Above them, the clouds roared.
Lightning rained down, striking the ground in a violent storm as the Magus unleashed his power.
Bolts turned rock to glass, and Ben had to weave through the burning ground.
He did not stop moving.
He deflected two more strikes in mid-air, flipped forward, and came down with a heavy, meteor-like blow.
The Magus roared.
With a pulse of aether, he twisted gravity around them.
The world flipped sideways in an instant.
Ben turned in the air and adjusted his fall.
He forced his body back into line with brute strength and hurled himself toward the Magus.
His pickaxe spun like a wheel and crashed into a jagged arc of black lightning, shattering it.
Sparks burst between them as their weapons clashed again.
Ben bled from shallow cuts.
His armor was cracked in several places.
His grin did not fade.
The Magus's calm expression was gone.
Sweat lined his brow.
Blood ran down his side.
