The cold air bit at Cedric's face, but he hardly noticed. The remnants of the Drake Mother's Chaos Magic still resonated within him, a subtle, icy energy that sharpened his focus. He stood beside Steven, watching the handful of men they had left begin the gruesome, yet vital, task of carving up the colossal carcass.
"They will need to work through the night, Commander," Steven said, his breath fogging in the moonlight. "We've got minimal lamps, and the cold... it's going to be brutal."
"The cold is our clock, Steven," Cedric replied, pulling a heavy, fur-lined glove tighter on his hand. "Every minute we delay is a minute closer to the Barbarians finding this scent trail. We must have this hide cured and preserved before the first warm front—if one even comes."
Steven sighed, a sound heavy with exhaustion and worry. "And these specialized salts, Commander? You are asking for a quantity that would make a King weep."
Cedric fixed his gaze on his Captain. "We will get the salts. But first, we secure the people who can use the hide properly. Focus on the strategy: The Dwarves are the solution to our infrastructure problem. They are the key to turning this beast into a suit of armor that can withstand a siege."
He turned, leading Steven back toward the outpost's central fire pit, where they could speak privately without disturbing the workers or raising undue suspicion among the remaining soldiers.
"Let's talk about the new variable, Steven," Cedric began, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "The fight with the Drake Mother was... instructive. It confirmed what I suspected: The power level disparity between this territory and Veridia is immense. Standard warfare will see us wiped out."
Steven leaned closer, his eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. "Commander, I'm a soldier, not a scholar. But I saw that light show. The way you moved, the power you suddenly wielded... it was like a complete transformation."
Cedric paused, considering his words carefully. Steven was loyal, but this was a truth that needed careful framing. "The System is flawed, Steven. It's an archaic tool for an extraordinary world. When I consumed the core—an item of unprecedented power—the System broke and rewrote itself to accommodate the strength. I am now capable of wielding the magic of the North."
He gave Steven a fleeting, almost imperceptible demonstration: a thin, silvery ribbon of frost instantly coiled around his forearm and vanished just as quickly.
Steven's eyes widened, a rare show of surprise from the veteran. "Cryo-Mage… The old tales speak of the Ice Shamans in the far north. Are you saying you've become one of them?"
"I have gained the ability," Cedric corrected, emphasizing the word. "It is another tool in the arsenal. It changes nothing about my main objective: strategic survival. My Intelligence has increased, allowing for faster processing of combat scenarios and complex logistics. This is a benefit to the Lord, not just the Mage."
He pulled out the Northern Territory map, which was already covered in his meticulous annotations—supply routes, projected Barbarian patrol areas, and now, three different hypothesized routes for the Wandering Dwarves.
"Here is the plan. We focus on two things simultaneously. Logistics and Recruitment."
First: Logistics. "The carcass needs to be preserved. We will use the remnants of our flour stores and any available salt to create a temporary, thick brine to pack the choicest hides and bones. It's a temporary measure, a delaying tactic to prevent rot, but it will work until we can acquire the proper Preservation Salts and the skills to cure the materials permanently. Have Sergeant Marcus handle this—he has a good head for inventory and can work the men hardest."
Second: Recruitment. "We need to locate the Dwarves. Their routes are known to avoid permanent settlements but they always track geological anomalies. I have identified three likely routes they use when migrating to find new veins of rare ore. We will dispatch three small, covert scout teams."
He jabbed his finger at the map. "I want to send Lysandra out personally on the most likely route, the foothills of the Silent Peak. Her Cunning attribute and her familiarity with covert movement will be essential. She is not to engage, only observe and track. She must avoid confrontation at all costs."
"And the other two teams?" Steven asked.
"Two reliable, quiet soldiers who know how to survive in the wild. Give them simple tracking gear and clear instructions. Their goal is only to confirm or deny the presence of the Dwarves. The moment they have a sighting, they return immediately."
"And what do we offer the Dwarves?" Steven asked, a flicker of understanding dawning in his eyes. "They don't take coin, they take what they value. They are an impossible lot to bargain with."
Cedric smiled, a genuine, calculating smile. "They are greedy, Steven. Not for gold, but for the unique and the challenging. What do we have that is unique? The Drake Mother's carcass. I will be the one to meet them, and I will show them the Drake Bone and Hide. I will offer them a monopoly: the exclusive right to work an entire Legendary Beast, a feat of metallurgy that will become legend among their own kind. They will not be able to resist the challenge."
Steven nodded slowly, absorbing the ambitious plan. "You are not simply defending the outpost, Commander. You are building a new forge here in the North."
[Quest Update: Forge an Alliance]
[Objective: Covertly deploy scout teams to locate the Wandering Dwarves.]
Cedric ignored the System's notification, which was merely confirming his own plan.
"The most important instruction for every scout: They are to use extreme caution. The Barbarians are close. If a Barbarian patrol or scouting group is spotted, the team is to fall back immediately. We cannot afford to lose men right now, especially not to an accidental skirmish. We are weak, but we must appear strong."
He packed the map away. "I will draft the specific orders for Lysandra now. You, Steven, will oversee the preservation logistics and the remaining scout teams. The fate of the Northern Outpost rests on securing those Dwarves. Go. Do not rest until the last piece of hide is salted and the scout teams are deployed."
Steven gave a curt, respectful nod. "Understood, Commander. The hunters will be ready by dawn." He paused, looking back at the Drake Mother's immense body, then at Cedric. "I never doubted your ability to lead, Commander, but now I understand your strategy. You plan to turn this entire situation on its head."
Cedric watched him walk away, then pulled his gloves off. He extended his hand over the flickering fire. The ambient heat did not feel warm, only neutral, a sign of the profound internal change the Cryo-Mage Class had wrought. He was a new man, armed with a hidden power and a decisive, cold plan. The battle for the outpost was over. The War of Logistics had just begun.