAMN IT! THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE STARTING SCENARIO!
EPISODE 2
WHAT'S THIS? I'VE NEVER SEEN LETTERS LIKE THESE BEFORE.
I CAN'T READ THEM, BUT SOMEHOW I CAN UNDERSTAND THEM.
NAME: SUNLESS TRUE NAME: —— RANK: ASPIRANT CORE: DORMANT MEMORIES: —— ECHOES: ——
ATTRIBUTES: 1. FATED 2. MARK OF DIVINITY 3. CHILD OF SHADOWS
THEY SAY THE SPELL VALUES BALANCE AS MUCH AS CHALLENGE.
SO I SHOULD AT LEAST GET A STRONG ASPECT OUT OF THIS, RIGHT?
ASPECT: TEMPLE SLAVE
ASPECT DESCRIPTION: A SLAVE IS A USELESS WRETCH WITH NO NOTABLE SKILLS OR ABILITIES. A TEMPLE SLAVE IS FAR RARER, BUT JUST AS WORTHLESS.
WHAT?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS?!
"THERE ARE NO USELESS ASPECTS," HUH?
WHAT A LOAD OF BULLSHIT!
FATED
ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTION: THE STRINGS OF FATE ARE WOUND TIGHTLY AROUND YOU. UNLIKELY EVENTS, BOTH GOOD AND BAD, ARE DRAWN BY YOUR PRESENCE. THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE BLESSED, AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE CURSED... BUT RARELY BOTH.
URGH!
YOU LITTLE SHIT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!
YOU GOT A DEATH WISH?
NO NEED TO BOTHER.
THE WEAKLING WILL BE DEAD BY SUNRISE ANYWAY. THE MOUNTAIN WILL KILL HIM.
I DOUBT THE NIGHTMARE SPELL WILL LET ME OFF THAT EASILY.
MOST LIKELY, IT'LL BE A PACK OF MONSTERS THAT DOES US IN...
ON THIS COLD MOUNTAIN, HOW MANY OF US DO YOU THINK WILL ACTUALLY SURVIVE?
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, FOOL!
I'M PLANNING TO SURVIVE!
WHAT A CHARMING PAIR...
THIS MOUNTAIN PASS IS USUALLY MUCH WARMER THIS TIME OF YEAR. WE JUST HAD REALLY BAD LUCK.
ALSO, I WOULD ADVISE YOU AGAINST HARMING THIS BOY.
WHY IS THAT?
HAVEN'T YOU SEEN THE MARKINGS ON HIS SKIN?
HE IS NOT LIKE US, WHO FELL INTO SLAVERY DUE TO DEBTS, CRIMES OR MISFORTUNE.
HE WAS BORN A SLAVE. A TEMPLE SLAVE, TO BE PRECISE.
MARK OF DIVINITY
ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTION: YOU BEAR A FAINT SCENT OF DIVINITY, AS THOUGH SOMEONE BRIEFLY TOUCHED BY IT ONCE, A LONG TIME AGO.
SO WHAT?
NOT LONG AGO, THE IMPERIALS DESTROYED THE LAST TEMPLE OF SHADOW GOD.
HUFF
HUFF
I SUSPECT THAT THIS IS HOW THE BOY ENDED UP HERE.
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO RISK ANGERING A GOD?
TSK.
HEY, YOU THERE.
IS THERE A PROBLEM?
IT'S NOTHING, SIR.
WE'RE ALL JUST TIRED AND COLD.
I WAS ONLY WORRIED THAT THIS JOURNEY IS TOO HARD ON THE YOUNG ONE.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
HANG IN THERE A LITTLE LONGER, CHILD.
ONCE THE SUN SETS, WE'LL STOP TO MAKE CAMP.
CHILD?! WHO IS HE CALLING A CHILD?
I'M ALMOST SEVENTEEN. HE DOESN'T EVEN LOOK THAT MUCH OLDER THAN ME!
HERE, DRINK SOME WATER.
DOES THIS SLAVER THINK OFFERING WATER MAKES HIM THE GOOD GUY?
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?
I WAS JUST GIVING THIS BOY SOME WATER.
SHUT YOUR MOUTH! THESE SLAVES ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS. UNDERSTOOD?
THEY'RE NOT EVEN PEOPLE.
DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU MAKING FRIENDS WITH SLAVES AGAIN, ROOKIE.
OR NEXT TIME IT WILL BE YOUR BACK TASTING MY WHIP!
I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT BEFORE I DIE...
I'LL WATCH YOU DIE FIRST.
AND YOU-
YOU'LL BE NEXT.
HALT THE MARCH. WE'LL MAKE CAMP HERE.
DAMN IMPERIALS...
I ATE BETTER THAN THIS IN PRISON!
AND MOST OF US WERE WAITING TO VISIT THE GALLOWS!
COMPLAINS NONSTOP, BUT HE SURE EATS WELL.
SINCE WE'RE ALL CHAINED TOGETHER, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE...
What a pain in the ass.
BUT I SHOULD STILL TRY TO KEEP MY DISTANCE AS MUCH AS I CAN.
CLEAN AIR... WHERE WOULD I FIND CLEAN AIR IN THE REAL WORLD?
BEING CHOSEN BY THE SPELL DOES HAVE ITS UPSIDES, I GUESS.
I SHOULD CHECK MY ATTRIBUTES AGAIN.
I DIDN'T GET A CLOSE ENOUGH LOOK LAST TIME.
CHILD OF SHADOW
ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTION: THE SHADOWS RECOGNIZE YOU AS ONE OF THEIR OWN.
HMMM... INTERESTING.
SHADOWS RECOGNIZE ME...
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
WOAH. I CAN SEE CLEARLY, EVEN AT NIGHT...
FINALLY SOMETHING USEFUL! I WONDER IF—
I WOULD ADVISE AGAINST EATING THOSE, FRIEND.
YOU AND YOUR ADVICE AGAIN!
I'M STARVING TO DEATH.
THESE BERRIES ARE CALLED BLOODBANE.
THEY GROW IN PLACES WHERE HUMAN BLOOD HAS BEEN SPILLED.
THAT'S WHY THEY OFTEN GROW ON BATTLEFIELDS OR SITES OF MASSACRES.
SO WHAT?
BLOODBANE IS POISONOUS.
JUST A FEW BITES ARE ENOUGH TO KILL A GROWN MAN.
DAMN IT!
You should've said that earlier!
A BATTLEFIELD... A MASSACRE SITE?
NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT...
THIS PLACE FEELS FAMILIAR.
THE BONES I SAW DURING THE REVERSAL OF TIME...
SHACKLES.
...I KNEW IT!
EVERYONE HERE IS GOING TO DIE.
Shadow Slave Chapter 2 follows Sunless as he awakens in chains and confronts a brutal starting scenario as a temple slave. Dragged with a slave caravan through a cold mountain pass, he receives his Name, the worthless-seeming Aspect of Temple Slave, and three Attributes. He clashes with fellow slaves, observes cruel guards punishing a rookie for showing kindness, discovers his night vision, and learns about poisonous Bloodbane berries before realizing the camp is a massacre site where everyone will die.
