130 Monster Hunter (1/2)

One, two, three, and dodge, insight screamed into my brain. And I did. I veered Myth Chaser to the left just as the ashworm's head struck the sand where we'd been only moments ago.

In the same movement, I drew my falchion to my right and slashed at the creature's exposed right side.

There was a shower of sparks as my shadowblade—which Zarz, after tuning it up, claimed had risen to silver tier—grazed the hard scales of the ashworm's body, barely leaving a scratch despite its vibro-sword function.

I pushed Myth Chaser to continue forward so we could escape its range, but even that was difficult as the monster's thrashing tail—which had come out of the other side of the dune—caused the sand beneath us to shake.

We traveled the length of its body—at least the part of it we could see—and veered further left just before the tail could take a swipe at my head.

Just to be clear, I didn't just jump into the fray to get myself eaten by a giant worm. But a closer inspection was necessary so Fool's Insight could do its job.

Thanks to that close encounter, I was able to estimate that the ashworm was roughly thirty feet long with a diameter bigger than Shaqs' height. So around ten-foot, give or take.

The creature's head, a giant eyeless thing with a cobra's hood and a mouth that looked like it belonged to a great white shark, turned in my direction as if it was following my scent or something.

And only now did I realize that my initial command to my unit might have been a little foolhardy.

\”Wait for it to come for me,\” I'd said, turning myself into the bait.

But now that the ashworm was coming after me, I expected an imminent attack from my friends was coming. Luckily, Luca and Qwipps did not disappoint.

From the skies above came the fluttering of arrows in flight, and soon afterward, more than a dozen charred arrowheads fell across the surface of the ashworm's body. Sadly, only three of them actually stuck. The rest were repelled by the creature's hard scales.

Although that poor showing dismayed me somewhat, gone were the days where I panicked over every little thing. So, instead of screaming for someone to save me from the incoming jaws of death, I screamed, \”Now, Luca!\”

Luca's ravagers were all mounted on swiftharts now, kicking up dust as they rode toward the ashworm. They were split in two with ten warriors to each side of the creature.

\”Let's do some damage, Ravagers!\” Luca drew his greatsword from the sheath behind his back. \”Come on!\”

Twenty shadowblades sang in unison, each one slashing across the monster's hard scales with just about the same damage as my own attack did.

\”Too weak!\” I yelled.

\”I know!\” Luca yelled back.

At this point, the ashworm was ten yards away from me and Myth Chaser. Despite our ambush, it had quickly caught up to me with the probable intent of swallowing me and my mount whole.

Luca might have sensed this danger also which is why he did what he did.

He roared in that way he did whenever he activated his Foolish Strength. Then he jumped off Jade Shadow, and with both hands, plunged his greatsword into the ashworm's body.

Luca's shadowblade broke through hardened scales and pierced into the flesh hidden underneath, unleashing a spray of dark blood as he did.

The ashworm shrieked. Its head rose up to the night sky with its huge mouth opening into a ten-foot gaping hole.

Luca, who'd held onto his greatsword with both hands, was dragged up with the creature.

\”Reckless attack,\” I whistled, at the same time as I turned Myth Chaser around.

Luca hadn't just wounded the creature. He also exposed its underside which I assumed was softer than the scales on its back. And while it thrashed its head in the air, it left itself open for another attack.

I raised my falchion forward. \”Go, go, go!\”

Two winged forms zoomed past either side of me and headed straight for the ashworm.

Qwipps and Pike flew low so they wouldn't get noticed by the monster. Each of them carried a steel lance used specifically for hunting big game.

Yes, we'd come prepared. None of my guys had traversed the desert before but Shanks had and he'd informed us of possible dangers while crossing through the sands, of which, the ashworm was one of them. In fact, I remembered Shanks briefing me that an ashworm encounter was very rare as the creatures usually stayed underground.

Just how unlucky were we that we were in a fight for our lives with one right now, I wondered in my head as I watched the pixies attack.

Qwipps reached the creature first and plunged his lance straight into its inner side.

The monster screeched a second time, nearly drowning out Qwipps own scream of, \”Muddamit!\”

Pike arrived next, but she seemed bolder than her squad leader as she hadn't targeted an easy to hit spot like he had. She'd flown the length of its underside and up to its neck area. Then, Pike slammed the lance in there and wigged out just as the creature screeched a third time.

Despite the success of the pixies, the ashworm didn't die after that last attack. Instead, it continued to thrash in the air like a wounded beast that was raring to go for round two.