There were no dry banks I could scramble up this time to get out of his way, no broken stretches of dirt and rock I could send down on his head. I was going to have to find a different way to beat him.
Something shifted in the water to my left, and I caught a glance of scales and of flexing muscles as a body shot toward me, the light gleaming off its silvery flanks. The surface rippled, and a water spirit burst out of it straight at me.
He was a creature made of pure ice and water, just like the one I had faced in the water realm. The face was human, with finely sculpted features beneath strands of translucent hair, and his body was human too. But beneath the waist, scales replaced ice-sculpted skin as his body tapered into a giant fish’s tail.
The water spirit slammed into me, wrapped his arms around my chest, and knocked me off my feet. I was flung into the water, the body of the spirit weighing down on me, and we grappled for advantage.
But while the creature had a good grip around my chest, he hadn’t pinned my arms; I was free to fight back. I hit him hard on the back, then slammed a knee into his midriff. The creature let go and shot back off through the water while I got to my feet.
I was closer to the bank, almost within arm’s reach of the earth spirit. There was a flicker in the water. This time, I was ready. As the water spirit leaped up at me, I braced and shot out my arms. I knew from before that unlike with the earth spirit, the head was a vulnerable point on this creature. As the water spirit slammed into me, I grabbed him by his frozen head and twisted. As I turned, I flung the water spirit past me straight at the earth spirit.
The water spirit shattered as he hit his earth companion. His waters flowed across his counterpart, soaking into the sand and forming a thick mud. On each side of the newly joined spirit, arms morphed together so that only a single pair remained. The face of the combined creature sagged, and a mouth opened, strands of mud hanging like thick spittle between lips of coagulated dirt.
The thing opened wide and let out a groan that shook the surface of the lake.
I backed off into the water, giving myself room to maneuver. I was hoping that the lake would dilute the spirit, thinning his form to make him softer and more vulnerable. The water around the creature darkened as mud swirled up from the bottom, but he seemed as solid as ever.
It looked like I was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.
I ran through the water and launched myself in a flying kick. My foot slammed into the spirit’s chest, and mud spattered as it skipped across the water’s surface. I landed, twisted, and started punching. I hammered repeatedly at one side of the mud spirit’s body, hoping to wear it down. The more I punched, the deeper I got into the thick, goopy body, and soon, I was elbow deep in mud.
The spirit slapped me, a blow so hard that it lifted me off my feet and flung me into the water a dozen feet away. I was briefly submerged, and when I got back to my feet, I saw the mud spirit lumbering toward me. Where I had taken chunks out of his side, the mud was reforming, flowing from the bottom of the lake up his legs and then his body, replacing everything that was lost.
I backed away, buying time while I looked for a plan. As I went, I noticed a two-foot long leg bone protruding from the lake bed. I tore it from the ground and hefted it like a club, feeling its weight. A crude weapon, but better than no weapon at all. I swung it from side to side as the spirit stalked toward me.
Being in the water seemed to strengthen him, and his body rippled as more mud flowed up. I would simply have to do damage faster than he could recover.
I charged and hit the mud spirit in the shoulder with the bone. Mud flew from the force of the blow. I struck again and again, sending clods of mud flying. On the fourth strike, the spirit blocked with one hand and swung a punch with the other. He caught me in the chest, and I staggered back but managed to keep hold of the bone.
I backed out of reach, then ran up to the bank, through the mud at the water’s edge, and onto dry land. When I turned to look back, the spirit was pursuing me through the water. He stopped in the shallows, and we stood facing each other.
For a while, neither of us moved. Then, the spirit reached down, scooped up a thick handful of mud, and flung it at me.
I dodged the first lump of mud, but a second one caught me on the foot. It was unnaturally thick and heavy, like glue binding me to the ground. I struggled to free myself, even as the spirit flung more mud my way. I dodged and weaved on the spot. All the while, I strained at my trapped leg, trying to wrench it free.
At last, the mud gave, and I jumped clear as another clod landed where I had been.
The water had worked to the spirit’s advantage. Now, the mud was working that way too. I didn’t know if dry land would be any better, but it couldn’t be worse. I had to try to get the spirit out there.
I picked up another long bone. Dual-wielding the macabre weapons, I advanced to the edge of the dry ground as dust swirled around my feet. The spirit
