Shade finally managed to sleep after nearly two days since the last time he had done so. After talking and vaguely warning Sunny about the Corrupted Terror, Shade took the opportunity to sleep for a few hours, making sure nothing would change by settling in for a while.
However, when he woke up, he realized something. He had underestimated destiny and knew that his days of peace were already over.
When he exited the hatch, he spoke briefly with his subordinates before a soldier arrived in front of them.
"Ascended Uriel, Colonel Anders requires your presence."
"Alright." Uriel followed the soldier back to the facilities. Upon arriving at the same room as before, he noticed Randal and Dale arriving at the same time.
Without saying anything, they entered the room where the colonel was waiting for them with a grim expression.
Once they sat down, they waited for the colonel to speak.
"We have news from the Dream Realm," he said, looking at the three Masters.
"Is it good news or bad news?" asked Shade.
The veteran soldier sighed and let his shoulders drop. His face had aged years due to all the stress he was dealing with from the soldiers, the evacuations, and all the logistics that entailed.
"Bad news. The communication network has completely collapsed," he informed them, causing Dale and Randal's eyes to widen.
Anticipating their questions, he continued.
"The situation is still unclear, but there was a strong earthquake, followed by a manifestation of multiple Category Three Gates. Several Titans also emerged. The three Saints fought one each over the strait between West Antarctica and the Center, and then communications across the entire southern quadrant were cut off," the colonel explained.
"Shit," said Uriel, voicing the thought they all had at that moment.
"Did they kill the Titans?" asked Dale, but the colonel shook his head.
"No, they escaped from the battle. They are scattered throughout the southern quadrant."
"This is getting complicated. With communications down, we can only hold out until they're repaired, and the Titans will attract a large number of creatures to population centers."
"We don't know much. This event will change everything soon. Colonel Anders, did you manage to find out anything about the advance team they were sending?"
"Yes, but it's not good. There are many abominations roaming around, which makes it difficult for them to arrive soon. Maybe a few weeks or a month."
"So we're alone," murmured Shade.
"I'm afraid so."
The atmosphere became eerily silent.
Shade knew that from this point on, the situation would only worsen. He had that feeling, and it wasn't because he was Fated.
"Hey, kid, do you have any brilliant plan?" Anders asked, looking at Shade, who snapped out of his thoughts.
"No. I don't have one, honestly. My Echo can continue dealing with the abominations that arrive and hold back those that come out of the Gates, but more will come. Add to that the millions of inhabitants in this place, and it's inevitable that one of the Titans will be attracted by all those souls."
Randal sighed, as if he already knew the final outcome.
"It'll be a massacre. Total."
"No," said Shade, drawing the looks of the other three.
"What do you mean?"
"It's impossible to move a population of millions to Falcon Scott. So instead of continuing to evacuate, we're going to fortify."
Anders narrowed his eyes.
"You're talking about building a Bastion."
"Yes. If we can't escape, we'll defend. For that, we need equipment, all that is necessary, as well as the Sleepers who have survived their first Nightmare."
"That could work," murmured Randal. "Until reinforcements arrive."
"Correct."
"There's a base near the mountains, about a two-hour drive from here. There are enough supplies and ammunition to hold out longer," said Anders.
"I can go for the supplies. I have a Memory that allows me to store a large quantity of things. It would take me at most an hour to go and come back," said Shade, looking at the two Masters and the army colonel.
"No matter how fast you are, the supply base is too far."
"Colonel, you underestimate me. Just tell me where this place is, and I'll go. Among us, I'm the only one with the means to come and go in such a short time."
"Alright." The colonel sighed. "The location is..."
Shade listened to the location and, after memorizing it, nodded.
"Alright, I've got it. I'll be back in an hour, two at most," he said as he left the meeting room. As he did, the two Masters and the colonel looked at each other.
"Do you think he'll make it?" asked the colonel.
"Yes," was Dale's simple response.
"He killed a Corrupted Tyrant and survived places that would kill anyone. If anyone can do it, it's that kid," said Randal.
At that moment, an officer entered the room.
"Sir. There's a new swarm of Nightmare Creatures. Three Fallen Tyrants."
Anders frowned.
"Organize the troops. We're going to kill some abominations."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Shade stood at the edge of the wall, looking at the road that crossed the mountain. Turning his face back, he observed the dark sea due to the lack of sunlight with a calm expression.
Sighing, darkness enveloped him like a dense, thick mist, which took the form of a huge black Western dragon, fifty meters tall.
Extending two enormous wings a hundred meters wide, Shade launched himself into the sky, beginning to soar towards the location of the supply base.
As he flew, his eyes looked at the devastation caused by his battle against the Corrupted Tyrant. Part of the mountain had completely collapsed, there were enormous cracks in the surface, along with dozens of large, half-devoured corpses.
Shade flew for about twenty minutes until he finally arrived at the location. It was a small structure camouflaged against the mountainside with a dirt road.
Shade landed his enormous draconic body on the ground, causing it to tremble for a moment, then canceled his transformation.
Shade walked to the side of the door, found the scanner, and placed his hand on it. The scanner lit up for a few seconds until it responded.
"Captain Uriel. Verified. Sufficient authorization."
The armored gates opened, revealing the entrance to a wide tunnel.
Moving through the darkness, Shade reached the enormous garage, and it was truly enormous. Shade was surprised by the vast expanse of vehicles: latest model MVPs, armored vehicles for heavy travel, huge containers with rations and weapons, many weapons.
With all this, it would be enough to keep Camp Erebus safe for an entire month.
Shade smiled. His luck had certainly improved.
Using Dark Storage, a vast darkness emerged from his shadow, spreading across the entire floor. He watched as everything began to sink into it.
In a matter of seconds, the packed warehouse was completely empty. Everything had vanished entirely.
"Good, there's nothing more to do here," he murmured, turning around and leaving the warehouse. He needed to return to Camp Erebus right now.
Exiting the warehouse, Shade again used his Dark Manifestation. However, this time, instead of opting for his dragon form, he chose the form of a huge black crow, four meters tall, which consumed less essence.
Soaring through the skies again, Shade examined his surroundings. But something had changed slightly. On one of the mountains, a huge crack manifested in reality. Shade felt the call of the Nightmare, which was much more terrifying than any he had experienced before.
Stopping, Shade watched as something terrifying emerged from the crack.
All Shade could do was curse destiny for his terrible luck.