Frozen Flame of Dawn-Chapter 129 - 62: Plan began to Shape_2

As the flickering firelight cast a soft glow over the polished surface of the table as Amira's eyes swept across the gathered group. Her gaze finally settled on Aiden and Bella. Her tone was calm, but every word carried weight.

"You both are leading our external and internal command units," she said, folding her hands over the table. "I want to hear your solutions first."

Bella paused, her fingers hovering above the edge of the map. Her brow furrowed slightly as her gaze darted across the outlined regions. She was deep in thought, clearly working through the logistics in her head.

Aiden, however, leaned forward, arms folding neatly across his chest, already composed.

"I've been thinking about this," he started, voice steady. "Back during our council meeting earlier today, we agreed to recruit another two thousand from the stronghold."

He paused to make sure everyone was following him, his eyes moving from Ezzie to Rina to Elias, and finally back to Amira.

"We decided those new recruits will train with the current wall defense units—the ones we recruited a few weeks ago. It's the right move for long-term defense." He gave a small nod, acknowledging that decision. "But it also means they won't be available for the next phase of reconnaissance. Not yet."

Amira held his gaze and gave the smallest nod in return.

"So," he continued, "we'll have to use what we do have—our current external force of two thousand. Out of those, fifteen hundred are seasoned. The other five hundred were recruited within the last month… but they've already seen field action. They know the stakes."

Tommy leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, eyebrows raised. "Dividing two thousand sounds risky. That's spreading us thin, Aiden."

Aiden didn't miss a beat. "Not exactly. I'm proposing we divide the force into four squads of five hundred each. Each squad would include three hundred seventy-five experienced fighters and one hundred twenty-five of the newer recruits. That mix gives us strength while also giving the rookies field training without putting them in over their heads."

He shifted his attention to the map, reaching out and pointing to the northern sector. "And instead of deploying them in all directions, which risks ambush or casualties from sudden beast waves or any danger, we focus on one region for now—north."

Bella tapped her finger against the northern grid. "This area has the most cluster villages. which are disorganized with no proper defenses."

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Aiden nodded. "Exactly if we sweep the north village by village—full force. Rescue survivors, neutralize threats, and secure the area. All while the recruits gain live combat experience with protection around them. Our strength in numbers gives them that buffer."

Around the table, heads started nodding. The logic was clear.

But then Elias leaned in, arms crossed, and Ezzie followed suit beside him, her tone a bit skeptical.

"Sounds good on paper," Elias said, "but this approach takes time. Too much of it. You're suggesting we go one direction at a time. That's going to slow us down. We'll take weeks just to finish the north."

"And," Ezzie added, "wouldn't that underutilize our resources? Feels like a lot of force being… idle."

Aiden met their concern head-on. "Yeah, it will be slower," he admitted. "And yes, it's not the most aggressive use of manpower. But hear me out—" He pointed again at a specific location on the northern map, a marked red square near the mountains.

"This region has only two towns. One's small—which we didn't know it's exact situation. But the other…" He paused. "That larger town near the river is Vernon town which we decide to target first among the town as their is a military compound near it with one-fourth provincial army stationed their. If we capture it intact, and without heavy losses, we might find experienced soldiers still holding out. Or at least equipment. If even a fraction of the compound is usable, it'll massively boost our strength."

Tommy let out a low whistle. "So you're saying if we take this spot, we might come back with more people than we left with?"

"That's the idea," Aiden confirmed. "If the capture it intact, even partially, we could integrate them as it has a small wall surrounding the town something you see only in cities. That gives us opportunity to setup a base their which will make our future phase easier."

The table went quiet for a beat as the weight of the plan settled over everyone.

"And," Aiden added, "I'm not suggesting we toss all 2,000 into a single line of duty. One of the four squads—500 soldiers—will run a distraction op. They'll patrol and intentionally draw small mutated packs near our northern walls."

That earned a few raised eyebrows.

"Purposefully lure them in?" Ezzie asked, tilting her head.

"Yes," Aiden replied. "Controlled exposure as this gives our newly recruited wall defenders their first taste of live combat—under supervision, with backup at the ready. They'll learn to react under pressure, and it'll force them to start working as a real unit."

Bella leaned back slightly, considering the idea. "And I'm guessing we'll also be capturing some of the beasts?"

Aiden nodded. "Exactly if we able to capture few and bring them in we can study them while also let our recruits experience close-range encounters. We train our soldiers and learn more about the enemy."

At that, the group seemed to shift into a quiet hum of agreement. Even Elias and Ezzie, while still exchanging glances, gave slow nods.

Amira, who had been listening silently through the whole exchange, finally spoke. "It's bold," she said, tone level. "But it's clean and structured. We avoid spreading thin, give our rookies meaningful experience, and potentially reinforce ourselves mid-operation."

She paused a beat.

"Yes, it might stretch our timeline," she admitted, "but if it minimizes casualties—even by a fraction—then we take that trade."

Her eyes drifted from the map to Bella. "What about you? Anything to add?"

Bella had been silent, eyes scanning the topography of the northern terrain marked in ink and small red flags. At Amira's question, she sat up straighter, her fingers tapping once against the table before she spoke.

"No issue with the general approach," she said. "It's smart. The north is the most fragmented region—just two major towns, and most of the outlying villages are barely holding together. If we focus everything there, we have a real chance to secure it completely."

She glanced toward Aiden, then back to the map, tapping lightly on a labeled spot. "And Vernon is a smart pick for a sub-base. Even though it's classified as a town, it's already walled and if we reinforce it again, while clearing the perimeter—it'll serve as an excellent forward outpost once we've secured it."

Aiden nodded faintly in agreement.

"But…" Bella's voice shifted slightly—calm, but carrying weight now. "I do have one concern."

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

"If we concentrate all our forces in one direction, we leave ourselves open—especially now this operation takes more than a week or two." Her eyes swept across the room, calm and sharp.

"We can't assume the other directions will stay quiet. A large beast wave from the east or west could put us on our back foot. And more importantly—" she tapped the southern side of the map "—we've got Ithurion—the capital of the province sitting right here in south from us though far but still dangerous.

"It's been quiet since the surge, but if they've regrouped or rebuilt and decide to come investigate us—or worse, interfere—we'll have nothing left to counter them. If they come, they'll bring a full military force. And with ours up north?"

She let the silence do the rest.

Amira's brow creased slightly as the implications settled into the room. Even Tommy had stopped fidgeting, leaning back in his chair as the reality of Bella's words settled over him.

Rina folded her arms. "She's not wrong. It's a hell of a gamble to assume no one else moves while we do."

Ezzie, half-curled into her seat, nodded. "Especially the south. If Ithurion's back on its feet with complete control of its surrounding town and cities, then even though the province governor their won't immediately start outward but their is someone from Rienfeld family their who can make his move if he notices our movements and will won't just send scouts at that time."

Aiden's jaw was tense. He hadn't argued—not because he disagreed, but because Bella had brought up the one blind spot in the plan that couldn't be ignored.

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."