Shadow Slave

The small convoy turned west, rolling down a narrow road that descended from the mountains and eventually met the coastal highway. The Rhino was moving at the front of the column, with four remaining civilian transports following it and the three battered military vehicles guarding the rear.

This was Sunny's siege army for the next six hours or so.

The three armored vehicles at Sergeant Gere's disposal still had some ammunition left - just barely enough to last them the rest of the way to Erebus Field, provided that their charge across the highway would be as dire as Sunny anticipated.

The civilian transports were not only flimsy, but also lacked any kind of integrated defense systems to ward off the attacking Nightmare Creatures. However, they were protected by something far more lethal - the Irregulars.

Samara was already setting up her rifle in an improvised gun nest on the roof of the rearmost transport. To allow the Awakened sharpshooter complete freedom in picking off targets from distance, Quentin was by her side, his sword and shield ready to strike down any Nightmare Creature that would dare to get too close.

Kim was on the roof of the next vehicle, with a dozen magazines of charged rounds prepared in advance for her carbine. The nameless Sleeper was keeping her company with a bow and a quiver of poisoned arrows.

Belle and Dorn were protecting the last two transports. Both had Memories capable of ranged attacks, but neither was a proficient marksman. Their main job was to prevent abominations from attacking the refugees directly. So, knowing that they would probably have to move around the roofs of their assigned vehicles a lot, the two fighters had neglected modifying the vehicles with any kinds of protective emplacements.

All four transports had been prepared for the charge as well as the soldiers could manage. There were plates of armor and alloy spikes welded to their sides, as well as makeshift rams attached to their fronts, in a pale imitation of the Rhino.

Sunny was sitting on its roof instead, holding Morgan's Warbow in his hands. Despite the howling of the chilling wind, he did not feel cold at all, fueled by adrenaline. His body was

was ready for

highway as fast as possible, killing anything before it had

Sunny really expected everything to go according

running ahead of the column, serving as the vanguard and forward scouts, while Nightmare was still slumbering in the depths of his soul. The dark courser was already sufficiently healed to be summoned, but Sunny was holding back on calling upon

the convoy to reach the final stretch of the road before the coastal highway. The terrain had turned much smoother, and then entirely flat. Finally, the beams of light

side, but a section of it was separated from the main thoroughfare by a thick barrier. Behind it, closest to the mountain slopes, a railway stretched both north and south, meant to carry armored trains across the landmass. That still left them enough

in the black sky, drowning in the undulating lights of the ghostly aurora. The highway was utterly empty and basked in the pale moonlight. All of it - the dark slopes of the mountains, the wide expanse of the road, and the black

had no time to appreciate the

'...That was fast.'

already caught the scent of Nightmare Creatures hiding in the darkness. Unfortunately for them, very few things could hide from Sunny's gaze in the gloom of

piercing the head... at

have slain

carapace of a different abomination, while Blackie jumped on the third, trying

clearing the way for the rest of the convoy.Sunny felt the APC vibrating as it gradually gained more and more speed. The coastal highway seemed to be in good shape despite the recent earthquake, so nothing was slowing them down. For now, at least, it seemed as though