We ran as fast as possible. I actually got on all fours even with Beth on my back. I was a hell of a lot faster that way. Henry grabbed Lily and we shot out that hole faster than foxes clearing out a hen house.
It was then I heard the ground moving. I turned in time to see it. A massive serpentine head exploded out of the earth and into the sky. Its maw was 20 feet wide and its body length we had yet to see the end of. What was exposed was the first 50 feet. It stood in the air like a worm attempting to eat the sun. And as suddenly as it appeared a bolt of lightning struck it on the side of it's open maw.
It was Thor. Floating in the air like some saint by swinging his hammer around like a helicopter. He swung his hammer at the worms head only to have it bounce off harmlessly. The worm swung its head and batted him out of the sky and into the ground. Thor hit the ground with an explosion of dust leaving a crater from the impact.
As I looked further I could see that he was out cold. No... is he dead? His body glowed and suddenly burst into shining bits of data that were sucked into a glowing hexagon.
"Won't be seeing him for a bit." Henry said with a smile that said he relished Thors misfortune. Well. Can't really blame him can I?But Henry's smile was cut short as the worm seemed to notice us somehow.
"Worms can't see... right?" I asked nervously.The worm turned and started trenching through the ground towards us. I dove to the side with Beth while Lily and Henry went the other way. Horacio took to the sky and started sending his shadows to attack it.
I kept Beth on my back and she started throwing everything she had at the thing. Bits of data flowed from it where her tears made contact. Realizing I wasn't offering much I put her down for a moment and started swinging my blades at the thing which honestly I think only pissed it off further.
It turned with the birth of an oil tanker. Obviously it's size did not help it's speed. But that also meant it would hit like a train. A train that would eat me and reduce me to bits of data.
I grabbed Beth and hauled her around to a different vantage point for us to assault. On top of it. I clambered onto the thing and Beth coated my blades with her corrosive tears. That made the process easier.
"How many points is this fat B@$+@rd worth!?" I shouted to her.
"I don't know. Nobody has managed to kill it yet. We're not even certain if it's a player or if it's a really big virus. All I know is that it's been here since the beggining." She wailed back.
I decided to keep hacking away at it and realized that a small crater had formed in the worm now. Realizing I might fall into a pit of teeth if I kept swinging I moved back and continued. Beth supplied the tears and I supplied the work. Soon I had a 30 foot long trench in the side of the worm that was 3 feet deep. It turned over and we almost fell off. And then it body slammed into the ground. I shoved Beth into a diving Horacio who gracefully caught her.
Meanwhile I couldnt get my sickle unstuck. So I tucked myself into the body and began to bite and scratch. The worm slammed into the ground but I didnt shift. My clawed hands and feet had dug in deep enough to keep me on it.
The scarabs came out to help even as the ground was mere inches away from pulling me into the grinder of a life time. I kept biting and clawing frantically.
I soon found a sizable hole had opened within the worm. And inside I could see not teeth. No organs. No blood or gore. Just data and earth being moved down a massive treadmill inside a black hexagonal tunnel. I crawled inside and began my inner assault. It smelled horrible and I actually gagged. But there was nothing to come up. I would grind myself against the ground outside or be safer within.
I started swinging and felt the worm start to move upwards again. I dug in my sickles which helped none. My weight pulled the sickles down creating massive gashes on the inside of the worms body. As it went upward I felt the G forces. Then my body became weightless.
"Aw crap." I said as I felt my body sway with the impact of the worm slamming down again. My vision shook but I didn't let go of my blades. I got my bearings again after my legs and vision stopped shaking which took a few moments.
Then I got back to work. The scarabs were working hard as well. Chewing as I cut and bit. I didn't know for how long or how far in the thing I got. But every once in a while I caught a glimpse of light or had to shift for a change in gravity due to diving or jumping.
It was after a long while though that I started feeling a shudder then a rolling sensation. I held on for dear life with my sickles in place. And when the rolling was done. I looked at the holes and cuts I had made. There was at least a mile of damaged craters showing me outside which was a little bright but a welcome sight. Then the worm began to turn to bits. Which began to be absorbed. I heard a ding and Interface spoke up.
"You have hit the rank cap of 5000 points per individual for your faction! As per regulations all 100 lower rank E individuals will now have an equalized share of 500 points per person. Thank you for your hard work!" She said in her perky voice.
I sat down stunned. Beth said that the worm had been around for ages. Noone could kill it. Now we had gone and done just that! I laid down in exhaustion but hit my head on something. It didnt hurt. But I felt myself bump into something nonetheless.
It was hard and sturdy as all hell. I turned to see what it was.
It was 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. The color of sandstone with worn inlaid gold and gem stones. It had a mans face with a rectangular Egyptian type beard engraved on it. As I inspected it further I realized what it was. It was a sarcophagus! "Holy $#¡+!" I exclaimed.
As I touched it I wondered if anything was inside. I pushed the lid a bit and it shifted to reveal it's hollow stone insides. Nothing was within. But there seemed to be places to attach things. What? I didn't know. But I wanted to find out.
I stood up and thought for a second about what to do about the sarcophagus. It was probably ridiculously heavy. So I might need help. I tapped my faction emblem which glowed.
"Lily! You there?" I shouted toward it. I suddenly heard her voice in my ear. "Holy $#¡+! You did survive! I was wondering why I got no death notification! Where are you?" She shouted.
I winced and turned around realizing I was in the plains by a newly made worm hole. "Never mind! Found you on the map! Holy Hell that worm got you far!" I heard cheering in the background and couldn't help but sit down and start laughing.
I didn't know why I was laughing. Either it was the tiredness that got to me or just the fact that I finally realized I had survived what hundreds before me had failed to. But I laughed. I laughed till I couldn't anymore and Horacio finally landed beside me with a slap on the back and a smile.
Lily was with him and slapped the back of my head and she slapped it hard. "I never want to see that type of heroics again! Am I clear!" She shouted as I grinned.
"Yeah we're clear." I said as Beth smiled before she noticed what was behind me. "What's that?" She said pointing. I shrugged. " I dont know. I figured it was some kind of drop. Didn't you all get something?" I said looking expectantly at everyone.
Henry shook his head. "No. The person who gets the kill gets the drop. We all shared the points but that thing belongs to you." He said with his eyes full of envy. I sighed a little and went to try to pick it up.
I figured it would be heavy. But it wasn't. It was like carrying around a styrofoam cosplay piece. It was light and had a good balance to it. When I lifted it I noticed a set of straps beneath it like a backpack. I put it on and started walking around.
I felt like a school kid again. I hadnt shifted the lid back so Beth slipped inside. But the funniest thing happened next. The lid slammed shut and green light shined through the cracks in the lid. "What in the blazes!" She cried out. And then all I heard was a relaxed "Ahhhh." Like someone had dipped into a long deserved bath or hot tub. I noticed my health bar drain by 20 points and quickly took off the sarcophagus. " What the hell?!" I shouted. The lid cracked open as the coffin remained laying on the ground. And what came out astounded me.
It was a young woman wearing what looked like a black dress you would see at a funeral. No old woman needing a cane with dark eyes and horrible need of a shower. Instead this one had an umbrella. Her eyes had black mascara and deep purple lipstick making her lips stand out.
She stood about 5'7 now but her figure was still good for the height. Her shoes were shique sandles with her toes sticking out. Her shoulders still bore some pale dust on them and her toe and finger nails were painted yellow.
"Beth... What happened in there?" I asked in astonishment. Even Lilies jaw was on the floor. "I dont know. I got in and felt like... I was given a hot bath. I feel refreshed." She said as she started looking at her new look.
I nodded. "Well... It suits you. But until then please ride on top of the thing instead of inside it. My health took a hit from that." Her eyes widened.
"What!? I'm sorry! I didn't know!" She said putting her hands behind her back in a cute manner. I put the pack on and she sat on top of the thing. Her feet sat right on my shoulders. "I'll have to figure out how this thing works when I get back." I grumbled. With that we got away from the worms hole and back into the grasslands.
We finally found a large rock and just sat close to or around it. "So... How long was I gone?" I asked nervous as to what the answer would be. "You were gone for 13 hours. We only have 6 of our 24 hours left and have no reason to hunt anything. So we can sit back and relax till the time ends and the dome kicks us out." Lily said.
I nodded and began to think about it logically. It all made sense really. An enemy as big as the worm takes alot of time to take out. But with something as corrosive as Achlys's tears running through it's system it made sense. Beth leaned in close with expectation in her eyes. "What do you want? I'm not putting you in the casket again if that's what you're asking." I said putting a hand on the lid to keep it closed.
"No! No! Dont take it wrong! I just want to know how you survived something like the worm! Come on! We all want to know! Right guys?" She said looking expectantly at the others who nodded somewhat vigorously.
I sighed a little in embarrassment as I began to explain things as they happened. My digging into its body and getting the most horrible rollercoaster ride of my life. I told them everything up to the point of Horacio finding me.
"Speaking of scarabs I want to see what they look like up close." Lily said. I looked at her. "Not gonna do something wierd to them are you?" i asked with a glare.
She gave me a "Was that neccesary?" look. I shrugged and whistled. The scarabs came out and sat on my arms like tiny little puppies waiting to be praised. I petted the biggest one which I had come to call Khepri.
I knew there was a real khepri out there somewhere but I doubt he would find out about this. I sent a different scarab to Lily. It took some coaxing but it worked out in the end.
"They're cute." Lily said calmly. I nodded. "These guys have helped me survive just as much as I've helped them." I said as khepri began to weave in between my fingers playfully. I smiled. And then the sun turned pale as the moon.
"Alright everybody. It's night time. Henry can you keep watch? I think Sil here needs some rest still." Lily said patting my shoulder. Henry smirked a bit. "Sure thing boss." He took his spot on top of the stone and looked out into the grass.