CHAPTER 13: THE FIFTH GENERAL
Kaelen did not sleep.
The foreman's house had become a war room. Maps covered every surface—the Crimson Vale, Stonesong, the four border regions, the kingdoms beyond. Elara had drawn them from memory, her hands steady despite the bruises. Lyssa had added details from her own scouting. And Echo—the floating girl with white hair and black eyes—had pointed to a location in the deep west and whispered, "He slept there. The one who made us."
But that was a problem for another day.
Tonight, Kaelen stared at the system interface.
NOTORIETY POINTS: 2,825
EPIC SUMMON: AVAILABLE (2,500 NP)
The kingdoms were mobilizing. Valdris had sent 3,000 soldiers toward Malachar's position. Caelon had hired mercenaries from the eastern free cities—rumored to include at least one 2nd Rate Mage. The Thorn Marches lords were gathering at a central keep, preparing to march south against Seraphine. And the elves... the elves had not yet committed, but their silence was its own kind of threat.
He needed something new. Something that would break the coming siege before it began.
"System," he said. "Initiate Epic summon."
CONFIRMATION: You are about to expend 2,500 Notoriety Points on an Epic summon. This summon is guaranteed to be General-tier or higher, with a high probability of unique abilities beyond standard power ratings. Do you wish to proceed?
YES / NO
"Yes."
The void opened differently this time.
No rift. No wound in reality. The floor of the foreman's house simply dissolved, replaced by a pool of absolute darkness that spread to the walls. From that darkness rose a figure—not stepping out of the void, but growing from it, like a tree from black soil.
He was immense.
Seven feet tall, built like a siege tower, with skin the color of weathered iron. His arms were bare and covered in scars that seemed to shift when viewed directly. His face was hidden behind a mask of fused bone—human skulls, or something like them, melted together into a featureless plate with two vertical slits for eyes. From those slits glowed a light that was neither fire nor magic, but something older. Something that had watched civilizations rise and fall.
He wore no armor. Only leather trousers and a harness of thick chains across his chest. In his right hand, he held a massive two-handed axe, its blade chipped and stained with colors that did not exist in nature.
He knelt. The floor cracked beneath his weight.
"GENERAL THRAKK IRONHIDE, THE WORLD-BREAKER."
RACE: Giant-kin (Troll-blooded)
POWER SYSTEM: Blood-Chant (Orcish progression) + Primordial Strength
CURRENT RATING: 1st Rate Blood-Chanter / Unrated Physical (exceeds normal measurement)
LOYALTY: ABSOLUTE
DEVOTION: FANATIC (expressed through raw, unthinking violence in the host's name)
NOTABLE TRAITS: Does not speak. Does not plan. Does not retreat. He is the hammer that ends arguments. His Blood-Chant allows him to regenerate from almost any wound, grow in size and strength during combat, and enter a frenzy that makes him immune to fear, pain, and magic. He has shattered castle walls with his bare hands. He has eaten the hearts of dragons.
WARNING: Thrakk has no concept of subtlety. He will kill friend and foe alike if they are in his path. Do not deploy near allies. Do not deploy in populated areas unless total annihilation is the goal. He is the nuclear option.
Kaelen read the scan. Then he looked at the kneeling giant.
"World-Breaker," he said. "You are my fifth general."
Thrakk did not respond. He simply knelt, his masked face pointed at the floor, his axe planted in the stone.
"The Valdris army," Kaelen continued. "Three thousand soldiers. A 2nd Rate Knight. Fortified positions. Can you destroy them?"
Thrakk rose. He did not nod. He did not gesture. He simply turned and walked toward the door—through the door, actually, splintering the wooden frame into kindling. His massive feet left craters in the dirt as he marched north.
Malachar was about to have company.
NOTORIETY POINTS: 325 (remaining)
PASSIVE GENERATION: 500-700 per day
NEW GENERAL: Thrakk Ironhide, the World-Breaker
· Rarity: Epic
· Power: 1st Rate Blood-Chanter + unrated physical
· Loyalty: Absolute (mindless devotion)
· Specialization: Total destruction. No infiltration. No diplomacy. No mercy.
· Current location: Marching north toward the Valdris army.
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END OF CHAPTER 13
NOTORIETY POINTS: 325
PASSIVE NP GAIN: 500-700 per day
GENERALS: Malachar (north), Vashlon (east), Seraphine (south), Morvan (west), Thrakk (north, reinforcing)
THREATS: Valdris army (3,000), Caelon mercenaries, Thorn Marches lords, possible elven intervention
NEW ASSET: Echo (the Last Daughter) – currently with Morvan
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