Shadow Slave

Changing Star was in a watchtower near the outer edges of the camp, observing the ongoing battle. Her gaze was locked on the lustrous figure of Summer Knight, who stood like a fortress amidst the attacking Nightmare Creatures, cutting them down with his flowing lance.

Sunny approached and stared at the slaughter, as well, wondering how was it that the Saint had not gotten a single drop of blood on his armor. Was that a skill one could learn? The black silk of the Graceless Dusk always remained pristine, rejecting any kind of taint, but the same could not be said about his skin... and hair, especially hair. Washing blood out of his hair was a real chore.

Which was one of the reasons Sunny had enjoyed the few months of being a scout and never getting his own hands dirty, instead relying on shadows to do the killing for him.

"That guy, Summer Knight, is both deadly on the battlefield and nice in person. Makes me wonder if he really is a Saint... every other Transcendent I know is either the stern stoic type, vaguely sinister, or completely insane. He really doesn't fit."

Neph glanced in his direction and smiled with the corner of her mouth.

"Maybe you just attract these kinds of people."

Sunny coughed.

Come to think of it... stern and stoic, vaguely sinister, and completely insane were all words that could be used to describe Nephis, as well.

She looked back to the battlefield and added:

"But you are right. Sir Gilead is somewhat of an outlier among the Saints. He is too... straightforward. What you see is what you get. Honor, valiance, loyalty... and all that. He is the picture of a noble knight."

Sunny remained silent for a moment.

"Is that a bad thing?"

He certainly thought that it was. A person who proclaimed these virtues was either a hypocrite or dangerously naive - gods only knew which option was worse.

However, Sunny wanted to hear Neph's answer.

She shrugged.

"Not usually. But in the case of Summer Knight, it presents a contradiction. What is a person like that doing serving the King of Swords? And not just as a vassal, but as a direct retainer of clan Valor. A tool in their machinations."

for a few moments, then

to

looked at Nephis with

doing serving the King of

grew a little wider, and

loyal. I am just

He scoffed.

do. Don't I

Sunny leaned on the framework of the alloy watchtower

same time, he sent

to

alloy bar by

siege capital. She warned me to be ready. There is also the issue of the Nightmare Gates within the city. There are sixteen of them, at the moment, and keeping each one contained is a drain on the resources. Once we are back, the Awakened soldiers under Morgan's command

hesitated for a

Keepers? Are they going

lowered her head

followed by two others. A month later, two more cohorts will challenge the Second Nightmare. The last two will go after... if... the

Sunny blinked.

than a year, Changing Star would potentially command close to fifty Masters. Some might die

had made so much noise for this exact reason - not

the great clans. No wonder Nephis seemed to be in a hurry to send the Fire Keepers into the Seeds... the emissaries of Song knew what was at stake,

forces of the great clans started in earnest, Beastmaster would without a doubt aim to destroy the Fire Keepers before

'How complicated.'

his words

to eavesdrop

Nephis glanced at him.

pure accident,

He smiled.

smile disappeared

forward, pretending to study the