The iron scent of blood had become a permanent resident of the Tigerwood Forest. The previous wave of the Beast Tide, which had threatened the very foundations of the Greenroot Guild, had finally been repelled. It left behind a ruined battlefield of mangled chitin, broken vines, and scorched earth.
However, the brief respite was nothing more than a hollow illusion. From the vantage point of the Iron-Bark Flats, a sprawling root-plateau that served as the southern gateway to the gargantuan tree, the horizon was once again darkening with danger.
Kale Ardentis stood at the very edge of the plateau, his light green hair whipping around his face in the violent wind; the wolfberg mercenary team had grown stronger due to the experience of the previous battle.
"Hold your positions," Fabio commanded, his voice carrying a grit stronger than before.
Beside him, his Pyro Cobra was coiled and ready, its scales radiating a dull, orange heat that shimmered visibly in the damp morning mist.
