A column of flame stabbed skyward like an giant’s spear, forged of explosions. I flew out of the way, and the spear curved, following me. I tried to fly back toward the base of the column so that the ‘head’ with the momentum behind it would have a harder time chasing me, saw a light pulse within it, and I put some distance between myself and the column. The column expanded—regular orange fire, and not purple. He was holding back on the purple.

If he didn’t want it, then I would provide it.

I used my aura, with an eye on where the purple flames were still burning below. The purple fire on the ground expanded, touched other flames and spread through them. It was a domino effect, and one that Lung seemed aware of. He used his power to extinguish fires around him, a sharp intake of breath’s span before the purple fire spread to that area. From her vantage point, the Pharmacist did much the same, extinguishing more of the purple fire.

But the purple fire traced its way up the column that I was still getting away from. It put it out of Lung’s reach, because his power didn’t work on purple fire so much as it just fed a given area with more fire. The Pharmacist had the ability to manipulate the purple flame, but she didn’t have the versatility or strength to go with it that a leveled-up Lung did.

I’d knocked down the column, even spooked him. My use of my aura was a slap in his face.

He was colder than he’d once been, but he still got mad. I had his attention again.

Columns and tapered spikes of fire speared up without much warning or reasoning as to where they came from. Lung wasn’t near all or even most of them, but he fired, and the orange light illuminated me. As Teacher’s thralls had done with their anti-air guns, Lung was trying to box me in, caging me. Five spikes in a couple of seconds, all curving in the air as I changed my direction. One ignited, turning purple, and the ignition caught on my flight trail.

If I slowed enough to fly around instead of forward, that flame would catch me.

I flew forward, instead, full speed, with a column looming in my way. Nearer to the ground, I saw Lung connect it to purple fire, and that augmented flame climbed faster than I could fly forward. It would balloon in size before I got past it, and each pulse of my aura made those flames lunge higher.

I kept using my aura, all the same.

At the last moment, a change of direction, then nothing at all.