Chapter 65: Sand-Wyrm

  The deafening, explosive crash of the colossal Sand-Wyrm slamming heavily into the adjacent dune created a localized, completely blinding sandstorm. A thick, highly abrasive cloud of orange grit entirely engulfed the area, severely restricting visibility and aggressively stinging any exposed skin. Gravel the mule, seemingly possessing the survival instincts of a completely deaf stone, simply stood perfectly still, blinking slowly as heavy sand rained down on its large grey ears.

  Zeno, however, was already in motion. The massive, undeniable kinetic recoil of his anti-gravity uppercut had driven his heavy boots deep into the loose, shifting sand, nearly burying him up to his knees, but he didn't waste a single fraction of a second trying to pull himself free. He knew exactly how fast the creature could burrow from Lyra's warnings.

  "Lyra! Keep the mule quiet!" Zeno shouted, his loud voice heavily muffled by the thick canvas scarf wrapped around his face.

  He lunged forward, throwing his entire upper body weight into the strenuous movement, effectively swimming through the loose, unstable sand to reach slightly firmer ground near the base of the dune.

  The Sand-Wyrm recovered from the staggering blow with terrifying, fluid speed. Its massive, segmented body thrashed violently, whipping tons of heavy orange sand high into the searing air. It didn't possess a brain capable of complex, higher-order tactical reasoning, but its highly sensitive, incredibly attuned vibrating sensory pits registered the exact location of the massive kinetic impact that had just derailed its meal. It instantly and aggressively identified Zeno as the primary, most dangerous threat.

  The colossal beast didn't try to bite him immediately. It utilized its natural, fluid environment. With a sharp, undulating twist of its thick, forty-foot body, the Sand-Wyrm dove directly back into the loose sand. It didn't dig; it literally swam downward, entirely vanishing beneath the surface in the blink of an eye, leaving only a massive, swirling depression in the dune as evidence it was ever there.

  The searing desert fell utterly, terrifyingly silent once again.

  Lyra sprinted across the sand to Gravel, throwing her arms tightly around the stubborn mule's thick neck. She engaged her pale green wind Tena, pouring her focus into the ground. She created a localized, highly pressurized buffer of air directly beneath the animal's heavy hooves, completely and artificially dampening the deep vibrations of its nervous, shifting steps.

  "Zeno, get to solid rock!" Lyra screamed over the howling, dry wind, her emerald eyes frantically scanning the completely featureless, rippling orange dunes. "It's tracking your footsteps! If you move heavily on the sand, it will strike directly from below!"

  Zeno stood perfectly still, his heavy boots resting lightly on the surface tension of the sand, flawlessly utilizing the vital lessons he had learned while fighting the armored crabs in the Silt-River mudflats.

  "There are no rocks here, Lyra," Zeno noted calmly, his amber eyes scanning the completely empty, burning horizon. "Just sand. And a very angry, giant worm."

  He closed his eyes. If he couldn't see the massive threat, and he couldn't rely on the non-existent terrain to protect him, he had to rely entirely on his heightened, organic physical senses. He completely tuned out the howling of the wind and the rapid beating of his own heart. He focused his absolute, unwavering intent entirely downward, into the thick soles of his heavy boots.

  He waited.

  A microscopic, incredibly deep, rhythmic vibration pulsed faintly through the earth directly beneath his right foot.

  It is circling, Zeno calculated, his newly awakened tactical intelligence analyzing the massive predator's hunting pattern. It is waiting for me to take a heavy step so it can perfectly aim its mouth.

  Zeno opened his eyes, a brilliant, highly dangerous grin spreading beneath his canvas scarf. He didn't need to find a rock to stand on. He was going to make the worm come directly to him on his own terms.

  Zeno raised his right leg high into the searing air. He channeled a massive, highly concentrated, roaring surge of blue Tena directly into his heavy climbing boot.

  He stomped down into the dune with absolutely earth-shattering, world-breaking force.

  KRA-KOOM!

  The massive kinetic shockwave blasted deeply and violently into the shifting dune. It was exactly like ringing an incredibly loud, impossibly heavy dinner bell for a colossal creature that hunted entirely by sensing surface vibration.

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  The response was instantaneous and utterly terrifying. The sand ten feet directly in front of Zeno began to rapidly, violently sink, forming a massive, swirling orange vortex.

  "Here it comes!" Zeno cheered, completely unbothered by the sheer size of the impending, lethal threat.

  The Sand-Wyrm erupted from the vortex, a massive, towering column of pale yellow, highly abrasive scales and snapping, concentric rows of jagged, tearing teeth, aiming to swallow the boy completely whole.

  Zeno didn't try to punch the terrifying teeth. He didn't try to physically block the massive, forty-foot body with his arms.

  He engaged his Flowing Step, moving with terrifying, explosive speed laterally across the shifting sand. He slipped entirely outside the monster's direct vertical attack path, moving precisely to the beast's exposed, segmented flank as its massive momentum carried it lunging past him into the air.

  He widened his stance, anchoring his boots deeply. He pulled every drop of energy from his core, igniting both of his massive, spiked Rock Serpent gauntlets with a blinding, completely stable blue light.

  "Timber!" Zeno roared.

  He drove both heavy, obsidian-spiked fists forward simultaneously, executing a flawless, devastating double-handed strike directly into the absolute center of the Sand-Wyrm's exposed, thick side.

  CRACK-BOOM!

  The raw kinetic force transferred flawlessly. The heavy obsidian spikes easily pierced the tough, abrasive outer scales, burying deeply into the dense, highly muscular tissue beneath. The raw, concussive force of the D-Rank strike didn't just bruise the massive beast; it violently, drastically altered its trajectory in mid-air.

  The colossal, forty-foot monster was physically blasted sideways, its massive body bending unnaturally under the horrific, concentrated impact. It crashed incredibly heavily into the side of a massive, sweeping dune, triggering a localized, violent sand avalanche that partially buried its frantically thrashing form.

  The beast shrieked, an incredibly high-pitched, vibrating sound that completely defied its massive size, thrashing its thick tail wildly to free itself from the heavy orange sand.

  Zeno didn't give it a single second to recover its bearings. He charged aggressively up the side of the collapsing dune, his powerful legs pumping like heavy iron pistons. He knew a standard sleeper hold wouldn't work on a creature with no discernible neck and scales that acted like grinding stones.

  He leaped high into the air, landing heavily directly onto the beast's thrashing, muscular back, exactly behind its massive, tooth-filled head.

  The abrasive, pale yellow scales immediately tried to shred him, grinding against his body like a massive belt sander. However, his newly purchased Crimson Spider-Silk tunic hardened perfectly on impact, completely deflecting the abrasive damage, while his heavy leather pants took the brunt of the friction.

  Zeno didn't try to choke the monster. He raised his left arm and violently drove the incredibly sharp, jagged obsidian spikes of his Rock Serpent gauntlet deep into the gap between two massive scales, burying his fist into the dense muscle to act as a flawless, entirely unyielding anchor.

  He held on like a rodeo rider on a mechanical bull. The beast thrashed, bucking wildly, trying to throw him into the dunes, but Zeno’s left arm remained completely locked in place.

  He raised his right arm high into the air. He pulled a massive surge of blue Tena into his fist, turning it into a localized wrecking ball.

  "Stay down!" Zeno yelled.

  He brought his right gauntlet down in a devastating, fully powered hammer-fist directly onto the back of the Sand-Wyrm's heavily armored skull.

  THUD! The beast shrieked, thrashing harder, entirely unaccustomed to being attacked from above. The skull didn't break.

  Zeno didn't stop. He established a brutal, unyielding rhythm, using his anchored left arm for perfect leverage.

  THUD! A massive crack appeared in the pale yellow skull plating.

  THUD! The crack splintered violently, the beast's movements becoming sluggish and uncoordinated.

  CRUNCH! The fourth strike completely bypassed the thick armor, the heavy obsidian spikes shattering the skull plate and driving deeply into the creature's simple, central nervous cluster.

  The massive Sand-Wyrm shuddered violently once, a massive ripple traveling down its entire forty-foot length. Then, it went completely, permanently limp, sliding slowly down the side of the dune in a heavy, lifeless cascade of shifting orange sand.

  Silence slowly, finally returned to the burning expanse of the Shifting Wastes.

  Zeno pulled his left gauntlet free from the carcass, standing up slowly on the dead beast's back. He wiped a thick layer of orange grit from his canvas scarf, breathing heavily but entirely unbothered by the epic, titanic brawl he had just concluded.

  Lyra released her localized wind buffer beneath Gravel the mule, letting out a long, shuddering breath of pure, unadulterated relief. She walked carefully over the sand, staring at the massive, dead apex predator, and then at the messy-haired boy standing triumphantly on top of it.

  "You just rode a forty-foot Sand-Wyrm and beat its skull in like you were hammering a nail," Lyra stated, shaking her head in absolute disbelief. "That is definitely not a recognized Vanguard technique, Zeno."

  "It worked very well," Zeno noted cheerfully, jumping down from the carcass and dusting off his iron cauldron. "The Weaver’s red shirt is fantastic. I didn't get scratched at all. Now, do we harvest the meat? Is giant worm delicious?"

  "Absolutely not," Lyra grimaced, looking at the abrasive, foul-smelling scales. "Sand-Wyrm meat is incredibly tough, stringy, and tastes strongly of sulfur and raw dirt. But their inner sensory organs are highly prized by alchemists in the southern desert cities for crafting vibration sensors. We will harvest those."

  They spent the next grueling hour carefully extracting the valuable, highly sensitive vibrational organs from the dead beast's maw, securing them safely within a sealed, heavy leather pouch.

  "Alright, sledgehammer," Lyra said, checking her enchanted brass compass, ensuring they were still perfectly aligned on their southern heading. "Let's keep moving. The sun is only going to get hotter, and we desperately need to find the oasis Elian mentioned before nightfall."

  Zeno grabbed Gravel's lead rope, giving the incredibly stubborn, completely unfazed mule a gentle, encouraging tug. "Come on, Gravel. The giant worm is sleeping now. It is time to walk."