Frozen Flame of Dawn-Chapter 127 - 61: Period of Relaxation_2

Tommy scoffed. "Nah, it wasn't just using those cars as barricade for defense but a pure skill of mine. Let me set the scene for you…"

He leaned back a little, setting his cup down as if beginning a campfire tale.

"It was a moonless night, the kind where even the stars seemed hesitant to shine too brightly. We were three days out scouting, while evacuating and assisting a few nearby villages that were constantly being harassed by mutated creatures villages."

"After a long day of coordinating rescues and helping the civilians relocate, we set up camp in a clearing near the remains of an old highway that night. As we saw no immediate threats in sight, while letting our group a rare moment of relaxation. After parking the armored trucks, and lighting a small fire in the center, the scent of grilled meat rising into the air as the squad roasted a recently hunted mutant beast—some unfortunate creature that had wandered too close, and were finally starting to relax…"

"Keyword—starting," Aiden added.

Tommy pointed at him. "Exactly and because just as we were kicking back, thanking the stars for a quiet night and you know, if you ignore the constant danger of death, that ain't so bad," he had remarked. "But something shifted and both Aiden and I felt it as the pressure in the air, like the surrounding was holding its breath."

Bella frowned. "You guys didn't setup anyone for perimeter duty?"

"Oh, we did," Tommy nodded, "but one of our squad members, stationed for perimeter duty, had made a crucial slip-up—misjudging the area's silence for safety. He had been too relaxed, too focused on watching the stars instead of the shadows. By the time he noticed the rustling in the brush, it was already too late."

Aiden had been the first to sense something was off while we were eating but before he could sound the alarm, a low, guttural chittering filled the air followed by dozens more.

"Out of the darkness, a swarm of oversized rabbits—each nearly four feet tall, their eyes glowing with a feral hunger—burst into view. These weren't the cute, fluffy creatures of the past. Their elongated limbs and razor-sharp claws with glowing red eyes told a different story, they were freakishly fast and highly agile. You know how regular rabbits are already jittery? Now imagine one that could tear through a steel sheet."

Tommy had barely stood up when the first wave lunged toward them. "Oh, hell no," he had muttered before springing into action.

With no time to construct a proper defense, he had done the only thing he could think of—he dropped his hands to the ground and summoned a barrier, a shimmering forcefield surrounding their camp just in time to block the first wave of attackers. The impact rattled the air as the creatures slammed into the shield, their claws screeching against the energy surface.

Tommy lifted his hands, mimicking the motion he'd made that night. "As there was no time to construct a proper defense, I had done the only thing I could think of—slamming his hands to the ground and summoned a barrier—something I'd been experimenting with, a shimmering forcefield surrounding their camp just in time to block the first wave of attackers. The impact rattled the air as the creatures slammed into the shield, their claws screeching against the energy surface. But was strong enough to hold the first rush back, just long enough for us to roll the armored trucks into a square formation and create a makeshift barricade."

Rina nodded softly, impressed despite herself.

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Tommy continued, "Now here's the tricky part—maintaining the barrier and allowing us to fight. As I didn't had large pool of energy so, I got creative. I left small openings in the shield in all four direction, just enough to let few of them slip in while reduced the burden of energy consumption for the barrier as the beast to slowed down their aggressive attach on barrier after finding a gap. Then we handled them in controlled bursts—grinding them down without being overwhelmed."

"You basically turned the battlefield into a control attack pattern," Elias muttered.

"Exactly!" Tommy said proudly. "And while I was maintaining the barrier, who do you think was managing an entire north side of the formation alone?" He turned and pointed toward Aiden. "This man right here."

Aiden, still eating, didn't even look up. "Just doing my job to reduce pressure from the whole squad."

Tommy chuckled. "He was like a walking inferno. Blades out, burning through them like dry hay. Kept the pressure off so the rest of the team could focus on the other three flanks. Honestly, it made holding the barrier ten times easier."

Rina grinned. "Okay, I'm impressed."

"That's not even the best part," Tommy said, eyes lighting up. "At the end of the fight, one of the boss-types came charging in. A massive one—twice the size of the others, thicker hide, stronger, and smarter. My barrier was already getting weak and wasn't gonna stop that one so it broke."

Elias leaned forward. "So what did you do?"

"I made something new. Pushed my energy into a tight arc—infused it with the space element I've been training with. When I released it…" He paused, mimicking a slicing motion through the air. "It looked like a silver ripple, almost invisible. But the moment it made contact—it tore through that thing like a knife through paper. Right at the weak point. Called it the Space Blade."

He sat back, nodding to himself. "And that's how we made it back without a scratch."

The table was quiet for a beat. Even Rina's mother looked faintly impressed.

Then Layla finally spoke up, her tone light but laced with sarcasm. "Sounds like a great story. Epic, even. Heroic. One little problem, though…"

Tommy blinked. "What?"

She jabbed her thumb toward him. "You turned three armored vehicles into scrap metal. Our best ones. The ones we barely had the resources to fix in the first place. And now? Guess who's gotta work overtime repairing them?"

Tommy looked like someone had punched him with reality. "Okay, technically… I used them creatively."

"You turned them into a metallic rabbit trap," she shot back. "We have maybe five functioning vehicles left now, and I'm not including the one with a door that falls off every time someone breathes too hard."

Everyone laughed, even Aiden, who hid his smile behind his cup.

Still, his expression sobered as he looked around the table. "Jokes aside, she's right. It's getting worse as we encounter stronger and smarter beasts. And we can't keep relying on his barrier or others abilities as its not gonna work every time we camp outside."

He glanced across the table, meeting each of their eyes. "If we don't come up with a proper solution, we're going to be vulnerable every time we rest or camp outside specially at night because going forward its not just beasts—raiders, corrupted survivors, worse. We need to find a way to travel and survive the night without having to gamble with our lives."

The table fell quiet for a few moments. Amira, who had just finished her food, stood up and took her plate.

"Agreed," she said calmly. "We'll discuss this during the planning meeting." She turned toward the kitchen, adding, "After we're done cleaning up."

As she disappeared around the corner, Rina's mother followed with her own dishes. Slowly, as the dinner wrapped up with a chorus of soft laughter and the quiet clinking of cutlery. One by one, the group rose from their seats, gathering their plates with the kind of casual rhythm that spoke of familiarity rather than formality.

None of them waited for Rina's mother to collect the dishes—out of respect, more than anything else. Even the hardened fighters among them knew when to show kindness.

"I'll wash mine," Ezzie offered, already halfway to the sink with hers in hand.

"You can't do no such thing," came a hesitant but determined voice from the kitchen. The housemaid—a simple looking woman in her forties with sleeves rolled up and hands already in sudsy water—turned and gave Ezzie a questionable look. "Guests don't wash dishes in this house. Just leave them there."

"But—"

"Leave it." Rina's mother also told.

Ezzie raised both hands in surrender, laughing. "Alright, alright. I get it."

Soon everyone followed as they placed their dishes in the basin, then took a few moments to stretch, grab a glass of water, or pick at the last bits of dessert that hadn't already been devoured. Casual chatter floated through the air as they made their way to the stairwell. Bella led the way up, barefoot and calm, humming to herself as she climbed.

"I swear this place is like a maze," Izzy muttered behind her. "You'd think the former mayor was hiding treasure up here."

When they reached the top floor, the hallway changed. The walls became narrower, tighter. The paint here was newer, smoother, the corners less worn. It felt... intentional.