The cavern answered his words with a clash of blood and metal. The Overseers reacted instantly—zealots never waited.
The chain-wielder flung his arm forward, and his links shot out like angry snakes. Each one hissed with a hunger of its own, glowing faintly at the tips as if ready to bite and tear into flesh. The staff-bearer slammed his weapon down again, sending a ring of symbols spinning outward, rippling like disturbed water, closing around Asher in a cage of force. The man in the bone mask didn't step forward; instead, he muttered his chant, and the stench of decay thickened in the air. His prayer poured into the black seed, feeding it with unseen weight.
Asher made his move.
