Sometimes gets Lost

The Red Mine was one of the events that rallied the kingdom that week, and the rankings had yet to be established. The weapon at stake was the axe wielded by Raymond. Uriel the Great and Sigrid had both expressed their desire to rank, hopefully in high positions, but Vangark wouldn’t be able to participate from the start and would have to rely on battling in the later hours.

To his surprise, when he arrived, Uriel and Sigrid had already managed to earn chests. Both reported they had to contend with members of NBe, specifically Zeoo, who had stationed Defy there for nearly five hours. Both were spearmen, but it was only with Arthurion’s arrival, wielding his strong cavalry, that they managed to overcome the two, even though they were counters to Arthurion’s troops. With this victory, Arthurion claimed the first position.

After securing the top spot, the king of K276 approached Arthurion and suggested that Paco could aim for the second place. Vangark believed this was possible since he would also assist his alliance mates in the battle. Arthurion agreed, and Paco entered the mine, but he was quickly attacked and lasted no more than five minutes before the assaults began. Paco and Defy clashed fiercely, while Zeoo was another story. Vangark struggled to take on Zeoo due to his lower base attack, and Zeoo’s commanders were equipped with weapons that made him a formidable opponent, unlike Vangark’s. After several minutes of fighting, Arthurion, exhausted and low on picks, suggested staying in the mine. He had proven capable of holding his own against the spearmen, which would allow Paco to at least secure a chest. Vangark, after considering, agreed. Sigrid, an infantry player, was unavailable, so at least Arthurion could deal some blows to the spearmen or coordinate attacks to fill their enemies’ hospitals as they had done in past battles.

As the hours passed, the king grew uneasy, wanting his fellow kingdom members to have a chance at a chest. He spoke again with Arthurion. By then, several hours had passed, and Defy wasn’t progressing beyond the second place, nor did any other NBe members seem to be aiming for a spot in the top ten. Understanding his intentions, Arthurion left the mine, allowing Fraant, who was nearby, to enter. However, like Paco, Fraant was almost immediately attacked, this time by members of IlI. A new battle erupted against another alliance, with the two members from K276 facing off against relentless opponents seeking a position in the mine. Vangark was forced to fight with cavalry on several occasions as his opponents switched attack lines, trying to weaken his spearmen with infantry.

Growing weary and seeing that Fraant couldn’t hold the mine and that he, like Arthurion, was running out of picks, Vangark decided to occupy the mine with a full army of spearmen and wait for an attack from one of the two. He was attacked, but not by members of IlI; it was Magormah, an NBe member and a spearman like himself. Vangark couldn’t defeat Magormah, who established a defensive army in the Red Mine. Once again, the base attack was a crucial factor in this standoff.

Seeing the time remaining, the king sent a raven to Sigrid. With the time left, Magormah could easily displace Uriel the Great, but Sigrid replied that he would arrive after the Red Mine had closed. The king cursed, feeling responsible for his ally's drop in rank and loss of a second chest; Uriel was likely to earn just one, and Fraant would go without a place in the mine. Since the founding of K276, it was the first time they faced such a setback. Excluding himself, only four others held a spot in the Red Mine.

With no opponents challenging him after overtaking Uriel the Great, Magormah left the mine, which was then occupied by Lilya F. Although only a few minutes remained, it was enough for her to secure a chest. The king, with his pride wounded, let her remain for a few minutes before attacking, leaving only one troop in place and waiting for her move.

He didn't want to lose any more troops; his strategy was different: he wanted Lilya F to lose attempts and, like Fraant, lose any chance of earning a chest. Magormah was still nearby, supporting his ally, but they couldn't keep up with the king of K276’s tactics. Each time they reached the mine, they only found a single troop, and Lilya F would quickly reoccupy the mine to continue accumulating minutes.

Vangark then stopped attacking, creating the impression he had given up and that they had won. By his calculations, Lilya F was just a few seconds away from missing a rank position, so he waited until the very last moments to make his move, denying her any chance at ranking. It was a small revenge. "An eye for an eye," he muttered as he turned his back on the mine and began his journey back to his castle, though he couldn't shake the thought that Uriel had lost a chest because of his own decisions. "I’ll consider it more carefully next time," he kept repeating to himself.