Chapter 11- Going to the Fork Waterway

Paxton had a guess who his first line of suspicious individuals was. After all, no matter how much you try to replace the original, you can't truly replace them. There would always be something weird about their act or a manner in which they stopped acting. 

Of course, using this basis as your tip in searching for Spies could very much be wrong, but in times of war, the simplest route is usually the answer.

In some minutes, the two Soldiers had stepped out of the medic tent and headed towards the Tents being pitched by the other soldiers. 

Time was ticking, and so was Paxton's. 

He glanced up at the Blue screen that never disappeared as if acting as a reminder of his time limit. 

71:38:30

'I get it….time is ticking'. He thought with a sigh as they walked past the soldiers towards the commander's tent. 

Soon, they arrived with Commander Johnfry walking in first, followed by him. 

"Do you have suspects?" The Commander asked as he walked towards his chair and table. 

A large map had been arranged across the table where some landmarks had been pinpointed.

"I have been searching for the landmarks as you said, and I arrived at a similar conclusion…though, you seemed insistent that you check for the waterway first". 

Paxton gave him a wry smile. This was expected, after all, the Commander was well known for his brilliant strategies. 

"I do have some suspects, though I will advise you to seek caution until I return, sir". 

Commander Johnfry glanced at him and then at the table. "All right, the supply squad. Ask for the necessities and go ahead immediately. We need you to be as quick as you can". 

Paxton bowed in acknowledgement, but just before he left, a question brewed in his head. 

He stopped and turned towards the commander. "But commander, there is a possibility that I am a spy as well". 

"Of course, everyone's a suspect until proven innocent" he replied, his gaze fixed on the map. "So I expect you to prove yourself innocent". 

Paxton remained silent for a moment, his thoughts reeling in. 'My tent, I will have to fix it up myself'. He thought when a smile flashed across his face. 

"Sir, can I get some tracking dye?" He asked. 

The Commander raised a brow in curiosity, as they stared at each other for a brief moment. 

****

Soon, the brilliant sun descended into its slumber and instead, a moon arose, a blue moon that sparkled a brilliance around the skies. 

The four pyramids cascaded an indomitable shadow upon the earth while the loud critters of flying creatures roamed the night. 

It was at this time when the soldiers were having their last few suppers and planning their next line of actions, that a figure walked out of his tent, a bag spread across his back. 

He walked through the Tents, his feet a whisper to avoid attention as he headed towards the back of the Army. 

Paxton and the commander had decided to begin his expedition in the night, where they expected the enemies to least know or at least surprise them. 

If the enemies were aware of his trail, then he would have been followed immediately once he was spotted, so this was the best idea they could come up with at the moment. 

'All this better be worth it'. Paxton had no reason to doubt himself or his conclusions from his memories. 

Everything had been vividly imprinted, and for some reason, things were just put in place for him to use to his satisfaction. 

Almost like the Server was cheering him on. 

'....this is what they call plot armour'. 

He thought as he walked towards the end of a hill, his gaze scanning down at the desert afar. 

'If the reward wasn't so tempting, then I would have happily let those spies free….but, everything is linked…finding these spies is merely the beginning'. 

He grunted as he walked down the sloppy hill, his feet pulling on the sand as he was dragged along the sloppiness of the sand. 

It took about two minutes, but he had gotten to the ground and headed towards the direction of the waterway. 

'....a journey of five hours'. 

It had taken his teammates about the same amount of time to get there, according to his memories, of course. 

He hastened his footsteps when he was a long way away from the hill and began to run once he assumed he was away from the spotlight. 

Though, unbeknownst to him, in the darkness was a man cascaded in the Blue moon. He walked towards the hill that Paxton had just descended, his gaze fixed on the footprints caused by his careless descent down the sandy hill. 

The man scoffed and followed after him. 

****

Paxton's footsteps echoed in the dead of the night as he followed the trail the map led to. It was surprising how his vision was good enough to tell the landmarks even with the darkness. Though, the blue moon had something to play in it. 

'Well, I am a soldier. I think I should have gone through some training right?' He wondered, but of course, there wasn't anyone to reply to his question. 

'Those player bastards. Choosing not to explain anything for us till after we become Players is a low move'. 

Then again, the Server did show up to explain to him about his situation. 'Oh? So maybe that was why'. 

Its brief explanation was all he needed, and the missions were as clear as day. 

Though Paxton had never guessed he would be thrown into war. After all, it was absurd that his consciousness was at war, but when he thought about it, it made sense. 

'Thanks a lot ... .dramatic past three years of my life'. 

He thought with a sigh. 

By now, he had made it to the first landmark. The Solitude Rock. It was found beside the path to the Waterway, and it was well known for its properties to project sound. 

Paxton glanced at it for a moment, his gaze lingering at the image of himself imprinted on it. For some reason, his memories of his History lectures on Glitches and the Dark Web came into play. Specifically, the Bugs. 

Bugs were Players that had been corrupted by a Glitch Queen. They were akin to humans; only their emotions were gone, and the striven desire for chaos was imbued in them. 

'I remember how they said they had one common weakness'. He thought as he walked up to it. He placed his finger on it and tapped it gently, but the rock absorbed it and amplified it, causing an echo that was twice the sound he created by tapping it. 

'Intriguing'. He thought before continuing his journey. 

There were three more landmarks left, and about four hours and thirty minutes of walking. 

He glanced at the timer once more. 

64:49:04

"Let's focus on the task at hand". 

With a sigh, he continued his journey forward, enjoying the cool wind of the night as he did so. 

He wasn't sure what awaited him at the end, but he knew it would lead him one step closer to his goals.