The Shadow stood on its place trying to escape but Blade didn't move and inch and had his eyes locked on the shadow making it feels uncomfortable.
After a few minutes, the cave began to squirm as the wall infront of the shadow split open revealing a wide variety of flesh took shapes of different charectors saying "Are you the one that injured Blade?" which made the shadow pause.
"This... It can speak my language? Impossible... I haven't heard anyone come here let alone any news of ruined empires..." The shadow spoke with bafflement as Blade calmly responded "The master is not someone you all can understand, never question him he is the reason we are able to be like this" and the shadow couldn't speak.
The cave changed as the creature wrote "fear not, i have no intention to harm you, I will ask you a few questions and you will answer, if I am satisfied I will let you leave of course but if you wish to be under me then I will give you a reward" and the shadow was surprised as it spoke "If it's not a bad thing, may I know what the rewards are? I may be weak but I am still a martial artist who seeks the Dao so..."
Blade released a Domineering force upon the shadow as it spoke "The master is not giving you a choice, know your bounds" but the creature stopped Blade as he wrote "There is no point in using fear, you may suppress him now with power but when he gets stronger than you then he won't think twice before killing you even if it costs his life it's rather more efficient to speak with truth than with force in certain instances, see the deer for example. You defeated it's herd and threatened to kill it's herd so even if it is with us, the deer doesn't think about us and when someone stronger than me appears the herd might aswell betray us and join hands with the enemy".
Blade paused and realised his mistake as the creature spoke "I understand that you are trying your best to assist me in strengthening our forces but if the mind doesn't accept then why will the body? This man was enraged yet calm even now, you believe in battle but battle is not always the answer you should communicate with the others and learn to think logically more".
Blade listened and couldn't help but nod slowly as he left the cave through the tunnels and the shadow couldn't help but stand in disbelief yet felt a bit of pride as the enemy that overpowered him was yelled at and he was used as an example for it.
"Alright since he is gone, I will begin questioning you. You may not answer if you wish to" the creature wrote as the shadow nodded and the creature confirming the nod wrote "Tell me about the outside world, you don't seem to be a stray cultivator".
The shadow nodded and spoke "Indeed I am not, it's rather difficult to explain it tho as it's preety complex and will take a long time" but the creature didn't mind and wrote "it's fine, I am the leader here, take as much time as you need nobody will disturb us" and the shadow nodded.
The shadow tried to use it's blade but the creature simply removed the flesh from the floor under the shadow revealing the rocky surface below and the Shaod began to draw.
The shadow stood frozen in place, feet still trapped by the fleshy ground, trying hard to escape. It shifted its weight left and right, pulling at its legs with all its strength, but nothing happened. Blade didn't move even an inch. The skeletal puppet just stood there like a statue, eyes locked straight on the shadow without blinking. That stare made the shadow feel very uncomfortable, like cold needles crawling on its skin. The air in the fleshy cave felt heavier, the soft pulsing of the walls making quiet wet sounds in the silence.
After a few long minutes that felt like forever, the cave began to squirm. The wall right in front of the shadow started moving and twisting. It split open slowly with a low squelching noise, revealing a wide variety of flesh that twisted and took shapes of different characters and symbols. The shapes formed words that floated in the air as they said clearly, "Are you the one that injured Blade?" The sudden voice made the shadow pause completely, its body going stiff with shock.
"This... It can speak my language? Impossible... I haven't heard anyone come here let alone any news of ruined empires..." The shadow spoke with complete bafflement, eyes wide as it stared at the moving flesh on the wall. Blade stayed calm and responded in a steady voice, "The master is not someone you all can understand, never question him he is the reason we are able to be like this." The shadow couldn't speak after that, its mouth opening and closing without any words coming out.
The cave changed again. The fleshy walls shifted and the creature wrote new words slowly on the surface, the letters glowing softly against the living tissue. "fear not, i have no intention to harm you, I will ask you a few questions and you will answer, if I am satisfied I will let you leave of course but if you wish to be under me then I will give you a reward." The shadow was surprised by the calm offer and spoke carefully, "If it's not a bad thing, may I know what the rewards are? I may be weak but I am still a martial artist who seeks the Dao so..."
Blade suddenly released a strong Domineering force upon the shadow, the heavy pressure pushing down like an invisible weight as it spoke harshly, "The master is not giving you a choice, know your bounds." But the creature stopped Blade right away. It wrote on the wall in clear letters, "There is no point in using fear, you may suppress him now with power but when he gets stronger than you then he won't think twice before killing you even if it costs his life it's rather more efficient to speak with truth than with force in certain instances, see the deer for example. You defeated it's herd and threatened to kill it's herd so even if it is with us, the deer doesn't think about us and when someone stronger than me appears the herd might aswell betray us and join hands with the enemy."
Blade paused for a moment and realised his mistake. The creature continued writing, "I understand that you are trying your best to assist me in strengthening our forces but if the mind doesn't accept then why will the body? This man was enraged yet calm even now, you believe in battle but battle is not always the answer you should communicate with the others and learn to think logically more."
Blade listened quietly and couldn't help but nod slowly. He turned and left the cave through the tunnels without saying another word. The shadow stood there in disbelief, yet it felt a small bit of pride inside. The enemy that had overpowered it so badly earlier was now being scolded and used as an example right in front of it.
"Alright since he is gone, I will begin questioning you. You may not answer if you wish to" the creature wrote on the wall as the shadow nodded. The creature confirming the nod wrote again, "Tell me about the outside world, you don't seem to be a stray cultivator."
The shadow nodded once more and spoke, "Indeed I am not, it's rather difficult to explain it tho as it's preety complex and will take a long time." But the creature didn't mind at all and wrote back, "it's fine, I am the leader here, take as much time as you need nobody will disturb us." The shadow nodded again, feeling a little more at ease now that Blade was gone.
The shadow tried to reach for its blade to draw something on the floor, but the creature simply removed the layer of flesh from the ground under the shadow. The soft pulsing surface pulled away, revealing the hard rocky ground below. The shadow began to draw on the exposed rock with the tip of its blade, the metal scraping against stone with sharp scratching sounds as it started to map out what it knew of the outside world.
The fleshy cave stayed mostly quiet except for the soft pulsing of the walls and the occasional scratch of the blade on rock. The shadow drew slowly at first, lines forming rough shapes of mountains, rivers, and distant cities. It paused every now and then to think, the dim light from the cave making the drawings look even more mysterious. The creature waited patiently without rushing, the fleshy walls around them continuing their gentle movements like they were breathing. The shadow's hand moved with careful strokes, adding details to the map while gathering its thoughts about the complex world outside. The air carried a faint earthy smell mixed with the unique scent of the living cave. No one else was around to interrupt, just the shadow drawing and the creature watching silently from deeper in the chamber, ready to listen to everything that would come next.