Shadow Slave

The APC was a little cramped, but the four Masters were able to make themselves comfortable. They were sitting on empty ammunition crates, enjoying some of the snacks Kai had presented them with. The mood in the interior of the armored vehicle was surprisingly relaxed, and the Awakened crew under the archer's command were respectfully giving them some space.

Effie was talking: "...wait, wait, wait. What? That is hilarious!" The conversation had taken a random turn, leading to Kai sharing the details of how he and Sunny first met. At the time, one of them had been imprisoned in a deep well, while the other had gone more than a little feral after living alone in the Dark City.

The huntress knew what had happened in broad strokes, but this was her first time hearing the full story. She couldn't stop laughing. "I can just imagine it..." Effie wiped her eyes, then glanced at Jet and asked with curiosity: "What about you, Colonel? How did you become Sunny's fairy godmother?"

Soul Reaper smiled, leaning back with a can of a refreshing beverage in her hand. "...What's a fairy grandmother? Is it some kind of Nightmare Creature?" Effie stared at her for a few moments, then shook her head despondently. "What's a fairy go... damn. They really are two peas in the same pod..."

Jet chuckled. "I guess not. Well, there's not much of a story. I've been assigned to hold vigil over an Aspirant, and that Aspirant turned out to be Sunny. It's rare for us kids from the outskirts to survive the First Nightmare, so I kept in touch."

Sunny let out a relieved sigh when he realized that she wasn't going to describe the exact moment he had woken up... and what transpired right after. There was no need to give Effie more ammunition! If Jet spilled the beans, he would never hear the end of it...

He opened his mouth to change the topic, but at that moment, the sound of an urgent message resounded in the interior of the APC. Sunny did not like that sound at all. Looking up at the communication terminal, he frowned. Almost at the same time, his own comm vibrated, receiving a message as well.

rose to access the terminal, the other three checked their comms. The messages Sunny and Jet had received were probably a little different, since the Special Reconnaissance Unit was

same somber tension on their faces. The Chain of Nightmares... had just gone into another period of rapid escalation. Dozens of Gates had opened across East Antarctica at the same time, and the initial

confirmed that several titans had emerged, ready to wreak havoc across the continent. Even though the three Saints had slain several such creatures in the past months, the situation was still eerily similar to what had happened in the Antarctic Center. Would the entirety of the

chances were much higher than what the Antarctic Center contingent's had been, but still... Things had just gone from bad to

sighed. "More titans, huh... I wonder if any

dire news. She simply shrugged.

siege capital." The huntress suddenly stopped chewing, which was

just had to go and say it,

moment, Kai returned from the terminal with a troubled face. He looked at them for a few moments, then sighed. "There has been a change of plans. The path we were supposed to take back is no longer available, so... Army Command sent orders to reroute the expedition force. We

sighed and shook

and Jet glanced at each other. They had not received new orders, so the SRU still expected them to accompany the two companies. That was a

out a smile. "Sunny, Ascended Jet... we will have to trouble you with helping us navigate the wilderness, as

hotel... I haven't been fed this much delicious stuff in a while." A small smile appeared on his face. Kai nodded. "Great! Then,

the communication terminal, leaving the three of them alone. Sunny sighed, the smile disappearing from his face. 'This is it,