What stood in front of them was an army.
Thousands of soldiers stretched across the landscape in organized formation, their backs to Leon and his group, facing forward with the rigid alertness of people expecting something they weren't looking forward to. The atmosphere was tight — the specific tension that settled over soldiers who had done this before and knew what was coming.
No fighting yet. Just waiting.
A few of the soldiers nearest to them had already noticed their arrival. Three broke from the formation and approached, moving with the brisk purpose of people operating on limited time.
The one in front looked them over with a quick, assessing glance and spoke without ceremony.
"Where are you from?" He didn't wait for the answer. "Save the explanation for later. Just come with us — monsters from the upper world are about to break through. There's no time."
