Outside the animal-skin tent, a faint wind brushed across the sand, carrying the scent of dust and beast fur. Beneath the dim twilight, Waldo, Yiliyi, and several others stood quietly, waiting in uneasy silence.
"Someone's coming," murmured one of the original hosts, his gaze fixed on the enormous rock platform slowly descending in the distance. The platform hovered above a massive, armor-scaled beast whose heavy limbs thudded against the barren earth.
"The one controlling that rock platform… must be at least Tier Six," another host whispered, his voice trembling slightly, as if afraid that even sound might draw unwanted attention.
"Stay cautious," Waldo warned in a low voice, his eyes narrowing. "We don't know what their true purpose is."
He feared that whoever was coming might not be a friend at all. Perhaps they were here to claim the Tenth-Floor City for themselves—or worse, to seize something hidden within its walls.
