"Regardless, it's not like we have an alternative if we want to find out if they are searching for us. " June said. "Did the guards and patrols have any information about that?" the clone asked.
"No. They were only told people could attack and that this outpost might be a potential target. They are expecting human presence, though. It is me who thinks they know we are here."
They fell into silence, each weighing the pros and cons of their options.
"We will need to take the outpost down, eventually," June said. The clone was suggesting to wipe it out. It was a simple matter at that point, but not nearly as simple as when he saved Richard from the blackguards' prison.
Things changed since them, time passed and basically everyone was becoming stronger, not only thanks to what Etrium did, but even thanks to Erik's himself. People were pushing hard with the technique they stole from him, and the effects could be seen on even Hin's foot soldiers.
"Yes, but that is only when the Chimaeric Demons are enough. The outpost I made could be used as an incubator for the eggs, but we might move our main base of operation to the outpost here."
After several minutes of deliberation, Erik seemed to have taken a decision. "I think our best bet is the secret entrance. It's risky, yes, but it gives us the most control over our entry points. Based on our information, there are few guards there since they need to keep the entrance a secret, and fewer guards means fewer Veritas Lenses. I'm inclined to go from there."
"I still don't get why they didn't collapse the tunnel. Wouldn't it have been safer?" June asked.
"That's if they predict winning every attack they get, but you know how people are, and especially how those in power are. They keep an easy way out at hand to get out of tough situations. Well, not that I can blame them. I would have wiped out the fortress to not let the enemy take it, and we will need to take this into account for when we conquer it."
June nodded. "The Chimaeric Demons will, master." The clone paused. "All right then, I'm in with the tunnel route. We still have to find a way to open the door, though. If we can find a way to do it from the outside, it could be our cleanest entry point.""I will see what I find once inside."
"Good then..."
With their decision made, Erik and June planned their next course of action. The two would need to scout the area around the secret entrance, looking for any weaknesses they could exploit, see how many guards were around, and find a way to sneak in undetected.
Erik would not have that many troubles doing that thanks to the Phantom Veil, but being as careful as possible was the best thing they could do in that situation.
"What if you use your Plant Master brain crystal power to create camouflage? The lenses should only be able to see if we shapeshift or if we lie. But if you look like a bush... I might as well enter with you; they shouldn't be able to see me if I'm hiding within them."
"No, you stay out," Erik said. "I can still do something with the Phantom Veil, but you can't, and I don't want to take unnecessary risks."
"All right." June was disappointed, but there was nothing Erik could do at this point. Entering was already complicated as it was; the Phantom Veil was basically a stroke of luck, and he couldn't even completely rely on it.
Besides, for how long would he stay inside the base? An hour? A day? A week? He didn't know. Everything depended on how the situation inside was, and he needed to be able to move without worrying about the clone. Not only that, but June needed to keep an eye on the outside, because troops might arrive, thaids might attack, and, most importantly, the others needed to be updated.
"We'll move tomorrow night, then," Erik said.
"Understood, Master."
Night fell, and the fortress became a dark shape against the sky. It was hard to see, except for the occasional starlight reflecting off it. The night made Erik and June feel tense as they waited. Or better, nervous.
Erik didn't know what they he was going to find there, and he already had a lot of thoughts going through his mind. What if they really found out it was him that stole the ship? What if the ships coming back were filled with people chosen to hunt him?
Having met the Leviathan Serpent truly messed up with his confidence, and the power developments Hin showed worried him.
Sure, there was no way that the blackguards got too much stronger, and for sure, they hadn't caught up with him. But if they got too strong, there would be limits to what he could do if they attacked him with a lot of forces.
<I really need to focus on making Chimaeric Demons, and for sure I must stop going around alone.>
Erik had a spectacular force at his disposal, but there were too many things the clones had to do. Those he left behind on Hin's satellite island, for example, they were still in contact with him, and the news he got weren't good.
More and more ships were heading back to Hin, but there were also some from the other countries reaching the island.
The young man was starting to think that the only way if he really wanted to end this war, and destroy the blackguards, was going to take control of the foreign governments.
<But will this make me any different from the blackguards?>
Sure, he had no intention of using all that power for a hidden agenda, or any agenda, truth be told. But he would still control everything. He would be the same as them.
Though reinforcements from other countries were sure to becoming, with their specialties, their soldiers, their weapons.
Man force was the only thing that terrified Erik. One on one, he was clearly the strongest person alive, but through numbers, they could flood him, and he would lose.
Erik and June took turns resting and keeping watch through the night. Their week of careful watching was ending, and soon they would put to the test what they learned.
Erik thought about how complicated this mission was. He had never needed to plan so carefully before. They had to think of so many potential problems and solutions that he was left overwhelmed.
<I wonder if Noah felt like this when he prepared dad's rescue mission.>
He did.
<I need to solve the Veritas Lenses problem in the future. Invisibility should work, but this means I would have to give the power to the Chimaeric Demons too.>
...
...
As dawn came, Erik got to work right away. He used his Plant Master brain crystal power to change the plants around the entrance.
He made the plants grow thicker and stronger. This created a natural hiding place he could use in case something went wrong, and the Veritas Lenses worked on his Phantom Veil too.
But Erik had to be careful. He knew that if the plants changed too quickly or too much, the
guards might notice.
<Keeping a balance is not that easy to do.>
Erik was careful for a few reasons. First, he didn't want to take any chances.
Even a slight mistake could ruin everything before he even started. Also, Erik knew the guards were alert and watching for anything unusual.
By being extra careful with the plants, Erik hoped to avoid making the guards suspicious. He didn't want them to increase security or, even worse, find out that he and June were there. The second reason, was that he wanted a way to hide in case the Phantom Veil wasn't going to
work.
Invisibility should work well against the Veritas Lenses, based on what the system said, but having somewhere to hide was still better than having nothing to use to conceal himself.
It would also make it harder for the enemy to spot him. As for the entrance, there weren't many guards there, at least on the outside, but after a quick check with his Instability brain crystal power, Erik quickly found out that appearance deceived, because in the long tunnel connecting the exit to the entrance, there were a lot of guards.
Regardless, he made vines and thick plants grow around where the entrance was, but not so much for the guards to find out.
As evening came and started to go, Erik and June got ready. They checked their gear, went over their plan one last time, and prepared themselves mentally. Well, June did. He had to prepare himself for the possibly long waiting, and the feeling of not being of much use to his master.
Erik was already as he could be.
"Remember," Erik said as it got dark, "if something goes wrong, go back to our outpost. Don't try to help me alone for no reason. With my Phantom Veil, at least according to the system, they shouldn't be able to find me."
June nodded. "I understand, master. But let's try to make sure that doesn't happen, all right?"
They nodded to each other and started moving towards the entrance. Their week of watching was over. Now came the real challenge.
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