Spark, in his Draconic Werelion form, wrestled against the Fire Elemental Demonbull. Despite being overpowered in strength. He didn't let it start its charge.
Ivy's spell [Healing Rain] spell washed over both of them. It was surprisingly effective. Recovering his vitality and weakening the Demonbull.
From a safe distance, Serenade and Melody Aurora kept singing and playing their music. Their magical lutes were resonating with powerful enchantments.
Melody's voice soared. A clear, undulating melody. Bolstering Spark's resilience. Subtly enhancing his speed. And the efficacy of his water-coated blows.
Serenade's voice was a calm and elegant counterpoint. Weaving tunes of weakening. Its notes were imbued with potent Crowd Control spell. It sought to unravel the Demonbull's fiery essence. Making its movements sluggish. And its fiery attacks slightly less potent.
Their magic was not offensive or visually explosive. But it created a vital buffer. A symphony of support that allowed the others faced the higher tiered opponent.
The Demonbull roared in frustration. The rain and harmonious magic were grating against its elemental core.
Scarlett remained steadfast. Her buckler stayed lifted. Ready for defensive maneuver. She was the anchor. The one who protected the vulnerable musicians and Ivy.
She didn't just wait though. Her eldritch handgun barked. Spitting pulses of contained energy that struck the Demonbull's hide. They caused even less direct damage than Lilith's bullets.
But each hit was precise at its critical points. Rattling the creature. Drawing its attention. And serving as a constant harassment.
Her gu-insects were buzzing invisibly around her. The last trump card she didn't want to use. Her insects were pretty useless against the Demonbull's flames.
The battle raged on. It was a brutal, drawn-out affair. The Demonbull was relentless. Its fiery rampage forced Spark to constantly shift. To absorb and deflect blows that would have incinerated common fighter.
Lilith darted through the chaos. His arcane handgun and cursed blade took turns. Striking where she could. And retreating immediately afterward. Her movements were fluid and pretty much... unpredictable.
Ivy maintained her steady stream of [Healing Rain]. The magical droplets glistening on her allies skins. And hissing on the demon's flaming hide.
Serenade and Melody's music ebbed and flowed. A tactical duet of buffs and de-buffs.
Scarlett kept the additional pressure. Her handgun was providing covering fire. Her presence assuring the backline supporters of a reliable shield.
Spark took a grievous horn swipe to the shoulder. The searing heat burning through his clothing, fur, and flesh. A primal roar escaping his lips.
He responded with a powerful, two-handed hammer blow. To the Demonbull's knee. The water coating on his fists exploded with a thick steam. A deep crack was echoing.
The Demonbull buckled. Its leg momentarily gave out.
That was the opening.
Lilith was there in an instant. A direct teleportation onto the Demonbull's back. With both hands, she plunged her cursed dagger into the glowing fissures on its spine. She even twisted the blade. Seeking to disrupt its energy source.
The Demonbull thrashed wildly. Bucking and roaring. But Lilith clung on. Her grips were like iron, Her cursed dagger was like a conduit for persistence.
Ivy saw the opening. She focused her [Healing Rain] directly over Lilith and the creature's spine. Intensifying its healing power. Which translating into the corrosive effect for the beast.
The water sizzled. It was a painful shower against the Demonbull's damaged back.
Melody and Serenade's music reached the crescendo. A powerful wave of harmonious sound.
Melody's song amplified Lilith's connection to the beast. Making her dagger's effect more devastating. Serenade's voice hammered at the Demonbull's disturbed will. Trying to break its concentration. To falter its self-repair.
Scarlett also seized the initiative. She dashed closer. And unleashed a concentrated volley from her eldritch handgun. More accurately due to the shorter distance. Targeting the Demonbull's eyes.
Spark, seeing the combined effort, knew it was time for the finish. With a thunderous roar that shook the very Labyrinth, he launched himself forward.
He grabbed one of the Demonbull's massive, fiery horns. His claws digging deep into the heated horns.
With a yell of pure exertion, he twisted. The elemental beast shrieked. A sound of agony and rage. Spark wanted to break the monster's neck. But its horn began to crack.
The Demonbull roared. Thrashing. Trying to shake off Lilith. Trying to dislodge Spark. But they held on.
The one who broke first was... its horns. The horns groaned, then snapped with a sound like thunder. Tearing away from the Demonbull's skull. Fiery essence spilled from the wound.
Spark, with the broken horns still in his grip, used them as weapons. He plunged the jagged, burning horned shard. Directly into the beast's neck. Piercing its tough hide.
A blinding flash. A deafening shriek of pure agony. The Demonbull bucked one last time. A final, convulsive tremor running through its colossal frame.
Then, its fiery glow dimmed. The tough hide cracked and crumbled. Releasing plumes of ash and steam. The molten eyes glazed over.
The mighty Tier-5 Fire Elemental Demonbull died. A creature of overwhelming power collapsed. Into a heap of cooling rock and fading embers.
Silence returned to the corridor. Broken only by heavy, ragged breaths.
Spark reverted from his werelion form. His body was aching. Several burns were blistering his skin. But his eyes blazing with satisfaction.
His team, though exhausted and battered, stood victorious. It was not an easy battle. But they had won. The hunt was truly over.
"Report!" Spark grunted an instruction.
He surveyed his women. Assessing their injuries. They were all standing. A good sign. Lilith had a fresh gash on her arm. Already beginning to seal from Ivy's [Healing Rain] and a health potion.
Ivy's leather coat was singed. Her face smudged with soot. But her expression was one of proud exhaustion. No obvious injury.
Melody and Serenade clutched their lutes. Their magic-saturated auras slowly receding. They were... very fine.
Scarlett, despite a few scorched patches on her uniform, also looked fine. Her insects, though, were visibly depleted.
"All personnel accounted for, Master." Lilith replied. Her voice was strained but clear. "Minor to light injuries across the board. Nothing critical."
"Good!" Spark said. Flexing a still-sore arm. "Now, let's see what these fools provided for our troubles."
He gestured towards the smoking remains of the Demonbull. And the prone figures of the three Brilliant Horizon terrorists. "Loot them all. Don't miss a thing."
Lilith was the first to approach the cooling carcass of the Demonbull. "The Flame Core will be invaluable, Master." She stated. Already examining the glowing, orange orb in the creature's chest.
"A pure energy source." She said in glee. With practiced hands, she extracted the pulsing core. Carefully wrapping it in a heat-resistant cloth from her pack.
Next to her, Ivy was focusing her attention to the massive, broken horns. Stuck in the corpse's neck. "These Demonbull Horns could be rare components for advanced potions and alchemical tools. Extremely potent, if processed correctly."
She began carefully extracting one. A faint heat still radiating from the material.
Meanwhile, Scarlett approached the deceased Technomind Engineer. The man's armor was a curious blend of metal and frost-infused crystals. It had been shattered in many places.
"Broken frost armor materials." She noted. Kicking a shard with her boot. "Will it even be useful?"
"It will." Spark commented. "Just put it into your Spatial Bag, Scarlett."
Scarlett did so. And continued looting. She immediately noticed a worn but intact leather bag.
"An external spatial bag, Master. Not a Technomind Gear, so no upgrades. But it is spacious enough." She reported.
Spark nodded. "Give it to Ivy. You had the better Spatial Bag already, don't you?"
Scarlett tossed the bag. And Ivy immediately caught and slung it over her shoulder.
"Perfect to keep my alchemy grenades, potions, and poisons." Said Ivy.
She rummaged further. Finding a handful of gold coins and several vials of various potions.
Melody, ever graceful even in exhaustion, knelt beside the Framepath Warrior. The warrior's leather armor was badly damaged. But his other personal objects were relatively unharmed.
She found another external spatial bag. Identical in design to the one Ivy had just claimed.
"Another one, Master." She announced. Offering it to Spark. He waved her off. "Keep it, Melody. Use it for your musical instruments. Or whatever else you need to keep safe."
She gave a soft, grateful smile before equipping it. Similar to Ivy, she found a handful of gold coins and several vials of various potions.
Serenade, meanwhile, moved to loot the Soulcraft Sorcerer. The sorcerer's clothing and body were mangled. Due to summoning the Demonbull. But a faint, lingering magical aura still clung to him.
She found a third external spatial bag. Which Spark also assigned to her without hesitation. She collected the gold coins and a stash of mental recovery potions inside the bag.
Her gaze then fell upon an intricately woven belt. Surviving. Lying beneath the sorcerer's body. It was dark, almost absorbing the light. With faint, shimmering runes etched into its surface.
"Master! This appears to be a Mystic Shadow Belt." Serenade said. Holding it up. "It should enhance stealth capabilities. A rare enchanted artifact."
Spark accepted it and used his [Appraisal Goggles]...
[Object: Mystic Shadow Belt]
[Type: Belt]
[Quality: Enchanted]
[Characteristics: Self-Restoration]
[Characteristics: Sound Reduction]
[Characteristics: Stealth Enhancement]
Spark's eyes narrowed slightly. "Lilith!" He commanded. "That's for you."
Lilith moved over. Taking the belt. A small, almost imperceptible smirk touched her lips as she fastened it around her waist. The moment it settled, a subtle shift in the air around her hinted at its power.
"Good!" Spark said. Watching the process. "Now, gather everything. We're not lingering here. Canarine Town still needs our attention. But we won't go there right away. We'll set a camp in the large chamber a few minutes away. We need a bath, a good meal, and then a full debriefing."
The glint in his eyes as he looked at his women suggested the 'debriefing' might be more intimate than purely tactical. He was tired. But the thrill of victory and the promise of new fortunes invigorated him.