The group pushes forward, with Sunny reluctantly taking charge. She has an uneasy look on her face, hoping that Father Frederick is capable of holding up his end of the bargain.
As they venture deeper into the facility, they come across a strange section—one covered in human bones. Skulls adorn the door, and on the floor, they spot the corpse of a werewolf, skinned and turned into a rug. Sunny walks over and kicks down the door.
Inside, the tribal chief wendigo sits upon a throne made of bones. It appears nonchalant, its head resting on one hand as if half-asleep. The creature is massive—standing nearly twelve feet tall—a grotesque fusion of human and deer. Its antlers resemble jagged spears, its long claws stained with blood, sharp enough to slice through steel. Two strong-looking wendigos lay in pieces at the chief's feet, seemingly slain by their own leader.
The room is dimly lit by torches made from bones. A gruesome rug stretches from the throne to the entrance, stitched together from the skins of wendigos, werewolves, merfolk, and other unfortunate creatures.
The tribal chief's eyes slowly open as he spots the group. He lets out a deep sigh, followed by a grunt.
"Humans. What do you all need?"
Sunny scans the room before stepping forward. "Tribal chief, we challenge you to a fight."
The chief gazes at the group, unimpressed. "You will all fall like the rest..." His words trail off as if he suddenly realizes something. Then, his expression shifts to a sinister grin.
"No... this might actually be fun!"
He rises from his throne, flexing his muscles. His already large frame expands, muscles bulging with raw power. As he steps forward, the very building trembles under his weight.
In an instant, he vanishes. Before anyone can react, he reappears in front of Jolene and delivers a devastating blow, sending her crashing through multiple walls.
"Healer taken care of," the chief mutters.
Before the group can react, he turns toward Luna, his claws primed to strike. She barely dodges as Sunny yanks her out of the way.
JJ charges forward, his fists glowing with psychic energy, and lands a punch against the chief's chest. But the attack does nothing. The chief doesn't even flinch. Instead, he delivers a brutal kick, launching JJ across the room in the same direction as the nun.
The chief cracks his neck, the sound echoing ominously throughout the chamber.
The chief slams his fist into the ground, sending deep cracks spiderwebbing across the entire room. A bright red glow emanates from the fractures, illuminating the space with an eerie light before the floor caves in, sending everyone tumbling below.
As the dust settles, Luna looks up—only to see the chief looming over her. Before she can react, the monstrous being strikes her across the face, launching her into the wall. Luna spits up blood but quickly regains her focus. She unravels her arm, letting her threads slither unseen throughout the room.
The chief strokes his chin, intrigued. "Interesting. You can unravel yourself… I wonder what else you can do, human?"
Luna moves her detached hand, wrapping the threads around the chief's leg in an attempt to ensnare him. However, before she can fully grapple him, he severs his own leg, only to regrow it instantly as he continues advancing toward her.
To his surprise, Luna suddenly smashes a rock against his skull at blinding speed. The force makes him stumble, but instead of anger, he chuckles.
"I see… You already laid your trap. You're a crafty one, human. However, that look in your eyes…"
Luna shouts, yanking with all her strength. The threads tighten in an instant, wrapping around the chief completely, binding him from head to toe.
The chief grins. "You're a monster like me—I can tell."
Luna glares at him. "I'm human, not a monster!"
The chief's laughter echoes throughout the ruined chamber. "No, you're not. Humans can be monsters too—some of the most wicked beings are human. You are no exception. Yes, I have killed. But look at you—you're willing to kill me without a sliver of hesitation. You believe yourself to be judge, jury, and executioner."
Luna's grip tightens. "S-shut up!" she yells, pulling with all her might, trying to tear the chief apart.
But the laughter doesn't stop. "And here you are, trying to rip me to shreds!"
In the blink of an eye, the chief vanishes from the bindings and reappears behind Luna. Before she can react, he delivers a crushing kick, sending her flying into the wall once again. As she struggles to get up, he slams his fist into the ground, and thick, gnarled branches erupt from beneath her, coiling tightly around her body—mirroring the very trap she had set for him.
Luna yells out in agony as blood starts to seep from her mouth. However, she begins to unravel herself more and more, desperately trying to escape. She drops to the floor, shaking as she struggles to stand. The chief looms over her, stroking his chin.
"Interesting, you're still glaring at me!" he says before kneeing her in the face, sending her flying.
Luna struggles to get up, unraveling the broken parts of her body and then reweaving them, effectively fixing her shattered bones. The chief stomps toward her but suddenly stops—he notices that the cat girl is now there, and in the blink of an eye, both she and Luna have disappeared.
The chief lets out a sigh. "I was having fun. Must you cretins intervene in my battles? You're all grouped up—one-on-ones are only fair."
He strokes his chin, thinking about the feline woman. "What is she? What is she... oh, that's right—the feline tribe from Bhutan. That's right, we captured her because she was snooping around. Though, for some unknown reason, we were unable to experiment on her."
The chief stomps forward, then suddenly stops, takes a deep breath, and lets out an ear-piercing roar. As Tera runs with Luna, the deafening sound reaches them. Luna covers her ears, shutting her eyes in pain, but Tera isn't as fortunate—the sheer force of the sound practically paralyzes her, causing her to collapse.
The sound of her hitting the ground is all the chief needs to pinpoint their exact location. In an instant, he dashes toward them, covering the distance in mere seconds. Now standing over both of them, he looms menacingly, ready to continue his fight—this time with a new contender joining the fray.