Chapter 824: Plan To Escape
[The Next Day]
"Urgh... this stuff is disgusting!"
Rations were passed among students, and most of them had nothing pleasant to say about the food. Somehow, it was even worse than the slop they had the previous day-a feat Rey didn't think was possible.
Lu'ffa, Mor'ucho, and the rest of Rey's classmates ate together with him and Adrien; even going as far as making conversation despite their vivid apprehension.
Still, they all behaved.
'All thanks to that little conversation we had yesterday.' Rey nearly smirked as he watched them try to do the 'Dragon Version' of asskissing to Adrien.
It seemed they also wanted a slice of the cake.
'I wonder how long they can stomach talking to a human.' He wondered in amusement.
Of course, he was more concerned with the overall complaints of the students regarding the quality and quantity of the meal they were just served.
'Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done.'
The food reserves of the Camp were affected and overrun in battle, so the 'Slop' that the students were currently complaining about was the only thing left. In fact, most of the Dragons in the military were probably going on empty stomachs just to make sure the students had something in their bellies.
None of the students knew about this, of course.
'In any case, based on what I've seen here...I highly doubt we'll be staying for very long.' The current arrangement was not sustainable in the slightest. None of the soldiers could afford to look after Rey and his classmates-not with a literal war on their hands.
They also couldn't afford to keep feeding the mouths of students when they also need the nutrients for war.
'I have a skill that allows me to convert the Mana in the air to nutrients, so I could probably go without food at this point, but... I guess not everyone is privy to that.' Rey thought to himself with a silent sigh.
Whether this was a good or bad thing eluded him.
It wasn't just Rey who was thinking like this, too. The Supervisors and higher-ups among the Military gathered together, and so Rey took it upon himself to just listen in to their conversation.
Lucielle told him all about her sneaky endeavors the previous night, so he figured it was his turn.
'This should be interesting...'
**************
"We can't contact anyone from the second group. At this rate, we'll have to assume they're in trouble as well."
The Head Supervisor spoke in a slightly exhausted manner. He had been up all night, waiting... hoping for a signal from the other side.
But there was nothing.
He was also hungry-same as the other staff in the room. They had to minimize feeding as much as possible, so the staff joined the majority of the officers in their fasting.
It couldn't be helped, after all...
A culmination of these very strenuous factors resulted in an irritability within the Head Supervisor that he couldn't quite hide anymore. It was clear from his countenance alone that he was sorely upset.
"I already told you that the Base your other Group went to has fallen. It fell moments before they started attacking this place. It brings me no pleasure to say this, but that group is probably..."
"Nothing is certain yet!" He interrupted the Dragon General-the only one of that rank in the room-and soon regretted it afterwards.
"I-I'm sorry... please forgive my words."
"That doesn't matter right now. I do understand your plight, but we can't afford to be hopeful at the moment. If we do not take decisive actions based on our current reality, then things could go south real fast."
It was obvious at this point.
The Giants and Dwarves had already destroyed the Dragon Camp in that place, leaving no survivors. Since it was quite literally their territory, it was safer for the students and staff who got transported there to be presumed dead.
No one could tell for sure, but this was the most reasonable position to take.
"As you can tell, having you here isn't sustainable in the long run, which is why..."
"What? You want to kick us out of the shelter? We might be okay, but those are students! They wouldn't survive a minute out there! You can't just—"
"Silence, Commander! Interrupt me one more time, and I will kill you on the spot." At this point, the General was done with her benevolence.
Her scowl said it all.
The Head Supervisor forgot his irritation for a moment and allowed himself to be subdued by fear.
"As I was saying, it's not safe for either the students or my officers if you people remain here. The best thing to do is for us to split up... but that doesn't mean it's an aimless division."
Everyone's eyebrows were raised instantly.
"The shore. You should all flee to the shore... the closest one to this base. Once you get there, find a way to get as far away from this Continent as possible. Once you reach a sufficient distance away from here, Spatial and Communication Magic should resume their function, so you should be able to get assistance from the Academy."
"I-I see..." The Head Supervisor muttered.
It really did seem like the best plan.
"The Giants will not chase you past the water, and machines that work well for land combat generally do not perform the best in water, so even the machinations of the Dwarves won't be much good once you reach the sea."
Drones would also be shot down from the sky, since Dragons were particularly skilled in aerial combat.
"We'll do our best to distract and hold off the enemies, so they won't know of your departure. And, even if they eventually find out... we'll ensure they won't be able to pursue you." Despite how cold the General seemed, her intentions were nothing short of protecting the innocent
kids under her care.
This mission was clearly going to be harder than she represented-particularly for the Military—but she and her subordinates were prepared to undertake the task.
-For the future of the Dragon Empire!
***********
'Interesting...' Rey smiled as he heard the conversation in full.
Just as he suspected, there was some other plan that involved leaving the shelter sooner
rather than later.
'I wonder if Ater predicted this... or that it would happen this soon.'
He didn't want to overestimate or underestimate Ater, so he decided not to think too much about the issue. Instead, he focused on his [Link] with Lucielle after making sure his friends
wouldn't distract his conversation with her.
They were too busy around Adrien anyway.
'Yo, Lucielle. How are things on your end?'
-Ahh... not good.~
Based on the way she sounded, it was clear that a lot was going on in the shelter as they
conversed. Naturally, this piqued his interest.
~The Miasma Poisoning situation has gotten more intense over here. Staff and students have
it, and they're beginning to worry that it'll spread even further if they aren't quarantined or
killed off.~
Hearing Lucielle's side just made Rey realize just how better off his own group was.
'Is Group 1 getting special treatment because of me? Ater... you're strangely very considerate.'
He mused.
~ In any case, a lot of the people here are very weak. Either due to hunger, or the Poisoning. The staff are casting Buff Spells and all for us, but it's a temporary solution. At this point, they're betting everything on finding your Group.~
'That's funny... considering the fact that my group is planning on leaving this place to go to the shore.' Rey responded, going into details by explaining what he overheard mere moments
ago.
In no time at all, Lucielle was brought up to speed with the whole thing.
-I see. Interesting...~
'Is it, though?'
~Yup! I really wonder what they'll do once they get to your camp, and meet no one there.~
'It would probably be overrun by the Giant and Dwarven Armies by then.' ~Welp... I suppose it'll be a massacre, then. We have to fly to your group to get the proper
treatment for a lot of us here, so imagine if we enter a Camp overrun by the enemy?~
None of them would stand a chance at all.
~We're already gathering together. Preparations are nearly complete. We'll tear down the
dome and immediately initiate fli-h-huh...?~
Suddenly, Rey felt Lucielle's mood suddenly change.
It felt like a slight break in transmission, but it wasn't.
At least, not really. Lucielle's emotions had spiked up again, but this time it wasn't due to purely emotional
reasons.
'You okay?'
~Looks like things are about to get busy here again...~
Hearing that made Rey smile a little. He could tell that Lucielle wasn't worried, and he also wasn't-especially now that he had already spoken to Ater.
'You have company, huh? How many?'
For a while, Lucielle didn't reply. It seemed she was taking her time to assess the threat.
After nearly a minute, though, she finally spoke.
~A lot of them! Looks like I was wrong, Rey...~
Another short moment of silence echoed within his mind before she completed her line of
thought.
~... The Massacre's already beginning.~
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Get pumped for what's to come fellas! Senseless battle and deaths... I hope!