They moved in silence, the only sound the faint crunch of boots on broken stone and the whisper of the wind threading through the ruined streets. The city was a graveyard of shattered towers and sunken plazas, the remains of a civilization lost to time. Everything felt ancient and wrong, like even the air was stale with the breath of the dead.
Liam held up a hand and the group halted, quickly slipping into the formation he had laid out earlier.
He and Jason took the front, every step cautious, every glance darting into shadowed alleys and broken doorways. Behind them, close but disciplined, came Mariel and Sophia, moving like two shadows, tense and wary. Then Gorr, Sera, and Eleanor, their eyes sharp, weapons drawn, scanning every movement, every gust of dust. Finally, at the rear, Marcus and Von took position, heavy and solid, both of them resting their massive weapons casually on their shoulders like warlords out for a morning stroll.
