The Sealbearer reacted faster than thought, snapping his finger. A flash of light froze Brimmah mid-lunge, body locked in place as if turned to stone.
Caelis stumbled backwards, eyes wide with shock.
Drunn reacted instantly, weapon raised for a killing blow, fury twisting his scarred face.
But a steel clang rang out — one of Caelis's orbiting blades intercepted Drunn's strike at the last second.
"Something is wrong with him! Don't kill him!" Shouted Caelis.
The Sealbearer hesitated a moment, then gave the order. "Subdue him!"
The party maintained discipline. They rallied even as they continued fending off the remaining Black Batch fighters.
Brimmah resumed movement as the freeze broke. He fought like a madman, eyes glazed, ignoring every call of his name. They worked together to pin him down — Drunn and Eldric grappling his arms, Vey and the others keeping the last enemies at bay.
A heavy blow from Drunn finally knocked Brimmah unconscious. He collapsed to the cavern floor. Chains were slapped on him immediately.
Caelis knelt beside the unconscious Brimmah, inspecting him carefully. His expression hardened as he brushed aside the hair behind Brimmah's left ear, revealing a small, faintly glowing rune seal etched into the skin.
"Like I thought. He has been enchanted," said Caelis.
Deeper in the Black Batch hideout, the party advanced cautiously through narrowing tunnels. The Sealbearer walked close to Caelis, voice low. "How could Brimmah have been enchanted in the first place?" He asked.
Caelis kept his eyes ahead. Torchlight from distant wall sconces cast long, flickering shadows that danced across jagged walls. "Enchantment always requires contact. He could have been marked back in Elsem, or on the road here. The rune must have been lying dormant until triggered during battle."
The Sealbearer's expression turned bitter. "Human enchantment… the most diabolical form of Runecraft."
Vey, walking just ahead, chimed in. "That's the forbidden one, isnt it?"
Caelis lowered his voice further. "It is forbidden not only for its cruelty, but because it's unstable. Unless executed perfectly, the host dies. Only a true Runemaster can achieve that level of control. Whoever we're facing is no ordinary caster."
Benii gave a nervous chuckle. "How terrifying."
Vey smirked. "You scared?" In the same breath, her body jerked unnaturally. A blade flashed in her hand — she whirled and drove it straight into Caelis's gut.
Gasps rippled through the tunnel. Vey bolted deeper into the darkness without a word.
Drunn screamed her name, charging after her.
Others followed.
Caelis stumbled, clutching the wound, blood already soaking his clothes. He grabbed the Sealbearer by the collar and dragged him close, voice ragged and urgent.
"The dog! It was… the stray dog from earlier!" he gasped. "The enemy used it as a conduit to brand them."
The Sealbearer's eyes widened in realization. "Brimmah and now Vey struck at you. The enemy is targeting the one who holds the party together. They have been watching us since before we got here!"
Caelis's breathing grew shallow, pain etching deep lines into his face. "I felt something was off during the earlier battle… but I couldn't place it… the ones we fought were not…"
The Sealbearer lowered him carefully to the ground as distant battle echoes rolled from ahead.
Caelis's grip loosened. His eyes fluttered shut. The last thing he mumbled was a warning: "Anyone who touched that dog… could already be the enemy's puppet."
The party chased Vey into a wide chamber. A heavy boulder suddenly slammed down from above, sealing the entrance behind them with a deafening crash.
They were trapped.
Black Batch crossbowmen emerged from crude ledges high on the walls. These men's faces weren't painted like the earlier wave. They watched down on the Kaine party with wicked grins.
A tense pause — then a rain of bolts filled the air.
The Kaines raised shields.
Benii took a shaft to the neck and collapsed, choking on his own blood.
Drunn screamed behind his shield, fury and grief raw in his voice.
Back in the tunnel, the Sealbearer remained kneeling beside Caelis's still body. When he heard the quaking thud from the cave being sealed, he rose to his feet, resolve knitting his pale brows together.