And as expected, the respite lasted exactly fourteen minutes.
Sol didn't sit down. He stood near the front of the formation, his silver-gray armor acting as a visual anchor for the nervous warriors around him. He focused on his breathing, letting the Breath of Dawn technique cycle the ambient essence through his meridians, ensuring his reserves were filled to the absolute brim.
Then, the ground began to vibrate.
He took a deep breath and looked up.
It wasn't the chaotic, frantic stampede of the first wave. This vibration was heavy, rhythmic, and terrifyingly coordinated. It felt as though the tectonic plates beneath the Great Heartwood were grinding against each other.
"Shield wall!" veylara's voice rang out from the right flank, sharp and commanding.
The Veynar warriors locked their heavy petrified-wood shields together, bracing their spears against the earth.
