"Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results."

― Margaret Atwood, Surfacing

"GUUUUUUU..."

The mountainous worm opened its maw. A sinkhole of conical teeth that gorged on the landscape. Sulfur spires vanished like candies and Ven was at a loss.

"How am I supposed to fight that..."

The creature's head brushed the clouds, miles, and miles of rocky flesh. Ven's most powerful attack had a width of less than two inches. "I can poke it full of tiny holes, but..." He doubted it would even notice. Its size was too expansive, the elephant to his mosquito.

"It's between us and the door," Ven frowned. "We'll have to retreat..."

Aura extended like a vast pair of wings, Ven raced back to the abandoned hive. Huan still waved hello as he swept the twins into his arms and raced, horizontal to the great worm.

"No time for talking!" Ven shook Huan like a sack. "We have to clear that things path before we're swallowed like lunch."

The violent dust cloud's edge brushed at Ven's toes, a cacophony of stone on stone. My flight speed is too slow... He arched to the ground, surrounded by a vortex of grit. I need to figure out how to use my aura and cultivation at the same time. His legs slammed into the rock and the trio became a blur.

The sights around them stretched into hazy lines as Ven's muscles pushed to their limit. The dust around them thickened, the crawl of the worm still faster, a difference of scale.

Ven wracked his mind. Can't go under it... The beast's weight would close any tunnel and flatten them. Can't go around it... The dust storm had limited visibility too much, he wasn't certain which way led to the nearest edge.

"Gotta go over it..." Ven mumbled as his eyes darted to the dragon-kin in his arms. "Hold your breath!"

Feet pressed against the ground, Ven launched upward, into the shrouded skies. They rose like an arrow, a rocket of shadow that raced ahead of a hungry mountain.

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A touch of rock brushed Ven's feet, the skin of the single-minded worm. He jumped again, away from the beast's craggy surface. Its head followed their rise, a step behind. With a bellow that shook the world, the great worm fell back to the planet. A mighty earthquake rocked the surface and Ven shivered.

Why would it try and catch us... They were less than ants compared to the creature.

Ven continued up, through the yellow clouds and into the open sky. The gas giant above still held sway over the vista, though its rings had shrunken by half since his last visit. The adult versions of the worm they'd escaped were relentless. They devoured the artistic display without pause.

"I wonder what happens when they run out of food..."

A hand tapped against his arm, a weak touch that barely registered. Ven glance at the twins. Both dragon-kin were blue in the face, lips purple against the starry sky.

"Ah... Shit!"

Ven dove back toward the planet, well away from the rock worm's path. In seconds, they'd returned to a denser atmosphere and the twins were free to gasp for air.

"That wasn't very nice, Husband..." Huan's chest heaved as she scolded Ven. "I almost died!"

"WE almost died..." Jun trembled under Ven's arm. "That thing was gigantic!"

"Yeah... sorry about that," Ven deposited the pair onto the top of a rock-sulfur pillar. "I didn't know that those things came down here..."

"Not... good... ENOUGH!" Huan pounded her fist against Ven's leg. "You better make it up to me, or I'll tell Daddy you were mean to me!"

Ven shuddered. The Dragon King was pretty laid back, by Ven's standards, but... If he messed with his precious daughter...

"Fine, fine," Ven sighed. "How about we visit the city when we get back, I'm sure we can find something fun to do."

"What about me..." Jun pouted. "I almost died as well, what if I tell Father?"

"Go ahead," Ven waved. "He's probably forgotten about you already..." The King didn't hide his lack of concern for his youngest son, so Ven had no worries.

Jun's head sunk further, as Huan laughed with joy.

"Yaayy! I'm going to show you all my favorite food stalls, and we'll play Princess and the Horse!"

"Ok, ok, whatever you say," Ven nodded, eyes on the horizon.

"Serves you right..." Jun grumbled. "For once I don't have to be the horse!"

"Of course you do silly!" Huan grabbed Jun's cheeks. "You ARE the horse, and we'll ride you around town together!"

'That's enough now," Ven held up his hand at the bickering pair. "We've got a different problem..."

"What is it, Husband?" Huan tilted her head, hands still squeezed into Jun's face.

"Well... I'm not too sure where the doorway back is from here..." Ven rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "We might be in for a long haul before we get home."

"What!" Jun shook free of his sister. "But, what about that worm..."

"We can avoid it, like we just did." Ven waved off Jun's concern. "The real issue is, this planet is huge, and everything looks the same. If that worm buried the doorway, it could take years to find it..."

"Years..." Jun fell to his knees. "I don't want to eat bugs for years..."

"Is this our honeymoon, Husband?" Huan scampered to Ven's side. "We can spend the days alone, gazing at the beautiful landscapes!"

"Sure..." Ven absentmindedly ruffled the girl's hair. "Whatever you say..."

This is going to be an issue. Ven rubbed his temples. He didn't need much to live. The cores here would keep him alive forever. The twins were different. They needed food, but more importantly, water. This world had a ton of food, but water was a different story. They had seen none, not even from orbit.

"Here," Ven withdrew a flask of water from his pouch and gave it to Huan. "Use as little as possible, until I find another source."

"Can I have some?" Jun crawled over on his knees.

"Yeah, yeah," Ven rolled his eyes and drew out another flask. "Just make it last, ok?"