Shadow Slave

During the day, the desert was like hell. The small, ruthless sun bathed the pristine white world in suffocating heat, making the Awakened feel as if their bodies and minds were slowly being dissolved into the blinding white radiance.

Mundane humans would not have lasted even a single day in this scorching inferno, but even the experienced Awakened warriors were struggling to persevere. If not for the fact that they had come prepared... the soldiers of Valor shivered despite the unbearable heat when imagining how agonizing such a journey would have been.

The government soldiers pulled into this hell by the Call never stood a chance. After all, the probability of them possessing Memories to mitigate the heat and create unlimited reserves of water was slim, not to mention other dangers.

Most importantly, they would not have had a map.

The rough map created by the scouts of the great clan was, without a doubt, the most vital distinction between Warren's squad and those poor fools.

Because, while the desert was like hell during the day, it was infinitely more harrowing during the night. The heat retreated, replaced by murderous cold... and the dead soldiers of the ancient armies that had once clashed in this land rose from the sand to continue their eternal battle.

This had been one of the last battlefields in the world-ending war between the Demons and the Gods - considering who had fought and fallen here, even the cursed remains of the ancient soldiers were too dreadful for mere mortals to face.

If there was one mercy in the white desert, it was that these accursed remnants were too powerful to enter the waking world through the lesser Nightmare Gates.

...Of course, there were countless other Nightmare Creatures populating the white dunes, as well. These abominations were not restricted to only moving at night, and even though they preferred to stick to the shadows, Mordret and his companions had to fight more than a few horrors as they traveled across the desert.

The heat, the blinding light, the constant danger of being attacked by swarms of frenzied Nightmare Creatures...

'Irritating.'

Mordret pierced the body of a swift abomination with his sword, then bashed it with his shield, throwing the creature back and off his blade. Sweat was rolling down his face, and his helmet felt as hot as an oven. Even the charm he was using to keep himself cool seemed to be struggling, despite the fact that it was hungrily devouring more and more essence.

By his side, someone swayed and fell to their knees.

moved, shielding the Awakened warrior from a lunging Nightmare Creature. With its momentum

helped the Awakened

I'm sorry, Warren. The heat got to

Mordret shook his head.

Drink some water. This was the last of

already finished off the remains of the swarm. All of them seemed tired, their eyes

"Warren, can we rest?"

usually carefree voice

behind the visor of his

the destination before sunfall. Ah, don't look so discouraged,

to another following the map that the Ascended had created, hiding in them during the night and

drawing close

the blood off his sword and hung

men! We have already been held back by these

followed him without

behind the horizon when they approached one of the ruins that protruded from beneath the sand like a black obelisk. The ancient structure was broken and tilted to one side, its purpose and original shape long erased by the passage of time. It was casting a long shadow, which hid within

blinked a few times, relaying a coded message. Mordret summoned

they proceed

of black steel. Even surrounded by the scorching heat of the hellish desert, the

as

a pile of horribly disfigured abomination corpses strewn across the blood-soaked sand

bowed, pretending to be

is

Valor studied them for a few moments, and