Inside Beastfall City, panic thickened in the air like smoke.
The City Lord's command had echoed from the walls, but instead of bringing comfort, it only deepened the fear of the already terrified crowd. They knew what it meant: the city gates were opening.
Then, a low tremor rolled beneath their feet.
Even within the fortified city walls, the ground seemed to groan, as if something vast and dreadful approached. Dirt and shattered wood began to tremble, twitching in warning. Far beyond the horizon, shadows began to stretch—swelling like a wave ready to crash.
It came.
A tidal surge of Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers—a horde so vast it blanketed the land—rolled forward with unstoppable momentum. Their armored bodies churned the mud and sand into frothing sludge as they advanced, countless beyond measure, gaining speed as they barreled toward Beastfall City's outer gates.
At the forefront of the chaos, the fleeing civilians screamed and stumbled.
"Save us…!"
