Chp 9 - Decisive Deceit

Earth/Europe/Bertotia Kingdom/05_09_2020

(POV Ivan): I think I understand how he’s doing it now… Considering the fact that Andresia seems unaffected, he’s somehow manipulating the web, probably using superposition to cancel out any surrounding waves¹light or sound waves are subject to destructive interference. This renders my sight and hearing useless. In order to combat this, Andresia is violently shaking the surrounding web, pushing his waves away from her (or, like before, me. But she needs to be in direct contact with me to achieve this). Unfortunately, I can’t produce the same high amplitude waves Andresia can, meaning I can’t do anything. Well, that’s not strictly true…

Unbeknownst to Ivan, Harvey and Andresia are currently locked in fierce combat. Harvey has decided to eliminate the princess while Ivan is out of commission, preventing him from regaining his sight or hearing. The 2^nd Lieutenant, being a Satin Weaver specialising in sensory manipulation, is a good match for Andresia, as few of his subtle techniques will work against the brute-force nature of her Weaving. Due to this, he is being forced to use exclusively physical attacks. While he may be a Satin Weaver, however, his status as a soldier requires at least minimal proficiency in physical combat. Proving this status is not for show, he lands a fist to the side of Andresia’s face, toppling her slightly. Despite the good match-up, the princess is unable to use any of her Weaving techniques, as doing so would mean she could no longer dispel his waves. Seeing her dire situation, she curses to herself.

(POV Andresia): Damn! The moment I stop dispelling his technique to attack him, I’ll get destroyed, but as it stands, I’ll be destroyed either wa~

(Ivan): ANDRESIAAAAA!!! Run now, I’ve got a plan!!

Hesitating slightly, both the princess and 2^nd Lieutenant slip a side-long glance at Ivan. Realising that it’s probably a trap to lure his attention, Harvey whips his view back to Andresia… Who has followed Ivan’s advice, sprinting as far away from the bungalow as possible.

(POV Harvey): W-what? What’s going on? It wasn’t a distraction? What’s he thinking, then, it’s not like he can see or hear me… He shouldn’t know where I am…

(POV Andresia): I don’t know what he has planned, but he’s sending out tiny waves continuously… I don’t see how that’s going to have any affect though as the 2^nd Lieutenant will just send out more of the exact same wave, overpowering and cancelling them… Is he just confused because he can’t see or hear anyth~

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE. A whining hiss rings out across the battlefield, filling the ears of everyone but Ivan, threatening to rupture their eardrums. Turning his head side-to-side, Harvey stares in disbelief as the mutant ants crane their heads towards him, piercing his soul with their cold glares. Silence ensues.

(Harvey): W-what?! What’s going o~

(Ivan, still completely blind and deaf): Eat ant, bitch!

Having his waves completely cancelled out, Ivan knows he is no longer a source of animosity for the monsters, their focus now trained on soldier copying his technique. As he is still unable to see or hear, he can conclude that Harvey is still obstructing his sight and hearing, meaning that Ivan is also no longer attracting any ants…

(POV Andresia): Even discarding the fact that he can’t see or hear, how is it possible to attract Spiderlings in the first place?! I’ve never even heard of such a bull technique before… He must have somehow identified the frequency the ants are using to communicate, provoking them by deliberately flaunting it… But to figure out the frequency Spiderlings use and use it to communicate with them, just who is Ivan???

The silence ends, the 7 ants not currently fighting the soldiers suddenly pounce on the 2^nd Lieutenant. While a regular member of the squad could take a group of 7 Spiderlings of rank D, with relative ease, Harvey is not a regular member. He specialises in sensory manipulation, a technique that won’t work on the ants, considering they’re emitting powerful waves constantly. While relying on human strength and martial art alone may work against a Weaver deprived of their power, it won’t even scratch a Spiderling of this level. Knowing of his imminent defeat, Harvey closes his eyes, reluctantly embracing death… Which never comes.

(Lieutenant Couture): Jeez, Harvey, I know you were reluctant to do all the navigation work, but you don’t need to kill yourself to get out of it…

Swatting away an ant with the back of his hand, Couture glances at his junior, sighing.

(POV Couture, breaking into a warm smile): Well at least he’s alright, I don’t know what I’d do i~

(Harvey, visibly tearing up): Oh Lieutenant! I-I, I’m sorry I said you were useless behind your back all those times! You’re not useless… Well, not all the time!

Smile fading from his face, Couture turns to face the 2^nd Lieutenant, blank expression clear for all to see.

(POV Couture): I went to all the trouble of speeding through the rescue of our other team members²there were no casualties, just some heavily injured soldiers that Harvey mistook for corpses just to come help him out, and this is how he repays me.

Looking over his shoulder at the ants, still trying to claw their way towards his subordinate, a sinister sneer works its way onto the Lieutenant’s face.

(Couture): Well, if you’re so keen to fight these ants all by yourself, I certainly won’t stop you…

Ignoring the 2^nd Lieutenant’s paling face and cries of repentance, Couture eyes the ants, suspiciously.

(POV Couture): Leaving the princess aside for now, it seems we have someone quite dangerous on our hands… Oh shit! Where’s the princess?!

A short sigh leaving his lips, the Lieutenants eyes rest on the spot where the pair of fugitives once were, now a patch of air. It seems they did not miss the opportunity Ivan bought them, Andresia dragging the blinded, deaf man away from the battlefield. Chuckling softly to himself, the Lieutenant turns back to his squad, scanning their fatigued faces to check their well-being. Once that is complete, he turns to the ants once more.

(Couture): Well I guess it’s time to clean up.