The massive vine beast kept moving.
Slow.
Heavy.
Unstoppable.
Its twisted body dragged across the broken ground as thick vines crushed stone and snapped fallen structures like dry sticks. Corpses of monsters and explorers alike were pulled into its mass, absorbed without resistance as its size continued to grow.
The pressure alone made breathing hard.
For a moment, fear ruled the battlefield.
Then a voice shattered it.
"Stand your ground!"
Captain Veylor stepped forward, his presence erupting like a storm. His voice carried across the battlefield, sharp and commanding, cutting through panic like a blade.
"No one is coming to save us!"
His words struck harder than the monster's pressure.
"This is the battlefield! This is where we fight and survive with our own hands!"
Mana surged from his body, heavy and steady, pressing outward like a shield that pushed back the creeping fear.
"If you run, you die tired. If you stand, you live or you die with meaning. So choose!"
