The sharp, metallic ring of honed steel striking beast bone echoed through the damp pine woods ahead of the marching vanguard.
Captain Seret raised his right gauntlet in an immediate command signal, halting the entire thirty-man column with disciplined precision.
The armored draft horses stamped their hooves into the soft pine needles, snorting nervously as the forward spearmen dropped into a low defensive hedge.
"Hold the line!" Helen's sharp voice echoed from the rocky embankment on the right flank, her frost mana crackling along the stones.
"Hostile movement detected in the glen sixty paces forward—prepare your weapons for immediate engagement!" the Vice Captain ordered, drawing her slender rapier with a crisp hiss.
Hajin did not draw his short sword, closing the distance toward the fourth supply wagon where Loccy was resting her chin upon her colossal war hammer.
