His presence alone was enough.
The others watched him in complete silence, not daring to interrupt whatever unseen, sacred rite had just occurred between man and monster in the deeper veins of the Abyssal Burrow. Kev's breathing was steady, though his bloodied shoulder throbbed with every motion. His cloak, now more tear than cloth, trailed behind him like a ragged banner. And in the unbearable hush that accompanied him, each member of the group felt the same thought burrow into their hearts—
If this man falls, we all die.
No one said it aloud, of course. That would have been sacrilegious. Blasphemy of the worst kind. But they all knew it, deep in their bones.
There was a weight to the way Kev looked at them—his eyes scanning each face, silently accounting for every presence, every breath. He wasn't just checking if they were all still there. He was calculating. Strategizing. Protecting.
And then he spoke. Just once.
"Let's move."
