The moment they moved—the Dabas moved too.
That was the first sign this wouldn't go smoothly.
Most Dabas reacted with a delay—a beat of confusion before instinct kicked in. These two had no such delay. The moment Jelo and the others crossed into their awareness, both creatures locked on with the kind of focused aggression that came from something stronger, something older.
Jelo activated his Assess skill immediately.
The reading came back fast.
Enhanced variant. Both. Above standard threshold.
He pushed the result aside. It didn't change what needed to happen—only how careful they had to be getting there.
"Splitting now," he said.
No further instruction needed. Atlas and Ken angled right toward the larger of the two—a broad-framed creature with thicker plating along its shoulders, its movements carrying deliberate, ground-shaking weight. Jelo and Mira broke left toward the second—leaner, faster in its initial steps, its eyes tracking them with sharp unblinking focus.
