Exhausted, Owen and his group sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Monkey, lifting a waterskin from the guards' pack, drank eagerly, even choking a bit from the haste.
Jiplin, using arcanergy to stop his bleeding, asked in a faltering voice, "How much longer do we need to hold out?"
Rummaging through the guards' pack, Owen found some candy, specifically hard candies.
At such a moment, the sweet treat was a morale booster.
Unwrapping the small pieces from their wax paper, the scent of honey sweetly diluted the taste of blood in their mouths.
In this dire situation, this sweet taste was unexpectedly precious, leaving an unforgettable impression.
Owen glanced around at his companions and said with a soft laugh, "Not much longer. Reinforcements have arrived."
Everyone looked up incredulously.
Monkey asked urgently, "Really?"
"Of course."