Double invasion at K494

For the first time in a few days, possibly even weeks, the map was quiet. Nobody was calling for help, no suspicious movement in my kingdom, or any kind of threat. After so many invasions, I finally started to believe I could rest and refill my energy.

It was a perfect moment to slow down, start gathering resources, and train a few more troops without rushing. My body was tired, and my mind was like a hurricane. I needed that rest.

Well… I thought I would be able to rest. I was having dinner with my family when a message arrived.

One of our allies had been quietly watching the enemy kingdoms, waiting for a mistake, a chance for a new invasion. And a target has appeared. Two big castles, all above one and a half billion power, from the same alliance: CcL. All in Kingdom 494 with no bubbles and no protection. And in this game, negligence is an open invitation to hunters.

In that moment, I understood this invasion wouldn’t be fueled by revenge or anger. This was a little bit different. This was territorial control. It was the chance to weaken an alliance that had been competing in strength with TFI and prove that we were stronger and willing to show it through fire and battle.

I closed the map for a few seconds and took a deep breath. Rest could wait. I was ready to invade again.

LaMarmotte and Shimrod were parked together. I chose to begin with LaMarmotte, the infantry guy, the perfect target to test how prepared my cavalry troops would be. The second target, Shimrod, is cavalry, and he has anti-scout, so I can’t tell what he has inside, and if I could beat him.

I activated a 75% army size buff to make sure I would not waste troops. This was not the time to save resources. They were strong, with millions of troops, and I couldn’t afford a single mistake.

I launched the first attack against LaMarmotte.

The first impact impressed me, because I was expecting a painful impact, but it quickly became clear that he lacked synergy on his wall, had only one red weapon, and mixed troops. He had 4 infantry commanders, but not the right ones to build a synergy that would be able to defend properly.

It was a heavy fall for him, and my losses were under control. After many invasions and hundreds of battles, you learn that the first impact is always the hardest. The impact against a full wall can be very painful, and if it's not painful, it means you can go ahead with no fear.

I launched the second attack after healing my troops.

The second impact, even without fortifications on the wall, seemed the same as the first one. Almost the same losses for both sides. I was attacking with cavalry, and honestly, I should be able to give more damage once I’m fighting against infantry. It shows that even without a strong synergy, Marmotte is not weak.

I launched the third and the fourth attack before dawn.

Even with a high number of T4 and T5 troops, I was still hitting his T3 troops even after four attacks. But I was still succeeding, eliminating over 5 million soldiers in a single impact while I kept losing over 100 thousand men with each attack. Marmotte’s infantry troops seemed endless.

I couldn’t stop. I believed I could finish him with two or three more attacks. I launched one more attack.

I finally got rid of all of Marmotte’s T3 troops. In that attack, only T4 and T5 troops remained. And even though they were stronger troops, I had fewer losses and dealt the same damage. The reason was simple: Marmotte had far fewer troops available to defend.

Marmotte was finally falling. Someone who could have been an important ally in the war against me had become just another defeated player. But I wanted more. I wanted to capture him and send a message to everyone involved in that war. I wanted to show that I will destroy all of my enemies.

I launched the final attack!

LaMarmotte was finally destroyed. The feeling of relief was huge. If he had entered the war with the full strength he had, it could have been a disaster for me. Attacking him now was a smart and correct decision.

But the job wasn’t finished. Shimrod was still waiting for me, with battle gear and anti-scout active. I don’t know what to expect, but I can’t turn back anymore.

I felt like he had been waiting for me for a long time, as if he knew I was going to attack. Maybe he has troops hidden, maybe it’s just a bluff, but I won’t risk retreating and looking weak. Now I have to push forward and face the consequences.

I launched the first attack and got a surprise.

I knew something different would be waiting for me, but I never imagined it would kill half of my troops. He had a lot of T5 troops on the wall, a heavy mix of infantry and cavalry, with most of it being cavalry, and he was using commanders strong enough to withstand the impact of my attack.

That was the moment to stop and analyze if I should stop or not. The battle against Marmotte had been a success. Even losing a considerable number of troops, I managed to wipe out the castle and accomplish the objective.

But I also knew that wars don’t give second chances. Or you take advantage of the moment when the enemy is vulnerable and attack, or you retreat and give them time to reorganize, and then they come back with a much higher chance of taking you down later.

I could gather my men and leave, but that would send a message. It would be like admitting I’m not that strong, and that a war against me wouldn’t require much effort, as if I could be taken down easily. That was when one of my commanders, Robert, brought me the right idea: call in a spear hunter to take that castle down.

It was exactly what I needed. That target didn’t need to be hit with cavalry. It needed to be broken with spears. Maybe it would be rough on the first and second impacts, but it would be the safest and most efficient way to take down that target.

My part was done. Marmotte was defeated. I sent a raven to Obito, asking for his help.

The second Invader - Obito’s perspective

“Obito, I need your help.” Phantom said, from Kingdom 494.

I was not expecting a raven in the middle of the night, but I still answered, “What do you need from me, my lord?”

“LaMarmotte was without a bubble, and I took him down, and right after that, Shimrod dropped his bubble to challenge me. But when I hit him, his cavalry troops were stronger than I expected, and I nearly lost my lord. I need you to deal with him.” Phantom replied.

My calm days were over, and the idea of going home was gone.

Looking over the report one more time, it wasn’t hard to see why Phantom had trouble in that first attack. Shimrod was strong. As a spear player, I had an advantage in that fight. But I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, because Shimrod was using his battle gear.

The risk existed. I was scared. But I was a few weeks without any invasions.

“What should I do…?” I kept thinking for more than an hour.

After a few minutes, Phantom sent another message:

“So you’re not coming? Are you afraid? I always knew you would never be a good warrior.”

Phantom had been my leader for a long time. He taught me everything I know about hunting.

“Men, get ready. In less than an hour, we are going to invade Kingdom 494. Phantom needs us.” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

A few hours later, we arrived in Kingdom 494. Phantom was in Harrenhal, only watching. When he noticed I had arrived, he gave the signal telling me to move. I launched the first attack.

The first attack was painful for both sides, and it cost me nearly 350 thousand men. On the other side, Shimrod lost 3.8 million T3 troops. It was a painful price to pay, the kind of hit that makes you stop and question if continuing is worth it.

Phantom was still watching from a distance, and I couldn’t afford to disappoint him. I knew he was there for revenge, and I wanted to be part of that story.

So I gave the order, my men would push forward once again.

The first report showed me that the second attack would also be painful. Shimrod still had a large number of T3 troops inside his castle, and breaking that defense would not be easy, even attacking with spear troops.

The second report came and showed me what I was expecting. Once again, I lost half of my troops while fighting against T1 and T3 troops. A second and painful attack that made me think about giving up. But Phantom was watching. Shimrod’s T3 troops were finally gone. So I launched two more fast attacks right after, just to make sure he wouldn’t have time to bubble.

This time, my troops were more prepared, and with each new impact, the cost kept dropping.

In two attacks, Shimrod lost almost 6 million soldiers. On my side, 561 thousand men were lost. It was a heavy loss, but one that would bring Phantom’s pride back.

Even so, Shimrod refused to use his bubble and protect his troops. He chose to tank another attack, hoping he could catch my lord and flip the battle in his favor. That was a crazy gamble. I sent two more quick attacks before he had any chance to answer.

From the last two reports, I could see that Shimrod’s resistance was completely broken. In those final two attacks, I lost 310 thousand troops, a small price compared to the earlier attacks. On the other side, Shimrod watched another 4.5 million soldiers disappear from the battlefield.

When he finally activated his bubble, it was too late. More than 90% of his army had been eliminated by me. That decision was made only seconds before I could capture and execute his lord.

“Do not get involved in this war. Becoming an enemy of Phantom will cost everyone death.” I shouted.

Phantom approached. He didn’t say much. He was proud again. For me, that invasion brought more than scars… I gained experience, strengthened my name, and earned more merit points. In the end, I learned that honor is expensive, but it’s worth every life lost.

Thank you for reading.