The first rule of fire was silence.
Not after it burned.
Before.
Blendi stood on the ridge above the Northern Pass, dawn bleeding slowly into the valleys below. Fog curled between pines like something alive, swallowing sound, hiding movement. Perfect terrain. Perfect timing.
The system hovered quietly at the edge of his vision, restrained for once.
It knew.
[Battlefield Conditions Favorable]
Visibility: Low
Wind Direction: Eastward
Enemy Formation: Compressed
Enemy Awareness: Minimal
Special Modifier
Psychological Shock Potential: Extreme
Below, the Ottoman vanguard advanced cautiously. Not marching. Probing. They had learned something from Iskender Pasha's humiliation.
But not enough.
Captain Arben Kelmendi knelt beside Blendi, helmet tucked under one arm. His face was calm. Too calm.
"The Eagle Guard is in position," he said. "Six detachments. All ready."
Blendi nodded.
"And the powder units?"
"Hidden among the skirmishers," Arben replied. "They do not know what they carry. Only when to throw."
Blendi allowed that.
Fear spread faster when even allies did not understand the weapon.
Battlefield System Engages
[Major Battle Event]
Location: Northern Pass of Prizren
Engagement Type: Ambush Defense
Enemy Commander: Ferhad Bey
Enemy Force: 6,500
Albanian Force
Regulars: 2,800
Elite Units: 420
Outcome Projection
Without Gunpowder: Stalemate
With Shock Weapons: Decisive Victory Possible
Ferhad Bey rode at the center of the Ottoman formation, posture rigid, eyes scanning the fog.
"This land is cursed," he muttered.
His lieutenant leaned closer.
"Or the men are cowards."
Ferhad Bey said nothing.
That silence would cost him.
The First Throw
Blendi raised his hand.
Then lowered it.
A single Albanian skirmisher stepped forward from the fog, stumbled deliberately, and fled.
The Ottomans laughed.
They advanced.
Blendi whispered.
"Now."
Fire Is Introduced
Clay spheres arced through the fog.
They were small. Unglamorous.
They landed among boots and shields.
For half a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the mountains screamed.
[Shock Weapon Detonation]
Effect
Sound Explosion
Fragmentation
Smoke Saturation
Enemy Formation Disrupted
Enemy Morale Severely Damaged
Men fell without wounds.
Others screamed, clutching ears, dropping shields.
Horses reared and broke lines.
Smoke swallowed everything.
Ferhad Bey shouted orders that no one heard.
Fear Takes Hold
The system pulsed violently.
[Psychological Threshold Breached]
Enemy Unit Status
Confusion
Panic
Command Breakdown
Special Effect Triggered
Unknown Weapon Fear
Blendi did not watch the explosions.
He watched the men.
When fear replaced training.
That was when he spoke.
"Eagle Guard," he said quietly.
"Harvest."
Second Evolution Unlocked
The system did not ask this time.
It announced.
[Elite Unit Evolution Confirmed]
Eagle Guard
Second Evolution Path Achieved
New Designation
Eagle Reapers
Bonuses
Enemy morale collapse accelerated
Assassination of command units improved
Fear spreads beyond battlefield
Passive Effect
Survivors spread terror narratives
They emerged from the smoke like something unreal.
Not charging.
Advancing.
Cutting down officers. Standard bearers. Runners.
Ferhad Bey drew his sword and managed to kill one before Arben reached him.
Their blades met once.
Twice.
Then Arben's blade slipped under the ribs.
Ferhad Bey collapsed into the mud, eyes wide.
"What is this weapon," he whispered.
Arben leaned close.
"History," he replied.
Battle Resolution
Engagement: Battle of Smoke Valley
Outcome: Overwhelming Albanian Victory
Enemy Casualties
Killed: 2,900
Captured: 1,100
Deserted: Unknown
Albanian Casualties
Killed: 340
Enemy Commander: Eliminated
Rewards Overflow
[Major Achievement: Fire Before Firearms]
You introduced shock warfare ahead of the era.
Rewards
Permanent technological intimidation bonus
Enemy formations lose cohesion faster
Future gunpowder research accelerated
[Hidden Achievement]
The Sound That Broke an Army
Rewards
Fear spreads beyond borders
Enemy morale reduced before battles
Reputation as Unnatural Threat Established
[Title Acquired]
Lord of Smoke and Stone
Effects
Mountain warfare supremacy
Psychological warfare effectiveness increased
Foreign intelligence accuracy reduced
Aftermath
Smoke lingered long after blood cooled.
Survivors fled.
Not in order.
Not in formation.
They ran.
Blendi walked among the fallen, stopping beside a shattered shield scorched black.
Lady Mira arrived later, face pale.
"This will reach everywhere," she said. "Rome. Venice. The Ottoman court."
"Yes," Blendi replied. "And none of them will understand it."
She hesitated.
"There will be backlash. Fear breeds coalitions."
Blendi looked up at the mountains.
"Let them come together," he said calmly. "They will still come apart."
Nation Status Update
Standing Army: 12,400
Elite Units: 900
Gold Reserves: 7,800
Technology Tier: Pre Firearms
Foreign Fear Index: Extreme
Religious Pressure: Rising
Coalition Risk: Emerging
Eternal State Route Progress
34 percent
That night, fires burned across the mountains.
Not Albanian fires.
Signal fires from fleeing men.
Warnings.
Stories.
Lies that were not lies.
Blendi stood alone, holding a scorched clay fragment in his hand.
"This is not victory," he said softly.
"This is transformation."
The system pulsed one last time.