Shadow Slave

A ravaged underground hall. Split concrete, old machines turned into piles of scrap, broken walls. Deep darkness chased away by the bright light of electric floodlights.

The stench of blood permeating the air.

And bodies, of course, scattered on the cracked floor. Dozens of them, all bearing terrible wounds. Bodies of the Awakened of Valor, the Awakened of Song... and one more, a ghastly hill of grey flesh that had been a Nightmare Creature before.

Morgan studied the scene of slaughter with a neutral expression as she walked among the corpses. She would linger for a few moments near one of the corpses, then indifferently move on to the next. Her vermilion eyes were cold.

Saint Gilead, the Summer Knight, was more expressive. He was kneeling in front of one of the bodies with a mournful expression on his gallant, handsome face. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

"Amiran..."

Morgan turned around and looked at the Transcendent.

"Oh. I am sorry, Sir Gilead. I have forgotten that the two of you were once members of the same cohort. Please accept my condolences."

Her voice did not seem too regretful, though.

Summer Knight looked down.

"Sometimes, I forget..."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

The Saint lingered for a few moments, then offered her a calm gaze.

"How much I loathe you and your family."

Morgan smiled slightly and looked away.

"Well. What can I say? We are a loathsome bunch."

With that, she used her armored boot to turn one of the bodies over andasked:

"Does this make sense to you?"

Summer Knight stood up with a sigh and walked over.

"The result is outside expectations, but the sequence of events seems clear. We severely underestimated the opposition. By all accounts, Amiran should have been able to achieve a clean victory... but the presence of a Corrupted Tyrant changed things. Our estimation of Beastmaster's power needs to be adjusted. Still... he slayed the beast, even if the price was his life."

Morgan shook her head.

"Seems clear, huh?"

the fatal sword wound

for

"...What a beautiful cut."

that had been casing the scene. The man walked over and bowed, then

at him

the diviners discovered

looked

"...Nothing, my lady."

appeared on

with forged Memories, lost to four cohorts of Song infiltrators? And that Knight Amiran slayed a

man lowered his

is what the evidence tells, my lady." Morgan

then turned and addressed a delicate young woman who was standing silently above a severed

you, Cassia? Do you

slightly and answered in a

"...I see nothing."

Morgan tilted her head.

don't

was mocking theblind

Morgan grinned.

"Ha!"

to the Saint and pierced him with

Gilead. At least someone is not useless

Then, her expression darkened.

at her feet once again and

moments of silence, she

the House of Night?

cut... just who

breathing heavily. By his side, Cassie swayed, struggling to catch her balance after her rapier was shattered by Morgan's

the two of them

they shared one mind. But, in the end, the princess mercilessly drove them both

almost unnecessary

pretended to be utterly exhausted - there was little need to pretend, really - and lowered

that was a good fight,

nicked all over and utterly ruined, then

You did well,

seconds, he slowly straightened and glanced at her with

troubled by something? Your technique seemed a bit

her face turning cold.Eventually,