Midnight was six hours away.
Liam stood alone on Dra'kul's eastern wall, watching the sun bleed out behind the mountains. The volcanic landscape looked beautiful in the fading light—all amber and crimson and shadow. Almost peaceful, if you ignored the scorch marks on the stones and the smell of old death drifting up from the valley below.
Almost.
[Current Time: 18:47]
[Operation Commencement: 00:00]
[Time Remaining: 5 Hours, 13 Minutes]
The System's countdown was precise. It didn't account for fear or second-guessing or the cold knot forming in his stomach that had nothing to do with tactical concerns.
Twelve percent chance of success.
He'd fought at worse odds before. Survived a demon queen's test. Survived a Paladin Commander's blessed steel.
But those had been reactive. Survival situations where the only choice was win or die.
This was different.
