As he walked through the empty streets, Sunny breathed in the cold winter air and tried to calm his wildly beating heart. He should not have been that fatigued, but he was. The strange ailment tormenting him had become less severe in the last couple of days, however, it was not gone yet.
'Ah, curse it…'
Sunny grimaced, then noticed a group of soldiers ahead and forced himself to put on the mask of a confident commander. Mundane humans looked up to Masters, and if they saw one walking around with hollow eyes and a troubled expression, their morale would suffer.
He had never thought that being preoccupied with concerns about people's morale would become something he bothered with, yet here he was.
As Sunny walked closer, he heard bits and pieces of their conversation.
"I saw Mongrel fight yesterday. Gods, he truly is a fiend. My whole unit would have been dead if not for him. I wish I could thank the man… but he is definitely not from the First Army. Maybe he's a Legacy from a local Antarctica clan?"
"No, no… haven't you heard the rumors? Mongrel is that Master from the First Irregular Company. The Devil."
"You lost your damn mind, fool. Mongrel is like two meters tall, while Master Sunless is on the shorter side. Believe me, I saw them side by side, the day the wall was first breached. Also, Mongrel is definitely a woman."
"Yeah, I saw it too. She even caressed his cheek… well, uh, more like poked it. Wait… guys, do you think there's something going on between them?"
"You are all idiots. Mongrel is obviously several people…"
Usually, hearing such conversations amused Sunny, but this time he remained detached and indifferent. The soldiers grew silent when he approached, straightened, and then bowed respectfully. He nodded at them in passing and continued on his way, uncaring.
'Ah. But that reminds me…'
Sunny summoned the runes and glanced at the description of Saint:
Shadow Fragments: [185/200].
'So close.'
With the two Memories he received today — one from an Awakened Monster, the other from a Fallen Beast — the counter would increase by two fragments, bringing it to one hundred and eighty-seven. From here, he only needed thirteen more for Saint to Transcend.
He was somewhat pressed for time, but also had a few of his personal Memories that could be sacrificed to accelerate the process. Things were still going according to plan.
'It's the weaving that is the problem… I feel like I am almost there, but the Midnight Shard is still giving me trouble. Too risky.'
Sunny pondered the intricacies of the spellweave, grimacing when the thundering clamor of the distant battle grew especially loud and made it harder to think.
Gradually, the noise became quieter, although it never went away entirely. Sunny passed through the barricades, left the secondary defense ring, and entered the crowded streets of Falcon Scott.
Despite the fact that numerous civilians had to be relocated deeper into the city, the signs of the overpopulation were not as dire as one could have expected. The naval convoy had been busy ferrying the refugees across the strait, after all. By now, somewhere around eighty million people had already been transported to the relative — extremely so — safety of Eastern Antarctica.
It almost looked as though Army Command's plan was working.
Seeing actual proof that all his efforts were not in vain made Sunny feel a little better.
Up ahead, a crowd of refugees was waiting in line to receive rations. He studied it for a moment, noticing a familiar figure handing out packs of synthpaste at the front.
Sunny smiled a little, then headed in that direction. As he walked closer, the person growled without looking up:
"You better not be cutting the line, ba…"
Then, Beth looked up and blinked a couple of times.
"Oh, Sunny? What are you doing here?"
He shrugged.
"On my way back from the wall."
She called one of the other volunteers to switch with her, then led him aside, to a humming heat projector. Beth stopped in front of it, shivering and rubbing her hands together.
"How was your day?"
Sunny remained silent for a bit, not knowing how to answer.
"Hectic."
The young woman glanced at him and scoffed.
"A man of few words, are you now?"
Sunny shrugged again.
"How is the old man? Did you guys receive placement in the queue yet?"
Beth sighed.
"...No. People say that another ship went down in the strait, so many placements were postponed again. As for Professor, he is doing fine. The Army got him consulting on how to upgrade the communication array, so he has something to do, at least."
She looked at him questioningly.
"Are you coming over today?"
Sunny hesitated, then slowly shook his head.
"No. There's a lot I have to do. Also… my gut tells me that tomorrow will be a tough day. Your dormitory is away from the wall, but still. Be careful. Well, you know the drill."
The young woman turned back to the heat projector.
"Yeah, yeah..."
Then, she suddenly opened the bag hanging over her shoulder, scrounged in it, and took out a tube of toothpaste.
"Here. You forgot this last time."
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
"I did not forget it. I left it for you, because I know that the supply chain is in shambles."
Beth tilted her head and looked at him fiercely.
"You think I can't get us some toothpaste?!"
Sunny laughed.
"I mean… if you are so principled, then why are you not returning the two cans of coffee I left in your dormitory, as well?"
The young woman looked down, her cheeks turning slightly red.
"That… what cans of coffee? I haven't seen anything of the sort!"
Sunny nodded a couple of times and gently pushed the toothpaste away.
"Okay, okay. Anyway, I'll try to drop by soon. If you do find that coffee, please enjoy it."
He bid Beth an awkward farewell and walked away, feeling slightly refreshed.
Here in the city proper, public transportation was still functioning. There were military vehicles rolling down the streets, as well. It did not take him long to reach the barracks.
Entering the Rhino, Sunny looked around, his gaze pausing on one of the closed sleeping pods. Then, he walked to the back of the APC, dragged the devil's needle from its place on the floor of the armory, and sighed.
'Fifteen hours left… but I probably should sleep for at least a couple…'
Shaking his head, he got to work.