The night air is thick with tension as the zombie-like robots close in. Michi grips his sword, Kael twirls his knife, Lior raises his sword, Junia draws her bow, and Tieu opens her grimoire.
Michi dashes forward, slicing through a robot with precision, his forehead mark blazing with golden light. Kael spins and slashes at another, his mark glowing deep crimson. Lior parries a heavy strike, countering with a swift cut, his mark shining bright silver. Junia looses arrow after arrow, each one piercing metal and gears, her mark glowing sun-yellow. Tieu chants rapidly, unleashing waves of icy shards, her moonlit mark shimmering pale blue.
Despite their efforts, the mechanical horde shows no sign of thinning. More emerge from the shadows, surrounding them in an unending tide. The clash of steel, arrows, and magic echoes in the darkness.
Hours pass in relentless battle until the faint light of dawn paints the horizon. Just as exhaustion begins to set in, a blur of movement flashes behind the enemy ranks. An assassin-like figure appears, twin blades slicing through multiple robots in a single sweep. Behind him, a team of agile fighters tears into the enemy lines with deadly precision.
The fight turns fierce but swift, and one by one, the zombie-like machines fall until the ground is littered with broken metal.
The assassin leader steps forward, his dark cloak fluttering. He stops in front of Michi, his sharp eyes meeting his.
"Hello. I am Kitbash, from Glacira kingdom," he says firmly. "The situation is not good. Just follow me for now. Get your goods. Don't ask any questions."