The Desert's Teeth
The fire had burned to embers.
Ash drifted on the wind, glowing faintly before the darkness swallowed it. Neel sat hunched over, sparks crawling over his arms like restless insects. Every time he tried to steady his breath, the memory of the shadow chains tightened around his chest again.
Leela stayed at his side, her staff resting across her lap. She hadn't slept — not really. Her eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, but her voice was steady when she spoke. "That thing… it wasn't like the boar. It wasn't alive. It was sent."
"Sent for me," Neel muttered, his fists clenched. Sparks cracked between his fingers.
Kabir lounged against a dune wall, one knee drawn up, his panther licking its wounds at his feet. He grinned lazily. "Of course it was sent for you. You shine too bright, Vessel. Shadows can't resist."
Shanaya stirred from where she lay, groaning. Her hair was singed, her arm bandaged crudely. She propped herself up with a wince. "If it comes back, I'll burn it down to ash next time."
Kabir's grin widened. "It doesn't fear fire."
"Then I'll make it learn," she snapped.
–––
Dawn broke over the desert, painting the dunes crimson. They set out again, slower this time, the air heavy with fatigue. The wolves padded uneasily, growling at nothing. Even the vulture refused to circle far, its cries harsh and clipped.
The sand shifted oddly beneath their feet, as though the desert itself breathed.
"Something's wrong," Leela whispered.
Kabir crouched, pressing a hand into the sand. His grin sharpened. "It's awake."
Neel frowned. "What's awake?"
Before Kabir could answer, the dune to their left exploded.
Sand erupted skyward, a geyser of gold. From it rose a creature that made even the boar look small.
A desert centipede — its body armored in overlapping plates of obsidian black, dozens of legs stabbing into the sand like spears. Its mandibles dripped venom, steaming as it hit the ground. Each segment of its body glowed faintly with bioluminescent lines, as if fire burned beneath its skin.
Leela gasped. "By the gods—"
Shanaya's fire roared to life around her fists. "Finally! Round two!"
Kabir's wolves scattered to flank it, their snarls swallowed by the centipede's hiss. The panther launched forward, claws scraping across its armor, sparks flying. The centipede barely noticed.
It lunged, its mandibles snapping where Neel had stood a heartbeat before.
He rolled, lightning bursting from his palms, striking the beast's side. The glow in its plates flickered — but the storm barely slowed it.
"Neel!" Leela shouted, slamming her staff into the sand. A wave of water burst upward, hardening into jagged ice spikes. The centipede shrieked, thrashing as ice bit into its legs.
But still, it pushed forward.
–––
The ground trembled as it slammed its body down, smashing the ice, sending shards flying like shrapnel. One cut across Neel's cheek, blood stinging hot.
The whisper coiled eagerly. "Yes… stronger prey. Break it, Vessel. Break it, and the desert bows again."
Neel's chest heaved, sparks racing violently across his skin. The storm begged to be unleashed.
Shanaya's fire arced in from the right, a blazing whip cracking across the centipede's face. It recoiled with a screech, mandibles snapping wildly.
Kabir laughed, wild and sharp. "Now this—this is a fight!"
–––
The centipede reared high, towering over them, its shadow swallowing the dune. Its body arched back, venom dripping from its mandibles, glowing like molten acid in the light.
Leela braced her staff, eyes wide. "Neel—if you don't stop it—"
The beast struck.
–––
The centipede struck.
Its mandibles slammed into the sand where Neel had stood. The ground erupted, sending a spray of stone and grit into the air. Neel rolled aside, lightning snapping instinctively from his hands, carving glowing cracks into its armor.
The beast shrieked, a sound that rattled their bones. Its bioluminescent lines pulsed brighter, venom dripping like molten glass, burning holes into the dune.
"Spread out!" Kabir barked, his grin fierce. His wolves fanned out, their growls sharp as they darted for the beast's legs. The panther leapt onto its back, claws scraping sparks against the obsidian plates.
The centipede thrashed, sending waves of sand rolling like surf. One wolf was caught under a leg, crushed with a sickening snap. Kabir didn't flinch. He only whistled, commanding the others forward.
–––
Shanaya hurled a fireball the size of a cart wheel. It exploded against the centipede's side, flames licking across its body. The glowing lines dimmed briefly, but the creature writhed, smashing its armored bulk into the sand to snuff the fire.
"Burn, damn you!" Shanaya snarled, sweat streaking her soot-stained face. She spun, fire coiling into a whip, lashing across its mandibles. The heat seared the chitin, forcing the beast to rear back.
Leela stood at Neel's side, staff braced. She drove it into the sand. Water burst upward in a geyser, freezing midair into jagged spears. They rained down, piercing the centipede's joints. Its screech tore through the desert night.
But the venom came next.
The beast vomited a stream of glowing green liquid, spraying across the dunes. Where it touched, the sand melted into glass. Shanaya barely leapt aside, the venom splattering inches from her boots.
"Holy hell—" she gasped.
Leela threw up a water shield just in time. Venom hissed against it, steam flooding the air.
–––
Neel staggered back, sparks racing uncontrolled across his body. His chest heaved, the storm screaming inside.
The whisper pressed into his skull. "Unleash me, Vessel. Stop holding. Storm does not fear venom. Storm devours."
He clutched his head. "Not… not yet—"
Another strike came. The centipede's mandibles snapped down, catching him by the arm. Pain seared through him, the plates biting deep, sparks exploding across his skin. Blood sprayed.
"NEEL!" Leela screamed.
Rage drowned his pain. The storm snapped.
Lightning erupted from him in a violent wave, blasting outward in every direction. The centipede shrieked, thrown back, its body convulsing as arcs of blue lightning tore across its armor. Sparks lit the dunes like a second sun.
Neel stood in the center, eyes blazing white, chains of lightning whipping from his arms.
Shanaya shielded her face, her fire bending against the storm. "He's going to fry us all!"
Leela forced her way through, water glowing as she pushed her staff into the ground. A barrier of steam rose, dampening the worst of the arcs. She reached him, grabbing his arm. "Neel! You're here! With us! Don't lose yourself!"
Her voice cut through. The lightning faltered, just enough.
–––
The centipede lunged again, smoke rising from its scorched armor. Kabir's panther leapt for its head, biting into the softer plates near its eyes. His wolves swarmed its legs, dragging it lower.
"NOW, Vessel!" Kabir roared. "Strike true, or it eats us all!"
Neel's storm focused. Lightning arced into his palms, coiling into a spear. With a roar, he hurled it.
The bolt slammed into the centipede's glowing lines, piercing deep. The creature shrieked, its body convulsing, glowing cracks spreading across its length. With a final screech, it collapsed, its segments shattering into glassy fragments that hissed and cooled in the sand.
–––
Silence fell.
Neel collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged, sparks still flickering weakly across his body. Leela knelt beside him, pressing her hands to his wound, water glowing as it sealed the bleeding.
Shanaya dropped to the sand, wiping sweat from her brow. "Two monsters in two days. What's next, Kabir? Dragons?"
Kabir chuckled, crouching by the corpse. He traced the cracks in its armor, his grin sharp. "No. The desert doesn't waste dragons here. But this…" He tapped the shattered plates. "This was drawn to the storm. Just like everything else will be."
Neel stared at the corpse, his hands trembling. The whisper purred, content. "See? Even venom bends to lightning. You are more than prey. You are the teeth now."
Neel shut his eyes, the storm buzzing faint inside. He wasn't sure if he believed it.
But he was afraid that part of him wanted to.
–––