Shadow Slave

Sunny helped the pilot climb out of the ravaged MWP, then looked around somberly. The ruin of the city was covered by the signs of a fierce battle... sadly, he had been too late to arrive. Most of the soldiers were already dead.

'Damn it...'

He had noticed the commotion in the ruins by chance, while making his way through the wilderness to accomplish a different mission. If not for the habit of sending his shadows in a wide circle around him, Sunny would have never even known that a squad of human soldiers had been trapped here. He used Shadow Step to arrive as swiftly as he could, but ended up saving only one.

With a sigh, Sunny helped the young woman climb down from the wreck of the MWP, summoned the Endless Spring, and handed it to her.

"Here. Drink some water."

The pilot kept staring at him strangely, but he was long used to such stares. He gave her some time, then took the glass bottle back and asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral:

"I am sorry about your comrades... but how did you guys end up in this sector? Did you not receive the message that it was designated as a black zone by Army Command?"

The young woman grimaced.

"We... did, sir. But by then, it was already too late. We were on a routine patrol along the Seventeenth Evacuation Corridor when we came under attack from a swarm of Nightmare Creatures. We beat them back and pursued... sadly, a few minutes later, a Gate opened right behind us. We were quickly surrounded, and had to run for our lives. We ran all the way to this city, and..."

She sighed.

Sunny awkwardly patted the pilot on the shoulder.

"I see. I know a thing or two about bad luck, lieutenant... it can get anyone. You did your best."

Internally, he was shaking his head.

'Corridor Seventeen... that place just attracts trouble, doesn't it?'

Corridor Seventeen connected one of the largest siege capitals in the region to the coastal fortress. Maintaining it was of vital importance to the evacuation effort, but recently, it had become harder and harder to keep the area clean.

Sunny himself was on a mission to scout out a potential threat to that corridor.

After reaching East Antarctica, he had basically received carte blanche to choose any assignment he wanted - out of those suitable for an Ascended, of course. In the end, Sunny refused another command assignment and requested to be sent to the Special Reconnaissance Unit.

The SRU was responsible for prowling the abomination-infested wilderness in search of targets that could pose a serious threat to the siege capitals, keeping tabs on their movements, and even attempting to lure them away from the cities from time to time. Powerful Tyrants, Terrors, and even Titans... those were the creatures that Army Command had them observe and track.

Needless to say, the task was extremely dangerous, and often lethal. The SRU consisted exclusively of powerful Masters, and each of them either had an Aspect uniquely suitable for such work or was an absolute elite.

As for Sunny, he was both. The assignment suited him fine, despite the tremendous danger... partially because it granted him a lot of freedom in his movements and actions, partially because he was reluctant to be put in charge of soldiers again.

Being a leader had never been something Sunny enjoyed. The previous time was enough.

It was too much, really.

He glanced at the MWP pilot and sighed.

"...Catch your breath. We can't stay for long, though - this place isn't safe, and I am on a timer."

Looking at her, he couldn't help but remember the Irregulars. Sunny's face darkened.

Most of his people were dead now. Only Beth and Luster remained... and, perhaps, Quentin. There was no news of the gallant healer, so he was most likely gone, as well.

Luster had been shipped back to NQSC long ago. He was now slowly recovering in the hospital complex of the Academy, and doing quite well - Sunny knew of it because Kim remained in close contact with the lucky guy. In fact, he suspected that there was something going on between them.

Their young relationship, however, had to remain a long-distance one for now. Kim herself was still here in East Antarctica, but was kept far away from the battlefield. After returning from the Antarctic Center, she had been transferred to the Strategic Intelligence Department of Army Command. Now, her Aspect was being used to determine the vulnerabilities of various Nightmare Creatures on a wide scale, and disseminate that knowledge to the troops.

There were many such specialists stationed at army headquarters, but Kim was doing especially well for herself.

Beth had been evacuated and reached safety a while back, too. Sunny and she kept in touch, sending each other messages once in a while. However, he had a feeling that the young woman wanted to forget what had happened in the Southern Quadrant, at least for now. Talking to him was perhaps a painful reminder.

So, most of Sunny's communications were with Rain. His sister was doing well in the safety of NQSC. She was training diligently, and not showing any symptoms of being infected by the Spell. The Serpent was protecting her, too. At least in that regard, Sunny felt somewhat assured.

As for himself...

Ever since reaching East Antarctica, Sunny only had three goals. Turn the Ravenous Fiend into a Shadow, become a Tyrant, and prepare for the arrival of the great clans.

He had spent fragments on the little imp first, then hunted down numerous abominations in hopes of forming the fifth Shadow Core. Now, he was mere days away from catching up to Neph. As for the third goal... Sunny had made good progress on that front, too.

As he thought about it, his communication device suddenly came alive, and a familiar voice resounded in his ear:

"Where the hell are you, Sunny?"

He smiled slightly.

"Sorry, Jet. I've been delayed a little. Are you still en route?"

Her voice came through the static, sounding a little out of breath:

"Yeah... and I have a nasty swarm of abominations on my tail."

Sunny nodded.

"I'll send Mongrel your way. Lead them to the rendezvous point, and she'll take care of everything. I'll arrive in a few hours."

With that, Sunny glanced at the MWP pilot and sighed.

"Time to go, soldier. Say your goodbyes. Then, I'll bring you to the nearest army outpost."

He turned away, giving the young woman some space, and looked up, at the cold sun hanging motionlessly high above.

A long sigh escaped from Sunny's lips.

'How bright. I never thought I would miss the polar night...'