The Winter Tyrant-Chapter 82: Self-Preservation

After leaving the meeting, several of the captains followed Jack out.

These men were among those who had been Jack’s supporters since the start of the federation.

Jack was, after all, one of the few figures strong enough to represent an alternative to Aidan’s attempts to centralize authority around himself and his inner circle.

And while their numbers had dwindled in recent weeks, due to many of his former comrades becoming turncoats and switching over to Aidan’s side after he proved himself a capable leader.

Some captains still believed and supported the mentality that Jack represented.

And Jack was quick to express that very philosophy just moments after barging out of the round table.

"One idiot gets himself and his men killed, and all of a sudden the rest of us are expected to go to war over his useless ass."

One of the other captains nodded his head in agreement. Following behind Jack, keeping a minimum of three paces between them at all times.

"It’s total bullshit! How the hell are we supposed to manage our territory and fight whoever the fuck took out Marcus and his crew out?"

Jack abruptly stopped and looked over at the Captain, a cruel smirk forming on his face as he stared the man directly in the eye.

"Jason... You’re a genius...."

Jack had no intention of dying for Marcus. The man had been sloppy and predictable. The kind of captain who mistook routine for control. And now he was dead for it.

If there truly was someone out there hunting them, then charging blindly into a war would only serve to thin their numbers further.

No... Jack had no interest in being the next head mounted on a spike.

If Aidan wants to posture as a leader, then let him. Let him rally the others, send them out, bleed them dry chasing ghosts in the snow.

Jack would survive. And when this was all over, whoever remained would be far easier to deal with.

Meanwhile Jason seemed utterly confused by Jack’s comments, but the man didn’t bother explaining as he walked off further down the hallway, as the other captains chased after him.

And Jason was currently doing his best to drudge out the meaning of Jack’s statement just now with probing questions.

"I’m glad to be of help, so how should we proceed?"

The roll of Jack’s eyes hinted he knew all too well what his sycophantic followers were trying to do, but he appeased them nonetheless.

"Well, it’s as you said, Jason, we can’t keep extracting tribute for the federation, and fight a war at the same time. And if Aidan and Mick want to start a war, then they’re going to need men running supplies."

The moment Jack said this, Jason quickly figured out where he was headed with the rest of his speech.

"We will volunteer for that position, that way nobody can call us out for not doing our part. And at the same time, we don’t have to risk our own necks for this foolish crusade of theirs."

Jason had not intended this in the slightest, but when he heard Jack’s words, he understood immediately why the man thought he was a genius.

It truly was the best case scenario for them, who had no interest in avenging the weakest link among their wolf pack.

At the same time, Jack continued with his thoughts.

"We’ll just have to be more careful with our patrols. Using different routes every day. Changing the sequence in which we use them and keeping our heads on a swivel. If whoever killed Marcus really is tracking us, we need to make the odds that we run into them as low as possible."

---

Back at the round table, Aidan, Mick and a few of the other captains remained behind. They sat there in silence for the longest time until finally they were interrupted by the roar of Mick’s fist colliding with the table.

"Fucking bastards!"

Aidan didn’t share the sentiment, but he could see others were grumbling and nodding their heads in agreement. He immediately decided to put a stop to this before it turned into further resentment.

"They are only acting in their best interests, the same as the rest of us. Jack isn’t as foolish as you think he is. He is likely already coming up with some scheme to remain a part of the federation, but stay out of the fighting."

Mick simply spat on the ground in response to this statement. All the while the others at the table shifted in discontent.

Ultimately Aidan brought their attention back to the matter at hand. Rather than allowing them to stew in their anger.

"What we need to find out is just who the hell hit Marcus and what exactly their capabilities are. I don’t want to walk blindly into a fight against an enemy with superior numbers or firepower. Although if they truly possessed such a thing, I don’t see a reason why they would ambush Marcus like that."

Mick finally spoke up, his voice was low and far less enraged than before. Rather, it seemed slightly timid.

"Who else could it be? It was those monsters at Paradise Falls."

Whispers broke out at the table. The murmurs carried through the room like a slow spreading sickness.

Some leaned closer to one another, speaking in hushed tones. Others sat rigid, their eyes fixed on the table as if refusing to acknowledge what had just been suggested.

Paradise Falls. The name alone was enough to tighten throats and still hands.

Even the most hardened among them had heard the stories. And none of them had ever been confirmed to be false.

By now the rumors were well established among the raiders, and Paradise Falls had been written off as unassailable.

However, Aidan was quick in his attempt to maintain order and morale among the other captains present.

"You’re jumping to conclusions. They haven’t shown the slightest sign of activity outside their borders, at least not since Lorenzo and his crew got themselves killed attacking the area. Why would they venture out just to ambush our men? We haven’t provoked them in any way. And we have nothing that they desire."

"Don’t we though?" Mick’s voice cut Aidan off before he could continue rationalizing the situation.

He gestured around the room, his words suddenly hitting a very real possibility. That’s right... They had something that anyone in the region would desire. A working foundry to produce materials for industry and construction.

And while they hadn’t managed to get the plan up and running properly, that didn’t mean that someone in Paradise Falls couldn’t do so either.

Aidan was about to say something when Mick cut him off.

"Especially if the original inhabitants of this plant found their way to Paradise Falls and told them about this place...."

That was it... That was the explanation that Aidan had been so desperately trying to avoid. They had not managed to take out the original inhabitants of this manufacturing complex. They fled through the gaps in their patrol routes and managed to escape without a trail to follow. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

If they actually had found their way to Paradise Falls, they would have been able to present this place as a bargaining chip with the monsters who resided there. And if those monsters took an interest, they now would want nothing more than to exterminate the little pest problem that inhabited ’their property."

When Mick finished speaking, there was a long and grim silence. Some looked towards Aidan for a rebuttal, but it never came. In fact, among them all, he looked like he was experiencing the most dread.

His eyes were open wide, and staring at nothing in particular. Without blinking, without rest, he continued to gaze into space for several minutes before finally responding. And when he did, his voice was at a fraction of its usual passion.

Aidan’s mind raced through every decision he had made over the past months. The gaps in patrol route.

The survivors he had chosen not to pursue. The assumption that distance alone would keep them safe.

It had all seemed reasonable at the time. Now it felt like negligence.

If Paradise Falls truly had been given a reason to move... then this was no longer a question of territory. It was a question of survival.

"We still need to confirm that our hypothesis is correct. And if it is, we will have no choice but to come up with a proper plan for how to deal with this problem. Until we confirm whether we are going up against Paradise Falls, or some unknown player moving into the region, it is best that what we just discussed doesn’t leave this room, do you all understand?"

Nobody voiced their disagreement. The last thing they needed was the Federation and its various crews panicking based on mere conjecture.

In the end, Aidan, Mick, and the others left the room and immediately set out to tracking down whomever had killed Marcus and his men.