Kyle was starting to realise - what with the way this Runespoor, not to mention the environment, was so resistant to magic - that the setting for this challenge was unlikely to be... well... genuine. It made sense; how else would they be able to ensure that the Runespoor would attack, and how else would they prevent the competitors from subduing the creature in ways other than what they wanted? Kyle didn't need to throw a Bombarda at the snake to know that it wouldn't work at all.

Had his Confundus Charm worn off already too? Because, from what Kyle could see when he peered around the door, it definitely didn't seem like it was still in effect. More evidence to support his theory.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like regular magic was not the way to go. None of it was holding, none of it was making any real difference. The only other approach that Kyle could think of involved taking a leaf out of Brent's book. Loathe though he was to do it, Kyle could think of no more appropriate time. The runes on the door, 'rune' in the creature's name... but what exactly? Making a gandr was completely out of the question, and even just carving up some runes would be a bit of a push. Worth a try, though.

Keeping an ear out for the - probably very angry by now - Runespoor, and his left arm pressed to his chest, Kyle pointed his wand towards the ground and moved it in the shape of an 'x'. "Focalia."

The urgency in his voice was clear, and he mirrored in working as quickly as he could, given that he was slightly inhibited by the fact that one arm was out of action. Even though he had by now determined that none of this was real, the adrenaline was at least still coursing through him, making it difficult to really feel much of anything. A graze on his left hand was welling up with blood, but he barely noticed it.

When the conjured firewood appeared on the ground, Kyle used Diffindo to cut away some small rectangles of it for the purpose of making runes. Another quick glance around the door, however, told him that he would only have time for one - if that failed, he'd have to run off and lure the Runespoor away, and then come back, and use the time for another rune. Providing he made it that far.

Not bothering to smooth down the edges of the wood (for obvious time sensitive reasons), Kyle held one small rectangle in his left hand - still braced against his chest - and pointed his wand at it. Only his wand hand was shaking, and this needed a steady hand. But there was no time, no time for even a moment's break. It was do or die, more or less.

"Intaglio Isa Isa Isa..." One long line, if a little shaky, straight down, perpendicular to the grain of the wood. A rough, and very makeshift Isa rune, the easiest to carve (luckily enough). For good measure - because this rune was brand new, and needed all the help he could give it when it came to invoking the magical energy - Kyle used the blood from his grazed hand to fill the rune carving as best he could. With that done, he held the rune tight, and chanted.

"Isa isa isa," he began the galdr, but it was difficult to really focus on the chanting when he was trying not to think about the approaching Runespoor. At least his Atmospheric Charm meant that the heat wasn't still draining his energy. Focus, Kyle. Focus. Isa. Ice. Freezing. Still. Isa. "i i i i i i i i i... i i i i i i s s s s s s..." Almost there, almost there. "(s s s s s s i i i i i i)... i i i i i i i i i..."

Before doing anything, Kyle waited for the glow of the rune. At first he thought it wouldn't come - perhaps an understandable worry, given the situation - but then, there it was, not as bright as he knew he could manage, but a glow all the same. He moved the rune to his wand hand, clutched it tight along with the handle of his wand, peered back around the door - it had been a smart move, not to bother with a second rune just yet... the creature was uncomfortably close - and cried out, "Immobulus!"

Isa. Ice. Immobulus. Freezing charm. The runic magic should bolster the regular magic, at least in this context. If it didn't work... well... he'd have to think of something else.