«↑Players! You have 10 mins until the next scenario!↓»
«↑Every 24 hours another wave of beast will be sent out!↓»
«↑The first wave comes two hours after the scenario begins↓»
For a moment, everyone held their breath as the notification blinked in front of them.
Akhil turned to Aria. "We need to get back to camp as fast as possible. Did you arrange what I told you?"
"I did. J helped me deal with most of it," Aria replied calmly.
"Then let's move," Akhil ordered. They'd settled the issue with the human settlement — at least for now. He was reasonably confident they wouldn't face trouble from that direction.
"I hope you don't plan on letting him off too?" Aria said, anger sharpening her tone as she stared at Gon.
The old man's throat was bone-dry. Fear shone in his eyes as he looked back at Akhil.
"No — he's still important. Or at least his abilities will be," Akhil said. "We're taking him with us. Nibo, hope you don't mind carrying the luggage?"
"You don't need to ask," Nibo replied coldly.
The giant loomed over Gon. The old orc's skin prickled with goosebumps. Before he could react, Nibo hoisted him off the ground and slung him over his broad shoulders. Gon gasped as his stomach tightened under the sudden lift.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Aria's dark blue eyes locked onto his. "Do anything stupid, and even Nex won't save you from me," she warned.
Gon flinched.
"We ready?" Akhil asked after Nibo secured Gon on his back.
With a nod, they set off without wasting another second. Akhil, Nibo, Gon, and the hostage moved quickly back toward the orc camp.
Their footsteps hurried as they raced through the trees.
'Two hours isn't much time; we have to get back now. I don't know if I can be able to set up everything before then,' Akhil thought, pushing his pace.
Even at full speed, covering the entire distance in time was impossible.
Luckily, Akhil had already planned for that — Aria had made preparations before they'd even left camp.
But now… would they make it on time to set everything in place?
That question stirred in his mind.
Still, worrying about it wouldn't help.
Right now, there was only one thing he needed to focus on — getting there first.
Whatever came after… they'd deal with it when it came.
The horizon came alive with movement as they got closer to the camp.
A number of orcs were labouring feverishly, dragging huge logs and arranging them around the camp's perimeter in an effort to strengthen it against the approaching disaster.
Without hesitation, Akhil and the others pushed forward and entered the settlement. The orcs' tired eyes glowed with hope as soon as they saw them return.
The tiredness and the fear disappeared for a moment.
One of them, a female orc, hurried over to meet them.
"Did you get it? The serum? Where's Elder Gon?" she asked breathlessly, her hopeful gaze darting from Akhil to the others.
But as she scanned their faces, the silence that followed made her heart sink.
Nibo tossed Gon to the ground without a hint of care. The old man grunted, rolling onto his side, and several orcs immediately stiffened — confusion flashing across their faces, quickly replaced by anger.
"What are you doing?!" a female orc roared, stepping forward. She was the same one who'd asked about the serum. Her eyes burned with fury as she looked at Nibo.
To them, Elder Gon wasn't just a leader — he was the voice they followed, the only one who could keep them united.
Most even revered him as a god.
Seeing him thrown to the dirt like a piece of trash obviously made them angry.
Aria stepped forward before the tension could erupt into chaos. "The serum doesn't exist!" she shouted, silencing them in an instant.
Gasps followed.
Aria continued, explaining everything that had happened — from the human settlement's deception to Akhil's plan and why they'd returned empty-handed.
By the time she finished, the air had grown thick with unease.
The orcs exchanged looked at themselves with uncertainty. Slowly—words of doubt, of fear, of betrayal, began to spread like a plague.
If even they were divided now, how could they possibly survive what was coming?
The beasts from the mountains would strike soon. That much everyone knew.
Could their unity save them? Or perhaps, it would all end here, swallowed by their fear and mistrust?
Akhil could see it — the panic slowly creeping into their eyes like a spreading infection.
He had felt that same fear once. But looking around now — at the sick children in the tents, at the worn faces that had once smiled at him despite their pain — he knew that selfishness wouldn't save anyone.
He'd spent enough time among the orcs to understand something vital: despite their flaws, they still held on to each other. Their bond was what made them endure.
He couldn't let that fall apart now.
Akhil stepped to the front of the group.
"Our chances of survival are slim — but not zero. For this to work, I need every one of you to follow my orders and do exactly as I say."
The orcs stared at him, unsure whether to trust him or what to expect. He held their attention and pressed on.
"We have two hours. In that time we can do something to improve our odds — or we can split up and leave our fate to the beasts."
His words sank into the crowd. Whispers spread; faces hardened into thought. No one knew exactly what Akhil had planned.
Silence settled again. Akhil moved over to Gon, who lay on the ground panting and trembling. Akhil crouched beside him, his shadow falling across the old orc's face.
"If you want to leave this camp alive, you'd better do everything you can to help with my plan," Akhil said, forcing a gentle smile. "After hearing your story, I don't wish you dead — but I can't say the same for the orcs if you get in the way."
Gon glanced back at the gathered orcs, seeing the anger and hatred burning in their eyes. He swallowed hard.
"What do you want to do?" he asked quietly.
"Let's just say… we're about to do an upgrade."