The arrow soars

Daffodil's arrow flies through the air, heading straight for the head of the beast and just as it makes contact...

It bounces directly off of the exposed part of the monsters skull.

Daffodil is stunned as is Lani who just looks on as the arrow drops onto the dirt.

Lani's survival instincts finally kick back in as she goes to cast a protection spell around the cart but as she brings her hands up, the creature begins moving faster.

"Oh crap!" Lani exclaims before incanting, "Varið okkur frá heiminum!".

Just then, a semi-translucent bubble with faint shimmers of purple forms around the cart, safely encompassing the gurogans, Daffodil and Lani.

The creature gets closer and closer, getting to the edge of the bubble yet its eyes never move from the prey within.

The monster looks like its staring through the souls of the female duo inside as it just peers at them with much more than simple malicious intent.

The creature takes a step forward but cannot move forward. Instead, it is met with some resistance from the protective bubble around the cart, sending it a couple steps back. The creature tries to move forward again but it has the same result.

This angers the creature who emits a low growl, its displeasure being cast from the depths of its throat.

"Wit the fucking fuck is that fuck ugly fucking thing?!" Daffodil asks with shock, fear, immense terror, every synonym for scared in her voice.

"It's a Houndum!" Lani responds with that same fear within her.

"A Houndum?! I thought they stayed down in the Network?!".

"They do! There must be a tunnel point nearby!" Lani answers as the houndum gets right up to the edge of the bubble. The wolf-esque monstrosity leans its head forward and puts its nose up against the semi-translucent barrier, figuring out where it begins.

The houndum begins to sniff at the bubble, almost like it's searching for a scent of some kind yet it's blood red eyes never leave Daffodil or Lani.

The two women then jump in terror as the houndum swipes at the bubble with its huge paw and freakishly long claws. A clanging reverberation echoes throughout the bubble just as the claw makes contact, almost physically shaking the dome along with it.

"Uhh, we're like, totally a hundred percent safe in here, rite?" Daffodil asks as she tightly clutches onto her trusty crossbow.

"Yes, that dome has protected all of fairy-kind from a compendium of creatures for centuries. We shall be no different, I hope".

Daffy wasn't listening to that last little part however as she stares back toward the ugly beast, that fear shaking her hand as she loads another bolt into her crossbow.

The houndum emits that same low growl from before as it raises its paw to strike against the bubble once again with the same actions unfolding after.

The beast gets a little annoyed. Its prey so close yet so far from its reach as it strikes once again, and then another time and another, its claws bouncing off of the protective dome as its attacks get stronger and more aggressive.

The women inside now wracked with even more terror as the bubble is reverberating again and again, literally shaking the cart within with each strike.

"So, about us being safe?!" Daffy shouts as she aims the crossbow at the houndum.

"We should be!" Lani responds, preparing to cast another spell.

The houndum gets angrier than before as it now balances upon its hind legs as it rapidly and viciously slashes away with its razor-like claws.

The protective bubble is rapidly reacting, beginning to lose its transparentness as the once faint purple is now brightly showing at the impact point of the slashes.

"Doesn't look like we're safe anymore! You better 'ave a gid fucking spell up yer skirt!" Daffodil says as she readies her trigger finger.

"I hope so too!" Lani responds as her hands begin to emanate an increasing brightening light.

The bubble is beginning to almost screech as the houndum continues to tear away, the purple light around the dome now glowing brighter than before. Just then, the bubble lets out a thudding resonance as the duo sees it...

A singular jagged black claw has pierced through the dome.