CHAPTER 143: THE OPENING GAMBIT

A scream echoed from the valley below, cutting through the morning quiet.

Elisa grabbed her warhammer from where it rested against the wall and started for the gate. ’Finally, some action! I was getting tired of all this waiting around.’

Vexia raised a hand, and a barrier of silver light shimmered into existence, blocking her sister’s path. "We do not rush into an unknown situation, Elisa, that is a fool’s move."

"A fool’s move? Vexia, they’re attacking! We should be out there cracking skulls, not sitting in here talking about it!"

"And what if it is a trap designed to draw us out?" Vexia countered. "We have the terrain advantage, we will not surrender it until we have more information."

Nox, who had been leaning against a crystal pillar, just watched them argue. ’Let them come, less walking for me.’

Serian looked between her sisters, then to Nox. "Vexia is right, we need to know what we are facing, but we cannot just stand by while people are being killed."

Vexia closed her eyes and brought her hands together in front of her. "I will ascertain the situation."

Vexia was the Sanctuary’s primary scholar and strategist. While Elisa had inherited their father’s strength and Serian his charisma, Vexia had inherited their mother’s mind. Her specialty was Rune Magic, an ancient and complex art that allowed her to see and manipulate the very fabric of the World’s Scripture. It was a power that operated on a level far beyond simple combat spells.

A small, shimmering orb of silver light materialized between her palms, and the image of the valley below appeared within it. The image showed a scene of chaos. A lone man stood in the center of a small clearing, surrounded by a swirling, chittering cloud of black insects. A few hundred feet away, the crumpled body of another person, a woman, was being consumed by the swarm.

Elisa let out a low growl. "Bugs, I hate bugs."

"He is a Candidate," Vexia stated, her eyes narrowed as she studied the man in the orb. "And he is using his Flag’s power to control that swarm. He is a Summoner of some kind."

Mela, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. "That woman he killed, she had a flag, did she not?"

"Yes, it appears he has already claimed his first prize."

Nox watched the orb, his focus not on the swarm, but on the small, black flag that was now planted in the ground next to the victorious Candidate. ’So that’s how this game is played, hunt the weak, take their flags, get stronger.’ It was simple, and he liked simple.

"I am going out there," Elisa announced, her patience gone. "I am going to squash that bug-man and take his flags."

"You will not," Vexia said, dismissing the scrying orb with a wave of her hand. "His swarm is too dense, you would be overwhelmed before you could even get close."

"So what do we do? Just let him sit out there?"

Nox pushed himself off the pillar, cracking his knuckles. "No, I’ll go."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"You?" Mela scoffed. "And how do you plan to get through that swarm? Are you going to punch all of them?"

"Something like that." He walked toward the edge of the spire’s high balcony and looked down at the valley below. "Mela, your needles can probably take out a good chunk of his swarm from up here, right? Keep him busy. I’ll handle the rest."

Serian stepped toward him. "Nox, it is too dangerous. We should attack together."

"No, I work better alone, you’ll just be in the way."

He did not wait for another argument, he just walked to the edge of the spire, took a running leap, and jumped.

"That absolute idiot!" Mela screamed, rushing to the edge.

Serian and her sisters followed, and they watched as Nox plummeted toward the valley floor.

Nox fell from the spire. ’This is way faster than taking the stairs.’

The ground rushed up to meet him, and just before impact, a ramp of solid black energy materialized beneath his feet, and he skidded down its length, landing in a crouch on the valley floor.

The Candidate, a skinny man with greasy hair, spun around, his swarm of insects buzzing as they formed a defensive wall around him. "Who the hell are you?! How did you do that?!"

Nox just stood up and dusted off his pants. "I’m the guy who’s taking your flags."

The man, who called himself the Vermin King, let out a high-pitched, cackling laugh. "You think you can challenge me? Me?! I am the chosen one! The Scripture has granted me dominion over all that creeps and crawls! My children will devour you!"

He thrust his hands forward, and the chittering wall of black insects surged toward Nox.

’Gross.’ Nox did not move, he just held out his hand, palm open. "Monarch’s Dominion."

A perfect, three-foot sphere of absolute blackness materialized in front of him. It was a hole in the universe.

The wave of insects hit the sphere and vanished.

There was no sound and no impact. The swarm was erased. The Vermin King stared, his jaw hanging open, as his entire army was consumed in less than a second by the silent black hole.

"What... what is that?" he stammered.

"A snack."

Nox flickered.

He was in front of the Vermin King in an instant, and his hand, now coated in black, chitinous armor, clamped around the man’s face.

"You talk too much."

He squeezed, and the man’s head broke.

The black sphere hung in the air for a moment longer before collapsing in on itself and vanishing. Nox let the headless body fall to the ground and calmly walked over to the two flags that were now his. He pulled them from the ground, and they dissolved into motes of light that flowed into his own flag, which was attached to his belt.

A new, sleek black interface appeared in his vision.

[Candidate Eliminated.]

[Flags Acquired: 2]

[Current Flag Count: 3]

[Reward for Flag acquisition: +20 Unallocated Stat Points.]

’Twenty points for one kill? This is going to be a very profitable scenario.’

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Serian and the others running toward him. Mela stared at the headless body, then back at him. Elisa looked at the spot where the swarm had been.

"You didn’t save any for me!"

"You were too slow," Nox said, already turning to walk away.

"Wait," Vexia’s sharp voice stopped him. She was kneeling beside the body of the woman the Vermin King had killed. She stood up, holding a small, blood-stained piece of parchment in her hand.

"This woman, she was not just a random Candidate," Vexia announced. "She was a scout. And she was carrying this."

She held up the parchment. It was a map of the local region, but it was covered in runic markings. One location, a city on the coast, was circled several times.

"What is it?" Serian asked.

"It is an invitation," Vexia explained. "To an auction. It says the items being sold are the Flags of fallen Candidates." She looked at Nox. "And the host of this auction... is a name I know. A name from the old world."

Vexia spoke the name. "The auction’s host is a man known as ’The Collector’."

Elisa crossed her arms. "The Collector? Sounds like a nerd. Probably some weak player who thinks he’s a big shot because he can count."

"He is not a player," Vexia corrected. "And he is not weak."

In their old world, The Collector was a myth, a boogeyman that even kings and archmages feared. He was a being who traded in rare artifacts, forbidden knowledge, and the souls of those foolish enough to make a deal with him. If he was here, in this new world, and he was hosting an auction for Flags, then the game had just become infinitely more dangerous.

Nox just shrugged. "So he’s a pawn shop owner with a flair for the dramatic. As long as he’s not a god, I’m not interested."

’Though, an auction for Flags is an interesting idea,’ he thought. ’It gathers all the strongest players in one place. It’s efficient.’

"This is not a matter for jokes, Nox," Serian said. "If this Collector is as powerful as Vexia says, then walking into his auction would be suicide."

"Who said anything about walking in?" Nox countered. "Auctions are for buying things. We’re just going to be doing some aggressive window shopping."

Mela let out a groan. "You plan to crash an auction run by a mythical, soul-stealing boogeyman? That is, without a doubt, the most idiotic idea you have ever had. And that is a very high bar."

"We are not going," Vexia stated. "Our primary objective is to defend the Sanctuary and protect Serian. Engaging with a threat of this magnitude is an unnecessary risk."

"And what happens when this Collector guy gets all the Flags?" Nox shot back. "What happens when one player walks out of that auction with twenty Flags and the power to level this entire valley? You want to wait here and let someone else become the king, then come knocking on your door? That’s not a defensive strategy, that’s just waiting to die."

Vexia was silent. The human’s brutal, pragmatic logic was infuriatingly sound.

"He’s got a point," Elisa chimed in. "Why wait for the party to come to us? Let’s go crash it! It sounds way more fun than sitting here waiting for more bug-dorks to show up."

Serian looked at Nox. ’He is reckless, he is arrogant, but he is not stupid. He has a plan, and as insane as it probably is, he will see it through.’ "I will go with Nox."

Vexia let out a long, weary sigh. "This is strategically unsound. We have no intelligence, no knowledge of his defenses or the other attendees."

"Then I guess we’ll just have to improvise," Nox said. He started walking in the direction of the coastal city marked on the map. "You guys coming, or are you going to stay here and debate?"

---

The city of Portentia was a bustling, chaotic port town, a fusion of old-world architecture and new magic. The streets were filled with humans, Dwarves, and elves. Everyone was armed, and everyone looked on edge.

"This is a dangerous place," Mela whispered as they moved through the crowd.

"The Collector has established a ’neutral ground’," Vexia explained, her eyes scanning every rooftop and alley. "A temporary truce for the sake of commerce. But the moment the auction is over, this entire city will become a slaughterhouse."

They found a rundown tavern near the docks. Nox secured a table in the back corner, a spot with a clear view of the door and no windows behind them.

"So," Elisa said, placing her warhammer down next to the table. "Where’s this auction?"

"The invitation says it begins at midnight, at the old lighthouse on the cliff," Vexia replied, pulling out the parchment. "Entry is granted only to those who possess at least one Flag."

Nox looked around the tavern. He could see at least three other groups that were clearly Candidates, their own Flags displayed subtly. They were all watching each other.

"Okay, here’s the plan," Nox said, leaning forward. "Vexia, you and Mela stay here. You’re the backup. If things go south, you create a diversion. A big, loud, pointy one."

Mela just nodded.

"Elisa, you’re with me and Serian," he continued. "We go to the auction. We don’t bid, we don’t talk. We just watch. We identify the strongest players, the ones with the most Flags. We learn their faces, their powers, and their weaknesses."

Elisa grinned. "And then we crush them?"

"And then we wait for them to leave the auction," Nox corrected. "We follow the one with the biggest prize, we wait for them to get clear of the city, and then... we collect."

It was a predator’s plan. Simple, brutal, and efficient.

As midnight approached, they left the tavern and made their way through the dark streets toward the cliffs. The lighthouse was a tall, dark silhouette against the sky. A long line of Candidates was already forming at its base.

As they took their place in line, a man in a simple, grey attendant’s uniform walked down the line. "Flags, please."

When he reached them, Serian presented her own Flag, a banner of white and gold. The attendant nodded and was about to move on when his gaze fell on Nox. He stopped.

"You have three," the attendant stated.

"I’m a good hunter," Nox replied.

The attendant was silent for a moment. "The Collector has been made aware of your success. He has a special interest in Candidates who show promise." He held out a small, black envelope sealed with a silver wax stamp. "He requests a private audience with you before the auction begins."