And suddenly, amidst the chaos wrought by the Ferruginoso, the ticking chime of an eco-quartzite rang out, pulsing to the rhythm of a voice emerging from it: "Inola, give me a protection barrier!" shouted an older boy wearing a blue military uniform with white embroidery; a metallic fist gleamed on his left arm.

"Ithil, there are too many wounded! I'll treat the girls first. Leonidas, go get the two boys further ahead. Cover me!" Mina, a massive young woman nearly two meters tall with blonde hair, swiftly pulled out small droppers with needles and injected a clear liquid into Nesta and Rhea. Lifting the girls, she carried them to a spot where she unrolled a plastic tarp on the ground, laying them down side-by-side. Attending to Nesta first, Mina applied tourniquates and quickly bandaged the wound. The young archer, unconscious from the shock of the impact, stared into nothingness, lost in her own mind with blank, gray pupils.

"Here's your defense, Ithil!" Working in unison, Jacob and Inola instantly materialized a dome of cords and seals that proved impenetrable to the Ferruginoso. Relentless and fierce, the massive winged tiger continued its assault, slamming against it repeatedly; with every strike, the dome reverberated like a bell. Mina worked frantically inside the dome. Since Stella Secare was one of Ithil's own abilities, Mina knew well that the wound would be sterile and wouldn't require much disinfection, so she focused on closing it as quickly as possible using small elastic bandages tipped with sharp claws.

"Magaska, I need you to apply pressure right here on the armored girl's neck, don't let go! Use your hair to keep pressure on the archer!" "Magaska on it!" The white-haired girl placed her small hands over Rhea's neck; her hair came alive, wrapping around the torso of the archer, who lay unconscious beside her severed arm.

"Who... who are you guys? Are you from the academy?" Rax looked up at a massive, bald young man; blue tattooed accents on his head gleamed under the sun. "Haha, comrade, we're the backup!" Leonidas hoisted both Rax and Luan onto his shoulders—both critically wounded. Mina kept working rapidly; time was against her. Inserting expanding cotton packs, she managed to halt Rhea's profuse bleeding.

"Where... where is Rhea?" Rax, fading, barely managed to cling to consciousness. "Easy there, leader friend, we're heading to her," Leonidas replied, carrying him on his shoulder as if the boy and his armor weighed no more than a feather. "And Nesta! How is she?!" Luan remembered the young archer in terror; in his mind, she was being struck over and over by his Stella Secare. "Don't worry, young magicer, they are being tended to by Sister Mina. She is fighting to save them, I assure you." Taking large strides, Leonidas moved quickly toward the clearing where the shield stood.

"The Ferruginoso is still out there. It's massive and furious; it's already caused so much damage... Mina, should we put it to sleep?" Ithil asked as he rushed to meet the others. Mina examined the two girls closely; the bleeding was subsiding, but their conditions worried her. "Let me see you, my girl, I need to check beneath your armor." Mina took a knife and carefully sliced the straps securing the armor to its owner. She quickly checked her arms—one was broken at the shoulder from the impact, but both legs were intact.

A faint murmur escaped Rhea's lips. Mina leaned in to listen, feeling her chest and abdomen. "What are you trying to tell me?" Mina couldn't decipher the whistling sound barely passing through Rhea's lips, likely due to the neck wound. Suddenly, Mina froze. Hurriedly, she grabbed an oval jade gemstone and pressed it against Rhea's abdomen; the stone flared a brilliant pink. "No... it's a male. It must be gathering food for its nesting grounds; breeding season starts in a few days... Ithil, we need to talk." Taking Ithil by the shoulder, Mina pulled him away from where Rhea and Nesta lay, stabilized for the moment.

"The shield warrior..." Ithil looked down at the girl. Blood covered her face, her armor was dented from the impact, and with her eyes nearly rolling back, her lips moved in silent repetition. "Ah, damn it, how is she? Did we get here too late?" Worried, Ithil looked at Mina and the young girls.

"We need to get to the academy fast... Ithil... the shield girl... she's pregnant. I applied mild muscle relaxants and antispasmodics; she's in her first month. She'll survive, but... I only know one doctor capable of saving them both: Emilia needs to see her." Ithil's eyes widened in shock just as Leonidas arrived with the two youths on his shoulders. "What? Pregnant! Rhea... why didn't you say anything? If you had told me, I..." Rax recalled their conversation from that morning and fell silent, overwhelmed by the secret Rhea had kept. Tearing his throat, he screamed his agony into the air, clawing at the hair on both sides of his head.

"Magaska, trap that Ferruginoso along with Jacob and Inola!" Ithil grabbed a communicator; the eco-quartzites vibrated once more. "Y-You're a doctor, right?... Please, I beg you, save her... Save Rhea and my child. I'll give you everything I have, I'll even be your slave, I can give you so much money... please, save her..." Pale and in shock, Rax gripped Mina's hand tightly as she bandaged his legs to halt the bleeding. Suddenly, he screamed in desperation, "WERE YOU NOT LISTENING?! SAVE RHEA!" With eyes lost in confusion and rage, Rax held Mina back. "Calm down, we are doing just that... but I can't guarantee anything, do you hear me?!" Mina used her strength to pry Rax's hand off her arm; his grip was preventing her from treating him. Mina was on the verge of reprimanding them for bringing a pregnant girl on a mission, but chose to say no more, lacking a deeper understanding of the situation.

"Kill it..." a voice muttered behind Rax. Mina caught the venom in the words; they landed heavily, but she ignored their weight. Using an emergency lumaria, she purged the mana poisoning Luan's system. Ithil and Leonidas fell silent, understanding the profound hatred the creature had bred in the group. "...KILL THAT DAMN MONSTER, FINISH IT! ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU CAME FOR TOO?!" Possessed by rage, Luan began to thrash, shaking his Klauvra, demanding a blood payment from the other youths. "Kill it... finish it, please..." Bundled in his cape, Luan wept impotently.

"Mina... I have cooling packs in the vehicle. I'll tell Leonidas to fetch them as quickly as possible to preserve the archer girl's arm." Ithil tossed the keys to Leonidas, who understood instantly. "On it, siblings. I'll go get the vehicle." Patting both boys on the shoulder, Leonidas sprinted off. They watched him go, each lost in his own separate grief.

"Good, you're a lifesaver, Ithil. If we drop the pregnant girl's temperature, we can buy more time—that gives us a better shot at saving her, and the archer's arm too! Magaska, thanks for the help, go assist the boys." Mina tended to both girls, preparing to move them. "Right! Magaska is going after the Ferruginoso!" Giving a military salute to her brow, Magaska took off, her wings flaring open.

"Jacob, I've got the right side!" Inola threw a handful of threads into the air. Shaking his rosary, he created a floating net that lunged toward the Ferruginoso. "Graaaa!" With a roar, the massive beast pulled off an impossible mid-air twist, using its wings to pivot hard in the opposite direction of its leap. "Magaska's got it, haaa!" Also winged, Magaska intercepted it, using her hair to mirror Inola's net; both surrounded the creature. Only Jacob was missing.

"Wraaa!" The massive, muscular juggernaut saw an opening and slipped agilely between the three youths; its wings granted it a supernatural maneuverability in the air for a beast of its size. Escaping the three young fighters, the animal fled and vanished into the tall grass. "What...? Where's Jacob? Do you see him?" Inola crouched low as well, trying to hide after losing sight of the Ferruginoso, looking around nervously; the beast had simply vanished. "It's still here. It's an ambush predator. Stop talking and pay... attention." Jacob crouched down, gradually lowering his voice, using his hand to signal the others to stay low.

Silence fell once more; the wind and the grasslands sang over one another with tiny, raspy, high-pitched voices. The waves of grass rippled in a continuous, monotonous pattern. Beyond the perimeter set by Jacob and Inola, where the wounded lay, the tension ratcheted up bit by bit. Two yellow-breasted lupho birds watched the field side-by-side, attentive witnesses to the duel of patience unfolding in the grasslands below. Gleaming eyes and a beak of burnished black steel peeked through the stalks; the Ferruginoso's patience broke.

"HiAAAAAA!" Mina launched off the ground in a single bound; her steady fists wielded her characteristic white august staff that Jacob had crafted for her some time ago. Directing the strike straight at the Ferruginoso's flank, Mina sought to topple the striped giant onto its side. "Graaa!" Dodging the staff and shattering it with a powerful swipe of its claws, the Ferruginoso soared into the air, enveloped in a cocoon of wings.

"It's yours, Leonidas!" Ithil shouted from his hiding spot. Leonidas spun a pair of steel bolas, ready to snare the animal. The throw was inches from catching it, but the Ferruginoso's tucked wings flared open violently, stopping it just shy of capture. Executing a contorted twist, it lunged directly at the now-exposed Leonidas. "Heiii! Leonidas doesn't fear your claws or your wings!" Planting his feet using his rondallas, Leonidas stood firm, ready to meet the massive, towering beast head-on.

"Kan-ja! Binding Chains!" Crouched in the grass, Inola prayed aloud with his favorite weapon. Cords and knots ensnared the striped giant. Inola instantly felt the raw, unadulterated strength of the beast. "Leo! You idiot, you barely recovered from Nivoria—it took you eight months! And here you are again, asking for wounds!" Sweating profusely, Inola grew frustrated; the spiritual weight of the binding was immense. Creatures like this, committing no sins and remaining pure in their nature, were notoriously difficult to subdue with the rosary.

"JACOB, NOW! NOW! NOW!" Mina leaped from behind the creature, splitting a new staff made in sections; the tips featured sharp metallic claws that flared open, pinning both of the Ferruginoso's wings. "I'm here! Haa!" With his small frame, Jacob literally soared through the air using wings crafted from metallic tubes, within which Lizva resonated powerfully. Jacob slammed face-first against the Ferruginoso, gripping the creature's fur tightly, taking care to avoid the sword-sharp feathers.

"PWAAA, bleeeeehhh, pfft, pfft, I got fur in my mouth!" Jacob squeezed his eyes shut; the coarse fur of the Ferruginoso pricked and irritated his face. Crawling blindly up its spine, he reached the crown of the beast. There, using a small device, he deployed a syringe that inoculated a glowing red substance into the potent animal. "It's done! Ithil, Magaska, your turn!" Jacob let go of the beast, which still possessed plenty of vigor. Thrashing even while half-trapped, it threw Jacob and his gadget, sending him skidding face-first through the grassland for several meters. A worried Lizva emerged at the side of the dazed Jacob.

"Magaska will hold the beast until the drug takes effect!" Magaska's hair completely entangled the animal, barely pinning it down as its claws fought against the encroaching sleep. "This is the end of the line, boy," Ithil approached the massive Ferruginoso. The beast glared at him with pure rage. Screeching and piping like a hawk, its fury was plain to see. Pshii, pshii! Soft hiss-like shots echoed as a durt gun smoked in Ithil's metallic hand. His reflection in the Ferruginoso's pupils blurred, and the creature sank into a heavy slumber. The Ferruginoso had been subdued.

"Leo, bring the vehicle around. We need to load the rookies and contact Samael and Emilia," Ithil grumbled between his teeth, as was his habit. The barrier protecting the rookies dissipated, allowing Jacob and Inola to finally rest. "Those kids... their first mission..." Ithil couldn't take his eyes off the four youths, barely five years younger than his own team.

"Ithil! We've finished securing the locking bolts. The Ferruginoso is completely tied down." Jacob approached the group. Taking in the grim scene, he glanced sideways at the rescued squad. "Good job, Jacob. We'll call the ranger squad. Just set up the tent so the Ferruginoso isn't left out in the open; we don't want any more accidents." Jacob nodded, looking back at the young rookies. "They'll be fine. Mina is an excellent doctor, you know that firsthand," Ithil gave Jacob a tired smile. Jacob looked back and nodded. "Of course she is. And by the way, Mina... Leonidas found the swordsman's legs... but the Ferruginoso chewed on them a bit," Jacob shrugged.

"Oh, I see... Hmm, I think it's too late, Jacob. We can bring them, but we won't be able to save them. Hurry and put them in the vehicle's cold storage compartment, we're leaving." Mina finished securing the last pieces of equipment in the vehicle; Inola was already inside, and Leonidas was at the wheel. The long transport featured two compartments: a front cabin designed for five occupants, and a rear cabin outfitted with equipment and seats for medical care, where Nesta and Rhea were traveling. Rax and Luan were still struggling to process what had just happened.

"Alright, let's move! Leave the Ferruginoso; the ranger team is already on their way to transport it to the southern reserve." Mina urged Ithil to get in; everyone was on board. Magaska, perched on top, held onto the roof using her hair. Ithil climbed in and took the passenger seat. Massive basaltic side shields that folded down from the platform glowed a vibrant orange. The levitators absorbed the vehicle's weight, granting it agility and speed.

"How long from here to the academy?" Mina asked, calculating the dosages to administer during the trip. "By Multicontinental, it's roughly sixteen hours. In the Guisarme, it'll be about four. Just let's avoid hitting any wildlife; the mess would be catastrophic," Jacob smiled grimly, patting the side of the vehicle. "Don't worry, Brother Jacob, Leonidas will be extra careful," Leonidas gave a thumbs-up and accelerated, demonstrating an unexpected mastery at the wheel.