"Tutorials end. Survival begins."
— Final message burned into the war slab of the First Citadel
It rained that night.
Not the cleansing kind. No thunder. No wind. Just cold water falling from a breathless sky, soaking through banners and barracks alike. Even the stone of Stormwatch groaned beneath the weight of it, as if the fortress itself understood what had changed.
The Fourth Horn was no longer just a legend.
It was the dividing line between two worlds—preparation, and war.
[System Update: Command Node – Jag Arclight]
– Level: 3
– Gold: 300
– EXP: 60 / 300
– Skill Points: 1
– Tower Slots: 1 (Unlocked)
– New Feature Unlocked: Citadel Management
– New Directive: "Prepare for Advanced Invasion"
Stormwatch Tier: D → Upgradable to Tier C
Upgrade Requirements:
• 2 New Facilities
• 1 Defensive Hero
• 500 Gold
Time Until Next Invasion: 23:52:18
Jag leaned over the main table in the War Hall, steam rising from his soaked cloak. Garron stood nearby with a ragged map, while Ashra sharpened her blades silently near the fire.
Outside, the rain didn't stop.
Neither did the silence.
"Tell me about the upgrade," Jag said, voice low.
The system responded in cold-blue script on the transparent command grid projected before them.
Citadel Management Interface – UNLOCKED
• Build Options (Limited – 1 Per Cycle):
– Watcher's Guild (Scouting bonuses): 250 Gold
– Infirmary Tent (Heals Units Post-Wave): 200 Gold
– Forge Yard (Unlocks Gear Crafting): 300 Gold
– Tower Expansion Node (Opens 2 new Tower Slots): 350 Gold
Available Gold: 300
Note: The chosen facility will define Stormwatch's growth path.
Jag didn't hesitate.
"Forge Yard. We'll need better steel before more towers."
[Construction Initiated: Forge Yard – 300 Gold Spent]
Completion Time: 2 Hours
Remaining Gold: 0
Ashra finally spoke, voice steady. "You gamble on weapons instead of healing."
Jag didn't blink. "A corpse doesn't need healing."
She gave a nod of approval.
The citadel pulsed with faint warmth as the dwarven forge beneath it rumbled back to life. Steam hissed from stone pipes, and a long-dormant anvil glowed with emberlight.
[Forge Yard Established – Crafting Menu Enabled]
Basic Gear Blueprints Unlocked:
– Iron Shortblade (Hero Gear, +5 ATK)
– Buckler of Focus (+10% Block Rate)
– Reinforced Helm (Unit Gear, +HP)
Resource Required: Metal Ingot x3 (0 Owned)
Materials must be salvaged manually from ruins or earned via wave rewards.
Jag exhaled. "We've unlocked the system. But we still don't have fuel for it."
Ashra sheathed her sword. "Then let's go get it."
[New Quest: Salvage the Blackened Bastion]
Description: Recover metal and salvageables from the collapsed fort two miles north.
Enemy Presence: Low
Rewards:
– Metal Ingot x3
– Salvage Crate (Random Gear Component)
Time Cost: 4 Hours
Risk: Medium
"Send me, Garron, and one recruit," Jag said, already moving.
"You sure?" Garron asked. "If a new wave comes early—"
"Then Stormwatch dies anyway," Jag muttered. "Let's move."
[Expedition Party Formed]
• Jag Arclight (Lv. 3)
• Captain Garron (Lv. 5 – Defender)
• Militia Recruit Kellen (Lv. 1)
Weather: Wet and Foggy
Travel Time: 1 Hour Each Way
Estimated Combat Duration: 2 Hours
Forge Operations will continue in your absence.
They left at midnight, rain biting like knives. The road north was flooded in places, mud slowing their pace, and animal eyes watched from the trees.
The Blackened Bastion appeared like a broken tooth in the forest—its central tower snapped in half, blackened from siege fire.
Ashra had stayed behind to guard the walls.
Jag, sword drawn, crept toward the rubble with Garron.
"Careful," Garron muttered. "It wasn't fire that broke this."
Then came the smell.
Burned metal. Rot.
And something else: wax.
Then movement.
A twisted shape slithered from the collapsed doorway—humanoid, but its joints were melted. A doll's head fused with a knight's helmet. Its voice clicked like broken glass.
[Enemy Type Detected: Waxbound]
– Classification: Corrupted Construct
– HP: 80
– Status: Resistant to Physical
– Weakness: Fire, Arcane
Enemy Count: 4+
Garron grunted. "I hate the quiet ones."
Jag gave the order. "Engage. Prioritize critical strikes."
They clashed in the mud.
The Waxbound moved like puppets dragged by invisible strings—arms flailing, heads twitching. Garron tanked the first with his shield, taking a glancing blow that splattered candle-like blood on his armor.
Jag struck at the base of another—aiming for joints.
[Jag's Strike: 23 DMG]
Enemy HP: 80 → 57
The recruit panicked—stabbed into armor plating. The construct turned and screamed—not with a mouth, but from the many small holes bored into its torso.
[Fear Check Triggered – Recruit Kellen]
Result: FAILED
Status: Stunned for 10s
"Hold line!" Jag barked.
Garron slammed his axe into the creature's chest. The wax cracked. Steam hissed out—and the construct fell apart in melting shards.
[1 Waxbound Down – 3 Remain]
Another lunged for Jag. He dodged low, rolled behind a broken slab, then kicked off and drove his blade through the thing's head.
[2 Down – 2 Remain]
The final two fled into the shadows.
[Combat Ends – Partial Victory]
• Resources Obtained:
– Metal Ingot x3
– Salvage Crate (Unopened)
Kellen collapsed, shivering. "I-I'm sorry… I froze…"
Jag offered a hand. "You froze. Then you lived. That's what matters."
Recruit Loyalty: Slight Increase
They returned at dawn.
Ashra awaited them at the gates, nodding as the supplies were hauled into the forge.
The system pulsed again.
[Crafting Available]
• Use Metal Ingot x3 to produce 1 Gear Item
Choose Blueprint:
– Iron Shortblade (Ashra)
– Buckler of Focus (Garron or Recruit)
– Reinforced Helm (Troop Boost)
Jag paused.
Then chose: Iron Shortblade.
[Crafting: Complete]
– Ashra equipped with Iron Shortblade
– ATK +5
– Skill Cooldown -5%
Ashra inspected it with a grin. "Not bad. I'll cut cleaner now."
Hero Affinity Increased: WARM → BONDED
Trait Bonus Unlocked: "Dance of Steel" (Passive Crit Chance +10%)
Jag didn't show emotion—but inside, he exhaled. One small win before the storm.
[System Alert: TIME UNTIL INVASION – 12:00:00]
Forecast: UNKNOWN
New Directive: Prepare Tower Expansion or Defensive Hero
Jag sat alone on the citadel wall that evening, the forge's glow casting long shadows behind him. The people of Stormwatch were tired—but no longer afraid.
They followed him now.
Not because of his name.
But because he had bled beside them.
[Stormwatch Status: HOLDING]
Threat Level: Escalating
Next Wave: ?
"From this moment forward…"
Jag tightened the grip on his blade.
"Stormwatch no longer sleeps."