I made my way to the east gate without incident.

Drawing to a halt thirty yards away, I spent a moment observing the area. The gate remained open, and players were still passing through, if more sporadically then I had observed during the day. Making sure I remained in the shadows, I walked south along the wall.

I stopped in a dark alley. No players passed close by, and the east gatehouse was not visible from where I stood. It was only the guards atop the ramparts I had to worry about, and whatever magical detection wards protected the perimeter.

Crouching down, I cast lighten the load and reaction buff.

Your Dexterity has increased by +2. Duration: 10 minutes.

Your light armor penalties have decreased by 10%. Duration: 10 minutes.

Then, I saw to my final preparations.

You have equipped a set of cats’ claws.

You have equipped the spectacles of ward seeing.

The cats’ claws were a pair of gloves made from liquid-black scaled hide. They were pliable and soft to the touch, except for the hard mass at the end of each finger. Inspecting the fingertips closely, I noticed each had a small hole. For retractable claws.

The palms of the gloves were covered by a series of tiny suction cups. To improve their grip, I assumed. Both suction cups and claws would make holding anything cumbersome and wielding my swords would be nearly impossible. It’s a good thing that I don’t intend on fighting tonight then, isn’t it?

The spectacles were shaded black and more akin to goggles. Their edges were trimmed by a dull gray metal and their arms wrapped fully around my head. Equipping them, I raised my head to gaze upon the safe zone’s walls.

Immediately, my vision lit up with multihued strands of color.

I pursed my lips in silent appreciation. The fortifications were riddled with wards. Like some strange puzzle, magical lines traced the wall’s brickwork in a crazy, seemingly random pattern.

The wards appeared in my vision as softly glowing threads. I wasn't certain if the magical lines were from a single ward, but from the different colors, I guessed multiple wards had been cast. I couldn't tell what the purpose of the wards were either, only where they had been positioned. Knowing that should suffice, I thought.

Scrutinizing the wall intently, I searched for a path through the maze.

After long minutes of study, I mapped out a route through the wards. It would require me to scale the wall in a decidedly zigzag fashion, but it could be done.

I flexed my fingers. At the motion, curved metal talons shot out of the cats’ claw gloves. They were as hard as toughened steel. I doubted they would dig through solid stone, but they appeared capable of gripping into the ridges between adjacent bricks.

Pulling the shadows about me, I concealed myself in darkness and slipped out of the alley. Bent in half crouch, I crept towards the wall.

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

I glanced up. A patrol was passing by atop the wall, but though the Triumvirate knights ran their gazes over the ground below, they failed to spot me.

I smiled grimly. My stealth was still serving me well. Continuing my advance, I picked a careful path to the wall. Reaching the foot of the fortifications, I paused.

I looked left and right. No players were close by. Judging it safe, I set a clawed hand to the wall. The talons of the glove dug into a thin line bordering the wall’s brickwork and held. Good. Anchoring one foot on the thin lip of another stone, I pulled myself upwards.

I was on my way.

Making sure not to disturb any of the ward lines crisscrossing the wall, I reached up and fastened my other hand, then climbed higher. I didn't hurry. There was no need to. Still wreathed in shadow, I had little fear of being spotted. Unless a player stumbled right on top of me, I would remain concealed.

My biggest concern wasn't the wards I could see either. No, it was the ones that remained unseen. My spectacles only revealed tier four wards. If the knights had thought to place better wards on the wall, there was nothing I could do about it. And little point worrying about it.

Besides, I was still in the safe zone. That meant any ward—of any tier—could not harm me. The worst that could happen would be that I triggered the ward and ended up being found out. That was a consequence I could live with, and in itself would provide me with a valuable piece of information.

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

Freezing in place, I craned my neck upwards. Another trio of knights were marching past. Heart thumping loudly in my chest, I waited for them to pass beyond hearing range.

Then I resumed climbing.

It took me nearly an hour to scale the war and reach its heights. By then, my arms and legs ached from the strain. Still, when I reached the top, I didn't immediately go over. Clinging to the outside of the fortifications like a spider, I waited, senses extended and mindsight open.

Two patrols were approaching my position. One from my left, the other from the right. They would cross each other almost in front of me.

I stilled in place, remaining as motionless as I could. My curled-up form on the wall, hands outstretched to their limit above my head, and toes nearly parallel with my stomach, was merely one more blot of shadow in the darkness.

Indistinguishable and unremarkable.

Three hostile entities have failed to detect you!

Three hostile entities have failed to detect you!

The six Triumvirate knights strode past less than a few yards from me but failed to sense my presence. I waited a handful of seconds more to be certain before swinging myself over the stone crenellations. Now came the most difficult part—crossing the ramparts themselves.

I didn't have much time. The next patrol would be by soon. I did not rush though. Crouch down low, I surveyed the top of the wall.

The ramparts were nearly ten yards wide. Stone crenellations bordered either end. There was a third set too, running along the center of the ramparts, neatly dividing the wall in two. Strange design, I thought, wondering if the fortifications had been extended at some distant point in the past. That would explain the oddly placed crenellations.

More disturbing though: I spotted no wards.

Why’s that? I wondered, thoughts racing. Perhaps the patrols make them impossible. If the wards could not distinguish friend from foe, then the marching knights would only falsely trigger them. Could that be it?

Movement around the corner of my eye drew my attention to my right. The next patrol was approaching. Damnit! I was nearly out of time and had to make a decision.

I bit my lip, weighing the risk. It was either attempt the crossing and risk being detected or retreat. I didn’t want to retreat, but something about the unwarded stretch of ramparts alarmed me.

The footfalls of tramping feet sounded louder.

I was out of time. In a rush, I made my choice. Reaching into my potion belt, I withdrew a flask and gulped down its contents.

You have turned invisible, completely shielding yourself from sight. Duration: 60 seconds. Note, taking any hostile action will dispel the potion’s effect.

The effect was not instantaneous.

Holding out my arms in front of me, I watched as they gradually faded from existence. My gaze shot to the approaching patrol and back to my body, counting down the seconds as I struggled not to shift.

It took a full five seconds for the potion to take effect. From my visit to the emporium, I knew that invisibility potions were expensive and hard to come by. But having decided to cross, I was determined to leave nothing to chance. Now, even if my stealth failed—or unseen wards detected me—the approaching patrol would not spot me or be able to stop me before I escaped.

Leaving the safety of the stone at my back, I began crossing the ramparts. Keeping one eye on the knights, I tiptoed across the wall. I paused between each step, refusing to rush as I examined the stone underfoot with trap detection.

It took me a dozen seconds, but I forded the first half of the ramparts without incident. Reaching the middle of the wall, I leapt lightly onto the top of its three-foot-high crenellations.

Three hostile entities have failed to detect you!

At the Game message, I glanced behind me. The patrol had closed the distance and were only a few yards away, but I had nothing to fear from them now. The knights were marching along the half of the wall which I had just crossed and there was no chance they would accidentally stumble across me. Dismissing the patrol from my mind, I stepped down onto the outer wall section.

You have left the safe zone.

~~~

I flinched at the Game alert and like a scalded cat, I tried to retract my steps. But I had barely enough time to process its message before a flurry of other notices vied for attention.

You have passed a perception check! Three hostile entities have failed to detect you. You remain hidden.

You have failed a magical resistance check!

You have triggered an alarm.

You have been trapped in a tier 12 paralysis field. Duration: 2 minutes.

Between one moment and the next, the wall and its environs were transformed. Magelights burst into being overhead, and harsh white lines, like the bars of a cage, burst into existence along the borders of the outer wall. Voices called out, and footfalls heralded the arrival of more players.

And I was caught squarely between them all.

I couldn't move. I was unable to bat my eyelids, or even manage the slightest twitch of her finger. Damnation! I was trapped like a fly in a spider’s web. My only consolation what's that the knights had not found me yet. The invisibility potion was still working.

“Where are the intruders?” a voice demanded.

“I don't know!”

“They have to be somewhere here. The wards only triggered in this section.”

The commotion behind me escalated as more patrols descended upon the scene. Hurrying back and forth on the wall behind me, the knights scoured the area. But none of the players attempted to step onto the ramparts of the outer wall. Now, when it was too late, I knew why.

Can I escape? The first blush of my panic had faded and my thoughts began churning again. Despite my paralysis, my senses still worked fine, and I heard and saw everything around me as I would normally. Encouraged by this, I have focused my psi on a knight I spotted at the edge of my vision and cast shadow blink.

You have failed to teleport. While trapped in a paralysis field, you are unable to cast any spells or employ any abilities.

If I could have, I would’ve spat in disgust. Until the ward’s effects dissipated, I was well and truly helpless. Left with nothing else to do, I considered the ward itself.

It’s a tier 12 spell. How high-leveled did a player need to be to cast such a spell? If I assumed that the levels required for each tier were consistent, then it meant the spellcaster whose ward had trapped me had a magical skill of over five-hundred and fifty! And that could only mean I had run afoul of a Power’s working.

I stood no chance against something like that.

Bloody powers, I cursed. This is what I get for involving myself with Loken.

Wrenching free of my anger and frustration—there was little I could do about either—I turned my attention inwards and focused on the two timers ticking down. The first was that for my invisibility potion, and the second for the ward’s paralyzing effect.

My invisibility potion would wear off well before the ward, but when that happened would the knights find me?

I will find out soon enough.