"Father," he thought as darkness closed in. "I avenged you."

But then he heard voices. Settlement voices.

"GRUK’S DOWN! GET A HEALER!"

Jessica was running toward him, her healing magic already manifesting. Behind her, two orc warriors were clearing a path through combat.

"Stay with me, Gruk!" Jessica commanded, her hands glowing with healing power. "Don’t you dare die!"

"I... killed him," Gruk managed weakly. "Avenged... father..."

"Yes, you did. You honored Urgak. Now let me save you!" Her healing magic poured into his pierced heart, forcing the organ to keep beating, flooding his system with life-sustaining energy.

The healing was barely enough. Gruk’s heart wound was mortal. But Jessica was the settlement’s best healer, and she channeled every ounce of power she had.

"Breathe! Fight! Your father wouldn’t want you dying after you’ve won!" she shouted at him.

Gruk’s orc constitution responded to the healing magic. His massive body clung to life with stubborn determination.

He survived. Barely.

Northern Sector Duel Result:

Commander Deren: KILLED (skull split by Gruk’s final axe blow)Gruk: SURVIVED but critically wounded (heart pierced, saved by Jessica’s immediate healing)Tactical result: Settlement gains morale from Gruk’s survival, but loses Urgak

Jessica continued healing Gruk as orc warriors carried him away from the frontline, protecting their young champion who’d avenged his father’s death.

Eastern Forward Position: Captain Hollis vs. Thrak

Captain Hollis was a tactical specialist—a commander trained in adaptive warfare and improvisation. At thirty-eight years old, he’d fought in eleven campaigns across varied terrain and situations.

He faced Thrak—the demon engineer who’d built Third Line’s fortifications, designed the corruption pitfall trap, and now stood with improvised weapons because he’d never been trained as a warrior.

Thrak held a large hammer in one hand and a heavy pry bar in the other—construction tools turned deadly weapons. His demon strength made even non-combat tools dangerous.

They engaged.

Hollis’s swordsmanship was textbook excellent—Academy training applied with years of practical experience. His blade moved in precise patterns, targeting vulnerable areas with surgical precision.

Thrak’s fighting style was pure improvisation. The hammer swung like a construction tool, not a weapon—wide arcs designed to break stone now aimed at breaking bones. The pry bar thrust and blocked, a lever bar now serving as defensive weapon.

Hollis scored first blood—his sword catching Thrak’s arm, cutting deep.

Thrak’s counter-strike with the hammer was slower, more telegraphed. Hollis dodged easily.

"You can’t beat me," Hollis said, not mocking but stating tactical fact. "Every exchange, you’re losing. I’m faster, better trained, more experienced. Surrender."

"No." Thrak shifted his grip on the hammer. "But I can make you work for it."

The demon engineer changed tactics. Instead of fighting Hollis directly, he started using his tools to manipulate the environment.

The pry bar jabbed into a weakened wall section, leveraging stones loose. They fell, creating obstacles Hollis had to navigate.

The hammer struck the ground, cracking paving stones, creating uneven footing.

Thrak was turning the battlefield itself into a weapon, using his engineering knowledge to create hazards.

Hollis recognized the tactic and adapted. He pressed the attack harder, trying to end the fight before Thrak could create too many environmental complications.

His sword struck Thrak’s shoulder, opening another wound.

Thrak’s hammer caught Hollis’s shield, denting the metal with supernatural strength.

They circled through debris-strewn ground, both fighters now bleeding, both adapting constantly.

Hollis feinted high, then cut low, a classic misdirection.

Thrak fell for it, his pry bar blocking high while Hollis’s sword cut his leg.

The demon engineer stumbled but didn’t fall. His hammer swung in desperation, aimed at Hollis’s head.

Hollis ducked, the hammer missing. His counter-strike aimed for Thrak’s heart—a killing blow.

But Thrak’s pry bar came across, not blocking but deflecting, using leverage to redirect the sword thrust away from vital organs. The blade still struck, cutting Thrak’s side, but not fatally.

"Clever," Hollis acknowledged. "Using tool leverage instead of weapon blocking. You’re adapting faster than expected."

"I build things for a living," Thrak replied through pain. "Adaptation is engineering’s core principle."

They engaged again, and now Thrak was fighting with pure desperation, knowing he was outmatched but refusing to yield.

His hammer struck Hollis’s knee—a crushing blow that cracked bone. Hollis screamed and fell to one knee, his mobility suddenly compromised.

Thrak pressed the advantage, his pry bar swinging at the fallen human’s head.

Hollis blocked with his sword, the impact sending shockwaves through both weapons.

From his kneeling position, Hollis lunged upward, his sword aimed at Thrak’s throat.

The blade struck true, cutting deep into demon flesh, opening Thrak’s throat partially. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Thrak gurgled blood but didn’t fall. His hands dropped his tools and grabbed Hollis instead, demon strength crushing.

They grappled, Hollis trying to pull his sword free for a finishing strike, Thrak trying to use demon strength to crush the human before he bled out.

Hollis’s sword twisted in Thrak’s throat, cutting deeper, blood pouring.

Thrak’s hands found Hollis’s throat, squeezing with desperate strength.

They fell together, locked in mutual death grip.

Hollis’s sword pierced Thrak’s heart from the throat wound angle.

Thrak’s hands crushed Hollis’s windpipe before demon strength failed.

Both died within seconds—Thrak from heart pierced by throat wound, Hollis from crushed throat and suffocation.

Eastern Forward Position Duel Result:

Captain Hollis: KILLED (throat crushed)Thrak: KILLED (heart pierced via throat wound)Mutual elimination through simultaneous killing techniques

Settlement defenders who’d worked with Thrak—who’d helped build fortifications under his direction, who’d learned engineering from the demon—screamed grief and rage.

The demon engineer had died protecting the fortifications he’d built.

It was tragedy and honor combined.

Beyond the major commander duels, smaller but equally fierce battles erupted as settlement named fighters engaged human officers and elite soldiers.

Tarak—the veteran goblin who’d survived eight previous battles faced Sergeant Kelvan, a human veteran with fifteen years’ experience.

The battle was fought in a collapsed building’s rubble, both fighters using terrain for advantage.

Tarak’s guerrilla tactics served him well initially. He used his agility to strike from unexpected angles, his blade cutting Kelvan’s arm, then disappearing into rubble before the sergeant could counter.