The moment Nikolai spoke, the faces of all three men changed, all sense of humour and joking around vanished in the place of cold, hard stares and stiff expressions. Even Vernan, who normally found some way to turn everything into a joke, slowly straightened his huge body and glanced towards the training grounds below.
It wasn't difficult to understand why.
Until now they'd been avoiding this confrontation, knowing their forces might be inferior due to the unmatched legacy of the Nosferatu.
But with Nikolai's command, everything changed.
'There was no going back.'
Alexei rubbed his beard before answering first.
"Current count inside the compound is four thousand, three hundred and twelve."
"...That many?"
"Mhm."
Nikolai turned back towards the battlement. A bitter cold wind blew across his cheeks, revealing the arrival of winter that would soon transform the land.
Thousands of people stood below in neat formations, but hearing the exact number felt completely different.
