Child from the Dungeon

Chapter 213: Spin-Off Vol.1 'Dark Stranger ': Dark Stranger Part 3

[ The Oraklis Orphanage. ]

" Father Priest, you had done great service to the Nyx Nocterra House. "

" I'm satisfied with the great candidates you've given me, they could all be good soldiers for the House. " said Tyrannus Nyx Nocterra as he let his Dark Soldiers to take in the new recruits.

As he come out, he stumbled upon Tenebrae, whom he found already waited for him in front of the door.

" I thought you are relieving your status by punching some of the orphans...? " Tyrannus asks Tenebrae which Tenebrae responds.

" I already did, but it seems the orphan I preyed is too easy... " Tenebrae says with pride.

" Easy? " Tyrannus asks they walk to their vehicle.

" Of course it does, father... " Tenebrae smirks as they both went past the mirror.

" An abandoned orphan, will never had the chance to punch this son of yours. " Tenebrae says as he looks at the mirror, which shows his reflection, looked so monstrous as the reflection took form as Duncan Grimshaw.

...

( Hours Earlier. )

< Skill Unlocked. >

< Skill: [Appearance Shift II (Passive)] -- (LVL.1) >

< An ability that enables the User to shift appearance to another person, by first, consuming a sample from their body. This next phase of skill enables the User to hold to identities to shift into. >

" Consume...? " Duncan asks as he thinks about this, he then remembers the time when he consumes Captain Duncan as he takes his form.

" So, now I can consume another? " Duncan asks as he then decides to pick Tenebrae's hand and bite him a little, which activates the Passive's effect.

Duncan noms Tenebrae's hand, he only took a little bite.

"( The flesh, the blood... )"

"( It is rich, with Mana... )" Duncan says as the System shows the 'Words'.

< The User begin to extract 'Tenebrae Nyx Nocterra'. >

" So nice, this is great, I... " Duncan begins to feel ecstasy, his feral instincts begin to kick in, but before that.

" What in the f*k you're doing!? " a voice yells and him as Duncan receives a huge knuckle sandwich in the face which throws him far.

" Gakh, who...!? " Duncan was surprised as he then see a familiar face intervened.

" Black Merchant!? " Duncan calls as Black Merchant comes out of nowhere, punching him.

" Damn right, you are... " Black Merchant says as he then look at Tenebrae for a while.

As he looks at the Royal Boy, Duncan approached as he spits his some drolls.

" Black Merchant, why do you stop me!? "

" I need to consume him full to fully attain his form, perhaps it could get me off the hook from his father's wrath...! " Duncan tells Black Merchant.

Black Merchant listens and sighs. He shakes his head and closes his eyes as he sees something from Duncan.

" Duncan, your arm... " Black Merchant points at Duncan's arm, as Duncan then horrifyingly witnessed his hands reverting to his 'original' hands.

" What the... "

" You're lucky I intervened during that process... " Black Merchant tells Duncan.

" During the 'attaining' process, a D######r's disguise will temporarily be unraveled as their body process their consumption's traits. "

" One of the weakness of your kind, the weakness I always used when finding out which one of the people I know is a D######r. " Black Merchant tells.

" Wow, thanks for that! " Duncan replies sarcastically.

" Why the System didn't inform me about this? Wasn't it supposed to have information regarding my race you told me, the one which name I still couldn't pronounce? " Duncan asks the Black Merchant.

" The System you posses is a Lite-Version Copy of the original, a knock-off. "

" So don't expect it to be too advanced, since the System installed by the System Nanos are still a prototype. "

" A 'Copy', really? " Duncan asks the Black Merchant as he immediately throw Duncan the new package.

< 'Package' Obtained. >

< Black Merchant's Special: Pills for Perfect Disguise (Legendary) | (40) >

" More of these? " Duncan asks as he received it. He looks at the Black Merchant who glares at him as he received it.

" Fine, fine, I'll consume it. "

< Item 'Pills for Perfect Disguise (Legendary) consumed >

< User's disguise will be restored. >

< Disguise Restored >

Duncan sees his Disguised form restored, he sighs as he looks around.

" So you finally realized, how vulnerable your leak are if I hadn't intervened? " Black Merchant asks as Duncan did this while in open space instead on a more secluded one.

" You're lucky that you're not chosen to become one of the Nyx Nocterra's soldiers nor for you to even know about it. "

" After all, the house recruits the orphans to become their Wolves, their 'Hounds' nonetheless. "

" Due to the House's secretive nature, they tend to only order and entrust missions to those they prepared from early age. "

" Hence why they have their own knights, despite the Kingdom could've easily given them some of their own, but they refused. "

" I know, I know... "

" Which is why I evaded them, yes? " Duncan asks as he told the Black Merchant for training here in the first place, it was his good ploy before Tenebrae comes out of the dark.

" Indeed, it was your good decision... " Black Merchant praises.

" Since things had come to this, I believe your attempt on biting him was to do something you were greatly at. " Black Merchant asks as Duncan smirks.

< Identity Obtained >

< User can now shifted into 'Tenebrae Nyx Nocterra'. >

" I see..., so that's how you're going to get out of this mess. " Black Merchant comments.

" By becoming 'him'... " Black Merchant looks at Tenebrae for a bit.

" You had no choice but to be more careful as you become a 'stranger' once more. "

" A stranger in a family covered by the dark, a place you shouldn't get yourself into... "

" But, since it comes to this... " Black Merchant picks Tenebrae and bring him up.

" Black Merchant..., wai-... " Duncan was sprayed by the gust of wind as Black Merchant vanishes from his sight alongside Tenebrae.

" He just left? " Duncan asks after seeing the Merchant vanishes before him and suddenly a piece of paper slams right on Duncan's face.

" What the? " Duncan asks as he picks the paper and sees a note.

[ Duncan, DG-525, IF you really wanted to get out of this, then here is my only advice. ]

[ 1. Gradually use the pill in the earliest leak of your real form. ]

[ 2. Avoid mirrors, for now. Since your physical chemistries are still not used to with the disguise, like your first days when you.attain the 'Duncan' form. ]

[ 3. Quickly master some of Tenebrae's primary Nyx Nocterra House's magic, Tyrannus often made him fight against other 'Royal' kids. ]

[ 4. Continuing from the third, won every battle that Tyrannus want you to won. ]

[ 5. If the worst scenario comes, inform me to get you out as fast as you can. ]

[ My sincere advices, Black Merchant. ]

...

( Back to the present. )

[ Nyx Nocterra's Private Residence. ]

" It seems I have to be extra careful... " Duncan says as he look at himself in the mirror, seeing his Duncan Grimshaw reflection.

" Despite this is a great opportunity to live like a Royal, for a while... " Duncan smirks as he now takes Tenebrae's identity from now.

...

( At the same time. )

[ Black Merchant's Place ]

" I hope he won't be awake for some time. " Black Merchant says as he puts Tenebrae on some kind of a stasis pod, to keep him from intervening during Duncan's disguise.

________________

Extra:

About Duncan's reflection, due to his 'real' race's biology, after Duncan first obtain another person's identity, the body will able to shift but their reflection will take time to form the same reflections like the new identity they shifted into, months perhaps.

That's why, after Duncan obtain a new identity, Duncan must evade any mirrors at all costs, in order for him to keep himself hidden for being a fraud disguise.