Chapter 145: Soldiers
Darkness had fallen over the island, and the scattered squads of the Black Vale Territory Mana Knights—once united in the mass assault—now lay stretched across thick underbrush and narrow canyons.
They had not been able to regroup after Chief Varros’s bold push inside the tower, and the enemy creatures were closing in fast.
Squad Alpha – Rockfall Canyon.
The situation was dire.
"Seven left," Sergeant Harwin whispered as he lurked behind a jagged boulder that barely shielded his exhausted squad. "Fall back slowly," he ordered, voice raw as he retreated inch by precarious inch.
A guttural scream echoed down the canyon: a monstrous crash as one of the creatures slammed its tentacles into rock, sending stone chips scattering.
"By the old gods—again?" Pvt. Qali hissed, pressing her back against the granite. Her knife-hand shook.
"We can’t hold long," Harwin said quietly, voice tight with urgency. "If we sprint to the ridge, maybe we’ll buy enough time for Varros to break out. Then we move east—toward the coast."
Qali’s lip quivered. "I don’t... I don’t want to die here."
Harwin reached out, gripped her shoulder firmly. "Then don’t die. Not yet. We live—together."
They moved in tense silence, climbing. Every footstep was a prayer, each breath sharp with fear. A sickening thud behind them made them whirl—tentacles brushing where they’d stood. They froze.