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circeyoru · 2 months ago

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Wild Card in the Shadow Army = Requested

[Shadow Generals x Court Jester Shadow!Reader - Platonic]

The Request

You were the wild card of the bunch. You weren’t the strongest, you weren’t the quickest, you weren’t the smartest. However, one would agree that you’re among the best within the Shadow Army. You’re not placed in the rank of generals, but you’re near. You were the [Court Jester] in terms of olden royalty. Like the others, you stood by Ashborn’s side with loyalty, never shy to voice your thoughts be it praise or criticism. You were a special existent because before they have found Earth, no one knew what sort of Shadow you were.

You weren’t like a soldier, just taking orders and commands. You would question if they were best, not that they were wrong. It would always urge Bellion and Igris to think further as they were more keen on taking orders. Your words would always help the more intelligent Shadows improve in ways you couldn’t. You were the secret weapon that made the Shadow Army more fearsome, more unpredictable. Because you yourself were a jack-of-all-trades—some called you a mere jokster, others called you a wise advisor, then more called you a tactician. You had so many titles that you lost track of them. Though all that mattered was Ashborn’s approval and acknowledgement.

As you waited with the other Shadows in the Realm of Eternal Rest, Igris was suddenly picked out from the group and all were eager to be called upon by their returning Lord. Bellion noticed how you’d look at the artificial sky in deep thought, “What’s on your mind, Court Jester?”

“...” Your solemn look faded away to a smiling expression as you danced in your steps, throwing shadow-made cards as if you were performing for the right-hand Shadow. Then you paused and bowed dramatically with your right hand over your chest and your left behind your back, “I believe, we might have another Lord to answer to.”

With that answer, you were suddenly gone in a puff of smoke, all that was left was a signature card dug into the ground. Bellion picked it up and it showed events of the world outside their realm. He watched as Igris did battle with a man, a man so insignificantly weak that he was hardly a challenge to Igris who was obviously holding back. Yet by some miracle, he won.

Just like Igris, you were summoned to fight the same man, though as a bonus trial he accepted. Under the smiling mask you wore, your mouth opened yet no sound came out. You wondered if your abilities were limited. No matter. You summoned your deck of cards, the stage was yours, and now you played the villain, a character the hero must defeat.

You were the Court Jester of the Shadow Army, it’s your duty to entertain.

You were the Trickster of the Shadow Army, it’s your duty to fool.

You were the Judge of the Shadow Army, it’s your duty to pass judgment on the supposed new Monarch of Shadows.

▶ Igris [Rank: Marshal]

The knight had seen your actions as redundant at the start. Your theatrics, your jokes, your riddles, and your over-the-top movements. All that was required of a soldier was to take orders and fulfil them to perfection, all for their master and his goals. While your praises were naturally to be expected to be sung to their Monarch, your criticisms always threatened Igris to pull out his blade and cut off your head.

Though when Ashborn would weigh your words, Igris paused and waited. He thought it was a one-time occurrence, but when it happened more and more, he weighed your words. You were right to point it out, while it was a solid plan, your little attention to detail could make it fool-proof. From then on, he always listened to your words. That side of yours was more commonly seen with Ashborn and the two generals that was him and Bellion, it seemed you had grasped the intelligence of the army. While all were battle-worthy in strength and power, tactics were not everyone’s forte.

Then again you were more vocal than anyone as well.

So when you were defeated by Jinwoo and your voice was limited due to a lower rank after being called to his service, you couldn’t say anything to the new successor. For him, he saw no issue since his skills shone when he was in fights and battles. He thought you’d be mildly useless as your strength lay more in advise-giving and the like. Oh was he dead wrong.

You’d still act out what you wanted to say. Clapping in agreement and as praise for Jinwoo’s work, and a curious head tilt to urge Jinwoo to think again. Your cunning nature was all well hidden by your dramatic flair that Igris only saw you as the mere Court Jester. That was also what you projected yourself to be, but Ashborn and Jinwoo saw through it and both took your carefree jabs to the heart to improve.

Igris, in a way, respected you and your duty towards the betterment of the army. But just… Couldn’t you have done all that without all that dramatic effect?? It wasn’t like you couldn’t but it’s that you chose not to. He had seen you on battlefields and you were just as impressive as some of the top soldiers. Your cards were like darts or daggers, your ribbons were like Bellion’s whip-sword, and your magical abilities could shame some of the army’s best mages.

He has seen how deadly you were when you were focused on an enemy, no jokes, no flair, no fooling around. Okay, maybe some since it was a tactic to combat the enemy, but still… As he saw it, you might have gained the same rank as him if you had been more focused on yourself and not others. He once asked you that after Jinwoo had started to build his army. Igris was the top soldier while you were second. Your answer was…

“I am content where I am, Igris. My use in the Shadow Army is not as a Marshal as you will soon raise back to ranks. Perhaps, this time, I’ll be a General since our new Monarch’s army ranking has changed.”

▶ Tusk [Rank: General]

You were, of course, there when the battle with the high-orcs happened. In fact, you were a big hindrance when it came to the fight. You created illusions that allowed Jinwoo’s army the perfect ambush to even the odds and you even acted like a puppeteer to the weaker orcs and had them attack each other. While your abilities were limited, you could still control at least the limbs. If you were in your full strength, well, that’s another matter.

A pity you weren’t a human because then you’d be affected by the various curses he thrown at you. Your standing within the army was much like a support and a strong one at that, but before he could get to you, he had to pass Jinwoo and his physically stronger Shadows. That in it of itself was already annoying to tackle.

That was before he was a Shadow; after though, he saw you as a mentor of sorts. His magical abilities were quite limited but he admired how yours were trickery-based to the point they could be used in a lot of different ways. That wasn’t all. He saw how you had a general gasps of how the Shadow army functions as an individual soldier and as a whole, now that he was on Jinwoo’s side, he could see the coordination between the weaker bunch. You were somewhat of a strong Shadow in terms of tactics, but strength wise you weren’t as impressive as the top Shadow Igris. You could hold your own if push comes to shove, but you just don’t show that side of yours.

You’d be arranging how the Shadows react to his Lord’s commands, the tiniest of details that would make a difference. Like with Iron, you’d tell him to throw his shield at Jinwoo if he was too far, or block the attack himself if he was closer. You also had a pretty good gasp over his powers as when Jinwoo was thinking what to do with the orb, he passed it to you. Yet you passed it to him.

Tusk remembered watching you dance around him, mimicking how he would summon his spells and made a show of it. When you eyed him, he knew you were telling him to demonstrate his potential. He did as cued and Jinwoo was impressed. So he gained his gift from the Lord from you.

There were times that he tried to copy what you did and the results weren’t as good, so to speak. Imagine a dancing elephant on stage, one stomp is equivalent to a miniature earthquake. Just as Jinwoo was confused and sighing his head off, you came to clean up the mess he created. From your view, you thought you didn’t need to help Tusk like you did with Iron, but you thought wrong and grouped Tusk with Iron instead of Igris. Now he was performing his part on stage when it was time to finish the Demon Castle.

With their Lord pleased, Tusk is even more so. He still sees you as a mentor to be respected even when you were strictly speaking lower than him. Personally, he saw you as the stronger one between you two. If the orb was removed, Tusk would have been the weaker one. Even again, he’s comparing with the you whose power was restricted like Igris. Not that he knew, but he could sense you didn’t show all your cards.

▶ Beru [Rank: Marshal]

As the Shadow that could speak right after called upon, Beru immediately called you out to his new Liege. That you were two-faced and a trickster. Igris was shocked Beru knew so quickly without spending some time with you first. You merely smiled and acted as usual like a clown on stage. Truthfully though, Beru remembered you when he was still the Ant King.

You showed up to annoy him after a puff of smoke appeared. You weren’t here on order, you were amused with what you saw on TV. You had a feeling your Monarch would clean up the mess, but you wanted to assess the situation first. So long as you didn’t die, your Monarch would never know any better. You had placed puppets to protect Jinwoo’s mother and younger sister should danger strike them when you were away.

In the fallen Korean S-Rank Hunters’ eyes, you were dancing around and throwing cards at a tiger in the tiger’s den!! But the nonchalant attitude you had was so odd and they didn’t have the strength to stop you that they let you do as you pleased. Your mask had slid off when the Ant King’s claws came too close to comfort and you had to jerk to the side. Only the Ant King could see the ecstatic expression you had, so twisted and cruel that he knew he was taken as a fool on the puppeteer’s stage. In his rage, he changed targets back to the humans and another Shadow acted that triggered Jinwoo’s arrival. You were gone before then.

Jinwoo wouldn’t have believed it had he never seen your actions beforehand. He knew you were cunning and mischievous, but that was all he saw. As long as your loyalty was still towards him, that was okay. That made Beru push away his prejudice and accept you as a fellow comrade now that the two of you were on the same side.

When Beru and you were paired together to guard Jinwoo’s family, you’d be entertaining the two humans with your magic tricks and clownish acts. Card magic, juggling (that scared them to death the first time it happened since you juggled your head with balls a few moments after), and even puppeteering. While Beru never saw you on the front lines before, hence never knowing how you even fight, he saw you as a weakling of the army and unworthy to be in his Liege’s ranks.

After asking Igris, he was even more confused as to why you were second before he joined, now you were on the same standing with Tusk but since Tusk had the orb, you were lowered. He soon discovered you had declined holding onto the orb that would double your magical abilities, and it confused him because strength and power was everything. It was to survive and serve their Liege. How could you waste your potential?!

He got his answer when you and he were relieved of babysitting duties. Once more, he saw that battle-hungry side of you. He loved how you could switch up so easily; you reminded him more as a human like his Liege than a Shadow. Though, even more so, you were like him. While, maybe, not as bloodthirsty, but you were near his level. Perhaps with a touch of sadistic nature as you toy with your enemy in the name of acting as bait for your companions.

Beru couldn’t understand why Igris judged you poorly, even if it was a distance past, because in his eyes, you were a worthy Shadow to serve his Liege. You were strong in your own right and you were a helpful existent to the army and his Liege with your advice and sharp mind.

Another note was he enjoyed watching those human shows on the TV with you. You two were the perfect duo when it came to calling Jinwoo “My Liege” or “Your Majesty”. Beru was very very serious, but you (without your voice still) was having a blast projecting your longing for Ashborn on Jinwoo since the human reminded you so much of Ashborn.

▶ Greed [Rank: General]

As a former human that wished harm on Jinwoo and his loved ones. You saw fit to nearly break the restriction on your powers to inflict pain onto his human self. When Jinwoo and the other Shadows went after Thomas Andre and his guild members, you strayed from the group to where Hwang Dongsoo ended up.

You’re not as powerful as Igris or Tusk, but you could hold your own against an S-Rank, especially one weakened by Jinwoo. You had your puppet strings attached to his limb and repeated punch himself and caused his body immense pain. You sewn his lips shut beforehand so his screams wouldn’t alert anyone. The smiling mask you had on covered the expressionless and apathetic look that replaced your usual dramatic flair.

Dongsoo witnessed true suffering and felt terror unlike any other. With what you were capable of, he wondered why you weren’t killing him at all. He got his answer when Jinwoo appeared again. He watched this freak dressed as a jester bow to the S-Rank and left him alone. With all the ache in his body, he couldn’t even retaliate when the axe was given to him.

When he reawakened as Jinwoo’s Shadow and was named Greed, you weren’t far away from the scene. He felt his core shake from your cold gaze. He had the ability to speak, yet you didn’t, you were weaker than him. But he refused to believe that. There was no way you were weak. As he accepted his punishment, he listened to how his Lord would speak to you about matters and though he couldn’t see anything, you were advising him in your unique way.

The short while that he turned into a Shadow, Greed had always witnessed and understood you were a key figure in the army. You don’t battle on the frontlines, but you’re there as support. A perfect supporter on the battlefield. It was much better having you as an ally than foe. He learned that the hard way. The other Shadows treated you like casual and you were same ridiculous jester to them. However, in his eyes, he feared you, every time he gazed at him was like a reminder to what you were capable of. The dramatic flair you performed was like a calculated step to lure those around you to underestimate you, then like a serpent, you’d go in for the kill.

Unlike Igris who everyone knew was strong with a sword, unlike Iron who everyone knew was a strong tanker, unlike Tusk who everyone knew held the greatest magical abilities, and unlike Beru who was a killing machine. You were the one Shadow that could always be looked down upon as the weakest. What use was a Court Jester in an army? Understimating you was easy, but the consequence was deadly.

You had long sensed Greed’s wariness to you and you tried to get him to ease up because now the two of you were on the same side. Thing is, trauma had its side effects and you might have been too cruel to him. However, the other Shadows—especially Igris and Beru—supported your actions and you did to. It was a lesson that must be learnt. While Igris did ask what exactly you did, you told him and he gave you the most condescending gaze he could master behind his helmet and Beru gave you cheers and thumbs up in support.

Though as long as it never hindered fulfilling Jinwoo’s commands and everyone was able to work together, you didn’t care. It was Greed’s own fault anyways.

▶ Bellion [Rank: Grand Marshal]

The moment Bellion joined the army was already a time that Igris and your full power was accessible again, including your voices. You were there to welcome Bellion to the army and help introduce to Jinwoo that Ashborn’s Shadow Army was at his disposal. There was no need to catch up since Bellion had already seen everything from the card you felt behind in the Realm of Eternal Rest.

“You haven’t changed a bit even with your abilities limited and your voice taken from you, Court Jester.” Bellion spoke to you when you two were standing side by side atop a cliff that oversaw the Shadow Army on an abandoned island.

“What’s to change~?” You laughed while hovering over the ground. It wasn’t like Bellion underestimated you, it was more like a pleasant surprise that you could still continue your duties with such handicaps. He accepted your role before Igris did and knew your importance and theatrics. Since you were a treasured Shadow like he was to Ashborn, he long accepted your strength and weakness.

Contrary to your display with Igris, you had a milder appearance to Bellion solely because there wasn’t much to entertain. Bellion was a strictly business type of Shadow, Igris was the same but it was easier to get a reaction out of Igris than Bellion, so you mostly just have a calmer persona around him. Well, you say calmer, but not that much. Either way, Bellion doesn’t seem to give it time of day.

In the beginning when you spoke in riddles to hint things to him, he was annoyed. He was a general, a soldier, there was no time for fun when war was upon him and the army. Because he was always with Ashborn, he knew that your words weren’t empty and you always meant something. Before, he mainly relied on Ashborn to point it out, then Igris. Yet when he was alone with you, he couldn’t understand your riddles. He expected you to give up, but you used another method.

Cards and puppets. You showed him the battle tactics of the enemy you had observed and wanted him to counter them when Ashborn was busy. When he went to discuss it over with Igris, he had figured it before he did because he understood the riddle. He appreciated you explaining to his dense mind that was filled with battles and skills.

So it was pretty natural that he pushed for your ascension when you were given a second chance in their new Monarch’s army. You had the General rank, but why not aim for the Marshal rank with Igris? He personally asked his new Monarch for that promotion on your behalf. That was how highly he saw you. You stayed as you were as you thought Genernal was enough for you since you were merely a supporter type, the most you could say was a spy or assassin.

Now, unlike Igris, he couldn’t understand why you were satisfied as you were. You’re not treated poorly because you had Tusk who was calling you ‘mentor’ and asking for your guidance, Iron who constantly seeked for your help to gain approval, and even Greed who was fearful of you. Bellion backed down after you told him to, though even that was after some time later.

With Bellion in the army, things were back to normal. Bellion and you, with the addition of Beru, giving Igris a headache as the more normal Shadow. Silly shenanigans all around, you instigating it, and Bellion and Beru joining in.

Note: The rankings are the final form of the Shadows. I included all those that reach the General/Commander grade. Hope you guys liked this one~ I had fun writing for each one~

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

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