Seris went silent for a moment.
She looked towards the long queue of people waiting to evacuate. Children were being kept close to their parents, injured soldiers were being helped along by their comrades, and the medics were already trying to keep the evacuation organized despite the growing panic spreading through the camp.
Seris then looked back at Claire.
She understood the logic behind the decision, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. She had spent so much time helping people survive that being told to prioritize who deserved the chance to survive felt completely wrong.
Claire could see the conflict in her expression.
"I don’t like it either," she said quietly. "But if we lose this battle, someone has to think about what happens afterwards."
Seris remained silent, her grip tightening around the supplies in her hands. For several seconds, she simply stared at Claire before finally looking back towards the evacuation line.
"Fine, but you do it yourself."
With that, Seris dropped the supplies and walked away. When the other medics noticed her leaving, about half of them followed after her, quickly catching up and asking what had happened.
Seris simply shook her head and ignored their questions, continuing towards the evacuation line without looking back.
Claire watched her leave.
She was helpless when it came to Seris. The girl was far too young and unwilling to get her hands dirty, but perhaps that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. If only she could stay that way forever. Being responsible for the lives of others had a way of turning people into the very thing they hated most, and Claire didn’t want Seris to learn that lesson this early.
"Claire."
A ridiculously handsome man approached her, a head taller than her and dressed in pristine armor. A long sword rested against his waist, its polished sheath barely carrying a speck of dust despite the chaos surrounding the camp.
"Jackson."
Claire was visibly relieved to see him.
Jackson was unofficially one of Vincent’s followers. Vincent was arrogant and didn’t believe he needed anyone, but Jackson had been determined enough to keep following him until Vincent eventually acknowledged him. He was one of the strongest people still inside the camp, and more importantly, he was someone Claire could trust to follow an order without panicking.
"Jackson, I need you to help evacuate the utility-based Ability users and the medics. You need to protect them while leading them through the ice caves."
Jackson frowned.
"I’m supposed to lead the second advance force now that Vincent and Naomi are indisposed. I don’t think there’s anyone stronger than I am."
Claire shook her head.
"The second advance force will move out right now and join Andrea. The main Eidolon army has arrived, and they’re going to need more men to launch a successful attack and destroy the giant siege weapon. We’re pressed for time, so I would appreciate it if you followed my orders without talking back to me."
Jackson opened his mouth, then closed it again.
For a moment, he simply stared at Claire. He clearly wasn’t happy about being pulled away from the battlefield, but the seriousness in her expression made it obvious that she wasn’t asking him.
Before he could respond, a deep humming sound suddenly reverberated across the camp.
Claire’s eyes widened, the sound grew louder. Then the giant weapon fired.
A powerful sonic wave exploded across the frozen wasteland.
The wooden walls shook violently as the wave tore through the camp, throwing soldiers off their feet. Supplies were ripped from the ground and sent flying through the air, wooden structures groaned as they were battered by the invisible force, and several soldiers crashed into the walls hard enough to break through the snow piled around them.
Jackson immediately planted his feet and grabbed the ground with one hand to keep himself from being thrown away.
Claire was forced several steps backwards, her hair whipping violently across her face as she watched the shockwave tear through everything in its path.
The evacuation line collapsed into chaos.
Medics screamed for the injured to be moved. Soldiers scrambled to their feet while others searched for people who had been thrown away. Crates shattered against the ground, food scattered across the snow, and several pieces of equipment disappeared into the distance.
Claire gritted her teeth.
The weapon had just been used on the first advance force.
And judging by the power behind that single attack, she didn’t want to imagine what had just happened to the people standing in front of it.
She lifted her head, but before she spoke. Jackson beat her to it.
"I will lead them out, the second advance force isn’t done preparing yet, but they can still march, just give them the order".
Claire nodded before fusing into space.
...
Andrea’s eyes suddenly widened as the air above them began to tremble. Yuri looked up, while Hannah instinctively grabbed tighter onto Old Man Bo’s back.
Then the massive energy beam passed overhead.
It was so large that for a moment it completely blocked the sky above them, its enormous frame moving forward with terrifying speed as it flew over their heads. The pressure alone forced Andrea to lower her body, while Yuri planted her feet into the snow. Hannah buried herself against Bo’s back as the old man raised one arm to shield himself from the violent wind.
it collided with the army.
Bodies were launched into the air as the weapon ripped through shields, armor and everything else in its path.
The Eidolons caught in its path suffered the same fate.
Their massive bodies were thrown aside like they weighed nothing, while several were crushed beneath the force of the attack. The weapon continued through the battlefield, tearing apart both armies without distinguishing between them.
More than a hundred humans and Eidolons were killed in the first few seconds alone.
The ground beneath the impact finally gave way.
A deafening explosion erupted across the frozen wasteland as snow and earth were thrown hundreds of meters into the air. The energy beam disappeared beneath the surface, leaving behind a massive sinkhole that swallowed everything around it.
Andrea stared at the enormous crater, her grip tightening around her blade.
Even Old Man Bo looked towards the destruction with a rare seriousness, as Hannah slowly lifted her head from his back.
"How does a weapon like this even exist in an era of swords and shields?".