The sound was soft, like a cork popping from a bottle.
Something blurred through the air, moving faster than an arrow.
CLANG.
Seraphine didn't flinch. She spun her spear, batting the projectile out of the air with casual, terrifying precision.
The projectile hit a nearby tree trunk. It wasn't a seed. It was a thorn the length of a dagger, serrated and dripping with clear liquid.
HISS.
The wood where the thorn struck began to smoke and dissolve.
"Acid," Seraphine noted coolly. "High viscosity. It would melt skin in seconds."
"Sniper Lilies!" Reed yelled, bringing his gauntlets up. "Cover formation! Terra, keep the heat up! Seraphine, on me!"
The grove erupted.
THWIP-THWIP-THWIP-THWIP.
A volley of thorns filled the air.
"Behind me!" Seraphine roared.
She expanded her presence. She didn't use a shield; she used her body. She uncoiled her massive tail, whipping it up to form a living wall of emerald and black scales in front of Reed and Grika.
