Smoke curled into the sky.
Not storm-mist. Not jungle fog.
Smoke. From timber. From cloth. From fire.
One hut had collapsed completely. Another still smoldered, its thatch roofing blackened and sagging inward. But the flames had been contained. The injured had been pulled clear. No one was dead.
A miracle by their standards.
Toren stood in the center ring, covered in mud and soot, one hand resting on Chirrissk's back as the creature panted beside him—bruised but unbowed. Mira emerged from the loader's cockpit, limping slightly but grinning like she'd just won a bar brawl.
Around them, people gathered.
Grum tossed a mangled claw down at Toren's feet. "Don't know what that thing was, but it's part of dinner now."
Linae wiped sweat from her brow, nodded once. "Three injured. None critical."
Wess pointed to the busted turret. "We gotta make five more of those."
And then—quietly at first—someone clapped.
Then another.
Soon, it rolled through the ring like thunder: applause. Cheers. Laughter. Voices rising not in fear, but in relief.
They had won.
Not just survived. Not huddled or prayed or lucked out.
They had fought back.
And Toren hadn't just led.
He had planned.
The clouds parted just after sunrise.
As golden light filtered through the broken canopy, Toren sat alone at the edge of the bluff, overlooking the steaming jungle. The world was quiet. His breath came slow.
KINGDOM LEVEL UP: LEVEL 2 – Settled StrongholdUpgrades Unlocked:—Logistics Interface Module—Training Ground Schematic: Tier I—Civic Planning Console—New Class Tree Available: Civic StrategistBonus Reward: +1 Skill Point (Unassigned)
He exhaled.
Slowly, deliberately, he opened the interface for the first time in hours—and it felt different. Bigger. More refined. Like a town square built on the foundation of a campfire.
And under it all, a pulse.
A sense of momentum.
They weren't just holding out anymore.
They were becoming something.
Mira walked up beside him, still bruised, eyes bloodshot. She dropped into a seat without a word and handed him a chunk of roasted meat on a skewer.
They sat in silence for a while.
Then she said, "You know we're gonna have to name this place."
Toren smiled, quietly, as the system shimmered.
And for the first time—it asked:
Name your kingdom?