The abomination's voice broke through the haze, trembling and low, almost confused—almost childish. "You… you… you are annoying…"
And then it lunged.
It moved with terrifying speed, not with precision, but with force—like a beast flung from a chain. Its clawed limbs dragged through the air like scythes cutting the very air apart.
Amukelo braced for impact, his feet grinding into the stone. But just as it neared— Boom!
A barrage of water spells slammed into its side. Jets of high-pressure water collided with its half-formed limbs, staggering it for only a heartbeat. Before it could even shake them off, a fireball burst through the air and exploded right against its chest. The sound cracked through the dungeon. The resulting blast flung dust and mist into the air, coating everything in a dense white veil.
Without wasting a moment, Amukelo surged forward into the mist, sword drawn low and angled toward where the creature had stood. He squinted into the haze, heart pounding.
A shimmer. A flash of light ahead.
As the mist cleared slightly, Amukelo saw a spherical shield of translucent magic surrounding the abomination like a bubble. Its form distorted through the barrier, but he could see it watching him.
Amukelo didn't wait. Magic shields were strong against spells, but vulnerable to real steel.
He shifted his grip and brought his sword down in a powerful diagonal slash. It collided with the magical barrier.
The shield shivered violently from the impact, pulsing out light like a stone dropped in water—but it didn't break.
Before he could strike again, the abomination raised its arm inside the barrier. The claw gleamed black, already drawn back to strike.
Amukelo's eyes widened.
He leapt back, but the timing was off—he wouldn't make it in time.
He raised his forearm in desperation, not to stop it, but to slow it down, just enough.
But just before the claws tore into him, a portal shimmered into existence between them.
The limb shot forward and vanished into the portal's surface.
Pao cast another portal behind the abomination, but before the claws struck its back, another portal, this time a black one, appeared between the claws and the abomination's back, and the claws went through it.
Amukelo staggered, confused. Then, from behind. "Amukelo, behind you!" Pao's voice screamed out.
Another portal had appeared behind his back.
His instincts snapped. He turned, twisting his body, raising his arm to deflect—and caught the abomination's claws with his forearm.
The claws slashed through his leather bracer like it was paper. A thin line of red spilled down his forearm—but it didn't stop there.
The claws followed through, slashing across the side of his ribs with a sickening rip. A surge of burning pain followed—not normal pain, but corrupted, unnatural. The black mist clung to the wound, eating into it like acid, seeping into the skin like it was alive.
Amukelo screamed. His knees buckled. The sword nearly dropped from his hand. "Ahhh…!"
The pain stole his breath. His vision blurred.
But before the abomination could strike again, tendrils of water coiled around Amukelo—and yanked him backward just in time.
The claw struck the stone where he'd stood a second before, sending a spray of rock and dust in every direction.
"I've got you!" Pao called out, her voice laced with panic and focus both.
The second he landed, Pao sent another wave of attacks.
Water bullets surged forward—but halfway through the air, they froze, transforming into sharp, glittering ice spikes mid-flight. The creature summoned its magic shield again, but the distraction was already working.
Beneath its feet, the ground cracked—then erupted.
Jagged earth spikes burst upward, behind the shield, at the exposed back and legs. It jumped slightly, but one spike grazed its shoulder, tearing a small gash into the outer muscle.
Black mist hissed from the wound.
It let out a low, gutteral growl. Its red eye snapped to Pao, rage simmering beneath its jagged skin.
But when it looked, there were now three Paos standing across the battlefield. It blinked, confused.
Amukelo, meanwhile, had already hit the ground in a crouch. He ripped open the leather pouch at his hip and uncorked a healing potion.
He poured it down his throat, and warmth spread through his chest.
The cut on his ribs sealed, and the burning sensation faded. The dark mist that had wormed through his wound evaporated with a hiss as if burned by light. He felt his strength return, his stance steadier, his breathing clearer.
He raised his sword again, panting, eyes burning with focus.
Meanwhile, outside, the moment the trembling stopped, Bral turned toward the rubble with clenched fists and said, "It stopped shaking. Now we can start moving those stones."
Bao nodded beside him, brushing some of the dust off her cloak. "We need to start with the ones from the top first. If we don't, we risk everything collapsing again right on our heads."
"Then let's get to it," Bral said.
They moved with a rhythm—slow, steady, and careful. The first stones weren't difficult. Smaller ones, scattered around like debris. Idin and Bao picked them off one by one while Bral stood by, eyes locked on the upper structure. His prosthetic hummed slightly with mana, ready to react if something gave way.
After some time of clearing, they reached a turning point.
They stood before one of the larger slabs—a thick, jagged hunk of rock pinning several others in place. It wasn't just heavy. It was the keystone of the collapsed formation. If they touched it wrong, the weight above could crash down in a heartbeat.
Idin crouched beside it, massaging his chin as he studied its angle. "I don't know… Even I can't move some of these heavier ones. And if I did, there's no way I could stop the others from dropping down on me while I'm doing it."
Bral's jaw tensed. "So what?" he snapped. "Do you just want to leave them in there?"
"No!" Idin stood and met Bral's glare with one of his own. "That's not what I'm saying! I'm saying we need to approach it cautiously. You don't get a second chance if a ton of rock caves in on your head."
Bao took a step closer, glancing between them. "What if we try something else? I'll help Idin lift the bigger stones. And Bral…" she turned to him, voice steadier than her worried expression, "You'll be ready with your spell. If anything starts to fall, you stop it. You think you can hold one of these massive things with your magic arm?"
Bral looked at the largest stone, then glanced at his prosthetic. The mana crystal at its tip pulsed lightly.
He clenched his fists. "What other choice do I have?" he said under his breath. Then louder, "But do you trust me enough to pull it off?"
Bao didn't hesitate. "We do."
Idin gave a firm nod. "You've got this. You're not the same man you were weeks ago."
And so they got into position. The three of them were breathing heavier, not just from effort, but from anxiety. Bao and Idin stepped on either side of a stone slightly smaller than the main slab. A test run. Something difficult, but not as catastrophic if it triggered more movement.
Idin's hand gripped one side, his knuckles turning white. He looked over at Bao. "Bral, you watching?"
Bral was already in stance, hand raised, arm glowing faintly. "If anything happens, I'll react. Just go."
Bao nodded. "One… Two… Three!"
Together, Idin and Bao lifted.
The stone groaned as it moved, sliding with a grinding sound that felt louder than it should've. For a moment, it looked like nothing would go wrong—until the slab above them shifted.
A loud crack echoed as the upper stone began to tilt. Dirt and pebbles rained down. Bral's eyes widened.
"Move!" he barked.
He stepped forward, extended his prosthetic arm, and focused.
The magic sparked instantly—a force grip snapped around the falling boulder mid-air.
It stopped, just inches from crushing Bao's shoulder.
"Tsk…" Bral gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling under the strain. The stone shuddered, slipped an inch—but then froze again, held mid-fall by the invisible grip.
"I've got it," Bral growled, sweat already forming at his brow. "Let go of that one and back off—now!"
Bao and Idin let the lower rock drop and scrambled back. The moment they were clear, Bral released his grip, and the massive stone slammed into the earth with a deafening crash.
Dust exploded around them.
Bral dropped to a knee, panting, but he looked up with a grin. "It works."
He staggered back up. "Now you can safely move those two. Nothing should collapse while you're at it."
Bao coughed through the dust but nodded, smiling despite herself. "Then let's keep going."
They worked with that same rhythm. Clear one stone, brace for another. Bral stood like a sentinel behind them, catching, holding, waiting. Every time something twitched above, he was there.
And all the while, he muttered under his breath. A prayer, a plea. "Just hold on… Just a little longer…"
At one point, as they removed a particularly stubborn slab, he growled through gritted teeth, "Come on, Amukelo. Come on, Pao. Don't you dare die on me now."
Bao stopped briefly and said in a low voice, "They will survive. They have to."
Idin set another stone aside, sweat rolling down his neck. "They're strong enough. And if anyone's good at surviving impossible odds…" he glanced at Bral, "it's him."
They looked at each other, silent, determined. And then they kept digging.