Chapter 16: Desperate Mind.
The Eidolons stood orderly in a clean formation, encircling the tunnel entrance from a distance; at the forefront, two Eidolons stood out from the rest.
Low rumbles shook the ground as the same two Eidolons reloaded a massive siege crossbow, dragging it back into place before aiming it straight at the cave entrance again.
"Well this is just overkill." Damien was already at his wits end. These Eidolons were definitely playing this on easy mode.
"Get down."
Seris grabbed Damien by the shoulders and yanked him down.
The next moment, a heavy rumble tore through the cave as another siege bolt slammed into the entrance, shattering the giant rock slab like it was nothing.
"We need to retreat... we can’t hold the entrance with a siege catapult firing at us."
Chad yelled towards Damien while already helping Yuri up and preparing to head deeper into the tunnel, but Yuri suddenly pushed him away.
"Wait, we can’t just leave without knowing how many of them are out there. What if they only have one siege weapon and we just let them bury us alive with it."
Yuri’s argument was valid, but Chad couldn’t bear to let her stay out there for another second, so he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her back.
"It doesn’t matter how many they’ve got. You can’t speed run your way into their ranks. As much as you want to, Yuri, you’re not fast enough. You’ll die."
Yuri tried to yank her hand away, but to no avail. Chad had struck a nerve. She was trying not to think about it, but now all she could see was her mother’s burning silhouette, and just like then, she wasn’t fast enough, she hated it.
"If I don’t do it, then who will... definitely not you. No one can depend on you. Heck, you still haven’t told Seris what you did... I wonder if she’ll let you drop dead the next time you get yourself injured."
Chad’s face froze, then his strong grip gradually loosened.
Yuri pulled her hand free immediately, but when she saw his expression shift, she felt a flicker of guilt..
"Chad... I’m sorry."
But it was too late.
Chad had already turned and walked back into the tunnel. The undead Eidolons parted silently as he passed through their ranks.
On the other side of the entrance, Damien still refused to move. Even after Seris had managed to push him off the ground, he stubbornly stayed in position.
"Come on... think."
Boom.
The entrance shook as cracks spread across the stone. Rocks the size of car batteries broke loose from the ceiling and crashed down around them.
It wasn’t that Damien was unwilling to retreat. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew they were outmatched. But if they retreated, they would just die, maybe in a worse way than staying.
He was at his wits’ end again. There were an unknown number of Eidolons outside, most of them likely armed. And beyond that, there was probably a powerful awakened chief, something close to untouchable for a group of dormant-ranked humans. Even with their abilities, they might all end up dying trying to face it.
Damien’s life had always been hard. From the day he was born, even back at the orphanage, the older kids treated him like he was less than nothing. He never complained, because at the time, he really was less than nothing.
But that Damien was dead.
He had died alone in a frozen forest, in a mysterious tower that destroyed humanity and corrupted the world.
"They’ve got to be a way... there’s always a way," Damien murmured under his breath.
Seris could barely hear him over the rumble of the siege weapon outside, but she understood anyway. She understood why he refused to retreat. No one wanted to die. And no one wanted to die in a tunnel, in the dark, surrounded by dead things.
If she had a choice, she would die somewhere else. Somewhere normal. A small home, maybe not too small, big enough for a family of four, maybe a dog. Hers was an ordinary wish, but still a precious way to die.
"Damien, they’re reloading. Keep your head down and brace for another impact."
Seris and Damien dropped together as the bolt slammed into the entrance. This time the cracks didn’t just spread, they spidered through everything. A section of the tunnel actually caved inward.
Damien lifted his head slowly.
If he could just see what they were up against... Maybe he could still come up with a plan. Maybe not a good one. But something.
Anything would be better than this.
Seris grabbed Damien by the shoulders and leaned in close.
"Damien, Chad is right... we can’t stay here. We need to run. I know you don’t want to, and I know it makes you feel like shit, but sometimes you just have to take a step back."
Damien suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head toward her.
"You know, Seris... you have a point." He smirked. "Sometimes we’ve just got to take a step back."
Seris went still.
She knew that look.
It was the same look that had started this entire plan in the first place.
True. Damien was nothing at the orphanage, and perhaps it was even more true that he had resigned himself to that unpleasant fate. But even back then, all he ever had to do was take a step back, and then come rushing right back with everything he had.
They were bigger and stronger, but with momentum and the unyielding will of a boy who had nothing left to lose, maybe that would have been enough.
He was never brave enough back then.
But now?
Seris squeezed his shoulders.
"Damien... I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but I would very much not like to die today."
Damien’s insanity was never hidden. In fact, it had shown itself clearly since the day they met.
But maybe that same insanity was exactly what they needed to survive the ruins of humanity.