A heavy wind rushed past at an incessant rate at the top of the Transporter. Janus lowered his body, keeping his arms at his side as he slowly inched forward across the Transporters metal roof. Looking to the side, he could see the Sand Carver begin to emerge from the tunnel it was burrowing. It lifted its head out of the ground; a massive dark and purple worm rose from the cloud of dust. Its head consisted almost exclusively of a massive three jawed mouth. Hundreds of razor-sharp teeth lined each flap. Within its mouth was a dark red, veiny expanse that looked to coil on forever.

The exterior was a deep black with patches of hardened dark purple flesh that served as its armor. By looking at the upturned desert that trailed behind the Sand Carver, Janus estimated that the length of the Essencima spanned for nearly two sections of the Transporter. It rammed its massive head against the side of the vehicle, shaking the front of the vehicle and making Janus fall forward.

"You alright, Janus?" Itzel asked as she offered him his hand. Janus took her up on the offer.

"I'm fine,” Janus replied as he stabilized his stance by spreading his arms to the side. “At least for the moment. Any ideas on how we're going to take that thing down?" Janus said in a raised tone to overcome the rushing wind.

Itzel turned to Mag. "I'm just going to follow his lead for now." Mag held the weapon with both hands, letting the length of the barrel of the weapon rest on his shoulder. He fiddled with the screen before steadying his aim at the Essencima. Parts of the gun began to glow a vivid blue as he took aim. The Transporter shook again, setting Mag off balance. He lowered his gun and let out an expletive before taking aim once more.

Mag pulled the trigger. A blue explosion burst out from the front of the barrel, sending a brilliant ball of electricity in the direction of the rising Sand Carver. The projectile struck the Sand Carver in the head. Azure lightning coursed across its exterior. The creature let out a deep and bloodcurdling his as it ducked beneath the surface of the sand again. Janus and Itzel both ran to the railing at the edge of the Transporter and peered down to the side.

"Is it dead?" Janus asked. Mag stood next to them and stared back down at the passing ground.

"No, it's not," Mag said with frustration. "Probably just annoyed. Any other time a blast like that would have exploded that thing to bits. Looks like the Essencima have gotten stronger since the weapon has been in use."

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"Like... it evolved?" Itzel asked.

"Wouldn't be surprised. This particular species hasn’t been seen in decades. Maybe they've been adapting or developed a resistance to these antique weapons."

"Think the spear Itzel has enough power to take it out?" Janus asked.

Mag eyed it. "Worth a shot. At least it can deliver a steady stream into it. That is, if it can manage to puncture that armored flesh it has. Or penetrate one of the exposed areas."

"That's the hard part, isn't it?" Itzel said with disappointment. "You know anyone that can hurl a spear far enough or with enough speed to actually get this thing into the Sand Carver?"

"No, I don't," Mag said sternly.

"We'll have to fight that thing up close then, huh?" Janus asked.

"Feels like the Transporter is slowing down. I'll go tell the pilot to put on the emergency brakes."

Janus looked took another look at the passing desert. The scenery moved by at a slower rate, allowing him to make out some of smaller elements of the ground. "I guess it's better than letting that thing derail the vehicle at such a high velocity."

"But if we don't take it out then everyone inside is as good as dead!" Itzel exclaimed.

Mag grabbed onto the spear in Itzel's hand. "That just means we'll have to kill it fast." Itzel released the weapon, letting Mag seize full control of it. With the spear in his possession, he ran towards the front of the Transporter. He then leapt down into the Pilot's Section, vanishing from sight.

"That guy seems pretty competent at fighting for someone that inherited most of his net worth," Itzel said with arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Defending a loved one can really push someone to their limits," Janus replied.

"Maybe."

"I'm just glad that we have someone on board that knows what we're going up against."

There was more rumbling among the desert on the other side of the Transporter. Janus and Itzel cut their conversation short to dash over to the opposite end of the vehicle. Both leaned over the railing and stared at the sand that split apart. The dark purple scales of the Sand Carver protruded a few feet above the ground as it slowly rose through the sand’s surface. Like a fish out of water, it leapt from the ground, flinging its entire body at the side of the Transporter. It made a loud crash as the vehicle rocked to the side, tilting it at a sharp angle. Both Janus and Itzel fell to the ground from the abrupt impact.

"That thing is more than capable of crashing this and killing everyone on it!" Janus shouted. He took in a deep breath as he got back up to his feet. "Stopping the Transporter might have been a bad idea. Think it's too late to try and outrun this thing?"

"We were already moving a top speed back when the Sand Carver first showed up. There's no way this vehicle could evade one of those things!"

"Getting up close to it really is our only option then, huh?" Janus took one hand and brushed the sweaty strands of hair back with his hand as he took in a series of short and quick breaths.

Itzel gave a nod of her head, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "Seems like it."