Kade led the group deeper through the forest, his steps measured, his attention divided between the terrain and the boundary's slow approach behind them. The shrinking ward would close in again soon. Not yet, but soon enough that hesitation would cost more than aggression.
He kept their pace controlled. Not too fast – because the others needed enough awareness to react when orders changed. Not too slow – because spacing tightened the longer they waited.
One handled pressure from the front.
One circled to cut off escape routes.
One watched for interference from the flanks.
Kade coordinated from the center, where his instructions reached every role without delay.
At first, everything felt normal.
Then his skill, Relative Scanning, caught something behind them.
Kade did not immediately stop.
He kept walking, let the skill flare more carefully, and narrowed the scan's range.
