The sun was nowhere to be seen.
Above us, the sky darkened as if the rain itself was waiting for permission to fall.
The air was thick with soot.
My lungs burned.
There was no time to waste.
Hollow Palm?
The thought came immediately, but the cost was high.
"I still have to conserve enough qi for attack and defence," I reminded myself, forcing my breathing to steady as I retreated from the smoke cloud.
My vision blurred as the ash clawed at my eyes.
Eighty percent qi remaining.
The calculation came instinctively.
I backtracked another step.
*Hollow Palm is still the safest option.*
My breath ran thin.
Fine.
I raised my hand.
Hollow Palm.
I curved my fingers into a claw-like cup, leaving a hollow space in the center of my palm. Only my qi-coated fingertips touched the void between them.
Moisture rushed from the air.
Dew.
Mist.
Breath.
The surrounding vapor gathered rapidly, condensing into a sphere of water suspended within my hand.
"Not bad," Morgan said casually.
Her blade swung toward my neck.
I didn't dodge.
My naginata rested at my feet.
My left hand lowered.
My fingers tightened into a fist.
At the final moment I compressed the gathered vapor.
Water hardened instantly.
Crushing Depth.
My fist connected with her solar plexus.
The impact thundered.
Morgan flew backward through the smoke.
I exhaled sharply, my lungs finally clearing as I stepped out of the ash cloud.
Burns stung along my arms. Nothing serious, but the heat had been enough to reach skin.
The clearing was unrecognizable now.
Trees burned.
The earth had been gouged open.
In the distance I saw Lady Alvie floating in the air, spears flickering into existence around her before launching downward like divine punishment.
"That really hurt," Morgan said.
She appeared beside me.
Her kick struck my ribs before I could react.
The world spun.
I crashed into a tree hard enough to shake the leaves loose.
"Smoke Veil."
Morgan cupped her right hand over her left fist as she spoke the technique's name.
I grabbed my naginata, refusing to lose focus.
"It's smaller," I realized.
Her version condensed the ash cloud tightly around her.
A bright flash of light erupted from the veil.
A beam of white qi shot toward me.
I rolled aside.
The attack carved through the ground where I had been standing.
When I rose again, flames had begun spreading across the clearing.
"D-don't forget about me," Morgan said.
Fire illuminated her figure from behind.
Her grin was wild.
"Serpent Gate."
Qi surged through my weapon.
I swept the naginata in a massive arc.
The blade of qi slashed across the battlefield.
Morgan dodged—but barely.
The attack left a deep gash along her thigh.
"That was painful," she complained.
Her voice sounded genuinely annoyed.
Then she placed her index and middle fingers at the corners of her mouth.
And pulled.
She spat.
The liquid struck my weapon.
Qi hissed where it touched the metal.
My naginata's blade warped instantly.
Metal twisted as though it had been eaten alive.
More droplets struck my arm.
Pain flared.
Acid?
Lava.
"Ha!" Morgan laughed between breaths.
She was panting now.
Blood ran freely down her leg where Serpent Gate had cut her.
But her eyes were shining with excitement.
And above us—
The first drops of rain finally began to fall.
They struck the burning ground with sharp hissing sounds.
Steam rose.
The battlefield breathed and so did I.