The first day ended without collapse.
That was the kindest thing anyone could say about it.
West held.
North held.
South burned through three clusters and somehow did not burn through Hale's patience entirely, which Hendrik later called 'the most surprising tactical outcome of the day.' Central remained clean under Thomas and Andrea, their team moving with the steady brutality of people who understood exactly how fragile stability became once infected pheromones clung to armor, hair, skin, and breath.
By the second day, the field stopped feeling like a single operation and became weather.
Mud. Rot. Smoke. Reports.
