“Target acquired'', I whisper. An image of the nearly four meter tall troll stomping through the enemy camp four kliks from my position appears on the display in front of my eyes.

“Confirmed”, a computerized reverberating female voice in my ear says. “Proceed with mission.”

I’m lying prone on the branch of a massive redwood tree in the middle of what was once the Olympic National Park in the old United States of America. The idea of countries has long since become extinct. I mean, with the human race on the verge of extinction and swaths of land being taken by Invaders, who cares about a line in the dirt? We are all the United Forces of Humanity, or UFH, now.

Refocusing, I stare towards the group of tents and huts kilometers away. The MagiTech V630 “Gazer” visor covering the top half of my face with a virtual display, provides me all the details I need. Double-checking I am on the right target, I whisper a request for details. “Inspect”.

On the visor in a small box in front of my left eye, the following shows line by line:

______________

Target: Troll King K’thock Mmagnor

Level: Unknown

Faction: Spikebone Raiders (Commander)

Threat Level: Unknown

Abilities: Regeneration (Passive)

Vulnerabilities: Fire (unverified), Acid (unverified)

______________

The shiny new tech I’m testing is pretty impressive. This visor is a whole new dimension compared to the old V430. That thing glitched out at least once every mission.

“Activate sight sharing”, I say quietly while touching Bertha. Bertha is my beauty. Long, sleek and padded in all the right places, the .50 caliber MagiTech sniper rifle is the most important part of my assassin kit.

“C’mon baby girl, you got this”, I say while lightly stroking her stock. When you’re out on mission, by yourself, for weeks at a time with nobody to talk to but a computerized voice in your ear and your rifle, you’d do the same. And besides, she really is a beautiful piece of Magica-based technology.

“Target sharing accepted”, flips on the left side of my visor and vanishes. With a nearly silent hum, Bertha starts moving. The three legs of the tripod are merged into the tree. Yes, merged. Meaning the legs use the mana some MagiTech crafter somehow infused into them. Weird shit I know. All that is beyond me and requires someone with active nano. I’m too old for that now.

Bertha raises and rotates so her enormous barrel faces the distant target. With a soft click she opens the loading chamber for me to insert the insanely expensive ammunition I am about to stick in her. Reaching towards my neck, I say, “Activate spatial storage”. A small grid of 3 by 3 squares appears on my visor in front of my left eye and I look at the item in the middle box on the lowest row. “Retrieve.”

What appeared to be a red gem falls into my right hand. Approximately an inch in diameter, this red crystal is a faceted sphere and gives off no light or mana emanations of any kind. Reaching back over to Bertha, I drop the ammo into the chamber and close it.

“Activate munitions”, I whisper.

In response, “Activating” appears on my visor.

Bertha slowly changes color from sleek matte black to flame red, still matte. On the right side of my visor an image of the monstrous troll appears in a window and a small circle and cross reticle appears in the window. I adjust the targeting reticle by moving my eyes so it stays on the troll’s bald lumpy head. Bertha and I need him to stay still for at least two seconds for the Magica to get a lock.

At this distance, the projectile will take between seven and eight seconds to arrive at the target. It is critical I fire when he will be still for an extended period.

I sigh as he keeps marching about waving his oversized arms yelling at random orcs, goblins, and even another troll or three. Finally my opportunity is here when a two-headed ogre (an ettin I think?) runs up to him screaming something. Both heads are screaming, one at the troll and one at the other head.

The troll king stands still listening while I put the reticle on the left side of his head. “Targeting Active” appeared on the left of the visor. “Got you, fucker”, I whisper when suddenly the troll whips his head to the left and stares in my direction with eyes now glowing with green fire.

“Oh shit!”