The Treasure Hunt Tournament had finally come to an end.
It had been a hard and uneven tournament. Every kingdom mattered, and every piece of land we managed to keep could decide the final result. Because of that, most of our main army spent those long days behind the walls of Kalargun, ready to defend what we had already taken.
The soldiers understood why they had to wait, but they did not enjoy it.
They were tired after the tournament, yet even more than rest, they wanted battle. They had sharpened their weapons too many times without using them.
Especially Faladad.
Faladad was an experienced Commander and Hunter, leading the armies of the Chimera race. He was not a commander who enjoyed watching the world from behind city walls. His place was on the road and on the battlefield, where the enemy could be seen through the dust and heard behind the next hill.
Even his appearance was enough to make younger soldiers step aside when he passed. His heavy armour, the horned skull covering his face and the trophies of countless campaigns made him look more like something from an old war legend than an ordinary commander.
His equipment was prepared for exactly one purpose – hunting monsters.
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After so many days of waiting, Faladad was finally ready to use them.
Even during the Treasure Hunt Tournament, our court explorers had never stopped working. While armies defended the kingdoms, they travelled far beyond the borders of Kalargun, searching for Ruins, Tombs and Stonehenge.
Some returned with nothing.
Others returned with maps marked with new targets.
And as soon as the tournament ended, the hunt began.
One Ruin fell.
Then another.
And another.
But the monsters did not seem to understand the warning.
No matter how many of their settlements were destroyed, new ones kept appearing throughout the kingdoms surrounding Kalargun. It almost seemed as if every ruined nest only angered them more.
For Faladad, that was not a problem.
It simply meant there was more hunting to do.
Days passed in the same rhythm. Scouts returned, maps were opened, orders were given and Chimera troops marched again.
Then came the day that changed an ordinary hunt into something worth recording in the chronicles.
Faladad's army was already marching toward a small monster camp. It was not a dangerous target, but after days spent behind the walls, even a small battle was better than no battle at all.
The army had already left Kalargun when one of the explorers returned with unexpected news.
He had discovered a Ruin.
But not an ordinary one.
A Level 7 Arch-Ruin.
The room became quiet when the report was read.
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The explorers had seen the treasures stored inside.
Among them was an enormous amount of Black Gems.
There was only one problem.
Almost the entire army was already moving in the opposite direction. The garrison remaining in Kalargun was far too small to challenge such a powerful Arch-Ruin.
There was no time for a long discussion.
Faladad made his decision immediately.
Cancel the attack.
Messengers rode after the army as fast as their horses could carry them.
The small monster camp could wait.
The Arch-Ruin could not.
The troops turned around and marched back toward Kalargun. Some soldiers were confused at first. They had been promised a battle and now, before even reaching the enemy, they were ordered home.
But when the news spread through the ranks, nobody complained anymore.
Arch-Ruin. Level 7.
That was an enemy worthy of them.
Back in Kalargun, there was little time to rest. Weapons were checked, formations reorganized and supplies prepared. Faladad inspected his equipment one last time. The runes on his weapon seemed almost alive in the torchlight.
Soon the gates opened again.
This time the Chimera army was marching toward a very different enemy.
When they finally reached the Arch-Ruin, the explorers' reports proved to be true.
The place was crawling with monsters.
Thousands of creatures were waiting among the ruins. Some were heavily armoured, others carried bows and strange weapons. Larger beasts remained behind the first lines, waiting for the battle to begin.
For a moment neither side moved.
Faladad watched the enemy carefully.
He had the advantage of knowing what he wanted.
The monsters only knew that an army had appeared before their home.
Faladad ordered his troops to hold their position.
The monsters became impatient.
Then the first line started moving.
A few moments later, the entire field seemed to come alive.
The monster army charged.
Faladad still waited.
Only when the first creatures entered range did he give the signal.
The sky darkened under the first volley of arrows.
Hundreds of monsters fell, but the creatures behind them simply climbed over the bodies and continued forward.
A second volley followed.
Then a third.
Still they came.
Finally the two armies collided.
The noise of the battle drowned out everything else. Steel struck armour, beasts screamed, soldiers shouted orders and arrows continued to fly over the front lines.
The monsters concentrated their strongest attack against the centre of the Chimera formation.
For a moment they began to push Faladad's troops backwards.
That was the moment they had been waiting for.
Faladad sent his reserves forward.
The centre closed again.
The monsters attacked once more and were stopped.
Then another enemy group appeared on the flank, trying to reach the archers and break the formation from the side.
Faladad reacted immediately.
Part of the army turned to meet them while the main force continued fighting in the centre.
For several minutes the Chimera troops had to fight in two directions at the same time.
It was the most dangerous moment of the battle.
If the centre broke, the monsters would divide the army.
If the flank failed, they would reach the vulnerable units behind the main line.
But neither happened.
Faladad's soldiers held their ground.
His Hunter skills, equipment and Rune Words had been prepared for battles against monsters, and now every advantage mattered.
Slowly the battle began to change.
The monster charges became weaker.
Their lines lost order.
Where they had once attacked as one mass, now smaller groups fought separately.
Faladad saw the moment.
He raised his weapon.
Advance!
The Chimera army pushed forward.
The monsters that had been attacking only moments before were now trying to retreat into the Arch-Ruin.
They were not given the chance.
One group after another was surrounded and destroyed. The last defenders tried to hold the remains of the Ruin, but the battle had already been decided.
Soon the noise of fighting disappeared.
The Arch-Ruin was silent.
It had been annihilated.
Deep inside the ruins, the soldiers finally reached the treasury.
The explorers had not exaggerated.
Among the captured treasures were exactly 45,979 Black Gems.
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The army returned to Kalargun carrying the treasure of the Arch-Ruin.
The soldiers could finally rest.
The weapons could finally be cleaned.
Faladad could finally remove his armour.
At least until the next explorer returned with another mark on the map.
Because the monsters around Kalargun had one strange habit.
They always came back.
And Faladad had an even stronger one.
He always went hunting again.
— From the Chronicles of the Great Conquerors of Kalargun