Carving out a row of scouts ensured a safe retreat if our mission went poorly. Yula suspected another four in the area, but they never responded to her drums. Using Improved Camouflage, we moved unopposed on a north route overlooking the river until the evening. We passed the abandoned goblin mine and worked our way north.

  Though other teams of forward scouts almost certainly reached Worm Meadow, we’d cleared those above the riverbank and had gotten behind enemy lines. Our view of the river showed the first of three cohorts had already crossed the river and camped below us at Iremont’s base.

  We encountered no centaurs as we hiked along the mountain’s skirt. Yula picked up her feet in the loose, red soil to avoid kicking up dust clouds, and I copied her technique. We didn’t want to call attention to ourselves in the light underbrush with an army so near.

  Iremont’s dungeon had an odd gunnery room. Inside, I could target creatures at its base with impunity. Unfortunately, its controls required heating metal rods to unsustainable temperatures.

  Even if we spent the night climbing its surface, Yula and I didn’t have enough mana to keep it running while firing on the emperor’s position. I would have brought enough casters had I remembered the dungeon’s defensive systems, but I doubted we’d have enough mana to make a difference.

  Hiking into clearings canceled Camouflage’s effects, but they offered unobstructed views of the river valley. We saw little reason to maintain the spell since long shadows enshrouded the hillside, and we’d already eliminated the high-ground scouts.

  Drums and gongs sporadically echoed from unknown locations across the river. Yula listened to them but showed no reaction.

  We hiked along the slope until dusk. A thousand feet below us, a cohort stood along the Orga River. It made sense that the orcs crossed the river near Iremont, for Flattop marked as far south as they’d been.

  The logistics of their operation staggered me. Torodons pulling carts filled with sacks, baskets, crates, and pots. Hundreds of orcs spread across the area in tents. Torches and pyres lit the operation as the evening shadows engulfed the river valley.

  “I have a trident that inflicts structural damage and breath underwater. Is there any chance I could catch Veegor midstream?”

  Yula shook her head. “Orcs are good een water. Not sink like green devils.”

  We watched the orcs ferry across the river supplies on a raft. Dozens of rafts and canoes worked back and forth beside it, carrying personnel. From a distance, they looked like a line of ants.

  I marveled at the operation. “How did they build all that without a settlement?”

  Yula gestured to a pier extending into the river. “Orc field engineers are high rank.”

  I pulled out my Eagle Eyes and surveyed the opposite shore, but I couldn’t see anything not illuminated by firelight. Tents along the bank glowed like Chinese lanterns. Most of them stood only a few feet high, but a few measured the size of a room. At such a distance, nameplates didn’t appear, and I saw no pairs of red glowing eyes.

  On our side of the river, a line of torches lit piers. One side of the pier swarmed with canoes filled with soldiers, while the other hosted ferries of supplies.

  I offered the telescope device to Yula, who peered into it until we lost daylight.

  Along the shore, stacks of supplies rested in orderly rows. Pairs of orcs carried unloaded stores on stretcher-sized litters. Rows of cooking spits roasted meat racks. Posted guards fended off soldiers looking for early vittles. Even at a distance, the smell of the tangy barbeque tingled my senses, causing my stomach to grumble. Knowing our menu comprised dried jerky and foodstuffs, it didn’t seem fair, considering we rested on our side of the river.

  Yula eventually handed back the Eagle Eyes. “We wait here for emperor.”

  Yula didn’t wait for my reaction. Instead, the activity below us consumed her attention. She wasn’t asking me, which was just as well. She knew what to look for and when to attack.

  The enterprise below made me wonder if we’d bitten off more than we could chew.

  “So, what’s the plan? When do you think the emperor will arrive?”

  “Veegor crosses with second cohort tomorrow. We attack him when he lands—ees vulnerable.”

  I hoped for more details or further explanation but got none. Her cavalier assessment of the hundreds of soldiers below us and the prospect of attacking a relic bearer disconcerted me. Perhaps she didn’t appreciate the danger they presented.

  The emperor traveling in the middle cohort meant an entire cohort guarded each side of his launch and landing. Crossing the Orga incurred risks. Despite being strong swimmers, I assumed the orcs removed their armor in case their canoes or ferries encountered waterborne difficulties.

  I couldn’t hold my tongue. “What about the army?”

  Yula patted me on the shoulder, which felt more patronizing than comforting. She started setting up her bedroll. “Ees no problem. We have high ground.”

  “If the emperor has a relic, he’ll be able to nuke us from 300 yards away. We’re almost within that range.”

  Yula’s brow furrowed with impatience, and she raised a flattened palm for emphasis. “We have high ground.” She pulled a blanket from her inventory and rolled over onto the ground.

  If Hawkhurst’s illustrious commander wanted to sleep on the ground where critters crawled, I wasn’t about to get in her way.

  I tossed up my Dark Room rope and climbed inside for softer accommodations. The light wasn’t visible to those outside, and the bug-free interior comforted me. The mattress and pillows felt wonderful after a hard day of hiking, and I luxuriated in the furnishings.

  I left the line dangling in case she changed her mind. Lit by glow stones, I removed my gear and settled in for the night.

  Yula and I crept down the hillside the following morning for a closer look at the emperor’s arrival. The high vantage and meager underbrush proved enough for Improved Camouflage to hide us from the army below.

  The hillside winds weren’t strong, and the crisp morning air carried the fresh scent of foliage mixed with the riverbank’s musk. Muffled sounds of creaking wood, grinding gravel, and clinking equipment confirmed the entire army to be awake and buzzing with activity. The orcs had already stomped a wide path through the underbrush, creating a dirt road where there hadn’t been a day before.

  Veegor’s ferry didn’t arrive until the afternoon. His glowing red eyes broadcasted his whereabouts and helped us focus on our target. As he neared the western riverbank, we hunkered through the underbrush. Eventually, his nameplate appeared.

  Veegor put on no airs. Instead of jewelry or finery, he wore a standard issue set of officer armor. His barge carried torodons bearing saddles, and it made sense that he’d travel on a mount.

  What bothered me wasn’t his practical fashion. I delivered his vital statistics to Yula—who couldn’t see his nameplate. “He has 535 health. What kind of stamina gear does this guy have?”

  Yula shook her head. “Arrows from high ground won’t be enough.”

  The banners bore the same red and black Redbone insignia we found on the pouch of gems looted from the hydra. Recognizing it reminded me of the game’s depth. How many other players knew about orc lore or politics? Perhaps Uproar knew more—although I didn’t see player nameplates mixed in with the emperor’s entourage.

  The game’s deadly difficulty rating testified to the firepower he and his retinue could deliver. I spotted four bugbears.

  Standing tall as gnolls, they looked like stocky goblins matted with hair. None wore armor—unless their fur covered it. They looked like wooly, brown, silverback gorillas, but with brows so heavy I couldn’t see their eyes.

  The yellow-skinned orcs gave the bugbears a wide berth, and all eyes seemed to follow them wherever they went. They carried more than fluff beneath those shaggy coats—each sported a frame wrapped in heavy muscle. They swam across the river without aid, and when they emerged from the water, the clinging hair showed a formidable physique.

  Bugbears counted as regular monsters. The creature’s high health meant it didn’t use the power point progression that the orcs followed. However, their association with the emperor suggested a sophisticated role.

  The bugbears lingered by the docks until the emperor arrived. None offered to help soldiers who unloaded the ferries. Instead, they presented obstacles that the laborers circumvented without complaint.

  When the emperor arrived, all four bugbears gathered at the pier. Only the Redbone officer corps braved being around them. No orcs rated higher than the low twenties. Perhaps Veegor considered higher levels a challenge to his authority.

  Veegor appeared older and heavier than other soldiers—but I wouldn’t describe him as fat or out of shape. His square jaw and prominent forehead somewhat reminded me of Commander Thaxter.

  His blazing red eyes confirmed his status as a last relic bearer.

  Upon seeing the relic, I realized that if I somehow knocked it off the emperor’s head, I could destroy it at range because my rune only needed a clear line of sight. To prepare for the possibility, I crouched behind a bush, pulled out my trusty titanium stylus, and finished one of the parchments I’d made for destroying items.

  When I finished, I carefully drew Gladius Cognitus. “Alright, buddy. Can you learn this rune? If we kill the emperor, you’ll have to pop the relic quickly.”

  My sword vibrated softly. “No delayed detonation on this one, I see.”

  I chuckled. “No, that wouldn’t work at all.”

  The parchment disappeared in a flash of fire after I traced my sword’s tip along the ground.

  Gladius hummed. “I am primed to dispense your rune, Wielder Apache. By the way, do you realize we’re standing on an ultramafic pluton?”

  I looked up Iremont’s slope. “Ugh—no. Does that matter?”

  “This igneous rock has iron toxicity. Plants won’t thrive here, and the hillside’s outer crust could shatter and destabilize. Imagine Iremont to be a great bell covered with rust—except the flakes would be sizable enough to generate a rockslide of substantial magnitude. As you are my wielder, it is my obligation to bring this peril to your attention.”

  I grinned at the unsuspecting army along the shoreline. Between the Dark Room, Hot Air, and Slipstream, I possessed escape mechanics for avoiding falling rocks. Yula might not go into the Dark Room, but she’d hang onto the rope in case the mountain slid beneath us. “Thank you, Gladdy. That’s good news. I think we’ll take our chances.”

  If destroying the rune started a rockfall, it solved, not created, problems.

  The chief issue with a head-on assault included getting through the bugbears. Iremont’s steep incline wouldn’t impair their movement. And their bestial appearance belied a vigilance in keeping the emperor surrounded. If Yula launched a poison arrow, I guessed at least two brutes would be on us within a minute while the other pair remained with Veegor. Yula and I could take on a bugbear, but two would take too long to kill.

  If our attack failed, outrunning orcs seemed our best play. Yula could easily escape with her superior wilderness skills and magic, and I could hide in the Dark Room. We could both find safety, but splitting up wasn’t wise.

  “What do you think?”

  “So many bodyguards. I zink ze emperor ees afraid to cast spells.”

  I grunted in agreement. Someone who could cast ten Scorches for hundreds of damage each shouldn’t need so much protection. Captain Jourdain’s assessment had been correct—Reverb checked Emperor Veegor’s relic. He couldn’t use it without risking someone bouncing supercharged spells back at him.

  I spun my Ring of Fireball Diversion around my finger. The only primal spell that didn’t target enemies was Fireball. Casters aimed Fireballs at an area, not a person, so Reverb couldn’t reflect them.

  Normally, Fireballs weren’t something players needed to worry about. At most, Fabulosa could do a measly few dozen damage to multiple targets. She’d given me the ring because they played no significant role in the Great RPG Contest. But if the emperor launched ten, my ring could redirect them to anywhere I chose. A few diverted to his position could kill him and the surrounding orcs. I could destroy the relic using Gladius Cognitus before anyone knew what hit them.

  “If he’s level 28, he’s got a lot of power points. I’m worried that there might be another primal spell that doesn’t target enemies—something like Ice Storm or other area-of-effect spells.”

  “I have not heard of zees Ice Storm.”

  “Neither have I. But there might be something out there we don’t know about.”

  The orc shook her head. “He has 14 power points and attacked my people at level 24. Most orcs take combat powers when young.”

  If orcs received a power point every two levels, it reduced our danger. And if Veegor only recently picked up the relic, then he wouldn’t have many primal spells to choose from. That explained why he wasn’t a force of nature on the battlefield. Also, if he feared Reverb, he wouldn’t take spells that require targets. Spells like Fireball would certainly appeal to him.

  I showed her the ring. “I can deflect anything Fireballs onto him and his army. What is his rank in primal magic?”

  Yula shrugged.

  “He’ll be able to launch ten Fireballs. We only need four to kill him. Five to be certain.”

  Yula’s eyes looked distant. “We only need to bait him.”

  “Exactly. Do you have Reverb?”

  Yula shook her head.

  I exhaled nervously. “Neither do I. If the emperor doesn’t have Fireball, he’ll land quite a counter-attack.”

  “No. He has no guts to try. As you say, he has to worry about Reverb.”

  “You sound certain.”

  “I bet life on eet.” Yula pulled out a quiver of arrow with black and red flights—the emperor’s colors. She held them with reverence.

  Yula had placed similar arrows around the goblin mine, hoping to divert the goblins toward the Redbone Clan. “Can you reach him from here?”

  Yula nodded. “High ground.”

  I buffed with Heavenly Favor. “Right. High ground.”

  “If you’re using an arrow, I might as well try one of my Boulder Bullets. At this elevation, I bet I could double the distance of my furthest sling.”

  Yula shrugged and applied a venom on her arrowhead while she waited for me to load the golf ball-sized pellet into a sling. Before I did anything, I readied my Dark Room rope. If destroying the relic triggered a rockfall, I didn’t want to be caught flat-footed on the side of this mountain.

  I tested the sling, and the extra weight from the magic bullet felt good. The game’s interface projected a parabolic line stretching down the mountainside—invisible to everyone but me, the line represented the bullet’s range and barely reached the emperor 200 yards away.

  Veegor disembarked and reached the end of the dock, the farthest extent of my range. He spoke out of our earshot to high-ranking orcs around him. His glowing red eyes looked like twin laser points, painting my target.

  I swung the sling faster, pushing myself until I could barely hang on. The string cutting through the air whistled as the bullet gained centrifugal force.

  Yula’s bow groaned from her draw.

  Both sounds seemed almost too subtle to cause much destruction.

  We released our shots simultaneously.