He tries to throw up a barrier, but they've never been good for close-quarters combat, and the claws are ripping into his chest, bright pain exploding through him. He swears, viciously, loudly, and yells before his palm thrusts out. Lightning leaps from his flesh, chaining from one tree to the next, no apparent focus save to hit absolutely everything that he can reach.

The ground rumbles beneath him and the sky opens up - the gamemaker's answer to his lightning is to give him one of their own. He barely has any warning before he is struck. It doesn't kill him, though his heart does stop for three or four beats, and he passes out. His sweat from the fire is what saved him, the lightning arcing down his skin rather than through his heart, following the trail of least resistance.