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Chapter 15 - Colossus

The tension in the air was palpable as four figures stood in a tight circle, each watching the others' backs. Zeke's staff lit the darkness with a brilliant orb of light, shocking the group's eyes that still hadn't adjusted to the brightness, even after sitting by the campfire. Kai, always on high alert, had been expecting trouble from the start and was ready for bloodshed anytime.

Elora reached for her belt, pulling back her wrist crossbow to load it with three mana bullets. She flicked her thumb on the cork off her mana elixirs, loosening them just in case. Ashen hadn't unsheathed but had undoubtedly prepared himself for the unforeseen. He stood there with a resolute look with his hand resting on his swords, ready for whatever may come his way. Too bad he hasn't told them about his combat style or abilities yet, so it would be soundest to depend on themselves. For the past few days, the only thing he said was that he would carry Eira on his back, and he stuck to his word.

The tunnel had gone ghost-quiet aside from the unnerving breaths and crackling in the distance. Elora's face tensed as she waited, and a small bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, eventually falling off her chin. Nonetheless, she wasn't paying attention to anything else as her mind was focused on following the sound.

"Above us!" Zeke shouted as they immediately pounced away from the epicenter.

"Wha—!"

A massive jaw plunged from above, its girth equal to that of a century-old oak. It chomped ferociously at the spot where they were just standing before burrowing down into the earth and slipping away through the crevices. The worm-like creature boasted a chewy, rubbery consistency, its surface appearing rugged yet slimy to the touch.

On the opposite side, the unmistakable glint of an ignited clever sword came into sight. It was Kai who managed to keep his footing stable, despite Zeke's hasty alert. As he planted his feet firmly on the ground, his eyes flashed blood-red with frenzy. Immediately, he positioned himself with a wide stance, bending his knees slightly to ground himself. Then, with a ferocious roar cry, he lunged forward, driving the blade of his weapon through the worm. Taking another stance, he positioned his right foot along its writhing body, carving horizontally with every muscle he had. The force behind his strike was tremendous, splitting the creature's body in two.

Promptly, the worm splattered blood and chunks of flesh all over, but Zeke was quick to shield them from an unwanted shower. He slammed his staff onto the ground, creating giant leaves to cover them.

"Hey, shithead," snapped Kai. Amaranth-red blood painted half his face while the other revealed his indignant expression. "Why the hell didn't you cover me up? I was the one who killed it for you all!"

Zeke shrugged. "You were on the other side, and I didn't expect you to kill it in a single attack. Just be appreciative that I managed to keep your clothes clean—or, ahem, at least, somewhat clean." He released his magic with a wave of his hand, causing the plants to wither away. "We better back off before our feet gets drenched in blood."

"Fine, whatever. You got a hankie or just anything to wipe this off?"

"Yeah, I'll see if I can find it," he said, scrambling through a leather bag beneath his robes. "By the way, what should we do with this corpse? Even my old nose is picking up the smell. It's blocking our way and we can't pass this area without being cocooned in its remains. I'll assume our young girls definitely wouldn't want that," he guessed, looking over at Eira as Kai snatched his handkerchief.

Elora sat back on the ground, lowering her head to her knees. "We should return then. No point in continuing anyway if we're going to get drenched in gore. Should we take a piece of its flesh with us? Some scholars or scientists could analyze it. We can't really return emptyhanded," she sighed, clenching her nose. "Ugh, I can't stand the smell. Kai, you handle it."

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"Don't go commanding me, princess," he scoffed, resting his claymore on the wall. "I do what I want."

All of a sudden, the separated monster began to squirm, resulting in the emergence of two individual worms.

"Ay, guys, th-this thing is still alive!" Eira stuttered, her hand reaching for her quiver. "Should I fire?"

The four others immediately turned their heads toward the abomination that had grown a malformed mouth from its decollated body. The other part had also revived, but tiny gaps emerged with a leaking fluid instead of obtaining jaws.

As Kai lifted his weapon, it burst into a fiery blaze, ready to cleave with deadly force. "I'll just dice it over and over until it dies."

"No, don't," warned Zeke, blocking Kai with his staff. His head pounded with tension; this was the first time they saw him nervous. "I sense a near-infinite amount of energy from that creature. It'll continue regenerating and multiplying until it's thinner than hair strands. We have to harm it from inside; only magic will do."

"Then what the hell do you suggest we do? Do nothing and die?" Kai retorted, preparing to strike again. "I'm not the type of person to surrender. I'll kill it as many times as you want!"

"Just stay on the defensive side for now. We'll figure out a way eventually," Zeke chidingly replied. He held onto his staff tightly with both hands, getting ready to defend. "At least, it's far better than allowing the worm to multiply like bacteria. You don't know if—"

"Ugh, shut up already! The worm is about to attack," shouted Kai with a sign of vexation. Despite that, he still appeared to acknowledge Zeke's advice. As the now two worms began moving, he positioned himself in a more defensive stance.

However, instead of directly attacking, the two worms began thrashing around with unbelievable vigor and celerity, especially considering their size. The group could only stare mindlessly, paralyzed by fear, as the walls started cracking and the ground beneath quaked. Fortunately, the relentless temblor and pebbles bashing against their skulls rekindled their protective instincts.

"Ah goddamnit, I'm running for it," Elora blurted louder than she wanted. "We're going to end up like ground meat if we don't. Especially you, Kai. Your prideful dumbass is going to get us killed."

"Shut up; I'm not as stupid as you think," Kai retaliated, his feet slowly backing away. He forcefully pushed Zeke onto his back and urgently signaled for the rest of the group to make a quick escape.

Elora nodded, agreeing with her arch-nemesis for once. She picked up the pace while making sure Eira was with her. Now and then, she'd glance over her shoulder at the worms flailing shockwaves throughout their bodies. But as they blurred away in the darkness, a spasm of worry crossed her face.

"Zeke, do you know where they are?" she stressed, keeping her crossbow keen for yet another ambush. "If they come out, should I blast them with a shot? Or is it too dangerous?"

"I-I don't kn... know," Zeke replied, struggling to speak as Kai continued to dash at full gait. "I still don't know how to deal with them, so don't be hasty about butchering them. Besides, there is no point in running. One of them has already surpassed us from beneath."

With a forceful twist, he wrang out from Kai's hold and commanded the group to stop. "One is above, while the other is below," he shouted. As he readied another spell, the brightness of his runic tattoos grew brighter. "This time, they'll come from both sides. Listen for a rumbling sound and dodge the moment you hear it; they're incredibly swift, remember that! And shush, Kai! Don't scrape your sword against the ground—"

"I get it! Alright?" he uttered with his curled lips. Along with his nauseous expression, it was safe to assume he got a dab of worm blood into his mouth. Though, one couldn't expect much else when one runs so absent-minded that he loses all sense of his surroundings.

"But this thing sure is silent by how much stone it's drilling through," Kai murmured, squeezing a mixture of snot and blood out his nose. "Shit, I hear it now; it'll freaking jumpscare us any second."

The sound of a colossus drilling through terrain grew exponentially before the two worms came bashing from both sides, colliding with a deafening blast. Again, they swiftly evaded the oncoming blow, tumbling out of harm's way. Ashen, who stood in the middle of the impact, instead ducked with lightning-fast reflexes. Crouched down, he gripped his two katanas like knives and unsheathed them with outlandish speed, slicing through their tough hide while capitalizing on their fierce momentum. And before the intestines could ruin his elegant fashion, Zeke flung him away with one of his spells.

"Nice job Zeke!" Elora cheered. "We'll take it down eventually!"

Not a sound escaped his mouth. He remained quiet, his jaw gaping and his eyes unstable.

"Ze-Zeke?"

Color drained from his face with each second, and his hands trembled considerably, even when his fingers clenched tight to his robes.

"What's going on? Aren't you—"

Kai's wrapped his hands around Elora's arms and lifted her to his height without warning. Glancing past the colossal worm and beyond the battle dust, she saw Ashen lying on the ground with a severed arm and half of his left shoulder missing. Although he was still conscious, his injury had ignited a ticking time bomb. Blood trickled from the wound, staining his clothes, as his teeth clenched together.

Yet, his attack remained meaningless.