The runner's darting movements through the water annoyed the giant; normally, Balon moved far faster than one would expect for a thing of his size, but that was currently not the case due to centuries of rotting in the depths of the ocean combined with the injury that the runner had just inflicted upon his heel. Three eyes leered at the runner: one blackened by the plague, one that was blinded and cut in half in some ancient battle, and the final one that could kill. When the strange creature attempted to bite at an eye, it unfortunately picked the wrong one. The blackened eye had been petrified by the plague's noxious fumes, and was hard as stone. The runner would be lucky if half its dagger-like teeth didn't break upon biting down.

Regardless of whatever happened to the runner's teeth, what happened to its face wasn't pretty. By biting at Balon's eyes the creature had maneuvered itself right in front of the giant's face, scant inches from the eye that still saw and still killed. The runner's attempts to wrap around the giant's neck and to slash at his face with the barbed tale were both stymied by the massive bronze helm that crowned the old king's head.

Feeling the runner's life ebb away as it thrashed with more and more fatigue, Balon now ignored that worm and focused his attention on the girl that had narrowly dodged his spear, just in time to see her metamorphosis. Balon roared to the girl, who now more resembled the runner than a human, "Sea witch! One of your ilk once dared to fight me. She broke before me like tiny waves on the fjords, and I cast her defiled corpse and those of all her followers into the surf. Do you think that you will fare better?"

The old king hadn't even noticed that the girl was withstanding his gaze without any sign of harm. Balon hadn't killed anything purposefully that way; in all honesty the giant still hadn't grown used to that boon of sorts as this was the first time he had fought since being imprisoned and cursed. Enly'air, who was at this point touching the spear embedded in the wall, would find herself in a tug-of-war with Balon over the humungous weapon. Balon had maintained his grip on the weapon ever since it had buried itself into the bedrock, and so he was able to try ripping it away as soon as the girl approached. If Enly'air wanted to disarm the giant, she would have to either surpass his strength or somehow break his grip, both of which would be challenging even with her master's help.