A few minutes later, the group finally crawled out of the water, gasping for breath. They had held on as long as they could, waiting for the Siphon Wraiths to lose interest and disappear. Now, the forested area near the riverbank was quiet, except for their heavy breathing.
Fumiko squeezed the water out of her hair, her soaked clothes clinging to her as she tried to catch her breath shaking her head to get rid of the last droplets.
Si-eun lay on the grass nearby, still unconscious, her face pale but breathing steadily. One of the other members knelt beside her, checking her pulse. "She's stable," he reported. "But she used too much mana... it'll take time before she wakes up."
The second-in-command stood a few feet away, his eyes scanning the remaining group. His expression hardened as he did a headcount. He turned back to Fumiko, voice heavy with frustration. "We have eleven left... we lost thirteen back there."
