Chapter Twenty-Four
Another half hour of relentless riding passed, and the horses' steps grew heavier. The two shadows drew closer.
Then, in a moment of hope, the three spotted a vast silhouette on the horizon… as if the desert itself had opened its arms to embrace them. Their breaths rose; they urged their mounts with the last of their strength toward it.
The two men saw what the three had seen, and their disappointment showed. One snapped angrily, "Damn it… really? After all this chase we get nothing!"
His companion ground his teeth. "This looked like a failed operation. Lucky they didn't see our faces. Let's finish our task quickly and return before anyone suspects us."
"Fine." The other agreed implicitly; they had no better option.
When the three were sure the pursuers had given up and were far behind, they let their breaths out and slowed their mounts.
Lucas looked at Daniel hesitantly. "Do we turn back to the kingdom now? Or continue the mission? I don't trust those people ahead of us either. If they're hostile… they could kill us easily. They're numerous, and our horses are barely holding out — they won't survive another chase."
Daniel considered deeply before answering. "True… but those two may be on their way to those two groups up ahead and waiting there. Since they found us after we left the kingdom, they probably knew about the mission we're on and our first and second destinations. So approaching the people ahead of us is the safer option… they might accept us without ill intent. I think it's the best choice."
Sanjay nodded in agreement, endorsing Daniel's reasoning.
"All right…" Lucas said finally, thinking it through; it was clear he'd realized Daniel was right. (This is the wisest—perhaps the only—decision.)
They rode forward briskly until they reached the large silhouette. It turned out to be a band of mercenaries — roughly fifty men, with horses and baggage, heading straight for a mission.
Their leader stepped forward to meet them. He was armored head to toe; his metal helm concealed his face except for his sharp eyes. A heavy, ornate breastplate covered his broad frame. He carried a massive axe as wide as a man's body and a towering hand shield that matched his height, rimmed with curved iron meant to fend off blows and shatter bones. His steps were slow and heavy and warned of terrifying strength.
He asked in a hoarse, dry voice, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Daniel brought out his mission paper and presented it to the leader. He then showed his mercenary badge; Lucas and Sanjay followed suit.
"We're mercenaries," Daniel said calmly. "While we were heading to the mission, two masked men blocked our way and rode toward us. We didn't wait to see their intent… we fled here, seeking help on the main road."
(Daniel knew honesty was the best approach in such a situation.)
Since the leader and his men had also seen the distant shadow that the three had seen, they had witnessed the pursuit and the retreat of the suspicious pair, which lent credibility to Daniel's words.
The leader examined the paper and the badges, confirmed their legitimacy, and then looked up and said coolly, "You may join us. But remember… you are responsible for your own lives. We're on our way to a D-rank mission: the Desert Worm."
He turned and continued on without further comment, as if such events were ordinary to him — a man accustomed to these scenes.
The three exchanged silent glances, then their faces registered shock and awe.
"Isn't this… the giant mission we heard about when we returned after our first job?"
"My God… we're actually part of it now?!"
They had no time for regret or second thoughts. A new chapter of their journey had begun.
---
As they fell into formation behind the group, Sanjay spoke hesitantly, "Are we really going to follow them? Isn't this far too dangerous?"
Daniel answered in a serious tone, "Yes, it's dangerous… but those two now know our destination is either the lizards' area or the kingdom. I can't go back now. Also, we'll be far from those two when we reach the mission site. Besides, this is good for us — we'll watch how the stronger fighters cooperate. Don't forget we haven't used our Nira yet. It's better to observe how others use theirs, so when we can use ours we'll have some idea of the combat."
(Let's see how they use it, so we'll be better informed.)
Sanjay glanced at Lucas. When he found him silently nodding in agreement with Daniel, he nodded too.
Daniel counted the men ahead: fifty-four. They weren't all a single unit, which suggested these were several mercenary groups assembled for the task.
He opened his book and searched for the page on the "Desert Worm." He read it aloud with focus, then passed it to Lucas and Sanjay to read as well:
---
Desert Worm
▫️ Classification: Rank D
▫️ Habitat: Dry deserts, especially areas of deep dunes and soft sand.
▫️ Physical Description:
A wormlike, cylindrical creature reaching up to 12 meters in length and about 60 cm in diameter. Its body is covered by extremely hard, circular chitinous plates, forming interlocking rings with no soft spots or external weak points. It has no eyes; instead it relies on a tough sensory plate beneath its mouth, which opens only when it settles underground. This sensory organ can detect moving bodies — living or inanimate — by body heat.
Its mouth is circular and deep, lined with hundreds of hollow teeth that rotate inward like a slow mill of blades, extending down into the stomach.
▫️ Attack Behavior:
1. Silent Ambush
It lies in wait beneath the sand in absolute silence, opening its sensory plate to detect vibrations, heat, and movement. Once it identifies a target, it bursts from the sand with astonishing speed and attacks with its gaping mouth, attempting to bite or swallow its prey. It preferentially attacks moving targets because it assumes they are fleeing. Whether it succeeds or fails, it immediately disappears back into the sand after the attack, leaving a circular pit and a plume of dust. It rarely launches a second attack immediately.
▫️ Abilities:
— Rapid tunneling through sand: moves astonishingly fast beneath sand but very slowly on solid ground.
— Extremely tough outer shell: ordinary weapons cannot easily penetrate it; spears and arrows simply bounce off.
▫️ Weaknesses:
— Relies on memory: during an attack the sensory plate closes and it relies on a momentary memory of the target's location.
— Poor maneuverability on hard ground.
— It neither sees nor hears and can be deceived by false vibrations.
▫️ Collectible Resources:
— Hollow teeth: used in crafting tools or arrowheads, they may carry traces of a mild toxin.
— Sensory plate: used in components for detection and sensing devices.
— Outer shell: can be cut to make light armor resistant to heat and tearing.
▫️ Writer's Warning:
> "When the sands go silent for long… do not rejoice. There may be a maw beneath you; hold your breath, and it will swallow you at once."
---
Reading this increased their anxiety, especially Sanjay's, whose thoughts of returning to the kingdom began to creep back in. (But…) he pushed the idea away, thinking of the two men who had chased them earlier.
Night fell; it was time to sleep.
They pitched their tents and ate. Each group debated who would take the night watch. Daniel, Lucas, and Sanjay divided their shifts as they had on their first mission: Lucas first, then Daniel, then Sanjay.
They slept, preparing themselves for a hard day to come.