After getting into their PTV, Jet began driving through the camp at high speed.
From what he had heard, there would be a total of thousands Awakened and thousands mundanes participating in the Antarctic campaign, as well as hundreds of Masters.
Uriel listened superficially to the chat between Jet and Sunny, not feeling like participating; his mind was planning the best composition to form his team during the Antarctic campaign.
When they arrived at the inner area of the naval fortress, Jet guided Uriel and Sunny towards the place where the meeting with the other Masters who would form the special unit would be held.
Getting out of the PTV, Uriel felt the cold air of the place, which caressed his nose.
"So, when will I get one of those suits?" Sunny finally asked.
Jet looked at Sunny before laughing gracefully.
"Soon. Our company has recently been practically complete for a few days now, so there will be an informational meeting soon."
"Oh, that's good to hear," said Sunny.
"Hey Uriel, are you okay? You're strangely quiet."
Uriel looked at Sunny before giving one of his classic carefree smiles.
"Oh, I'm fine, just mentally preparing myself and all that."
Sunny nodded without asking further.
The three of them advanced, passing through various checkpoints without anyone daring to look at the Soul Reaper, much less say anything about who accompanied her.
After walking in silence for a few minutes, they entered an elevator that took them deep underground.
After being led through the corridors of the underground military bunker, Jet then pressed the palm of his hand against a complex biometric lock to open the thick door.
As the door opened, Uriel and Sunny saw a spacious room that housed five people sitting around, waiting in silence.
A moment later, everyone stood up. Uriel could feel that they were all Ascended, by the potency of their essence and their control over it.
Three of them were men, while the other two were women. The oldest seemed to be around fifty, and the youngest seemed to be around Jet's age, about thirty.
Uriel blinked because, out of the whole room, he was the youngest, barely 20 years old, which he had turned a month ago.
The five were about to stand up to greet their superior, but Jet casually dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
"Relax. We've all ascended here; there's no need for ceremonies."
The Masters hesitated a bit before relaxing.
Uriel observed the Masters' clothing; it was the same tight but resistant black suit, capable of summoning Memories over it, being more practical than mundane clothes.
Finally, Jet sat down and indicated for both of them to take one of the empty seats. There were a total of eight seats, of which six were occupied, leaving two free.
Uriel sat in one of them.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Who are these young men? New assistants?"
Jet smiled, a bit amused.
"Him? Do you not know him?" Jet asked. Uriel simply dismissed the cosmetic Memory, letting his blue hair return to its usual black, surprising the Masters present.
"This young man is Master Uriel, one of the latest additions to the command structure of the First Irregular Company. Not only one of the youngest humans in history to become a Master, but also the only one who challenged the Second Nightmare as a Sleeper and survived two Death Zones of the Dream Realm. And he holds a record for the most Nightmare Creatures killed," Jet said with a slight smile.
"The other 'youngster' is Master Sunless, the latest addition to the command structure of the First Irregular Company. Not only is he one of the youngest in history to reach the rank of Ascended, but he also holds the third-highest record for kills, surpassing the total of all of you combined. So... give them a warm welcome..."
...
Uriel curiously observed the five assembled Masters.
The oldest was a muscular man who seemed to be around his fifties. His name was Randall. Although he was an Ascended, his age could be greater and he might still look young; Awakened have long lives, long enough to live at least twice as long as a human, perhaps three times as long.
Masters live about six times longer, living for a few hundred years, not to mention Saints whose lives could span several centuries while remaining young.
Beside him sat a beautiful woman, standing out among the group. This was Jesse, the opposite of Master Jet. Strawberry-blonde hair, a radiant tan, bright blue eyes, and she radiated a strange warmth. Her body was tall and slender, brimming with contained energy and strength.
The next one was a woman named Winter, an Ascended.
She was around her forties and seemed the most tranquil of the group. Her hair was a shade of dark brown, tied back in a simple ponytail. The most notable thing was the dark sunglasses that hid her eyes. On one of her arms, there was a tattoo.
The man next to her seemed to have the same tattoo.
Something Uriel envied a little. Perhaps someday when he has a better understanding of his Aspect, he'll be able to create a soul beast like Sunny's Soul Serpent.
The man was the Ascended Dale. He seemed a man of firmness and loyalty, his face one weathered by hundreds of harrowing battles, possessing the calm that comes from combat.
Finally, the last one possessed an air of an assassin. He was Master Davis; he seemed to be the offensive type, almost like a ninja. His face was calm and cold, but also composed and analytical.
These were the five Masters who were going to form the company. Of course, there was also the one who would be part of this group and Sunny, totaling seven active members, with Jet being on the front lines and giving orders, making eight in total.
Uriel remembered that some of those five Masters would die in a certain city whose name he couldn't recall at the hands of the fallen Titan, Goliath.
....
After the introductions and a brief informational chat where they were given a special communicator and had their biometric information registered in the army's systems, they were free to leave.
Of course, before that, Uriel and Sunny received the full uniform set and the corresponding rank within the army to be able to carry out their duties, bypassing all the paperwork.
The more complete meeting would be tomorrow to explain the plan and logistics of the Antarctic campaign.
Uriel was assigned his own room inside the bunker. He could come and go as he pleased, so he decided to go out and explore to look at the enormous naval battleships.
'What are you thinking about?' asked Shade, standing beside Uriel.
'About a few things, especially about the tearing hell that's coming.'
'Yeah, that's true. But we'll overcome it somehow, you know, just pick a good team, pretty girls with big ti-'
'Finish that sentence, and I'll have Soul erase my memory of those subscription videos of gothic strippers.'
Shade visibly paled before laughing nervously.
"Hehehe. Well, let me rephrase: pick a good team with Aspects that complement each other and you as well. It's a shame we sold all the Transcendent Fragments."
'Look on the bright side, we're disgustingly rich, and we'll be even more so when the bikes launch. Besides, we can always get more of them. Also, they won't be useless; we're Ascended Titans. Unless a Corrupted Titan falls on our heads, we can escape and live another day,' Uriel joked.
'Let's hope it's two.'
'Don't tempt fate, fool,' Uriel mentally scolded.
...
The next day, early in the morning, the eight Masters were gathered again to begin the meeting.
"Now, let's get down to business. Today I'll inform you about the projected composition of the First Irregular Company, our purpose, and the military doctrine that guides us."
Jet pressed something on her communicator, showing a large projection on the table.
Shade looked at the archipelago that was Antarctica, which wasn't covered in ice, but that would change with the arrival of the Winter Beast.
"To do that, you'll need to understand the general outline of the upcoming operation. As you all already know, this is Antarctica. All of Antarctica is divided into three parts: West Antarctica, East Antarctica, and Central Antarctica."
Shade looked at the projection with interest. West Antarctica was practically submerged and consisted of a set of scattered islands, some small, some large. The eastern part was a large landmass dotted with lakes, with a prominent mountain range in the center.
Central Antarctica was a long, narrow continental mass stretching between the two, occupying almost all of the high mountains.
"West Antarctica is practically uninhabited, so it's of little interest. Central Antarctica is an administrative and technological hub of the quadrant, while East Antarctica is the most densely populated region."
Jet paused and then continued.
"The first army will set sail in two weeks. We'll arrive in Antarctica two or three weeks after that. By then, the Nightmare Chain will have already begun. Local garrisons are already experiencing an increase in the number of Gates, but the number will skyrocket by the end of March. After that, it will continue to grow.
No matter how many soldiers we send, we won't be able to contain the avalanche of Nightmare Creatures entering through these Gates. This is unprecedented in history. Even the great wars fought by the first generation pale in comparison to the Nightmare Chain. Don't forget that almost all the abominations back then were of the Dormant rank. We're not that lucky."
Jet let out a slight sigh, leaning back in her seat.
"According to scientists and diviners, the mass of portals will be of the second and third categories. That means Awakened, Fallen, and Corrupted creatures in quantities greater than anything we've ever seen. Of course, something even worse could happen. So... we're not going to try to contain them."
Everyone's expressions gradually darkened, even Shade's.
"There are better ways to achieve this. Our objective. Once the army arrives on land, it will split into three parts. Each of the objectives is to turn a small number of selected cities into fortified evacuation centers that can withstand the siege of creatures for months or years."
"The second objective is to relocate the external human population to these centers, where they will wait their turn to board the ships... neither the relocation nor the waiting will be a short process. Finally, the third objective is to establish and maintain evacuation corridors for the citizens being relocated. Once everyone is safe behind the established perimeter of the siege fortresses, the first phase of the operation will be considered complete."
Shade listened to the information, slightly focused on his own thoughts. He would be moving from one place to another continuously to keep the corridors safe from the Nightmare Creatures.
The briefing lasted a little longer, with everyone having quite a bit to discuss, to make the terrible approaching situation even clearer.
Finally, the conversation ended, and the five Masters left to make their own preparations. Shade decided to stay, where he had a hot, steaming cup of tea. Then he took out two more cups using a dark tendril, placing one in front of Sunny and Jet.
They both took the hot tea.
"When you told me you wanted to leave, I thought it was to Ravenheart or Bastion, not the Antarctic campaign," Sunny said.
"I told you months ago, I was going on vacation to Antarctica. Although this development is certainly somewhat unexpected. And exciting."
"Crazy guy."
"I'm not crazy, Sunless; the world is the one that's crazy."
A mysterious wind moved Uriel's hair despite there being no ventilation where they were.
Jet blinked.
"How do you do that?"
"A magician never reveals his tricks, Master Jet." Shade took another sip of tea.
"I'm not going to lie... all of this seems a bit overwhelming."
Jet smiled slightly while shaking her head.
"Don't worry too much. You already have the necessary experience for everything to work. It's not like the others are better prepared to deal with what's coming. Above all, we need the ability to learn and adapt quickly; that's how we'll survive this unprecedented disaster."
Shade yawned a bit before standing up.
"Well, I have things to do and some subordinates to choose," he said while leaving the meeting room.
"See you later." With that, he left the meeting room, heading to his office where all the information on the Awakened he could choose from was located.
[Note: Well, three full weeks have passed since I stopped uploading chapters. But I'm back with this story now. As you can see, this is the start of the fourth volume, and I think it will be the longest so far.
For now, I'm going to publish one chapter a day, maybe two, until I get back to my usual writing rhythm.
So, leave me some comments as well as power stones to encourage me. If we reach fifty power stones, I'll release the next chapter.]