The Eminence's Testing Grounds

I want to tell you about darker themes like mentions of the hard R and some things you wouldn't like, so read carefully.

[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]

Cid, as his persona Shadow blitzed through the forest outside of the town, knowing where exactly to go and return.

'Ah, that's right. Just a mile in front of me is where a slime infestation is! How convenient, you know what this is: The best time to begin my Slime Bodysuit project!'

Initial testing allowed him to know that the Slimes he collected were pretty weak to the point where it exploded and lost magical properties, so he thought tempering the future slimes he collects is probably the best.

After making a long backflip that resulted in a perfect landing, he glanced at the mass of slimes that were clumped together in one spot.

"Okay! Let's get this done already!" He spoke, approaching the mass of slimes.

In instinctive reaction, the slimes shot out slimy tendrils and tentacles, intending to attack him. To their surprise (or lack thereof), their slimes didn't make him budge, only sticking on his clothing and skin.

Normally, any other normal person would immediately try to get away or dodge before leaving, but Cid already knew what to do.

"Oh, what's this? They're melting my clothing." He noticed this, and while he felt immense amounts of tugging from the massive amounts of slime, he currently didn't care.

Well that was until the slime tentacles decided to begin rubbing his crotch.

"Alright, they're strange types of slime, alright. Normally they would immediately devour and melt anybody, but I think it is time to stop pretending." He briefly commented, a bit dissatisfied about the slimes' actions.

With a burst of magic, he easily wrestled over the slimes and began to manipulate it as he desired, and to look cool to himself, he groped the mass of slimes before pulling harshly, ripping them in half.

Closing his eyes, he began to do what he needed to do: temper the slimes with magic while assuming total control over it.

And in the next few seconds, the slime began to darken, covering his whole body as he turned the slime into his second and third layers of skin, even covering and repairing the clothes he had before it morphed into a massive outfit that covered his body.

One layer was a slime bodysuit and the belts, another layer was simply the massive coat that had a hood that covered his head while a steel black mask was on his upper face.

This felt.... Quite satisfying to him, at least.

"I am the Eminence in Shadow, but you may call me Shadow! I lurk in the Darkness, to hunt the shadows! Fuhahahahaha~!!!" He made his small introduction with immense excitement, before he made a short curtsy.

And for a moment, he turned around, silent.

'Hmph, my introduction would be better if I was in front of a large audience, which will bring me to my true target: Some fodder bandits! Although, it might be good if I also left out the laughing part, it sounds unlike him.'

And then Cid... No, Shadow left the area, seemingly vanishing upon human eyes that very happily stared at her savior. She wasn't able to see his face, but she was already satisfied.

The girl huffed in an immense amount of air, before making a long sigh of relief.

"All the slimes inside me are gone... Thank you, Shadow....."

Silently, the girl stood up, her naked figure struggling to walk over her hat, broom and backpack. She will have to recover for a long while since she was violated by several slimes in just a few hours.

Luckily, she managed to keep holding on.

".... The slimes... Maybe I could try to replicate him?"

This witch girl from another country had begun her journey.

[ ~ Line • Break ~ ]

Jumping around the trees like a very excited child recently obtaining a precious gift, Shadow had become eager to test his skill and strength against some fodder.

And at once, he leaped above the air at a considerable distance, manipulating the Slime Bodysuit to propel him upwards even more.

"At south, east and north, there's none. And there it is, a bandit camp worth destroying! I wonder how much money I could take from them, fufufu...."

He manipulated his mana to make a long leap towards the direction of the small encampment.

The bandits there weren't aware of his arrival until gusts of wind turned off most of the fires. In the middle of the put out flames was Shadow.

"Who is that man?!"

"Alert everyone! We have an intruder!!"

The bandits around him immediately began to be alert, and many who wanted some sleep were immediately woken up.

No sooner enough, several tens of bandits surrounded Shadow. And most of them were confident enough to stand back and watch.

"Hmph! It's a bad choice for you to be here!" Their boss, a burly man in a green vest spoke, though he shook his head.

"But I'm being merciful right now, you could either leave without violence, or you could join us as my right hand man, you look pretty strong."

A silent pause surrounded the area, before Shadow cut it off by short chuckles.

"Sorry. It's just so funny, you know. But I, the Eminence in Shadow, refuses! Now, it is time for you to become my Guinea Pigs." He replied with utter confidence, as if this was natural for him.

'... What the hell, this guy is definitely ill on the head!! And Eminence in Shadow, don't give me that crap!' The boss of the camp thought, before making his men charge towards Shadow.

Yet thick, black tendrils from his coat pierced through the heads and bodies of the bandits, and being unable to react, they looked like they were singlehandedly slaughtered by a monster.

"Slime tendrils, check." Shadow muttered, before raising his hand and using the slime, he formed a single, seemingly normal blade that looked like pure darkness. "Slime Blade, check."

He swung the blade, parrying and pushing back several other weapons and destroying the arrows from the crossbows and bows from the bandits before blitzing all of them.

"M.... monster...." The bandit's boss muttered, immediately turning around to find something that might give a good enough opening for his crew.

After all, he might have a weakness, right?

So he ran away to somewhere in the camp, not noticing that Shadow had his eyes on the boss for a mere brief moment whilst testing out a few of his skills on a real battle.

A flurry of thrusts, a mere punch that turned a bandit into a human shaped donut, and a few more that turned the bandits into shish kebab, or onions being cut into pieces.

There were bandits that tried to begin running away, yet long tendrils of Darkness pierced them, giving them no chance to even do anything else.

And once they were all dead, Shadow began to move towards the boss in stride, preparing a short monologue if he does that.

Meanwhile, the boss of the dead bandits looked at an elven girl that was glancing at him, she had large tattered rags covering her beautiful body.

"I found this girl somewhere, and decided she would sell for millions, but.... Oh well, I've got no other choice!"

He took the girl with him, preparing to use her as a hostage. And while she struggled, he covered her mouth with his large hand.

"Silence, you need to be silent or else I'll end your precious life, he is coming!" The bandit boss threatened, and the girl became silent.

Once they left the house where he took her from her cell, they stared at the approaching figure who is Shadow.

Corpses littered the field behind him, and it looked morbid and horrible, and normal person would puke the moment they saw this in daytime.

"Using a hostage like her is meaningless in front of me, I'll even say it is a cliche thing. Spend the last of your time admitting your sins in the afterlife, after all, I am giving you my judgement." Shadow said, taking several steps towards the bandit boss.

"You'll pay for this! The boss of the Band of the Silver Falcons will not tolerate your actions!" The boss replied.

"They're next, soon. Now, cover your eyes and ears, little girl." Shadow asked, but for some reason, the elven girl didn't do anything.

Oh well, the script wasn't even deviating a bit. So he followed, and silently made his blade pierce through the eye of the bandit boss.

He fell down on the ground, lifeless.

His job was done, now the girl was staring at him as if awaiting something.

'Oh, this is bad. The Eminence in Shadow won't randomly kill for no reason, you know? Alright, let's get to bullshitting.'

"It is them who are judged, for I am Shadow, the one who lurks the darkness, to hunt down under the shadows. You are innocent and is too young to be judged." He spoke, allowing a new light to be on the young elven girl's eyes.

"Does that mean.... You're a god?"

'... What is she talking about now?! You know what, I'll just be silent and turn around to leave, but....'

Rule No. 3 of the Shadowbroker Code: With subordinates, the Eminence in Shadow's job will be a bit more easier, allowing him to make an organization that is the Powerhouse under the shadows.

He had decided to make her his subordinate.

But first.....

"Tomorrow morning, we'll talk." Shadow spoke as Cid, looking far more younger and at his own physical age.

And also because he could just make a good excuse to his father and sister later on in the morning or noon the moment they find him.

[ ~ TO • BE • CONTINUED ~ ]