Lastland's Last Stand: The Prince's Ascension

Strategy in Anticipation

"Remind me again why we can't just crush them into oblivion?" Tatiana smiled pleasantly as she crushed her pencil in her hand. The others at the meeting could not tell whether it was intentional or not. She cast the splintered wood a disdainful glare before casting it dismissively aside.

"Now, darling, you know that would only alert them to our presence!" Imani squeezed Tatiana's arm gently. Even though she was, once again, acting as the voice of reason for her more temperamental and hotblooded other half, it wasn't as if she didn't understand.

As soon as Aubrey called them, Gale, and Luciana with the truth of how the Corruptors were able to sneak into their camps, they were all out for blood. The morning after Princeton and Quincy returned, as soon as Gale and Luciana decided upon an appropriate punishment, they rushed the two boys into showing them where the tunnel was located.

"How about that?" Quincy asked Princeton privately. "They punish us for finding the tunnel... by asking us to help them find the tunnel."

If there was any silver lining, the odds of anyone falling into it and being left undiscovered—as Princeton and Quincy were—were now zero.

Gale nodded gratefully at Imani. Like Tatiana, he also craved vengeance, not just for Northplain, but his late wife. But like the others, he knew that they only had one chance. If they let loose that they knew about the tunnels, the Corruptors would immediately alter their plans.

"That's why just blowing up the entrance to the tunnels is out of the question," the leader of Southwood sighed ruefully. Tatiana frowned, but her head slumped in resignation. Beside her, Imani mirrored Gale's wince and nodded knowingly.

"It's just not worth the risk," she said. "Even if we succeeded, unless we could ensure that every last Corruptor was dead, they might escape again and all we'll have succeeded in is nothing but starting the cycle anew."

"So, we shall institute around-the-clock surveillance instead," Luciana shrugged, seemingly unaware of the gloomy atmosphere of the room. The others could only look at her with varying levels of surprise and respect.

Although, I really shouldn't be so shocked, Gale laughed at himself. She's proven herself many times over since the fall of Northplain!

Neither he nor anyone else at Southwood, native or otherwise, underestimated Luciana anymore. There were still times when it amused him to think back on the days when she used to be so anxious, shy, awkward, and even self-deprecating. Now, she was flourishing, and she was so nonchalant about it, too.

"Of course, we will have to be careful not to alert them to our presence that way either," she continued. "But it should not disrupt our workflows too terribly. In fact, I can easily integrate the location of the tunnel with some of the preexisting daily patrol routes! Then, it's just a simple matter of making sure nothing changes about the tunnel, and that nothing ever tries crawling out of it!"

To further aid the cause, Luciana put in an order through Maxim to the Chief of Lastland, requesting tools and materials to create surveillance systems and traps around the tunnel, once again impressing everyone with her conviction, efficiency, and proactivity.

"We'll pass the traps and surveillance off as a new training regimen, and that will justify its existence around that part of camp! The fact that it just so happens to be near the Corruptor tunnel is mere coincidence!" Luciana smiled sweetly.

"Brilliant!" Gale slapped the table and smiled approvingly at his deputy. Beside him, Tatiana nodded excitedly, and Imani clapped politely.

"O-o-oh! Th-thanks..." Luciana's confidence suddenly vanished, and she found herself far too interested in the table before her, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "It's just strategy in anticipation, you know? And speaking of!" she added quickly, "Eastvale is the most likely next target!"