Chapter 71: Sable March Takes Fourth—Stoneward Takes Third
Rank 10 was still hanging above the channel.
Ronan Greaves was dead.
Duskmoor’s Region Fortune +1 had settled normally.
The Warden’s personal Free Attribute +10, however, had been pushed forward to the eventual Rank 1.
For now, that extra reward had no owner.
Then the next group of results appeared.
[Upper Ranking Settlement: Rank 9—5]
[Rank 9 | Harrowfen]
[Rank 8 | Gloamreach]
[Rank 7 | Rimegate]
[Rank 6 | Greyspine]
[Rank 5 | Nightfen]
Five Regions appeared at once.
Three of those names had already shown up on lists of Regions publicly coordinated by Black Banner.
Add Duskmoor from Rank 10.
Six positions from Rank 10 through Rank 5.
Black Banner had taken four of them.
The Shattered Marches Channel went quiet for a few seconds.
Then messages from Black Banner’s side suddenly surged.
[Anonymous Warden: Six positions. Four of them.]
[Black Banner Lord: The later-entry preparation route was right.]
[Anonymous Warden: Sable March still hasn’t appeared.]
[Black Banner Lord: Then what’s left to guess? Top three at worst.]
[Anonymous Warden: If Sable only gets third, I’m calling that an upset.]
Someone reposted the major opening odds.
[Sable March: 2.1]
[Stoneward: 4.6]
[Ironwake: 5.2]
[Riftward: 8.0]
Someone else added Riftward’s confirmed price right before lock.
[Riftward: 12.0 | Final Confirmed Odds Before Lock]
They were not prices from the same moment.
But right now, no one was speaking up for Riftward anyway.
Sable March had been the favorite from the beginning.
Now Black Banner had already taken four of the Rank 10—5 positions.
And Sable still had not appeared.
Black Banner’s supporters did not see danger in that.
They saw four lower seats already laid out beneath Sable.
[Black Banner Lord: We already took four of the lower top-ten spots. You think Sable can still fall out of the top three?]
[Anonymous Warden: I only want to know whether it’s first or second now.]
[Black Banner Lord: Second? Varek’s Sable March was priced at 2.1.]
[Anonymous Warden: Riftward locked 4.42 million that early. Making the top three at all would already be impressive.]
Tobias finally posted.
[Tobias Reed: The result isn’t even out yet and you’re already dividing up first and second?]
A reply came immediately.
[Black Banner Lord: The public information is right there.]
[Black Banner Lord: If you don’t like it, wait for the result.]
Tobias did not argue.
[Tobias Reed: Fine.]
[Tobias Reed: I’ll wait.]
Cassian said nothing either.
The public information really did favor Sable.
At Wave 42, it had already shown 4,086,920 while its Defense Sector was still Active.
Riftward’s 4,423,540 had been locked much earlier.
Stoneward and Ironwake had both entered later with more complete rules.
So the 2.1 price had not come from nowhere.
And because it had not come from nowhere—
the next result mattered even more.
The golden interface paused.
The top four began.
The first line appeared.
[Rank 4 | Sable March | Regional Warden: Varek Sorn | Free Attribute +10 | Region Fortune +1]
The Shattered Marches Channel went blank for three full seconds.
The messages that had been racing upward a moment ago—
stopped as if someone had cut them off.
Cassian stared at the line.
Fourth.
Not second.
Not third.
And definitely not first.
Fourth.
The 2.1 favorite before lock.
Fourth.
Three seconds later, the channel exploded.
[Tobias Reed: 2.1.]
A second passed.
[Tobias Reed: Fourth.]
[Anonymous Warden: ...What?]
[Anonymous Warden: I bet Sable.]
[Anonymous Warden: I added more in the last ten seconds.]
[Anonymous Warden: Someone explain how 2.1 bought me fourth place.]
The Black Banner Lord from earlier jumped back in almost immediately.
[Black Banner Lord: Fourth is still top four!]
[Black Banner Lord: We took four of Rank 10—5. Isn’t that enough?]
Tobias reposted his own words back at him.
[Tobias Reed: You just said—]
[Tobias Reed: "Top three at worst."]
The channel filled with short bursts of laughter and ellipses.
[Anonymous Warden: There was another one.]
[Anonymous Warden: "Third would already be an upset."]
The people who had been talking about Sable fighting only for first or second suddenly had nothing to say.
Another Black Banner supporter finally pushed back.
[Black Banner Lord: It’s one Ranking. Sable’s army didn’t suddenly change.]
[Anonymous Warden: Then what were you waving 2.1 around for?]
[Anonymous Warden: I bet on Rank 1, not "the army didn’t change."]
[Anonymous Warden: Fourth doesn’t pay out first-place money.]
Messages kept climbing.
Not everyone was mocking Black Banner.
That was not the part that stung most.
The ugly part was the old 2.1 quote—the number people had just been using as proof that Sable was safe—now hanging beside Rank 4.
[Sable March: 2.1]
[Final Rank: 4]
Rowan sent only two lines.
[Rowan Ashford: Black Banner can coordinate multiple Regions into the top ten. That part was real.]
[Rowan Ashford: But everyone who priced Sable as the Rank-1 favorite got that call wrong.]
No one needed him to explain any further.
The money was locked.
Fourth was already on the board.
Mira Calder added only one line.
[Mira Calder: Next time they open negotiations with "strongest Newcomer Region," put fourth place on the table first.]
Darian Frost was even shorter.
[Darian Frost: One first-place favorite is gone.]
[Darian Frost: Continue.]
Veyra stood beside Cassian, watching the old 2.1 quote get pushed back to the top of the channel again and again.
"Didn’t you always think the market had Sable priced too high?"
"Mm."
"And now?"
Cassian dragged the odds screenshot to one side.
"Fourth isn’t enough to make Sable disappear."
"But it’s enough to kill the first-place favorite."
Veyra glanced at him.
"And your twelve times?"
"Not settled yet."
"But you’re in a good mood."
Cassian did not deny it.
Black Banner putting four Regions in the top ten meant it had real strength behind it.
Sable finishing fourth was real too.
He did not need Varek to be an idiot.
He only needed one thing to die—
the market’s old claim that 2.1 was the safest answer.
Sable March.
The golden Rank-4 line still hung in front of Varek.
Varek said nothing at first.
His fingers slowly tightened against the edge of the table.
"Fourth?"
He stared at the line for another beat.
He had expected Sable to make the top three.
He had built it to fight for first.
Fourth.
That one hit.
Someone beside him finally cracked.
"How are we fourth?"
"At Wave 42, we were already—"
Varek let go of the table.
"Enough."
The room went silent.
He did not smash the table.
He did not curse Ronan or Silas.
The crack showed for only a moment before he forced it back down.
Then he closed the Rank-4 panel.
Fourth was fourth.
No explanation would move it up one place.
Nadia was already watching the messages outside.
"The Sable bettors are losing it."
"Several Wardens who were discussing Faction Corridor terms and cross-Region protection with us have messaged again too."
Varek looked up.
"About what?"
"Whether the parts of those deals they accepted because Sable was the ’Rank-1 Favorite’ still stand."
The room went quiet again.
This time, even the people who had wanted to say impossible stopped talking.
Varek held out a hand.
"Remove it."
Nadia looked at him.
"Rank-1 Favorite?"
"Yes."
"Finishing fourth and still asking for a first-place premium just gives them leverage."
One Lord nearby looked grim.
"Our terms will drop."
"That layer will."
Varek’s voice stayed level.
"Troops."
"Routes."
"Protection."
"The four Black Banner Regions already in the top ten."
"Those are still there."
He reopened the Ranking.
"Don’t make excuses for fourth."
"And don’t throw away what we can still sell."
Nadia nodded.
The [Rank-1 Favorite] tag at the top of several pending cooperation inquiries disappeared.
The other terms remained.
One layer of premium was gone.
Black Banner itself was still standing.
Varek looked at the names that still had not appeared.
"Who’s left?"
"Stoneward."
"Ironwake."
"Riftward."
Varek’s eyes stopped on Riftward for one breath.
"4,423,540."
"Locked earliest."
"Yes."
"Then keep watching."
He sat down again.
"Let’s see who pushes Cassian down."
Forgotten Shrine.
The next golden line had already appeared.
[Rank 3 | Stoneward | Regional Warden: Gareth Halvern | Free Attribute +20 | Region Fortune +2]
The channel went quiet for another moment.
Stoneward.
Third.
This time the reaction was not as explosive as Sable March taking fourth.
But a lot of people immediately looked at the names that were still missing.
Gareth’s message arrived almost with the result.
[Gareth Halvern: Third. Understood.]
Tobias stared at it for two seconds.
[Tobias Reed: Not even one "we almost had it"?]
Gareth’s next messages were already there.
[Gareth Halvern: We entered later than Riftward, knew more of the rules, and had more time to prepare.]
[Gareth Halvern: If all that still only got us third, Stoneward needs to find where we failed to turn preparation into Points.]
Someone asked,
[Anonymous Warden: Didn’t the first-batch Regions have an early-entry advantage too?]
[Gareth Halvern: They also stepped on the hidden rules first for everyone behind them.]
[Gareth Halvern: We went in with answers and still didn’t catch them.]
[Gareth Halvern: That’s on me.]
Gareth sent nothing else.
No explanation.
No excuses.
Cassian marked Stoneward again on the Warden map.
Veyra noticed.
"Still marking third place?"
"That’s why I’m marking it."
"And Sable?"
"Keeping it."
"Fourth too?"
"Fourth means they lost this Ranking."
Cassian said,
"It doesn’t mean their troops disappeared."
Veyra laughed softly.
"Fine."
"That sounds more like you."
The golden interface did not stay still for long.
Only two positions remained in the top ten.
This time, no one in the Shattered Marches Channel celebrated early.
Sable March—fourth.
Stoneward—third.
Only two names remained.
Ironwake.
Riftward.
Darian Frost’s one-million-Aether Stake was still locked on Ironwake.
Cassian’s 250,000 from the final three seconds was locked on Riftward.
The channel that had been moving so quickly before slowed noticeably.
Someone posted only the two names.
[Anonymous Warden: Ironwake / Riftward.]
[Anonymous Warden: Second. First.]
[Anonymous Warden: This time there really are only two.]
Tobias did not make another joke about 2.1.
He messaged Cassian privately.
[Tobias Reed: Nervous about that 250,000 now?]
Cassian stared at the question for two seconds.
[Cassian Vale: Yes.]
Tobias paused.
[Tobias Reed: I thought you’d say no.]
[Cassian Vale: 250,000 is real money.]
Veyra happened to see it.
"And you really want first?"
"Mm."
This time she did not laugh.
Because even now—
the result was still not unique.
Second.
First.
Two places.
Two names.
If Ironwake appeared first,
Riftward was first.
If Riftward appeared first,
Ironwake was first.
No one knew the answer yet.
The golden interface lit again.
The channel slowed even further.
Cassian did not look at the Wager again.
He did not calculate twelve times again either.
The money was already down.
Now there was only one line that mattered.
[Next Settlement: Rank 2]