Sorry for not posting yesterday!
I ended up getting swamped with work and was too tired to write a coherent sentence by the time I was done, so I took a bit of a break.
I'll try and do a double release sometime this week, and in two weeks, I'll be extra free to write because school's over, and I'll probably be less tired from training as the summer national grind winds down, so expect more releases!
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[Audun's POV]
The excitement of having a conversation partner had yet to wear off, even though they were sound asleep, so I decided to put all this excess energy to good use.
I was currently outside tending to the hides of some of the wolf abominations I had killed a while ago.
The warmth of the sun caressed my back as I began to tan the pelts in a solution of brains and water.
The brains of abominations had some corrosive properties that made them ideal for softening, not to mention, I had a massive supply of dead abominations lying around.
Unfortunately, tanning using nightmare creature brains made my entire self-proclaimed property smell like a zombie's wet dream.
Though, despite the absolutely rancid smell and the gooey nightmare creature brains on my hands, I couldn't stop smiling.
The pelts I was currently processing were meant for the boy sheltered within the walls of my brick house, something that I had been repeatedly reminding myself of as I had yet to fully process the sudden change.
The whole situation still felt a bit surreal, the presence of another in my lonely life being completely unexpected, but incredibly welcome.
It felt oddly satisfying to make something for somebody else, and as I worked away at the pelts, more and more sincerity bled into my actions.
The sloshing sounds of the solution filled the yard as I repeatedly dunked and wrung out the hides in the diabolical-looking solution.
After reaching a pleasant texture, I began stretching the hides on a frame I had made out of fish bones and sinew, leaving them out to dry, as I walked back into the house.
As I walked through the makeshift entrance, I shot a glance at a human-sized bundle situated in the corner where I usually kept my spices.
Wrapped in a cocoon of furry blankets, Sunny slept like the dead, silent and unmoving.
Honestly, if I couldn't hear the subtle sounds of his breathing, I would've assumed he had passed in his sleep.
I stepped carefully around the house, trying not to disturb his sleep as much as I could, while I went about my daily chores.
By the time I had finished, I went outside to check on the pelts, the sun shining directly overhead, indicating that it was now noon.
After folding up the hides and placing them in a basket, I took a deep whiff of the air. The strong salty smell of the ocean was still there, along with a hint of abomination brains, but the distinct smell of the Black Sea was weaker than before.
The tide had definitely receded by now, meaning it was prime time to go harvest materials from washed-up abominations and, if I was lucky, maybe even gather some more carapace scavenger meat.
The trip would take a few hours, but I'd definitely be back before nightfall.
Should I wake Sunny up?
He looked tired, and I didn't feel like disturbing his rest for such a trivial trip.
While the thought of leaving the first human I had interacted with in months gave me pause, at the end of the day, supplies were supplies, and it'd never hurt to have more, especially now that I had another person living with me.
Not to mention, my flaw essentially gave me extreme performance anxiety, so I couldn't ensure I could protect the both of us if the situation got rough.
My house was in a pretty safe location, so he probably wouldn't encounter any danger while I'm gone.
I felt bad leaving without a word, so I carved a message into the hard shell of one of the carapace scavengers using sword aura and tied a rope around it, hanging it from the entrance of my house.
Leaving a sizable portion of some wolf kebabs behind, I grabbed a large fish skin sack and departed, leaving the bundled up Sunny within the comfort of my cozy brick home.
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[Sunny's POV]
I woke up to the smell of cooked meat wafting through the air.
Thoroughly bundled in a cocoon of blankets and comforters, I began to strip them off one by one as I stretched my upper body.
Surprisingly, my first night in the dream realm had been unexpectedly pleasant thanks to Audun, the blondie had provided me with good food and comfortable shelter.
I was somehow living better in the dream realm than I was in the slums of the waking world, how ironic.
That thought filled me with a strange sense of bitterness.
On the topic of Audun, he wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Slowly getting up, I began to scan the house, sending out my shadow to check the surroundings for any sign of his presence.
The grounds were empty, not a soul in sight.
My shadow found footprints, Audun's footprints.
The trail of prints led outside the clearing of the house, towards the area I had originally landed.
Ever the paranoid person, I immediately cooked up the possibility that he was abandoning me, but I shot it down quickly as it made absolutely no sense.
Looking around a bit more, I noticed a shard of some mystery material hanging from the entrance of the brick house.
Walking over, I untied it from the bone frame it was hung on, unwrapping the rope covering the majority of the shard.
Inspecting the shard, I found words engraved on it's surface.
It was a note.
I'll be back before nightfall, just making a quick supply run. I left some food just in case you got hungry. The area around here is pretty safe, so you don't have to be worried about any nightmare creature attacks.
Stay safe
-Audun
So he just went on a supply run, huh?
Nothing to worry about, then.
Setting down the shard, I recalled my shadow, the shade anchoring itself to my feet.
With nothing to do, I began wandering aimlessly around the area, thinking about my next order of business.
My primary goal right now was to get back to the waking world, and in order to do that, I had to find a gate that'd lead me back.
Before, I was worried about surviving, but after meeting Audun, I knew that it was possible to not only survive in the dream realm, but to flourish.
While staying here is nice and all, it won't benefit me in the long run.
I'm not stupid, if I continue to let him coddle me, I'll be letting my Divine aspect go to waste.
I have to get stronger a lot stronger, but for right now, my priority was just getting a feel for the terrain.
The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, nightfall and the rising tide was hours away.
That meant that I had a good amount of time to explore, to get used to using my Aspect.
Walking inside the house, I grabbed some supplies, flasks, a small bag, and some of the preserved meat that Audun had kept in a basket.
Surely he wouldn't mind, right?
Pushing any concerns or cynical thoughts I had to the back of my head, I steeled myself.
Releasing my shadow and sending it to scout ahead, I began my short expedition.
*******
[An hour later]
Currently, I was sprawled in the mud next to the corpse of an abomination called a carapace scavenger, not to mention, I was quite injured.
The fight had taken a lot out of me, the bastard bruising my ribs and leg, but I've received some insight into the workings of my aspect.
I now knew that in order to saturate my core, I had to kill an enemy and absorb a part of their shadow.
With killing being a necessity to increase my strength, I waved any thoughts of a peaceful life away.
There were certainly upsides and downsides, but at the very least, I now knew my way forward.
It was still bright outside, so I had plenty of time to make it back to the safety of Audun's house.
Walking with a limp, I began the journey back, thinking about how I would explain the injuries and my absence.
An hour or two passed as I pushed painfully onwards, my shadow scouting ahead to ensure my smooth return, but while scouting ahead, it caught sight of something that gave me pause.
Humans.
Girls.
Pretty, scantily dressed girls.
Nephis and Cassia.
A small blush wormed its way onto my face as I took in the sight.
My clear conscience was getting a little dirty...
Woah.
People, I found people!
That's what I should be focusing on!
Not...
Uh...
Ahem.
Anyway, deciding on the safest approach, I sent my shadow to go greet the two, while I jumped into the shadows hurrying to intercept them.
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[Audun's POV]
It was getting rather late, the sunlight was beginning to wane as the Black Sea slowly began its ascent.
I had secured a rather sizable amount of food and supplies, going out of my way to slaughter any carapace scavenger I came across, unfortunately not receiving any memories, and carving up a few extra washed up abominations.
The fish skin sack I had brought with me was completely full, the bag becoming so comically large that I could no longer carry it.
Had I gone a little overboard?
Definitely, I had secured enough food to feed a dozen families comfortably for weeks, and the sack was so heavy that I could probably use it as a bludgeoning weapon to beat over the heads of unsuspecting nightmare creatures.
The trek back to the house was certainly a workout, even with my aura enhancements, my muscles were screaming, and my nostrils were assaulted by the glorious smell of the sea.
Every once in a while, I got attacked by a carapace scavenger or one of its ugly cousins, the smell of the sack attracting them like flies to a pile of dogshit, though, the abominations were more of a nuisance than an actual threat.
Dealing with them quickly, I hastened my pace, not wanting to get caught by the rising tides.
At this point, I was using sword seeker level aura and the light of both of my stars to make the weight even somewhat manageable.
I powered through, despite my protesting body, designating the struggle as strength training as I exerted my maximum effort.
Sunny would appriciate my efforts, right?
After about an hour withstanding the herculian weight, I finally made it back to my humble stone abode.
I plopped the sack down in my yard, the earth quaking as it conformed to accomidate the sudden pressure.
I heard noises coming from inside my house; voices, and though I wasn't certain, there seemed to be more than one.
Was I hallucinating?
Lack of bloodflow to the brain maybe?
I digress, anyways, as I began to wipe the sweat from my brow, I saw Sunny walk out of house with a smile, though it seemed oddly... artificial.
My face became a mask of emotionless as he approached me, my trait activating as my flaw flared up at the sigh of another human being.
"Audun, welcome back!"
Sunny was walking with a limp, and his attire seemed damaged— battle damaged.
My eyes narrowed, worry flaring in my anxious heart.
White sparks flying behind me as the [Thought Quill] manifested.
The quill moved through the air, writing out my thoughts in brillaint glowing purple.
Why are you hurt?
At this Sunny answered immediately, almost as if he were compelled.
"Since you weren't there when I woke up, I decided to explore and look around the area a bit. While I was out exploring, I got attacked by an abomination and ended up getting a bit injured, that's all."
Hearing his reponse, I frowned, considering his words. Maybe I shouldn't have left him by himself.
You ok?
"Yeah, just some bruised ribs and a banged up leg, but I'll be fine."
Sunny hesitated for a moment, before continuing.
"Hey, uh... quick question..."
At this my brow rose slightly.
"Would you maybe be opposed to... uhm... housing more people..? Temporarily of course!"
As if on cue, two more people stepped out of the house.
I froze, shocked at the unexpected development.
My heart rate skyrocketed as I regarded the two girls in front of me.
One of them was quite tall, probably around 6 feet (185ish cm), with short silver hair.
The other was almost a whole foot shorter, around 5ish feet, with doll like features and pale blonde hair not unlike my own.
They were both quite pretty, but what really caught my attention was their attire.
It was uh, quite immodest to say the least.
My brain short circuited, at the sudden presence of two new people.
My language filter turned off, the thought quill accelerated into a blur as it wrote out the single burning question I had in my mind.
I was frozen in place, a glorious, purple sentance glowing in the air right next to me exposing my innermost thoughts.
Why were there hookers in my house?
Sunny looked at me with object horror, his shadow trembling violently, as if it were laughing.
The silver haired girl blinked rapidly, their eyes betraying a hint of shock and confusion.
The blondie, bless her heart, stared into empty space, seemingly oblivous to the situation.
Oops.
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(A/N: Once again sorry for the late upload, I've been getting assaulted with work, tests, and training.
I have summer nationals in a week, so my coach worked me until I was too tired to move yesterday.
To make up for it, I dropped this absolute beast of a chapter, well, at least in my opinion.
it's my longest chapter by far, being around 2300 words!
Though I don't really know if the quality was up to snuff.
I've been reading a lot more webnovels and stuff to try and see where I can improve my own writing, but for now it's a work in progress.
Tell me what you guys thought of the chapter, and at the very least, I hope Audun meeting Nephis and Cassia was up to par.
Thank you guys for reading, and I'll hopefully see you tomorrow!)