Shadow Slave

Indeed, the treasure Knight Shtad had discovered in the desert was a Citadel.

Not the Tomb of Ariel itself, of course - no scout had managed to get anywhere near the black pyramid, yet. It just always loomed far in the distance, never getting closer, like an ominous mirage.

But he did find a Citadel.

At this point, both Valor and Song were scouting the outer reaches of the desert in search of a suitable position to establish a base camp. Once they found one, numerous soldiers would be brought there through the corresponding Nightmare Gates, and the expeditions toward the pyramid would be launched.

However, a Citadel had the potential to drastically change the balance of power between the two great clans in their pursuit of the Demon's tomb.

The clan that possessed one would hold an overwhelming advantage. The clan that did not would fall behind before the race even started.

A Citadel was not only better fortified and safer than a makeshift stronghold. Connected to the waking world by a Gateway, it would make it much easier to ferry Awakened into the Dream Realm, transport supplies, and establish logistical chains.

Some regions of the Dream Realm held only one Citadel, while some held many. At this point, it was unknown if Knight Shtad's discovery was the only Citadel in the white desert, except for the Tomb of Ariel itself, but even if Song were to eventually discover a second one, the delay would put them at a great disadvantage.

So, needless to say, taking the Citadel was of paramount importance.

However... it was guarded by a fearsome Nightmare Creature.

More than that, even though Valor put a lot of effort into keeping Shtad's prize a secret, there was no guarantee that Song would not try to take it by force eventually.

So, Warren and his people were dispatched into the desert as the first wave of reinforcements. Their task was to assist the fearsome Knight in conquering the Citadel and lay the groundwork for the arrival of further forces.

Of course, there was a problem with that plan.

The fact that an insidious creature had long taken the place of Squire Warren, and came to the desert in his place.

"Valor!"

Mordret let out a fierce battle cry as he led his people into the tide of Nightmare Creatures.

The Citadel was right in front of them.

It was not a fortress, nor was it a pyramid built of black stone. In fact, it was not a man-made structure at all.

Instead, it was a gargantuan black skull that towered above the white dunes, staring at the azure sky with the dark pits of its empty eye sockets.

There were three of them - two where a human's eyes would be, and the third one above them, right in the middle of the skull's vast forehead.

and currently, a flood of revolting Nightmare Creatures was flowing out of them onto the white

"Hold fast!"

the mass of abominations. His sword rose and fell, cutting them down, and his shield rang under a barrage of

'How... tedious.'

by the need to hold himself back. Mordret could not unleash his power as a Master, but even more disheartening than that, he had to imitate the combat skills of the

what Awakened warriors strived to

was harder than

to keep his body intact. Sadly, Warren had been a heroic type,

to protect his soldiers, risking life

Varo! Agathe, back! Lean

empowered with him

It was strange.

of them connected by a shared sense of duty, belonging, and devotion. They spilled the blood of Nightmare Creatures and fought with valiant resolve, refusing

he was supposed to become, if things had been different? Wasn't leading the brave warriors of Valor the fate

'Ah. Such irony.'

blood and agonizing heat... the

made the Citadel its lair had been slain by Knight Shtad himself. The Awakened - both those brought to the desert by Mordret and those that belonged to Shtad's personal elite unit - were mostly alive,

They had won.

do was reap

the ancient skull. They carefully made their way to the

to see it. Bright sunlight spilled through a jagged crack in the chamber's

triumphant smile appeared on the

placed his heavy hand on

did well, Warren.

Mordret smiled pleasantly.

his task was simple - remain in the good graces of Sir Shtad, anchor himself to the Gateway, return to the waking world, and inform Clan

and concentrated their forces in one place, he would help Seishan and the rest stage an unexpected attack and rip the Citadel from

was Clan

on the other hand,

of the Queen of Worms had allowed themselves to commit a grave sin. They had

easy victories and their outward superiority in terms of numbers, they had foolishly

it the epitome of being misguided? To look down on

of complacency his sister had so masterfully lured them into, but Mordret knew better. It didn't matter who had reaped a few victories at the start... all that mattered was who would

now, but the walls of the trap were already closing in around them. Mordret did not know what the trap was, but he did know one thing - the

had to throw the cadence of this conflict

at Knight Shtad with a pleasant smile,