S47 – K193 : Pick me!

It was a quiet evening, I was doing my quests, but you know, anything can happen in the game. Suddenly, one of my mate with a scout went wandering around some servers and posted a report in the chat. My eye immediately noticed that number of troops. 32 million.

That certainly wasn't a small number. Curious, I went to take a look and thought, "Oh wow! Those are spears! Look what he found. What a nice target!" He was in rebel gear, and on the wall were all spears except for the lord, who was for the rebels.

As it happened, his lord, for it to be correct as a spears wall, had to be Jaime. Without the correct lord, weakness was also missing, so that castle was much more fragile at that moment.

However, I wasn't the only one in the alliance interested in that castle. Another of our comrades was too. And here's something to explain. When a group or alliance receives scout reports for castles without a bubble, the rule is that the first person to propose jumping is the first to be able to strike. I still remember when they explained the rally rule to me at the beginning of the game: "Whoever does the rally is the first person who can then solo."

From that day on, I understood the priority rules, even when it comes to targets. It's not just a matter of order or good manners, but also of interest. Two players for the same target aren't worth jumping unless the objective is particularly difficult or there's a need for collaboration.

The fact is, I really liked that castle, so after looking at the report, I immediately wrote "me me! Pick me!" Soon after, a mate also said he was interested, so now we had to decide between me and him. Who would go? I was infantry, for me he was a perfect counter. He, on the other hand, was spears, but very strong and with a maxed lineup, so probably the advantage I could have as a bonus would have been the same for him even if he was spears.

At that moment, the evaluation began for both of us. My partner noticed that the castle was online and would likely bubble after the first hit, so he decided to pass.

I, on the other hand, wanted to take the risk anyway; for me, it was a challenge to see how much damage I could deal. So the choice had been made: I would go. Good! With enthusiasm mixed with excitement, I began to think about the number of troops to send. The castle had plenty of T4s and T5s and a wall that, despite lacking weakness, could still deal damage. I decided to risk only a 50% buff. It wasn't an easy decision; the 75% buff was very rare, and using it on a castle that could bubble after the first hit would have been a waste. However, I also wanted to deal damage without taking too much damage myself. So I calculated a mix of troops that would reduce the damage dealt to me.

With my heart beginning to beat faster with the excitement of the impending battle, I prepared my troops and didn't even look at the server, whether it was dangerous or not. It was supposed to be a hit-and-run, a very quick hit-and-run, given that it was online. I couldn't know if I'd be able to land more than one hit; the chances were very low. As soon as my troops were ready, I jumped.

It was always exciting to land on a new server; it always felt like the beginning of an adventure full of pitfalls and dangers, but that was the beauty of the game. I landed not far from that castle, in a low-profile location, wearing my usual disguise exterior that made me less visible. I didn't have much time; the castle had already been scouted by our teammate; someone might have noticed, and they might even have reinforced it. But while I was preparing for the jump, my eyes weren't the only ones on that server; other alliance members were also waiting for the spectacle of battle. I knew they'd alert me if there were any suspicious movements.

Finally, the moment to leave had come. The tension was quite high, but the rush was even greater. I launched my troops onto the castle as quickly as possible. Almost holding my breath, I saw my power drop and an icon appear at the bottom summarizing the battle. It looked like it had been pretty good, but I had apparently lost quite a few troops. But I couldn't watch. Not now. There was no time. I had to run back, heal, and reroll before everyone, including the castle, could react. Would I make it? Without taking my eyes off the castle, I pursed my lips almost as if trying to be faster. But just as I was finishing healing and the troops were quickly returning….bubble.

“Ahhh!” A slight pang of disappointment. I quickly turned back now that I had been discovered and got all the troops to safety. Deep down, I really wanted to finish that castle; it really would have been a perfect shot. But then again…I knew it could happen. Obviously, I was disappointed, but I didn't get discouraged. I jumped to a distant location and calmly looked at my report.

Wow, what a coup I'd pulled off! It wasn't bad. The second one would have been the icing on the cake, but I'd still managed to achieve a lot, and I can't deny that I was quite satisfied. My partner had correctly predicted that this could happen, and for him, the jump would have cost even more than mine, so I can say he'd made the right choice.

I was left with a bit of disappointment, but also a lot of satisfaction, which, on balance, was more positive. I don't regret the decisions I made, even regarding the number of troops used. Now all that remained was to become strong enough to capture a lord on the first try, as only the greats can do. Next time, who knows, maybe I'll be stronger, or maybe I'll be able to strike more. We'll see, the surprises never end.

https://youtu.be/u7c06fGXJvg