Chapter 10: Death Worm

Like a great prehistoric monster, Jack’s lizard rose from the sand. Its scaly hide allowed the sand to filter through down around its ankles into miniature pyramids about a quarter of a meter high. Jack helped guide the beast clear of the mounding particles that seemed to never stop. His lizard shuffled over the mounds with two sidesteps, resting its body upon the surface of the desert.

“There ya go, Zilla,” Jack spoke to his mount like an owner rather than a renter, naming his beast as if he’d raised it himself. He patted the creature aside its head. Zilla slid his tongue out, tasting the hand of the person touching him, searching for the treat it expected. Jack reached into his bag and let Zilla slurp the Snax out of his hand.

Stevey’s mount slithered out of its slumber in much the same manner. Dust fell from its scaley hide in copious amounts, piling into its own little mountains with rivulets streaming along its sides. Stevey brushed off the caked-up dirt from atop his lizard’s eyelid.

“Okay, Rex. That should let you see better.” Rex nudged Stevey with his muzzle, slipping his tongue out to slather the side of Stevey’s face. “Ok, ok. I gotcha, mate.” He reached into his pack and offered the Snax he had to his ride. Rex snatched the edge of the rodent from Stevey’s hand and gobbled it down in two seconds.

Jack and Stevey checked their saddles' straps carefully, ensuring nothing had come loose while the lizzies had been buried. Both reptiles shook some excess sand from themselves as the fellas scoured over their hides for mites.

“All clear on Rex, Jack,” Stevey told his mate as he tied his pack back onto the saddle harness. “I guess we’re ready to go?” He asked.

“Yep, Zilla’s looking good here,” Jack responded while tying his gear down. “We can go once we refill our canteens. That shouldn’t take but a minute. Hand me yours, I’ll do that while you watch the rides.” Stevey tossed Jack his canteen.

“No prob, mate.” Then he slid his bandana up over his mouth and nose. Stevey took a moment to reset his duster over his shoulders while he waited. Rex and Zilla snorted and play-snapped at each other, bored with having to wait. Jack soon returned, handing Stevey his canteen, and then set himself up for the ride ahead. With dusters adjusted, hats adorned, and bandanas applied, the duo rode out from the aquos. Stevey fell in line behind Jack, following the swishing tail of Zilla. He reached into the small pouch at his waist to swallow another one of those stomach pills as Rex’s gait jostled his insides like a washing machine.

Thirty minutes into their ride, they both saw the telltale signs of Darters zooming across the sands just north of them. Dust plumes followed in their wake. The sands weren’t barren as much as most people would think. Small trees and bushes popped up in random places, usually in small dips to the planes as they plodded on.

Evidence of Scarven worm trails came into view a click or two after they departed from the aquos. Fecal matter blown up from underground lay on the sandy surface, drying out into white patches resembling bleached rocks. These hand-sized pellets could fetch a small price from the locals as fertilizer, Stevey thought, looking at the massive load as they passed by. He prodded Rex to speed up a bit to catch up with Jack. He was tired of riding behind.

“Hey, Jack!” He called out to his friend as he pulled up beside him. “How much longer to your claim?”

Jack pointed to the small mountains in the distance. “About an hour. Maybe two if we run into worm issues and have to avoid them. That dumpsite we just passed is making me question this route right now. We might have to swing out east and come into it from the far side.”

“Is that a good thing or bad?”

“Bad, if that dragon is lurking about. I believe his lair is on the east side of that rock.” Jack pointed to the large plateau of boulder and mountain off to his right. Stevey looked that way. The area looked dark and dreary like it had a permanent air of ash hovering about it. Static flickers popped in and out like small lightning bolts from the positively charged air.

“You ever been that far over there to really find out?”

“No way, mate. I’ve always stayed as far away from that region as possible. Too much ash to contend with. I’d need a suit of armor to even consider it, and I’m not sure that would even work.”

“No metallic armor would work, mate, but maybe the Acrylasine versions might. Those are more favorable against acidic elements like dragon’s ash.”

“Hmm, you're right I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe after this score, I’ll reconsider the adventure that way.”

“I wouldn’t consider it too hard. The dragon does still fly about out here.” Stevey laughed nervously.

“You worry too much, my friend. But I understand the dilemma.” Jack turned his scaly stead away from the Scarven droppings ahead of him. The mounds here were quite large. He hoped they weren’t passing through a nesting area. Jack noticed his ride trying to speed up its pace. Did something lurk nearby? Jack started searching the zone around him. Stevey saw Jack’s head turn and followed his sightline. Both saw the shifting sand as it swirled and whirled from the nearby pit.

Jack reached for his blaster, but Zilla had already anticipated the danger and started booking it across the sand. Stevey heard his friend’s voice as it began to move away. “Run!”

Stevey kicked Rex into gear, spurring the beast’s side hard. Rex lurched, but Steve held fast as the lizard rose in its stance and started zipping across the sand like a demonic Darter. Behind him, the gnashing of mandibles chomped in the air where he had been. He looked back to see the massive head of a Scarven Kingworm, the largest species of Scarven worm, seemingly floating in the air.

The oversized mandibles shivered in anticipation of a meal, making an ungodly hissing sound. The red and black markings along the splayed-out fins indicated its deadliness. And at each tip of the fins, a small, hooked talon gleamed with poisonous saliva. Stevey turned back, not wanting to see the moment of his death. But Rex had no intent of being this beast's meal nor letting his rider suffer that fate. In a few seconds, the lizard had caught up with Zilla and Jack.

“Ja-aaa-ack!” Stevey screamed as he passed his friend and his lizard, the lizard running on its back two legs. Jack looked back, his lizard still booking it as fast as it could move on all fours. His hand had finally gripped the blaster on his belt. The worm was rearing up to dive. Its fins had closed in to wrap around the head. Jack pulled Zilla left to circle back, trying to line up a shot. Aiming, he pulled the trigger, but instead of a stream of light, he got a scattered blast that skimmed over the surface of the creature’s fins.

“Damn it,” he cursed, forgetting he’d placed the blaster into the sand back at the Aquos. The sand had gotten stuck in and around the aperture, causing refraction. Zilla had already spun back around to take off again, but they were too close to the massive worm. It dove toward them. Zilla’s quick swerving motion moved him out of the shock zone, but Jack had gotten flung from his saddle. Sand and dust sprayed all over Jack’s body as he sprawled across the surface of the desert.

Coughing, he rose from the ground, ready to face the onslaught. But the worm had gone underground. Jack stood still. He knew they mostly tracked vibrations, so staying motionless was often the best plan. But something didn’t feel right. A shifting wind pulled the aroma of Scarven blow coming toward him off his right. No way, he thought. It knew where he was. He started running. A surge under his feet threw him in the air as the worm rose the top of its head under him.

I’m gonna die here if I don’t think of something soon, his mind flickered with the fight. As he rolled in the air, he saw the maw of the worm open under him. Not today, bitch. Jack’s hand shifted toward the sword on his belt. Still floating in the air, Jack tucked his legs in, causing his rotation to speed up. The motion felt fluid and right out of nowhere. He’d never been able to do acrobatics this well. Was it the training? Or something more? It didn’t matter.

When the katana left its saya, Jack was in another spin. The worm had risen a full three meters higher from the ground, nearly a meter away from his body. The blade found its target on the backspin. Coming up through the bottom of the kingworm’s head, the sword sang its death cry. A flash of light flickered, extending the slash through the creature and down into the ground.

Guts, blood, and other viscera sprayed everywhere. Jack had fallen to the ground in the one space that remained free of the splatter, almost. One of the poisonous talons had shot out from the maw and embedded itself into John’s arm.

“Stevey,” John called his friend's name as he collapsed, pulling out the talon.