Shadow Slave

After a short stope, the battered convoy started moving once again.. The Rhino was driving at the front, followed by the five civilian transports. Two military vehicles flanked them, and two more protected the rear. It would not be possible to mainting the formation higher into the mountains, but for now, the roads were wide enough.

Taking a turn, they drove away from the coast, slowly climbing higher and higher into the outskirts of the mountains. Observing the multitude of screens in the command suite of the Rhino, Sunny felt thankful for the fact that he had scouted this whole area with his shadows a month ago, while en route to LO49.

He roughly knew the twists and turns of the mountain roads, the shape of the slopes and the deep canyons, and what path to take. He knew where the most dangerous spots were, where a large-scale ambush could be waiting for them, and where it was possible to make camp.

This stretch of the mountains was like a maze, and with civilian transports following the Rhino, its mobility was severely reduced. There were only so many paths the convoy could take... luckily, Sunny remembered them all.

Of course, a lot of things could have changed in a month. The devastating battle between the three Saints and an unknown Titan had destroyed a few mountain peaks further up north, and caused a powerful earthquake. Although only a weak echo of that clash had reached this region, it was still enough to potentially change the topography.

There would be rockfalls that had blocked previously clear roads, while some roads would have simply broken down and collapsed. A glacier or two could have come undone, obliterating everything in their path. And, of course, there were swarms of Nightmare Creatures lurking in the dark.

There was also snow. The blizzard seemed to be growing weaker, but it had already covered the world with it. As a result, the Rhino was forced to lower its wedge-shaped ram and clear the path forward for the convoy. Just like that, the proud war machine was reduced to playing the role of a snowplow.

The progress was torturously slow.

Sunny had to simultaneously scout ahead and think deeply about how to manage the convoy. He wanted to consider as many problems as possible before they actually happened, to hopefully prevent them. It had been easy to command a small cohort, but now hundreds of people were depending on him. The complexity of the task and the amount of moving parts comprising it were giving him a headache.

Not to mention the daunting trial of daring to guide a caravan of refugees through a war-torn, apocalyptic expanse of the continent that was being slowly devoured by the inescapable tide of darkness.

'...At least there is no giant tower this time.'

Sunny smiled bitterly and turned his head, staring at Beth, who was looking at the external camera feed with a detached expression.

Feeling his gaze, she looked back.

"...What?"

Sunny studied her for a few moments.

"Beth, you have administrative experience, right?"

The young woman frowned in confusion.

"Sure? I used to do that sort of thing on behalf of the Professor. Running a research facility demands a lot of paperwork, you know."

He nodded.

"Good. Then, congratulations. You're in charge of the refugees now."

Beth blinked a couple of times.

"What? Wait... what do you mean?!"

Sunny shrugged.

"I mean that you are responsible for their well-being. Food, water, health, morale. Find responsible people among the civilians and coordinate with them to solve any problems that you can handle yourself. Report the rest to me. You will be a filter between me and the civilians, understand?"

She scowled.

"I do, but my priority is the Professor."

Sunny shook his head and waved a hand dismissively.

"He's a civilian too, is he not? Now that we are escorting a convoy of refugees, it's in your own interest to make sure that everything is running smoothly. The safer the convoy is, the safer the old man will be, as well. In any case, I need to delegate these things to someone. Otherwise, I won't be able to concentrate on the military side of things, and our safety - including the Professor's - will be compromised. Would you prefer I entrust the civilian side of things to someone who does not care about him as much?"

She glared at him for a few moments, then scoffed.

"Fine. I guess I'll be the housekeeper, then. You be the guard dog."

Sunny grinned.

"That sounds swell. From what I hear, all dogs do is sleep all day and get treats. Who wouldn't want to live like that?"

The young woman gave him a strange look, and didn't answer.

***

Above a mountain road that clung to the side of a canyon, a tall cliff stood, covered in snow. On a deep ledge cutting into its face, veiled by darkness, a dozen monstrous forms lay as they hid from the howling wind.

The Nightmare Creatures were resting, their bloodshot eyes staring aimlessly into the blizzard.

Then, something changed.

As if catching a faint smell, the abominations stirred. The maws opened, and their muscles rolled under the desiccated hides. One by one, they rose from the snow and listened.

From a distance, a barely audible hum of engines and the rustle of wheels could be heard. Frenzied flames ignited in the eyes of the vile creatures, and hoarse growls escaped from their maws. Using their powerful limbs, the Nightmare Creatures moved toward the edge of the ledge, lusting to sink their fangs into human flesh.

...Before they could, however, a shadow suddenly moved between them, and something landed in the middle of the pack, sending snow flying into the air. The abominations only had a moment to see what it was.

There, between them, a graceful knight in intricate onyx armor stood, raising a beautiful jade jian. A split second later, the white blade flashed.

...Back inside the Rhino, Sunny closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the voice of the Spell whispering into his ears. The convoy was climbing higher into the mountains. The moved slowly, but had not encountered any serious problems yet.

A few minutes later, he suddenly received a radio transmission from one of the flanking vehicles.

"M... ster Sunl... ss, sir!"

Sergeant Gere's voice came through, marred by interference. Sunny manipulated a few switches to improve the quality and asked:

"What is it? Is there danger?"

The man answered after a short pause, with doubt in his voice.

"No... yes. I don't know, sir. It's just that the cliffside ahead... there's blood flowing down it."

His voice sounded nervous.

The response came a second later, startling the soldier.

"...Don't mind it. The situation is under control. Keep your eyes open and move forward."

Gere stared at the radio in his hand, and then glanced at the soldier near him.

"He said that the situation is under control."

The other soldier shivered.

"... Then I guess it is."

The approached the cliffside what seemed to be seeping blood, and drove past it. Nothing happened.

A few more hours passed, full of similarly strange events. However, no abomination had managed to get close enough to the convoy to pose a serious threat to it. In the evening, when the blizzard had grown thin enough to see the stars in the sky, they finally reached their destination.

Up ahead, hidden between tall cliffs, was the entrance to the old, abandoned bunker.

That was going to be their base for the next couple of days.