Alaric stood in the center circle, giving quick instructions. This time, he kept it short, direct, and firm.
"Jordan, take the middle. Rael, front. Elliot in the back. Thomas, hold the right side. Don't ask why. Just trust me and do it."
Jordan, solid and powerful, raised an eyebrow but nodded. Rael muttered something under his breath, hesitant to be placed up front again, but didn't argue.
Elliot, slimmer but with sharp instincts, took the position near Northvale's rim. Thomas, a medium-built, nimble player, guarded the right flank.
The formation looked strange to some in the audience. The weakest player placed out front, seemingly as the first wall against enemy attacks. But Alaric had a reason: he wanted the team's energy to be used in layers. Start light, then scale up to the stronger defenders at the back. A more measured distribution.
