The three trapped retrieval demons hissed in unison, their segmented limbs scraping frantically against Ferra's containment boundary.
Cut off from the imperial network by Cessy's burned brand, they recognized that survival required burrowing through the wounded exiles.
The largest hound lunged forward, extending jagged mandibles toward the clinic veranda where Cessy and Lucan stood side by side.
Vella stepped directly into the intercept lane, raising her bronze medical staff to project a glowing shield of emerald vitality.
"A wound is not an emergency path!" the healer shouted, the emerald barrier deflecting the creature's acidic spit into sizzling steam.
"You do not get to use their scars as your private escape tunnel!"
The acidic discharge splattered across the pavement, corroding the mortar between the flagstones without penetrating the resilient medical ward.
