By the time we reached the north wall, the scent of burning metal and ozone filled the air. The breach was not a crack or a hole. It was a tear. The barrier had been sliced open with a precision that made my skin crawl.
Constructs flooded through the opening. Not the older models with glitching joints and predictable movement patterns. These were different. Taller. Smooth silver plating. Blue cores pulsing beneath ribs made of interlocking metal.
I felt their attention shift the moment they saw me.
“Take cover,” Beau barked.
I did not. I could not. My aura surged instinctively as the first construct launched forward. Jack ripped it down mid leap, claws tearing through its armored spine. It screeched, sparks flying, and collapsed at his feet.
Another charged Beau. He met it head on, sl
