The stronghold didn't look like much at first.
Its stone walls had half-collapsed, moss clawed its corners, and one of the towers had caved inward completely. But despite the ruin, there was something unmistakable in the shape of it — a sense of structure, of weight. A design meant to be rebuilt.
It had been placed here with purpose.
"System-designed," I murmured, running my hand along a cracked stone pillar.
Tessa nodded beside me. "They don't waste assets on pretty ruins."
Rayne stepped through the breach in the wall, boot crunching over loose gravel.
"Looks like hell. I love it."
Kale walked slowly, eyes scanning every angle like a soldier surveying a kill zone.
We'd found it — our first chance to carve out something of our own.
We moved inward, past what had once been a courtyard. Faded banners still hung from rusted iron hooks. A shattered fountain sat in the center, half-swallowed by vines.
And at the far end, where a grand hall must've stood, there was a pedestal.
A stone disc, partially buried, glowing faintly with system-blue light.
[Unclaimed Control Point Detected]Structure Type: Minor Stronghold (Wilderness Tier)Claim Conditions: Defend uninterrupted for 10 minutes. Minimum 3 party members within core radius.Warning: All hostile parties will be alerted during the claiming process.
Rayne blinked.
"So basically — wave a flag and invite a knife to the neck."
I exhaled. "Pretty much."
"Let's do it," he said immediately.
Tessa gave him a sidelong glance. "And get cut down while half the region's still watching the wilderness map?"
Kale crouched beside the pedestal, brushing away dust.
"We need to know the terrain first. Entry points. Sightlines."
I nodded.
He was right. So was she.
We didn't get a second chance at a first impression.
We spread out, moving room by room, picking through the old foundations.
The stronghold was bigger than it looked — three internal sections, one main keep, and four natural chokepoints. Half of it was exposed, but the main keep still had some cover.
Old system-script was carved into the inner doorframe.
[Guild Registry Lock – Inactive][Ownership Status: Null][Claim History: Cleared at Reset]
"Someone had this before us," I said.
Tessa touched the wall beside the text.
"Yeah. But whoever they were, they didn't last."
The rest of the day was spent scouting the perimeter.
We broke into pairs — Rayne and I to the northern ridge, Tessa and Kale circling the eastern valley.
The land around the stronghold was good.
Wide open. No dense forests for stealth players. No mountain passes to bottleneck us. And the hill the fortress sat on gave just enough elevation to see movement coming.
Rayne tapped a map stone into the dirt with the butt of his dagger.
"If I were a greedy bastard, I'd come from there. South trail. Decent cover, low angle."
"Exactly what I was thinking," I replied.
He glanced at me.
"You always this tactical?"
"No. Not always smart enough to listen to my own advice, either."
Rayne smirked. "Getting there, though."
When we regrouped at dusk, Tessa was already sketching a layout of the ruins in the dirt using her spear. Kale had found an old gateframe and was reinforcing it with rope and stripped bark.
"Where'd you learn that?" Rayne asked him.
Kale didn't look up. "My father built houses. He'd probably say I'm wasting my time here."
The words were simple.
The silence that followed wasn't.
"Thanks," I said quietly.
He nodded once, then went back to tightening the bindings.
We spent the next hour salvaging what we could — rope from old tents, shards of iron from discarded blades, broken shields as patchwork for the gaps.
[Temporary Fortification +1: Western Entry Reinforced (Basic)][Visibility Reduced: Hostile scouts will require Perception check ≥ 14 to detect party during camp status]
The SYSTEM's cold blue messages almost felt like approval.
For now.
We didn't start the claim that night.
Too risky.
Too open.
Instead, we set up camp in the strongest room of the keep — a half-walled chamber near the back, where the ceiling still held and the entryway could be easily guarded.
A fire crackled low in the center.
Rayne was sharpening his blades.
Kale leaned back against a stone slab, already asleep.
Tessa sat beside me, checking the straps on her armor.
I looked at the faint glow of the SYSTEM interface still hovering above the pedestal in the corner.
[Status: Unclaimed][Local Activity: 3 attempts registered in surrounding region][Blackthorn Guild: Territory Claimed – Farwind Crossing]
So it had begun.
"We'll try at dawn," I said. "Right when the map resets and player movement's low."
"Won't stop someone from taking a shot," Tessa replied.
"No. But it'll give us the best odds."
She nodded. "Then we're agreed."
The fire snapped softly.
Outside, something howled — distant, but real.
We weren't alone out here anymore.
And tomorrow, the world would know that someone had set the first flag in the eastern range.
If we survived it.