Lady Jiao stood atop the highest tower of Golden Blade Palace, her golden robes billowing in the desert wind. Below, sand-formed warriors crashed against the city walls in relentless waves. The revenants' attacks lacked their earlier ferocity - their sword strikes clumsy, their movements sluggish.
"My lady, the eastern wall needs reinforcement," a guard reported.
She nodded, watching another group of defenders rotate off the battlements. Their shoulders slumped, weapons dragging in the sand. Fresh warriors took their places, but even these showed signs of fatigue from shortened rest periods.
The endless nature of this siege defied all military logic. Normal battles had rhythms - advances, retreats, moments to regroup. But these sand-formed armies never withdrew, never rested. They simply pressed forward, dissolving under blade strikes only to reform and attack again.
