Shadow Slave

The woman standing in front of Sunny was tall and slender, with long hair that fell down in a gentle cascade of pale gold. Her posture was perfectly straight, and her cold face was dazzlingly beautiful.

Sky Tide was wearing a suit of light steel armor, with pauldrons and greaves decorated with stylized feathers. The gaze of her stern amber eyes was piercing and heavy, while her strange vertical pupils resembled that of a bird of prey.

Snowflakes swirled and danced in the air, as if trying to get closer to her.

Sunny was rather startled to see the familiar Transcendent.

"Saint Tyris? What... what are you doing here?"

Sky Tide glanced at him

"Master Sunless... it is good to see you again. I am glad to find you in good health. As for why I am here, isn't it obvious? I have come to hunt the beast."

He shifted awkwardly.

"No... uh... I meant why are you here, in Antarctica?"

She stared at him expressionlessly

"White Feather clan has been tasked with supporting the evacuation effort in the Southern Quadrant."

Oh...

Suddenly, a few things clicked into place. Back when Sky Tide had killed Saint Cormac to protect Sunny and Cassie, she told them that she would be punished by the great clan Valor. She had also told them that they would not dare to penalize her too severely.

It seemed that having the Chained Isles taken away was not enough of a punishment for the willful Saint. Valor had to make a gesture by sending a token force to Antarctica, and so, the White Feather clan had drawn the short straw. It seemed that they had lost their idyllic demesne and were banished to the cold reaches of the war-torn continent, at least for the time being.

Looking around, Sunny suppressed a sad sigh. The dark and inhospitable land surrounding them was a far cry from the empyrean beauty of the Sanctuary of Noctis. He felt a bit guilty about the whole thing.

mind, though... or at

looked at

I have forgotten that the two of you know each other. In any case, we

gaze of her striking amber

do we know about the

Reaper shook

"Not much..."

looked at the youngest member

do your

***

thing... do your thing? What

slopes of the mountain. By now, the range of Shadow Control had exceeded a dozen kilometers, so it was not impossible for them to reach

to spy

assaulted his mind. Now that he was observing a Category Three Gate, its subtle influence

that had almost split the peak of the mountain

the cavernous schism, and there was stone debris littering the immediate area around it. Many shards had rolled down the steep slopes, while a few giant boulders had even reached all the way down, smashing large parts of the outpost the Irregulars were currently

he did not notice the Nightmare

that a sudden shiver ran through his body. Sunny noticed hundreds of shapes resting

of the mountain, and had a texture that resembled rock. They looked like giant insects that were as large as adult humans. Some of them were Awakened, some were Fallen, and

hiding in the shadow of the shattered peak, however. With its smooth milky-white chitin and unmoving black eyes, the jade creature resembled an oversized, appalling, monstrous beetle. It was easily three times the size

Sunny suddenly felt an eerie sense of

at Saint Tyris, Master Jet, and Winter with

insect. There are around five hundred drones under its command, many of them Fallen. I've noticed at least two

for a moment, and then

"Kimmy!"

seer of his cohort activated her Aspect Ability, allowing him

Sunny slowly listed a few vulnerable points. then shifted