Lord of the Foresaken

The southern nobles were coming.

Reed sat in his stolen fortress, watching the war map spread before him. Lady Velka had marked the movements of the approaching armies—three noble houses, marching toward him with over 600 soldiers.

It was the kind of force that should crush a Goblin Lord.

Instead, Reed smiled.

They weren't marching to a victory.

They were marching to a massacre.

Velka stood beside the map, arms crossed. "Three forces. Lord Alric, Lady Moira, and Lord Bastien."

She pointed to Alric's banner first.

"Alric has the largest army—300 foot soldiers, cavalry, and a Hero." She glanced at Reed. "A Rank C Holy Knight."

Shia scoffed. "A paladin type?"

Velka nodded. "Blessed magic. Strong against monsters."

Reed didn't react. "Next?"

Velka tapped Moira's army. "She commands 200 soldiers, mostly archers and spellcasters. A dangerous mix. Her Hero is a Rank D Battle Mage."

"And the last?"

"Bastien has only 100 knights. But they're all elite. Heavy armor, heavy weapons. No Hero, but he's a seasoned warrior himself."

Reed leaned back, processing. Three lords, three armies, three fighting styles.

Alric was the biggest threat. Holy magic was deadly to goblins.

Moira's archers could rain death from afar.

Bastien's knights were hard to kill.

A normal army would struggle.

But Reed?

He didn't fight fair.

"They expect us to defend the fortress," Reed said. "We won't."

Velka frowned. "You're abandoning it?"

Reed smirked. "No. We're turning it into a trap."

Shia grinned. "Ambush?"

Reed nodded. "Alric's army is big, but slow. We hit them first—hard and fast. Kill his Hero. Break his morale." His gaze darkened. "Then, we lead the survivors into the fortress."

Velka's eyes widened. "Into a kill zone."

Reed tapped the map. "Exactly."

He looked at Shia. "Can you handle the Holy Knight?"

Shia smirked, twirling a dagger. "I'll carve him up."

Velka sighed. "And Moira? If her mages get involved—"

"They won't," Reed interrupted. His grin sharpened. "Because we're setting the forest on fire."

The room fell silent.

Velka blinked. "You're insane."

Reed laughed. "No, I'm tired of playing small."

He stood, looking down at his war camp. Goblins sharpened blades. Former noble soldiers suited up in stolen armor. Berserkers growled in anticipation.

"We don't fight for honor," Reed said.

"We don't fight for glory."

His eyes burned.

"We fight to break this world."

The goblins screamed in approval.

Reed turned back to his generals.

"Move out."

The first real war of the Goblin Lord had begun.