The sound of iron hitting rocks dominated that narrow cave.
*Brinr* *brinr*
*Tlec* *trrr*
The various miners worked at full steam, undeterred, they hammered their pickaxes into the dark stones present in that cave.
*Trrr*
"Very well, now that you've opened the holes, step back, I'm going to blow up the tunnel." An older man gave the order.
He wasn't the leader or boss of those workers, but they all had a certain confidence in the orders he gave. Even though he was a worker like any other.
Everyone moved away from the tunnel as instructed, and prepared for the "show".
From the man's hand, an orange sphere was formed. With concentration and effort, he increased the size and destructive power of that magic.
*Shh*
*Vrr*
"Step back, or the debris might hit you!" He shouted, launching his magic towards the tunnel. *ZAP!!!*
*Poo*
The sphere exploded, shattering the entire stone wall in the cave, and now the tunnel was more spacious, allowing the miners to move more freely through the mine.
The newly opened space would save hours of excessive labor, as well as prevent accidents.
"As expected of Mr. Werm, his magic is incredible." One of the workers praised the gray-haired man, who didn't let himself be swayed by the praise.
"That's nothing. In my homeland, there were truly powerful wizards. What I do here is child's play compared to them."
The old man placed his pickaxe on his shoulders, ready to continue his work.
But he was stopped by a commotion that had begun deeper inside the tunnel.
Several miners ran in the opposite direction from the newly opened passage. All were desperate, and fear was etched on their faces.
"What's happening in there?" One of the workers asked Werm, but he had no idea either.
Not until the tremor began.
The ground shook as if in an earthquake, but this wasn't natural. Werm knew well that these tremors were being caused by something.
And the culprit soon revealed itself.
Among the rocks of the cave, a giant turtle made of stone emerged.
Its shell was covered in large, pointed, irregularly shaped pebbles. Its entire body was protected by dense layers of rock plates; even its skin had a stone coating.
Its size was intimidating, a presence that caused tremors as it moved, its rock plates following the contracting movements of its skin.
That beast was probably sleeping within the cave's rocky walls, awakened by Werm's magic.
And now that it had been awakened so abruptly, it was at least irritated with whoever had disturbed its slumber.
"Quick, get out of here, I'll take care of this!" Werm shouted as he positioned himself in front of his coworkers, allowing them to escape.
He was the only one running towards the increasingly wary monster.
Its rocky structure creaked with each heavy, loaded step, which could be felt through the petrified walls of the cave.
Its paws sank into the ground, causing tremors with each angry, iron-fisted step, a primitive and instinctive self-defense intent.
In a swift and decisive action, worthy of a veteran beast, the creature unleashed its menacing and oppressive aura.
The aura served as a warning of the terrifying strength she possessed. But beyond that, it served to paralyze and freeze the weak-willed, making her slaughter easier.
Not that she needed it made easier, since she was already a living arsenal.
The spikes of her mouth had piercing protrusions that could tear a horse in half with a single bite.
Her sharp lips cut even the air with each movement of her mouthparts.
Her mouth was a powerful and deadly weapon, made even more lethal by the reptile's incredible and unbelievable speed.
Her body was large, a robust and spacious build. The sides of her hooves scraped against the walls of the newly widened tunnel.
But even so, her speed was incredible.
She moved frighteningly fast. Her body was propelled by high-level magic. A locomotion spell, which allowed this gigantic creature to move as if it weighed as a feather.
A yellow flame burned on its back, an unnatural flame, its composition completely magical and ethereal, radiating highly concentrated magical power, the fruit of years of fighting and savage self-defense in the unforgiving world of nature.
With a lethal bite and a powerful spell, that turtle was no ordinary monster; it was a true machine of destruction that could threaten any creature without fear.
And it was ready to demonstrate its superiority.
The flames on its back glowed intensely; in a few seconds, it was already facing the most dangerous target there.
Its magical detection alerted it to the danger that the old man posed, so he would be the first to be attacked.
With the newly gained proximity, the beast moved its robust neck to emphasize the force of the bite it was about to deliver.
A deadly blow at the very least; old Werm wouldn't have the physical structure to withstand such a blow.
But fortunately, he conjured a translucent barrier to defend himself in time, preventing the powerful bite from tearing him in two.
The monster locked its bite against the magical protection, its strength pressing against the raised defense.
The stone turtle was strong, its imposing jaw adapted to crush the toughest boulders and ores present in that cavernous structure.
This powerful biological weapon was enhanced by an intense and consistent reinforcing magic, also uttered by the call on its back.
That spell fortified its structure to a new level.
Werm was on the defensive, his shield crumbling against the reinforced jaw of the stone creature.
Meanwhile, the miners ran as fast as they could, all possessing enough magical perception to know they couldn't fight that creature.
Magical power emanated from it, power that made clear its superiority over them. Among all of them, only one person could defeat the stone reptile, and that was Werm.
But the mage was putting all his efforts into protecting himself from the stone being's attacks; he had no opening to strike.
He would need only a single opening, a single slip from the creature, and he could strike at one of its vital points.
That large neck was a clear target.
Its rocky flesh structure boasted many rigid muscles of massive boulders.
It wasn't exactly easy to break that neck, but Werm's magic could, if it hit the right spot.
But he was on the defensive, with no room to attack. The magical shield protecting him didn't allow for more offensive action.
And now the shield was also beginning to crack. Multiple cracks appeared in the ethereal protection.
He was running out of time.
*Crap*
*Crap*
The shield was becoming increasingly brittle. It wouldn't be long before the defense completely collapsed.
But at a glance, Werm was bothered by a small gleam shining in the corner of his eye.
It seemed insignificant, something that could be ignored. But Werm made a point of paying attention to this single bright spot, which soon revealed itself.
A pickaxe! Made of iron with an oak handle, spinning through the air towards the beast.
It was hurled at the creature's bright eye, a precise blow to the only part not protected by rocky plates.
The tip of the tool pierced the turtle's eyeball; a strange bluish, almost liquid energy flowed from its socket.
This energy behaved like the creature's blood.
The reptile struggled, throwing its head from side to side while letting out grunts of pain.
That gave Werm enough time to counterattack the turtle.
Lowering his shield, he quickly stretched both hands toward the beast. Without saying a word, he simply concentrated his mana in each palm.
*Vrr*
*Zarr*
The air around his hands thickened, seemed denser, heavier.
Then it came suddenly.
*Thump*
From his palms, shrill sound waves emanated, disabling the already wounded creature and worsening its agony.
That being had no hearing capacity; it was deaf by nature.
But that did not lessen the blow it suffered!
The waves unleashed by Werm reacted to physical structures; even the most resistant and durable materials suffered damage from the waves released by the magic.
These waves invaded the monster's brain, causing the worst headache the beast had ever felt in its likely long life.
Small cracks in the rock plates protecting its skull were evidenced by the shrill sound of breaking stones.
That was enough to completely disorient the creature, which was now at the mercy of the experienced mage before it.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Werm decided to unleash another spell.
With a meticulously planned movement, he threw his left arm back, elbow aligned with his left foot, which was positioned behind him, his posture firm and focused.
Then he returned his arm forward, the movement completely straight, and finished aligned with his right knee, which was slightly bent forward.
*Vrr*
*Cloin*
A blue pulse is released, throwing the turtle backward, its front legs lifted two meters into the air.
A height that barely allows its quadrupedal body to be thrown back.
In a few seconds, its front end returns to the ground with a powerful thud that causes the earth beneath it to yield slightly under its great weight, sinking its legs into the ground.
This action takes Werm out of the defensive position; now that he no longer had the creature's pressure on him, the old worker could finally attack.
But this window wouldn't last; the creature would soon regain its posture, so he needed to be quick and take advantage while its neck was still completely exposed.
Once again, the mana concentrated in his hand, this time his right.
*Vrr*
*Zarr*
Mystical energy molded itself in the mage's palm, transforming into an orange sphere.
Now he had to be careful. One mistake and the chance was gone. The target was clearly the monster's neck, but which part?
The closer he got to the opening of the shell, the more rigid the muscles in its neck became.
Resilient, massive, and durable. That part of its body was too robust to be destroyed in a single attack.
Which was all Werm had.
The closer to the head, the thinner the neck became.
This part couldn't be too rigid; the weight the neck would have if its structure were reinforced would be an unnecessary burden. The tremendous energy expenditure just to lift its head wasn't worth the extra defense.
But that didn't mean that this specific part was unprotected.
This turtle was no ordinary creature; it was an experienced and resourceful survivor, it knew very well how to protect itself.
The magic that enhanced its bite was a body reinforcement spell, highlighting its physical prowess, and this, in a way, protected the weakest area of its neck.
At one end were thick bio-stone muscles, at the other a magical reinforcement that covered its weakness like a true, experienced master.
It seemed impossible to land a critical blow on this natural abomination.
For any mediocre fighter, this creature would be an insurmountable wall, but Werm was an experienced man.
While protecting himself from attacks, he also examined the enemy.
The mage's eyes were trained, experienced, and found the monster's weakness.
A single point where the muscles weren't as rigid, and where the magical reinforcement didn't protect.
It was a small area compared to the rest of the body. Of course, by human standards it was a considerable area, but small enough not to be easily hit accidentally.
Werm needed to be precise with this strike. One mistake, and his unique chance would be gone.
That's why he made sure not to miss.
With the precise movement he needed, his magic was released at the weak point between the two defenses of that powerful neck.
*Poo*
A single fatal blow.
Without much resistance, the creature lost its neck.
The magic penetrated the rigid, muscular flesh with some difficulty. But as soon as it pierced the outer layer, the blow became immediately destructive.
An internal explosion destroyed the neck from the inside out, releasing more of that liquid energy.
The creature collapsed lifeless, its eyes losing their shine and vitality. Its flame slowly went out.
It was over, the creature died in one blow.
All those who had previously fled were now approaching the old wizard and the dead creature.
"Werm, is it safe to approach?"
But before the veteran could say anything, a young man calmly walked towards the dead turtle's body.
Despite being much younger than the other workers, he wore the same uniform as the others and was a worker like any other there.
A dark jumpsuit, stained with dust and various dirt present in that cave. An orange shirt underneath the jumpsuit covered in stains of sweat mixed with dirt and metallic dust.
His skin was white, almost pale. His hair was white, and even covered by the miners' safety helmet, it was visibly spiky and messy.
On the left side was a braided strand of hair. His brown eyes seemed red if they were even slightly illuminated; around his neck, he wore a cloth wrapped around his throat, adorned with two golden brooches shaped like fish.
He was worn and dirty from working in the mines, but his presence was striking. He was so noble and remarkable. His presence exuded a unique and undeniable elegance.
In a way, it was like seeing a diamond covered in mud and dirt.
"Looks like there aren't any left… is there, Mr. Werm?" the boy questioned the old wizard with a serious expression that contrasted sharply with his youthful appearance.