Grand Game 596: The Road to Ascension

I shook my head. “We’ll get to my tale in a bit. But if you don’t mind, I have some questions first.”

Safyre smiled. “Of course you do,” she murmured. “Go ahead. Ask.”

I ducked my head in acknowledgment then dove right into it. “Who slew Gray and Black?”

Safyre’s brows furrowed.

“The other two harbingers,” I amended.

“Ah,” she replied, her expression clearing. “Is that what you’ve been calling them? Well, I did. The others let me land the final blow.” She shrugged helplessly. “They insisted.”

“And it is a good thing we did, too,” Adriel chipped in. “Saf’s a Powerful Acolyte now.”

I nodded. I’d known that, of course. I’d recognized the change in Safyre’s spirit signatures the moment I’d laid eyes upon her. What confused me, though, was that nothing about her Class appeared to have changed. To be sure, I called up her analyze data again.

The target is Safyre, a level 225 human aetherist and Bastion of Light. She bears a Mark of Supreme Light, a Mark of a Powerful Acolyte, and is Lightsworn.

Safyre had grown in level since the battle, but little else about her player data had changed. I scratched my head. “Are you a minor Power now? Because if you are, I can’t tell from your—” 

I broke off. Safyre was shaking her head.

“I’m not,” she said.

I frowned. “Why not?”

It was not Safyre who answered though, but Ceruvax. “Her Light Mark has not advanced enough.”

I turned to the former envoy. “What does that mean?”

“Your… companion is on the second ascendancy path,” he replied as if that were explanation enough.

 It was not, though. 

While Ceruvax, Adriel, and I had extensively spoken about the second route to Primehood in the past, the discussions had always centered around House Wolf. I’d not questioned the pair about how a Forcesworn would ascend and had assumed—erroneously, it turned out—that they would only be required to deepen the Power Mark to do so.

“Anyone care to expand on that?” I asked somewhat testily.

Farren chuckled. “The Old Wolf seems to have forgotten not everyone is as steeped in Game lore as he is. But to answer you, a Forcesworn’s advancement through the second ascension path is similar to a scion’s. To reach legendary rank—and become a minor Power—Safyre will have to increase her affinity for Light.”

“Meaning, I will need to deepen my Light Mark to that of Light’s Friend,” Safyre added.

I glanced at her. “They’ve explained all this to you?”

She nodded. “They have.”

“I see. Well, I won’t belabor the point further then. We can talk more on it later. Back to the harbingers. Have we harvested their remains?”

Farren held out his arm, revealing the three shiny black stones sitting in the palm of his hand. “We have.”

“Excellent.” I rubbed my chin. “Well, that takes care of the harbingers. What about the overlords? Did everything go according to plan with them?”

The idea when it came to the overlords was for Adriel to do the killings. Farren would never be a player again, Ceruvax couldn’t acquire a Power Mark, that had been established centuries ago, and Keros, the last member of the overlord strike team, was Safyre’s follower and wasn’t able to either. 

That left only Adriel to consider. 

While the lich was technically still a non-player like Farren, it was an open question what would happen when she reacquired her body and became a player anew. Her overall level had changed in the interim, which was indication enough that the Adjudicator was still tracking her progression. 

And if her level was changing, why not her spirit signatures? Would her Marks—when she reacquired them—reflect her accomplishments while a non-player?

I thought so. As did Farren and Ceruvax.

Still, it was a bit of a gamble. But one, I and the others had adjudged worth taking.

“It did,” Farren answered, satisfaction writ clear across his face. “Adriel slew both.”

His sister rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure if it’ll make any difference in the end.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” I promised. Or as soon as I could resolve the other pressing issues still left undone. And I had too many of those. But those were problems for another day, and I shoved them firmly aside to focus on the now. “What about the nagas?” I asked. “Where are they?”

“You mean my undead pets?” Farren asked.

I nodded. “And Ceruvax’s enslaved one too.”

“They’re in the hills,” Safyre replied. “That’s where we are storing all the stygians for now—dead, undead, and living.”

“Got it.” That answered all my questions regarding our defeated foes. There was only one more matter to consider. My gaze drifted in the direction of the new safe zone. “Anyone been there yet?”

“Nyra and I have,” Anriq replied. “We explored the island from end to end. There’s not much of it to speak of, and what little there is is just muddy soil.” He paused. “Well, except for the rebirth well. There’s that.”

“I’ll take mud over water any day,” Shael quipped. “At least the damn thing is on solid ground.”

I smiled in silent agreement with the bard. “We’ll have ample opportunity to build it up,” I assured Anriq. “As for the rebirth well… let’s hope we don’t have occasion to use it anytime soon.” 

“We shouldn’t,” Safyre said firmly. “There are no live stygians for miles.”

Adriel nodded decisively. “And annoying as this mist is, our people are in little danger from it as long as we keep the barrier around the island up.”

“Hmm, speaking of the mist… when will it dissipate?” I asked.

The others exchanged looks.

“What?” I asked, noticing.

“We were discussing the very topic before your arrival,” Safyre explained. “It’s been several hours since the void tree fled, but other than for the overlords’ concentrated plumes dispersing, none of us have been able to detect any lessening in the nether toxicity.”

I frowned. “You haven’t?” Not waiting for her answer, I queried the Game directly.

The nether toxicity at your current location is at tier 8. 

My lips twisted. “Urgh. You’re right. It’s not reducing.” 

“We can’t conclude that,” Ceruvax objected. “Not yet, anyhow. The mists could be dissipating, but the changes may be occurring too slowly for any of us to perceive. Give it time.”

“I agree,” Adriel added. “We’ll have to wait a full day at least before we can know for certain if the mists will persist.”

I nodded reluctantly, seeing the sense in their advice. “Well, in that case, I guess I’m all caught up with how things stand in the sector.” I threw the group a questioning look. “Unless there is something I’ve forgotten to touch on?”

Safyre shook her head. “No, I think you’ve about covered everything.”

I inhaled. “Good. Then, it’s probably time I told you about how things panned out in sector 30,199.”

Teresa leaned forward. “Do tell.”

“You’ve kept us waiting long enough,” Terence agreed. “I want to know how you slew that bloody tree!”

I chuckled at their eagerness. “I’ll get there,” I promised. “But let me start at the beginning. When I left this sector, I was perched in the void tree’s branches. And when we exited the rift, the first thing I saw was…”

✵ ✵ ✵

23 hours remain until the ownership of sector 18,240 transfers to the Forerunners.

Over the course of the next hour, as the barges bobbed gently in the water all around us, I spun my tale of the void tree’s final moments, my negotiations with the brotherhood, and the terms of the alliance we’d forged. And when I finally concluded, it was to find my audience had been left speechless.

“So…” Ceruvax ruminated, the first to break the silence, “the trees can talk.”

I glanced across at the old wolf envoy. We were sitting in a tight-knit circle in the bow of the command barge. “You did not know?” 

“No,” he replied, looking troubled by the notion. “I did not.”

I turned to Adriel. Noticing my questioning gaze, she shook her head. “It’s news to me, too.” 

“And me,” Farren confirmed. “But that does not mean the Primes didn’t know,” he added, sensing that was the thrust of my question.

“We should seek Draven’s counsel on the matter,” Lucius suggested.

I nodded noncommittally. There would be enough time later to speak of what came next, but for now, I wanted to make sure everyone comprehended what I’d told them. “Does everyone understand the implications?”

“Yes,” Algar said, speaking up for the first time. “We’ll have to assume the nether is a skilled adversary. For every move we make against the void fathers, we must presume they will counter.”

I inclined my head in the high captain’s direction. “You’re right. We should expect retaliation—and not just in sector 30,199, but here too.”

“Here?” Anriq asked, startled. 

“Here,” I confirmed.

“But how would the void even get in again?” Terence protested. “The sector is shielded!”

“Have you forgotten about the harbingers’ attack on the Aether Cloak?” Safyre asked. “A sector shield is no guarantee of safety if the enemy has its aether coordinates. And if the harbingers knew where the sector was, we have to assume the mature tree who sent them does too.”

Terence subsided. “I suppose so,” he conceded.

“It’s not only the shield we have to worry about, though,” I said.

Safyre’s gaze slid my way. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been thinking about what the mature tree said about the nagas,” I replied, not answering directly.

Adriel pursed her lips. “That they are a ‘valuable resource’ we ‘should never have been allowed to possess’?”

“Yes, that.” 

Nyra shook her head in confusion. “I’m sorry, Michael, but I’m not following. What do the nagas have to do with what we were discussing?”

My apprentice was not the only one who appeared lost. Many of the others looked similarly bewildered. 

“It’s those portal infestations Adriel told me about,” Farren guessed shrewdly. “That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it?”

I nodded mutely.

Shael’s eyes widened. “You think the nagas may be able to subvert the nether portal from the guardian tower like they did the last time and enter this sector anew!”

“They could do that,” I agreed, “or they could try using the one from Draven’s Reach too.”

“Is that possible?” Anriq asked aghast.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “We know from what they did to the guardian tower portal before that the nagas can suborn a ley line and use it for their own means. But do they need to be in physical contact with a nether portal to do so? Could they do it from afar?” I shook my head. “We just don’t know. And that’s a large part of the problem.”

Ceruvax rubbed his chin. “Is that why you asked about the blood bound naga earlier?”

“Yes,” I replied. “We’re fortunate to still have a live one captive. It’s crucial we learn from it. We need to understand how its infestation ability works and what its limitations are.”

The old wolf nodded grimly. “I will find out,” he vowed.

“The implications are troubling,” Farren mused. “And not just for this sector.”

“They are,” I agreed, my face just as bleak as Ceruvax’s. “By the void trees’ own admission, the nagas are new. But despite this, going on the little I overheard from the trees, they’ve already seemed to have grasped the strategic significance of the nagas. Imagine what it would mean if the stygians didn’t need to use rifts anymore to invade a sector? What if they could enter a sector using a dungeon portal? What chaos would reign then?”

My words sent shivers coursing through the others.

“It would spell disaster for the Kingdom,” Safyre said softly.

“It would,” I agreed. “But the nagas are new, and that means we are a long way from that point yet. Still, we should not ignore the danger they pose to this sector.”

Safyre nodded. “I’ll have sentries positioned around the Draven and Guardian portals.”

Ceruvax shook his head. “That’s not going far enough. We should establish a permanent outpost at both locations.”

I rubbed the side of my face, considering the notion. “That’s not a bad idea, especially seeing as how our people will be regularly travelling to the guardian tower from now on. An outpost at the portal would help facilitate their movements.”

Safyre nodded in agreement. “I’ll see to it.”

“Thank you, Saf,” I murmured. “Now, moving on, let’s discuss sector 30,199 and the brotherhood. Is everyone comfortable with the terms of the deal I struck with the huntmistress? The brotherhood will need us to supply them with—” 

“I’m not,” Sedgwick interjected.

I stared at him in surprise. “Why not?”

“Your agreement hinges on the brotherhood’s new Nethersphere chapter in sector 30,199,” the dwarven merchant replied. “I’m not sure it’s wise for them to remain in the sector or for us to help them expand their presence there. We have enough enemies already. Are you sure you want us also poking around a mature tree’s backyard?”

“Why shouldn’t we?” Teresa demanded, scowling.

“Because from everything the Wolf has just said,” the dwarven merchant replied, his gaze still on me, “the void trees are not the minor irritant I always thought them to be. They seem to be as powerful a threat as the Game’s Powers.” He spread his arms to include everyone in the gesture. “And we all are already criminals in the eyes of those Powers. Do we truly want to become embroiled in a full-scale war with another powerful enemy, one whose true strength we still do not fully comprehend? Are we not biting off more than we can chew?”

“It is not a question of choice, Sedge,” Safyre said before I could respond. “I, too, spared the void little thought before meeting Michael and the others. But since learning of what’s happened to the Endless Dungeon, of the sectors that have fallen, and of the new Powers’ inaction, I’m convinced the void is the greatest menace facing the Kingdom right now. We cannot ignore it.”

The merchant sighed. “But do you understand the peril that puts us in?”

She nodded gravely. “I do.” She scanned the faces of the others. “And I think everyone else does too.”

“We do,” Algar replied, speaking up for the New Haveners. “My people have lived for years in the void’s shadow. It is relentless, let me tell you. If it is not opposed, it will consume everything.”

“The Pack will not shy from the fight either,” Duggar added.

“Opposing the void is our ancient duty,” Ceruvax affirmed. “We cannot but do otherwise.”

“We are built for it,” Lucius said quietly. 

And the nagians truly were.

“It gives us purpose,” Anriq agreed. 

“I see,” Sedgwick said, seeming somewhat taken aback by the strength of his companions’ resolve. “Everyone has already decided then: we’ll do this thing. I only hope we don’t come to regret our decision in the future.”

“We might at that,” I told the dwarf ruefully. “But we shouldn’t let fear dictate our course.”

“Who knew wolves were so wise?” he muttered. 

I opened my mouth to respond but before I could do so, Sedgwick waved aside his own words. “Don’t mind me. It’s sage advice, and I’m just a grumpy old dwarf. Go on. I will not object further.”

I glanced at Safyre who shrugged imperceptibly. “He’ll be fine,” she assured me privately.

Letting the matter lie, I took a moment to re-gather my thoughts. The conversation had moved further along than I anticipated. I’d not intended on broaching the subject of our next steps, but now that the discussion had started, there was no avoiding it. “As I see it, moving forward, the forerunners have three key objectives.”