Chapter 5: First Raid, First Loss
Srabon stood at the edge of the village, his newly trained Barbarians assembled before him. Their eyes gleamed with excitement, clubs resting on their broad shoulders.
"Today, we strike first," Srabon announced, his voice firm. "Our target is a nearby NPC village — small, poorly defended, but stocked with resources."
[New Quest: Launch a Raid. Reward: 300 Gold, 200 Elixir.]
The system's prompt floated before Srabon's eyes, and he took a deep breath. "Alright, let's do this."
The screen transitioned to an overhead view of the target village. Wooden walls encircled a few Gold Mines and Elixir Collectors. A single Archer Tower stood near the center, its lone Archer on high alert.
"Formation A," Srabon commanded, pointing to the map. "Two groups — one distracts the Archer Tower, the other takes down the Gold Mines."
The Barbarians nodded, tightening their grips on their clubs. Srabon's heart pounded. This was his first real attack.
[Deploy Troops?]
"Deploy!"
The Barbarians charged forward, roaring as they crashed through the flimsy wooden walls. The Archer Tower's arrows rained down on the first group, striking several Barbarians. The other group reached the Gold Mine and began smashing it apart.
But then, a second Archer emerged from a hidden corner, firing rapidly. The first group faltered under the barrage, falling back as arrows pierced their armor.
"No!" Srabon shouted. "Retreat!"
But it was too late. Half of the Barbarians lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. The surviving troops scrambled back to the village, empty-handed.
[Quest Failed. No resources gained.]
Srabon's fists clenched. His first raid had ended in disaster. The Barbarians limped back to the Barracks, heads hung low.
"Chief," one of them said, his voice heavy. "We weren't ready."
Srabon swallowed, the sting of failure burning in his chest. "No," he said, his jaw tight. "I wasn't ready."
In the distance, the Builder watched silently, his eyes narrowed. The first lesson was always the hardest.