Hey there, it's me, Shadow Madeleine #72. I am the stealthiest among all the Shadow Madeleine, or as Physical Madeleine likes to call us, the Shadow Maids. Well, I'm the stealthiest if we disregard the Shadow Clone of that tiny maid. As such, I have been tasked by Merida to do a little heist! A heist! Like the good old days!
Huh? Since when were the Shadow Clones sentient? Come on, there's a precedent. Mad's Shadow Clone is still around even after he died. Although in his case, when a user of Shadow Cloning dies and there is no one around to pass it on to, Shadow Cloning will create a Shadow Clone and imbue it with the user's ego. I have no idea why he's still around, though. Maybe something to do with Physical Madeleine's affinity with darkness.
As for us Shadow Madeleines, it depends. Only a select of us have sentience. Shadow Madeleine #26 accidentally entered the door that led to Merida's teacher's house and was given a Sentience Potion. Shadow Madeleine #34 had sex with a God. Shadow Madeleine #115 came across a Necromancer who gave her a soul. Shadow Madeleine #7 ate a weird cookie. There's some more, around a dozen or so.
As for me, I spent some time in Hell when I accidentally went through the portal in the dungeon below the mansion and ended up in Mammy's house. We hung out a bunch, and then she claimed I was her property and gave me sentience. Yep, I got sentience by becoming the 'property' of the Lord of All That Is Golden.
"I have got to stop letting you play on my computer. A Madeleine who can make pop culture references sounds incredibly annoying."
By the way, Mammy is here with me. Huh? Who's Mammy? Mammon, the Lord of Greed, the God of Material Wealth, and Owner of the Shadow Madeleine Harem. She's the one with which Physical Madeleine coincidentally met up and then raided Scorzar The Eternal Hoarder's secret cave vault. I wish I was there to help with the looting.
"The last one is not one of my titles. Now, what are we stealing?"
We're stealing an amulet called the Soul Holder! According to Merida, we can find it somewhere here in the slums. A shame it's in the slums. There's no extra treasure to take.
"We could always take the stuff anyways."
I'd feel bad, so no. We're just here for the amulet and nothing else. Although we could kidnap an orphan, maybe. How do you feel about raising an orphan, Mammy?
"An annoyance and waste of funds. Let us just take the treasure and go if we're taking nothing else of value."
Aww… well, whatever. Merida said there's an underground shop that sells a unique service with the amulet's help, apparently stolen from the Sacre Pla castle vaults. Merida needs it so she can do a little something that'll somehow get the Royal Family to owe us. Maybe she'll return. It'll be pretty hard to get it out of Mammy's and my hands.
"She better have something of equal value. Also, my hands, not yours and mine."
What's mine is yours, and what's yours is yours and also mine.
"Hah! Are you trying to rival me in greed?"
Well, you're the one who gave me sentience. Some of that greed must've rubbed off on me.
"Wow… blaming it on the literal incarnation of greed, how original. Just hurry up and point at the shop we'll be raiding."
Aye aye, Master Mammon! It's that shop right there with the two guards right there!
"Got it." Mammy took a coin out from her breasts, kissed the coin, and then flicked it over to the feet of the two guards. Upon seeing the coin, the guards immediately break into a brawl over it. "Come on, we've got a shiny amulet to snatch."
We casually walked past the two guards, who were too busy beating the shit out of each other to notice us. We walked into the decrepit building and found it was the slums equivalent of a shop, with rows of empty shelves. The only shelf with anything on it was by the counter, which had books. "I can sense something valuable underground. Once I distract the owner with a conversation, you go down through the shadows. Got it, Madeleine?"
Aye aye, captain! I hid inside Mammy's shadow, then Mammy knocked on the counter, and eventually, we heard footsteps from what sounded like stairs from behind the sole door beyond the counter. What came out was a masked person with a cloak. "Ah… a demon. A rare customer. As you can see, I am quite lacking in stocks, but as a creature of deviancy, I'm sure you know what type of goods a merchant here in the slums would offer."
"Yes, yes, you would be selling services. Tell me, what can you do?"
"Many things, but I'm sure you'd be most interested in our shop's speciality. I hear the body of a demon cannot stay in our realm for long before it's forced back into Hell, but not a demon's soul."
"I'm interested. I have an hour of free time, so go on."
"Very well."
I manifested myself out of the door's shadow, going through the door and then down the stairs. If Mammy's words are to be believed, I have an hour to look around and find the amulet. Walking down the spiral stairway, I eventually found myself in a hallway with seven doors: Three to the right, three to the left, and one all the way at the end.
I walked to the first door on the right and put my ear against it to hear what was going on… that's a lot of moaning. Okay, the first door to the right holds a prostitute, not an amulet. I repeated this process for each door. A torture room, a surgery room, a private room for private conversations, a room for secret transactions, and a room for illegal substance making. Just your typical shady business. Reminds me of every second building in Hamblin. I don't see how Physical Madeleine misses that place. There's almost nothing of value there besides the music collection of Queen Rio, assuming the revolutionaries didn't loot her place.
Since there's one door left, it's definitely the vault. I sunk into the shadows and slipped under the door, rebuilding myself once I got inside. What greeted me was an incredibly sad sight. No gold… no gold at all. The owner either keeps it on their person or isn't stupid enough to keep it in a vault. Although looking around, there's nothing in this vault except two things. A glass case with an amulet and a cage holding a child. An orphan for Mammy and me?!
"Hello there, Shadow Madeleine #72. I know you cannot talk to me, and I also know that the owner of this terrible place is being distracted by the Lord of Greed. The voices in my head say you'll take me."
Hmm… I can't really be subtle and sneak out while carrying a child… but at the same time, it'd be more interesting to take them. Also, their voices told them I'd take them, and if Physical Madeleine is to be believed, always believe the voices in your head.
I created a sword out of darkness and cut open the cage. Ever since that incident where Madeleine tried to use Side Note with a Shadow Clone, we Shadow Madeleines have been able to use Side Note and Umbrakinesis, although we can only use the latter if she's wearing the ring. Lucky for me, she's wearing it right now.
While she was getting out of the cage, I slashed the glass case and grabbed the amulet. As soon as I touched it, the blue screen Shadow Madeleine #56 apparently saw when Physical Madeleine did that test appeared in front of me, and if I had to guess, in front of Physical Madeleine too.
|
Body Swap You can swap bodies. Side Note: I've read a "manga" about this before. |
I then knelt down, signalling the girl to hang onto my back. She climbed on, and as soon as I felt her wrap her arms around me, I bolted out the door and up the stairs. As soon as I kicked down the door back into the shop, Mammy saw I had a little girl on my back, facepalmed, then immediately punched the shop owner in the face, sending him flying back towards the door and down the stairwell.
"What the fuck is that on your back?"
"Worry not, Lord Mammon. It is what fate had prepared."
"Oh, for fucks sake. Great… let's hurry up then. Get into my shadow, Madeleine. I'll take the girl myself. I'll be using magic to get back to the mansion. I fucking hate that Seer." Mammy grabbed the girl and started carrying her in her arms. As soon as she noticed I had sunk into her shadow, she flew into the sky, making a massive hole in the shop's roof. Heist successful!
Item profile: Soul Holder
Sacred power: Body Swap
Original body: Saligard the Perverted
Description: A legendary artifact used to extend lives or punish the strong. The original holder of the Body Swap Sacred Power, Saligard, was a pervert through and through, and had a penchant for constantly swapping bodies to avoid consequences for his constant sexual harassments. One day he was caught, and as punishment his soul was used to create this Sacred Power Item. It changed hands before eventually falling into the hands of the Sacre Pla Royalty. Unbeknownst to everyone, the third king of the Sacre Pla Nation, has used this artifact to preserve his soul. He jumps from body to body, each time getting the position of advisor. Close enough to the throne to manipulate, far enough to not be caught in bloodline squabbles. He was distraught when news came of the Soul Holder's theft.
Chapter namesake: Body Swap Shop by ROARY
tftc
Shadow Madeleine #34 had s*x with a God.
How did that happen?
epiku
Yep, I got sentience by becoming the 'property' of the Lord of All That Is Golden.
GODRICK?
Dang I caught up. So far I really liked how sporadic and all over the place Madeline's lines are, it keeps my attention span and actually let's me read stuff at a good and normal pace (Normally I'd have to read 3 different novels at the same time just to focus on stuff). Also waiting on that Mel development. Hope you don't drop this.
