Loki studied the landscape of Sapphira from the window of the Pegasus branch. A few floors up, a cloud of dust hid the current skirmish between the Lindstors and the Slaver Alliance. In no small part, that cloud was being kicked up by Yillian’s elephant.

Loki tried to take deep breaths and focus on the view of the city dug into the mountain to calm his racing heart. It wasn’t the battle that had him riled up. He had just finished examining the reports from his subordinates, and it led him to conclude that the Slayer was in Sapphira.

Lately, he’d been seeing either Zin or the Slayer in every shadow. Whenever any piece of intel led to either of them, Loki forced himself to stop and analyze his conclusions. Loki dared not trust his first impressions. Not anymore. He could now see that in the past, Zin had fed his hatred for Roth to create a blind spot to exploit. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

Loki reviewed the intel again to ensure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. He reread the report from Xerxes. According to him, there was an impregnable shield protecting the garden. No matter how much he attacked or how much the high-level NPCs or the troops of Sapphira tried, they couldn't break through. In his report, Xerxes mentioned the first thing that had made Loki suspect that the Slayer was involved: "It's strangely similar to the force field in Antioch."

The Slayer discovered Antioch right under Xerxes’ nose. There were some similarities between the two situations. In both cases, an invisible shield protected something valuable—a force field in the Green Woods protecting the center of a clearing and, now, a similar shield protecting the entrance to a garden.

Another similar theme was some sort of optical illusion at play. True, Loki had never quite discovered what lay on the other side of the protected shield in the Green Woods. However, there were multiple reports of players heading toward the shield and miraculously disappearing as if cloaked by it. That meant that the inside of the shield was invisible to outsiders. It was only a small leap from invisibility to a more complex illusion. They were all optical misdirections at different levels of complexity.

That made him think of the slavers’ underlings' testimonies. Why would foremen of the slavers take the initiative to burn another slaver’s greenhouse down? There had to be some sort of trickery involved. An optical illusion wasn’t out of the question. There were too many links between what happened in Sapphira and what had happened in the Green Woods for Loki to dismiss it as a coincidence.

What convinced him, though, was Anak's report. As expected of his new head of intelligence, her pet snake had infiltrated the 82nd floor. With the help of her stealthy snake, she managed to send pictures of their armor assembly line. Upon examining them, Loki's suspicions were proven true: The [Dwarven Vanguard] set had been produced in Sapphira.

That meant this floor alone made enough armor to equip an entire army. The question was, who was funding their operation? And where was all the money they were making going? If the armor was being sold in auction houses, it meant that players were involved. Which ones?

Anak’s team checked on the whereabouts of notable dwarf players; the only ones unaccounted for were Galatheel and Godsfried. If they weren’t anywhere else, they were likely the ones behind this gathering of dwarves. That was the second clue that the Slayer was involved. After all, the Slayer and these dwarf players were all members of the Ogres guild. Too many coincidences aligned, leading to one conclusion: the Slayer was somehow in on this.

Being given a legendary quest hinted at the possibility that the enemy forces were also offered a similar proposition. Throughout his extensive career in AstroTerra, the number of legendary quests that his guild members had completed didn’t reach 10. It was exceedingly rare to be given a legendary quest and even rarer to finish one. Given what he knew about the Slayer, it wasn’t farfetched to assume he had a legendary quest opposite his. Loki didn’t know what exact quest the Ogres got, but one thing was certain: as always, it came down to money. Whoever had the most of it would win the war.

After ensuring his reasoning was sound, Loki sent orders to his underlings. The first thing he did was to have Xerxes join Yillian’s team and hasten the war’s conclusion. If no one had broken through the shield in Antioch, chances were that no one would break through this one either. What was the point in wasting time attacking it? He then asked Anak to search for any sightings of players with cats roaming around Sapphira. He needed confirmation that the Slayer was here.

As for him, he left the branch and headed toward the Lindstor’s office. It was time to reinforce their security in case Roth and his wretched cat were involved.

*

Roth waited for the hours to pass until the Molympic Games would begin. In the meantime, he sent messages to the sergeant, asking how the new branch of the Union was doing, and to Drake about the state of affairs in Sapphira. He also messaged his brothers, H, his mother, and Mel.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

While he was exchanging messages with his friends, one message popped up. It came from Jack.

"Can we call you?"

"Yes, of course," Roth replied.

Jack and Godsfried appeared on a screen. Judging by their serious expressions, something had gone wrong.

"Hey guys, what's wrong? Is there an issue with the sales?" Roth asked.

"No, the sales are going well," Jack assured him. "We're on schedule and should have enough funds to make an offer. That's not why we were calling."

"Then what is it?"

"Pegasus somehow got involved in our quest," Godsfried explained.

"Pegasus?!" Roth asked, surprised.

"Yes. They’re big supporters of O'Shaughnessy in the capital. I don’t know if you know, but O’Shaughnessy is a Lindstor. Some of the guild’s lookouts have sent word that Loki, Yillian, and Xerxes were all seen in Sapphira. It is safe to assume that Anak is also here. Loki’s brought in the heavy troops, Roth. It's not good."

"Have they done anything about the war so far?" Roth asked.

"They’re supporting the Lindstors," Jack explained. "There are already reports of Pegasus’ troops led by a player riding a black war elephant joining every battle and wrecking the alliance's side. This event was never meant for players of this high level. Their involvement means things will move faster than we would have liked."

As Roth heard the description of a player riding a black elephant, he remembered his encounter on the Abyssal Sea beaches. "Yillian," Roth muttered.

"That’s not all," Jack added. "Xerxes was also seen in front of the shield on the 83rd floor. He tried to break through it."

Roth grinned. "Let him try. There are so many rare plants inside that garden that their combined bioenergy makes the shield even stronger than the one in the Green Woods."

"That’s not what I’m concerned about," Jack explained. "They’ve been to Antioch and seen the shield there. We’ve been running around the city for a while now. How long do you think it will take for Loki to put two and two together and realize that the dwarves buying a floor, the shield in the garden, and the Slaver War are all connected?"

Roth felt a shiver run down his spine. "Man, why can’t I shake this monster off my back? Even when I try to stay away from him, he keeps returning," Roth complained.

"Well, I just thought you should know. If you decide to return to Sapphira sooner, take precautions to avoid being seen. Additionally, I’m worried that with their arrival, the scales of the war will tip in favor of the Lindstors, and our offer won’t stick," Godsfried warned.

Roth thought for a moment. "It all still comes down to the bounties. I’m sure Lin can fulfill his part of the deal."

Godsfried and Jack exchanged a concerned look. "Are you sure, Roth? These are very high-end NPCs and Lin… he’s just a—" Godsfried hesitated, trying to be tactful.

"A cute little kitten!” Jack interjected.

"You’re not giving Lin enough credit. He’ll come through. I know it," Roth replied confidently.

"Well, it’s all on him now.”

Jack and Godsfried left the call, leaving Roth alone with his thoughts. He wondered how it was that, wherever he went, he and Loki ended up facing off against each other. Would he still be able to complete the legendary quest to free Sapphira and give it to the dwarves? What kind of nasty moves would Loki pull?

Roth decided there was no point in worrying about it. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had friends and a guild on his side. Besides, it was almost midnight. Soon, Lin would spring into action. He would give Lin the time to complete his operation and then return to Sapphira. He had complete faith in his kitten.

*

“I have to say that I was delighted with your donation, Mr. Loki, but are these precautions really necessary?" Kulvar Lindstor asked as he watched his slaves install the device Loki had gifted him.

"Yes, they are. Unless you don't want my money," Loki replied sternly.

"No, no, of course not. Your donation is most welcome in these dark times." Kulvar quickly admitted. It was the most humble Loki had ever seen any Lindstor act, and he savored the moment. Few things gave him more pleasure than seeing an arrogant NPC acting meekly around him.

The slaves plugged up cables and hid the devices, closing the painting and hiding the new layer of security from view. "There, it's installed. In my opinion, this level of expenditure was completely unnecessary. What’s the point of locking the safe once someone enters it? What thief could be this small? We could have strengthened my army with the money you spent on this.”

"Trust me, it will be worth it," Loki assured him.

"If you say so, Mr. Loki.”

“Now, I must depart," Loki said, turning away.

"You're not going to stay?" Kulvar asked, surprised.

"I've done all I can to help, and my aides will stay behind to assist you. I have other business to get to," Loki explained.

"So be it. Thank you, Mr. Loki.”

Loki marched out of Lindstor's office and logged out of the game. He woke up inside his shielded pod and waited for it to be transported to his office. The capsule appeared right next to the wheelchair, and Loki groaned with effort as he crawled out of the pod and onto the chair.

The shimmering shield was on, and Loki ensured his clothes were presentable. He guided the chair up the ramp and to his desk. He approached the phone and touched the button.

“Are they here?”

“Yes, sir,” came the voice from the secretary on the other side.

“Let them in, please.”

The door opened, and Loki watched expectantly as 20 armed men marched into the office. He studied them from top to bottom. Each of these men was highly trained and had a reputation as a highly skilled mercenary. He nodded approvingly. It would be enough. It would have to be.

“Gentlemen, have you confirmed the target’s location?” Loki asked.

One of the mercenaries stepped forward. “Yes, sir.”

“Are you ready to apprehend the target?”

This time, all of the men chanted in unison. “Yes, sir!”

“Very well. Bring me Zin. The operation starts at noon.”

The group of men turned as one and headed out of the door. Loki looked out the window and watched the lake bathed in moonlight. Tomorrow was going to be a good day. He was sure of it.