Chapter 123 Heading to the sea
Chapter 123 Heading to the sea
Just as the colossal maw descended, a tiny adorable worm popped out of the sand nearby. It leaped straight onto Sera's body with a happy yelp, wiggling excitedly. The huge worm suddenly halted. It reclined its massive head and made a series of strange clicking sounds. The puppy-sized worm responded with its own clicks, looking up at the giant creature.
It positioned itself directly on top of Sera’s head and made tiny whimpering noises as if begging. Then it rolled over her head and jumped onto her shoulder.
The enormous worm let out deep, angry rumbles and rapid clicks, clearly demanding to eat the humans. The baby worm refused, whimpering and clicking back stubbornly. It even nuzzled against Sera’s cheek as if asking for protection. After several tense moments of back-and-forth, the mother worm finally gave in with a frustrated huff and lowered her massive body onto the sand as if waiting.
The tiny worm made another clicking sound and turned to look at Sera, almost as if saying it had missed her. Then it leaped from her and crawled toward the bigger worm. It slipped into one of the minuscule pouches on the giant's armored body. The colossal worm remained still for a moment before diving abruptly back into the ground, disappearing in a rush of sand.
The group stayed frozen for several more seconds until the paralyzing effect finally wore off. They all collapsed onto the sand at once.
Chan breathed in deep relief. "I nearly pissed myself," he muttered, face flushed with embarrassment.
Vandal sat up slowly, still catching his breath. "We all nearly died just now. If not for that baby worm recognizing Sera, we would be inside that thing's stomach."
Sera brushed sand from her clothes, a small smile breaking through her exhaustion. "I am thankful I befriended that little puppy after all."
They remained silent for a moment, grateful simply to be alive. The sea continued to crash against the shore nearby, indifferent to their close call.
As they continued trekking under the cool evening air, exhaustion weighed heavily on all of them. Hunger gnawed at their stomachs and thirst burned their throats, but they pushed forward with renewed hope. They believed that reaching the ocean would provide a way out of this endless desert. Going back the way they had come was suicide at this point.
Vandal stayed close to Sabine as they walked. Even after everything that happened in the dungeon, he could not stop glancing at her, guilt and something warmer mixing in his chest.
Strange clicking sounds echoed in the distance as night fell. Fear of other worms or unknown creatures forced them to hide behind a large boulder for the night. They took turns keeping watch at first, but fatigue eventually claimed them and they slept.
In the dead of night, a pack of desert bone-plated kayodes crept toward their hiding spot. Their armored bodies glinted faintly under the moonlight. The creatures were moments away from attacking the sleeping group when the ground suddenly erupted. The giant adult worm burst forth in a shower of sand and violently attacked the kayodes, devouring several in seconds.
The remaining kayodes ran away in fear. The commotion woke everyone up just in time to see the retreating creatures fleeing for their lives.
The baby worm was perched on its mother’s back this time. It clicked triumphantly as its mother eliminated the threat. Its large brown eyes looked at Sera and then at the rest of the group before it flicked its tiny tongue out. Sera noticed that it had now sprouted four tiny teeth. It chirped at them as if saying goodbye and then used its tiny tail to tap its mother’s head as if to signal her that they could go. It threw one longing look back at Sera in particular before the mother worm covered its child with its plated skin and dove back into the ground in a loud rush.
Sera smiled and whispered softly, "Thank you again for saving our lives."
By morning the group continued their journey, still tired and hungry but alive. True to Vandal's suspicion, they soon arrived at a harbor filled with ships and smaller boats. Several vessels were docked, with sailors moving about their work.
They approached one sailor who stood near a decent-looking ship. The man took one look at their worn-down clothes, dirty faces, and battered appearance and immediately sneered.
"Get lost, paupers," the sailor barked. "You lot cannot afford anything here. You look like bandits."
He insulted all of them openly, then turned his attention to Vandal. "And you, with that white hair. Trying to dye it to look like some rich noble? Only nobles dye their hair in such fancy, unconventional colors. Pathetic."
Other sailors who were not yet aboard their ships gathered around. They began laughing and mocking the shabby, poor appearance of Vandal and his group. Even when Vandal stepped forward and said he would pay double the normal rate for anyone willing to act as their personal sailor and take them where they needed to go, the mockery only grew louder.
One of the sailors, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, grinned wickedly. "I might consider giving you a ride on my boat... if you offer those two fine ladies to me."
Sabine instinctively stepped closer to Vandal, her hand brushing against his arm. Vandal’s jaw tightened, his eyes burning with cold fury.
"You best do as he says, mate, else you would not know how you died," another man with all brown teeth spat out as he brought out a serrated dagger and pointed it at Vandal.
Vandal looked at them without flinching and replied calmly, "It is fine if you do not want our money. We will just leave."
"But Vandal, we cannot. We need a boat," Chan whispered urgently.
Vandal replied, "We will find another way. Right now the situation is not looking favourable."
As Vandal and his group turned around to leave, some of the sailors had already circled around to surround them. They were now holding cutlasses and knives.
"How about you leave the ladies with us and we let you live?" one sneered. "Or maybe we just take what we want and throw your bodies into the ocean anyway."