Three weeks later
October sixteenth had faded into a distant echo. Now we were at the beginning of November, and everything had changed, though deep down it was still the same shit as always.
Nightmare gates had multiplied like mushrooms after rain.
When the battle against the Tyrant ended, I'd counted seven in the nearby perimeter. Three weeks later, the number exceeded two dozen.
Not all active at the same time, but enough to keep us busy twenty-four hours a day.
The army officially withdrew from the mountain and established a tighter perimeter around Camp Erebus.
The orders were clear: protect the civilians, evacuate in waves toward Falcon Scott, hold out until reinforcements arrived.
What they didn't say out loud was that we were losing ground in the rest of central Antarctica.
I knew it from the communicators, from intercepted conversations, from the way officers looked at maps with that tension in their jaws that betrayed bad news.
Reinforcements arrived in the second week.
Two companies of hunters from Falcon Scott, hardened by battles I hadn't witnessed.
Good soldiers, but they arrived with essence reserves at twenty percent and morale in the gutter.
Their commander, a woman named Hartwell, struck me as competent. We exchanged no more than three sentences throughout that time due to the continuous battles.
The civilian relocation was... problematic.
Every convoy that left was a moving target. The corrupted and fallen creatures learned fast: attack the caravans, scatter the escort, drag the stragglers into the darkness. We lost people. Enough that the numbers started to hurt.
Even so, the situation inside Camp Erebus remained stable. And there was a reason for that.
Soul.
The abomination I had created from that nightmare now controlled a network of lesser creatures that patrolled the perimeter like guard dogs. It was a large army, but it wasn't enough to filter the flow of monsters trying to approach the civilian population. Tens of millions of refugees.
The reason we weren't being overrun was because of Soul and all the abominations it controlled twenty-four hours a day.
This meant a massive expenditure of essence on Soul's part, which still had to use the souls of those who died to convert them into soul essence in an endless chain.
Shade sighed as he rolled his neck. It had been nearly three days since he'd last been able to sleep.
Shade looked out from the top of a tower, observing as a massive seventy-meter dragon brought down a sea of golden flames upon a swarm of awakened and fallen abominations, turning them to ashes.
The voice of the Spell whispered in his head, granting him several memories. After reviewing them and finding them useless, he used them to feed Gunlaug, Soul, and the Dark Knight.
Shade spotted a swift blur. Raising his hand, he caught an arrow which had a piece of paper wrapped around it with a message.
He unfolded it and noticed it was from Asher, informing him that he had a call from Master Jet.
Shade stepped into the darkness, moving between shadows for a few seconds until he emerged from the Rhino's shadow.
He observed his subordinates. Abel, Lily, Miranda, Tiffany, and Lucien were talking while Asher drank a cup of hot coffee.
Shade entered the Rhino, sat down in a chair, and answered his superior's call.
Shade took the call, seeing Jet's image. She looked more animated and less dead than usual.
"Honorable Master Jet, it gladdens me to see you so full of energy on this nightmare-inducing infernal day in Antarctica. To what do I owe the honor and pleasure of receiving a communication through this incredibly useful communication device?"
Jet sighed, rolling her eyes at the grandiose greeting.
"You can stop doing that every time I call."
"I'm learning poise in my free time," Shade replied, shrugging.
"How do you even have free time to begin with?"
"It's a long story involving an ancient millennial tree, a dragon pulled from a fairy tale, and a stoic knight in dark armor."
Jet maintained a calm expression, showing no emotion.
Of course, Shade had interacted with Jet enough over this past month and a half to deduce what was going through her mind.
'Why do I even ask.'
"Anyway, how's everything going at Camp Erebus?"
Shade began eating instant ramen nonchalantly.
"Everything is under control for the moment. Recently there have been a greater number of gates opening, but we're keeping it under control..." Shade paused.
"Randal got injured recently, but Miranda healed him, so he'll be ready for combat after a while," he explained.
Jet nodded.
"Understood," Jet said, showing something resembling a badge.
In fact, it was a golden badge. It was a circle with four stars engraved on it, looking impressive.
Shade blinked.
"What's that badge?"
"You don't know? It's the Transcendent Star of Valor. The highest military decoration one can receive. It's your medal, idiot. I finally got it after army command granted it to me."
Shade scratched his hair, confused.
"I understand the badge, but why am I receiving it specifically?"
Jet looked slightly deflated. She seemed almost disappointed.
"You may not know this, but the higher-ups have read the reports about your feats and leadership in holding such a strategic location as Camp Erebus. Killing a corrupted Tyrant with minimal casualties, eliminating waves of fallen nightmare creatures, killing a flying corrupted Terror, and creating a stable evacuation passage free of abominations," Jet pointed out.
"I was just doing my job."
"Honestly, if there were even a hundred more like you, we could save Antarctica."
Shade grimaced.
"Anyway, this also includes a very generous reward in contribution points."
"Oh, that's great," he said animatedly at the mention of money.
"Anyway, I'll keep it until we meet in person. Speaking of which... I suggest you be careful. I've been informed that several Category Three gates have emerged, so there might be a Titan or two, though nothing is confirmed yet."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"See you, Uriel."
"Goodbye, Master Jet. Next time I'll come up with a more elegant greeting." With that, the call ended.
Since he had time, Shade decided to make a call.
After waiting a while, the call on the other end was answered. He observed a woman with reddish-brown hair and green eyes.
If he remembered correctly, her name was Samara.
"Captain Uriel," the woman greeted with a respectful tone.
"Hello. Is Sunless around?" he asked.
"Yes, just a moment." Shade watched as the woman stood up and moved out of the screen's frame.
Half a minute passed as he continued eating his instant noodles when he saw Sunny, who looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"You look terrible," was the first thing Shade said to his friend.
"You don't look any better."
"Hey, that's natural. I'm busy maintaining a defensive line at Camp Erebus right now and all that."
"Yeah, Jet told me."
"Oh. Well... where are you headed now?"
"A place called L049."
Shade blinked, then frowned.
"I see..." he said quietly.
"Sunny. I suggest you be careful about mental attacks. There are nightmare creatures capable of altering your senses."
"I know that, but why mention it now?"
"So you keep it in mind. Well, that's all. I'll call you if I have more free time. Oh, and before I forget, can you make more of those infinite notebooks?"
"Sure, but you know the price."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a Transcendent shard. Just make them, please." With that, he ended the communication.
Shade stretched.
'Well, now the rest depends on whether he takes my warning seriously or not. The Profaned Sibyl is a nuisance because of its mental attacks, though it's not very strong in direct combat.' Shade frowned, looking at the Rhino's metal ceiling.
'I need to prepare for Goliath's eventual arrival by sea. I can't let it destroy Camp Erebus.'
But those worries would have to wait for the future.