Grand Game 446: Circling Around (Patreon)

The Devil command group did not linger long after that. 

Mounting their hellbats, they flew swiftly back to the fort, no doubt to put their plans into effect.

Staying where I was, I ruminated over what I’d learned. The Riders’ conversation had certainly been enlightening. I now knew for certain that all three elites were Sworn, and that in addition, Malikor was an envoy. 

More importantly, I’d learned that the neighboring sector to the south was under the control of a rival faction—the Silent Blades. And the good news was that Malikor didn’t seem too keen to report the presence of a Power to his boss, Mamoon.

That gives me time, I thought.

How to use it, though?

From the sounds of it, this sector had recently belonged to the Blades, which perhaps explained its ‘young’ designation. What’s more, it appeared that the Riders feared the Blades would attempt reclaiming it.

That’s my lever, I decided. 

“We cross the river?” Ghost asked, following my thoughts.

“We do,” I confirmed. 

“You think those Blades will help us?” she asked doubtfully.

“Help may be stretching it,” I allowed, “but if we can convince them our interests are aligned, I don’t see why not.” I paused. “Besides, I don’t think we have much choice but to seek them out. If we can’t secure the Blades’ aid, we’ll have to venture into the lowland cities, and that I think will be even more risky.”

“But how will you hide your Power Mark from the Blades?”

I grimaced. “I don’t think I can.”

I sensed Ghost’s uncertainty. “But… won’t that just draw the attention of their faction’s Powers?”

“Let’s hope not,” I replied grimly. “Because then we’ll have two factions on our heels, not one.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Cutting a wide arc around the fort, I made my way swiftly to the river. Soon, I expected Malikor’s promised river patrols would set out, and I had to cross before that happened.

That was not to say the river was unguarded.

The other half of the Devil force I’d spied setting out earlier hadn’t returned to the fort. Instead, they had settled alongside the river’s northern shore in evenly spaced squads of ten. 

Still, one hundred and fifty players were hardly enough to cover the entire length of the river and there were gaps in their cordon—which was why I had to cross now, before the envoy reinforced their numbers.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden. 

Stretched out flat on my tummy, I inched through the grass. The nearest Rider squad was fifty yards to my left, and although I deemed the likelihood of being spotted to be slim, I wasn’t about to take any chances. Continuing my ponderous crawl to the river—it was only ten yards away now—I listened with a half an ear to the nearby players. 

“… think the Blades will attack?”

“I doubt it, but what do we know? We’re just grunts.”

“Yeah, command really seem to have their panties in a bunch this time.”

“Now, there’s an image,” the second chortled. “I wouldn’t mind seeing some of them in their undies, let me tell you. Especially, that—” 

“Eew, Mong, that’s gross!” the first exclaimed.

“Admit it, Pel, you were thinking the same thing,” Mong said smugly.

Before the other player could reply, a third intervened. “Get your mind out of the sewer, soldier!”

“Yes, sarge,” Mong replied unrepentantly. “But you don’t fool me. I caught you staring at Leafbright just the other day too, and I swear, you were panting.” 

“Shut up, Mong!” the sergeant barked. “Or I’ll break that damn ugly mug of—”

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

Shaking my head in amusement, I slipped unseen into the river.

The water was pleasantly cool, and if not for the surrounding danger, I would have reveled in its touch. Staying beneath the surface, I waded deeper.

Adriel had labeled the Marches’ lake and twin rivers the region’s lifeblood, and everything I saw only confirmed that view. The water teemed with life—which, I suppose, explained why the villagers didn’t bother trying to farm the less-hospitable land.

 When I was a safe distance from the shore, I came up for air. A quick breath and a look to orient myself, then I ducked beneath the surface again.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

I smiled. So far my escape was going without a hitch. Spreading my arms, I swam strongly toward the southern shore. Soon, I expected, I would be out of the Riders’ reach. The Marches’ waterways acted as more than a source of trade and food, they also served to divide its sectors. 

Adriel had not been able to recall all the details of the region’s geography, but she’d remembered enough to tell me that the rivers were invariably the most contested sector borders, and the Game alert that dropped into my mind midway through my swim only reinforced the truth of that.

You have entered sector 75,175 of the Kingdoms, an open sector forming part of the Forever Kingdom’s Eastern Marches. This sector is under the control of the Silent Blades.

The following restrictions apply to this region: only Silent Blades faction members may teleport into and out of the sector, only Silent Blades may own buildings in the safe zone, and only civilians with the necessary trade permits may access Nexus’ banks and global auction.

“Well, well,” I mused. The Adjudicator’s message confirmed my suppositions. Sector 75,175 was a mature sector firmly under the control of the Riders’ rivals—the Blades. The alert implied more than that, though.

Unlike the Riders, the Blades had not limited trading rights to their own people. It suggested a greater degree of openness on the part of the second faction, and dared I hope… a willingness to trust?

Maybe I won’t even need to parley with the Blades, I thought as I came up for air again. Maybe I’ll find a neutral merchant to—

You have passed a Perception check!

You have detected a hidden entity. 

You have detected a hidden entity. 

You have detected a hidden entity.

…

…

In an eyeblink, a plethora of Game messages swamped my mind, simultaneously demanding my attention. Snapping alert, I studied the far shoreline as the seemingly random collection of distant lines and curves resolved themselves into recognizable shapes.

Players. 

Scores of them, hidden in the reeds. Waiting for me, I thought, dread curling in my stomach.

✵ ✵ ✵

A second flurry of Game messages followed hard on the heels of the first.

A hostile entity has failed to detect you!

A hostile entity has failed to detect you!

A hostile entity has failed to detect you!

…

…

Not a reception committee then, I thought, letting myself sink back to the river bottom. Those hidden in the reeds were not lying in wait for me. In fact, they seemed to have no idea I was even nearby.

Because while I had uncovered the stealthed players, they had not found me in turn. None had so much as stirred since the first Game alert had dropped in my mind. 

All this told me one thing: my sneaking outstripped the waiting players’ Perception.

This was another bit of Game lore imparted to me by Ceruvax and Adriel. To receive an alert from the Adjudicator—even if it was only one concerning a failed Perception check—one had to first pass an unseen check. In the past, when I’d received ‘failed’ Game messages, it was only against foes whose stealth did not far exceed my own Perception.

The Game mechanic made sense too. Sneaking would be of limited use if every time a player failed to uncover a hidden player he was alerted to that fact!

The two-check system—unseen and seen—did not only apply to Perception checks either. It applied equally to other aspects of the Game where being alerted to a failure could prove advantageous.

The question now, I thought, sitting on the riverbed thirty yards from the shore, is what do I do about the waiting Blades?

And I was all but certain those on the south shore were Blades. The Devils’ conversation implied their foes were stealth-based players. Their chosen faction name did so too.

Did I reveal myself?

Doing so would be a show of good faith. But I couldn’t afford to assume the Blades would be friendly. If I revealed myself and they proved to be otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous. 

Waiting is wiser, I decided, floating back up.

Most of the Blades were visible in my mindsight, but not all. Those, I noted carefully. Breaking the surface gently, I drew in some air, then silently swam further downstream, intent on circling around the waiting players. 

While the water did a good job of concealing me, it also restricted my movements, and when I finally made contact with the Blades, I preferred to do so with solid ground underfoot. 

You have detected a hidden entity.

…

…

As I swam, I took count. There were two hundred Blades hiding amongst the reeds. Each was covered in mud and grass and lay still and unmoving in their own bit of hollowed out ground. Given the players’ preparations, I could only conclude they’d been at their silent vigil since before dawn, and perhaps all night, too.

Was Malikor right? Were the Blades about to launch a counterattack against the Riders? Given the numbers the rival faction had deployed along the river, it certainly seemed a possibility. 

Hmm. If an assault was imminent, the Blades would be on high alert, and no doubt suspicious of any interlopers. I would have to be doubly careful in how I approached them. Reaching the end of the Blade line, I crawled back onto the shore.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

The reeds made for excellent cover, not just for the Blades but for me too, and I crept confidently through it and past the hidden players. I had no intention of disturbing them.

For one, it would be hard having any meaningful discussion under the watchful gaze of the Riders on the opposite shore, and for another, if this many Blades were gathered here, I was sure they had to have a base nearby.

I only needed to find it.

✵ ✵ ✵

Your insight has reached rank 23.

Before moving on, I made sure to analyze all two hundred Blades. Their levels were similar to the Reapers with the lowest player being rank fifteen, and the highest rank eighteen. But, surprisingly, there were no elites amongst them.

Uncovering the Blades’ base was harder than I anticipated, though. 

For one, there were no tracks to follow. Amazingly, none of the two hundred players had left a trail for me to follow. It seemed that amongst other things, the Blades were also expert woodsmen.

The terrain did not help as much as I hoped either. From a distance, the grasslands appeared uniformly flat—deceptively so—however that was not truly the case, and there were more than enough folds in the land to hide even a sizable structure.

Around dusk, after hours of fruitless searching, I sagged to the ground, about ready to give up. I’d spent the better part of the day crisscrossing the lands south of the river yet had not stumbled across a single clue to point me to the Blades’ base, nor had I run across anyone else to direct me—willingly or otherwise.

Perhaps I’ve assumed incorrectly. Perhaps there is no base to find.

“What’s wrong, Prime?”

I sighed. “This isn’t going as well as I expected, Ghost. I can’t find the Blades’ hideout.”

“Maybe it’s deeper in the sector?”

I grimaced. I’d limited my search to a five-mile radius around the stealthed players, reasoning that if their base was any further my chances of finding it were nil. 

“If it is, I’m not going to find it,” I muttered. “This damn sector is just too damn big.”

“Maybe I can help?” the pyre wolf suggested hopefully.

It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse, but I stopped myself in time. Ghost’s senses were more sensitive than mine. I glanced up at the sky. It was darkening rapidly too. And on the open plains at night, she’d be hard to spot. The risk would be minimal.

And truthfully, I wasn’t making any progress on my own.

“Alright,” I agreed. “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s give it an hour for night to fully fall.” Stretching out flat, I closed my eyes. “Then, we’ll search again.”