Varik surged forward, his blade gleaming. He didn't swing wild, no wasted motion. Just one perfect thrust aimed for the crack Lucen's lance had opened.
The guardian twisted. The blade only grazed. Sparks flew, the monster howling as it staggered back.
"Lucen," Varik said, his tone flat, deliberate.
Lucen understood instantly. "'On it.'"
He crouched, palms slamming against the swamp. Mana pulsed outward in jagged lines, the water hissing as it boiled. Chains of light erupted from the ground, wrapping around the guardian's legs.
It struggled, its colossal form straining against the bindings, but the chains held, crackling, reforging themselves as quickly as the monster could tear them apart.
Varik moved in that same moment. He launched upward with a single step, faster than human eyes could track, his blade a streak of silver against the false crimson sky.
He cut.
