When all else fails.... level up. I got caught up in awful fantasy for the past little bit so I haven't been playing this version (I'm only at the raft ride) but I found in the original hard version I had to level up in a couple areas to scrape through the game. I'm not saying huge levels, but if you're getting killed in one hit from a monster, it's probably time to get a couple levels.
On that fishie there's not much you can do but aurabolt, quadraslice (if you got it) or retort/disbatch. Use potions if you need heal. Put the boys in the back row if you haven't already cause their techs/blitz do same damage from the back (not like it matters against El nino, but any little bit helps). Besides that, good luck.
Don't worry about the rage as long as you fought a stray cat and a hazer along with those Soldiers (or Commanders??) in the imperial camp. You get catscratch, bolt2, fire2 from those. That's enough power for now.