The SoW semifinals for BaN

The ultimate Siege tournament was in full swing with the semifinals at the door for BaN, the reigning champions, and Ashun, a fighter whose desire was to keep on improving and win it all. Last round they had faced HOH in a one-sided match, one which Ashun had missed, making him annoyed, he wanted to always be a part of the fights which BaN had to undergo, as due to his lack of strength, presence and constant improvement were the factors that he considered as necessary to help the alliance in his own way.

BaN's strength in this event was speaking by itself, having reached the semifinals in a 2nd season in a row, and winning the previous one entirely. They were a force to be reckoned with and their achievements spoke on their own. But these achievements were not something easy to reach, even with great strength, their rivals for this season were the perfect example, having just lost their semifinal round, WxC, was eliminated and will not be a part of the finals this season. This proved that strength was only one reason BaN was fighting at this level, the other being their strategist's way of planning everything out. MooON was the strategist for both seasons, with a lot of experience behind her, she was the only one that could lead the alliance successfully inside the event. Each win made her more sure of the alliance's path being right, and she was enjoying every moment of it.

Their opponents for this round were going to be HD!, an alliance that has grown exponentially in the past few months, showing that they could be a threat in the future for alliances like BaN and WxC, should they have enough time and resources at their disposal. Fighting against them thrilled Ashun, who wanted to test his force against someone like this, it was the perfect warm-up before the finals, duelling against a strong up and coming alliance that had an experienced leader and fighter in Orval guiding them.

Orval was a member of DEP, accumulating titles and experience under their leadership, he was ready to duel anyone that challenged him or his alliance.

As the battle drew closer, Ashun found himself energized by the thought of clashing with HD!. The preparations for the semifinals were thorough for everyone, with MooON outlining a similar strategy to what had worked so well in the past rounds, where they have defeated FFS. The plan from that match where there were 3 teams, one for Hot Springs, one of Armory and one for Winterfell, was once again employed.

Ashun was once again assigned to the Hot Springs team, a role he was very familiar with now, and that he eagerly wanted to do as most big fights happened there. This time was a bit different for him, he was determined to not only fulfill his duties in this role but to make a statement as missing the previous match had left him restless, and he was hungry to prove his worth to his alliance.

As BaN’s forces deployed across the battlefield, Ashun couldn’t help but admire the landscape around him despite the cold weather, the HotSprings was looking beautiful in the distance. The soil, despite snow, was solid for a good fight, they could not slip on it. The anticipation was thick, and Ashun felt his heart racing just as it was about to start, however, as the battle began, something felt off. Ashun scanned the battlefield, expecting HD! to emerge in force, but their presence was almost not existent. Their troops were scattered, and the warriors they brought seemed to lack numbers in troops and staying inside their spawn, where they could not be attacked. “Is this it?” Ashun thought to himself, frustration building beneath the surface. He watched as his teammates easily took control of the Hot Springs without encountering any resistance.

The other teams reported similar outcomes at the Armory, HD! had sent no fighters. Winterfell was eerily quiet, with no sign of an opponent. It became clear that HD! had chosen not to fight and give up on the match just like N0X did in the regular season when facing BaN.

Ashun’s frustration grew as the match progressed, having missed the previous round, he had been looking forward to this fight as a way to prepare himself for the finals against NBe. Instead, he was faced with an anticlimactic round that offered no challenge. “Why even show up if you're not going to fight in a semifinal?” he wondered, filled with disappointment.

MooON, however, remained composed. She quickly deduced that HD! had likely decided to conserve their resources for future events, knowing they couldn’t overcome BaN’s strength in this match.

Despite the lack of opposition, BaN carried out their objectives with precision securing everything they set out to do at the beginning. Now everything was secured and BaN pushed towards the spawn point of HD!, where they have now locked them in.

Now the match was over, and Ashun couldn't help but reflect on the experience, while he couldn’t deny his disappointment, he also recognized the importance of preparation and strategy and in that regard HD! had the right choice. Not everything had to be a big fight, sometimes preserving resources for the next events is all you need.

BaN emerged from the semifinals as the clear winners and were now heading towards the finals against NBe. The match looked promising as they took down the other huge favourites. This made everyone a bit anxious but also eager to see what NBe had prepared for them.