The charging kalvex closed the distance between them in under a second.

Even used to frantic battle as he was, Levi almost didn't react fast enough. He had to surge stamina to intercept it before it could gore Firelord.

Up close, he could see that the horns were vicious things, twisted and blade-edged. At its level, it could probably kill the kobold in a single blow, two at most.

Levi slammed a Beast Bite into its throat, dragging it off course, but it barely slowed. It accepted Levi's course correction as though it had always planned to change direction at the very end of its charge, twisting with the movement.

Up close it was bigger than he'd anticipated; he'd been thinking of them as the size of large dogs, but its head was even with his chest and it wasn't much narrower than he was wide.

Then it wrenched itself free of the Beast sword's grip with sheer strength. Its health dropped another single percent as the teeth of the sword's spectral jaws tore deep gouges down its throat and across the back of its neck.

It didn't seem to even notice the damage. It spun on Levi so fast its horns had slashed straight through his armor into his back before he could reorient.

Even at his full stamina surge, this thing was faster.

The Ranger behind him kept firing into the kalvex, his aim unerring despite its rapid movements.

Skarm dove forward, horn first, claws out.

Lash, though mana-depleted, grabbed the kalvex and tugged with all his might. Being both lightweight and not particularly strong, it didn't do much.

Levi stabbed his sword up and into its side, biting down again, surging mana to hold it tighter this time. It twisted just as fast, biting down on his arm, but he didn't release it and this time it couldn't break free by force.

As the highest-level and best protected of them, it was Levi's job to hold its attention and keep it from killing anyone else.

"Now!" Levi shouted through gritted teeth. He could hear its teeth grinding against bone, his level too low to protect him from something this strong.

The rest of the group closed in, slashing at its back with their knives, dropping its health percent by slow percent.

Thankfully they didn't lose their heads in the heat of the moment. They remembered their instruction, leaving space for Firelord and the Ranger to fire between them. Lash backed off, since his grabbing wasn't helping enough to justify his bulk blocking lines of attack from others. Instead he slashed at the kalvex with his sharpened whip tendrils any time he found an opening.

Levi stabbed his Destruction sword down into the creature's back, surging mana through it.

Level 20

(Kalvex Packhunter)

Health 87%

Instead of trying to twist away from the sword again, it ignored the weapon and lunged at Levi's face. He barely got the beast sword up between them before the kalvex slammed into him. The sword drove deep into its chest without slowing it in the slightest. It bowled Levi over and went for his throat with its horns, scoring a long gash across the front of his armor on its way.

He lost his grip on the Destruction sword, its glow fading as he was thrown to the ground. Crushed beneath the beast, Levi couldn't hope to reach the blade sticking out of its back.

Levi clamped the Beast Bite down, then released it and activated it a second time, twisting the sword to try to inflict the most damage. It did better, but the results were still disappointing.

Level 20

(Kalvex Packhunter)

Health 76%

Firelord was running low on mana, his attacks coming slower. Skarm had jumped on the kalvex's back, planted his horn through the back of its head and clinging on with one hand, his other digging rapid scratches into its shoulder. Crackle and Bladefin were staying back, spread out as an early warning system. If anything else came up right now, it could be an absolute disaster.

They weren't going to be enough.

Peter yelled a war cry, leaping up onto the kalvex's back and grabbing the hilt of the Destruction sword. Levi's heart leaped in hope and terror; the creatures health was dropping faster, but if it turned on Peter...

He continued surging into the Beast sword, doing his best to keep its attention focused on him. His health was dropping far too fast, but what else could he do? He wasn't going to let it kill anyone else. This had been his plan, his crusade.

Level 20

(Kalvex Packhunter)

Health 60%

Peter continued pulsing mana down the sword while his other hand stabbed into the kalvex's flank again and again, screaming inarticulately.

The other prisoners continued their own assaults. The other minions chipped away at its health.

It ignored all the minor pricks against its back, focusing its attention on slashing Levi's face and chest to shreds with tooth and horn.

Level 20

(Kalvex Packhunter)

Health 51%

Levi glanced at his own health as he tried to budge, straining to roll out from under the too-heavy beast or heave it away.

Levi Morrison: Level 17

(Tamer)

Health: 33/271 (12%)

He couldn't move. His stamina-enhanced body just wasn't strong enough. At this rate...

Levi Morrison: Level 17

(Tamer)

Health: 19/271 (7%)

He surged the final remnants of his mana into the Beast sword. One last bite.

Level 20

(Kalvex Packhunter)

Health 48%

"Stasis," Irene screamed. "STASIS!"

Levi froze, the voice stunning him into inaction, but it hadn't been directed at him.

The kalvex stopped moving, a blue sheen surrounding it like a forcefield.

It also stopped taking damage; the weapons and blows of his allies and minions only fuzzing through the blue layer.

"Stop," Irene gasped. "Stop everyone."

Those who heard her slowed, Levi's minions backing off immediately, but four of the others continued to stab at it.

"Back!" Levi shouted, startling them into compliance. He stared at the immobile kalvex lying atop him, then up at Irene.

She stood, one hand raised toward the creature, a look of tense concentration on her face as she stepped slowly toward Levi and the kalvex.

"How long?"

"Maybe two minutes." She reached them, knelt down with the same cautious movement, and placed one hand on the kalvex's flank. "Three, now." Her look of concentration relaxed and she deftly pulled out their only health restorative from her belt pouch and poured half of it across his injured chest and face, then handed the bottle to him. "Drink the rest. Can you get out from under it?"

"Not alone." Levi had his arms and shoulders free, but the rest of his body remained completely trapped beneath the frozen kalvex. He hesitated before swallowing the remaining half of the elixir, but if they only had minutes to prepare he couldn't afford to waste time arguing.

Between Irene's topical application and what he'd drunk, his health moved from almost nothing to close to two thirds. Notably more than the a bit under 50% restoration he'd have gotten just drinking it. If that's what she could do now, he looked forward to seeing what she could do in a few more thresholds.

"Everyone help shove, let's roll it that way."

They complied, the shock of the attack and its abrupt pause wearing off. Irene carefully moved with them to maintain her contact.

It took eight people pushing plus Levi heaving up with all his remaining strength, but they managed it. Extricating Levi took most of a minute, half of their precious reprieve.

The moment he was able to reach his belt pouches again, Levi drank a mana restorative; at least those he wasn't running particularly low on.

"It's faster than I expected," Levi reported. "And too strong for me to pin down."

"We've got it halfway," Mark called cheerfully. The Tamer contingent had stayed clear of the fighting so far, as they had no particular combat abilities and no weapons or armor. "Just got to do it again, right?"