image [https://i.imgur.com/BzPpdCH.jpg]

Using Magnetism, I yanked myself upward, narrowly avoiding a collapsing assembly of spinning tumblers. I careened around a stone wheel, knocked loose from its axle. It ricocheted several times before falling into two massive disks that ground it into a storm of broken stone. Appliance-sized shrapnel rooster-tailed into other machinery. Lines of hot plasma melted into structures supporting the ceiling and sides.

Walls collapsed as I rocketed to the ceiling. My upward momentum would have killed me were it not for the airbrake of Slipstream that placed me onto the platform leading to the control room.

Except the control room was gone. The platform ended in empty space.

Yula dangled from wires where screens and control panels once hung. A maelstrom of destruction roared beneath her.

As I figured out how to reach her, the platform beneath me buckled.

Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out the only item that could save us—my Dark Room rope. I made a running jump off the platform as the catwalk fell into the maw of the chromatic volcano. As I sailed toward Yula, I flipped the rope, catching it on its transdimensional anchor. I swung hard but held on and climbed toward the invisible trapdoor, our portal to safety.

Yula clambered along a lattice that once held the control room. She leaped into empty space and performed something called Air Jumps as if leaping on invisible steps. She caught the bottom of the rope and deftly followed me into the null room. She hadn’t been inside since the day we’d met, but she knew enough that it was our only route to safety.

The side of the mountain shattered, smothering the pinwheel of molten slag and smoke below. The roof followed as the entire mountain caved in on itself.

We pulled up the rope after us and watched rock strata disappear into a swirling cloud of red dust that eventually obstructed our view. We listened to echoing crunches grow fainter until they quieted to a low rumble reminiscent of Arlington’s great waterfall. As the mountain settled, all turned silent.

Many minutes later, light returned, and the dust cloud thinned into an empty sky. The curtain of dust blew away. Below, the mountain collapsed in on itself, stranding us hundreds of feet in the air.

The relic lay under countless tons of rock. At least, I’d salvaged a second one for a trinket, putting me on more even ground with Fabulosa.

Eventually, the ground below us stilled and quieted. As the dust settled, I spotted the Orga River’s dark edge. Hawkhurst lay less than ten miles away. A great gouge scarred the landscape north like a cosmic being had smudged its finger across the surface. A great smear tore through the forest, ending in a dusty mound that had once been Iremont.

Yula broke the silence. “You can get down, yes?”

I nodded, still dumbstruck by the events.

Yula wrapped a scarf around her mouth and tumbled out the trapdoor. She plummeted most of the way down before triggering Featherfall, which gently placed her atop the newly created mound of rubble. She looked up and awaited my descent.

I slid down the rope until I hung at its end. Raising my feet, I built up a rhythm I’d achieved countless times on playground swings. Like a pendulum in the sky, I swung back and forth. When I achieved weightlessness at the high point of the swing, I whipped the rope to release it from its magical hook.

Weightlessness returned during my brief plummet to the ground, still awash with red dust.

Slipstream touched me down next to my orc companion. I wrapped a scarf around my mouth to avoid breathing the lingering particulate.

Yula spoke through her scarf and bowed. “Eet ees great honor to serve Apache, Powerful War Chief of Hawkhurst.”

I blushed at the praise.

Yula grabbed my shoulders and gave me a friendly shake. “Experience grows you into great leader. Eef I cut you in half, I count many rings.”

I laughed at Yula’s imagery. “Let’s just assume you’re right. Thanks for fighting by my side. So, you’re not coming back to Hawkhurst?”

“Eet ees time to return to my mountain. Must gather family. Redbones scatter my clan for defying Veegor.” She retrieved the bag of gems we found by the hydra and gave them a shake before stowing it back in her inventory. “Dees will help outcasts to return. Yula has been gone from home too long. Not done making stories, I zeenk.”

“I’m not done making stories either.”

She thumped me on the chest. “Make zem exciting, young human.”

“You too, Yula.” I returned the gesture.

Still wearing her scarf, she squinted for a second. Yula had high cheekbones but not that high, and I suspected the huntress had grinned. The orc turned without further comment and walked east, sliding down the loose soil toward the Orga River.

Watching her go filled me with remorse, but I couldn’t quite describe why. We’d destroyed the last relic, and she’d fulfilled her life quest. Something about it filled me with an emptiness I didn’t understand.

I shook off the feeling. It was easier to leave than to be left. I’d miss Yula’s brusque company.

In the short time under Veegor’s control, Iremont moved halfway to Hawkhurst.

Worm Meadow lay not far south of my position. Iremont’s implosion had shortened its height considerably, but its new proximity gave it an excellent view of the castle’s silhouette against Otter Lake.

I hadn’t received experience in killing a mountain, but a game prompt appeared.

Congratulations!

8 Players Remaining

You have reached a milestone in The Great RPG Contest!

You have unlocked a new feature, The Great RPG Contest Player Tracker. Contestants participating in Crimson Software’s The Book of Dungeons Closed Beta 0.71b are now visible on the world map.

Good luck!

The newest contest feature showed our positions on a continental map. None of the players appeared in cities that I’d previously explored. Bircht and Duchess lay north of Grayton in a location called Tireas. Flagboi stood fifty miles northeast of them. Fabulosa’s dot appeared a hundred miles north of me. Darkstep and Audigger appeared near cities in the southeast, in areas I hadn’t unlocked, but I knew they lay in the general locations of Kra and Torzda. Toadkiller appeared on the southern coast, south of Arlington.

While the sudden exposure unsettled me, at least no opponents played nearby.

I checked the player chat to see everyone’s reactions.

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Flagboi Grats everyone. Wait—what? Bircht and Duchess are working together?

Audigger We’ll know for sure if they’re both still around after a day.

Flagboi I feel like I have a target on my back. This player tracker is nuts.

Duchess Whoops. I guess the jig is up. Sorry, guys.

Bircht Bah. No fair! This spoils our secret alliance.

Audigger And I thought Fabulosa and Apache were together. They’re nowhere near each other.

Crimson kept speeding up The Great RPG Contest, from bounties to communications to visibility—these features hastened the battle royale to a finish. With features like the player tracker, I saw no way this battle royale could last a lifetime. It looked like two years would be as long as anyone might spend in Miros, which would be fine by me.

My strategy at the contest’s beginning involved turtling into a wilderness bunker. This feature would have torpedoed my game. I chuckled at the thought of the player tracker catching Darkstep with his pants down.

The new feature catalyzed player collision. No one would kick back and enjoy the world anymore. Aside from random luck, the remaining eight players were likely the game’s best survivors.

I knew of Fabulosa’s combat acumen. She’d be a formidable opponent, but I wouldn’t have to face her until the final two. Bircht seemed to be the most knowledgeable player, and since their dots appeared together, he looked to be allied with Duchess. Everyone feared Toadkiller.

Even though I’d defeated Uproar, he played well with his limited resources—entangling with him had nearly taken me out of the contest.

Bircht Is that where Hawkhurst is? Interesting. I always considered the continent’s center a no-go zone.

Darkstep joins The Great RPG Contest channel.

Darkstep Apache, it’s time you and I spoke. Please go to the Gray Manors. It’s north of your position, by about 200 miles. You’ll find a mailbox in a settlement called Oxum. I’ll send you a letter.

Audigger No way! Darkstep lives!

Toadkiller It’s good to hear from you, bro.

Flagboi Where have you been?

Duchess Greetings, Dark! What took you so long to find the chat room?

Darkstep With the last relic gone, your oath to protect Hawkhurst comes to an end. You’ll need to kill Toadkiller, and the only way to do so lies in Oxum.

Toadkiller Excuse me? That is seriously uncool.

Duchess Whoa. Players giving players quests! I love it—especially if someone can knock out Toady. Sorry, T, but you scare me.

Audigger Oh, this is getting good. Popcorn ready!

Fabulosa What am I—chopped liver? I’m closer to Oxum than Apache—not that I’ve a mind to do what anybody tells me.

Fabulosa had a point. Why was Darkstep talking to me, and what made him think I would jump through hoops? His presumption irritated me, and the tenor seemed a strange mix of being formal yet also familiar—as if we knew each other.

I crossed my arms and thought about what he’d said.

He spoke as if I knew him. He’s been spying on us with Improved Eyes, but that didn’t explain how he knew about killing Veegor. Even if he placed an Improved Eye on Iremont, the mountain moved. How could Darkstep know I’d been in the middle of the forest, elevated on a hill that hadn’t been here a half hour ago?

Still, truth rang in Darkstep’s words. What else had I left in Hawkhurst? Neighboring orcs, goblins, and kobolds posed no danger. The settlement had stabilized. I’d lost the last relic in a molten mass of metal and rock.

And as a citizen, I doubled my damage in foreign settlements. It made sense to walk the earth.

But my disagreeable nature urged me to defy opponents.

Apache Why are you so set on me doing it? Why not Fabulosa, or Flagboi, or even Bircht and Duchess? At least they’re on the same side of the continent.

Flagboi Oh, no! Don’t drag me into this. I already have stuff to do.

Darkstep Apache and I share a kinship. We made the same mistake in this game.

Apache What was that?

Darkstep We fell in love with another contestant.

Audigger Oh, my! This is so much better than any of my shows. I gotta know more!

Duchess Who was it? Was it Fab?

Fabulosa Y’all are way off. It’s someone else.

Darkstep Apache, search your heart. You haven’t enjoyed this game since Charitybelle got knocked out. As Yula would say, she was your mountain. It’s time to end this. Go to Oxum.

Darkstep leaves The Great RPG Contest channel.

The conversation hit me like a blow to my stomach. My eyes welled up, and I collapsed into a cross-legged sitting position. It wasn’t cool to publicly out me like that, but Darkstep’s words crystallized feelings I’d had for the longest time. Somehow, he’d put a name to it. Charitybelle made Hawkhurst feel like a home.

Even with a zillion Improved Eyes, Darkstep could not have understood how I felt about the emptiness I experienced in Hawkhurst. Could he read my mind through Augury or Scrying powers? Was he omniscient? I hadn’t left clues to give anyone such intimate thoughts.

I’d certainly gone native in her absence, but playing the role of protector wasn’t the same sense of belonging. I’d vowed to protect our legacy and defend the town, but when things quieted, I grew uncomfortable. Questing for relics and picking fights with neighbors reasserted me with a sense of duty. On weekends and off times, it left me without a purpose. I felt lost.

Without emergencies or dangers on the horizon, absolutely nothing waited for me in Hawkhurst. But I was okay with that. I’d accomplished my goal. Charitybelle’s settlement was safe. It was a perfect time to leave.

I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, but the contest map’s sudden visibility would only endanger the settlement. Returning to town would show my enemies how much I cared about it.

Besides, Darkstep’s words put me on the clock.

Between protecting the settlement and destroying relics, I’d drifted away from the contest and lost focus on my reason for playing—to win the quarter-million-dollar prize. The player tracker forced us into the endgame, which seemed a dynamic I should embrace. Worldly concerns of supporting myself after high school and college took precedence.

It was time to win the contest.

I wiped my eyes, took a long breath, and reminded myself I’d be able to find Charitybelle again after the contest. Pangs of missing her wouldn’t further my game.

Breaking with the settlement and going north felt right, especially with Fabulosa coming south, but pawning myself into another player’s designs didn’t. I would not be the monkey to Darkstep’s organ grinder.

Apache Fab. Do you still want to get together?

Fabulosa Definitely. If Bircht and Duchess are in cahoots, it makes sense to link up. At least we can see each other’s position now.

Flagboi Oh, great. That makes me the odd man out. I’m stuck between two power couples.

Audigger At least you’re not down here with Darkstep and Toadkiller! I wish I knew what’s in Oxum. I started at Siros, and I’ve seen the Gray Manors at sunrise.

Duchess You can see The Gray Manors all the way from Siros? That’s quite a distance.

Audigger Grenspur and the manors are like Mount Ranier for the Seattle area—a common point of reference for everyone.

Fabulosa Patch, you come north, and I’ll veer south.

Apache Sounds good.

Fabulosa’s companionship would ground me during the endgame. She and I could focus on knocking out our competitors.

I promoted Ida to governor. Keeping my citizenship retained powers like Aggression and Amphibious, and she could see I remained alive in the interface. Captain Jourdain still wore a Switching Glove, so I could send a letter of farewell and thanks to everyone. I wasn’t sure how to explain the contest to NPCs, but giving them closure to my term of friendship seemed the right thing to do.

I slid down the hillside and summoned Jasper.

Iremont’s path of destruction flattened the terrain, leaving a scar of packed earth wider than an airport runway. The flat ground felt slightly warm. Without roots or things to trip over, Jasper could break into a run.

I mounted him, and we sped north at a hard gallop.

For a short while, we enjoyed the easy traveling. We flew across the pulverized terrain, stopping when we reached the path’s endpoint—a lava-strewn crater where Iremont once stood. It wasn’t a wonder I saw no orcs along the way. Orcs with any sense would have dropped their booty and dove into the river.

A rim cluttered with roots and fallen rocks surrounded the hole in the ground. Calling it uneven terrain didn’t adequately describe the destruction.

Taking Jasper further would only slow me down, so I dismissed him. After he winked out of existence, I summoned Beaker. He had better vision and would cause a racket if he saw dangers ahead.

I messaged him telepathically. “We’re going north along the river, pal. Let me know if you spot any monsters.”

He squawked, took to the air, and surveyed the barren hole beside the Orga River.

I climbed along the crater’s edge until I reached the riverbank between the Bluepeaks and Doublespines. On either side, both mountain ranges stretched ahead into the foggy distance. My map’s interface showed no details north along the river valley. I’d explored around Iremont but veered west to engage with the goblins.

After cleaning up my mess with the relics and living up to my vow to protect the settlement, I might not see Hawkhurst again. Its citizens had fared well without me and would do so again, and it cheered me to know that I’d helped them prosper.

Civilization and rapid development weren’t to Yula’s taste, but she’d found a path to a more familiar way of living that suited her.

My future stood less certain. While Hawkhurst’s citizens loved and welcomed me, it would never be a home. I was only a visitor in Miros. With the relics and base-building behind me, I moved forward to finish The Great RPG Contest.

I followed my griffon north and left behind the open crater of the missing mountain.

The series ends in The Book of Dungeons 7—The Winning Mindset