Boooooom!
The ground shook long before the warriors saw the source of the disturbance.
At first, it was only a distant tremor—barely enough to jostle the loose stones beneath their boots. But then the vibrations grew, rolling across the plains like the steady beat of a war drum.
The wind shifted, carrying a stench so foul it felt like decay itself was being blown across the land.
Commander Haldric wiped the blood from his cheek and scanned the battlefield ahead. "Formation!" he shouted, voice hoarse from hours of fighting. "Shields up! Push the wounded back! Another batch of these evil things is coming!"
Dozens of battered warriors obeyed, forming a ragged semicircle around their injured comrades. Their armor was cracked, some held together by rope or demon hide. Their weapons were chipped, dulled, sticky with black blood. Sweat and exhaustion clung to them like a second skin.
