Delaney slammed her staff against the beast's head. With one swipe of a limb it knocked her back, but by the time it returned to Sloan she was ready. She threw her hand into the digital textures of its face and propelled her magic up the nerves of her arm to the tips of her fingers. From her hand erupted a pulse of pure light. The beast's entire head lit up as she incinerated its face and hollowed an immense cavity in its skull.

The lamassu staggered back. Sloan pushed herself up and distanced herself from the wounded creature. Her nose bled and she had a cracked rib or two, although the pain-deadening perks of her soulless body made damage assessment difficult. The lamassu wasn't doing so bad for missing most of its head, managing to remain on four legs as it swayed back and forth.

(Chapter 3)