Orion would escape toward the ruin's depths where overcoming a bottleneck in unmoldable terrain would be difficult…
Where pursuing would require fighting through confined spaces favoring defenders.
She needed him to stay visible. Needed him committed to surface confrontation where she could actually reach him, confident enough in his position that he wouldn't immediately flee when she arrived.
So she was holding back... Deliberately.
Making the advance look difficult rather than easy. Making it seem like she was struggling against the army's coordinated defense rather than merely inconvenienced by it.
Let him think she was near her limits. Let him believe the day of continuous combat had depleted her to the point where breaking through three thousand soldiers required all her remaining strength. Let him feel secure in his numerical advantage and prepared defenses.
Then strike when he was committed and escape routes were cut off by her ice.
