The storm-born creature broke from the ravine at a run. It had armor plates along its back, each edge sharp enough to shed fragments when it struck. Wei saw it first and called the formation teams into line.
Yan was midway through a cycle on the platform. The creature had not crossed the perimeter, and Wei’s crew had a plan to redirect it. Yan kept to the sequence while the guards handled the threat outside the circle.
A line of shields closed across the ridge. The formation team sent a controlled pulse through the line, drawing the creature toward the open ravine. It struck one shield and threw a spray of sharp fragments across the stones. One fragment cut a guard’s cheek.
The guard—Hedo—stumbled behind the marker. Blood ran along his jaw, but he stayed on his feet. Wei ordered him to shelter and called a relief guard into the line.
“I’m fine,” Hedo said, pressing a sleeve to the cut.
“You’re out of the line,” Wei replied. “Let the medic look at it.”
The relief guard took Hedo’s position. The team kept the shields angled toward the ravine and opened a gap on its far side. The creature turned toward the lower road, where the formation line bent away from the village. Wei’s team let it follow the open route, then closed behind it.
