Vo was due back on patrol, and Mercer had pretty much the whole day to himself. He decided to spend the day with the tribe learning more about their ways, and charming people as he had done the day before. At first, he rationalized it was just to maintain his cover, but as the day dragged on Mercer found everything about their way of life far more interesting than he had originally figured. The orcs seemed to take pride in being primitive and simple. They didn't waste any effort or resources, and they had and never questioned why things worked the way they did. As long as everyone got fed and as few of them as possible died, they felt perfectly content. Their society held no pretense whatsoever. No one tried to impress anybody by showing off, and nobody cared what others thought of them. Mercer couldn't help but feel envious of the sheer simplicity of their philosophy. For most of the orcs, their purpose in life was simply to be a part of it as all things are. By mid-afternoon, the sun began setting and the tribe started preparing dinner. Mercer joined them, finding himself laughing at stories or being pulled into chaotic dancing without warning; and for that pure moment, he simply lived. After eating heartily and living fully, everybody had turned in for the night. Everyone except Mercer, who was finally able to continue his work.

In the middle of the night, Mercer used his connections with Yuna and Lydia to once again slip into the village. He made his way over to the Chief's tent but was surprised to not see anyone outside guarding it. He looked around at the quiet roads trying to find anyone. Suddenly, an arrow came firing out of the darkness and thudded into a nearby wooden post just inches from Mercer's face. He froze, knowing that if Sorana wanted him dead he would be. He watched her slowly emerge out of the darkness, bow in hand and arrow knocked. She watched him and his every move like a hawk, ready to draw and fire at any moment. When she was satisfied that he wasn't an assassin sent by an enemy tribe, she relaxed slightly. "What do you think you're doing here?" she asked sternly.
"I know I am not supposed to be here," Mercer started "but it is something that cannot wait until morning." He pleaded, but Sorana did not look impressed. "Please, how about I show you first, and then you can decide if it's worth showing to Maldor or not."
Whatever his reasoning, Sorana could not see the harm in entertaining the human, so she nodded. Mercer breathed a sigh of relief and guided Sorana to a secluded spot nearby where they could talk more privately. Once there, Mercer pulled out the magic gemstone and showed it to her. Immediately, she was mesmerized by its beauty. Her face went blank and her eyes glowed with purple light. She lingered like this for several moments before finally coming out of it. Her eyes still glowing, she said; "I must admit, this is quite beautiful. You did well choosing such a powerful item."
Mercer smiled proudly. "Thank you," he replied. "Now I know we both agree that neither of us wants anything to happen to it. If the Chief finds out that I possess this, someone is going to die." He took a moment to let the message sink in before continuing. "I need you to bring Kotane out here for me. Wake her as quietly as possible, and do not tell her why."
Sorana agreed and left without another word, and Mercer waited patiently.

After a few moments, she reappeared leading Kotane behind her, looking confused but alert to whatever danger prompted Sorana to come to fetch her. When she saw Mercer waiting for them, she immediately stopped and tilted her head. "I don't understand... Why are you here?" she asked softly.
"It's ok," Mercer assured her, "It's just- well it would be much better if I showed you instead." Kotane turned around to Sorana, who simply nodded. Mercer then led Kotane into the shadows while Sorana stayed behind.
"Kotane, I'm afraid I've done something very stupid," Mercer explained, before revealing to Kotane the gemstone. The girl gasped loudly, staring at it with wide glowing eyes. Kotane stood muttering incoherently to herself while Mercer continued, "I'm going to need your help very soon, do you think that you can do that for me?" He pleaded.
Kotane knew exactly what this gemstone was, and she knew exactly what it was doing to her mind. When she did not reply to him right away, Mercer looked closer and noticed her incoherent whisperings were incantations. For the first time, he watched as someone began resisting the effects of the gemstone's magic.
Mercer understandably panicked, worried that she would break from the enchantment and alert the whole village of his misdeeds. Not knowing what else to do, Mercer said a quick prayer and focused every ounce of magical energy his deity had blessed him with as well as his own, and channeled it into the stone, amplifying its power and causing it to glow even brighter. The process drained him completely and he needed to steady himself to keep from falling over. He lifted his head to look over at Kotane, holding his breath to see how she would react. The light left her eyes, and her focus returned to her once again, this time looking upon her good friend, Mercer.
Her voice was soft and gentle, almost apologetic. "Mercer, please forgive me for doubting you. It seems like you were telling the truth after all. You have done something very stupid." She gave a worried smile as she helped him get to his feet. "It's funny, even though I know exactly what you did to me, I cannot help myself but feel endeared towards you." She smiled and shook her head.
"I'll show it to the Chief tomorrow," Mercer explained. "Once I do I will leave, and I promise I will not harm any of you or your lands."
A sadness crossed Kotane's face as she looked down at her feet. "The gemstone won't work. I suspected something like this might happen years ago, so I ventured a great distance to get the Chief a magical ring. It shields his mind, body, and soul. The mind is shielded from any effects trying to read his thoughts, or put thoughts in. His body cannot die unless it has been dealt several otherwise fatal injuries. The price of the ring is his soul, which traps the user in its band should he manage to die with it on." 
Mercer cursed under his breath, trying desperately to think of a solution. "Is there any way you could remove it when he's asleep? Or convince him it needs cleaning?"
Kotane lifted her head once again and shook her head defeatedly. "Should anyone but him take it off, then the contingency will activate and the thief will be trapped inside their minds until the effect wears off naturally. For most humanoids, that usually takes about twenty-four hours. Additionally, when I first gave the chief this item, I mentioned to him to never let anyone take it from him for a moment. Not even me."
"Fuck..." Mercer clenched his fist and bit his tongue to keep from screaming.
Kotane took his head in her hands. "There's no getting out of this, Mercer. You have to turn yourself in, the sooner the better. Maybe if we plead with him and you return the artifact to us, Maldor will let you leave with your life." she said sympathetically.
Mercer sighed heavily, knowing that she was right. There wasn't much more he could do without endangering everyone involved. He was quiet for a long time before he finally sighed. "Tomorrow morning I will bring the gemstone to your chief. Should the worst happen, you and the girls cannot ever tell him that it has been used on any of you, or your lives will be in danger also; especially Vo's.." he said softly.
"I understand. I'll make sure the others know. Goodnight Mercer." Kotane said warmly, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"Good night," Mercer replied calmly. As soon as she turned to leave, his shoulders sagged and he collapsed back onto the ground and looked up into the stars. They were so much brighter up north than they ever were in the cities. After stumbling back to his hut, his mind replayed everything that happened, wondering how he could have gotten himself into such a mess. He fell asleep, he wondered if he would ever see the stars again.

After a long night of rest and meditation, Mercer had come to two conclusions. Number one, he did not want any of the women of this tribe to suffer more than they already do because of his actions. And number two, he would never give up the gemstone to such a terrible man, especially after having worked so hard to obtain and keep it. He did not meet with the Chief this morning as he said he would. Instead, he asked each of the girls if they could please give him just a few more days. It took some convincing (for some more than others) but they each reluctantly agreed, if only as an excuse to give their good friend some more time in this world before he was possibly killed. However, what all of them ultimately agreed on the most was that this could not wait much longer. Over the next few days, Mercer got to work charming every wise woman, Guardian, and warrior in the entire village. He made sure to always stay courteous, respectful, and friendly towards the orc women while he did so, trying his best to learn about each of them and their lives. At the start of this misadventure, the gemstone had helped him make friends out of complete strangers. Trying to return the favor, he sought to be a friend to all of them also. Finally, after going above and beyond the two hundred or so women he felt were necessary, he pushed his plan forward.

Mercer convinced Rasha and Sorana to take the Chief hunting, which wasn't hard since it happened to be one of his favorite duties. In the middle of the day with the help of Vo, Elia, and Kotane, Mercer gathered as many influential women of the tribe into the dining hall as he could, and proposed a coup. Suffice it to say, even with his hard work, it took great effort to even get the women to even bother listening to him. 
"What you are proposing is treason," Kotane interjected. "I respect you Mercer, but this is not our way." There was an aggressive rumble of agreement amongst the crowd. "There is no honor in this!" One woman said above the rest of the crowd, followed by various shouts of affirmation. 
"Sisters, please!" Vo shouted above the rest in the orcish tongue. "Can we not listen to what he has to say? Mercer may be proposing something strange to us, but he comes from a place of strange ways. That which is strange is not always bad! We owe our friend a chance to explain, at least." she pleaded with the room, which quieted once again. Nodding at Mercer to continue, Vo translated for Mercer as best as she could.
"Great warriors," Mercer began, "I have lived amongst you for long enough to know that you value strength above all else, is this not true?" Mercer asked the group. A few nods and grunts throughout the room.
"... And yet, you live surrounded only by weakness." The accusation shocked the crowd into silence. "Weakness that has been caused not by a lack of strength from your chief, but a lack of strength as a united village." He had their attention now, and so he seized his opportunity.
"I have seen the way your chief has treated all of you, and how accustomed you have grown to being treated. You are nothing but bodies to the Chief. Nothing except holes to fuck, and soldiers to die. There is no honor in this, I tell you!" Mercer shouted passionately, anger rising inside him. He paused to calm himself. 
"But there is honor in freedom." He spoke, looking around the room into the eyes of every woman present. His gaze was intense and so sure of himself, even the most hardened of warriors took in every word.
"There is strength in loyalty, in togetherness. I am not as strong as your chief, I cannot fight him and win. But why can we not all agree that things could be different, that things could be better? Why can we not stand together in strength, and overcome what is just one man alone? We can be stronger together than anyone can be apart!" the room had fallen into a tense silence after Vo had finished her translation. The moment weighed on every orc in the room like the heavy fur of a mighty beast.
"But," he added, "we all must agree and do this together." The crowd looked around at their friends and family and began talking to themselves. They did not discuss it long, an energy began to fill the room and the crowd's excitement grew. Mercer nodded and smiled broadly, clapping his hands in approval as he continued. "Shall we make it official then? My proposal is: If you wish to see change here, then let us overthrow this brute together. Let us show him that we are superior to him, and create a new and better life for ourselves. Together, we can free ourselves from the shackles of Maldor's rule. All those in favor?" As Mercer looked around the room, warriors had raised their weapons in the air, and he was overwhelmed by all of the cheering and shouting. He quieted the room once more. "Any opposed?" The moment fell flat, with nothing but quiet giggles throughout the chamber to break the silence. "Then it is settled."

Chief Maldor and his hunting party returned moderately successful. Rasha and Sorana as well as every other warrior who was not present for the meeting were filled in on the details. The town was in agreement: Chief Maldor was to be overthrown, and Mercer knew just how to do it, but he was going to need some help.

When Mercer walked into Maldor's tent later that day, the orc had barely taken note. That is until dozens of warriors followed after, blocking off the entrance to his hall completely. Mercer looked over at Vo'kalasha, who smiled down at him with pride. Rasha and Elia moved to either side of Maldor, while Kotane and Sorana stayed at the back of the dwelling.
"Mercer," Maldor uttered casually, "what brings you back? Are you done exploring the village already?" Mercer did not bother to answer; instead, he turned towards Vo.
"Vo'kalasha," he spoke softly, "tell Maldor what happened today." Vo stepped forward and spoke aloud.
"Today, Mercer gave a speech to the entire camp. He pleaded with the warriors to aid him in killing you." A shadow grew over Maldor's face as he slowly rose to his feet and took a step toward Mercer.
"How dare you suggest such treasonous and cowardly things!" he spat on the ground in front of him before lifting a maul over his head with ease, resting it on his shoulder. Maldor stepped forward until he was just inches away from Mercer. "If you want my throne, take it yourself!" he growled out, baring his tusks.
"I already have," Mercer whispered back.

Without warning, Elia brought her axe down hard onto Maldor's left ankle, causing the giant to fall to one knee. Before he could even turn around and strike, an arrow pierced his elbow causing him to drop his weapon with a loud thud. He then found his body tense and paralyze his motion; a spell he had known Kotane to cast often. Maldor desperately tried to fight off the spell but his focus was interrupted by Vo shifting into her massive she-wolf form and biting down hard on his other ankle. Maldor screamed in agony, unable to fend off the attackers and falling now on both of his knees. Several more wounds from Vo, Sorana, and Rasha were repeatedly delivered until Mercer waved off the girls. Maldor was on his knees before him in a bloody heap and struggling to breathe. Maldor could fight no more.
Pushing her way through the crowd, the redheaded orc girl, swollen and bruised all over limped past everyone. As she walked over to Maldor, she slowly intertwined her fingers into his hair before jerking it back roughly, forcing him to look up and Mercer.
"Tell me how you did this! Tell me now!" he shouted, the effort causing even more blood to pour out of him faster.
Mercer chuckled to himself before answering, "There is strength in unity, and having the loyalty of the masses." He smiled and ever so briefly revealed to Maldor the gemstone he had been keeping in his pocket this entire time before stepping away. Maldor's eyes filled with a renewed rage, but before he could say or do anything, Rasha swung her blade down and in one swift strike relieved Maldor of his head. The titan's corpse shook the ground as it fell.

The girl handed the head to Mercer who also took it by the hair, Maldor's blood still gushing out of his neck, and raised it high so everyone could see Maldor was dead. A cheer erupted throughout the entire camp. Vo reached over and took Mercer's other hand, leaning in to whisper, "What is your family name?" she asked amidst the cheers.
"Aelar." He replied.
Vo lifted his hand into the air. "Glory Chief Aelar!" She shouted and the crowd recited back in unison. 'Chief' was a title Mercer could get used to.