For a brief moment, they could do nothing but stare.
The steady stream of enemies pouring into the settlement instantly shattered the hope that the battle could be contained within the Chief's quarters.
Silence hung over the group for only a heartbeat.
Caius was the first to recover.
His eyes remained fixed on the advancing orcs as his mind rapidly worked through every possible outcome before he spoke.
"I don't think this is a situation we can solve with numbers," he said, his voice calm despite the urgency. "Sending everyone in would only cost us more lives."
The others turned toward him.
"We should gather only our strongest fighters. They're the only ones who have a realistic chance of slowing those creatures down."
Zarah didn't answer immediately.
She looked from the portals to the orcs still emerging, then toward the quarters where Eli was fighting alone.
"...That makes sense," she admitted.
