NOVPUB
Chapter 99: Worm Beasts (II)!!
Elisse stepped carefully over a puddle, her boots making a slight squish noise. "You know... I thought this was a D-rank dungeon."
"It is," Tobias replied. "The meter confirmed it. Low energy signature, no magical distortions, safe for a moderately experienced party."
He paused, then deadpanned. "Clearly the meter’s drunk."
They walked a little further, stepping cautiously around the puddles.
The silence grew heavier, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional unsettling drip of water from the ceiling.
Then the ground rumbled.
Not a little tremble.
No, this was the kind of rumble that made your soul question its life choices.
Zayn stumbled back instinctively, hands glowing with golden soul energy.
"Back!" Tobias barked.
The puddles vanished.
Just — poof — gone. One moment they were there, the next, it was just dry stone.
And then—
CRACK-BOOM-SHHHHHHRK
The floor exploded.
Not literally, but it felt like it.
Massive worm-like creatures burst from the ground, each one bigger than a wagon, covered in dark, hardened exoskeletons that gleamed under Tobias’ torch flames.
"WHAA—!" Zayn screamed, stumbling backward. "I did NOT sign up for giant worms!"
"No one signs up for worms!" Kara snapped, shoving him away and drawing her weapons.
"Formation!" Tobias shouted, palms blazing with fire now, hurling a blast of flame at the closest worm.
The fire hit its mark, but the worm barely flinched.
It shrieked — a horrible, high-pitched, screeching sound that made Zayn’s ears ring — and dove forward with terrifying speed.
The ground trembled as the colossal worms lunged, their massive forms crashing down with the force of a collapsing mountain.
Instinct took over — Zayn dove to the right, rolling to his feet just as the earth where he’d stood erupted into a shower of stone and dust.
Around him, his comrades reacted with similar urgency.
Tobias, ever the hero, had shoved Elisse clear of the danger zone, his hands already weaving a barrier of shimmering energy around her.
"Stay behind this!" he commanded, eyes never leaving the monstrous threats before them.
Kara, gripping her staff with white-knuckled determination, planted her feet firmly.
The gem at the staff’s center pulsed with an inner light, resonating with her will.
She slammed the butt of the staff into the ground, and jagged stone spikes erupted upward, aiming to impale the nearest worm.
The rocky protrusions struck true but skittered off the creature’s hardened exoskeleton, leaving only superficial scratches.
Elisse, from within the safety of Tobias’s barrier, began chanting under her breath.
A soft glow enveloped the team as her reinforcement spell took hold, bolstering their strength and sharpening their reflexes.
"These things are tougher than they look!" Kara shouted, frustration evident.
Zayn tightened his grip on his blade, pushing soul energy into it, its golden glow illuminating the determination etched on his face. "Then we hit them where it hurts."
The worms, undeterred by the initial assault, reared back, their eyeless faces turning toward the group as if sensing their every move.
With a guttural screech that reverberated through the cavern, they attacked.
One worm lunged at Bran, its maw opening to reveal rows of serrated teeth.
Bran barely managed to throw himself aside, the creature’s momentum carrying it past him and into a stone pillar, which crumbled upon impact.
"Bran, keep moving!" Tobias ordered, hurling a fireball at the worm’s exposed side.
The flames licked at its flesh, eliciting a pained shriek, but the creature quickly retreated into the shadows, smoke rising from its scorched hide.
Zayn seized the opportunity. Channeling his energy, he sprinted toward the nearest worm, dodging debris and leaping over fissures in the ground.
As he closed the distance, he slid beneath the creature’s swiping appendage, coming up on the other side with a swift, upward slash aimed at what he hoped was a vulnerable spot beneath its jaw.
The blade connected, slicing through softer tissue.
Dark ichor spurted from the wound, and the worm recoiled, thrashing in agony. "Found a weak spot!" Zayn called out. "Underneath, near the head!"
Kara nodded, adjusting her stance. "Let’s see how they like this."
She began a complex series of movements, her staff tracing intricate patterns in the air.
The ground beneath one of the worms softened, turning to quicksand. The creature began to sink, its movements becoming sluggish.
"Now!" Tobias shouted.
Bran, having regained his composure, charged in with a battle cry, his axe glowing with a mix of Elisse’s reinforcement magic and his own soul energy.
He drove the blade into the trapped worm’s exposed underbelly, eliciting another ear-piercing screech.
Elisse, stepping out from behind the barrier, raised her own staff, summoning ethereal chains that wrapped around the creature’s neck, pulling it further into the mire.
"We can do this!" she encouraged, sweat beading on her forehead from the exertion.
But the dungeon was not done with them yet.
The remaining worms, sensing their brethren’s peril, became more aggressive. One erupted from the ground beneath Tobias, sending him sprawling.
His barrier flickered and died as his concentration broke.
"Tobias!" Elisse screamed, rushing to his side.
"I’m fine," he grunted, pushing himself up. "We need to fight..."
Zayn, breathing heavily, nodded. "Agreed. Kara, can you restrain one?"
She smirked, twirling her staff. "Watch me."
Planting her feet, she channeled her energy into the earth.
Vines made of stone, thick and thorned, burst from the ground, wrapping around the final worm’s body, constricting its movements.
"Bran, with me!" Zayn commanded.
The two warriors moved in tandem, their blades flashing in the dim light.
Zayn went low, slicing at the creature’s underbelly, while Bran aimed high, driving his sword into its neck.
The combined assault proved too much. With a final, shuddering cry, the worm collapsed, lifeless.
It took some time but they dispatched the others as well, leaving the cavern dark and noiseless in minutes.
Silence fell over the cavern, broken only by the team’s ragged breathing.
Elisse sank to her knees, exhaustion evident. "Is... is it over?"
Tobias surveyed the scene, his eyes scanning for any signs of movement.
After a tense moment, he nodded. "For now."
