The shadow crossed the road. Then the ground broke. A sharp crack split the air—not thunder, not qi, but wood snapping under sudden force. The lead cart lurched violently to the side as something slammed into its axle from above. The wheel shattered. The cart tipped, momentum carrying it halfway over before it crashed back down, chests bursting open as supplies spilled across the dirt.
Ambush—!
The shout barely finished before the second strike came. From the right barricade, a figure dropped out of the trees like a falling stone, the blade already moving. Steel flashed once. An elder staggered back with a cry, blood spraying across the road as the spear fell from his hands.
Chaos burst. More figures emerged—not charging, not yelling—just appearing from curves that should have been empty. From behind the trees. From surface depressions beside the road. From slightly elevated ground where the slope hid their approach.
