A hard blow hit the back of my head, and I stumbled. My head spun as I turned to see my attacker. A foot lashed out while I was still stunned and knocked my legs from under me. I fell to the floor and bit my tongue as I landed.
“You pathetic, little shit.” Hamon kicked me in the ribs. “You temple-dwelling, troll-sucking, flea-infested peasant.”
I tasted blood as his sandaled foot slammed into me hard. I was ready for the next kick. As his foot came in, I caught it with both hands, pulled hard, and dragged him off balance. He fell to the floor beside me, and I scrambled onto him while ignoring my own pain to inflict some on him. I pressed my knee into his chest and managed a couple of good punches before I released him.
“You had enough?” I asked as we faced each other. “Or are you going to strike me in the back as soon as I turn around?”
Hamon glared at me, anger burning in his eyes. “You will regret this.”
Neither of us went for our weapons, which came as a relief. Sure, I was really starting to hate him, but I didn’t want to kill him. And I definitely didn’t want him to kill me, either. If we kept this from getting deadly, so much the better.
His leg shot up in a high kick, but I just managed a block that left my right arm throbbing. He was good with his feet, so I decided to get in close and rob him of that advantage. I shoulder barged straight into him, lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the wall.
Hamon was as strong as me but lightly built. I used my bulk to pin him up against the wall while I pounded at his body with my fists. His hands and elbows battered against my back. It would all come down to who had the most endurance.
The pain built in my back as we pummeled each other, driven by adrenaline and mutual dislike. My back ached but I kept going, sure I could outlast the prim little git.
A hiss echoed around the chamber, followed by the rasping of claws against stone.
We both stopped fighting and turned toward the sound.
I’d had no idea that scorched salamanders could get so big. It was nearly twice as long as the first one I’d encountered, with a head the size of a sofa and a five-foot-long tail that hit both walls as it swung back and forth. Its massive pits for eyes stared hungrily at the lure dangling from Hamon’s waist.
By unspoken agreement, Hamon and I moved apart and drew our swords. We weren’t preparing ourselves like allies—we both wanted the core and would do anything to obtain it.
Fire rose from the blade in Hamon’s right hand, and more sprang up in a ring around him. He took the lure from his belt, held it up, and swung the cord. The salamander seemed entranced, unable to look away from the glowing, caged orb.
Hamon was standing head-on to the salamander, and there was no way I could get past. He’d assumed correctly that I would strike him from behind just to obtain the lizard’s core. An almost deafening rumble came from the salamander’s throat, and a smile touched my lips. The only way Hamon could survive a direct hit from a fireball was by using Flame Shield. It would take almost all his focus to block an attack from so large a salamander.
The salamander opened its mouth, and Hamon sheathed his sword. He held both hands in front of him, and a dome of fire expanded over them both. It was much larger than his previous shield, and it extended all the way to both tunnel walls. The lizard’s giant fireball crashed into it, but the barrier held. I waited until the last second before Hamon would remove the shield and took a running start.
As his barrier came down, I planted my foot on his back, leaped over him, and landed on the salamander’s head. The beast’s mouth hung open, letting out a gust of hot air that smelled of ashes. Hamon jumped onto the creature’s back and ran along it until he stood over the neck. He bent and slashed at it with his swords. Sparks flashed as the blades bounced off the tough scales.
The salamander reared as it tried to remove us, but I planted my sword between two scales and held on. Hamon continued slashing, likely believing that the scales would eventually give way. He might have known something I didn’t about salamanders. I studied his movements while evading the salamander’s swipes as it lumbered around the tunnel too narrow for its body.
Hamon was definitely attacking the scales with purpose, and it looked like he was trying to pry one off with the end of his sword. The creature twisted its head around and snapped at the nuisance on its back. Hamon cursed and dodged away as the salamander tried to bite him in half.
I glanced over the scales on the salamander’s head and realized that they were almost glued together by magma. My sword hadn’t been damaged by lava before, so I plunged my sword downward and heaved on the hilt with all my weight. The sword bent a little, and a scale flipped off the salamander with an audible pop. The giant lizard bellowed, the sound amplified by the tunnel.
Soft flesh showed where the scale had been, and tightened my legs around its crenulated spine before I removed my sword. The monster bucked, but my legs held firm, and I stabbed its soft flesh with my sword. The blade skewered
