We entered the command room. It was a large, circular chamber, with a round map table at its center. On the opposite wall, a floor-to-ceiling window overlooked King's City.
King Brar, Legraddy, and several advisors stood around the table, looking up as we entered.
"Welcome," King Brar said. He turned to his council. "This is the Talos Party. According to Legraddy, they were a key component in our victory today. We owe them our thanks."
The advisors gave us nods and smiles as we settled into our places around the table.
Legraddy began. "So—we drove them out, and they retreated, which is good. But where they retreated to is the problem. Stripe City, as you know, has been compromised. It's now acting as their main headquarters."
"Is the orc king there?" Talos asked.
"No, thankfully. And that works to our benefit," Legraddy said. "Their leadership is already fragmented, so that's what we'll take advantage of."
"How so?" one advisor asked.
"Their strategy is… convoluted," King Brar said, gesturing to the map. "The orc king's plan was to take over our cities one by one until he could establish a stronghold. Unfortunately, he succeeded on that front. Once that was secure, he came for the throne—which, thankfully, was thwarted."
"Why is he doing this? Doesn't he already have power by not giving up the crown?" I asked.
"Because, in his words: 'orc stronger.' That's been their motto this whole conflict."
I should have known the reasoning was so… logically sound.
"So shouldn't we get the other kingdoms to help?" Alva asked.
"Good question," the king said. "They've got their own preparations to make—they can't risk leaving themselves exposed, never knowing what the orcs have planned. Because they're so self-sufficient, we don't actually know how many orcs there are, so even sending a few reinforcements could be a drastic mistake.
I still didn't really understand. When it came to trade, everyone willingly worked together — but in times of conflict it was every kingdom for itself. At least relations weren't hostile.
Legraddy spoke up. "But thanks to your party's intel, we know what our next step will be — and that's where you come in. They told us what that orc woman told you, Velara: about the orc king's plan to steal Wilderness creatures. We take that very seriously."
"So you want us to stop them from taking creatures?" Talos asked.
"Yes," King Brar said. "And as humans, I understand the qualms you may have with this, but let me explain. Though they are wild creatures, they have nowhere else to go. They matter to us. They are dangerous, sure, but that is their nature."
He began pacing slowly around the room.
"Should we expect a rock to be soft and squishy? Or a book to have no words? As long as no civilians are harmed, these creatures should have the right to live freely and belong in the Wilderness. Do you understand?"
We nodded.
"Good. Now, we can't afford a full-scale invasion for many reasons. That would be chaos—and our forces are still recovering while handling civil reinstatement right now."
"So a stealth mission?" I asked.
"Exactly. And seeing how capable—and relatively unharmed—you all are, we concluded you'd be the right choice to help."
"Also," Legraddy spoke up, "Uri, you're the first rogue I've seen in years. The way you moved on the battlefield was unlike anything I've ever witnessed. I have no doubt in your abilities—or your party's."
"Thank you," Uri said, smiling.
"Can we take a moment to think about this?" Talos asked.
"Yes, of course," King Brar replied.
We stepped out of the room together.
"Do you think they're using us? Not that I'd mind—I like it here," Alva said.
"No," I answered. "I think they genuinely believe in us. Otherwise we wouldn't even be allowed in that room. We proved ourselves in the fight, and even before that, Legraddy praised us just for showing up. Maybe they really do need us."
"Stopping the orcs is one thing, but the Wilderness?" Talos said. "We have no idea what to expect out there."
"I'm uneasy too," I admitted. "But you said it yourself. As long as we stick together, we'll be alright."
"I know we will," Talos said. "I just don't want us to lose sight of our real goal by taking on a side quest."
"This is our goal. Doing this weakens the Orc King," Uri said. "It's a stealth mission, I can take the lead. I'm a rogue — this is what rogues do."
We all stared at him. It was the most confident I'd ever seen him.
"I believe in Uri," I said.
"Me too," Alva added.
Talos studied him for a long moment. "Last time I was wrong. Maybe this time I am too." Then he broke into a smile. "I believe in you too."
We all smiled and walked back into the room.
"We're in," Talos declared.
We finished the discussion and set out into the Wilderness later that evening.
We'd been given the general area where Beastarian scouts had spotted traces of orcs based on our intel, so we started there.
It was our first time attempting a stealth mission like this—but with Uri leading, I wasn't worried.
It felt good knowing this place probably wasn't a death-wish zone for us anymore. I think we'd earned the right to call ourselves an elite adventuring party by now.
That said, I secretly hoped we'd stay far away from the volcanoes.
Uri led the way through the woods, scanning for any sign of orcs.
I never thought in a million years we'd be liberating the creatures of the Wilderness—but here we were.
We searched for a few more minutes until he suddenly hissed, "Get down!"
We immediately ducked into the nearby foliage.
A few seconds passed before the faint rumble of footsteps and wheels reached my ears.
Moments later, the first of a massive caravan appeared — warthog-drawn carriages carrying enormous caged creatures I'd never seen before. They looked passive, almost asleep.
Dozens of orcs trudged alongside them, guarding their cargo.
We stayed low, watching cart after cart roll past, unsure where to even start. This wasn't exactly what we expected—but we had to think of something fast.
One by one, the carriages passed us until, suddenly, a huge creature began roaring and broke free from its cage.
It was an orange-skinned beast with a hulking, muscular frame, long claws, leathery skin, and a grotesque face with drooping ears, jagged teeth, and a gaping maw.
The orcs panicked. The ones up front sped ahead, while the ones behind were forced to stop amid the chaos.
The creature lashed out, striking several orcs before darting off into the forest.
"Get back here!" one of the orcs yelled as a few chased after it.
Now only about seven carriages remained, motionless. A small group of orcs stayed behind, arguing and trying to figure out what to do next.
Luckily, we were just far enough away that they couldn't see or hear us. This was our chance.
"What happened?" one orc barked.
"Kark did not put enough hardstone dust in the cage, so it woke up," another grumbled.
"Why are you such a tattletale, Jorg? This is why no one likes you," Kark snapped back.
"Hey—shut up, both of you! Idiots. Go get some wood and fix this mess."
"Okay," they muttered, walking off.
Stone dust that suppresses energy? That would explain why the beasts seemed powerless. They must've made it from a special type of stone — probably formed under heavy crushing pressure.
To accidentally uncover a groundbreaking discovery just by smashing rocks was so on-brand for orcs, I couldn't even be surprised.
"Now what?" Alva whispered as we watched the orcs moving around, inspecting the cages.
"We have to split them up then break the cages, without alerting them," Uri said.
"Alva, fire an arrow away from the carriages. Arc it high so they can't trace where it came from. It'll draw some of their attention," I said. Then Talos can take down the isolated orcs, one by one."
"And I'll handle the cages," Uri added.
After I gave Uri and Talos enhancements, we confirmed the plan, and Alva waited for the right moment.
Meanwhile, I mentally prepared myself, just in case I'd need to use a few spells if things got messy.
Several groups of orcs wandered around—some walking, others standing and loitering near the cages. Two orcs stood closest to us, beside one of the wagons.
Alva raised his bow, aiming upward and away from the group.
"What was that?" one orc said. "It sounded like something fell over there. Did you fall?"
"No. You can see I am standing right here," the other replied.
"Weird. I will go see what it was."
As he left, Talos snuck up on the lone orc and knocked him to the ground in one strike.
Uri sprinted to the nearby cages and began hacking at the bars. For a few seconds, his blade barely made a dent. Then he looked back at me, and I immediately cast a simple strength spell on him.
He grinned, swung again—and sliced through the bars in one clean strike. The beast inside stirred awake, then bolted into the trees.
One down. A lot more to go.
Uri led us through the foliage, finding better angles to reach the other cages while remaining undetected.
When I would get too close to a cage, it felt like my magic was getting weaker.
Was this powder anti-magic too? Great.
I made sure not to get too close.
One by one, we drew the orcs out, took them down, and freed the captives.
Before we could clear them all, the orcs Alva had lured away earlier began returning—quicker than we expected—and immediately noticed the mess we'd made.
"Hey! Why are you sleeping? Wake up! Look what you did! They are gone!"
The orcs on the ground began to stir, dazed and confused about what had just happened.
"Get up! Where are Kark and Jorg?" one of them shouted, scanning the area.
"I do not kn—"
"AHH!" screamed a few orcs as Kark and Jorg came running back.
"GRAAAH!"
The orange beast had returned, charging straight at them.
It went on a rampage, smashing cages and overturning carts.
"Kill it!" the orcs yelled, drawing their weapons.
"More are coming," Uri said. "We should go."
We started to retreat when another caravan rolled into the area, drawn by the noise.
How many caravans were there?
"What is going on over there?!" one shouted.
The newcomers came and joined the fight against the beast.
"Come on!" Alva said, tugging my arm.
"Hang on," I said, staying back.
The orange beast was being overwhelmed—until it let out a piercing shriek that froze everyone, even us.
Moments later, other orange beasts emerged from the woods—some from behind us—and began attacking the orcs and smashing open more cages.
Things were spiraling—fast.
"Let's go!" Talos shouted.
I looked back one last time. There were far more orcs than beasts; they wouldn't last long.
"I have an idea," I said.
I canceled the enhancements on Uri and Talos and redirected everything I had—casting both swiftness and greater strength on the creatures.
The beasts erupted into a frenzy, charging with renewed power, demolishing cages and scattering orcs in every direction.
"That should do it," I said as we ran off.
We'd done our part.
It was unfortunate that the creatures at the front of the first caravan got away—and the fact that there were probably many other caravans that made it too. The creatures in the cages orcs managed to keep would no doubt cause problems later.
But for now, I focused on the ones we'd freed.
As we arrived back at King's Tree, we were met with applause echoing through the main hall.
Knights and advisors lined the entrance, standing tall as we walked in.
"Well done, Talos Party," King Brar said, walking up to us.
"Our scouts reported back at once—they told us everything. You've done a great service to the Beastarian Kingdom. I'll inform the Human King of your deeds—you've represented your people well."
This was surreal. And more than that, this wasn't just the applause of citizens—it was the King of an entire kingdom recognizing our little party.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. It's an honor," Talos said. "We couldn't save them all—but thanks to my party, we saved as many as we could."
"Which was more than enough," Legraddy added, stepping forward. "The orc forces are scattered, confused, and weakened. This operation has surely bought us time."
King Brar nodded. "Talos, your party is welcome to stay here for a few days as we reorganize and prepare for what may be our final assault. If you would like."
"Oh, we would very much like!" Alva blurted. "Sorry."
Talos looked at Uri and me. We both nodded.
"That would be amazing, Your Majesty."
As the group dispersed, Legraddy approached Uri, a hand on his shoulder.
"Uri, I knew your rogue instincts would come in handy. You did well."
Uri looked at him, then at me—clearly pleased.
Legraddy seemed to take a special liking to him. Uri deserved the recognition.
A win for him felt like a win for me too.
Legraddy turned to leave, then paused.
"Rest well. The battle for Stripe City will drive the orcs from our lands—the final step in reclaiming the Beastarian Kingdom once and for all."