A general born to rule

The war efforts continue

In the following days, Marcus coordinated meticulously with Sam and the rest of his commanders, employing a combination of ancient tactics and more modern innovations. Patrol blimps, high in the sky, scouted the Golden Orcest Empire’s movements. The blimps sent down coded messages using what Marcus referred to as “WW1 morse codes,” a system of communication adapted from early 20th-century methods, to keep updates flowing between the battlefield and headquarters.

Inside the command post, Marcus stood over a map with Sam, who was busy decoding the messages from the blimps. The scouts had been tracking Valdrak’s army, which was pushing through the north, heading straight for the heart of Valorcrest’s defenses.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Marcus muttered, pointing at the northern region of the map with a sharp focus. “Valdrak's second wave is massive, but they’re marching straight into a killing field.”

Sam, busy taking notes, looked up. “You think they'll take the bait?”

Marcus nodded. “They have no choice. Their arrogance blinds them, and they believe brute force will get them through. They’re walking into the exact traps we’ve laid out.”

He gestured to the section of the map where he had planned the counterattack, a strategy that involved not only traps and monster attacks but also trench warfare tactics. Inspired by old war strategies from his and Sam’s world, Marcus had created a web of traps that resembled the tactics used by the Vietcong during the Vietnam War. Pitfalls, bamboo spike traps, and concealed explosives were hidden in the forested northern regions, where Valdrak’s troops were expected to march.

“They won’t know what hit them,” Marcus said, a glint of steel in his eyes. “By the time they realize they’re walking into a trap, it’ll be too late. The monsters will tear apart their ranks, and those who manage to make it through...”

Sam finished Marcus’s thought. “Will face Deadman’s Field.”

Deadman’s Field, a heavily fortified stretch of land filled with barbed wire and trench systems, was where Marcus had planned to lure Valdrak’s forces. Inspired by the brutal trench warfare of World War I, the field was designed to funnel the enemy into narrow, kill-zone corridors. Machine guns and artillery had been set up, ready to fire upon anyone who dared cross.

Over the next few days, the preparation intensified. Marcus sent out more coded messages to his commanders in the field, ensuring that every trap was set, every monster in the forest was ready, and every gun in the trenches was manned. The entire defense was an intricate web, and Marcus orchestrated it all like a master strategist.

---

Meanwhile, Valdrak’s forces began their march through the northern fields, unaware of the horrors that awaited them. The Golden Orcest Empire’s soldiers were a proud and disciplined force, but they had never faced anything like this.

The moment they entered the dense woods, it began.

The first traps were subtle: hidden snares and pit traps that claimed the lives of the unlucky and the careless. But soon, the brutality of Marcus’s preparations revealed itself. Wolves, bears, and other creatures of the fantasy world, many of them twisted and enraged by dark magic, attacked from the shadows. Screams filled the air as soldiers were dragged into the underbrush by snarling beasts.

The forest itself seemed alive, conspiring against Valdrak’s men. Every step forward was met with another wave of violence—spiked pits, falling logs, and camouflaged spikes that punctured armor and flesh alike. The soldiers who managed to press on through the forest came out bloodied, bruised, and terrified.

But what waited for them beyond the forest was even worse.

As Valdrak’s forces broke free from the treacherous woods, they entered Deadman’s Field, where the true horror awaited them. Barbed wire stretched as far as the eye could see, forming a deadly maze. Beyond the wire, trenches were dug deep into the ground, filled with soldiers from Valorcrest, their eyes cold and their guns ready.