Both teams were attacking desperately — swinging swords, firing spells, scrambling to dodge — but the Silverfang Wolf showed no sign of slowing.
It looked almost bored.
Celestia had already collapsed on one knee — panting, mana completely dried up. Sweat soaked her hair, clinging to her cheeks.
Bordon wasn't getting up at all. He was slumped against the cavern wall — unconscious, blood trailing from his lips. His shield lay on the ground with a deep claw mark carved straight across the metal.
Mariella's incantations were shaky, half–formed runes flickering and collapsing before they even stabilized. Every time she fired a spell, the trajectory warped — missing the wolf by meters.
Elisha's arrows no longer traveled straight. Her fingers trembled every time she nocked one, and her shots hit nothing but stone — the vibrations of the cavern echoing like cruel laughter.
