The mutated beast growled, its grotesque fusion of elephant, bear, and hound towering before Brimmah.
He charged headlong at it like before.
This time the Runeborn beast leapt — its newfound agility carrying it high into the air before crashing down toward him.
Brimmah rolled away at the last second. Dirt and rock splintered under the beast's weight.
Before he could turn, the creature's massive paw slammed him across the chamber.
He tumbled, rolled, and crashed into wall.
His vision swam. His ears rang. The world faded to muffled sound. The Sealbearer's voice pierced through, faint and desperate. "Brimmah…! Get up…!"
The Sealbearer conjured shadow, but it was too weak to engulf the monster as it began another charge toward the barely conscious Brimmah. He snapped his fingers instead — Light Conjuration flashed.
The beast froze — for only a heartbeat — then lurched forward again.
He did it again and again, each snap buying a moment, each shorter than the last.
Vey and Drunn reappeared from shadow, Vey still gripping her spear thrust through Drunn. She yanked the spear free, leaving him collapsing. Expressionless. Still under the enemy's control.
The masked woman next to the Black Batch Lieutenant spoke calmly. "The conjurer is the most dangerous. Take care of him first."
Korak grunted. "I know that."
Vey spun her spear and charged the Sealbearer.
The Sealbearer kept snapping. Light Conjuration flared. The Runeborn beast stuttered mid-charge again and again. He kept shouting for Brimmah to get up, ignoring Vey charging his own way.
Brimmah blinked, the ringing fading. He saw the beast looming, paw raised to end him. He rolled away.
Claws slammed down, tearing up the ground.
A berserk roar in spite of his aching bones. Brimmah slashed the monster's hind leg with his enchanted arm, severing the whole limb skin to bone.
As it stumbled on three legs, he grabbed his shield off ground, rose, and raced after Vey, who ran toward the Sealbearer with deadly intent.
The Sealbearer raised a hand, conjuring shadow that swallowed Vey whole. But he was weakened; it spat her out just moments later.
She thrust her spear straight for him —
Brimmah bashed her away just in time.
She tumbled, rolled back onto her feet, weapon raised again.
The beast's mangled cry bellowed in the background.
Vey lunged — Brimmah deflected with his shield, parried — then chopped her spear clean in half.
The Lieutenant struggled to control his monster as it roared in pain, stumbling on three legs.
"Mindbinding has its limits, does it?" The masked woman teased.
Korak scoffed, raised a hand in effort. His rune strings became visible as he forced the monster to steady itself, subdued again.
Vey kept coming at Brimmah even unarmed, still under control.
Behind them, the Runeborn beast lurched forward, now like a soulless puppet. No roar, only the rumbling of its heavy steps as it turned toward the Sealbearer.
Brimmah glanced between the monster and Vey.
He hurled his shield across the chamber, straight for the puppet-master.
Korak's eyes widened. He flinched.
The masked woman reacted sharply, raised a palm, activating a dormant rune on the Lieutenant's body.
The air warped. The shield passed through the Korak's body, slamming hard into the wall behind. Korak left untouched.
Elsewhere in the hideout, Caelis the enchanter drew a weak breath. His fingers loosened from his wound. His hand slid down.
Back in the wide cavern, the Runeborn beast collapsed mid-charge, thrashing in agony. Its many minds tore each other apart, eyes shifting form, weeping blood.
Vey gasped — back to her senses in that instant.
The Sealbearer realized, "Rune of phase!" he yelled to Brimmah. "Phase rune disrupted his enchantment. STRIKE NOW!"
Brimmah rushed.
Korak panicked, glancing from his beast to Vey — both distant.
The Sealbearer gathered shadow at his fingertips.
The masked woman faltered.
Vey's eyes went blank again, the enchantment retaking her. She raced to intercept Brimmah, but he was already ahead.
Drunn rose, staggered between Brimmah and the enemy, eyes blank.
The Sealbearer snapped a finger while shooting a spear of shadow.
Light Conjuration froze Drunn mid-stride.
Shadow Conjuration shot across the air.
Brimmah leapt, planting a foot on Drunn's shoulder and launching himself higher toward the enemy.
Korak's panic mounted. He shifted a step in retreat but hesitated. Then turned to the masked woman instead.
But she was gone, consumed by the Sealbearer's shadow.
Brimmah soared through the air toward the Lieutenant — defenseless.
Elsewhere, Caelis now lay still. The light faded from his eyes.
A nearby weapon lost its rune seal as he died.
Back in the cavern, Korak drew a short sword and thrust upward as Brimmah descended.
In that slowed moment of contact, Brimmah's fingertips shattered the blade like thin ice. They carved through Korak's shoulder, severing his entire arm.
Brimmah crashed down.
Korak screamed in agony.
Vey stopped.
Drunn collapsed as the enchantment broke.
The bleeding Lieutenant stumbled, fleeing toward the tunnel he entered from.
Brimmah followed.
The man tripped, crawled, shouted the name "Pip" in desperate cries for help while Brimmah loomed.
Behind them, shadows flickered, expelling the masked woman back into existence.
The Sealbearer shouted for Vey over the Lieutenant's cries.
Before she could react, the masked woman slammed her palm to ground, activating another rune — this one carved into the very mountain they were inside.
An explosion thundered overhead. The chamber quaked.
She used the chaos to escape through a secret pass.
Brimmah paused as the hideout threatened to cave in. He glanced back to the wider chamber — Vey slung Drunn over her shoulder as debris rained. The Sealbearer couldn't move on his own. He then looked the helpless Black Batch Lieutenant at his mercy — then made his choice.
Brimmah and Vey trudged through the collapsing corridor, carrying the wounded.
The Sealbearer, still conscious on Brimmah's back, kept snapping. Light and shadow bursting to stall falling stones.
But his power alongside his consciousness were fading.
Then —
A massive boulder blocked their path before another crashed down upon them.