Randy stood atop his newly reinforced fortress walls, gazing at the distant level 3 stronghold. The sight of it unsettled him, but he couldn’t afford hesitation. His strategy was clear defend, build, and strike only when the time was right.

  His newly summoned troops were hard at work, training relentlessly. The cavalry drilled their charges, the infantry honed their formations, and the ranged units practiced precision. Each one of them was essential to his survival.

  But Randy knew that defense alone wasn’t enough. He needed intelligence.

  “Scout the ruined fortresses,” he commanded.

  A group of five scouts, lightly armored for speed, set off toward the smoldering remains of the fallen strongholds. If there were survivors, they might offer valuable information. If the attacker had left anything behind, he intended to claim it.

  The fortresses were nothing but ruins. No survivors, no resources just scorched earth and shattered remains. Randy’s scouts confirmed the worst: when a lord perished, their troops die instantly, leaving nothing but wreckage in the aftermath.

  Randy stood on the walls of his fortress, gripping the stone railing as he processed the situation. Two entire fortresses wiped off the map, their remains still smoldering. There was no doubt about it whoever had done this was ruthless and efficient.

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  His scouts knelt before him, awaiting orders. “Did you find anything useful?” he asked.

  One of them stepped forward. “We searched through the wreckage. It was picked clean whoever attacked took everything. But we did find a few weapons scattered in the rubble. Some of which are still usable.”

  Randy’s eyes narrowed. “How many?”

  “Around 10 tier 2 swords,10 tier 2 daggers, and 10 sets of tier 2 armor, albeit in need of repair.” the scout replied. “Not much, but better than nothing.”

  It wasn’t the jackpot he’d hoped for, but it was something. “Gather it all. Any advantage counts,” he ordered.

  As his soldiers moved to retrieve the weapons, Randy turned his focus to something more pressing his defenses. He had seen what happened to those who let their guard down. If he wanted to survive, his fortress had to be impenetrable.

  “Reinforce the outer walls,” he commanded his soilders. “Double the number of troops at every entrance. I don’t care how long it takes I want this fortress to be a nightmare for anyone who dares to attack.”

  His men nodded and hurried off to carry out his orders.

  Randy’s gaze shifted north, where the level 3 fortress loomed in the distance. It was obvious now whoever owned that fortress was responsible for the destruction. And if they were conquering their way across the land, it was only a matter of time before they set their sights on him.

  But Randy wasn’t going to wait to be attacked. If war was coming, he would be ready.

  His mind was already formulating a plan. It was time to expand his reach, strengthen his army, and ensure that when the enemy came knocking, they’d regret ever underestimating him.

  For now, his path was clear: fortify, strategize, and survive.