Alden sprinted past the shattered remnants of the iron ore carts. Splinters of oak and twisted wagon axles littered the valley floor. The rapid response unit followed close behind him. Fifty heavily armored pikemen ran in perfect synchronization. They arrived just in time to see the Behemoth crush a dying draft horse beneath its massive hoof.
The beast was a nightmare forged in dark metal. It stood two stories tall and resembled a massive rhinoceros clad in overlapping plates of organic iron. Its single horn was a jagged spear of solid bone and steel. The creature stood in the center of the ruined trade route and systematically destroyed the Ashguard supply train.
Dozens of unarmed miners scrambled up the rocky slopes to escape the c*****e. They abandoned their heavy loads of raw ore and
