The humans remained surrounded from every direction. Pressure weighed heaviest on the Ninth-stage Sovereigns, who were forced to hold the most dangerous sections of the encirclement. The man who had openly questioned the attack cursed the Mayor and Elder Varis under his breath while fighting simply to stay alive. He did not even have the attention to spare when a Sixth-stage Sovereign beside him was cut down by a Gnome.
He had been searching the chaotic sky for Grey ever since the battle began, yet he saw only Reynolds among the higher-level fighters. The thought crossed his mind that Grey might have gone to support Elder Varis against the Peak Sovereign Gnome, but he could not see what a single Ninth-stage Sovereign could accomplish against an opponent who commanded two Peak-level puppets. At best Grey would be doing what the Mayor had done in previous battles: offering limited help whenever Elder Varis fell into real danger.
