Shadow pulled themselves upright from where they'd been thrown, clearly in pain but still functional. One hand pressed against their ribs where the tail strike had connected. "Mission accomplished," they said in that magically-altered voice, though there was a slight wheeze underneath the distortion. "Target eliminated. Ready to proceed to secondary objective?"
"The temple," Satou confirmed, already thinking ahead. "But first—Freda, do you have enough energy left to cast detection magic? I need to make sure there aren't any other cult leaders or commanders hidden in this camp."
The young elf nodded wearily. "I can manage a basic detection spell. Give me a moment..." She took several deep breaths, centering herself, then her hands wove another pattern. This one was much simpler than the purification magic, but it still required concentration.
