章 1717: Despair

The sighting of elf reinforcements brought a crushing weight of dread to Emery and his companions. The distant hovering ship, the unmistakable herald of the elves' arrival, drove Master Borin to the edge of panic.

"That's it! We are going to die!! Die!!" he shouted, his voice cracked with despair.

Atlas, the mechanical wonder by Emery's side, began to emit a series of broken sounds. The machine was scanning the number of dark elves approaching, its digital display flashing ominously.

Emery's eyes flicked to the pale commander, desperately seeking a command or strategy.

But the commander's face was ashen, his eyes hollow. The arrival of the elf reinforcements had extinguished the last flicker of hope in him. He stood frozen, a shell of a man, unable to even voice a reaction.