The Archiverse world series [Wild drafted]

Chapter : Sector Six's Pressure — The Player King Hunts Back

The midday sun filtered weakly through the dense canopy of Sector Six, but the atmosphere beneath remained cold and tense. In the heart of the ruined woodland temple, Caine Ashrel stood silently, his arms crossed as data flooded his Systematic Guide.

> Tribute Route Alpha — LOST.

Supplies Confiscated. Ghostline Activity Suspected.

Estimated Perpetrators: Travelers / Resistance Faction.

His jaw tightened. Two more blinking alerts appeared as Routes Beta and Gamma reported delays—inevitable signs of a cascading collapse.

> "They're not going for a head-on fight," Caine muttered. "They're suffocating the network."

Around him, his 50-strong squad of mixed blue ranks awaited his orders, but even they were shifting uncomfortably. The steady flow of Tribute—resources that kept their status, their power, and their survival in Sector Six—was now choked off.

Caine wasn't a strategist by title, but in the forest, survival was strategy.

And this?

This was a challenge.

---

He turned to his second-in-command, a burly player named Krev, known for his twin hatchets and a face covered in jagged scars—battle-earned, not cosmetic.

> "We're not waiting for the Tribute Lines to stabilize. We hunt them. Now."

Krev cracked his knuckles.

> "You want a full squad sweep?"

> "No. Squad sweeps are predictable. They'll be watching for large groups."

Caine's Guide pinged as he manually opened the Hunter Units Activation screen.

> Enforcer Squad Selection:

Units Available: 10

Selected: 5

Rank: Blue (Upper-Tier) — Combat Specialization

Tracking Augments: Enabled

He picked five of his best—players who knew the forest like a second skin. Not thugs, but hunters.

> "Deploy them in pairs. No noise. No flare support. If they see Travelers, they engage immediately. We pull them out of hiding."

Krev nodded, already issuing the deployment commands through his own Guide.

But Caine wasn't finished.

He tapped into the Open Frequencies.

---

Open Transmission — Sector Six All-Players

Caine's voice, sharp and unwavering, filled the audio channels of every player Guide within the zone.

> "To the cowards who've been bleeding my Tribute Lines dry: This is my forest. You're not heroes. You're not saviors. You're thieves."

He let the words settle.

> "So now, I'm hunting you. And when I catch you, no resets. No second chances. You'll become fertilizer for this zone's roots."

The transmission ended abruptly.

---

Back in the Dwarven Mist Command House, Riven sat back in his chair, watching the feed with a thin, satisfied smirk. Goldie floated nearby, her ears flicking playfully.

> "He's predictable."

> "And emotional," Riven added. "He's sending hunters. Smaller units. That's where we crush them."

He turned to Aurelia, who was scanning the updated activity logs.

> "Prepare the secondary strike teams. Oliver and Zack will keep severing the Tribute lines. Nico will intercept the enforcers. Yarrow will handle overwatch."

Goldie purred.

> "It's going to be a busy 72 hours."

---

Meanwhile, in the Field — Oliver and Zack

Zack's earpiece buzzed faintly as he crouched over another downed transport unit, wiping off his dagger.

> "Caine's reacting," came Riven's voice, calm but focused. "Enforcers inbound. Expect advanced trackers. No more rookies."

Oliver, scanning through the looted packs, glanced at Zack.

> "Guess we stirred the hornet's nest."

Zack sheathed his dagger with a soft click.

> "Good."

---

The hunt had begun.

But this time, both sides were hunting.

---

Systematic Guide Update:

> Tribute Routes Remaining: 3 Active

Enemy Enforcer Squads: 5 Deployed

Traveler Team Orders: Ambush & Intercept

Special Notice: "Phase II Sabotage" Unlocked

-----

Chapter : Convergence Point — Oliver, Zack, Nico Prepare for the Final Cut

The dense layers of Sector Six had begun to feel like a labyrinth, but to Oliver, Zack, and Nico, it was now familiar hunting ground. With each Tribute Route dismantled, Caine's grip on the forest grew thinner. But they knew the last line, Tribute Route Delta, would be heavily guarded.

It was the artery that kept the Player King's stronghold supplied with Vita Core Batteries, Advanced Weapon Parts, and tracking augments.

Cutting it would be the final blow.

---

The trio regrouped near an ancient, collapsed aqueduct covered in vines. The air was tense, yet focused.

Nico dropped down from a ledge, twirling his blade lazily.

> "Took care of two of his elite. They'll be out for a while."

Oliver gave a sharp nod, his Systematic Guide pinging live map data as he synced their routes.

> "Tribute Route Delta is 500 meters east. Drones spotted fortified units—defensive spikes, auto-turrets, possibly more enforcers."

Zack was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, silent as ever. His dagger spun once between his fingers before vanishing back into his sleeve.

> "If we hit from the front, we lose time. If we flank too wide, they'll evacuate the supplies."

Oliver exhaled.

> "We need to collapse the route in one sweep. Fast. Precise."

Nico's grin widened.

> "So we split. I'll go loud, give them a show. You two go in quiet and clean."

Zack's dark eyes met Oliver's, giving a subtle nod of agreement.

---

The Plan Set in Motion

Nico veered off to the left, preparing to stage a decoy ambush, while Oliver and Zack melted into the right flank, taking a narrow ravine route that led directly to the rear of the Tribute convoy.

Their Systematic Guides pulsed faintly.

> Objective Update:

Primary Goal: Sabotage Tribute Route Delta

Secondary Goal: Confiscate Advanced Weapon Parts

Enemy Force Estimate: 25 (Mixed Ranks)

As they approached the convoy perimeter, Zack pointed towards a ridge where two sentries stood watch, lazily scanning the treeline.

Zack's dagger flashed.

Two heartbeats later, the sentries slumped silently into the grass.

> "Efficient as always," Oliver whispered.

> "They were noisy," Zack replied, deadpan.

---

Meanwhile, Nico kicked off the decoy with style.

With a loud, defiant whistle, he sprinted into open view, hurling a flash-charge that erupted into a cascade of blinding light.

> "HEY, CAINE'S ERRAND BOYS!" Nico bellowed, flipping them off. "Gonna need you to drop those crates before I take them myself."

The defensive squad immediately shifted formation, half of them surging towards Nico's position. The auto-turrets swiveled, firing precision bursts, but Nico ducked and weaved, keeping their attention fully locked on him.

> "You're mine now, idiots."

---

Oliver and Zack used the opening flawlessly.

While the convoy's front was in chaos, they slipped through the rear, disabling drone sensors and silently dispatching the remaining rear-guards.

Oliver crouched near the main supply crate, his Guide scanning the lock.

> "Digital barrier. Standard Level 2."

Zack knelt beside him, pressing a thin override chip into the lock. It blinked green.

> "Open."

Inside were Vita Batteries, weapon augment cores, and rare supply node fragments.

Oliver smirked.

> "This is it. Collapse the route."

They quickly set pulse detonators along the central wheel axles and rigged a timed override into the turret systems.

> "Detonation set. Three minutes."

---

Nico's voice crackled through the comms.

> "I'm wrapping things up here. You boys ready?"

> "Route Delta's dead in three," Oliver confirmed.

Zack's voice followed, calm and final.

> "We leave no trail."

---

As they retreated to a safe distance, the detonation surged through the forest.

A low, controlled BOOM rippled outward as the Tribute Route imploded, collapsing the convoy into a ruin of broken supplies and disabled machinery.

Sector Six's final artery—cut cleanly.

---

Systematic Guide Update:

> Tribute Route Delta — Neutralized

Tribute Flow: 0%

Caine Ashrel's Supply Network: Fully Severed

Ghostline Influence: 85% Sector Coverage

Back at the command post, Riven watched the updated sector map—Caine's empire was crumbling by the hour.

> "Begin Phase III," Riven ordered calmly. "We take the throne next."

---

Next Chapter: "The Collapse — Caine's Last Stand in Sector Six"