The Crossroads

11 | The Keep

WC: 2769

When it's clear that killing this Ravager isn't going to be an easy task, Etho and Impulse enlist the help of an old friend--much to Impulse's displeasure.

-

"We need to get them all out of there." Surprised with himself, Etho spoke up and took initiative, filling the shocked silence with a commanding voice.

"Everyone inside the Keep right now is in that Ravager's way. We need to round everyone up and bring them to the outskirts of the kingdom--that's safer than in the center. If you're close enough, bring the people you find to the Crossroads, or even to the old Ruins if you can. Anywhere safe."

He hesitated momentarily.

After killing all of those other Ravagers, Etho was used to taking the lead in things like this. But this wasn't just the Wanderers in danger anymore--it was innocents. Civilians of the Keep who had no idea this was coming. Hell, even Tango was in there right now.

This whole plan involved hundreds of people, even if they weren't participating directly. And he didn't want to think about what would happen to them if things didn't work out.

But...no one interrupted him. Instead, the group was looking at him expectantly, with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. They trusted him to make the right decision, and that made him feel a bit more confident.

"Grian, you fly ahead," he continued, noting Grian's newly healed wing. "Scout out where the Ravager is and tell the rest of the group where it is. If needed, distract it and lead it somewhere else--just keep it away from everyone else."

Etho started to group the Wanderers in pairs of two, directing them to each sector in the Keep. Each group had to be responsible for multiple sectors, and each one had at least two dozen people living in it. It was going to be hard keeping track of everyone, especially with a Ravager around destroying everything.

"And, Impulse," Etho finished, turning to the only Wanderer not paired with someone. "You're with me. We're going to figure out how to kill this Ravager, or at least buy time for everyone else."

»»————-　★　————-««

Finding the Ravager wasn't hard. All they had to do was follow the trail of destruction. The problem was when they found them--the right dead center of the castle courtyard, a big, open, heavy-traffic space.

"Fucking hell," Impulse groused as he stepped over a deep crater made by the Ravager in the stone tiles. "It's next to the castle. Of course it's next to the castle."

"Hey, at least that gives the rest of the group more leeway when they're evacuating everyone," Etho said. "And it's not like people are around anymore," he added, gesturing to the empty courtyard. Of course, they could be gone in more than one way...

Etho studied the Ravager, which was currently in the process of headbutting the fountain in the center of the courtyard like it took personal offense to the structure. It hadn't noticed him or Impulse yet, which was good.

"It's huge," he noticed immediately. "How did we never come across this guy? With all the damage it's doing right now, surely we would have run across something that let us know it was here."

"Maybe worry about that after all this is over," Impulse said. "Now, how do you want to do this?"

"It's strong, too," Etho muttered, more to himself than Impulse. "Maybe even more than the one in the Fortress. The best chance is probably to attack it close-up, but we can't do that, so..."