Frozen Flame of Dawn

Amira let the silence linger just long enough, as the fire in the study-room fireplace had died down to a low, warm flicker, casting long shadows across the intricate maps and old scrolls laid across the long table. The air was thick—with tension and the collective weight of threats, and possibilities that can happen when their strongest fighting unit is out beyond the walls.

Amira at the head of the table, scanning the room. The noise of side comments and quiet discussion hadn't died down yet, so she raised her hand slightly—palm steady, fingers calm. "Alright," she said. "If that's the case… then we tweak the plan."

Everyone straightened as she raised a hand slightly and began speaking, her tone still calm, but now focused.

"We'll still prioritize the northern mission and the core idea stays the same: but instead of four squads we prepared, we'll send only three pushing north to the north for reconnaissance and sweep operations. But—" her finger traced a new path on the map "—we'll keep the left squad unit stationed here, inside the stronghold."

There were no interruptions this time. Everyone listened.

"The fourth squad," she continued, "the one originally meant to capture and lure mutated beasts to the northern wall for live-combat drills... will now remain here at base. Only half of them will go out at intervals to fetch and capture targets. The other half stays stationed here—on standby. That squad becomes our rapid-response force, should any emergency hit us from other directions."

She met Bella's gaze briefly. Then Aiden's.

"It's not foolproof," she admitted, "but it gives us breathing room. It buys us options."

Someone shifted slightly in their seat. Probably Tommy—always fidgeting when things got too serious.

"We already have around 3,000 guarding the walls," she went on. "Most of them are green, yes, but not completely helpless. With what Bella and Rina taking charge for them in terms of drills and formations, they'll at least hold long enough for us to send word and call back reinforcements if something serious happens."

Her tone sharpened slightly as her hand moved across the central map, fingers stopping at a heavily outlined radius that surrounded the base like a boundary ring.

"And while the northern squads are deployed, we'll increase our intelligence and surveillance setup to maintain strict surveillance across the entire central zone we've already cleared. In this central zone—we need full control over this 200 km buffer. Anyone crossing that line—be it scout, traveler,army or beast—should trigger a response system."

"It will be difficult to maintain eyes in every direction," Elias muttered in agreement, arms crossed pointed out his concern.

"Exactly," Amira said. "But we have to complete it as the buffer it gives us the time to prepare, to intercept. But only if we're paying attention."

She paused just long enough for it to sink in. Then her eyes shifted to Aiden.

"Once you've cleared all the villages in the north—excluding the two towns—take everyone back and have a short break, assess, and then we move immediately to take Vernon town. We need that base."

Aiden gave a single, sharp nod. His expression was unreadable, but his posture—upright, focused—spoke volumes. He knew the pressure resting on that part of the plan.

Amira didn't say it out loud, but she knew it would take longer than she was letting on. The northern villages were scattered across brutal terrain. Clearing them all safely would take more than a week, even with a full force.

She tucked the worry away.

In the meantime, she and Bella would remain behind, drilling the wall recruits until they didn't just wear armor—they moved like it belonged to them. No more soft trainees. They needed a defense unit that could respond like veterans.

"Until Aiden's squads return," she continued, "I'll focus entirely on grooming the recruits. They all are already awakened individuals but with scattered and control powers. They need to be a proper guidance on this to utilize their new abilities unit as they already trained enough to have strong will power."

She leaned forward slightly, both palms on the edge of the table.

"We'll go ahead with this," she declared. "We're not rushing, but we're not hesitating either."

Her fingers tapped the map again, near the cluster of minor villages on the northern edge.

"As for how your squads will proceed—village by village—we'll take it one step at that too at a time. Your units shouldn't be out in the field for too long without rest. After each sweep, you return. No long-term camps unless absolutely necessary."

She glanced at Aiden. "You said it yourself—night camps are becoming more dangerous. And I agree. We need a solution to that."

Then her gaze shifted to the side, toward Layla—who had been sitting quietly, legs crossed, arms folded, her eyes half-lidded as she listened but hadn't spoken.

"You said it yourself," Layla said, her voice low but clear as she looked at him. "Night camps are becoming more and more dangerous." She paused, glancing around the room before adding, "And I agree. We need a solution for that. Something more solid."

Amira tilted her head, eyes narrowing with curiosity. Her gaze shifted slowly toward the far end of the table where Layla had been sitting quietly—listening, absorbing, but saying nothing. The woman had that air about her. Like she only spoke when she'd thought through every angle first.

"Layla," Amira said gently, "any ideas for keeping our teams safer when they have to sleep outside or camp during long missions?"

Layla blinked once, slowly. Not surprised. Almost like she'd been waiting to be asked.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, fingers lightly interlocking.

"I've been thinking about that," she said, her voice calm, almost clinical. "If you remember, you gave me a formula... and a list of herbal ingredients that could potentially repel low-level mutated beasts. A scent-based deterrent."

Amira gave a small nod, already following.

"I've worked on it," Layla continued, "me and a couple others. We racked our brains trying to figure out the right ratio of the herbs, but we keep hitting the same wall. Half the ingredients don't even exist in our region anymore—some of them probably didn't even exist before the surge."

She reached for one of the folders beside her, flipping it open and pushing it across the table.

"Some of these herbs? We think they're post-surge mutations. The images you showed me… they don't match anything from pre-surge botany. We've been cataloging what we do find, but nothing has the exact properties you noted."

"So it's a dead end?" Tommy asked, frowning.

Layla shrugged slightly. "Not dead, just... frozen. Until we find a specialist. A proper biochemist or a mutated-ecology researcher, someone who can help break this down and recreate or replace the missing elements."

She looked at Amira. "So, unless we find someone with that expertise, the herbal-repellent plan has to wait."

Amira's jaw tensed ever so slightly but she nodded. "Understood."

"As for your actual question," Layla went on, her tone shifting slightly, more thoughtful now. "I don't have a perfect solution. No one does. But I've got a few workable ones."

Everyone leaned in again.

Layla tapped the map lightly. "Since the recon group is focused solely on the north for now, we can start setting up fixed outposts at strategic intervals along known routes. Places we can calculate as reliable stopping points—on the way out, and coming back. Those outposts can be built with underground bunkers. Nothing big. Just small shelters—hidden, secure, insulated."

"Mini rest stations?" Ezzie asked.

"Exactly," Layla said. "They won't be mobile, but they'll be safe. At least safer than camping out in the open. Once the villages in a region are cleared, we can repurpose abandoned structures or even dig and build new shelters."

"But," she added, "that won't help on new missions. Or deep territory."

She glanced up and locked eyes with Amira.

"For those cases... I have something else in mind."

She leaned over and drew a quick sketch over the corner of the map, outlining a bulky, rectangular shape.

"We build an RV. Not your usual one—I'm talking about a heavy, fortified transport. Think of a mobile bunker. Big enough to comfortably hold 100 soldiers, fully soundproofed, scent-insulated, and reinforced with layered metal and vibration-absorbing suspension."

Tommy's eyebrows shot up. "That's not an RV. That's a fortress on wheels."

"Call it whatever you want," Layla said dryly. "It would be slow, yes, and it can't go over mountains or rough terrain, but on flat ground, it'll work. And if we make it look and sound like a pile of silent metal... beasts won't even know there's anyone inside."

Aiden tilted his head, thoughtful. "They'd think it's scrap."

"Exactly," Layla replied. "If we can create one, maybe two, as a prototype and get it functional—just enough for urgent deployments. Then maybe not perfect, but good enough to let people rest without being attacked in their sleep."