Shadow Slave

After a short stope, the battered convoy started moving once again.. The Rhino was driving at the front, followed by the five civilian transports. Two military vehicles flanked them, and two more protected the rear. It would not be possible to mainting the formation higher into the mountains, but for now, the roads were wide enough.

Taking a turn, they drove away from the coast, slowly climbing higher and higher into the outskirts of the mountains. Observing the multitude of screens in the command suite of the Rhino, Sunny felt thankful for the fact that he had scouted this whole area with his shadows a month ago, while en route to LO49.

He roughly knew the twists and turns of the mountain roads, the shape of the slopes and the deep canyons, and what path to take. He knew where the most dangerous spots were, where a large-scale ambush could be waiting for them, and where it was possible to make camp.

This stretch of the mountains was like a maze, and with civilian transports following the Rhino, its mobility was severely reduced. There were only so many paths the convoy could take... luckily, Sunny remembered them all.

Of course, a lot of things could have changed in a month. The devastating battle between the three Saints and an unknown Titan had destroyed a few mountain peaks further up north, and caused a powerful earthquake. Although only a weak echo of that clash had reached this region, it was still enough to potentially change the topography.

There would be rockfalls that had blocked previously clear roads, while some roads would have simply broken down and collapsed. A glacier or two could have come undone, obliterating everything in their path. And, of course, there were swarms of Nightmare Creatures lurking in the dark.

There was also snow. The blizzard seemed to be growing weaker, but it had already covered the world with it. As a result, the Rhino was forced to lower its wedge-shaped ram and clear the path forward for the convoy. Just like that, the proud war machine was reduced to playing the role of a snowplow.

The progress was torturously slow.

Sunny had to simultaneously scout ahead and think deeply about how to manage the convoy. He wanted to consider as many problems as possible before they actually happened, to hopefully prevent them. It had been easy to command a small cohort, but now hundreds of people were depending on him. The complexity of the task and the amount of moving parts comprising it were giving him a headache.

Not to mention the daunting trial of daring to guide a caravan of refugees through a war-torn, apocalyptic expanse of the continent that was being slowly devoured by the inescapable tide of darkness.

'...At least there is no giant tower this time.'

Sunny smiled bitterly and turned his head, staring at Beth, who was looking at the external camera feed with a detached expression.

Feeling his gaze, she looked back.

"...What?"

Sunny studied her for a few moments.

have administrative experience,

woman frowned

of thing on behalf of the Professor. Running a research facility demands a

He nodded.

You're in charge of the refugees

blinked a couple of

Wait... what do you

Sunny shrugged.

for their well-being. Food, water, health, morale. Find responsible people among the civilians and coordinate with them to solve any problems that you can handle yourself. Report the rest to

She scowled.

but my priority is

head and waved

refugees, it's in your own interest to make sure that everything is running smoothly. The safer the convoy is, the safer the old man will be, as well. In any case, I need to delegate these things to someone. Otherwise, I won't be able to

glared at him for a few moments,

guess I'll be the housekeeper, then. You be

Sunny grinned.

dogs do is sleep all day and get treats. Who

gave him a strange

***

a canyon, a tall cliff stood, covered in snow. On a deep ledge cutting into its face,

Creatures were resting, their bloodshot

Then, something changed.

stirred. The maws opened, and their muscles rolled under the desiccated hides. One by one, they rose from the

of the vile creatures, and hoarse growls escaped from their maws. Using their powerful limbs, the Nightmare Creatures moved toward the edge of the ledge, lusting to sink their fangs

however, a shadow suddenly moved between them, and something landed in the middle of the pack, sending snow flying into the

a graceful knight in intricate onyx armor stood, raising a beautiful jade jian. A split second later, the white

moment, listening to the voice of the Spell whispering into his ears. The convoy was climbing higher into the mountains. The moved

a radio transmission from one of the