Sect Mistress Meng Yao, her obsidian eyes alight with a desperate, rekindled hope, didn't waste a moment. The instant Alaric Steele confirmed his willingness to aid the Mystic Ice Sect, she sprang into action.
"Grand Elder Xue!" Meng Yao's voice, usually a calm, icy command, now resonated with an uncharacteristic urgency. "Summon the Core Disciples! The Barrier Guardians! All available martialists to the Outer Citadel walls! Lord Steele brings salvation!"
Her words sent a ripple of astonished excitement through the Ice Heart Chamber. The few senior disciples present, who had witnessed Alaric's brief, devastating display outside, rushed to obey, their movements quickened by a mixture of awe and disbelief.
'He truly is their only hope,' Alaric mused, watching Meng Yao galvanize her sect. 'And she knows it. Pride has given way to pragmatism. Excellent.'
