9.2 Frontline

"Where's Baccus?" I asked, my one hand already holding the grip of my katana at the ready.

"At... the back..."

"I'll be back then."

With a sweaty nod, I temporarily left Lise to march by herself as I made my way to Baccus and the rest of the riflemen's location. He would have to conduct the battle in my stead, seeing as the elder had the most authority among us all, myself included. In fact, I was pretty sure that all of these people were only following me simply because the older man had vouched for my now non-existent plan.

"Baccus," I started, noting the dozen or so riflemen that also raised their heads to look at me. "I have a plan."

"As always, young Rouge," the elder chuckled despite the unbearable heat around us. "Care to tell this old man what needs to be done?"

What needed to be done, huh...

"I need the riflemen to conduct the battle in my stead," I answered with little to no leeway in my voice. "Specifically, you."

Baccus had experience, that much I knew. It would simply be stupid to think that I was the only one capable of doing the strategy bit when there was someone else that clearly had leadership skills supporting my every whim. Besides, strategy and tactics wouldn't do shvt without a good leader to see it through. After all, from my perspective, having no plan but a good leader will always be better than having a good plan with a horrible leader. The horrible leader, in this proverb, would probably be me except without a decent plan to contribute to the group.

"And what are you going to do then, young Rouge, if you're not leading us?"

I took a deep breath as the audacity of what I was about to say astounded even the most radical of what few self-preservation instincts I still had.

"I'm planning on breaking the blockade myself."

"Are you sure that would be wise?"

I stared straight at Baccus's face as he asked me the exact same question that I did to myself just a few minutes ago. It might not be wise, but it was still an idea that had a ton of merit in terms of possible doability and lack of proper planning needed to execute such a stupid gambit.

But hey, a guy can dream of better ideas once he's dead.

"I can't see any other way that we could break through that wall without casualties," I explained as we walked and talked through the whole thing. "Lise and I are the only two people here with actual combat experience. And we might as well prove to the doubters that we actually killed Blutmond." Somehow...

"I see," the old man sagely nodded as he looked to be mulling over my proposal. "Suppose that you and little Lise manage to break the blockade with this stunt, what are we to do then?"

I placed a hand on my sweat-covered chin as I too mulled over this slapdashed plan of mine. It would only do so much good if we broke the enemy formation but the rest weren't able to capitalize on the opening we'd be giving. Considering that I was planning to run the both of us quickly onto the enemy backline, it'd probably be for the best that our front wait until Lise and I have completely dismantled the Dezimal formation enough that their front line had no choice but to thin their numbers in order to deal with us. Yes...

"I'd tell you guys to wait until we've done enough damage to the enemy forces," I postulated to Baccus as we passed yet another one of the numerous vats in this blazing hallway. "Tell the front line to hunker down and wait for my signal."

The old man simply nodded. "Hmm..."

...

....

.......

A few beats passed as the silence was filled with the march of our bare feet, the elder clearly looking to find a way to make this stupid plan of mine somewhat viable, if not outright replace it with something better. Though I supposed that if he did come up with a better idea, I'd use his idea instead.

"What would the signal be, then?"

Fvck... I honestly didn't think that far enough... Perhaps we'd borrow two rifles for our personal use. Lise at least knew some basic spacing and positioning... probably... And I knew for a fact that I could use a bayonet rifle like a demented spear if the situation called for it.

"The signal would be a rifle shot from the enemy side," I supplied before pointing at what few functioning bayonet-model rifles we had. "I'd like to borrow two bayonets, however."

"Quite the gamble, young Rouge," Baccus commented as he motioned for two bayonet-holding riflemen to relinquish their weapons to me. "Though I suppose you do have the skill to make it out alive if the situation came to it."

Well, I wouldn't call it a skill, so much as it was sheer dumb luck that we managed to kill that blue bvtch in order to begin our escape. If not for Aria's strange... obsession with me, we'd probably still be under her employ as her personal Nenners. And myself as her...

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the... activities that I wholeheartedly did with the admittedly-beautiful Primzahl. My brainwashed self might have thoroughly enjoyed himself with the older woman's company, but simply thinking of that other self of mine doing the act with one of my parents' killers... It actually made my skin crawl just thinking that I lost my virginity to that monster.

"I can manage," I promptly replied, shaking the thought of one of my parents' dead killers in favor of thinking of something to not get killed myself. "And Lise can go toe-to-toe with a Primzahl herself." Though I still didn't know why Aria allowed herself to die like that.

"On your lead then, young Rouge," the old man lightly nodded as he seemed satisfied with the current plan. "I fully trust in your decision-making skills to lead us out of this Furnace."

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛