The party continues to battle against two more waves of wild dogs, though it becomes quickly obvious that sticking around to battle is whittling down their strength and resources and the best choice is to flee. Still, the heroines wage a strong, fleeing battle in which their mules are all lost in the chaos. Briony and Elsbeth are also lost in the battle, though they are still thought to be alive as they were last seen taking a flanking action in a deeper part of the swamp, and were relatively unharmed at the point you lost sight of them.
By the time you reach the safety of the base of the distant ziggurat, most of the pursuing dogs have been slain or badly injured. Still, some of the predators pursue and just as they seem to be about to gain on you as you reach the first of the steps, they back off and begin to whine pathetically. Something about this place seems to frighten the hounds off their pursuit. From the shouts behind them, you can tell that the men who set them loose have almost arrived, though you are nearly too exhausted to care, instead enjoying your momentary respite.