Shadow Slave

Chapter 875: Old Roads

The next day, Sunny and his cohort separated from the battered division. The mass of vehicles and soldiers marched down the broad highway, heading to a large city that was situated behind the mountain peaks to the cast. The Rhino, meanwhile, continued south.

"Four hundred kilometers... how long do you think it will take us to reach the research installation?"

Sunny was currently in the cabin of the APC, leaning on a bulkhead as he looked ahead. Luster glanced at him from the pilot's seat and shrugged hesitantly.

"Hard to say, sir. The terrain here is really rough, and we'll need to climb over many mountains before reaching the coastal plain. There are some old roads here and there, with tunnels that can serve as convenient shortcuts. But since no one took care of them for half a century, it's mostly a stone labyrinth. So... several days at the least. Maybe even a week if we want to be really careful and lower the risk of stumbling into a horde of Nightmare Creatures."

He hesitated for a few moments, and then added:

"Of course, I can get us there in a day if we leave the mountains and drive along the coastal thoroughfare."

Since most of the Antarctic Center was mountainous in nature, moving across its expanse with speed was somewhat of a problem. It would have been much faster by air, but no one was suicidal enough to use an aircraft in these circumstances.

Not only would its electronics and navigation be swiftly fried by the interference of the Gates, but even worse

winged abominations or

flat near the coast, there was a convenient highway running along the shore of the

was overflowing with Nightmare Creatures. All kinds of

Sunny sighed.

anywhere near the coast. Avoid those old tunnels, too. Just take your time and take us over the mountains, Luster. Dorn needs time to

The young man smiled.

sir! Will do,

since the revelation of his identity as Mongrel, Luster had been acting as an overly enthusiastic sycophant. It was honestly a

"Well... alright then..."

to meditate. In the past month, the importance of replenishing one's essence had become painfully clear to all Awakened in Antarctica. There were just too many Nightmares Creatures around and too many battles that had to be fought... maintaining one's reserves was often

twice

from a dire deficit of essence. That was another reason why the campaign grew harder as days went by, and why everyone was exhausted. His cohort was in a much better spot

to fight any serious battles

eyes closed, Sunny rested as his shadows scouted the route

the mountain chain with agility that was surprising for a machine of that size. The Aurora Australis shimmered with ethereal lights in the