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Avso stood next to the great emperor, who was almost double his height.
Before the vast, unyielding expanse of the open plain, the Murkali army, a formidable force a thousand strong swept against the landscape. They were a dark tide against the dawn's light. Ahead, the city awaited, vulnerable without its walls, its silhouette a fragile line against the awakening sky. Between them, an opposing force, a dense array of enemy soldiers, appeared as a living barrier, their armor glinting under the rising sun, creating a shimmering haze that blurred their numbers. The air was charged with anticipation, heavy with the scent of dry earth and the imminent clash of metal. There were far more soldiers than Murkali had. Avso wondered how Murkali was to take the city. Zemkoar had far more soldiers—ten times more.
Still, the Murkali soldiers did not show fear. They laughed and yelled and jeered. They seemed sure of their victory. Avso was not so sure.
The Emperor seemed to read his mind. “They have more soldiers than us. But we are far stronger. The majority of Zemkoar's soldiers possess no Otu at all. They are weak, like the bugs beneath my feet. They will die easily.”
Avso shifted. His heart hammered in his ears. The combined force of all the Otu auras around him crushed Avso.
“What is our strategy?” Avso asked.
The Emperor stared at him. “To kill.”
“But, how will you march? How will you make sure you win?”
“There is no need for such thinking. Our soldiers are stronger; we will kill them. It is simple.”
The Emperor took a deep breath, eyes closed. He whispered, “Murok, give me the strength to do what I must. Give me the strength to do that which is unholy. Murok, give me the strength to kill.”
The Emperor opened his eyes; his figure trembled with rage. He opened his mouth and screamed. His voice cascaded worldwide, and the Murkali soldiers screamed with it. It was the most horrible, heart-pounding sound of all time. But it made him want to move, run, and kill.
The Murkali army charged with lightning speed. The Emperor held his hand out and stopped Avso from running.
The Emperor’s voice was clear above the roaring. “We will stay near the back. I will not let you die.”
Avso nodded. If the Emperor weren’t on the front lines, it would give Kraz and the others more time to find Ohvocdu.
The soldiers rushed forward and clashed. Avso watched as it happened. Soldiers dying, blood flying in the air. It was chaos. All different types of Otu specialties were used.
The Emperor and Avso walked down slowly from behind. The Murkali soldiers tore through the enemy soldiers. But they weren’t infallible. Some Murkali soldiers still died from Zemkoar's great numbers of soldiers.
A Murkali soldier to Avso’s right was stabbed in the neck. He fell to the ground, gurgling before another soldier killed the man’s killer.
The Emperor shifted. Avso looked at him. His eyes were wide, and his entire body was trembling. His thickly roped muscles shifted and flexed with tremors that cascaded down his body. He seemed ready to pounce forward and tear apart the enemy but held himself back, breathing heavily in fury.
Avso and the Emperor stood there, watching. Murkali soldiers fell, but even more enemy soldiers fell. Their bodies littered the ground. Blood stained Avso's feet red.
Above the din, “For Murok!” pierced the air as people cut down enemies.
A section of Murkali soldiers in front of Avso blew up.
The Emperor shifted again, and his breathing became heavier. He looked as if he was about to drop dead from the amount of shaking in his body. His eyes were glued to the battle around them.
The ground, soaked with blood, had turned to mud, clinging to the feet of the living and the fallen alike. The air was thick with the acrid stench of death, metal, and sweat. Sounds of agony and the relentless clang of steel against steel filled the air, punctuated by the cries of the dying. Flies buzzed in a frenzy over the bodies that littered the field, their grotesque feasting a stark contrast to the carrion birds circling overhead, their silhouettes dark against the dust-filled sky.
A group of enemy soldiers rushed through the hole in the line, stabbing and slicing at Murkali soldiers.
The Emperor screamed in rage. He slammed his massive foot into the ground, and the enemy soldiers suddenly flew toward the Emperor. Their bodies exploded into a bloody mess, dropping to the ground with wet splats.
Avso stumbled back.
The Emperor screamed again—a roar that seemed to scare the earth.
The Emperor looked toward Avso, his eyes full of raw fury and feral. “Blessed one,” his voice shook like a knife. “I must fight. I cannot—I cannot stand while my people die, while Murok’s people die. Grant me the will to fight.”
Avso nodded out of fear that the Emperor would kill him.
The Emperor smiled; blood was splattered on his face. And blood trickled into his mouth, staining his teeth. “Follow me.”
The Emperor dashed forward into the battle with a scream and a swipe of his hand, and soldiers everywhere exploded into showers of blood. The Murkali soldiers cheered.
The Emperor danced through the enemy soldiers, who all ran from him in raw terror. He was an agile giant, leaping from the ground and punching his arms through the air. Wherever he went, bodies exploded.
It wasn’t just the enemy he was killing. He danced past a group ofMurkali and enemy soldiers battling fiercely. He screamed, “DIE!” and sliced his arm.
All the soldiers in the proximity died—including the Murkali soldiers.
Avso trembled in fear. How was he to kill this man? He was unkillable. No one could kill him. This was Murok’s power wielded by a man.
“MUROK COMMANDS YOUR DEATH!”
Behind the emperor, Murkali soldiers ran with him, cutting down fleeing enemy soldiers. They didn’t stand a chance. They were either cut down by the Murkali soldiers or exploded into a shower of blood.
The enemy soldiers fled with all their hearts, tripping over each other and running into more of their soldiers. The Murkali soldiers were faster.
Before Avso knew it, the battle had turned entirely in Murkali’s favor. The ground was shiny red. The enemy soldiers fled into the city, and the Murkali soldiers chased after them, killing the stragglers.
They rushed into the cities; nobody was in the streets. That didn’t last for long. The Murkali soldiers yanked people from their houses and forced them to either confess their allegiance to Murok or die. Most died.
The streets were lined with dead bodies—young and old. The sight of it all made Avso sick. The Emperor was by Avso’s side again.
“Blessed one, follow me. I know where Ohvocdu is.”
Avso followed him, stepping over dead bodies.
They walked deeper into the city, turning corners, until they arrived at a larger house. The Emperor walked inside; the door was already open.
Inside was a room full of half-made tables and chairs, carved figures, and masterworks—all were intricately carved. They went deeper into the room and found Wiseman Ohvocdu.
Skatmos, Uk, and Kraz looked frantic as they pinned him down.
“Warriors,” the Emperor said, “Murok will bless you for capturing him. Ohvocdu will pay for his treason of Murok.”
Wiseman Ohvocdu stared at Avso, his eyes calculating. “It’s true, then...” He trailed off.
The Emperor grabbed the Elder from the ground, lifted him, and took him.
Avso looked between the team members. They looked rejected. Avso wondered if they had gotten the location of the amulet. Kraz shook his head no.
