Tave struggled to control his breath, his chest rising and falling in short, ragged bursts. Everything had happened so fast, too fast. He hadn't even had time to breathe before it all changed again.
The orc staggered back a few paces, its momentum broken after the massive club strike had been stopped, barely, by one of the defenders who'd leapt in at the last second.
And there they were. Elias, along with three others from the original squad.
They wasted no time.
Two of them rushed to Oriana, lifting her with care and bringing her over to where Orion lay, placing her safely at his side. Meanwhile, Lily, snapped out of her frozen daze, stood steady again.
Now, five of them stood. Two defenders formed a wall at the front.
Elias and his team had saved them. Tave, Oriana, Lily… even Orion.
All of them would've been dead if not for this.
"Good job, Tave," Elias called from across the battlefield. "Now tell me. How do we kill this ugly bastard?"
