Amukelo gritted his teeth as the worm pressured even more. Eliss, a few paces away, was frantically casting water bullets, but they splashed harmlessly against the worm's thick, rubbery hide.
"Eliss, do something more effective!" Amukelo barked, his voice hoarse from exertion.
Eliss's face was pale, her hands trembling as she shifted her approach. She gathered mana and cast ice spikes that shot up from the ground beneath the worm. The spikes pierced the creature's hide, eliciting a blood-curdling screech as it momentarily froze in its assault. Despite the damage, the worm continued pressing against Amukelo, undeterred.
And then the ground trembled again. The vibration grew louder, stronger, and he knew what was coming. "Another one!" he shouted through gritted teeth, his eyes darting around in desperation. Then another worm burst through the rocky ground.
Eliss reacted instantly, casting more ice spikes to intercept the second worm. The spikes shot up from the ground, impaling the oncoming creature and momentarily halting its charge. "It's not dead!" Eliss screamed. "Break free, now!"
Amukelo let out a strained, bitter laugh. "Thanks! Never thought of that!" he yelled sarcastically, though his fear was evident in his voice. He planted his boots against the wall behind him as he pushed with all his might.
The worm's powerful grip on his sword and body resisted his effort, but with a roar, Amukelo pushed the worm off balance. Its massive body slammed into the wall beside him with a dull thud, just as the second worm broke free from the ice and lunged at him.
Amukelo sprang away, narrowly evading the second worm as it crashed into the spot he'd just vacated. The impact sent shockwaves through the rocky structure, dislodging smaller stones from the ceiling.
The first worm, momentarily dazed from crashing into the wall, struggled to recover. Wasting no time, Amukelo seized the opportunity. He leaped onto the creature's writhing body, raised his sword high, and plunged it down with all his strength. The blade pierced deep into the worm's flesh, sinking past its thick hide. The creature convulsed violently, but Amukelo held firm.
"Stay down!" he growled through clenched teeth as he began to slice downward. The sword carved through the worm's insides, splitting it along one side. Blood and viscera splattered the rocky ground as the creature let out one final, piercing screech before going limp.
"Eliss!" Amukelo bellowed, turning to her. "Run! Now!"
Eliss didn't hesitate. She bolted toward the exit. Amukelo followed close behind, but the tremors started again. He risked a glance back just in time to see another worm burst through the stone floor.
"Eliss, keep running!" Amukelo shouted as the creature gained on them. She was the first to reach the exit, bursting out into the open desert night.
He raised his blade in defense, bracing for the impact. When the creature slammed into him, the force sent both Amukelo and the worm hurtling out of the stone structure.
Dust and sand billowed up around him as he rolled to his feet, panting heavily. The worm thrashed in the sand, disoriented but quickly recovering. Amukelo steadied himself, gripping his sword tightly as he prepared for the next onslaught.
"Eliss!" he shouted, his voice carrying over the sound of the worm's guttural growls. He glanced around but couldn't see her immediately through the cloud of dust. His focus snapped back to the worm as it reared up ready to strike again.
Eliss, standing a safe distance away, nodded. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and a series of massive rocks materialized in the air above the worm. With a final push of her staff, the stones came crashing down, striking the worm's body with a thunderous impact. Pinned to the sand by the enormous boulders, the worm writhed and struggled, in attempts to burrow into the ground and escape.
Amukelo seized the moment. He approached the immobilized creature. The worm's head snapped and twisted toward him, its grotesque tongue lashing out in one last desperate attempt to defend itself. But Amukelo dodged the strike, and he raised his blade high. The blade came down with a heavy, satisfying thud, sinking deep into the creature's neck.
The worm convulsed violently, but Amukelo held his ground, gritting his teeth as he forced the blade through its thick flesh. With a final surge of energy, he cut through entirely, severing the worm's head from its body. Its massive frame spasmed uncontrollably for a few moments before finally going limp.
He stepped back, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "That was closer than I'd like it to be," he muttered. "But I'm happy that nothing happened to us."
Eliss, however, wasn't paying attention. Her gaze had already shifted to the worm's decapitated head. She approached it curiously, crouching to inspect its grotesque features. She pulled out her small notebook, flipping it open to an empty page.
"What are you doing?" Amukelo asked, his brow furrowing as he watched her sketching.
Eliss didn't look up. "I like to keep notes of the monsters and things I see," she said casually, her voice calm despite the intensity of what had just happened.
Amukelo blinked, surprised. "That's what you've been scribbling in your notebook every evening?"
She nodded, still focused on her drawing. "Yep. I want to document what I encounter, even if it's just for myself."
"You do know you can just buy monster books, right?" Amukelo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Eliss finally looked up, her expression a mix of pride and defiance. "I know," she said with a shrug. "But it's more fun this way. And besides, I haven't seen an orc's monster book yet. Who knows if this thing is even in it?"
Amukelo rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a sigh. "Whatever makes you happy, I guess."
Eliss finished her sketch and stood, brushing sand off her knees. She moved to the worm's severed head, inspecting it closely before grabbing it, and wrapping it up in a piece of cloth, and she held it up triumphantly.
"What are you doing now?" Amukelo asked, his tone bordering on exasperation.
Eliss grinned. "Taking a trophy! Maybe I can sell it for a good price."
Amukelo stared at her with utter disbelief. "Didn't you say you don't have to worry about money?"
"I don't," Eliss replied, her grin widening. "But who knows? Maybe I'll find some interesting grimoires and—"
Amukelo facepalmed, groaning loudly. "Let me get this straight. Your brilliant plan to not go broke is to sell random monster parts so you can buy even more grimoires?"
Eliss shrugged nonchalantly, her smile never wavering. "Exactly!"
Amukelo shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Unbelievable. You're going to spend all your money on books, aren't you?"
"Maybe," Eliss replied with a playful wink, tucking the tooth into her pack.
He sighed deeply, sheathing his sword and slinging his pack over his shoulder. "You're lucky I don't have the energy to argue with you right now," he said, his voice tired but laced with amusement. "Let's just get moving before anything else decides to attack us."