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.

had all been patched up and ready

Sergeant Gere sighed.

of it to lighten the load on the

waved a hand

have a literally endless source

for a while, considering the options. They could either pass through the tunnel, or remain where they were and

options were

all comes down to how long I want to

second option would force them to

'Curses...'

staying in

He sighed.

the engines.

minutes later, the Rhino came to life and rolled forward. slowly gaining speed. The beams of powerful spotlights installed on its roof cut through the darkness, forcing it to flee and cling to the walls of the tunnel. The civilian transports and the

devoured everything once again behind them, making it seem as though the convoy was traveling inside a

grim expression on his face.

is it... where is the source of all this

like during

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

Sunny especially nervous. All these paths sloped down,

passages. We just

then another, and another. The tunnel continued to stretch forward, seemingly endless. The more time passed,

a while, he finally left the roof of the Rhino anti dove back into its

up to Luster, be ground his

enough. Stop the

glanced at him questioningly, then

other vehicles followed

the direction of other vehicles, while Luster, Professor Obel, and Beth exited

had grave expressions

grim mood, Luster blinked a couple of times, then turned to

why did we stop? is there a

at him