Crow's large wings beat one final time before landing softly in the middle of a wide, dry field that smelled of smoke and blood. The moment his talons touched the earth, he shrank into his small form with a gentle shimmer of mana, hopping to Axelius's shoulder.
Dozens of heavy thuds echoed around them.
One after another, the wyverns landed, wings folding as orcs jumped down from their backs, each of them tall and broad, their muscles bulging like tree trunks, their weapons as large as logs.
Thick axes, iron clubs, and jagged swords gleamed under the orange light of torches planted in the ground. More orcs began to close in from the treeline behind, until Axelius, Gob, and Nyx were standing right in the center of a wide circle of snarling enemies.
Axelius calmly patted Crow, then pointed to the woods. "Go find me a sword, Crow. Something with a bit of bite."
Crow cawed and leapt from his shoulder, flying fast and low into the shadows, disappearing from view.
