Shadow Slave

The strategy meeting dragged on. The emissaries of the great clans seemed to be well aware of the situation on the infected continent - in fact, they seemed to have a clearer picture of what was going on than even Sunny did - but their understanding of the nuances of the Antarctica campaign was purely theoretical in nature.

Only Sky Tide and Dire Fang possessed practical knowledge of what it meant to fight against the land that was slowly being devoured by a tide of nightmares. The others were going to have to catch up, fast.

Still, they were not inexperienced people. Whispering Blade especially was a veteran of many wars - he had led the Knights of Valor into plenty of untamed regions of the Dream Realm, spending years in lengthy and harrowing campaigns of subjugation to expand the borders of human territory in that inhospitable world.

From that perspective, it was easy to understand why Anvil had chosen his brother to helm the conquest of the Tomb of Ariel.

Beastmaster was at least a decade younger than Saint Madoc, but she seemed no less of a seasoned tactician. Her exalted reputation had not appeared out of nowhere, after all. The lands controlled by the Song clan might not have expanded as dramatically as those ruled by Valor in the past two decades, but every region they did conquer had been a much more dire hell to surmount.

The tantalizing Saint was surprisingly soft-spoken and cordial. Sunny had expected her to be arrogant, aloof, and unapproachable, but she was actually quite easygoing. Her husky voice was pleasant on the ear, and her red lips were quick to twist into a small, but bright smile.

That smile was absolutely beguiling.

Seishan was actually not that much younger than Beastmaster. Even though she was not a Saint, she had spent more time braving the horrors of the Dream Realm than most Transcendents - a decade of surviving on the Forgotten Shore made her more than qualified to participate in this meeting.

The same went for Nephis. She might not have remained there as long, but her singular achievement of surviving close to two years of solitude in one of the most dire regions of the Dream Realm, eventually escaping it through a Nightmare Seed, earned her some respect from everyone present in the strategy room.

As for Morgan... no one except for Madoc knew much about her achievements and experiences, but they also did not really doubt her competence. Her mind was as sharp as her eyes, and her knowledge of warfare and strategy seemed almost supernatural.

The blood of War God flowed through her veins, after all. Sunny wouldn't be surprised if the Princess of Valor ended up being the most talented strategist among them.

So, each of them was more than capable of absorbing the new information about the perils and nuances of the Chain of Nightmares at a staggering speed.

introduced as Ascended Bast. Even

retainer of the great clan Song. He was a part

one bought that explanation,

up from time to time, answering questions or sharing their personal experiences of fighting on the frontline. Bast, however, had not said a single word from the start of the

a cat playing

few rats in the outskirts. As far as vermin went, rats were pretty scary... so a creature that made a hobby

much

Ruin was having with the emissaries of the great clans was not that interesting, either. Sure, many important things were being talked about, but Sunny knew most of them.

his eyes

while, then asked her through the

you

what the great clans wanted. He knew what the government wanted. He definitely knew what the Nightmare Creatures

absolutely clear, but here and now? Sunny was not sure what Nephis wanted to get

turned her attention back to the discussion of which

response came a few moments later, and was very

[...Survive.]

his head

a sober answer, coming from you. Where is the real Nephis and what have you done to

mouth twitched upward. That small change was so subtle that he doubted anyone except

- or rather, thought - in her usual

that life is pretty

Sunny blinked.