After the Zombie Leader fell and the Necrotic Fog began to retreat, a heavy silence settled over the battlefield. The defenders stood panting, weapons lowered, bodies trembling from exhaustion.
Isha knowing that the immediate threat had passed and everyone had relaxed just a fraction, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Alright," she said, her voice steady but laced with fatigue, "let's head back to the main wall. First, everyone focuses on recovery."
"Yes, Captain," most of them replied, nodding wearily. Yet their hollow eyes and slumped shoulders made it clear, almost everyone was in bad shape.
They moved together as a unit, trudging back along the wide parapet. The moment they reached the central section of the wall, the full extent of their condition became painfully obvious: torn armor hanging in strips, bruised and bloodied bodies, clothes stained dark with zombie ichor and their own blood.
