Grand Game 157: The Heart of the World (Patreon)

Day One in Nexus.

I stepped out of the portal into a world filled with noise.

The transition was sudden and disorientating. Between one step and the next, I moved from the still and quiet darkness of the wyvern's lair to the hubbub and noise of a crowded square.

I tensed, hands reaching for my weapons.

Threats abounded all around me, and my gaze flitted left and right, trying to identify a path to safety. I was standing on a raised dais. And I was not its only occupant. There were perhaps a dozen or so other players on the stone platform with me. As concerning as this was though, it was not they that caught and held my attention, it was the sea of people surrounding the dais that did.

Where the hell did Loken send me?

A Game message dropped into my mind.

You have entered a safe zone.

My apprehension eased, and some of the stiffness left my limbs. I was not in immediate danger. Moving my hands away from the hilt of my blades, I pivoted in a slow circle and took a second longer look at my surroundings.

I was in a city.

Behind me, the magic gate through which I'd entered was receding. It was not the only portal on the stage either. Half the other nearby players were travelers too, arriving or departing through their own portals, while the other half were the mages responsible for opening the gates.

The stone platform was a teleportation point, I realized.

More Game alerts flashed for attention and, turning my gaze inwards, I scanned through their contents.

The time allotted to your non-aggression Pact with Erebus has expired. Your Pact with Erebus is closed!

You have entered sector 1 of the Forever Kingdom.

Congratulations Michael! You have discovered the city of Nexus, a closed sector under the control of the Triumvirate.

The sector is both the anchor and heart of the Forever Kingdom. More than any other sector, Nexus bridges the gap between the aether and nether, providing multiple, and sometimes evershifting, entry points between the twin voids. A shield generator is in place around the city, preventing a portal from opening anywhere except designated teleportation zones.

I frowned at the messages.

I was unsurprised that my pact with Erebus had ended. I had been expecting such a Game alert all day. The second message though was more concerning. Once again, I found myself in a closed sector.

And this time, one controlled by a faction.

Who were the Triumvirate? And why did they control Nexus? I'd assumed the sector would be neutral ground, uncontrolled by any faction or Force.

Then there was the other bit of the message. What did it mean that Nexus was ‘anchor’ and ‘heart’? From what I’d learned during the Wolf Trials I had expected the city to contain entrances to more than one dungeon, but the phrasing of the Adjudicator’s message implied Nexus was more than that.

Stranger and stranger.

“Hey, you!” a voice barked out. “Get moving, you’re blocking traffic.”

Turning my attention outwards, I glanced to my left and saw an armored figure striding toward me.

“Are you daft?” the speaker called out angrily again when I stared at him, saying nothing. “Did you not hear me? Get a bloody move on!”

The player was dressed in plate armor, complete with metal-tipped boots, solid leggings, embossed breastplate, metal greaves, and an open helm. Coming to a halt in front of me, he crossed his arms and glared down at me. The brute—that’s what I labeled him in my mind—towered over.

Making no move to comply with the player’s instructions, I analyzed him.

The target is Trion, a level 159 holy knight and human. He is a player and bears a Mark of Greater Light and a Mark of Herat. Trion is an authorized representative of the sector’s ruling faction, the Triumvirate.

My brows lifted in surprise. So, the player before me belonged to the Triumvirate, and his level was twice my own. “What traffic?” I asked innocently.

The knight’s eyes narrowed. A moment later, I felt a tingle ripple across me.

You have passed a perception resistance check! An analyze attempt by a neutral entity has failed.

“God dammit,” Trion muttered. “A deceiver and a noob to boot.”

I frowned. Granted, I was half the knight’s level, but I was a far cry from being a new player, by my own reckoning at least.

Trion was still scowling at me. “Last chance, you little thief,” he grated. “Move—or else.”

I ignored the insult. “Or else what?” I asked, curious to know what action the knight could take against me.

“Else I will expel you from the safe zone,” he fumed.

My eyebrows rose higher. “You can do that?”

“You better believe it. Now get off the damn platform!” he snapped.

There was nothing to be gained from antagonizing Trion further. “Alright, I'm going.” Turning about, I headed towards the stairs I spotted leading away from the dias.  After two steps, I paused and swung back around. “But first, can I ask you one more thing?”

The knight glowered at me. “Make it snappy,” he barked.

“What is the Triumvirate?” I asked.

Trion stared at me, seemingly unable to believe my ignorance. After a moment, when I said nothing but only waited patiently on his answer, he asked, “You’re serious? You don't know?”

I shook my head.

“What rock have you been living under, not to know who the Triumvirate are?” Not waiting for me to answer, he elaborated, “The Triumvirate is only the strongest faction in the Game.” He puffed out his chest. “We’ve controlled Nexus for centuries.”

My face crinkled in confusion. Based on Trion’s own Marks, I assumed the Triumvirate was a Light faction. “But-but why do Shadow and Dark allow that?”

Trion’s smile grew smug. “Because the Triumvirate is as much a part of Shadow and Dark as it is of Light. It is the only faction to have amongst its numbers, Powers from all three Forces.”

Now I was truly baffled. That went against everything I’d learned about the Forces. “But how can that—”

“Enough!” Trion interjected. “I’ve answered your damn question. Now get out of here!” Lowering his arms, the knight rested his hand on the big blade sheathed at his side.

Closing my mouth with a snap, I swung about mutely and marched off the platform.

~~~

I stepped down from the dais, but didn’t enter the crowds just yet. With my back braced against the stone platform, I took in my surroundings.

The square was full of players of all shapes and sorts—tall, wiry, short, round, stumpy, and stout. Nearly every species I knew of was represented, and many more that I didn’t know.

By and large, the players were human-like. But here and there, I spotted the occasional non-humanoid. Sliding across the ground on my left was a serpentine player. Up ahead, towering over the nearby players was a centaur. And accompanying him was an arachnoid.

Damn, this world can be strange at times.

Despite the numerous differences between species, they all had one thing in common. They all appeared in a hurry, rushing to and fro on one errand or another. It was only I that stood idle.

No wonder the Triumvirate knight picked me out so easily, I thought wryly. Tearing my gaze away from the players on display, I turned my attention to the rest of the surroundings.

The square was bordered on all sides by imposing and majestic mansions. Each was made of marble, decorated with elaborate stone statues and had windows shielded by clear glass panes. The shortest building was over four stories high, and judging by the windows, the tallest numbered ten floors. The bigger structures were more than mansions. They were palaces, really. Flat-topped and edged with crenellations, the buildings were patrolled by smartly attired guards.

I could tell that whatever else Nexus was, it was rich.

But despite the grandeur of the mansions and palaces surrounding the square , it was the sole structure in the square itself that caught and held my attention.

From what I judged to be the exact center of the square, a mammoth crystalline spire rose upwards. Formed from multiple bands of white crystals, intertwined in the manner of thread, the seemingly never-ending needle-like structure vanished into the depths of the clear blue sky above. Its crystals sparkled in the noon day sun and beams of light raced through them, making the entire spire appear alive.

Huh? Now what is that?

Curiously, I reached out and analyzed the odd structure.

The target is the Adjudicator.

My mouth dropped open in shock. That is the Adjudicator?

I'd known the Game had a form of controlling intelligence but I had not expected it—him?—to have physical form, nor one so striking.

I need to take a closer look.

Stepping away from the safety of the platform’s edge, I delved deeper into the square.

~~~

Amongst the sea of players, the first thing I noticed was how little respect they had for personal space.

Within moments of wading into the crowd, I was pushed, shoved, trod upon, and squeezed so tightly I barely had space to move. Despite my determination to remain on guard, it was impossible to keep track of the players passing by.

Bloody hell, I cursed.

Forgoing my attempts at caution, I unwrapped my fingers from around the hilt of my blades and used my hands as the other players did—to shove my way through the throng.

It was slow going. At least initially. But once I recognized the crowd’s rhythm, I stopped trying to bulldoze my way through and instead moved in tune with it. Cutting through was much easier then.

As I swam through the throng, I began to notice other oddities. Dotted amongst the heaving mass of players were islands of stillness—stationary wooden stalls. The crowd swarmed thicker around them, almost concealing the wooden structures entirely, but a half-caught glimpse between scurrying players revealed the stalls to be tables and display counters laid out with heaped goods. A second glimpse revealed new items appearing on the tables and old ones vanishing with surprising regularity.

I frowned. What in the world?

Pushing my way past a dwarf and slipping between a giant’s legs, I inched closer to the stalls. Bored-looking merchants stood behind each table, only engaging with the nearby players when forced to. Drawing on my will, I analyzed one of the objects on the table.

The target is the enchanted helm of Augiar. This is global auction block item 324,958. Item properties are shielded from direct inspection. For more information, consult the authorized auctioneer: Seville Ingo. Note, items purchased directly from merchants at the global auction are free from aether handling fees and other surcharges.

My brows rose in surprise. So, this was the auction, and the reason for the square’s busyness I suspected. Players had mobbed the area, looking for a bargain. Normally, such a place would be a thief's paradise. But with the safe zone’s rules and the Game itself protecting the merchants, I imagined they had no fear of losing any of their possessions.

I drifted away from the auction and resumed my course toward theAdjudicator. While I did, I randomly analyzed passing players.

Most were between level one hundred and two hundred. A few were below rank ten, and even fewer were above rank twenty. I frowned thoughtfully. So, while I was a bit under-leveled for the sector, I was not as bad off as I’d feared.

Reaching the spire, I pushed out of the crowd and entered the vicinity of the structure. In comparison to the rest of the square, it was only lightly populated. For whatever reason, the crowds seemed to want to avoid the Adjudicator.

Perhaps it's because his presence is so keenly felt in the Game and that even the Powers need to heed his pronouncements.

Not everyone was avoiding the structure though.

A few players, musicians by the look of them, were assembled near the spire’s base. They played and carried a variety of instruments. I picked one at random to analyze.

The target is Mertil, a saurian bard. He is a player and bears a Mark of Lesser Light.

Civilians, I thought. Dismissing the musicians from consideration, I approached the Adjudicator. What is he? I wondered, placing a tentative hand onto the cold crystal. Some form of construct?

A Game message flashed into my mind.

Hail, scion of House Wolf.