[You have received a Shard of an entity's past.]
Lillian widened her eyes, 'I actually got one? Huh... I pretty am lucky, huh?' Lillian smirked, placing her hands on her hips before opening her system. (14)
Shards were just items acquired through the death/defeat of an enemy. What makes it so different from ordinary enchanted items is that they're tied to the user.
Just like how the academy's ring would bind to her with her blood, the Shard would bind to her mana, essentially becoming branded by her.
[Name: Lillian Ker Arius]
[Rank: Aspirant]
[Elements: Water]
[Traits: N/A]
[Mana Core: 1st Shell]
[Shards: Carapace Armour]
[Quests]
[Theatrical Points: 445]
Lillian smiled brightly at the new section on her system—as well as at her current number of Theatrical Points. (8)
"Carapace Armour?" Lillian held her index finger to her chin, tilting her head to the side. (6)
Narrowing her eyes on it, she looked into its details.
[Item Name: Carapace Armour]
[Item Type: Armour]
[Item Rank: 2]
[Item Description: The tough carapace belonging to a dweller of the underground turned into a protective armour.]
[Enchantments: Durable Carapace]
[Enchantment Description: The carapace of a Catacomb Brawler is as durable as steel but far lighter and more flexible than it.]
"Woah..."
As much as Lillian wanted to try it on this very instant, she had to search for Marionette. Straying far from a woman who finds it easy to get lost is worrying.
After storing the corpse of the Catacomb Brawler, Lillian walked around with the lantern held high in her hand. She was still a bit peeved that the two Catacomb Dwellers had actually escaped her.
Eventually, she stumbled upon a conspicuous stain of red blood. Although she believed it definitely wasn't Marionette's, she still hoped she was fine.
'Wait, do I? She almost killed me like... maybe an hour ago...' Lillian thought about it, 'I mean... she was right to be paranoid though... what normal person keeps something like a gate in, essentially their back pocket?'
She followed the trail of blood, eventually stumbling upon Marionette. Lillian held up her lantern, letting the light wash over the area and discovering that Marionette was indeed fine.
However, she couldn't say the same for the poor Catacomb Brawler under her.
Javelins of darkness skewered its body, piercing through its limbs and pinning it to the stone ground. To Lillian, it looked more like a bloody red pin cushion.
It was quite a grim sight to look at. It didn't even look like what it had before, with how brutally mutilated it was.
Marionette sat on its body, leaning against a backrest made from her own dark javelins before gazing at Lillian, "Oh... have you finished?"
Lillian nodded slowly. (3)
"... Did you have to... damage its body so much?"
Marionette raised an eye at her, staring at her with her arms behind her head before staring down at the Catacomb Brawler under her.
"Its body is fine. I merely skinned off its shell. Its meat is still fine but has lost quite a bit of its juice, as you can see."
Marionette then sat up, gripping one of the javelins stuck through an arm and lifted it. The javelin raised with the bloodied limb that continued to drip and drain with blood.
"This is what you would call a kebab, yes?" Marionette said with a stoic voice.
Lillian stared at it with a wry smile, "Not... exactly... but close enough. Great work, Marionette." (2)
Marionette nodded, "I appreciate your acknowledgement of my work." she said, getting up from the corpse and causing it to disappear.
She then turned towards Lillian, "Are you ready to go back to the tree?"
"Uh-huh! Lead the way!" Lillian gestured with a smile.
The two then awkwardly stared at each other in silence.
"Soo..." Lillian stared at her with an expectant look. Her facial expression slowly darkens in realisation. (2)
Marionette, with an indifferent expression, said, "Do you perhaps not remember where it is?"
"I thought you were the one keeping track of it! You're the one that can see in the dark here!" (8)
Marionette folded her arms, nodding, "I understand where you are coming from. But you're the one who signed up to be my guide."
Lillian facepalmed, "Oh, come on..." (10)
***
In the pitch darkness, Lillian and Marionette sat opposite each other, separated by a campfire that burned sticks belonging to a familiar tree.
Lillian sighed in relief, "I'm glad you stored some of the sticks from the tree in your... what do you even use to store your things?" (2)
Marionette, who was holding a Catacomb Brawler's arm over the fire, looked at Lillian before brushing the hair over her ear, revealing a beautiful ruby earring.
"This."
"Right... anyway, like I was saying, I'm glad you brought some of the sticks from the tree... this place is really cold..." Lillian wrapped her arms around the sides of her shoulders. (10)
"Cold?" Marionette tilted her head at her, "Would you perhaps prefer that I sit next to you for body warmth?" she asked stoically, preparing to get up from her spot.
Lillian raised her hand, "N-no... you don't have to..." she said, turning her head away with a small red tint on her cheeks. (10)
"Are you sure? I don't mind."
"Y-yeah..."
"I see..." Marionette then sat back down and continued to roast the limb over the fire.
Lillian took a glance at the lantern that was sitting beside her before picking it up. 'Well then... I guess I should store you as a Shard. You're going to be quite useful in the near future, after all. Can't have you be taken away from me.'
With just a mental thought, she felt a connection to it. A connection from her mana core to the cold black metal frame lantern before her.
She then looked at her system window and saw that it was indeed added as one of her Shards.
[Shards: Carapace Armour, Depressing Warmth]
'Sweet!' Lillian then pulled out her rapier and did the same thing to it as well before storing it back inside her ring. However, just before she did, she suddenly thought of something.
'What if I stored it in there instead?'