The sun had long dipped below the dunes, leaving the desert under a bruised-purple sky. Cold wind hissed over the sand, carrying a faint, low vibration — the sound of movement beneath.
Lin pulled his cloak tighter. "Why does the desert get colder at night but somehow scarier?"
Crystal's voice purred. "Because the predators come out."
Nyra led them along a ridge, staff glowing faintly. "We must reach the Pillars of Echo before moonrise. Beyond their boundary, the worms cannot follow."
Elara scanned the dunes nervously. "So we just have to survive until then?"
Lin gripped his club. "Easy. Just don't die. I'm great at that."
---
First Attack
A dune ahead erupted like a volcano, spraying sand into the sky. From it burst a colossal worm, its segmented body ridged like an armored train, mouth lined with concentric rings of teeth. Molten fire glowed deep in its throat.
"NOPE!" Lin yelped. "It's spitting lava!?"
The worm hissed and released a torrent of molten flame across the ridge. They dove aside as the sand turned glassy under the heat.
Crystal: "Careful! This species splits when killed."
"What?!"
"You heard me. Don't kill it unless you want two of them."
---
Running on Sand
Lin's new skill Sand Runner activated automatically, his feet gliding over the shifting dunes with surprising ease. Elara and Nyra followed, using spells and jumps to keep up.
The worm dove under the sand, the vibration following them like thunder. Another burst of fire erupted to their left, forcing them to veer right.
Lin shouted over the wind. "Crystal! How do we get rid of something we can't kill?"
"Trap it. Or feed it. Or… you know… die less."
"Helpful!"
---
The Split Horror
Another worm erupted ahead of them — but this one was smaller. Lin's stomach dropped. "There's two."
Crystal: "Told you."
The smaller worm hissed, mouth glowing, and spat a compressed jet of molten air. The blast knocked Lin off his feet, rolling him down a dune.
HP -12.
He scrambled up, coughing sand. "Okay. Okay. Think. Trap it…"
He spotted jagged black stones poking from the dunes — old runes, like the ones at the temple. Puzzle Sense flickered, forming a glowing path in his mind.
Lin grinned. "Bingo."
---
Improvised Trap
"Elara!" he shouted. "Drive them toward the black stones!"
She blinked. "What? How—"
"Just trust me!"
She fired arrows at the worms' eyes, enraging them. Nyra raised a barrier to block a stream of fire, deflecting it into the sand. The worms lunged, following.
Lin sprinted ahead, activating the rune stones by slamming his club into them. Blue chains of light erupted from the ground, forming a glowing circle.
The first worm lunged inside. The runes flared, and a cage of shimmering light slammed shut around it. It roared, thrashing.
The second worm tried to dive under but the runes caught it too, binding it in another circle.
Crystal whistled. "Look at you, little trap master."
---
Aftermath
The worms thrashed, hissing, but the runes held. For now. Their molten throats glowed brighter as they tried to burn their way free.
Lin staggered, panting. "Okay… they're trapped. We just… keep moving, right?"
Nyra nodded. "The Pillars are near. But at dawn, the chains will break."
Elara muttered. "I don't even want to know what happens if they split again."
They hurried away across the dunes. Behind them, the worms roared, their glowing eyes burning like twin suns in the dark.
Crystal's voice was almost proud. "Not bad, Lin. You're learning."
"Yeah," Lin muttered. "Learning how to run faster."
Far ahead, the Pillars of Echo rose from the sand like giant fangs. But something flickered at their base — a figure waiting in the moonlight.
Crystal whispered: "Uh-oh. You're not alone out here."
To be continued…