ST and Ashun team up in the Arena of Honor

As another round of Arena of Honor was approaching, Ashun was going through some changes. His team had suddenly decided to disband after the last failure in the previous round of action. They had finished on the 6th place and now he was left without a team, hoping to gather enough friends to join his cause and fight alongside them to win the City of Glory.

His goal seemed to be out of reach this season, never having an easy round, even whilst playing alone, he never managed to capture the city of glory. It was a saddening fact, but a reality he needed to accept, he was not strong enough to compete for it. He needed to join a team that had enough strength to compensate, where he could put his strategic mind to use.

As he was wandering around the seven Kingdoms, asking left and right about a spot in different teams, he was turned down every time, as no one had empty spots for him. After a long search, he had come across his old friend, Sir ST, who had the same issue as Ashun, he could not find a team for himself. Thus they joined forces and brought together a team made out of BaN and SKR fighters to compete for the City of Glory.

As the next round of Arena of Honor drew near, Ashun and Sir ST knew they needed to create and adjust a strategy for what was coming their way. Ashun and ST sat down to discuss their plan and make sure they would have no issues once the match begins. If they were strong enough to capture the City of Glory, they would aim for Cavalry camps, otherwise they would build trade posts.

Once they reached the battlefield however, they were met with a terrifying sight, their opponents for this round were 2 teams they knew very well, HOH and WTF, both way stronger than them. They knew they couldn’t compete head-to-head with the top teams in direct combat. They had learned that lesson the hard way in the previous rounds where they had met. But they also knew their strengths: strategy and timing. Their focus had to shift from brute force to smarter positioning, using the battlefield’s resources to their advantage. If they couldn’t win in strength, they could outmaneuver their opponents.

“The altars and the dragon pits are important, but they will be impossible for us to capture, we need to build trade posts to secure our points income, we need it to be steady.”

Ashun and Sir ST stood at the edge of the battlefield, their newly assembled team of BaN and SKR fighters behind them, fully motivated to fight against the incoming odds, but also terrified at the same time. They knew they were the weakest group on the field, but that didn’t weaken their determination. The two strongest teams HOH and WTF loomed large in their minds and also on the field, they were scaring everyone with their strength. Everyone knew those titans would eventually clash over the City of Glory, leaving Ashun and his crew scrambling for a foothold and that was the opening they were aiming for.

The first test was fast approaching as the altars unlocked across the battlefield, one by one. Ashun could feel the tension in the air as everyone on the battlefield started clashing. He turned to his team, trying to project confidence. "We may not have the strength to win head-on, but we will take a smart approach. We’ll pick our fights carefully."

But HOH had other plans for them, wishing for revenge from other events, they were determined to aim for Ashun's team. They seemed to target Ashun’s team specifically, harassing their positions and forcing them into defensive retreats. Whenever Ashun tried to advance towards an altar, HOH was there, waiting to overpower them.

Ashun's frustration grew with each passing minute. No matter how often or how strong of a march they used, they couldn’t keep up with the strong attacks. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath after another failed attempt to secure an altar. His heart sank as he realized just how big the gap in strength between his team and the top contenders was, it was a sad realisation, but he could only be thankful that WTF did not target them as well.

Sir ST, sensing his friend’s frustration, placed a hand on Ashun’s shoulder, hoping to cheer him up a bit before their tactics come into play. "It’s not over, we just need to hold out until the City of Glory unlocks. That's when HOH and WTF will be too busy fighting each other. We can take advantage then, just gotta hold our nerves until then."

Ashun was agreeing, understanding what Sir ST meant, but still disheartened at everything that had previously unfolded, it was not taking away from the gap that he witnessed between the teams. He knew they were at a disadvantage, but they weren’t beaten yet, it was soon time to go all out. "Alright, let's focus on defense for now, even if it won't be much, we will have to defend all we can. The altars are lost to us in this fight, but we need to be ready when the City of Glory battle pulls their focus away."

As predicted, the moment the City of Glory unlocked, HOH and WTF abandoned the altars and marched their armies toward the massive structure in a fight for the throne. The field lit up with the chaos of their impending clash.

"This is it, now we can go towards the altar, it is our chance." Ashun said whilst his eyes were scanning the battlefield for targets that they could capture.

With HOH and WTF occupied, Ashun and Sir ST quickly moved their forces to the altars. Their timing was perfect as HOH was not paying attention, and even if they did, there was too much to defend against. Most of the opposition had turned their attention to the City of Glory, leaving the altars less defended than before, by quite a bit. They managed to reclaim two trading altars with minimal resistance, immediately securing a steady income of points for the rest of the match, whilst other altars were still falling.

Despite being the weakest team on the battlefield, Ashun’s tactical gamble was paying off as they were now back into the fight. They couldn’t outfight the top teams, but they could outthink them, the strategy was proven to be right.

The battle for the City of Glory on the other hand was intense, with WTF emerging victorious after a brutal contest where HOH failed to rally them out on a few occasions. This meant that HOH took second place. Meanwhile, Ashun and Sir ST’s strategy allowed them to hold onto enough altars to climb up the rankings quickly without anyone stopping them.

When the dust settled, Ashun’s team finished in fourth place, an amazing finish, something that he did not consider possible when the enemy teams were revealed. They hadn’t won, but considering they were up against two of the strongest possible teams, it felt like a victory, and rightfully so. Ashun glanced at Sir ST, he saw a tired but satisfied smile on his face. "We did better than I expected."

Sir ST laughed, amused and clearly pleased at the outcome, as everyone in the team seemed to be, they all shared the same feelings. "Not bad for a first run together. We still have a lot to learn, but this is a good start, I hope we can keep it up this way each round we will fight in together."

Ashun nodded, feeling a sense of pride of what they had accomplished, something that he did not foresee as possible. His team had fought hard, and though they hadn’t captured the City of Glory or beaten the strongest teams, nor stood a chance head-on against them, they had held their own through tactics alone, it was an incredible feat. They’d proven they could adapt and use strategy where brute force failed.

"We’ll do better next round, I'm very sure of it given what we have managed to accomplish today." Ashun said with determination. "We’ve seen what we’re up against, and what we are already able to achieve, now we know where we can improve. Next time, we’ll be ready to get even better results."

As they were leaving the battlefield, Ashun’s mind was full of ideas for the next round, everything that could be improved was now something for him to prepare for the next round, he seemed to be highly motivated. His hope for future success reappeared, something that he did not expect to have once again after losing his previous team, but now the rounds ahead looked differently and with a solid team beside him, he knew that their journey had only just begun.