Well, that was new. It looked like Flame Shield. That explained why Hamon didn’t want the technique—he already possessed it.
Rather than interrupt the battle, I decided to wait in the shadows. I figured the giant salamander would eventually run out of juice, and then, I could snatch the kill. I didn’t have a Flame Shield to protect me, and I was almost hoping the salamander could take Hamon down a few notches. I gathered my Vigor and bathed my channels in energy while I watched.
Hamon’s Flame Shield vanished into the air, and he darted in to strike at the creature. Both swords slashed at the lizard’s black scales, but they couldn’t penetrate its hardened hide. Hamon ducked beneath a counterstrike and shuffled backward under an onslaught of blows. He blocked almost every one, but a few managed to slip past his guard and gouge his flesh. It seemed that the creature had him trapped in one corner and was pressing him back hopelessly against the wall. But just as his back was about to brush the rock, Hamon leapt over the creature’s arm and out into the open.
The two turned to face each other again. While the salamander repositioned itself, Hamon closed his eyes. There was a moment of stillness and then, flames burst from the tips of his swords, turning it into a fiery lance. It reminded me of the Sundered Heart Sword’s skill, except this wasn’t a projectile. It was a flaming extension of his weapons.
He whirled the swords in his hands like some kind of fire dancer, and the afterimages almost blinded me. I would have been impressed, except I didn’t want him to get the kill. I’d have to enter the fray soon, but watching Hamon would give me some idea of his skill level.
The salamander roared and charged, its every step cracking the ground and leaving flaming footprints. Hamon slashed at the creature while the gap between them was still half a dozen feet, and his swords extended their flames. My heart sank as flames enveloped the salamander, but energy rushed through me when it didn’t slow down. Oblivious to its burning body, the giant lizard plowed into Hamon and tore him from his feet. The flames Hamon had used to ignite the creature were now roasting him as it ravaged his body with its claws.
It seemed that now was the time to be a hero, even if it meant saving the biggest asshole in the Seven Realms. I moved to enter the chamber, but a ring of fire suddenly exploded from Hamon. The salamander was thrown from its prey, and Hamon jumped to his feet. I doubted the fire had done anything to the lizard, but the sheer force of the martial technique must have launched it back as if it’d been hit by an explosion.
The giant lizard recovered quickly and thrashed at Hamon with a claw. The initiate fell, and the monster stamped its paw onto his chest. Hamon was bleeding from a dozen cuts, and almost his whole torso was covered in third-degree burns. He wouldn’t survive another flurry of claws from the salamander.
I really didn’t want to save Hamon, but I couldn’t exactly stand there while he was eaten alive.
Sword already swinging, I charged out of the tunnel mouth and caught the creature in the flank. My attack cut deep into its belly, and a torrent of lava spilled from its insides onto the ground. The burning liquid oozed toward me, and I summoned a Plank Pillar to use as a stepping stone. I slashed the creature left and right while its lifeforce leaked out. It opened its mouth, and I saw the familiar glow of a fireball in the back of its throat. Rather than let it incinerate me, I plunged my sword into its maw, and the tip of my sword poked through the back of its head.
I pulled out my blade as the monster toppled over. There was a glow from within the pile of innards. I removed the core from its bone-cage and shook off the gore that coated it. A gasp sounded from across the pool of lava beneath the dead salamander.
“That’s mine,” Hamon croaked as he fought to stand. He barely seemed conscious, and I doubted he would even make it back to Rutmonlir alive. Before I could feel sorry for him, he removed a vial from his robes and chugged the contents down. Green lines glowed from beneath his skin, first in his mouth, then to his throat, before finally resting in his stomach. The burns and cuts on his body slowly faded until they were completely gone.
He rolled his shoulders and smiled at me, all signs of exhaustion gone. “Razor Birch nectar. Too bad a peasant like you can’t afford healing potions.”
“I don’t need them.” I tossed the orb in my hands.
“Give me the core,” he snarled.
“I figure a wealthy type like yourself could afford one. Or are you going to try and steal it from a peasant who just saved your ungrateful ass? No? Well, I guess you better find yourself another core.”
I sprinted out of the tunnel as I pocketed the salamander core.
“Come back here, you sniveling peasant,” Hamon shouted as he chased me up the tunnel. “Give me my core back.”
I didn’t waste my breath answering, just kept running up the tunnel. There were twists and forks again, and I kept following whichever path led uphill, or whichever was widest if there were two. I logged the directions in the back of my mind so that I could make a quick route outside the cave. I’d now realized that there
