The first torch struck the barricade just before midnight.
A line of fire lit up the eastern streets, throwing monstrous shadows across the walls.
Drums thundered like war gods, and shouts echoed through the alleys.
The enemy had come.
And they came in numbers.
---
Riven stood atop the central watchtower, cloak fluttering in the wind.
From his vantage point, he could see Garrick's forces surging like a flood — a mix of mercenaries, thugs, and deserters, at least three hundred strong.
Some wore scavenged armor. Others painted symbols of old gangs across their chests.
A makeshift war machine rolled toward the gate — a battering ram built from stolen cart wheels and scavenged steel beams.
They weren't organized.
But they were many.
---
> [Battle Event: Eastern District Under Siege]
> Objective: Defend the Main Gate and Command Center
> Bonus Objective: Defeat Garrick Personally
---
Eron stood beside Riven, helmet slightly askew, eyes wide but resolute.
"They're using formations now," he muttered. "Crude… but better than we expected."
Riven nodded. "He's learning. But we've prepared."
He turned to the runners. "Signal all posts. Phase one: hold the outer line. Archers and slingers on rooftops only."
The messengers scattered like birds.
Then he turned to Eron. "Get to Mira. Set up triage in the southern courtyard. We'll have wounded within minutes."
"And you?" Eron asked.
Riven's eyes burned silver in the torchlight.
"I'll be where I always am."
---
On the front line.
---
The Eastern barricade groaned under impact.
The first wave of enemies crashed against it like a tide of steel and fury.
Riven moved through the chaos with calculated grace.
He gave no long speeches. No war cries. Only orders.
"Reinforce the west flank."
"Don't chase. Hold the line."
"Use the pitch traps now."
As one of Garrick's raiders tried to scale the barricade, Riven met him with a flying kick to the chest, sending him tumbling into a fire pit.
Screams followed.
---
> [New Combat Skill Acquired: Urban Terrain Mastery Lv.1]
---
Meanwhile, slingers on the rooftops pelted the advancing enemy with rocks, bottles, and oil flasks.
One struck a mercenary square in the face, sending him tumbling into his own allies.
The defenders fought like cornered wolves — not professionals, but people defending their homes.
And it was enough.
For now.
---
But then the ram hit.
Boom.
Boom.
With every strike, the barricade splintered further.
Riven cursed under his breath.
They didn't have the resources to hold forever.
---
He climbed to the second platform, took out a small vial, and smashed it against the stone.
A thick green smoke hissed into the air.
Seconds later, hidden compartments in nearby buildings opened.
From the shadows emerged Riven's secret weapons.
The Ash Knives — a group of former assassins and street thugs who had sworn loyalty days before.
Clad in dark rags and wielding daggers coated in poison, they slipped into the enemy's rear lines.
One by one, enemy archers fell, throats slit.
Confusion erupted behind the siege lines.
Exactly as planned.
---
> [Quest Progress: Fortify the Eastern District – 80%]
> [Synchronization: 65%...]
---
But Garrick had expected something.
He roared, appearing from the heart of the chaos.
The man was a beast.
Nearly two meters tall, wrapped in chainmail, wielding a hammer that had once belonged to a noble executioner.
"RIVEN!" he bellowed. "FACE ME!"
Riven descended the barricade steps calmly, blood-streaked and silent.
As Garrick stormed forward, enemies parted like waves around him.
"Finally," Garrick spat. "The coward king shows himself."
Riven didn't rise to the bait.
"I warned you," he said. "You refused."
"No. You killed Craven. Stole what was ours."
"You never owned anything," Riven replied. "You only took from those too broken to fight back."
Garrick swung.
A whirlwind of steel and fury.
Riven dodged just in time — the hammer splintered a support beam behind him.
They clashed again.
Riven was faster, lighter. But Garrick was a wall of pain.
Every blow chipped away at Riven's defense.
But every dodge gave Riven another moment to read him.
Garrick overcommitted on the third swing.
Riven slipped inside the arc, stabbed his dagger upward — but the chainmail deflected the blow.
Garrick slammed his forearm into Riven's chest, sending him flying.
The world tilted. Riven rolled, gasping, ribs aching.
Blood trickled down his arm.
---
> [Health: 82%]
> [Adrenaline Surge Triggered]
---
But he rose.
Because he had no choice.
Because behind him were hundreds who depended on him.
He pulled a second dagger from his boot.
This time, he didn't attack head-on.
He danced.
Slashed.
Feinted.
Cut behind Garrick's knee. Across his side.
Wearing him down.
Bit by bit.
Until the monster began to stagger.
---
"You're… just another thug," Garrick growled, spitting blood.
"No," Riven whispered. "I'm your end."
One final feint — and then a dagger buried deep into Garrick's exposed collarbone.
The giant fell to one knee.
Riven grabbed a broken spear from the ground and drove it through Garrick's throat.
Blood exploded across the dirt.
And Garrick was no more.
---
> [Boss Defeated: Garrick the Breaker]
> [Synchronization: 68%...]
> [Title Gained: Defender of the East]
---
The moment he fell, the enemy lines crumbled.
Some fled.
Others surrendered.
The people of the Eastern District surged forward, driving back the remaining attackers.
Victory.
Bloody. Costly.
But real.
---
By dawn, the fires were out.
The wounded were being treated.
The dead — honored.
Riven stood in the courtyard, hands stained, armor cracked, breathing the smoke-filled air.
Eron approached slowly.
"You're alive," he said.
"Barely," Riven replied.
"We won."
Riven looked around at the tired, battered survivors.
"No," he said. "We survived."
"But now… we begin."
---
> [Quest Complete: Defend the Eastern District]
> [New Quest Unlocked: Establish the Eastern Banner]
Objective: Formalize leadership, organize factions, prepare for war council.
> Reward: Permanent Territory Bonus.
---
In the distance, bells rang.
Not from the Eastern District.
From the center of the city.
A summons.
A meeting of the highest-ranking faction leaders.
And Riven's name had been added to the list.
He was no longer a shadow.
He was part of the war.
---
And this time, the whole empire would take notice.
---
> [Synchronization: 70%...]