The Hunters instinctively backed into a corner behind one of the large thrones, raising their axes and hoes as weapons. Devvyn's whistle was so cold now it felt like ice was lodged in his throat, every breath burning like frost. He clutched at it with shaking fingers.
“That's a Remnant,” he whispered hoarsely, forcing the words past his dry tongue.
“Boy,” Erkah cut in sharply, his eyes burning with something between fear and denial. “Don't go saying what you don't know.”
Another Hunter had already fallen to his knees, trembling hands clasped. His voice cracked as he prayed. “Ignisara protect us… Mizuho guide us… Kala, Terravon, shield us…”
“Shut up! All of you!” Gaur's voice cracked like a whip across the chamber, though Devvyn could hear the fear in it. His knuckles were white around the axe in his grip. “I don't care what it is, Remnant or devilspawn, we'll die cowering like lambs if we don't fight it!”
The creature's maw split wide and it loosed a roar that seemed to shake the air itself. The Hunters flinched as Echos scattered across the stone floor. With a guttural snarl, it swept its massive claws again across the ground. The Echos skittered away, smashed against the wall in a blast of force, light dying out one by one.
Then it paused. All its shifting, blinking eyes narrowed at once, every lid snapping shut and opening in unnatural rhythm, like a hundred shutters trained on prey, and then it struck. Its arm blurred forward, claws sweeping at the group.
Erkah reacted on instinct. He slammed his hand to the floor, and with a grunt, jagged stone thrust upward, a desperate wall of earth between them and the beast. The impact was catastrophic. The Remnant's claw punched through the rock like it was paper, shattering the barricade into a rain of stone. The chamber rumbled with a deafening crack as fractures tore through the walls. Dust rained down.
“Dammit, Erkah!” Gaur bellowed as he staggered to keep his footing. “Are you trying to bury us alive?”
Erkah's face was drenched in sweat. He strained to stay upright beneath the quakes. “Just trying… to stay alive here!”
“How do we escape this thing, boss?” a Hunter shouted from across the chamber.
“Everyone just bloody stay still for now.” Gaur roared, holding up a hand.
Devvyn could hardly breathe. The whistle against his chest was burning cold, like it wanted to pull the air from his lungs. It wasn't just fear; it was trying to tell him something. But his eyes were locked on the Remnant, and he couldn't think past the pounding in his ears.
The monster dragged its claws idly across the ground, carving deep gouges in the stone. The sound was unbearable, like metal tearing bone. Its many eyes blinked and blinked, watching them, waiting.
One of the Hunters caught on the other side of the chamber tried inching his way toward the throne chairs. His boots slipped on the loose stones. He stumbled with a cry, crashing down hard onto his side. The sound shattered the tense stillness, and the Remnant lunged.
“Scatter!” Gaur bellowed.
Chaos erupted. The men bolted in every direction, Echo crates toppled, tools clattered. The ground shook beneath the Remnant's charge.
Devvyn turned to run but his foot caught on a raised platform jutting from the floor. He fell, scraping his palms raw. By the time he scrambled upright, the sight before him froze him in place.
The Hunter who had fallen lay on his back, scrambling weakly, eyes wide as the Remnant loomed over him. Its claws pinned his arms, and then—
CRUNCH.
Its maw clamped down, teeth shearing through his skull like fruit. Blood sprayed across the stone, hot and vivid. The man's body jerked once, then went limp. The Remnant flung the corpse aside, as if discarding meat already stripped bare. The body landed with a sickening thud near the shattered skull Devvyn and Victor had unearthed earlier, headless and twitching.
Devvyn's stomach turned. His whistle screamed cold against his chest, but his legs felt like stone. He couldn't move. Couldn't even breathe.
The Remnant lifted its head, jaws dripping red, and all those shifting eyes turned on him. Its eyes all blinked in unison, and then it charged straight for Devvyn.
His whistle shrieked like an icy dagger through his chest, but his body wouldn't respond. The ground trembled beneath the beast's massive weight as it barreled toward him. At the last instant, Gaur slammed into him from the side, shoving him hard out of the way. Devvyn hit the stone floor and rolled, gasping.
“Move, boy!” Gaur barked as he swung his axe in a brutal arc, meeting the Remnant head-on. The steel blade buried itself into the creature's dark hide with a sickening crack. The axe hadn't pierced far, its blade stuck fast in the creature's thick, leathery skin. For a heartbeat, Devvyn thought it wasn't even hurt but then the Remnant staggered backwards, bellowing a roar that shook the walls.
Victor cut in front of Gaur. He brought out his lighter, flicked it on with his right hand, pushed his left hand forward and directed the flames at the Remnant. Flames burst to life, swirling outward into a crackling ring that encircled the beast. The Remnant shrieked, recoiling from the fire, its claws swiping at the wall of heat but never stepping past it.
“It's scared of fire!” Victor yelled over the chaos. His voice strained, sweat running down his face as he kept the flames alive.
"Make it hotter!" Gaur yelled back.
Victor gritted his teeth and the ring flared higher, the light casting jagged shadows across the chamber. The Remnant thrashed and roared inside its prison, every eye snapping wildly as it searched for escape.
But Victor's arms were trembling. His knees buckled. “I… I can't hold this long!”
"Everyone, get to the opening now." Gaur hauled Devvyn to his feet, gripping his collar so tightly it cut into his neck. “You first, little thief!”
“No—no, I can't—” Devvyn stammered, eyes darting back to the fire and the howling beast within it.
“Shut your mouth and move” Gaur snarled, dragging him toward the shaft where they'd come down. He turned his head. “Wills!” Gaur shouted. “Can you boost us from out there?”
One of the Hunters, a lanky man with short-cropped hair and eyes sharp as knives, stepped forward, his hands glowing faint blue. "Yes, boss."
"Him first." Gaur said, shoving Devvyn forward.
Wills raised his hands toward Devvyn.
The air burst beneath Devvyn with a sharp whoosh, lifting him like a ragdoll. Devvyn shot upward, stomach lurching, until the edges of the shaft scraped at his arms and shoulders. A moment later, he tumbled out into the cool evening air above, hitting the grass with a painful thud.
“Argh!” He hissed, rolling over and clutching his side. But he scrambled immediately to the edge, peering down into the pit. Below, the fire still burned, Victor at its center, straining to keep it alive. The Remnant battered at the ring with its claws, the flames wavering each time.
"Still got strength for more?" Gaur asked Wills.
The air-Echo user looked up, his face pale, sweat dripping. He hesitated, then shouted back, “Yes! But it would be easier if I was outside."
“Then go.” Gaur ordered.
Wills clenched his fists, then spread his palms wide. The air beneath him surged like a geyser, lifting him swiftly through the shaft. He popped out beside Devvyn, landing smoothly before collapsing to his knees. He staggered upright, his chest heaving. He raised his arms toward the hole again, wind spiralling around his fingers. He thrust them upward, and Gaur shot up like a hurled spear, his boots scraping the rock before he clambered out with a grunt.
Inside the pit, Victor's fire faltered. The circle of flame shuddered, shrinking inward as his strength drained.
Outside, Gaur shifted Wills aside and focused on Victor. “How long can you hold the flames?”
Victor's chest was heaving, sweat running down his temple. His fingers tightened around the lighter. "A minute max."
Gaur snapped his head toward Wills. “Then we don't waste that minute."
Wills clenched his jaw and raised his hands. The air surged, blasting downward into the pit. One by one, four Hunters were hurled upward, hitting the grass around the opening with heavy thuds. They scrambled away, some coughing, others clutching bruises, but they were alive.
That left only Victor and one other Hunter still inside.
“Move.” Gaur bellowed down into the hole. His voice cracked like a whip. “Get to the opening so we can drag you out!” He said to Victor and the other Hunter.
The last Hunter stood rooted to the spot. His eyes bulged, fixed on the monstrous shape pacing within the dying fire ring.
“Move, damn you!” Victor barked, voice ragged. “I can't hold this for long!”
But the man didn't move. His legs shook, knees locked, his axe dangling uselessly in his hand.
The fire sputtered once more. Then, with a hiss like breath leaving a corpse, it went out.
Everything happened at once.
The Remnant lunged, shrieking. Its eyes flashed in the dark as it surged toward Victor. Victor bolted, sprinting for the opening.
“No, don't leave me here!” the frozen Hunter screamed, his voice cracking into hysteria. His desperate plea ricocheted through the chamber like a beacon.
