Chapter 87: Lose To Win.
The Therizon continued tearing across the frozen landscape, its enormous body crashing in and out of distorted space without slowing for even an instant.
Damien tightened his grip on the long white feathers behind its neck before spotting Vincent ahead.
"Need a lift!" he shouted as the Therizon thundered past.
Vincent stared at the speeding monster for the briefest moment before letting out a short laugh, Damien’s insanity was infectious.
Without another thought, he bent his knees and leapt.
His hand caught one of the long feathers before the Therizon’s violent momentum nearly flung him straight back off. Vincent immediately tightened his grip with both hands as the colossal beast bucked beneath them, refusing to accept either rider.
The freezing wind howled past them while the Therizon continued its relentless charge through space.
... ...
Andrea stood in the middle of the camp, her hazel eyes calmly scanning the organised movement around her while Ryan stood opposite with his arms folded.
"The walled barricades have already been reinforced, but I doubt that wooden walls will contribute much to our defenses, our greatest asset still remains Rex, and his boundary ability." Ryan reported. "The Eidolons can’t reach us from behind, it may be our weakest point, but they won’t risk marching over the frozen lake ."
Andrea nodded faintly, her brown hair falling over her face as the dark clouds overhead began to move faster. Andrea had always had an inclination that the blizzards in the frozen wasteland weren’t ordinary, she still can’t prove otherwise.
"The non-combatants shouldn’t remain in the camp, in case we fail to push them back, but we should have the healers behind our third defensive line?"
With the healers. Ryan agreed without much argument, but he was still puzzled by the evacuation plans, so he said calmly.
"where exactly should we evacuate them to? This world is a dangerous place, who knows what type of monsters lurk in the silence... we should keep them within the camp, they will be safer that way".
Andrea remained silent for a moment, Ryan never once bothered himself with the how and mostly just nodded and went with what everyone else said, Andrea immediately noticed the slight change in him, she wondered what caused it, but didn’t have time to muse over such a minor matter.
"Ryan, if we keep them here, then I can assure you that they will all die". Andrea turned and faced Ryan, her eyes captivated him and her already strong presence in his mind only grew.
"Even if we face the Eidolon army, do you truly think we can beat them in a fight?".
Ryan was puzzled, Andrea was the one pushing for this, she made old man Bo and Hannah work the smiths, forging weapons just for the day the children of humanity will make their stand, and yet here she was. Barely hours before the battle, claiming that they had no winning chance.
"What do you mean by that? you’re not the type to mess around, so don’t start now. You drew the plans, you prepared the resources, you pulled us all together and promised us survival, if we don’t win, we’re all going to die".
Ryan’s outburst was so out of character that passers-by’s
stopped and stared.
Andrea grabbed his hoodie and pulled him closer, Ryan could actually smell her soft fragrance, he was entranced, but the threat of death hanging over him kept his head clear.
"Don’t you think I know that, Ryan. I’m telling you the truth because you’re a round table member, and the other more competent ones are God knows where...".
Ryan’s raging heart didn’t settle down, instead. He only became more enraged, he trusted her, same with everyone else, but if they are about to fight a losing battle, then they at least deserve to know.
"Let go of me". The words from Ryan’s mouth were like iron grinding on stone. "I’m going to tell everyone, they deserve that much from us... All this time I have been a round table member, I have shrunk away from my duties, allowed injustice to fester and grow, well no more.
Ryan’s eyes were teary.
"And you Andrea, I believed in you, heck I still do for some reason, but this is too much, we are sending hundreds to die while disguising it as a heroic necessity that promises them safe passage back home, I can’t do this... And if Damien was here, he would never agree to such injustice".
Now Andrea was really starting to wonder what’s wrong with Ryan, and why he was bringing Damien into their disagreement.
"Ryan, listen to me. I have a plan, okay. Trust me, I know it’s going to sound complicated".
"Then simplify in a way that even a dumbass can understand".
Andrea frowned lightly, Ryan was being too difficult, she could incapacitate him, but that wouldn’t do anyone any good, he’s a powerful Awakened, and his dormant ability will be needed on the battlefield, so she sighed softly.
"Ryan, I get it. I do, you’re worried about everyone in camp, don’t you think I am too?".
Andrea was a really convincing person, and her soft voice only made her seem more dependable.
"The plan is simple, we evacuate the non-combatants to the distant ice caves, that way. Even if the Eidolons later storm the camp, they will find nothing but these".
Andrea retrieved a small circular iron ball with a rope protruding from the top.
"What’s that?". Ryan said softly.
"This is a small enchanted grenade. I asked old man Bo to help me replicate it. He spent days locked in his tent before he managed to even learn how to assemble the ones we found here, and just last week, he finally figured out how to make them...
We have almost a thousand already prepared. Once we finish evacuating the non-combatants, Claire can use her ability to bury them underneath each tent, no-one will see it happening. Ryan, the only way for us to win, is to lose".
Ryan opened his mouth, he wanted to argue some more, like why didn’t she just tell everyone the plan? But he also wanted to know something else.
"I don’t think the chief will just sit still and let us blow him up, even if he doesn’t see it coming, his reaction speed should be enough to save him".
Andrea agreed, but she also had a plan for that.