The midnight wind howled across the rocky northern ridges of District Four, carrying the distant metallic clanking of corporate construction equipment.
High atop the observation parapet, Nox looked through an enchanted looking glass, observing the illuminated encampments of Operation Iron Breaker.
Six fortified checkpoints glowed with harsh floodlights along Route Nine, forming a continuous blockade of razor wire and electrified fences.
On the bluffs two miles to the north, three massive siege ballistas sat loaded with incendiary firestorm quarrels, their enchanted mechanisms humming with destructive power.
"They have over four hundred mercenary shock troopers deployed across the perimeter," Sharon reported, crouching beside the young commander on the ramparts.
"And fifty elite enforcers from Apex Defense guarding the siege ballistas on the bluff."
