2026-10-09 17:09:28Kain didn't grab a weapon. He didn’t have one. Instead, he placed himself in front of Joren and Linden to block the woman's view of him.
He asked, "Who are you?He said, "Who are you?
The woman showed no reaction. She held her hands out in front of her, off the bow on her shoulder.
"Name’s Ryna," she said. I was with the eastern scouts. We saw the banners retreat, we saw Veyr ride away and leave you to die.
Kain narrowed his eyes. “You're supposed to believe that I just left your job?”
I didn't walk away, I ran when they started the slaughter and I have been hiding in these woods for three days waiting for survivors. She looked at Linden and Joren. Seems I've come across some.
The loose rock was still tightly held in Kain's hand, and Linden moved away from him. Could be a bounty hunter, Veyr doubled the bounty for your head.
I know," Kain said. His eyes focused on Ryna, examining her face. He concentrated, allowing the Basic Persuasion skill to take effect on his subconscious. He knew from her stance that she was a woman. The stress in her neck and shoulder muscles. Her eyes showed the pain of her loss. She wasn’t lying.
If I wanted the bounty," Ryna said flatly, "I would have put an arrow in your back an hour ago and collect the gold. I need a leader, not a corpse.
Kain let out a deep, calming inhale. "How many others?"
"Fifteen. Perhaps more, Ryna said. There are a few camp followers, families of some of the men Veyr left behind, wounded soldiers, hiding here an hour north. I found help.
Kain turned their way. Joren was still white, but there was a glint of hope in his eyes. Linden merely shook his head.
“Fifteen people,” said Linden grimly. We cannot feed 3. How will we be feeding 15?
“It's not like we can choose,” Kain said. He turned around to Ryna. "You said Veyr left us to die. What do you want to gain from helping us?
“But I have to go to war,” Ryna said. "And Veyr is a coward - kills his own people to save his skin - I'd rather die fighting with you than with him.
Kain looked at her for a long time. Then he nodded.
"Take us to them."
They went on for more than an hour with Ryna through the dark forest. The woods were dense, the ground was hilly, but Ryna walked with the conviction of having spent her entire life in these woods. Kain walked at her side, his senses still attuned to the Basic Stealth skill.
The eastern scouts, you said," Kain whispered. "What did you see?"
Ryna’s jaw tightened. We saw the signal flags from Veyr's camp; the retreat order; but not the follow order. We held our places until we saw the enemy cavalry coming in from the south, cutting us off and attacking our flank.
Kain repeated, "The flank. “Veyr, he knew they were coming.”
“He knew,” Ryna confirmed. He lured them in with your unit, then backed out and gave them a good beating, while he got away.
Kain's hands made fists. He'd known this, he'd suspected this. He was chilled to the bone when he heard it for the first time. Veyr hadn’t just abandoned them. He had planned it.
It was just as the moon was rising when they came to the entrance of the cave system. It was behind a dense screen of vines and hard to see if not for those who were aware of it.
The interior of the cave was wet and cramped. A small smoky fire surrounded by 15 people. Wounded soldiers, old men and just a few females and children. When Kain came in, they were frightened and panicked.
A young woman, wearing a bandage on her head, came forward. "Ryna? You found him?"
“He's here found me. Ryna said. She turned to Kain. This is Captain Kain, he'll be the leader.
Kain felt five times as many pairs of eyes. They were tired, hungry and scared. It was as if they were seeing him as their final chance.
He didn't feel like a leader. He thought he had lost his wife, his home, his farm, and everything. However he knew he wouldn't be able to say that.
I don't want to lie to you," Kain said, his voice even. We are in a bad situation… We don't have any food, we don't have any weapons, we have an army that's hunting us But we have each other. And I am not going to leave you behind like Veyr left us behind.
There was silence.Silence continued. One after another, the survivors nodded.
A soft ping resonated in Kain's mind. A blue panel came to life in front of him.
[QUEST UPDATED: BUILD YOUR FIRST WARBAND.
[PROGRESS: 17/20 SURVIVORS RECRUITED.]
REWARD: 100 Gold, Skill Unlock — Basic Leadership.
Kain blinked. Seventeen. He had seventeen people. However, for 20 this was the reward. He was still 3 short.
"Ryna," Kain said. "You said there were more. Where are the other three?
Ryna's face turned as green as a new penny. She glanced over at the floor.
"What is it?" Kain pressed.
Ryna lifted her gaze and closed her eyes tightly. Three survivors are hiding in the village of Dunhollow, but they are all shut up in a watchtower by there being trespassers there. Veyr's men are using them as bait.
"Bait for what?"
Ryna met his eyes. You Kain, for you Veyr knows that you are alive, and he knows you will not leave your people.
It was a silent night, except for the crackling fire. Kain studied the survivors and the System panel.
He faced a decision to make. Save 3 people, walk into a trap or survive, leave them to die.
He looked at Ryna.
Give me all the details of that watchtower.
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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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