A Hunt to Remember

The hunt had resumed — but Dae and Kate were not walking through the kingdoms this time. This quest was not like before. A cav mates character, also known simply as "Meet the Devil," was joining forces with the hunt, and they were going to make a blackened trail in Kingdom 117 — one of the veteran kingdoms that were still under siege.

The objective was a castle with cavalry, well defended with over 13 million soldiers inside. It was one of the stronger defensive units they had encountered recently — brimming with T4, T5, and a thick blanket of T1 soldiers. The Lord inside was wearing armor. The wall was finished. And the player had been seen hours prior.

But the devil was not afraid. He liked the opportunities.

Despite the risk, Meet the Devil took the initiative. The rally was commanded — frontline troops with a rear mix designed to devastate cavalry brutally. Troops started flooding in from the kingdom's furthest corners. The first rally was launched, shattering Kingdom 117's tranquility.

When it landed, the count was gruesome: 7 million of the enemy troops killed, including a very high percentage of T1 and T4. But victory came at a cost. The rally had bled heavily, and the hospital beds were filling fast.

But Meet the Devil didn't wait. He struck a second rally simultaneously. This time with better coordination, casualties were fewer on their part, but still succeeded in eliminating another 4 million from the defending forces. Power was tilting.

With the target now brought down to maybe 8 million soldiers, the word went out: it was time to go it alone.

Devil launched his first solo march in a desperate bid to wipe out much of what remained. The punch was heavy — 3 million troops were dead — but, by doing so, he had committed one fatal error: he had not fully resupplied the march with soldiers, leaving some of his best formations behind in mistake. A costly error. It could have been cleaner.

Deciding not to repeat the same error, he took special care in preparing the following solo. This time with a full march, he hit again — and succeeded. The castle split in two, and the enemy Lord was captured.

Victory.

But unseen by the crowd, peril had been watching.

Unbeknownst to them, a capable Kingdom 117 cavalry player — one wielding Cassana and full combat gear — lay in wait nearby the battlefield. During the rally, and solos, he had stolen away a finishing hit, depriving them of merit right under their noses.

This was no green player. With Cassana to support him and precise cavalry organization, he could beat whole marches if surprised. They recognized him as a threat and soon began jumping out — sacrificing unnecessary men.

But the chase wasn't yet done.

Their next target was more ambitious — a Spear troop castle with over 13 million troops inside. Defended, buffed, and lying under what seemed like fake gear, it was an experience that needed guile.

Lady was the one in charge this time.

She led off the first rally, a nicely balanced bow-based formation that cut through the spear troops with hardly any damage. The report was stunning — millions destroyed, and unequivocal evidence that the wall was faltering.

Confident with the clean strike, Lory leaped in for a string of solo attacks. Her first solo cleared another few million, cutting through the dazed defenders like cheese.

They were soon to finish the target — when it occurred again.

The same cavalry player, Cassana's one, swooped in and delivered the final blow. Twice in a row, he had stolen away the final blow, and now they were not quick enough to stop him.

Anger mounted. Then came catastrophe.

In the fervor of the scramble to escape, Dae overestimated. When jumping over around to relocate, the cavalry player teleported in with him — and instantly soloed his castle, laser-guided. Dae had troops still withdrawing, and before he could even counter, they were destroyed.

His Lord was just barely able to flee capture — a fluke, but the damage had been done.

The attack was so quick and coordinated that, for the first time, Dae saw the enemy's actual formation. A full Cav March, loaded with T5 and Cassana's abilities, in complete harmony and under full buffs. There was no conceivable way he could've lasted against it without his men on the inside — not with that formation.

But Dae wasn't resentful. He was invigorated.

He had made a mistake, naturally — not filling his march, not moving quickly enough when things got dicey. But he had also slain a 13 million troop figure, orchestrated a victorious rally, captured a Lord, and gained the lesson of a lifetime.

"Each error is a scar," he explained later, "but scars are where the stories reside."

That hunt would stay with him — not so much for the blood and flames, but for the excitement, the friendship, and the perilous chance that kept him wired at every step.

This was no run-of-the-mill hunt — it was one that reminded him of the truth of war: there are always bigger sharks in the water. But always a next chance to bite harder.

And next time?

He’d make sure no one stole his kill.