Shadows are the beings the 'Shadow' in <Forest of Shadows> refers to.
The setting's archenemy……though you don't run into them often enough to quite call them that—
They're the enemy that radiates an intense presence in the game's opening sequence, then keeps reappearing just when you've begun to forget them, giving the player headaches.
'The Shadows' true nature?'
I don't know either. Even with the game's progress at 70%, I still couldn't learn their origin or purpose.
Which also means their true nature is bound up with <FoS>'s fundamental theme—or its ending.
Honestly, there's no need to overthink it.
<Shadows> are monsters both irritating and tricky, an element that raises the game's tension to its peak.
……When I was merely playing the game, that much understanding was plenty.
***
I'd taken down two Shadows, but this time, no <raw stone> dropped.
Only natural.
It's an item with abysmal drop rates to begin with.
'And of all things, Intuition went up.'
If only Body had risen, that fight just now would have been far easier.
Not that this makes up for it, but I did pick up some other useful items.
[You have acquired <Worn Bandage>.]
[You have acquired <Old Antiseptic>.]
"Whew…… done."
I finished my rough first aid.
I'd applied antiseptic to my gashed, freely bleeding flank and even wrapped it in bandages.
Even just that much was a vast improvement.
Because earlier, it hurt so much I thought I'd go insane just from breathing.
Of course, I got my hands on several other items besides.
[You have acquired <Loose Leather Armor>.]
Armor, first of all.
It was a bit big, but I could wear it without much trouble.
If I'd been wearing something like this from the start, Derek's fingers would never have hurt me.
[You have acquired <Worn Leather Pouch>.]
Into the leather pouch, riddled with small holes, went my remaining bandages and antiseptic.
[You have acquired <Rope>.]
[You have acquired <Chipped Knife>.]
Lashing the sorry-looking knife to the tip of my spear seemed to raise its killing power a fair bit.
Where did I get such precious items, you ask?
I picked them up.
From where?
Honestly, what's with all the questions?
Same as with Derek.
[You have acquired <Shabby Wrist Guard>.]
[You have acquired <Glass Bottle of Water>.]
[You have acquired <Food Storage Key>.]
[You have acquired <Iron Cage Key>.]
I searched the corpses. Far more thoroughly this time, too.
At first the guilt came, but when the pain has your eyes about to roll back in your head, even that dulls.
If anything, the conviction only grew stronger that this was essential to staying alive.
Step.
I pressed forward, scooping up every usable item I came across.
It was possible because corpses lay strewn not only through Car 12, but through Cars 11, 10, 9, and beyond.
'Mostly junk items, granted.'
Still, considering I'd started out practically naked, my situation had improved immensely.
'In the game, a single point of defense could decide life or death.'
It was a little disappointing.
There were plenty of Delvers among the passengers…… forest explorers, that is—so I'd half hoped I might get my hands on a usable weapon or a potion or the like.
Well, nothing is more idiotic in this game than counting on luck, though.
'This kind of trick didn't work in <FoS> in the first place.'
Recovering equipment items from a companion NPC's corpse was possible enough…….
But collecting the items an unrelated corpse had worn in life like this? Impossible.
'……So this really is reality.'
With the game turned real, the risks had grown—but in exchange, the range of choices open to me had widened just as much.
Like breaking a mop to make a spear.
RATTLE……!
Of course, I was in no position to relax.
Every time I sensed a strange presence, I raised my spear shaft and snapped into a guard.
There was no telling where an enemy might be lurking…….
'And no telling exactly when the train will flip, either.'
CLATTER.
Hurrying along at a brisk pace, I found myself at Car 6 before I knew it.
Here, there were hardly any people—or corpses.
Instead, compared to the other cars, a striking amount lay broken. As if a mass brawl had taken place.
The people here probably avoided getting swept up in the chaos aboard and moved up quickly to join the forward cars.
'……Goddamn bastards.'
They could have gone a little slower.
Just linking up with Delvers should mean the odds of dying on this train all but vanish.
Should I have skipped the corpse looting and hurried to join the Delvers instead?
'Am I insane?'
A moronic thought.
The Delver bastards wouldn't guarantee my life anyway.
In a sense, they're the ones to guard against even more than the monsters.
In this goddamned dark fantasy world, the only one who guarantees my life is me.
Of course, it was hard to deny that despite that thought, my steps were growing faster and faster.
There were no corpses either, so I pushed straight on through the next cars……
"Oh."
"Huh?"
"……"
And at last, I came face to face with living people.
'They are people, right?'
Pausing briefly, I studied their faces, my guard still up.
Five in total, and judging by their clothes alone, Delvers.
Their classes…… I couldn't say.
But I could tell this much: a formation of three up front and two in the rear.
Roughly, call it two melee damage dealers and a tank, plus one rear damage dealer and one supporter.
"What's this? Someone was still alive in the rear cars?"
"And how do you know it's a person?"
"One look's enough, isn't it? His color's fine and he's not drooling. Well, he's got a fair bit of blood on him, but so do we."
"The one we killed earlier looked that way too, right up until we killed him. These bastards have mastered the art of playing human."
"Have they, now?"
The man with the loose grin…… the one who looked to be the group's leader, spoke to me.
"Hold it, stop right there for a moment…… What exactly are you?"
"A person."
One look at their expressions told me my statement hadn't landed in the slightest.
A man with a cynical cast to his face—a rogue, by the look of him—spoke.
"And can you prove it?"
"Can you?"
"What?"
"I'm asking how I'm supposed to believe that you people are human."
"……Stupid bastard. We have companions. We've been together the whole time since the incident broke out. Your case is different."
……Well, fair enough.
Of course, what I'd actually meant was that a human taken by a Shadow has no way to prove their innocence, though.
Delvers who were clearly low-rank had no business knowing the Shadows' traits.
"On my way here, I dealt with two or three of those things wearing human skin."
"What did they look like?"
"Their eyes had all gone black. One had a tongue hanging down to his chest. There are corpses in the rear cars—go check for yourself, if you like."
When I said so and showed them my blood-soaked spear, even these men took on uncertain expressions.
The robed man standing in back spoke carefully.
"Couldn't it be true? Those monsters…… they didn't strike me as the kind to slaughter their own……."
"Hard to say. Until I see the corpses, I cannot believe it."
"Should I go and check?"
"And if it's a trap to lure us in? Besides, the ones behind Car 6 are mostly ordinary folk with no combat ability whatsoever. How did he come through that carnage in one piece?"
Fairly smart bastards, aren't they.
They didn't look like they'd be persuaded with a word or two, the way game NPCs were.
Just before the suspicion in their gazes could harden, I opened my mouth.
"I was in the very last car. The monsters never came that far. Drawn to where the people were, most likely."
"Then the blood?"
"I dealt with a few small fry on the way."
"Yeah? Hm…… no, wait a moment."
The rogue bastard narrowed his eyes.
"You came from the last car? Then you're……."
"A stoker."
At that, their gazes went cold in an instant.
Fuck. I knew this would happen.
A train's stokers sit at the very bottom of everyone aboard.
The rogue spoke with a sneer.
"A stove-tender, of all things. Couldn't tell, what with the face and the air about you. So why do you talk like that?"
At the rogue's nitpicking, I answered flatly.
"What, are you some kind of noble?"
"What?"
"If you're not, then pipe down. Quit grasping at moronic straws."
"……This son of a bitch."
The rogue let his killing intent show, but I stared him down in silence.
Inside, of course, I was strung tight.
Why act so prickly? Because nothing good comes of being looked down on by this breed called Delvers.
We glared at each other for a while like that—until the man who seemed to be the leader stepped in.
"Kal. Enough. The man's not entirely wrong, is he? In this situation, what does it matter if he's a stoker or a slave?"
"……"
"Your name?"
My name…….
"Kai. Kaiii, kaik, kai, Kai! Kaindel! Ihihihihik!"
Recalling what dead, one-eyed Derek had called me, I said.
"Kaindel."
"Good. Kaindel. I'm Alec. How were things in the rear?"
Judging by the way he spoke, he did seem competent enough to be trusted with leading a party.
His face didn't look familiar, so he probably wasn't a named NPC, though.
"No one's left alive."
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
"My turn to ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Why are you all sitting here like this?"
It was a question of why they weren't pushing on to join the cars further up.
Alec's face flashed with embarrassment for a moment before he spoke.
"Because the door to the car ahead is locked."
I knew that much myself.
From Car 4 onward sat some of the most exceptional talents among the train's passengers.
And being such magnificent bastards, they'd apparently developed a sense of election to match—the passage between Cars 4 and 5 was ordinarily kept shut tight under a lock, or so it was said.
'The lock is made of silver, granted.'
But silver does no particular harm to humans.
In other words.
"Then just open it."
Meaning: the Delvers here could easily break it by brute strength.
"Are you out of your mind? The ones riding in Car 4 are first-rate even among Delvers. If they were to take offense……"
"Offense? Is that worth more than your lives?"
Did those words hit a nerve?
The leader's face crumpled.
"……You exaggerate. It's a horrific situation, yes, but not the kind of incident that would cost us Delvers our lives. Though I don't suppose that registers for a stoker."
"……"
So in the end, this one had put on tinted glasses toward me too, once he heard the word stoker.
'……Now what?'
These bastards didn't look likely to change their minds easily, at a glance.
'Would Car 5 be safe, at least?'
I looked the Delvers over.
Their looks, and the names Alec and Kal—none of it was in my memory, at least.
'Rank D, or below.'
In other words, these are the NPCs who mostly meet their deaths after the train flips.
Meaning: stay with them, and my odds of dying rise too.
'Damn…….'
The conclusion was out.
As I thought, I can't entrust my life to these bastards.
Just as I was about to open my mouth.
-Attention, all passengers.
The announcement rang out again.
We broke off our conversation and focused on the voice.
-The delay in train operations that occurred a short while ago has been fully resolved, and the train is currently running normally. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your generous understanding.
"Ah. Sounds like it's been dealt with."
"Right? What a relief."
"……"
For a moment, my mind went white.
Are these bastards sane?
They're swallowing that bullshit whole?
'I take back the assessment about them being smart bastards.'
Granted, this was an event I'd never experienced in the game, but even a casual listen turned up problem after problem.
First: with this many people dead, the proper order of things is to begin with a tally of the dead, or the injured.
After that, clear instructions should go out to the survivors…….
The broadcast hadn't even stated the cause of the train's delay.
'……Right. That's the kind of world this was.'
A savage world that doesn't spare a thought even when dozens, hundreds die right next door.
-Excuse me, is anyone there?
A voice rang out once more.
I wondered if this was another broadcast, but no.
The voice came from beyond the gangway connecting the cars—from Car 4's side.
Alec's face lit up.
"Ah, yes! We're here!"
-Ah, thank goodness. So there were still people safe over there. How are things on your side?
Alec thumped his chest and answered in a hearty voice.
"For a start, we're all in one piece. No one's injured, either."
-That's a relief. Hm. Then could you come over here for a moment? We're rather short of hands in this car.
"Ah! Of course!"
Something's off, isn't it?
"Wait—"
Before I could even speak, the impatient Alec strode toward the passage, drew his sword, and cut through the lock.
What followed happened in a flash.
[The seal on the Shadow, 'Black Octopus That Binds and Crushes', has been released.]
CRACK—!
The door shattered in an instant, and from within, something like a bundle of blackish tentacles came whipping out and wound around Alec's entire body in the blink of an eye.
"Wh-what is this……?"
Alec's stunned face vanished beneath the heap of tentacles in moments.
CRUNCH.
The spine-chilling sound of snapping bone rang out.
"Alec!"
"You son of a bitch!"
I shouted at the two who had instantly raised their weapons.
"Stop! It's already too—"
"Shut up!"
Was this party more devoted to their comrades than I'd expected?
The rogue and the warrior bellowed and charged the enemy.
Crunch, crack……!
And in the blink of an eye, they joined Alec in the same fate.
"N-no……!"
The robed man stretched out a hand, and the woman standing beside him stared blankly at the monster.
'These defective bastards?'
I seized the two of them by the scruff of the neck and ran without a backward glance.
'Goddamn it!'
My arms feel like they're about to pop from their sockets.
However superior this body is to my real-world one, it apparently isn't built for sprinting while dragging two grown adults.
'Come to think of it, my shoulder aches too.'
The price for being grabbed by the 'Man Who Greets and Embraces' earlier, no doubt.
On top of that, I could feel blood seeping again from the flank I'd barely managed to bandage.
Even so, I couldn't stop.
CRRRRRUNCH—!
What kind of scene was unfolding behind me?
The sounds of things breaking and being crushed never let up.
'Stop and you die!'
I ran on, hammering only that single fact into my mind.
How long did I run?
When the presence chasing behind us finally fell away.
"Ah……."
I realized that I had come all the way back to Car 13.