Sonder's sword-light thinned as they descended, shrinking to a dull glow the darkness seemed to swallow, as if the dark were pushing back.
Something thrummed around Sonder. Then-
A searing flash streaked out of the dark below.
"DOWN!" the bloodhound barked.
Sonder dove aside with the beastfolk. The spell slammed into the rock behind them, sending jagged stone exploding where their heads had been moments before.
Another flash followed. A nearly pitch-black bolt shaped like an arrow, hissing through the air.
Sonder scrambled up and conjured a shield. The bolt struck the barrier so hard she slid across the floor, but she stayed standing.
"There!" the hyena snarled, pointing.
A figure moved, visible only as a silhouette against deeper black, a sickening darkness glimmering beside it.
The beastfolk froze.
"…Brother?" the bloodhound woman whispered.
The creature, man or beast, paused at the sound. His head twitched toward her voice.
Sonder strained her eyes. She could almost see his face, but the darkness seemed to cling to him, thick as tar, swallowing features before they could form.
He raised a hand, and several of the rocks shattered in the first assault rose, hovering around him.
"Brother!" the bloodhound called again.
For a moment, the floating stones wavered.
A voice came; broken, layered with something dark.
"Go… back!" The last word boomed like a blow; the caverns shook and dust rained down.
Sonder grabbed the bloodhound and yanked her aside as the stones launched. They smashed into the stairway, cracking steps beneath their feet; a few grazed fur and armor, drawing blood.
"Come closer!" Sonder ordered. They huddled within her as she raised a shimmering barrier; barrages of rock and stone slammed against it.
The bloodhound woman stared into the darkness, tail drooping low, fists shaking.
"He is afraid," she whispered. "Afraid of us. Afraid of himself."
The barrage didn't stop.
Stones still rattled and scraped loose from the cavern walls as more were shot towards them, only to be deflected by the barrier.
Dust billowed in choking clouds. Another sharp crack split the air; a spell detonating. Unlike the rocks, that blast stole at Sonder's power. She didn't know how long she could hold the barrier; it wasn't wise to wait and see.
"We cannot stand here," Sonder warned.
The beastfolk formed a tight ring around her: claws ready, teeth bared, fear trembling beneath it all.
The hyena shouted over the next explosion, "He is still casting! He means to bury us!"
"He will not stop!" the wolf-man growled. "We must end him before he brings the whole cave down!"
The bloodhound woman whipped toward him, grief and fury mingling.
Another blast. A slab of ceiling the size of a cart came crashing down.
A warped voice reverberated through the dark: "Leave… me…"
There was something like a sob in the distortion, or a growl. It was hard to tell.
Sonder's sword flickered, weaker, as if the darkness were fighting it directly.
"We need a decision. Now!" the fox snapped. "His magic is strong, and if he traps or kills us down here, there will be no second chance."
The wolf-man pointed. "We kill the monster!"
"He is not a monster!" the bloodhound yelled, just as another dark blast nearly broke through the barrier.
The hyena seized her by the shoulders. "Look at us! He is trying to kill you!"
The bloodhound twisted free, teeth bared toward her group, but her resolve faltered.
"…He is afraid," she whispered, shaking. "He… he doesn't want us to reach him. If there was another way, any other way, I would take it."
The bloodhound squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "If he must fall… he falls by our hands. If this is the only mercy left to give…" She opened her eyes, hunter's resolve hardening. "…then we give it."