The Magma Wyrm glided lazily across the sand towards Kai, probably assumes I’m easy food. He narrowly avoided sliding down its gullet by darting to the side and skittering across the sand, taking advantage of his light body. The stench of rotting flesh and brimstone made his nose wrinkle. It has no eyes but knows where I am even if I stand still, it can sense heat… but not movement. Which would explain why he had been left alone at the basin. The water was around the same temperature as him.

He was certain the Magma Wyrm was higher level than him, but he had stat boosts from achievements, surely worth some levels, and young should mean weaker. Perhaps his aura would make up the difference? He suspected if he fought it under the sand he would be thrashed to death like an antelope in the jaws of a crocodile. With his aura he should be capable of keeping the fight on the sand. Being able to dodge its fiery gullet-beak had boosted his confidence.

Something clawed at the back of his mind about a thrust that disrupted momentum. His frustration mounted as he impotently glanced at his hands, unable to grasp the memory or technique. Whatever. It probably wouldn’t stop the momentum of this Magma Wyrm. The young primal didn’t seem disappointed that its meal was playing hard to get. It reared up then blazed over the sand towards him.

Kai rolled out of the way and the Wyrm sailed past. He spun in a cloud of sand and soot to deliver what in his mind was a well-aimed strike against the side of its head. Instead, he harmlessly slapped the Wyrm with his near weightless hand and seared his flesh on its charcoal scales. The Wyrm didn’t even notice.

He sucked in air through clenched teeth as he whipped his hand back. Some skin had seared off. He silently berated himself for not using his aura properly and suppressed his growing anxiety about his open palm techniques.

He was usually calm, but this was no ordinary fight; he felt overwhelmed. Every attack the Wyrm made was a brush with death for him. They darted, lunged and writhed in the sand, leaving explosions of dust in their collective wake. Sweat poured down his muscles.

Kai swiftly learnt how to alter the intent of his aura, switching between decrease for speed and maneuverability and increase when he needed power. Different body parts being under different gravitational effects at the same time would be difficult to master, but Kai believed he had the gist of it. It would have to be enough. His muscles burned and his aura drained. He realised the time to learn was over. He had to act before he had no aura or stamina left; up until now he had merely been on the back foot, evading. He considered striking with a closed fist, but every fibre of his being revulsed like the idea was deadly poison.

Kai took the next opportunity he got and leapt into the air when the Magma Wyrm tried to roll over him. Aura rippled around his hands, he made it denser. Increase. Kai altered the positioning of his wrist and palm as he lashed out with consecutive strikes against the Wyrm’s charcoal scales. Each strike of his hand echoed like cannons in the dark and cracked its charcoal plates, while scorching his hands, however his thick coat of aura kept his skin on this time. The Wyrm twitched, barely injured. He got the impression he had annoyed it, much like a flea bite annoys a dog.

Kai smirked, elated at managing to inflict some damage, however frustration swiftly replaced his enthusiasm when he glimpsed his bruised wrists. Would he really have enough time and aura to punch this thing to death? Not a chance.

Distracted by his thoughts, he didn’t notice the Wyrm’s surreptitious tail until it swung for his chest. Fear flickered across his face; it would be hard to receive such a blow but he didn’t have time to dodge and instead crossed his arms stiffly against his chest, lashing out to redirect some of the tail’s frightening strength.

The Wyrm’s tail slammed into him with such ferocity that he was flung through the air like a rag doll. He reduced his weight before his back crunched into the stone wall, but his mouth still exploded with blood causing him to exhale sharply. He felt a familiar stabbing pain and clutched his chest, probably broke my rib.

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He gazed at the Magma Wyrm with hate and fear as it writhed hungrily towards him in victory. Another hit like that and I’m dead. He knew this primal was beyond him and he bitterly regretted not being able to somehow train more.

Kai tried to catch his breath when the Wyrm burrowed, plunging the room into darkness. Kai’s heart hammered painfully against his chest while he focused on sensing vibrations with his feet.

He expected the Wyrm to burst forth but instead the sand glowed like hot coals and slowly started to churn like a whirlpool as it sucked him towards the fiery epicenter, where a maw full of spinning teeth waited hungrily. The few remaining thoughts he had of fighting head-on flew out the window. I’ve overstayed my welcome.

Kai’s eyes darted around the room, questing higher for escape as the sand began to bubble like magma. He was confident the Wyrm was using aura now and hadn’t even been serious before. He assumed the young Magma Wyrm had been toying with him like a puppy with a new chew-toy. He wasn’t sure if he was upset at the indignity or grateful for the time that had given him to adapt.

His feet blistered from the intense heat but tumbling through the air earlier had given him an idea and he dashed to a stone wall. He winced as he pushed off the stone wall with all his might and flung up towards the opposite wall. The pain in his chest was barely tolerable, but he was no stranger to pain. He kept himself light and repeated the leap again to ping-pong between the walls and climb higher. His muscles screamed in protest, but the fear of death kept him pushing higher.

He wanted to get as far away from the primal as possible while searching for an exit. If the sand level had fallen when he exited the underwater grotto, there was a good chance of a doorway of some kind higher up.

Kai’s raspy breaths quickened as he glanced down at a spinning pool of molten death, a hateful maw clacking in the center. The magma was rising fast and would soon overtake him. Kai’s eyes widened in horror as the Wyrm made a spitting sound and several globs of lava catapulted towards him, he scrambled to change direction. His feet cracked stone as he pushed off — a little too late. Magma splashed onto his leg and back, melting through his clothes. His muscles contorted as he screamed in pain, almost missing his next leap. If he had not upgraded his body, he was sure the magma would have melted clean through him. He smothered his back and leg in his watery aura, which seemed to partially combat the remains of the hostile aura. The result was the magma hardening to his flesh like hot glue instead of melting through him.

His eyes frantically searched above while he strained his ears to focus on spitting sounds. Kai’s gold-rimmed eyes finally snapped onto the object of his desire — a closed stone archway. He twisted his body mid air—the molten glue on his back tearing flesh—as he changed direction to leap towards the narrow ledge above. With a grunt he convinced his aching legs and blistered feet to push one last time; he landed with a squelch and his blisters ruptured, smearing blood on the refreshingly cold stone floor.

Kai refused to die here and pushed through the pain. He grabbed the stone doors and began flooding them with his rapidly depleting aura. His legs wobbled. He spared a glance over his shoulder; the magma was still rising. After four heartbeats, he flung the giant stone doors open and dragged himself through the doorway before his noodle legs collapsed him to the floor.

Kai desperately inhaled air, trying to regain strength in his legs. He watched in dismay as the Magma Wyrm rose out of the bubbling lava like a cobra poised to strike. Kai groaned as he stood on burnt feet. With arms outstretched he gripped the slab on each side and glared defiantly at the primal monstrosity. He woozily poured the last of his aura into the stone slabs; the less aura he had, the dizzier he became.

One.

Kai tensed as the Wyrm lunged.

Two.

Its maw opened wide, flooding the hallway with breath that scalded his skin.

Three.

A pulsating gullet of teeth and saliva was a foot from his face.

Four.

Spittle flew from Kai’s mouth as he roared and pulled the slabs together. Increase. The momentum continued for a split-second as a veritable mountain of stone slammed into the head of the Wyrm with a sickening crunch. Bones popped. Flesh ruptured. Dislodged teeth scissored across his flesh like barbed wire as hot blood rained down, each drop sizzled as it splattered on his skin.

His legs capitulated, and he slumped against the wall, sliding to the ground. Hah, sometimes the flea kills the dog.

Kai wheezed out a cough as pain wreaked havoc on his body. He closed his eyes to rest for a few moments and passed out.

A stream of unseen notifications popped up while his eyes returned to normal. A tattoo of the Wyrm coiled around the end of one of the seven cardinal lines that flowed towards the empty center of the spiked compass tattoo on his back.