Noon brought a chaotic surge of energy to the Sylvandar docks.

Bloodfang warriors hauled crates of salted meat and Elven alchemical charges onto forty obsidian galleons.

Standing on the primary pier, Commander Kaelia unrolled a parchment map across a supply barrel.

She tapped her gloved finger against the painted lines, looking highly skeptical.

"Lord Kane, the Princess is brilliant, but she is not a sailor," Kaelia warned.

She pointed to the western river route on the map.

"That tributary only offers ten feet of clearance. Our galleons require at least fifteen to avoid scraping the hull. We will get beached before we travel a single mile."

Kane strapped Mjoldr securely across his back, feeling the familiar weight settle against his muscles.

"We aren’t sailing up the river normally, Commander. We are flooding it."

"Flooding it?" Kaelia blinked, her red eyebrows shooting upward in disbelief.

"Sir, I do not think we have enough mages in the entire Elven kingdom to raise a river level by five feet."

"The Abyssal Trench-Stalker owes me a favor," Kane explained, his voice carrying unshakeable certainty.

"We tether the leviathan to the flagship again. A beast that size displacing water at top speed will create a localized tidal surge. We ride its wake straight over the shallow mud."

’I think the physics hold up,’ Kane calculated, picturing the beast’s displacement.

’If the monster swims fast enough, we surf right into the Emperor’s lap. The Menual scouts will never see a tsunami coming up a shallow creek.’

Kaelia stared at him. Her jaw dropped slightly before a wild, reckless smile took over her face.

"You are genuinely insane. I will inform the rowers to strap themselves to the benches."

Footsteps tapped against the wooden planks.

Kane turned, and his pulse spiked in immediate appreciation.

Seraphine and Thora walked down the pier together.

The former paladin had permanently discarded her silver plate.

Instead, she wore fitted black Bloodfang scout leathers.

Her broadsword rested securely against her hip. The material hugged her toned curves, offering maximum mobility and a lethal, understated aesthetic.

’She looks like a proper warrior now,’ Kane thought, his eyes tracing the tight leather across her thighs.

’Shedding the holy armor did wonders for her posture.’

"You look dangerous," Kane murmured.

Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.

"Thora helped me adjust the straps," Seraphine smirked.

She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, radiating a relaxed, deeply satisfied glow from their long night.

"They offer much better leverage for a sword swing. I feel unbound."

"You felt pretty unbound a few hours ago, too," Thora laughed, stepping into his left side.

She bumped her hip against his, hazel eyes dancing with wicked amusement.

"I think my back still has scratch marks from her holy fingernails. Who knew a priestess could scream that loud?"

Seraphine flushed a beautiful crimson but refused to pull away. Instead, she tilted her chin up, capturing Kane’s mouth in a slow kiss.

Her tongue slid past his lips, tasting of confidence and lingering desire.

Breaking the kiss, Seraphine bit her lower lip.

Her breathing hitched, eyes glazed with raw affection.

"I figure we owe you a rematch once we take the capital."

"Keep that energy," Kane told her.

He reached his other arm out to catch Thora by the belt, pulling his partner closer.

"The Emperor has four hundred war elephants waiting for us. We are going to need a lot of leverage."

Thora laughed, tracing a calloused finger down his bare chest.

"Elephants just mean bigger targets, Chief. Let us go collect some ivory. My legs are rested, and I’m ready to break something."

"Let us go ruin an empire," Kane agreed.

Stepping onto the high command tier of the blackened flagship, Kane looked out toward the southern horizon.

The ocean breeze caught his red hair.

Down in the hold, Misha sat securely beside Grieselda, her eyes tracking the enemy miles away.

His two lethal partners stood right at his flanks, their blades ready.

[Urgent Faction Quest Triggered: The Delta Siege]

[Objective: Breach the Menual River Blockade and dethrone the Emperor.]

[Tactical Override: Naval superiority established]

[Proceed with terrestrial invasion.]

"Are you sure the beast knows where to go?" Seraphine asked, bracing her boots against the deckboards as the ship pitched forward slightly in the surf.

"I gave it the coordinates," Kane grinned.

"And it knows I will turn it into sushi if it misses."

Kane stepped to the prow.

He flared his Conqueror’s aura outward, letting his presence punch into the gray waves below.

Water began to bulge and boil.

Moments later, the colossal leviathan breached the surface, its eyeless head rising above the whitecaps.

It snapped its jaws, catching the primary iron towing chains without hesitation.

"Cast off!" Kane roared over the surf.

Forty black galleons lurched forward.

They caught the artificial tidal wave generated by the beast’s sweeping tail.

Riding ten feet above the normal waterline, the fleet surged straight toward the shallow western tributary.

Thora threw her head back and laughed, the sound carrying over the crashing waves.

"I pity the Menual scouts today! Imagine watching a mountain of water sail up a river!"

"They won’t have time to watch," Kane rumbled, his eyes locked on the horizon.

"They will be too busy drowning."

Kane stood bare-chested at the helm, taking the axe in his hand.

He watched the riverbanks blur past, carrying ruin right to the Emperor’s back door.

Kane watched the muddy riverbanks tear past them, feeling the wild vibration of the leviathan’s wake beneath his boots.

’The Emperor sitting in his little river palace thinks he owns this continent,’ Kane mused, a cold fire spreading through his chest.

’He believes stolen gold and armored elephants make him untouchable. But kings bleed just like anyone else when you swing the axe hard enough.’

He pulled Thora and Seraphine tighter against his ribs, feeling the steady rhythm of their breathing against his skin.

’Once I shatter the Menual crown, I’m done guarding other people’s lines. I won’t just hold a border anymore. I figure it is time I wage war for my own throne. We are going to build an empire from the mud up, and the rest of this world is going to feel our weight.’