The first ridge began to give ground.
A beast struck the spear wall hard enough to drive the front pair back. Han raised her sword, then brought it down toward the lower stones.
“First squad, withdraw by pairs. Second squad, step up. Archers cover the gap.”
The front pair backed away with their spears still aimed at the creature. Two fresh soldiers filled the space they left. The next pair retreated, and another took their place. The ridge did not empty all at once. The archers kept their bows trained on the beast while the exchange continued.
Yan watched the rotation from the open approach. The beast had a crack along one shoulder and a blue seam beneath its jaw. It turned toward the brightest ward post. Han’s formation kept it from going straight there, but each blow against the spears pushed them back another handspan.
***
At the command post, Qinghe had made a triage station beneath a canvas awning. She put colored cloth strips on a bench and gave two runners the quickest routes to the infirmary. One knew the stairs behind the signal post. The other had served on the west platform and knew a path through the lower yard.
