Chapter 15

The clash erupted in an instant, brutal and unrelenting. The first of the night fiends barreled into a guard, its talons slicing through steel like brittle parchment. A strangled cry tore from the man's throat as his weapon slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the cobbled ground.

"To me, Edran!" Selene called, unsheathing her blade and stepping into the chaos.

Edran's sword gleamed in the dim torchlight as he drove it into the nearest beast. A sickening crunch followed, but the creature barely faltered, its malevolent crimson eyes locking onto him with seething rage.

The guards quickly regrouped, their shields raised in a desperate formation around Selene and Edran. Spears glinted as they lunged forward, momentarily pushing the creatures back. But for every small gain, the fiends retaliated with relentless force, their unnatural strength making them nearly impossible to contain.

"Hold your ground!" Edran roared. "Let nothing breach the line!"