Shadow Slave

Bravig the silent darkness, they retraced their steps and arrived back to the collapsed entrance ot the" tunnel after a long and tense hour. Nothing dangerous happened on their way back, and the convoy seemed to have fared well in their absence, too.

The uneventfulness of it all was deeply disturbing.

Hiding his concern, Sunny glanced at the dark walls surrounding them. The battered vehicles stood motionlessly, their wheels resting on the cold asphalt floor. Here and there, people could be seen resting or hurrying to complete various tasks.

'...I don't like this.'

Frowning, he headed toward the hatch of the Rhino. The people he needed to hear from were already gathered there, ready to report the state of things.

As Sunny passed the sentries, one of them suddenly called out to him.

"Captain Sunless, sir..."

He slowed down and gave the soldier a dark look.

"Yes?"

The man hesitated for a few moments. His face was still, but his tired eyes were full of some unknown, intense emotion.

"Outside, l was part of the rear vehicle's crew. What you did for us back then, near the end... you really saved us. Thank you, sir."

Sunny stared at him blankly for a bit, then turned away with a scoff.

"I am in charge of this convoy. These are my vehicles, and you are my people. No one takes what's mine... especially without paying a price. Do you even know how much a vehicle like that costs?"

With that, he shook his head and walked away.

'What a weird guy...''

The Irregulars, as well as Sergeant Gere, Professor Obel, and Beth were waiting in the command suite of the Rhino. Sunny received several reports, which slightly improved his tnood.

The convoy had lost one civilian transport and one military vehicle as the result of encountering the Devouring Cloud. Luckily, it did not affect their logistics too adversely. After sacrificing the mobile infirmary to accommodate the displaced refugees, all they had really lost was a bit of firepower.

been

Sergeant Gere sighed.

a lot of it to lighten the load on the transports before the swarm arrived.

waved a

about water. I have

the options. They could either pass through the tunnel, or remain where they were

were less than

long I want to remain

first option would allow the convoy to escape from underground sooner... if all went well during the drive to the opposite exit. The second option would

'Curses...'

of staying in the

He sighed.

the engines. We're

through the darkness, forcing it to flee and cling to the walls of the tunnel. The civilian transports and the military vehicles

again behind them, making it seem

to the roof of the Rhino and stayed there with Saint, staring into the darkness with a grim expression on his face. He was still blind to everything

the source of all this darkness? When

during the scouting mission, nothing

Meter after meter of old asphalt disappeared under the wheels of the Rhino, and the stone walls seemed to move past them, vanishing into the darkness. The tunnel was silent, with only the passing of the human vehicles

convoy, making Sunny especially nervous. All these paths

We

continued to stretch forward, seemingly endless. The

the roof of the Rhino anti dove back into

be ground

Stop

at him questioningly, then

down, and then stopped. The other vehicles followed suit, and soon, the whole convoy came to a

stood still for a few moments, staring at the weathered asphalt. Sergeant: Gere. and the members of his cohort soon approached from the direction of other vehicles, while Luster, Professor Obel, and Beth exited the Rhino through the hatch. Saint walked over to the edge of

the gathered people had grave expressions

blinked a couple of

why did we stop?

looked at him