The order rang out across the hall, and for a moment nobody dared move first.
Ahox stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his human disguise doing nothing to soften the weight pressing off him. The dark plates of his armor caught what little light fell through the open sky above, and his eyes stayed fixed on Arthur without blinking. He hadn't said a word since the strangler demons arrived, content to let Vorath take the lead for now.
Vorath was the opposite. His weight kept shifting from one foot to the other, restless, and a faint smirk sat on his face as he studied Arthur from across the hall. He glanced sideways at Ahox once, as if waiting for some unspoken agreement, then looked back toward the ranks behind him.
"Test him first," Ahox said finally, his voice low and flat. "No sense wasting the strong ones on a human."
