The scout had not crossed the next mark when the stall broke.
Kellan saw the upper shutter split outward. A heavy shape drove through the display boards, scattering fragments across the raised street. The scout turned toward the sound, and the projection at the back of his protective gear caught on a broken hook.
He stopped as if somebody had seized him.
The creature landed in front of him wearing a hunter’s breastplate.
Kellan moved without waiting to understand it. He put his shield between the scout and the first strike, angling the impact toward clear paving rather than the wall Juno had marked. The force traveled through his shoulder and down his braced leg. A broken board struck the shield edge and spun away.
“Back to the wider street,” he shouted.
The scout tried to step. The caught fitting held him. Kellan felt him stumble against his back.
“Gear snagged.”
