It was He Xi's first time starting at the outpost, so he had little experience. Fortunately, the two beside him knew the route by heart.
Lidona kept offering reminders, and even Anya, who usually coasted through illusion challenges, took the initiative.
Partly, she found it fun to boss this junior around. Mostly, she was worried Lidona might be upset.
After all, he kept stopping along the way to look back.
They proceeded cautiously. When the Lorne soldiers' camp finally came into view, Anya breathed a sigh of relief, but He Xi still looked lost in thought.
"What's wrong? Why do you keep looking back?"
"Nothing." He Xi quickened his pace to catch up with them. "I wanted to see what sort of force the Redfang General had with him at this point, and whether there was any chance of killing him."
"Looks like I was being optimistic. Just like at the other times, he's surrounded by armored orc adjutants, not to mention those wolf riders."
"Guess how many points an orc adjutant is worth?"
"You know? How many?" Anya's sudden question caught He Xi off guard. "Wait, that whole area is crawling with orcs. Someone actually tried killing an adjutant?"
"Twenty points. Now guess how Anya found out, and who—"
95
"Anya!"
That sharp rebuke and the way Lidona's face instantly darkened supplied the answer.
He Xi wisely kept his mouth shut. What surprised him was that an adjutant who looked far tougher than an ordinary ogre was worth only twenty points.
Anya hurried over to Lidona. "Nana, you and our junior are pretty alike! You actually had the same idea."
When Lidona's expression only worsened, Anya hastily added, "You were even braver than he was!"
"Shut up."
After speaking with General Valen, Lidona chose the eastern route through the