Clearly, I was blessed by something. Having the answer to my question and the power to enforce it so suddenly was amazing. I clutched the blue pill in my fingers and stared at the almost crystal, clear water. The only thing that contaminated its pureness was the number of trees and vegetation that it swallowed. Even still, the life encased inside the wall looked even more vivid than it would in the free air. Now, where can I find a group of players?
I looked around the other three directions that I could take. Where would the highest probability of players lie? I eliminated one of the directions because the water was elevated almost to the top of where I was standing. No chance of anyone being there. The other two directions had actual, rudimentary paths that diverged at a common point. One led down the mountain. I raced over to the side of the platform that I was standing on and landed over to spot two groups setting camp in the middle of the trees. I couldn't make them out individually, but their gear and weapons looked old ad rugged. I decided that it was best not to go after them; no valuable gear means a waste of time and effort.
Since I only had one option left, I hulled myself over to the path that ran alongside the mountain. When the paths diverged, the third trail inclined up the mountain, all the way up to the small dirt and stone areas. I didn't have much of a choice, but I was confident that this one was the best one since almost all worthy players would be sleeping or spending their time as far above the land as possible.
My calloused feet left footprints on the ground as I walked through the moist, narrow road.
***
The small hike didn't take too long as I climbed the last boulders to set foot on the new elevation. It took a minute for my nanobots to acclimatize me to the oxygen deprivation; throughout the minute, my lungs felt like they were on fire. I calmed my breathing and stood up on a tall but skinny rock. I scanned the premises quickly before I jumped down, landing on the hard, cold, solid ground. My heels to the brunt of the impact, sending electrical jolts throughout my body. Shit! I should remember to not do that without shoes. I couldn't find anybody at first, but the closer I looked at common areas- slanted rocks, small caves, medium-sized tunnels in the ground- the more I began to collect data that suggested a group, a fairly large one, in fact, was indeed here. The best discovery I found was a poorly concealed fire that left a trail of smoke to any passerby. And, that passerby was luckily me.
The smoke was extending from a giant pit in the ground. I got close enough to crouch very low to the ground and bend over to see a party of nine people situated in a circle surrounding the fire. Six were boys and men, and three were women. All of them wore the same themed gear: gold and purple long-sleeved shirts, either white pants or shorts, and each one of them had a black, leather jacket. They kind of looked like one of those dance crews, but the weapons they carried showed that they were not incapable buffoons. Swords, bows, daggers, and small machines that looked like pistols. All of them were cleaning and maintaining their weapons of choice while laughing and talking in distinct voices. Though, I could not hear what they were saying. It was still the evening, so it would take lots of time for them to settle down and rest. That was when I would make my move.
I suspected something about the ground, so I placed my ear against it. The losses first coated the outer portion of my ear, but it was worth it. *Drip* *Drip* *Drip* I smiled. It was water. Either a reservoir or a small stream, either way, it would do the trick. The large ditch that the group was huddled in was like a bowl. When I got that water into the 'bowl', the water level would rise and fill it. The group inside would panic and start to run up the mountain. That would be where I come in again; I would use the strength pill and scare the group to run towards the platform that I created. George and Bill would be on the one underneath mine, so when my group makes it to the platform above them, I would throw a stone into the barrier. The water explodes out of it, the nine get hit perfectly, washing them down to the second platform. There was a forty percent chance that the team will land right where the other two different parties were going to be. The other sixty was if the water pressure is high enough to sweep all of the parties off the side of the mountain. But, the chances were too close. After all, ten percent in a live situation was basically fifty-fifty.
The crucial point for all of this was the time. I could maybe use the pill's effects for three hours tops, but I was still inexperienced, so it could be left. I decided to round my time frame down to an hour and thirty. Better to expect the worst rather than be disappointed by the worst. I checked the time in my brain. There were still twenty-five hours left, and the sun had still not fallen. I picked myself off the ground and trudged up the mountain. Specifically to the place where the party of nine would try to climb in panic.
Once I got up there, I took my time assembling a formation of rocks and boulders to make it seem like another group was up here. If this was accomplished, then the party of nine would automatically have to choose the trail that led to the platform. If by chance, anyone in the group had a vision-enhancing pill, then I would need to ward them off the high ground. In order to do this, I found myself hauling dozens of decent-sized boulders and rocks and sandy debris to the edge of the cliff. (A/N Imagine the cliff/mountainside looking like the American Ninja Warrior wall thing. Except, it's massive.) I wanted to make an artificial landslide to scare the party away in case anyone tried to play the hero.
After all the pre-landslide material was placed in the perfect system, I relaxed. A long day's work had finally given me its rewards. I head back down the cliff to near the prey's position. I now had sixteen hours left, and the sun had dipped below the horizon. Today, I would be watching them closely. I would sacrifice my respite for their demise. Tomorrow, I would rain victorious. I crossed my fingers, I hope.