My dumb life in Shadow Slave

Asher's heart pounded like a war drum as the scavenger's hulking form loomed over him. His breath hitched, and with a determined shake, he tightened his grip on his sword, squaring his shoulders.

He had no choice but to fight. The stone blade in his hand began to glow, an aura of power enveloping it as the air around it seemed to warp and twist.

'My augmentation was the same as that was Nephis and Sunny's when it came to augmenting weapons.' 

He had nothing but his sword and himself. Asher was tempted to use his armour to sneak attack but knew that it wouldn't work as his vesture's tentacles couldn't go more than 4 meters away from the actual owner. 

Suddenly, the scavenger lunged, its massive claws slashing through the air with lethal precision. Closing its gap from Asher at a frightening speed.

Asher stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp blades. He swung his sword wildly, aiming for the crab's chitin. The scavenger, driven purely by instinct, charged mindlessly, swinging its claw at Asher. Asher's blade connected with the creature's left claw, shattering.

It was only natural. The stoneblade's enchantment allowed it to deal explosive damage despite its dullness, and Asher's augmentation doubled its already terrifying power.

The scavenger was but a beast and lacked the intelligence to dodge and its only focus was to attack. That's where the problem came from. Its only focus was to attack and Asher was too late to realize that.

A searing pain exploded in Asher's side. He looked down in horror to see the scavenger's right claw slam into him with bone-crushing force, sending him flying into a nearby coral. His flexible armour absorbed the brunt of the blow but couldn't prevent his ribs from fracturing. The impact shattered the coral, its pieces crashing to the ground with a deafening noise.

Sunny and Nephis, who were done with their crab and were now helping Mr Krab deal with his target, instantly looked over at the source of the sound to see a cloud of dust in the distance not far from them.

"Something happened," Sunny commented.

"Where are Cassie and Asher?" Nephis asked in a worried voice while looking around as Mr Karb was brawling with the injured scavenger.

Sunny face turned grim as he said in disdain, "They are not here!"

Nephis swallowed a bitter gulp of saliva as she looked at the receding dust cloud in the distance, "Sunny, go there. Me and Asher's echo will deal with this one. Asher might be strong, but he still lacks clarity in battle. Plus-" Nephis hesitated as she paused.

"Plus, C-Cassie might be too much of a burden for him to protect."

Sunny nodded and sprinted towards the commotion.

Asher coughed up blood, each breath a struggle. "Fuck. I definitely broke a rib," he wheezed, summoning an azure blade into his left hand. His stoneblade lay 20 meters away, battered and useless for the moment.

"If it wasn't for my armour, I'd be dead," he muttered, coughing up more blood. He glanced at the scavenger, its right arm a mangled mess, and saw it moving dangerously close to Cassie, who stood frozen in terror as she heard the footsteps near.

"I was naive," he admitted to himself.

He took a deep, painful breath and shouted, "Hey dumbass! I'm here!" The scavenger turned towards him, roaring in fury as it charged.

With a shaky breath, Asher forced himself to calm down, pushing back the overwhelming fear that threatened to consume him. He gripped his sword tighter, stepping forward with hesitant but resolute steps.

"It's now or never," he whispered.

Closing his eyes, he recalled Eurys' swordplay. The scavenger shrieked, closing the distance swiftly. Asher's eyes snapped open, a bead of sweat trickling down his face. He surged forward, his sword flashing as he unleashed a series of precise strikes.

The scavenger howled in pain as Asher's blade found the gaps in its joints. A claw grazed his cheek, drawing blood. Asher grinned through bloody teeth, seeing his chance.

"Dragon Arts, Fourth Form..." he started, then shook his head. "I never bothered learning the name."

With a final, desperate lunge, Asher drove his sword into a small, symmetrical gap in the creature's chest. The scavenger let out a deafening roar. Asher tightened his grip and pushed harder, using his gravity manipulation to aid in the thrust, slicing the crab in half.

The beast collapsed with a thunderous crash. As the adrenaline faded, Asher sank to his knees, his chest heaving.

A chuckle bubbled up from his lips as he looked to the sky.

[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

"I did it," he whispered, then louder, "I DID IT!"

This was his first real battle, fought without any help from outsiders or echoes. He was exhilarated. The entire fight had lasted less than fifteen minutes, but to Asher, it felt like an eternity.

[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

"Looks like Mr. Karb is done with it's work as well." 

_______________________________________________________________

Sunny was sprinting towards Asher when his attention was caught by a petite girl with blond hair, desperately feeling her surroundings. She was covered in azure blood, with minor bruises marring her pale skin.

"Cassie, what happened?"

Cassie's head snapped toward Sunny, her tear-filled eyes wide. "Sunny... Is that you? Sunny?" She reached out, her hands grasping at the air. Sunny sighed and quickly closed the distance, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Cassie, what happened? Where is Asher?"

Cassie hiccuped through her sobs, her voice strained and trembling. "I was so scared... *hic* I was going to die!" she cried. Sunny's frown deepened, and he raised his voice slightly to break through her panic.

"Cassie, can you tell me what happened?"

Through her tears, Cassie stammered, "I-I don't know... *hic*, Me and Asher were talking when suddenly... *hic*... he pushed me... *hic*. Then I heard loud sounds and a nightmare creature screaming... *hic* I didn't even understand what was happening... *hic*... I was so scared!"

Sunny sighed inwardly, trying to piece together the scene. 'From Cassie's "explanation", I can tell a nightmare creature attacked them... that's obvious... but I need to find Asher.' He glanced at the shivering Cassie, feeling a pang of pity. 'I can't leave her here like this.'

Just then, he heard a thud nearby.

Sunny's instincts took over, and he drew his sword, but he quickly relaxed when he saw Asher lying on the ground. His vesture was the same crimson color, though his white hair was stained with patches of azure and red. Asher looked up and managed a weak smile. "Took you long enough, bastard."

Sunny tried to suppress his laughter at the sight. Despite his condition, Asher didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, though he might have a broken rib or two. Sunny marveled at how Asher's shroud-like armor remained untattered. "What did you even fight to end up like that?" he asked, chuckling. Sunny had a sadistic streak when it came to Asher and wasn't about to miss an opportunity to laugh at his expense.

Cassie, meanwhile, looked worried. "Sunny, did something happen to A-Asher?"

Sunny snickered. "No, he might have a broken bone or two, but that's about it. He's just exhausted." Cassie nodded hesitantly, her worry not entirely dispelled.

Asher winced in pain as he raised his hand and squeezed the soul fragment he was holding. The essence flowed into him, and he let out a sigh of relief.

[Your soul grows stronger.]

"This is my substitute for copium, I swear," he muttered to himself. He then turned his head to Sunny. "One of those scavengers. The one I fought was on the verge of evolving into a monster, so don't you dare laugh."

Sunny held his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter just as Nephis arrived. "Asher, can you walk?" she asked, her voice calm and steady.

Asher turned to look at Nephis, his echo following suit. "Yeah, I'm just really tired. Give me a minute, and help my echo collect all the soul shards."

Nephis sighed as she knelt beside Asher, placing her hand on his chest. "Don't try to act tough around me, Asher. I know your limits when it comes to pain resistance due to your training. Now, stay still."

Asher clicked his tongue as a white flame mended his wounds. Nephis wasn't using much of her abilities to avoid exhausting herself mentally, but her pain was evident to everyone except Cassie.

"Uh, Neph... I'm fine now. You can stop," Asher said as soon as his ribs had healed. Nephis simply nodded and pulled back, sitting on the ground and panting from the effort, her hands shaking slightly.

"Umm... Neph, here..." Cassie said softly, offering the endless springs to Nephis. Nephis nodded in thanks, taking the bottle and drinking deeply.

Asher, feeling the tension ease from his body, looked around at his companions. Despite the pain and exhaustion, he felt a swell of gratitude.

'We all are like a family..'

Asher looked at the sky as he murmured under his breath with a smile, "Family"

Cassie looked in Asher's general direction with a sad face. Asher scanned her and noticed she was completely covered in azure blood, realizing he had inadvertently pushed her into a pool of it.

He got up, chuckling awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, Cassie... I-I am sorry—"

Suddenly, Cassie flung herself at him, hugging him tightly as she began to cry. "Asher! I am sorry! You got hurt because of me! It's because I'm a burden! I am sorry!"

Asher stared at the girl hugging him with a deadpan face. Then he shivered as Little Asher began to stir. He shot a pleading look at Sunny, who simply turned his head away, whistling innocently. Asher then turned his gaze to Nephis with a desperate "Help me" face, but she too looked the other way, a slight blush on her cheeks.

'EHHHHH?!' Asher yelled in his mind.

His hand began to twitch uncontrollably as his lust was being amplified. 'WHAT THE FUCK! NO NO! I CAN'T FACE JESUS LIKE THIS! SHE IS CASSIE! THE CASSIE!'

Asher slowed his breathing, bringing his gaze to the helpless blind girl crying on his chest. 'NAHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK! I WOULD RATHER FACE THE TENTACLE HENTAI GUY AGAIN INSTEAD OF THIS! MONSTER! SHE'S A MONSTER!' His face was now beet red.

Suddenly, Asher had a thought run through his mind at lightning speed. 'If I did my math right, she should get off me when I say this.'

"Ummm... Cassie, my body is hurting..." he "groaned." Cassie instantly pulled back, apologizing immediately while still crying, "I am sorry!.. *sob*.. I didn't realize!"

Asher exhaled a deep breath and shot a glare of disgust at Nephis and Sunny, who were both pretending to whistle. Nephis gave Asher a look of grimace, making him feel as if he was the one at fault!

He sighed and looked at Cassie, trying to sound cheerful. "Hey Cassie, what do you mean you were a burden? You distracted the scavenger by crying, which gave me a chance to catch my breath!"

Sunny and Nephis shot him disapproving looks while Cassie, once again, was on the verge of tears. Asher's face turned blue as he realized what he just said sounded like a weak excuse.

He looked at Cassie, whose tears were flowing freely again. 'What the fuck do you want me to say, bitch?!' he thought, raking his hand through his hair in frustration. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Hey guys! I think we should hurry to the west. We can't waste more time here."

Nephis had a thoughtful look on her face and nodded in agreement.

Asher grinned as he sensed his Echo nearby. He turned around to see it holding over a dozen soul shards. Asher's eyes lit up, practically drooling as he reached for them. Suddenly, a pale hand stopped him. Asher narrowed his eyes at Sunny. "Hey, flower-boy. What are you doing?" he said in a deep voice.

"Stopping you from touching these..." Sunny replied in an equally deep voice, his face darkening.

Asher looked at Sunny with a deadpan expression. "Hey, Sunny... you're going to give them to Neph anyway... Why the HELL are you stopping me?"

Sunny returned the expression. "Because it would be better for the group to strengthen Nephis instead of wasting these soul shards on a pussy like you."

Asher's face twisted into a grimace, a vein popping on his temple. He increased the weight of his arm, causing Sunny to flinch. Asher was extremely mad because, frustratingly, Sunny's words rang true. Sunny physically couldn't lie.

"YOU FUCKING LIAR, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT NEPHIS' STRENGTH! YOU'RE SIMPLY SADISTIC!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LIAR! I AM THE MOST HONEST MAN IN THE WORLD! TWO WORLDS EVEN!"

Asher smirked, adjusting his imaginary glasses. "Sunny, you didn't deny the second part of my sentence..."

Sunny flinched as his flaw forced him to speak. "Ermmmm... Y-Yeah, I am sadistic..."

Asher grinned mischievously while Nephis watched from the side with a deadpan expression, thinking, 'I am here, you know...'

Asher continued, his tone dripping with mock seriousness. "So, Sunny, you admit you get your kicks from seeing me suffer?"

Sunny shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, yeah. It's entertaining."

Asher's grin widened. "In that case, how about we test your honesty a bit more? How many times have you secretly wished I'd trip over my own feet during my spar with Nephis yesterday?"

Sunny's flaw compelled him to respond. "Fifteen times... and once I actually put a rock in your path to make it happen."

Asher's eyes widened. "You little—"

Nephis, unable to hold back anymore, interrupted. "Boys, enough. We have bigger things to worry about than your petty squabbles." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she saw Asher and Sunny give each other death stares.

Nephis shook her head, exasperated. 'Why am I stuck with these idiots?' she thought. But a small smile tugged at her lips, betraying her fondness for her bickering companions.