The Hunter's Song II: Lost Blood

Ch 11: Worms (Lor)

"There!" Arctic Haze spun and pointed down to my left.

I charged my anti-Graven hand blaster and fired when the submerged worm burst from the ground.

"Two more swirling," the razkur kept my scorch-pike trained on the movement below the dirt.

The subterranean worms were no match for the razkur's uncanny ears.

RIIIIIPP!!

I cleaved the head off the plated legless beast with my battle axe and then whipped my weapon around to clear the blood and viscera in preparation for the next attack.

"The larger one rises!" Arctic Haze readied his grip on his weapon and pointed to the sound's source.

"Face me!" I roared and charged at the nasty fanged thing. I hooked my axe up under the large belly plate and flipped it upside down, then jabbed in my claws and ripped its lower jaw off.

The second smaller worm broke free from the rocky terrain and dove at the razkur's legs, but the little shit had quick reflexes.

There's hope for him yet!

He hopped backward and caught the monster by stabbing it firmly through the tail.

SWISH

I hacked the big, clunky fangs protruding from its mouth and cleared a path before firing a swift, controlled pulse down the monster's throat.

Its flesh sizzled, and the beast went limp.

"There are more up ahead but it's silent below us," Arctic Haze retracted his scorch-pike and led the way forward. "We shouldn't linger."

He looked sharp, now fully armed in acid-resistant armor and a military-grade helmet. Though, Arctic Haze's well-defined bare arms had no need for bulky embellishments.

I holstered my axe before sprinting to catch up.

Upon reassessment of his dossier, Arctic Haze had shown a distinctive ambitious rise throughout his career. Previously, I believed it to be a byproduct of his peers' peculiar affection but perhaps I had been too hasty in my judgment.

The little shit doesn't hold back when he wants something...

Come to think of it, I couldn't recall a single time that the razkur had ever backed down in my presence.

Arctic Haze crouched then pounced. In a fraction of a second, he had a medium-sized worm pierced mid-burst, then slammed the abomination head-first into a rocky wall.

I followed up and chopped its abdomen in half.

"The ones up ahead circling the shuttle sound about this size," Arctic Haze struggled to yank his scorch-pike free from our kill.

I reached around him and tapped the retract switch on the shaft causing the razkur to stumble back and bump into my chest.

He shook out his ears with a chuckle as he righted himself.

It was a sound I had never heard.

There was a small dust cloud in the near distance on the opposite side of the rocky plain. Through the zoom function in our helmet, we could see a small swarm of worms writhing through and devouring the rocks around the shuttle.

"At this point," Arctic Haze shrugged in exhaustion. "I'm inclined to press our luck and take them all at once."

"I am pleased you are finally coming around to the merit of Zhaguai tactics," I let him see my smirk through the viewscreen. "But we mustn't let impatience cloud our judgment. Especially when we are so close to our objective. Perhaps a more subtle strategy is in order?"