The bots moved without a word.
Some dropped beside Ash, metal limbs locking into battle stances, while others soared toward the chaos tearing through the settlement.
On the far side, Alex and Kaius fought with everything they had.
Wind exploded from Alex's hand, a wide arc of force that sent the nearest wave of Grimhorns flying back into the swarm. Bodies tumbled and crashed, but there was no pause. No fear. The horde kept pushing.
Then came the bots.
Lasers lanced through the battlefield. Precision fire. Every Grimhorn that dropped twitched once, then lay still. Any human that had turned, any undead that rose—gone before they could move.
Alex glanced upward. More bots flew overhead, vanishing into the horizon.
Mia stood atop a wide stone wall, her arms raised as sweat ran down her face. Grimhorns slammed into the barrier below her, snarling, clawing, trying to force their way through. Behind her, stone golems crashed into any that made it past.
