Shadow Slave

Just a few minutes later, a majestic dragon with scales that resembled the midnight sky was flying over the endless sea of dunes, devouring distance with stunning speed.

Effie and Jet were on his back, looking south with somber expressions.

After a while, Effie sighed.

«The situation has already changed?»

Jet nodded.

«Yes. The city wall is breached. Western Quadrant defense forces are on approach, but the Call is wreaking havoc with their tech. The Awakened vanguard was attacked by one of the lesser Gate Guardians and managed to put it down, but their advance was stalled. So, we will arrive first.»

Soul Reaper maintained a neutral tone, but Effie could see that she was in a grim mood.

«It's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up too much.»

Jet glanced at her and smiled.

«My fault? Of course, it's not my fault. I am not someone who feels bothered by such things, anyway.»

But despite her tough-girl routine and carefully constructed facade of a cynical salary woman, she was bothered.

Effie had gotten to know Soul Reaper Jet a bit during the Southern Campaign, but they became really close during the Third Nightmare. And in the four years since, their friendship and comradeship had continued to blossom.

Jet… was a professional, first and foremost. She wasn't really someone with a bleeding heart — the opposite, actually — but she took her responsibilities very seriously. As such, her cynical loyalty to the mission of preserving humanity was quite ironically much greater than the noble intent of most ardent idealists.

She had already been doing her very best as a Master. But now that Jet was a Saint- one of the five Saints serving the government — the scale and scope of her responsibilities were much greater.

While Effie and Kai mostly dealt with military and diplomatic issues, simply executing the orders, Jet was much more knowledgeable and experienced. As such, she was involved in the administration and decision-making process of the government, influencing what orders all of them received.

The government was in turmoil, too. It was in flux, drifting on the currents of history. Four years ago, the higher echelons of the government had made a decision to throw vast resources into rapidly developing its presence in the Dream Realm… where the future was.

That was why Effie was almost permanently stationed in Bastion, while Kal spent most of his time in Ravenheart.

Jet, however, had been against that strategy. She had insisted on keeping the government Saints in the waking world, spread across the three remaining Quadrants, to lessen the inevitable losses as much as possible… even at the cost of the future inferiority of the government's position in the brave new world of Domains and Sovereigns.

It was not that she disagreed with the notion that the future of humanity lay in the Dream Realm… it was just that she advocated for a different allocation of resources.

Sadly, she had failed to turn her opinion into policy.

If she had, the current disaster could have been avoided, or at least lessened.

Effie sighed.

guess what? There's nothing better for treating anger than a good slaughter. And we'll be drowning in abominations in a few minutes, so… there's no day like

Jet chuckled.

not use the

that moment, Kai's pleasant voice resounded in

If you feel queasy and are going to be sick, please wait until I land, at least, Really, don't go

Effie grinned.

about your Image? Who are you trying to

her provocation. Instead,

[How is Aiko doing?]

Effie sighed.

she's doing fine,

Kai answered nonchalantly:

glad. As long as she's

seconds later, he asked in the same neutral

are we talking? What about his style? Who makes his

and chose not to

dunes slowly turned into a desolate plain, with a vast, dried riverbed cutting it like an endless scar. Far away, on the opposite side of the immense chasm, a large city

Their banter abruptly stopped.

the piercing blue sky. Even from that distance, Effie could see the signs of cataclysmic devastation.

his incredible sight, could see much more. He didn't say anything, but his

teeth and

it, Kai?

wings and

His voice was even.

them Category Three… one Category Four. The Gate Guardian of

for a moment, then

is overwhelmed, a horde of abominations is rampaging

closed her eyes for a

«It's good, then.»

quietly, the emotions

[Good?]

She nodded.

it means that

of dust. Jet and

front of the mundane soldiers, the battered

dragon, and were now looking back, cheering

Kai's fame preceded him.

cracked her knuckles and

can we even handle something like

count, and the Nightmare Creatures they had killed

Only the Sovereigns had.