Brooding Mawlek

Behaviour and Tactics
The Brooding Mawlek uses the following attacks:
 * Reaper Claw: Slashes at the player with its claws if they get to close on either side.
 * Acid Spit: Shoots small acid balls in an arc, aiming in the direction of the player.
 * Cauldron Crash: Jumps to the player's location, immediately followed by a jump back to the center of the arena.
 * Acid Geyser: Vomits a massive wave of fiery acid, which covers the whole side of the room the player is standing on.

Without reach enhancement Charms, it may retaliate when hit, so it is safest to hit it a few times, and dash away when it raises its claws. It's also possible to jump over the boss, downstriking it to get to the other side.

To dodge its jump, they player needs to run quickly in whichever direction they have space to move. This is also an opportunity to hit the Mawlek, which cannot spit or slash while in the air.

Its acid wave may have small safe spots, but they're quite tiny and hard to spot, so a much safer option is to jump over the Mawlek altogether when it uses this attack.

If the player has managed to obtain the Baldur Shell and Cyclone Slash, it's possible to chip away at the Mawlek's health with the edge of Cyclone Slash, and use the SOUL gained from the attack to heal safely inside the shell.

When the Mawlek fires its Acid Geyser, it is possible to safely dash over it with the Mothwing Cloak before the acid comes down.

Another Brooding Mawlek is fought as part of the Trial of Fools in the Colosseum of Fools, in a very tight area where dodging its attacks is much more difficult.

Location
The Mawlek is easily found in the Forgotten Crossroads beyond a wall jump section in a room to the left of the vertical shaft filled with Gruzzers and Crawlids. Defeating it rewards a Mask Shard.

Despite being "inaccessible" at the beginning, it is possible to reach by nail-jumping on the spikes with downward strikes. it is even possible to fight it in the first 15 minutes of the game.

Trivia

 * The Hunter's flavor text and the myriads of dead Mawlek bodies littering the area implies that the one you fight is the last Mawlek in the area
 * The Brooding Mawlek was the second mini-boss revealed in a Kickstarter update as an optional boss.