The attack began without a sound.
At Alexander's signal, fire arrows flew from the trees all at once. They struck the wooden barracks cleanly, oil-soaked cloth igniting dry planks in seconds.
Fire spread fast.
Bandits poured out of their shelters in confusion, coughing and screaming as smoke filled the air. Some ran straight into flames. Others crashed into each other, half-awake and unarmed.
No one gave orders.
No one listened.
Alexander watched from the ridge, calm and focused. This was exactly what he expected.
Rank 0 soldiers moved first, lighting torches and pounding shields at the edges of the ravine. The noise echoed, driving bandits inward instead of letting them escape. Panic spread quickly.
Rank 1 soldiers followed the plan precisely. They moved in pairs, striking only when needed. Short, clean kills. No chasing. No shouting.
A blade flashed.
A body fell.
Then the soldiers vanished back into the smoke.
Bandits swung wildly at shadows that were no longer there.
At the center of the camp, the largest structure exploded outward as a massive figure stepped into the firelight.
Jack the One-Eyed Giant.
He stood nearly seven feet tall, muscles thick and scarred, one eye burning with rage. In his hands was a huge axe, its edge chipped and dark with old blood.
At first, Jack laughed.
Then he felt it.
Something was wrong.
"WHO DARES?" he roared, swinging his axe and smashing aside a burning beam.
No one answered him.
Through the smoke, a single figure approached.
Khalid.
He walked forward calmly, blade held low, breathing steady. He did not rush. He did not speak.
Jack's remaining eye locked onto him. "You think you can face me alone?"
Khalid said nothing.
Jack charged.
The ground shook as he rushed forward, axe raised high. He brought it down with crushing force.
Khalid moved to the side just in time.
The axe split the earth where he had been standing. Khalid struck quickly, cutting Jack's thigh. The wound was shallow, but precise.
Jack roared and swung again, faster this time.
Khalid blocked once. The impact sent pain through his arms and forced him back several steps. Jack's strength was overwhelming. Khalid did not try to match it again.
Instead, he moved.
Jack attacked wildly, rage replacing control. Smoke burned his lungs. Fire crept closer. His heavy swings grew slower.
Khalid waited.
Another swing came. Khalid ducked under it and cut deep into Jack's forearm. Blood sprayed. Jack howled and kicked Khalid hard in the chest.
Khalid flew backward and rolled across the dirt. Pain exploded through his ribs, but he forced himself up.
Jack charged again, breathing hard now.
"You bleed," Khalid said calmly.
Jack screamed and rushed forward, no longer thinking.
That was when Khalid led him.
Step by step, he guided Jack toward broken beams and burning debris. Jack's foot caught on collapsed wood.
Just for a moment.
Khalid struck.
He slashed Jack's knee—not deep enough to kill, but enough to cripple. Jack crashed down hard, shaking the ground.
The axe came up again.
Khalid kicked it away.
Jack reached for him with massive hands.
Khalid stepped in close—too close for strength to matter.
His blade slid up beneath Jack's jaw, angled carefully, avoiding bone. The giant's roar died in his throat.
Jack's body shuddered once.
Then went still.
Khalid stepped back, breathing heavily, blood soaking his arm.
Around them, the camp was already finished.
Bandits fled into the forest, dropping weapons and screaming. Others burned with their shelters. Rank 1 soldiers struck only when blocked, then withdrew as ordered.
From the ridge, Alexander raised a single hand.
"Withdraw."
The strike force vanished into the forest.
Behind them, fire consumed everything Jack had built.
Fear finished what steel began.
Morning came slowly.
The fire had burned itself out, leaving only smoke, ash, and broken wood. What had once been a camp was now a field of ruin. Bodies lay scattered near the barracks, most burned, some cut cleanly where they had tried to block the soldiers' path.
Alexander was the first to move.
He ordered the men to spread out in pairs and check the perimeter. No shouting. No chasing. Just confirmation.
"Casualties first," he said calmly.
The soldiers moved methodically, calling out numbers in low voices. One by one, they returned.
No missing men.
No wounded beyond minor burns and cuts.
Alexander exhaled quietly. "Good."
Khalid leaned on his blade for a moment, watching the smoke rise. His arms ached, ribs bruised, but he stood straight. When he heard the report, he nodded once.
They had done it cleanly.
Only then did Alexander give the next order.
"Search the camp."
The soldiers moved through the wreckage carefully. They overturned crates, pulled open half-burned chests, and searched the larger structure Jack had claimed as his own.
It did not take long.
One group found a locked iron chest buried beneath scorched boards. It took three men to pry it open.
Gold spilled out.
Coins by the hundreds, stacked in sacks and loose piles. Far more than expected.
Another soldier let out a low whistle. "This alone could feed a town."
Inside the same chest, wrapped in heavy cloth, were strange materials—dark, dense fragments that felt heavier than steel. Even Alexander paused when he saw them.
"These aren't normal," he said quietly.
Khalid frowned. "Monster materials."
High-grade.
Rank 6, at least.
Then came the map.
Folded, sealed in wax, tucked beneath the false bottom of the chest. When Alexander spread it across a fallen beam, the markings were clear.
A mine.
Hidden. Unexplored. Marked with symbols warning of danger—and value.
The soldiers gathered around it silently.
"This changes things," Alexander said.
Khalid looked back at the ruins of the camp, then toward the forest path home.
"Let's take everything," he said. "And leave nothing for anyone else."
By the time the sun rose fully, the camp was empty.
Only ash remained.
And fear.
- LEDGER –
Population: 1,940
Army Total: 156
- Rank 4: 3 (Leonidas, Vlad, Khalid)
- Rank 3: 4 (Liam, Lapu-Lapu + 2 soldiers)
- Rank 2: 5 (Alexander + 4 soldiers)
- Rank 1: 25
- Rank 0 (trained militia): 119
Casualties:
- Rank 2+ KIA: 0
- Total Soldiers KIA: 0
- Civilians KIA: 0
Enemy Casualties:
- Jack the One-Eyed Giant (Rank 4): KIA
- Bandit camp destroyed
- Enemy force routed
Construction:
- Phase II – Day 4 / 14
Monster Activity:
- Observation only
Trade:
- Veldoria route secured (pending confirmation)
Summon Cooldown:
- 15 days remaining