Chapter 4 - The Skill of a God King Can’t Be Matched

With only seconds to spare I had to act quickly. My mind raced as I recalled the restrictions of shadow melding.

A shade had to be able to touch the shadow they melded into. The area and shape of a shadowkind’s shadow was determined by their size, so there were limited places that a shadowkind could hide in a confined space. This was especially true in such a short alley that was half-lit by daytime.

The shadow that a shade created wouldn’t feel like the surface they were melded onto. If one were to touch a shade’s shadow it would feel like touching a body instead of a wall or floor. One could stab the shadow and they would bleed.

If I were higher level, I’d already be running down the sewers, since that was the most direct path to escape. But since I was only Level 32, I only had the most basic Shadow Meld ability and I couldn’t yet alter the shape of my shadow and slip in through the bars of the sewer grate. At level 44 a Shadowed was able to move in shadow form. At level 54, they gained Shadow Shift, letting them alter their shape and size. This let them hide in the shadows of objects or even people, or let them squeeze into thin spaces like a sewer grate. After level 65 they could jump between shadows.

I didn’t have access to any of those abilities, meaning I was stuck in the alley. But the guards didn’t know that.

I tore off a piece of my already tattered shirt and tossed it down beside the grate. Then I ran to a dark spot on the wall, crouching down next to a pail that had been left by a doorway.

My body was instantly sucked into the shadows, leaving a dark blob on the wall next to the pail in the exact silhouette of the crouching position I had taken.

“Where’d she go?” The lead guard with a red tabard exclaimed as they rounded the corner.

The eyes of the guards immediately eyed the fabric that was left next to the sewer grate. The guards also knew the rules of shadow melding. It was a rulebook that I myself had written and memorizing it was one of the requirements of becoming a city guard.

“Open up the grate.” The leader said. “Kent, stand guard while we search the sewer.”

The grate was quickly removed and the two guards jumped down. A light emitted from the gem on the leader’s brooch, an item used to drown out the shadows for searches just like this one.

If they had even glanced over towards the pail, they would have noticed that the shadow beside it was too dark and large. But my distraction had worked well. The guards were well trained, but they’d forgotten the first rule of fighting shadowkind - Don’t fall for their tricks!

The remaining guard above was still looking down into the sewers as I stealthily unmelded from the wall. I quickly made my way to the main street, making use of the Shadowed’s level 5 passive, Silent Steps.

As I turned the corner I ripped another strip of fabric off of the bottom part of my shirt and tied it around my head in a bandana. It was gross, slimy and ragged, but so was the rest of me. I’d look strange but it would cover my ears, hiding the part of me that distinguished me from regular humans.

Now that there wasn’t a huge commotion coming from me racing through while being chased by guards, I was able to meld into the crowd fairly easily. I weaved through the mass of people that were wandering around, looking at festival stalls and eating street food. My smell and looks got some funny glances but I didn’t stick around long enough to attract significant attention.

I didn’t stay on the main street long. The center of the city was built like a spiderweb, expanding outward from the castle. There were six main thoroughfares that ran directly out from the center, with many minor streets, alleys and twisting inner roads that had grown organically over the years.

I made my way down a few smaller roads until I found a quiet spot in an alley behind a line of restaurants and shops. The street was full of piled up boxes and barrels, leaving plenty of nooks and shadows to hide in.

Even though I wanted to figure out a way out of my situation, there was one thing that was really starting to bother me. The slime and filth from the sewage was really starting to burn on my body. It was getting unbearable in the hot summer weather. My entire body was itching like crazy.

I needed some way to deal with it before I went nuts!

I opened my HUD, looking for a solution. Maybe a Shadowed had an ability that could help?

I scanned down the list of Shadowed abilities. The lower levels were full of passive buffs - Darkvision, agility boosts, silent step, enhanced hearing and reflexes. I only had two active abilities - Level 20 Shadow Meld and Level 27 Bestial Form.

Bestial form was an ability that was all too familiar to me. It caused the shadowkind to morph into a fur-covered beast and lose control. They became feral animals, extremely strong and fast with razor sharp claws. It was what made them formidable opponents, despite the majority of their abilities being geared towards evasion and illusion. However it was a double edged sword. Rumours stated that the more often a shadowkind used their bestial form, the more deranged and savage they became.

As someone whose intellect and sanity were their greatest assets, I had no intention of ever using it.

I sighed as I realized that a shadowed’s abilities didn’t help me sneakily take a bath or shed the slime or something. I was about to close my HUD when another entry on my ability page caught my eye.

Cleanse - Level 5 Tailor
Show those stains who’s boss with this magic-infused cantrip. Wipe away dirt, grime and slime in an instant. Dry out and fluff up rain-soaked apparel with a thought. Clean is Queen!

I paused, re-reading the entry with great interest. In the supplementary information page it listed the spell gestures and incantations. For most people, they would have to painstakingly learn the motions and speak the vocal components out loud as they learned it. Eventually they would be able to internalize the actions and cast it instantly, but that would take months or years of practice.

For a God King though, such a spell was trivial. I snapped my fingers and instantly a wave of freshness washed over my body. I let out a long relieved sigh, a smile brightening my face as I finally felt comfortable and warm in my skin.

Even my hair, which had been gunky and uncomfortable as hell, had been cleaned. The platinum blond strands were light, smooth and silky.

“Crafting classes are still useless for a God King...” I muttered, “But for day to day conveniences, I suppose they’re alright.”

My clothes were still in tatters, but at least I wasn’t filthy. I was in a much better mood as I decided to have a look at the other abilities of the Tailor class.

Mend - Level 1 Tailor
A is for Awesome with this first step into the world of tailoring! Repair any tear and make whole any hole in your garments to make them as good as new with this ability. (Requires thread and raw material)

Sew - Level 2 Tailor
Let’s get down to business with the basics! This ability is all you need to get started in making your dreams come true. With a bit of practice, you’ll sew like a pro! (Sewing kit not included)

Okay. Good mood over. I had my hopes up considering that Cleanse had some magic components, but all Mend and Sew did was give me a basic understanding of the literal skill of tailoring. Even worse, I actually would need to buy tools and materials to make use of them at all.

I groaned, scratching my head irritably.

“No, I can’t dwell on this right now. I need to focus.” I muttered, “The number one thing I need right now is to get in touch with someone who can help me.”

I needed allies. Allies that could get me equipment, allies that could sneak me into the castle. Allies that would believe me.

I paused for a moment, looking down at my shirt. Underneath the shirt my breasts were firmly bound by a cloth bandeau, but the shirt itself was looking quite tattered. With a few rips I took off the most rough looking patches, making the black shirt expose my midriff but also cleaning up its appearance. It was at least better than walking around in rags, even if it was eye catching in a different way.

It occurred to me briefly that my ability to assess the weave of the fabric and make such a clean tear was due to the tailoring knowledge that I had gained from this body. I frowned, not quite willing to admit that this class was actually coming in handy.

“In any case it would have to do for now.” I sighed to myself, “I don’t have time to go shopping, after all.”

As for who I could turn to for help, an idea sparked in my mind after a little more thought. I left the alley, walking back onto the main streets, though I was still a bit conscious about my appearance. My eyes glanced around at the outfits that were being worn by the girls around me. Most of them were extremely conservative, wearing long dresses with high neck lines. However, there were also more adventurous type girls around that showed more skin, and even some of them that had exposed belly buttons such as mine.

This was a fashion style that I had begun promoting as the King years before. All the men of the kingdom can thank God King Yuto for that!

I did receive some looks, but nothing significant. At this point I was able to walk in the crowds without any trouble. Soon a tall steeple of a church came into view, rising up above the roofs of the two and three storey buildings around me.

The church was the home of a man named Duke Legrand. Duke was an old friend of mine. He was an S-Prestige Bishop and A-Prestige Fortress Knight that had cleared the eastern mines with me seven years ago. After that adventure, he claimed he was getting too old and decided to retire.

As a token of appreciation for his friendship I had given him a large portion of land just outside my capitol, which flourished and became one of the main low class areas in my city. Throughout the years that I knew him he was always generous, level headed and loyal.

The church was busy as I walked in through its open front doors. Sunlight streamed in through stained glass windows, illuminating the sanctuary where there were many rows of pews, all full with praying townsfolk. As for who they were praying to, there was no single God in Avaria that was worshipped, although most people prayed to the Goddess of Light. This was true in the kingdom even before I had arrived.

A priest, not Duke, was giving a sermon at the front of the sanctuary as I walked inside the church. I stuck to the side of the room, walking around the pillars that lined the hall. I had been to this church many times before to visit my old friend. Without too much trouble I slipped in through the back door and walked down the hall to Duke’s study.

He was inside, reading some papers on his desk. He looked older than I remembered, with graying hair and wrinkles around his eyes and forehead. In my adventures with him he was the stalwart back line, the indominable shield that protected our party. He had a huge form, and even though he’d aged a lot he looked like he could still fight.

“Duke.” I said, walking into the room, “Don’t panic.”

He looked up from his papers, his eyes narrowing as he took sight of me. But it wasn’t a look of surprise or suspicion.

“You’re back.” He said. There was a look of recognition in his eyes as he set down his papers calmly. “How did it go? The intrusion into the castle?”