A vast, violent wave of invisible force crashed down like a giant hand from the heavens, splitting the air with a shriek.
Milk Dragon reacted fastest, curling into a tight golden ball an instant before the wave struck. Even so, the overwhelming force hit him like a hammer and sent him flying.
The golden ball arced through the air. If he had not struck the broken wall of a ruined building, he might have flown dozens of meters farther.
Thud!
Milk Dragon slammed into the ground.
His body trembled twice where he lay, then went still.
Wine Cup reacted a little slower. She had no time to raise a hand before the wave swept her away like a kite with a severed string. Fortunately, she flew straight toward a window in a nearby building.
The wooden frame shattered on impact, and Wine Cup tumbled inside amid splinters, landing hard on an old bed covered by a faded blanket.
The thick blanket absorbed most of the impact. Wine Cup felt as though her whole body had come apart, and her porcelain-white cup body struck the bedframe with a dull knock. Thankfully... it had not cracked.
But more than half the wine in the cup atop her head had spilled.
As for Na, the third member of their group...
Ever since parting from Mud Duke, she had clung to Milk Dragon like a boneless snake. When he was sent flying, she fell with him.
Wine Cup had no idea how badly Na or Milk Dragon was hurt. It had all happened too fast. One moment they were dodging; the next, they had been scattered.
"Hah... hah..."
Wine Cup lay on the battered bed, gulping air in an attempt to ease the pain and stiffness in her body.
But Tulega bodies were too