It was at that point that Missing Air gave her input, but hers was a more balanced approach. "We must protect both assets. Diversify our defenses and deploy additional troops to both sectors. We cannot afford to lose either the heavy artillery or the brain-crystal rifles."
"Doing so will make our defenses ineffective," Shatterfist said, his voice muffled slightly by the mask. "What if they attack one location and we don't have enough people to defend it?" He paused. "What if they attack both and we lose them?"
"We must make an impression on the higher-ups, especially on Silent Scream," he continued. "Even if we lose one deposit, it doesn't an we won't prove to him we know what we are doing."
"Sotis, we must sacrifice sothing for the greater good. We must show Silent Scream we are able to make decisions in tough tis."
Shatterfist wasn't wrong. But regardless, Erik didn't give a fuck about impressing Silent Scream or whoever it was that pulled the strings of this organization, No. What Erik was really thinking about was how he could take advantage of the situation.
Erik weighed the pros and cons of the alternatives presented. The heavy artillery's sheer destructive force made it a high-value target; Van Dyke would surely drool, knowing that he had a chance of getting his hands on them.
However, their size and lack of mobility ant it would be hard to use them.
The brain crystal rifles, instead, while less powerful, offered flexibility and enhancent to individual soldiers' capabilities. The only problem was that he was going to provide them to the rebels sooner or later.
In a sense, it was a waste to focus their efforts and lose lives to get sothing they would have, regardless.
Shatterfist turned his gaze toward Erik. "Savage Blood, you've been unusually silent today. What do you think about the situation? How would you recomnd we proceed?"
Erik maintained his facade of a dedicated Blackguard. He made a dramatic pause and brought a hand to his masked chin as to fake he was thinking.
In truth, Erik already knew how to move and how to exploit the situation to his and the rebels' advantage.
"Given the rebels' recent activities, I agree with the need to fortify deposit 89."
"See?" Shatterfist turned to Brute Ape, who instead turned to Erik.
"Why?"
"It's not like I do not agree with your assessnt, Brute Ape," Erik said, "but you are forgetting sothing."
"And what would I be forgetting?" The man asked.
"Easy. Brain crystal rifles are easily carried. That's true, but that is not only for the rebels. It is even for us, so... There would be sothing else we could do, instead of simply defending." "Are you suggesting moving everything to one location? I don't think it will be that easy, and we could risk getting attacked during transport. We must also consider that not everything might fit inside deposit 89."
Erik shook his head.
"No, what I'm suggesting is that we might also consider misdirection," Erik said. "If the rebels are watching us regardless of what we do, then let's give them sothing to see, and let's make it big."
It was at that mont that Erik started pumping mana through his instability brain crystal power. The ability not only allowed Erik to read minds, but also to influence other people's emotions.
What Erik was going to do right now was to make his party mbers inclined to follow and believe what he said.
He wanted to make them keen to do as he said, while still leaving the final decision to Shatterfist.
This way, he wouldn't be blad if things went badly.
Erik leaned forward. "Increase visible security at one location while secretly strengthening another, or let them think we are moving the rifles when, in truth, we aren't."
"If the rebels attack the fake, seemingly unguarded place, they will die," he said, a hint of grim satisfaction in his tone, which, of course, was fake. "If they attack the fake convoy, they won't gain anything, even if they defeat us, but we will ambush them, killing many mbers."
Erik's eyes narrowed behind the mask as he finished, "After that, it doesn't matter what happens, since we won't be stationed here anymore, and the duty to manage the area will fall to soone else."
The other remained silent, thinking about the situation. Of course, Erik was influencing them. In truth, what Erik was thinking about was to take the convoy route.
It was simple. If they sohow failed, there wouldn't be any bla on them, on him... Besides, it would make it easier for the rebels to escape if things went south, because the battlefield would be in the open.
"Yes, but what will those who will co after us say? That we left the situation a ss?" Shatterfist said.
"They won't, because we will have fortified a place, while the other will be as when we found it, and nothing would have changed. At the sa ti, and as you said, we will show them we decided to sacrifice the rifles, since it is certainly the lesser evil here."
There was sothing Erik wanted to achieve with this: gaining rit. If the others accepted his proposal, which they would, he was going to ask Van Dyke to stage a huge attack on Erik's group and the convoy. The rebels would then retreat.
However, that wasn't the only thing Erik aid to accomplish. The man wanted to take two birds with one stone.
The rebels were going planning a huge attack on one of Volkov's buildings.
The problem was that for the rebels to do so; they needed to create so distractions.
They needed to lure the blackguards out of the area, because if they aided Volkov's troops, it would be a problem. But to lure out the blackguards, what would be great if not staging another attack?
Depending on the situation, the target might even shift from Volkov's stuff to the
blackguards' ones.
It was then that Erik redoubled his efforts with his Instability brain crystal power. They
needed to choose to make a convoy.
Erik was using extensively since he had it, but it was really shining here within the blackguards, because he was influencing the others more and more frequently to be liked by
the blackguards.
Shatterfist seed to ponder Erik's suggestion. "An interesting proposal. Diversion has its
rits."
"Yeah, I agree," Brute Ape said. Missing Air nodded.
"Then, as planned, we'll strengthen deposit 89 and pretend to transfer our items from
Deposit 234 to deposit 89. Does everyone agree?"
Brute Ape nodded with a glint of approval in his eyes. Despite preferring to safeguard another
place, Erik's plan had its rit, and regardless, it would shift the rebels' attention from deposit 234 to sowhere else. In a sense, it was a win-win. "That could work."
Missing Air nodded again.
As the eting concluded, Shatterfist gave the last orders. "Brute Ape, handle the reinforcents for Sector 458. Missing Air, increase patrols, and set up the misdirection for Deposit 234. Savage Blood, you'll coordinate with both and report to as well. Take care of organizing the convoy that will fake bringing stuff out of deposit 89. The idea was yours, after
all."
Erik nodded, keeping his thoughts guarded. "Understood."
The group left the room and dispersed, each heading to their respective tasks. Erik lingered
for a mont, but then went to a secluded area.
The man then connected to a device within the building and contacted Van Dyke. The old
man's voice crackled through.
"Is there any news?"
"Yes. I've got critical intelligence," Erik said.
"The Blackguards are fortifying deposit 89 in Sector 458. The place has heavy, mana powered
artillery. They're also setting up a diversion to depart from Deposit 234 in the sa sector to
deposit 89. We are going to fake moving everything to Sector 458. We can use this to our
advantage."
Van Dyke paused, processing the information. "What were you thinking about?" Van Dyke
asked.
"Easy," Erik said.
"Attack the diversion heading to deposit 89. Make your troops retreat after so ti. I will gain rit within the blackguards this way, and we might use the chance to distract these
guys from another target."
"We were going to attack a weapon production facility under Volkov's care. Isn't it a waste if we move so many people to fake an attack to have a better chance at the production facility? It
is not that well guarded."
"You are right," Erik said. "But I wasn't planning on attacking that place. I had another place in mind, the blackguards' enlistnt center, within New Alexandria."
"Ah, that's an interesting idea. We might be able to get a lot of information from the prisoners we take there, but, of course, that is, if we succeed in the attack, and I have a lot of
doubts about that."
"Indeed," Erik said. "But we can pull this off with them... Just make sure not to ss up. You might coordinate with June to avoid problems."
"That's what I will do. Who do you think I am, brat? I didn't create the Red Palace by ssing
up."
Erik nodded. "Aside from that, Is there any news about Richard?"
"Richard? Well, yes, more or less. We confird he is indeed in the grand ducal prison, but until we take care of a couple of things, we can't do anything."
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