Red in the Night Sky (Splatoon fanfiction)

Chapter 4

It had been a good summer in Inkopolis castle. The harvest had been good, money streamed from the towns around it and the people thrived. The lord of the castle was a good man and cared more about the people than his own wellbeing. But when winter came near, darkness fell over the castle. Rumors of a shadow that moved in the dark and attacked defenseless travelers in the night started to emerge. At first, it was only thought that it was just a bunch of bandits but soon the attacks became more brutal. 

Soon, the shadow stopped leaving survivors and killed everyone he attacked. The sheriff in one of the towns took a few men with him to track down the shadow but never returned. Once the attacks became more serious, the royal peacekeepers were sent to capture the attacker. Thirty men and women were sent out to find him, but no one returned. 

Shortly after that, the shadow started to attack farms and the families that lived there. No one survived. This continued for weeks. The people of Inkopolis castle and the towns around it were terrified. No matter how many guards the lord set up to protect the towns and track down the killer, they couldn't find him. 

It wasn't until after the attack on Stephensen manor that someone survived. A little girl that was staying there with a friend had been able to hide when the shadow attacked. She was in shock but was able to tell them what she saw. The girl had heard the killer downstairs and the screams of the Stephensen family. She had seen the killer in the living room and fled up into the attic where she hid. She told them that it was a tall woman with red hair and a thin sword. "Was it an Inkling or an Octoling," the Lord asked. The girl looked up to him and replied in a low voice: "Neither."

After that, the people panicked. They started to abandon their houses and flee into the closest kingdom. But no one made it. They all disappeared into the wild, never to be seen again. The villagers started to call the shadow by the name of Shadowling. 

The Lord said that the one that would capture or kill the Shadowling would be awarded 100.000 gold coins and given the title of nobility. Brave heroes went out to hunt down the Shadowling, but none of them returned. As the nights grew longer, so did the shadows where the killer hid and waited for his prey.

One night, three girls from a little town called Shellside, were walking out in the moonlight. Tressa, an Inkling and the oldest of the three. Ferra, an Inkling and the youngest. And Atte, a quiet Octoling. They were going to check out a manor that had been abandoned since before their parents were born. The manor was said to be haunted and the ones that went in there were said to have been injured in accidents. "Are you sure this is a good idea," Atte asked. "We aren't supposed to be out here at this time."

"Of course this isn't a good idea," Ferra answered. "That's why we're doing it."

"I agree with Atte," Tressa said. "We will get in trouble if we're caught, we aren't allowed to be out so long especially with the Shadowling out there."

"And do you really expect the Shadowling to be out here? We live in Shellside Tressa, there's nothing here," Ferra answered and kept on walking. "And if I have to be honest, I don't think it exists. Just a folktale that people came up with because they're too stupid to find a logical explanation for all the things that are happening. Like, if you think about it, the fact that there is a killer out there, who's not an Inkling or an Octoling is ridiculous."

Atte and Tressa looked at each other and sighed. There was no arguing with Ferra. When they came out of the forest, they saw the manor standing on top of a hill in the moonlight. "See," Ferra said and turned to Atte and Tressa. "That wasn't hard, was it? Come on, let's go closer."

She turned around and started to walk towards the hill but the sound of leaves rustling stopped her. "What was that," Atte asked and turned around. "Don't know," Ferra said and scanned the forest. Everything was quiet. "Probably just a bird," Ferra said. "Sush," Tressa said. The bushes on the side of the road ruffled. "Is anyone there," Tressa called into the forest. The bushes ruffled again and birds flew out of the trees around them. Then, a figure rose from the bushes. It was a tall woman, way taller than anyone the girls had seen. She had her eyes closed and had one hand on a hilt of a sword, that lay down her side.