Martin did not rush forward just because he had been given the lead. Before moving, he crouched near the slick cave floor and dragged the edge of his shield across the wet stone, listening to the dull scrape beneath the water. There was no loose gravel, no hidden crack waiting under the mist, and the ground near him was stable enough to hold a formation.
Only then did he look toward the other tanks.
"How far can you see through the mist?"
"Twenty meters if nothing moves," one of Party Seventeen's tanks answered.
"Thirty if the egg light catches armor," another added.
Martin followed their gazes toward the pale-blue glow deeper in the cave, then nodded. "Then don't stare into the mist. Watch where the light bends. Anything crossing that glow will show itself before it reaches you."
The tanks exchanged quick looks. It was simple advice, but it gave them something solid to focus on, and Martin saw their shoulders settle as they adjusted their shields.
"Shield skills?" he asked.
