Riku retreated to his own tent, the canvas walls doing little to contain the maelstrom of thoughts churning within his mind. The raw anguish from earlier had settled into a cold, sharp clarity. He found himself pacing, a familiar habit when his mind was racing, each step echoing the relentless rhythm of his internal struggle.
He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the roots. "The warbeasts," he muttered to himself, the immediate threat. He'd already, subconsciously, devised a plan for them. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. The core of it relied on Igris remaining within the village perimeter, a constant, unmoving bastion of defense. But that wasn't a concern at all; Igris was already bound to him, a loyal shadow.
His true, agonizing dilemma lay elsewhere. "How do I end this damn Great War without losing anyone else?" His voice was a harsh whisper in the silence of the tent. Every death felt like a personal failure, a betrayal of the promise he'd made to himself, to Shuvi, to every last member of his species.
He knew the traditional path: wait for more System rewards, stack the deck in his favor. That would undoubtedly increase his chances of victory, of bringing about the end of this war. But the thought of even a single more death, a single more life snuffed out by this brutal conflict, made his stomach clench. And the System, with its maddeningly unpredictable timing for the next mission, was a wild card he couldn't afford to play with.
"A 'Gambler,' it called me," Riku mused, a wry, bitter smile touching his lips. "But since getting this System... has anything truly been a gamble? Not like before. Not when I was making life-or-death decisions with nothing but my wits and a prayer." The System, for all its power, had softened the edges of his desperation, offered a safety net he hadn't known before. Now, it was time to cut that net.
A sudden, sharp realization hit him, a jolt that sent a ripple of understanding through his weary mind. He stopped pacing, his eyes widening. "Of course!"
Slap!
The sound cracked in the quiet tent as Riku's hand connected sharply with his own cheek. The sting was immediate, grounding. "That's it," he breathed, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. "That's exactly what I needed."
He couldn't save everyone by avoiding all risk. That was the delusion. To save them, he would have to make someone play with death. Or rather, he would. And who was the best at playing with death itself? The grin on his face widened, a chilling, almost maniacal gleam in his eyes.
A short while later, a small group of scouts, along with a surprisingly stoic Levi Ackerman, stood before Riku's tent. The air was tense, charged with an unspoken anticipation. Riku emerged, his usual somber demeanor replaced by an unnervingly calm intensity, his eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering light.
"Listen closely," Riku began, his voice low but firm, cutting through the murmurs. "Effective immediately, Igris is on village lockdown. He will not, under any circumstances, leave the perimeter. Is that understood?"
The scouts exchanged uncertain glances, but Levi simply nodded, his arms crossed. "Understood. His primary objective?"
"Defense. Pure and simple," Riku responded, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "Warbeasts are creatures of instinct. They hunt by surrounding. If they detect us, they will try to encircle. Igris will counter that."
"How, exactly?" asked one scout, a young man named Bren.
"Igris will maintain a constant vigil, a one-meter radius around the entire village perimeter. He will patrol it six times a day, at irregular intervals," Riku explained, his eyes glinting. "Think of it as a moving, invisible shield. If anything approaches, he'll know. And he'll act. No one else goes outside the village perimeter. Not for foraging, not for scouting. Understood?"
"But Riku, what about resources? We need to—" Bren started, only for Riku to cut him off.
"For now, we make do. Scavenge what you can from within the safe zone. Adapt," Riku commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Your lives are more valuable than any resource. Igris's sole purpose is to ensure no one else dies defending this village from what we already know is out there."
Levi, ever practical, interjected, "And what of the larger threat? The other races? The war?"
Riku's smile, still menacing, seemed to deepen. "That, Levi, is where I come in. This is a short-term measure. A few days, perhaps. Just long enough for me to prepare." His eyes narrowed, focusing on something unseen beyond the tent walls. "During this time, Igris defends. You all keep the village functioning, keep morale stable. And tell no one of my… preparations. Is that clear?"
The scouts, unnerved but compelled by his sudden intensity, nodded. "Yes, Riku," they murmured in unison.
"Good." Riku paused, his gaze hardening. "Now, leave me. I need to be alone."
As they dispersed, their faces a mixture of confusion and apprehension, Riku re-entered his tent. The faint glow of his lantern cast long, dancing shadows on the walls. He sat down, a map of the surrounding territories unfurling in his mind. The menacing smile returned, a cold, calculating curve of his lips.
"A gamble, huh, System?" he whispered into the silent tent. "Alright, I'll show you a gamble."
His eyes, now alive with a terrifying resolve, traced invisible lines on the map of his mind, plotting moves several steps ahead. The Great War. Shuvi. Survival. All of it hinged on this. And Riku, the human who had once been a 'Gambler', was about to raise the stakes higher than anyone could imagine.