They returned from the relay with less blood than the enclave had drawn but the argument started before the wounded were settled.
The lower strategy hall of the Origin Palace reeked of burned residue and medic herbs. Rhazor sat on a stone bench while a healer sealed the worst splits in his scales. Zane had one arm bound tight from a lock-construct's near miss. Heron stood silent near the wall, spear cleaned, empty eyes gazing into nothing. Lilith remained on her feet despite the fresh strain under her recovered authority. Damaris watched the room like a man counting costs on either side of the ledger.
Lucian closed the latest lattice report and looked across the table. "One relay is down. The orb slowed for less than a full cycle and then resumed through the remaining feeds. We paid for a delay, not a stop. If we throw the same team at the next vein immediately, we do it thinner and more predicted."
