The first track hound reached the east corridor minutes after the sports territory opened. Its numbered shoulder plate struck Nox's outer barrier, spreading a red route line across every section on the school board. The sports commander had selected ownership itself as the scent guiding every released creature.
Three more hounds followed without testing any door between the gym and his territory. They had been released to hunt active claims, which turned every safe route Nox owned into a marked destination.
Nox watched the impact through the east-wing command screen while Vasa copied the route changes. The barrier lost two percent integrity under the first synchronized charge, then recovered by consuming power from the workshop core.
[ East barrier integrity: 98% ]
[ Incoming migration wave: 26 ranked creatures ]
[ First impact estimate: 31 minutes ]
