The oppressive gravitational pressure radiating from the King's descending armored boot bore down upon the avenue like the weight of a falling fortress wall.
Beside the smoking lip of the crater, Captain Seret fell to both knees, the spine of his dwarven claymore bending into an agonizing bow under three tons of downward pressure.
"Summoner... do not stand there gaping like a fresh recruit in his first skirmish!" Seret roared through clenched teeth, crimson foam spraying from his cracked lips.
"I am going to ignite the foundational embers of my core to deploy an imperial suppression boundary!" the veteran captain bellowed across the screaming ash wind.
The young conscripts huddled behind the overturned supply carts gripped their spears with trembling hands, staring in awe at their gray-haired commander.
"Do not burn your life force for a holding action, Captain!" he shouted back, his second Ring spinning with furious radiant acceleration as he bounded across the rubble.
