The tall man didn't.
He just stood there, blade still humming in his hand, eyes not on the warriors, not on Wretch—but on the ravine. Listening.
The creatures were close again.
Wretch tried to crawl backward, whimpering, his hands trembling too much to support his weight. "We're going to die," he gasped. "They're going to eat us. I can hear them. I feel them inside my…" He gagged, tears freezing on his cheeks. "I – I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't— I can't—"
"Shut your mouth, Idiot!" someone yelled.
Wretch froze like he'd been struck.
"He's never fought a monster in his life. He's a sheltered moron. Useless," another spat.
Yet, the Wretch didn't stop. "I – I want to go home." He wept. "I want to –"
"Enough," the tall man said, quiet but sharp.
The group immediately shut up, awaiting his orders.
