The fog had thickened. Not natural fog — the system called it Interference Mist. A side effect of Sovereign movement across territorial boundaries.
Virel's scouts were near.
Kael stood before a crude stone table he'd carved from rubble, runes etched into the surface with a heated dagger. A flickering map glowed above it — his domain marked in blue. Two red dots blinked along the edge.
[ENEMY PRESENCE DETECTED: CRIMSON VALE SCOUT UNIT (X2)]
[UNIT TYPE: VEIL STALKERS]
[CLASS: INFILTRATION]
[COMBAT RANK: D-]
"Two isn't bad," Kael muttered.
"They're scouts," Veera corrected. "The real force follows behind. We kill these quietly, or we invite siege."
Kael nodded. His militia units waited just behind the inner ruins — hidden, hungry.
Let's test how much damage five soldiers and one mad Sovereign can do.
•••••••••••••••
NIGHTFALL
~~~~~~~~~
The stalkers came in silence.
Shadowed forms wrapped in shifting cloth, they moved like liquid — one climbing along the half-collapsed archway, the other crouching low near the ash piles.
Kael gave no verbal order. He just raised two fingers.
Veera vanished into the dark.
Seconds later, her spear struck down like a guillotine. The first scout never even saw her — only a flash of violet and the crunch of his own ribs caving.
The second ran. Directly toward the ruins.
Bad choice.
A militia blade flashed from the rubble. Then another. Then three.
[VEIL STALKER #2 — ELIMINATED]
[+8 EXP TO UNITS]
[+3 EXP TO VEERA]
Kael stepped over the corpses. Thin black blood stained the dirt.
"Didn't even test the Law," he said.
"The Law was watching," Veera replied, her tone low. "They didn't even try to run. Smart — but not smart enough."
[REWARD: SCOUT DATA MODULE RECOVERED]
Kael accessed it through the system.
[INTEL ACQUIRED: CRIMSON VALE STRIKE TEAM — DEPLOYMENT IN 3 DAYS]
[PRIMARY TARGET: NULL PROVINCE]
[OBJECTIVE: SOVEREIGN DECAPITATION]
[PREDICTED ENEMY FORCE: 40 UNITS]
[COMMANDER: VIREL'S BLOOD COUSIN — "MALRIC THE SHRED"]
Kael's face hardened.
Three days.
He had five militia, one hero, zero defenses, and no fortifications.
But he also had a Law.
And something far more dangerous: intent.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PREPARATION PHASE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kael opened the construction menu.
[UNLOCKABLE STRUCTURE AVAILABLE: SHADOW TRENCHES]
[SHADOW TRENCHES]: Passive Territory Trap | Debuff enemy movement & visibility.
[COST]: STONE X10 | WORKER SOUL X1
He slammed the button.
Veera watched the blueprints unfold in midair.
"You planning to out-fight them or out-think them?" she asked.
Kael replied without looking up.
"Both."
By morning, the trenches were laid — jagged lines dug by ghostly labor, forming a maze of shifting ash that would obscure and disorient any intruder.
Kael opened the Lawcraft interface.
A second Law Slot shimmered — unlocked at Rank E.
But he didn't write one yet.
Not until he saw what kind of enemy he was dealing with.
That night, Kael stood atop the same watchtower, wind tugging at his coat. The ruins were quiet, but every shadow felt like it held teeth.
The crimson sigil of the Crimson Vale pulsed faintly on the horizon.
And behind it, a warband marched toward him.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
[END OF CHAPTER 4]
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