"Get some sleep, Isabelle," Damien whispered to the girl dozing on his shoulder. "Tomorrow, we have a long day ahead of us."
The night passed in a tense, suffocating silence. The air of the Iron-Blood territory didn't cool down when the black sun set; it just grew heavier, the metallic taste of ozone and rust settling deep in their lungs.
When the bruise-purple dawn finally broke over the mountains of scrap metal, they moved out.
They entered the Industrial Maze a twisting canyon formed not by rock, but by the rusted ribs of ancient, city-sized machines and towering smokestacks that belched grey ash into the sky.
Visibility was low. The mana density here was erratic, spiking and dropping like a faulty heartbeat.
"Keep your eyes up," Captain Vesper whispered to his remaining Blood Knights. His hand never left the hilt of his rapier.
"This terrain is a butcher's block. Perfect for an ambush."
