Shadow Slave

Sunny left the underground complex, breathed in the cold winter air, and limped toward the nearby army hospital. The walk was not too long, so he reached it within ten minutes.

Belle, Dorn, and Samara were in front of the building, and so was Abomination — the Echo was laying on the ground, shielding them from the wind with its massive body.

The hound had not participated in the recent battle, because it would have been destroyed too quickly by the black beetles. It had been very helpful to the cohort in the past two weeks, though.

It was strange… in the past, Abomination had mostly ignored Quentin's Echo, Blackie, who used to follow the larger beast around. But now that Blackie was gone, the monstrous hound always looked a bit forlorn.

Sparing the Echo a sad glance, Sunny approached his soldiers.

"Major! Gods… you look awful!"

Belle grinned, hiding hints of anguish that had taken root in his eyes.

Sunny forced out a smile, as well.

"You should have seen the other guy… ah, but you can't. I killed the other guy."

That produced a few chuckles. Sunny scoffed, too.

"Anyway. Take me to Luster… he's awake, right?"

They nodded. Dorn and Samara remained outside, while Belle guided him into the hospital.

"He woke up an hour or so ago. Uh… I think he's in good spirits, considering. That might be because of painkillers, though."

They walked through the white corridors, which were all crowded with hospital beds. An uncountable number of maimed and injured soldiers lay on them, some awake, some mercifully unconscious. The air was filled with the sickening smell of blood, burned flesh, misery, and despair. Doctors, nurses, and a few Awakened healers were hurriedly tending to the wounded, the bags under their eyes blacker than the bruises covering Sunny's body.

The sight of it was indescribably grim.

Sunny kept his face cool, projecting the image of an intrepid Ascended. On the inside, however…

'At least they'll survive.'

Modern medicine was very potent, and that was without even considering the Awakened wielding healing Aspects. If a soldier was delivered from the battlefield alive, there was very little chance of them dying. The only problem was the cost, but the First Army spared no expense, at least in that regard.

As an Awakened of somewhat exalted status, Luster was placed in a small room of his own. As they approached it, Sunny heard the young man's voice:

"Kim… Kimmy… stop it… I lost my legs, you know, not my hands! I am perfectly capable of feeding myself!"

When they entered, they saw a peculiar scene. Luster was laid on a bed, his stumps wrapped in regenerative bandage, while Kim was trying to push a spoonful of synthpaste porridge into his mouth. The young woman's usually timid face was determined and extremely focused.

Kim froze, then turned and gave Sunny an unexpectedly fierce look.

08:01

"Sir. That fool refuses to eat."

Noticing Sunny, Luster grinned:

"Cap… Major! Thank the gods! Please, save me!"

Kim froze, then turned and gave Sunny an unexpectedly fierce look.

"Sir. That fool refuses to eat."

Sunny stared at them for a couple of moments, and smiled.

"Do you want me to feed you, Luster? Because, you know… I can…"

The young man paled a little, then hurriedly grabbed the spoon and swallowed the porridge in one go.

"No, no. No need to exert yourself, sir!"

Sunny walked closer, summoned his chair, and sat down near the bed. Then, he tried to say something, only to find out that no words came to his mind.

Eventually, he awkwardly asked:

"How are you doing?"

Luster stared at him for a bit, then suddenly grinned and wiggled his stumps.

"Don't worry about me, sir. I'm doing fine… really. I did tell you how my whole right arm was bitten off once, right? This is only a tiny bit worse… hell, if I lose my left arm as well, one day, I'll be able to brag about losing all my limbs to protect humanity. Girls can't resist a hero, you know!"

Sunny blinked.

'I guess he really is alright.'

He sighed.

"Well… don't worry too much. There are not a lot of great healers here in Falcon Scott, and all of them are terribly busy. Once you get to Eastern Antarctica, and from there back to NQSC, though, the government will pull out all the stops. You'll be as good as new in no time."

Despite his intention to comfort the young man, Luster's smile suddenly dimmed. Looking away, he remained silent for a few seconds, then said quietly:

"Ah, yes. Certainly, sir. Once I'm back in NQSC…"

Sunny frowned a little.

"Throw these stupid thoughts out of your head. You did more than enough. Very few people deserve to go home more than you… so, enjoy the cruise, and then make sure to get better and relax during an extended vacation. That's an order."

He paused, then added seriously:

"Plus, the Rhino blew up. What the hell do I need you for, now? Keeping you would probably just be a waste of perfectly fine provisions…"

Hearing that, Luster laughed.

"Ah, I see. When you put it that way…"

He sighed.

"It's not that I think that I don't deserve an early dispensation, sir. It's just that..."

The young man briefly glanced at Kim, then grew silent.

He did not want to leave his comrades behind. Sunny could understand that… but there was no other way. Restoring two legs to a person was not impossible, if sufficiently powerful healers were involved, but it took time, and a long period of recovery would still follow. By the time Luster was in good enough shape to fight again, the Antarctica Campaign would be over.

He shook his head.

"The way I see it, your lucky charm finally worked. If it wasn't for you, Kim would be dead… Dorn too, probably, and maybe even Belle and Samara. You did well, Luster. You served through the hardest part of the whole campaign… things will calm down after the Second Army arrives. So, cheer up."

Luster looked at him, then slowly nodded.

"That thing… you killed it, right, sir? What Rank and Class it was?"

Sunny shrugged.

"Yes… I killed it alright. It was a Corrupted Devil, and a very scary one at that."

The young man leaned tiredly on the backrest of the hospital bed, and smiled.

"A Corrupted Devil… good, that's good. There's no shame, then… ha, I survived an attack of a Corrupted Devil? Wow… I'm pretty awesome, don't you think, Kim?"

She scooped another spoonful of porridge, brought it to his mouth, and sighed.

"Yeah… yeah, you are pretty awesome… now eat the damn sludge before I get angry…"

Sunny watched them silently for a couple more minutes, then found an excuse and left.

He found Belle a few rooms over, where dozens of sleeping pods were installed in a large hall. The swordsman was standing near a particular one, staring somberly at its closed lid. Inside, Quentin's body slept peacefully, not quite dead, but also not quite alive.

The healer had neither died nor turned Hollow yet. Considering the circumstances, that probably meant that he had fought his way to a Seed and entered a Nightmare.

08:02

Conquering a Second Nightmare alone… his chances were exceedingly low, but not entirely non-existent.

Sunny stopped near Belle and looked at the sleeping pod, too.

After a while, the swordsman suddenly said, his voice uncharacteristically sober:

"Major… do you remember how I joked that Luster would be the first one to die?"

Sunny spared him a surprised glance.

"...Sure. I do."

Belle remained silent for a long time, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"I was thinking… technically… I can still win that bet, right?"

With that, the swordsman glanced at him and grinned.

Sunny scowled.

"I guess… but who allowed you guys to bet without my permission? Unacceptable! I want in on the bet…"