Amukelo: The Burdened Path

The landwyrm let out another thunderous roar, its massive frame trembling with aggression before it rushed forward, the ground shaking beneath its weight. 

Idin, gripping his broadsword tightly, took a steady stance beside Amukelo and spoke through gritted teeth. "We need to hold this thing."

There was no hesitation. The landwyrm wasn't slowing down, wasn't hesitating, wasn't second-guessing itself. 

Idin made the first move. As the beast neared him, he raised his sword high and swung it down in a powerful arc. The blade connected with its scales, but the landwyrm barely reacted. The cut was shallow, nothing more than a scratch against its thick scales.

Idin's expression darkened as he realized his mistake—he had slowed down, expecting his sword to do more damage.

The landwyrm, however, hadn't slowed down at all. Its massive front limb came up, then swung sideways with brutal force.

The sheer speed of the movement made it almost impossible to dodge.

At the last second, a wall of earth erupted from the ground, summoned by Pao's magic, but it crumbled instantly under the force of the landwyrm's attack.

Idin barely had time to shift his body before the beast's limb slammed into him, the back of it catching him square in the chest.

The impact sent Idin flying backward. His body crashed hard against a tree. He let out a sharp grunt as the air was forced from his lungs, his broadsword falling from his grip and embedding itself into the dirt beside him.

Amukelo barely had time to react before the beast turned its attention to him.

This time, it wasn't ignoring him.

As Amukelo swung his sword at its approaching form, the landwyrm moved with eerie precision. It lifted its front cclaws effortlessly just enough to deflect the strike.

Amukelo's eyes widened slightly as he felt the resistance, the strength behind its simple block. It barely even tried.

Then, in one swift movement, the beast opened its massive jaws, raising its head.

For a single, terrifying moment, Amukelo saw rows of jagged teeth, a dark cavernous throat, the sheer power behind those snapping jaws.

He tensed, ready to raise his sword again, but he wasn't fast enough.

He had already been recovering from his last strike. He had no time to react.

Panic shot through him like ice. He stumbled back, almost tripping over the uneven ground.

Then an arrow struck the landwyrm's exposed under-neck, just below the jaw.

A spot where the scales were thinner.

But the beast didn't flinch. It barely reacted at all.

Instead, it continued lowering its head toward Amukelo, ready to bite down.

Amukelo's mind raced. There was no way out.

And then, suddenly, with a burst of movement, Bral thrust his longsword into the landwyrm's gaping mouth, the steel wedging itself between its jaws.

The beast's momentum stopped abruptly.

It let out a muffled growl of frustration, its body tensing as it tried to snap its jaws closed, but Bral held firm, pushing against the sword with all his strength.

For a brief moment, the landwyrm was still. Then its eyes darkened with rage.

It began to chomp down on the sword, jerking its head violently, trying to tear it away from Bral's grip.

But just as it did, a thick, blinding white beam of magic struck its face.

The force of the spell made its head jolt upward involuntarily, its jaws opening wider. The spell left a faint scorch mark on its scales, not enough to cause serious injury, but enough to make the beast recoil slightly.

Its eyes burned with fury. And then, its gaze locked onto Pao. For the first time, it looked truly angry.

Then, before it could move, it felt a sharp pain. A blade, piercing just beneath its throat.

Amukelo had used the distraction to strike. His sword sank into the weaker, thinner scales, the force behind his thrust driving the steel deep.

For a split second, he felt a surge of triumph.

Then, the beast jerked violently, twisting its body.

Its front limb shot forward. Amukelo barely saw it coming. A massive clawed palm struck him directly in the chest. The impact was filled with it's rage.

The air was ripped from his lungs as he shot backward. His back collided brutally with a tree. The force of it sent a shockwave of pain through his ribs.

For a moment, everything went still.

His vision blurred slightly as he tried to take a breath, but his lungs refused to cooperate.

His sword, still slick with the landwyrm's blood, lay just a few feet away.

He had landed hard, his entire body aching from the hit.

The landwyrm snorted, shaking its head slightly, a fresh wound beneath its throat.

It hadn't expected the pain.

The landwyrm let out a guttural snarl. But its fury had only grown, and it turned its attention back to Bral.

Its muscles tensed, its claws flexing, and then it raised its massive front limb high above him, preparing to bring it down in a devastating slash. 

Just as the beast's claw came crashing down, Idin moved in front of Bral.

With no hesitation, no second-guessing, Idin rushed forward and threw himself into the attack. His sword raised defensively, he took the full brunt of the beast's claws against his weapon. 

Through gritted teeth, he bellowed, "Bral, now! Attack!"

Bral didn't waste a second.

Using the moment the beast was stopped by Idin, Bral swung his longsword upward in a fierce arc, slashing cleanly across the landwyrm's throat.

The cut was thin, a shallow gash across the thick scales. Not enough to sever, not enough to kill. But enough to make the beast even more annoyed.

Idin and Bral both stumbled backward, breathing heavily. Idin had managed to absorb the blow, but his arms trembled from the force. Bral's attack had landed, but it wasn't deep enough to damage it seriously.

Then, the landwyrm looked down at them again. But this time, something was different.

From deep within its massive body, a low, guttural hum began to vibrate through its chest. Its throat bulged slightly, and the air around it shimmered with heat.

Bral's eyes widened in horror.

Then, from the depths of its open maw, a glow appeared—flickering at first, then growing into an intense, molten brightness.

"It's going to release fire!" Bao's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

Bral felt his blood run cold.

There was no time to move. No time to scatter or dodge. The heat was already pressing against their skin, an unbearable wave of scorching air radiating from the beast's throat.

Then, it released blazing torrent of fire erupted from its mouth, a roaring inferno cascading toward them.

But before the flames could consume them, a barrier flickered into existence.

Pao had raised her staff high, her hands outstretched as a shimmering magic shield formed in front of them. A translucent dome of energy absorbed the brunt of the flames, deflecting them to the sides, sending fire spilling onto the surrounding rock.

But the fire didn't stop.

The magic shield held firm at first, but then the pressure of the flames began to show. Tiny cracks formed along its surface, splintering outwards like spiderwebs.

Pao gritted her teeth, sweat forming on her brow as she focused everything into maintaining the barrier.

As the first shield began to buckle, she whispered another incantation—and then, behind it, a second shield appeared.

This one wasn't made of magic alone. It was water.

A wall of rippling liquid rose up behind the first barrier, forming a secondary defense. As the magic shield finally shattered, dissolving into flickering light, the water shield absorbed the full force of the flames.

Steam erupted instantly, a thick, choking mist rising into the air as the fire clashed against water.

For a few precious seconds, it held. But the heat was relentless.

The water began to diminish, evaporating faster than it could be sustained. Pao's arms trembled, her breaths sharp and labored, but she held on as long as she could.

Then, finally, the last of the water vanished into nothing.

The remaining flames poured forward.

Bral and Idin had no choice but to brace themselves, raising their arms defensively as the fire washed over them.

And then an arrow whistle through the air. It struck the landwyrm directly in the eye. A perfect shot.

The beast let out a deafening, guttural howl, snapping its head back violently. It staggered, its massive body twisting in agony as it thrashed from the pain.

Bao, lowering her bow slightly, exhaled. Her expression was sharp, focused. She had waited for the exact moment the beast was still for long enough to aim.

The landwyrm jerked its head back and forth, trying to shake the arrow free. But the arrow had embedded itself deeply, the tip wedged past the outer layer of scales. It snapped the arrow down to a shorter size, making it even harder to remove. And then, it stopped.

Its breathing was heavy, deep, each exhale a growl of frustration. Its eye, now half-blinded by the arrow, flickered from Amukelo, still struggling to get back to his feet, to Bral and Idin, who were regaining their stances. They had survived the fire, but only barely.

Then its gaze moved to Bao and Pao. They were still untouched. Still standing strong.

The fight had not gone the way it expected. The hunger that might have driven it to battle further wasn't there.

It had already fed before they arrived. And now, it was injured. Wounded. This fight would cost it even more. It wasn't worth it.

The landwyrm huffed, exhaling another wave of heat, its body shifting slightly. Then, after a long, assessing glance at them, it turned away.

Its massive frame twisted, its tail dragging behind it, its injured eye half-closed. With one last snort of irritation, it began to retreat.

Not because it couldn't win. It would win easily. But because it had decided it wasn't worth the trouble.