Diversion

"Guys!" Yumiko's voice reverberated from behind everyone. Ralphie, Ayuka, and even Harry turned to look at her, questioning themselves.

"Yumiko. Where were you? We thought you ended up lost in the city." Ayuka claimed as she stood patiently. "Oh, don't worry about me. I only wanted to find some sort of a sword, and guess what, I did." Others' attention locked onto her hip where the blade was carefully sheathed.

"That's amazing!" Before Ayuka continued, Ralphie danced in front of Yumiko and crouched before her, surrounding them with love hearts. "Yumiko-beauty! My heart's been feeling hollowed without your company, and now you look even sexier with those swords!"

Yumiko looked at Ralphie, confused, and gave him a chance to retaliate himself, but she just passed by and approached Ayuka and Harry. "I needed to remind you. I've met somebody who gave me these blades, but he also mentioned that one of our friends has been getting chased around the Athvan's hillside this whole time."

"Huh? I'm pretty sure it's not Tim. Let's not forget, he wouldn't run away from people, so it has to be Kou or Codey. They are the only two people that we haven't seen for a minute. Then again, I don't believe Codey would run away either. Kou's the only one who'd try to avoid as much fighting as possible." Ayuka explained, leaning her left hand onto her waist.

"Well, whoever it is, we can't afford to waste any more time. We still have to find Tomomi, so we need to take care of things around here as quickly as possible." Ralphie behind Yumiko jumped and raised his arms in the air; hearts streaming down his body like a fountain and then popping into pink particles.

"I'll get a chance to follow Yumiko!" His arms started to wiggle like a snail as he continued to move left and right, causing Yumiko's face to turn unamused. "Tell me what shall I do! I'm open to your embrace!" He paused, hearing Yumiko yell. "For start! How about you get your grip together?!"

"Yumiko-swan!" He extended the word. "Forget it..." She said and turned back to look at Ayuka and Harry. "As a result, we are aware that Niklas is perched atop the hill, encircled by hundreds or even thousands of soldiers who are on the lookout for us. We're safe right now, but as soon as we set foot on that hill, we'll probably be surrounded from every angle."

Ayuka raised her left hip and moved her chin closer to her hand, looking down at the floor. "We could try to sneak up that slope without anyone noticing, but Tim's involvement makes it very difficult. Even if we separated, that would be acceptable, but doing so wouldn't be a smart idea because even then, their numbers would likely be superior to ours.

"No matter what we consider, there is no good strategy. However, one of us, most likely Kou, has been directing people's attention on himself, so we could have a better chance to sneak in. Nevertheless, we should never leave him alone. There isn't a good method I could think of other than to just charge in and alert everyone. Everybody is looking out for us since Niklas already knows we are here."

The group was at a loss for conversation starters until Harry struck up one. "Maybe if we create a distraction, we can get the troops' focus on it." Ayuka had thought right away. "That might be doable, but what should we use? We'd need something huge enough for everyone to see. Do you have anything you could construct as a diversion, Harry?"

Harry reached into his pockets with his hands. "There is a huge stock of explosives kept in a basement behind the city hall. Although it would be challenging to notice in broad daylight, shooting them into the air would undoubtedly create a distraction." Harry explained.

"We can't just use the explosives out in the open. That could harm people as well as destroy the island's city." Explained Ayuka, only for Yumiko to interrupt. "But weren't we going to do that anyway? We've literally destroyed several buildings in my homeland, so what's the point of being careful?"

Harry, Ralphie, and Ayuka all nodded at the same time as they exchanged glances. "Good point. Let's get going." Completed Ayuka. Harry began to perspire. "Come on, I'm sure we could think of something less destructive. This town would lose so many workshops that it might be risky for business if we set off explosives."

"I say that we go for it but inform the populace first. Even so, it would be prudent to divide ourselves into two groups. While the other group hastens up the hillside, the first group should go detonate the explosives. The location of the explosives should be set off where there are the fewest workshops. Since Niklas would hate to see the city hall blown to pieces, setting it off under the city hall shouldn't harm any workshops."

Harry's eyes nearly exploded from astonishment at Ralphie's suggestions. "You're insane?! That city hall is the most important building on this whole island. While Niklas would hate it getting blown to bits, that would also ruin one of our most important areas to import forgeries."

Ralphie became serious, tensing his eyes. "I know, but I think that should be the least of our concerns at the moment. What good is to us a building that most of its resources are taken by Niklas and his army? I'm sure we'd make him rage if we blew the city hall to bits." Yumiko looked at Ralphie in shock.

"Leandre and Nicole are inside that building, so even though I understand your motivation, doing so could endanger them more than we imagine."

A recognizable voice reverberated abruptly behind them. "It could be destroyed with no problem in my thoughts. The only reason that city hall has been there, it's to please Niklas. Its contents should be destroyed, even if it means razing the entire city hall, therefore I don't think you need to be concerned. On this island, there are enough skilled workers to rebuild the hall to its previous condition. The hall may always be rebuilt once this mess is cleared up."

"Leandre, Nicole..." Shivered Yumiko, surprised to see them out in the open. "I would like for you to proceed with that idea. I've even gathered our people to help." Suddenly the whole area began to be surrounded by the citizens; women and men, even children.

They seemed to be serious and prepared to do whatever it would take.

"We want to forget about this slavery!" a man shouted.

"If destroying the city hall means that Niklas will lose his supplies, we're here to do so!" a woman added.

"We don't want to keep working for him! We want our freedom!" the people shouted, revealing that each of them held different tools for the battle.

"You're kidding. All of them?" questioned Ayuka, surprised, while Ralphie stood still. "Looks like they trust us after all." He stated, smiling.

"As you can see, everyone who is on this island wishes to resume their previous lives. They are available to assist and, if necessary, to engage in combat with the troops. Although there shouldn't be anyone inside the city hall, this will probably draw some of Niklas' forces to the area."

Yumiko crossed her arms while being discrete. "Check that out. We're going with a "flashy" diversion, I suppose. Harry, I believe it's time for you to give up. You can tell that every one of your supporters is prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat Niklas."

Harry grabbed his forehead, amazed. "Guess I don't have a choice. I'm the only one competing with hundreds. Fine, let's do the explosive strategy, then."

Numerous people volunteered to assist and make any sacrifices necessary to bring down Niklas. The strategy for getting Niklas' attention was to let loose. Each of them was prepared to destroy the resources he had been stocking for his gains.

To be continued...