2026-10-09 16:39:48Kain pushed his back up against the moldy wall of the hut. His heart beat so much that he knew the scouts would hear it from the ridge.
Three men. Armed. On horseback.
He was the bearer of gold and two wounded companions. He was unarmed, undressed and without a plan.
Think, Kain. Think.
His hooves made a more grinding noise as they approached. He heard the men dismount, their boots clapping on the rocky floor of the ravine.
One of them ordered, "Spread out. “Let's check the ravine, I want to know where all the bodies are.”
Kain studied Linden and Joren. Linden's jaw was clenched, and his hand was already reaching for a loose rock. He was prepared to go to the death in battle. Their eyes were wide with terror, and Joren was shaking.
Kain whispered, "Stay here. Keep your body still; don't make any noise.
"Where do you intend to go? Joren hissed.
"To talk."
He walked out the back of the hut without causing them a quarrel. His face felt cold to his skin as it was in the night air. Keeping the shadows, he crouched low as he moved down the stone wall.
A scout came up to the hut up ahead. He was young, just a little older than Joren, clutching his torch tightly. He was well away from the others so they could not see him well.
Kain made a choice.
He came out from the shadows with his hands up.
The scout froze. He put out his hand to his sword.
Kain said softly and calmly, "Don't. Then my archers on the ridge will put an arrow through your throat if you scream," he continued.
He was bluffing. He had no archers. He had nothing. However, the scout was not aware of that.
He scanned his eyes to the dark ridges above him. His hand trembled on his sword.
He whispered, "what do you want?
I want you to get up and leave," Kain replied. “Say to Commander Veyr that you did not find any survivors and only corpses.”
The scout made no movement but looked at him. You are one of the ones he left behind, you're from the Wolf Company.
"Yes."
The young man swallowed and held his breath. He looked uncomfortable. When he gave the order, I was in the camp, I heard what he said, he said ‘hold the line' and he said reinforcements were coming.
But they came not, Kain said. He lied, he gave up us to give him time for his escape.
The face of the scout twisted. He was younger than he was stupid. He was well aware of Veyr's actions. He knew that it was not right.
He couldn't let her go, his voice caught. “But if my commander discovers.
Kain said, "Commander Veyr won't find out. He took one coin from the pouch and extracted it from his tunic, which was a gold coin. He held it up. Take this. Say you did not find anything. Go back to camp. "Don't remember I saw you.
The gold caught the scouts attention. That's more than he earned in a month's work.
Reached out, his fingers closed around the coin. He had just one last look at Kain, his desperation and lusting mixed.
After that he turned and walked away.
Kain exhaled a breath he didn't realize that he'd held. His legs almost gave out. Shaking hands against the stone wall, he leaned.
The boy who was on the lookout shouted up the ravine. "Nothing down here! Just bodies and rats, let's go!
The hooves retreated. The horses' hooves quieted down as the night wore on.
Kain waited until he was sure they were out. Then he darted back in the hut.
Linden looked at him and her eyes were wide. "What did you do?"
I gave him an excuse to leave, Kain said. He quickly sank to the ground, utterly weary. He removed the pouch and gave a piece of dried meat to each one of them. At dawn we leave, "Eat.
The meat drew Joren's gaze, his eyes wide. Where is the source of this?
I found it," Kain said, flatly. "In the hut."
Linden narrowed his eyes. He was aware that Kain was a liar. But he didn't push. He only took a bite of the meat and chewed it slowly.
Kain leaned his head back against the wall. He purchased their one night. One night. However, Veyr would have more scouts sent out later. He had to have a plan of his own.
In his mind was a faint ping sound. In his face, there was a blue panel which lit up.
[HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETE: Stealthily complete a quest without fighting.]
REWARD: 10 Silver, Skill Unlocked: Basic Stealth.
Kain blinked. He felt a strange warmth that ran through his body, as if energy flowed through him among his limbs. His senses sharpened. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees with great clarity. The darkness of the hut didn't seem quite as dark.
He observed the panel. Basic Stealth.
He knew, but he didn't understand how. He was being instructed in the System. It was helping to make him stronger.
And in the morning, he was going to use it.
He was watching his two companions. The battle had left Joren's face calm for the first time since the fight, and he was already sleeping. Linden was observing him with suspicion still in her eyes.
Tomorrow, we must hurry," whispered Kain. Two days east is a village where we can get shelter and supplies.
"And then?" Linden asked.
Kain gazed at the blue panel that floated in the dark, its words glowing softly.
Then we build," he said, "let's build then. “Veyr can't destroy it, we build it.”
Linden looked at him for a long time. Then he slowly nodded.
“Really think we can win?” he asked.
Kain didn't answer. He was not sure whether they were going to win or not. He wasn’t sure how they would do in the week ahead. He did have one thing on his mind, however.
He was now retired from running.
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Chapter 12 :THE SIEGE
The first wave broke against the palisade.Kain felt the wall tremble beneath his boots where his forces and that of the enemy had engaged against the gate. Two-hundred fighting men surged towards the wooden doors, pressing back the reinforced iron gates with all of their might."Hold!"Kain bellowed, "Hold the line!"His men took up his cry. Gareth the blacksmith drove a soldier back with a hammer strike to the face, Ryna let out a string of arrows from her perch above the fray, and Linden held his spear high against a soldier in black despite his bad leg and the pain in his knee.The enemy pressed the attack, the gate groaning under the pressure.Kain glanced at the System panel that floated in his line of vision.What good was this going to do him in battle? It had provided him with Basic Tactics and Basic Fortification but those were for building and not for fighting.He needed to think of another way. Kain turned to Ryna who stood guardedly by the eastern wall."Ryna!"A shout from
Chapter 11 :THE FIRST WAVE
Kain was atop the knoll, looking at the northern pass.Below the valley, it was peaceful. The water was clear in the stream. The walls of the palisades were high. His people went round the camp, getting ready for battle. They were quiet but Kain could sense their fear. He carried a cold weight in his chest and a hum in the back of his mind.He had three days. Then two. Then one.On the last night, he called his warriors together. Twelve men and women capable of wielding a spear or drawing a bow. The rest were too old, too young, or too wounded. They remained within the palisade, and tended the fires.“It's important we don't have too many people here to hold the walls because we can't,” Kain said, his voice steady. So we won't attempt it, we will go to the pass. Ryna what did you see, Ryna?"Ryna stepped forward. The army is just one column, and they're moving quickly, they're not expecting to meet resistance."Good," Kain said. We'll get them to pay for every step, we will.He presen
Chapter 10 :THE HUNT
Kain chose five men.Linden, notwithstanding his limp. Gareth the blacksmith. Two farmers who used to be hunters. And Ryna, who was more familiar with the forest than anyone else.At midnight, they left the camp, silently moving among the trees. Kain's movements became smooth and silent as he raised the Basic skill. He heard all the noises, all the rumbles, all the inhales.The scouts were encamped in a small ravine 2 hours north of the valley. Kain sat on the ridge and watched them. Four men around a small fire. Their horses were tied up nearby. They were relaxed. Careless."Four," Ryna whispered. "We can take them.""No," Kain said. We don't come to kill them.Ryna frowned. So why do we have to be here?“It's about a message we are sending.”Kain explained the plan in hushed tones. Ryna's pupils dilated then contracted. She didn't like it. But she nodded.The hunters took up their positions on the ridge above the ravine. Kain and Ryna made their way down the hill, moving quietly lik
Chapter 9:THE PLAN
Kain couldn't sleep that night. Sitting by the fire, he looked at the wanted poster one last time before burning it in the leaping flames. Five hundred gold coins. Two hundred soldiers. A week at most.He had twenty people. Half of them were unable to fight and the other half were badly injured.The System panel floated before his eyes, the new quest glowing quietly on the dark material.[QUEST: PREPARE FOR BATTLE.][OBJECTIVE 1: Fortify the camp.][OBJECTIVE 2: Train your fighters.][OBJECTIVE 3: Create a battle plan.][REWARD: Unknown.]Kain skim read the objectives. Nothing complicated and just one task he couldn't complete because of sheer lack of time. At dawn he gathered his people together."I'm not lying to you," Kain said. "Reinforcements are coming for the Veyr. Two hundred soldiers. They will reach this valley in under a week."The survivors stared at him. Some looked anxious, some simply resigned to their fate, while others, such as Linden, just looked tired."We can't fig
Chapter 8 :THE TRADER
For three days, they stayed in the hills.Kain took his tribe to a small gorge on the north side of the valley, surrounded by dense pine forests. Eventually the scouts on the southern ridge lost interest and disappeared. However, Kain was not at ease. He knew that they would return.On the 4th morning, he called his people together.They will not be able to evade us forever, he said. Supplies, tools, food, weapons."Well, we have gold," Ryna said. “But, if we can't use it, then gold is no good.”Kain nodded. Two days to the north is a trading post run by Oren, a man who trades with anyone who will pay him. I will go by myself.I'm told, Linden said, stepping forward, “No.” His leg was mending, but he limped about. The leader of them is Veyr, if he gets hold of you then we're done."Then who?"I'm going to go," said Ryna. Said to be more familiar with the woods than anyone else, “Oren knows me, he'll deal with a woman by herself.”Kain hesitated. He did not want to put anybody in harm'
Chapter 7 :THE VALLEY
Kain and the others walked north the next two days.While Kain had the Basic Stealth skill to watch the tree line, it was the Basic Leadership that kept him acutely aware of his people and their struggles. Every time they stumbled, he slowed to let them rest.A scant twenty people comprised his following, some of whom suffered wounds from the battle while others, like the blacksmith, were simply villagers. There were three children among the survivors, which made Kain all the more determined to keep them alive. They all had their purpose, even if it wasn’t as fighters.Kain halted on the second night as the land dipped into a valley ringed by hills on either side. A thin, winding stream snaked along the valley floor and a relatively flat stretch of earth allowed enough space for Kain to pitch tents.“This will suffice,” Kain saidRyna’s brow was furrowed as she scanned the landscape. “It’s good that it’s defensible, but it hardly has walls.”“We will make it a wall,” Kain said.“We do
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