They had been tracking the strange worm for quite some time, skilled trackers that had grown up in these dry lands. They had never seen a worm crawl so strangely to its nesting place, it’s frequent breach of the surface an obvious sign of distress. Even still they kept their distance from the dangerously massive beast as it tunneled thru the dunes as if it was rushing to something. To get in its way was suicide, but to garner its attention was worse than that. A slow suffocating death in the crushing depths of its stomach as more sand replaced the bloody mess of the body, it was similar to being keelhauled in shallow waters.
They wouldn’t be out here at all if the farm didn’t need to be renewed soon, they were out getting the last important items for the ritual to do just that. Two moons were waning just fine and their charts left them only a few days out from the second synchronized event this year. The last one went by uneventfully as their farms were more than enough to handle but lately more of their caravans had been hit than usual. It so happened that they had stumbled across the very worm that was responsible, though this time it looked as if it was going to rip itself in half. The team of two had been tracking it for hours expecting its proximity to the surface and breaches to be the throes of its breeding cycle.
“I still don’t see a nesting ground” Jeanne said loud enough for her partner to hear her over the rushing winds they were experiencing trying to keep up fifty feet in the air. Naten glass sail boards were helping them tail the giant beast, custom made by each gatherer that chose to stake their lives on these missions. Within the knowledge of a few dozen generations they had developed and upgraded the technology to harness the energy within the glass. Passing on the knowledge these derelict geniuses have cultivated over their lifetime to their children without fail.
“That’s the same one been ripping our supplies to shreds, do you know how fast we’re going right now?” Replied Travir. This worm in particular had been slicing thru the sand like a hot knife, showing up to their floating cargo ships without seemingly any provocation. Detecting almost every drop of debris, patrolling the trails as well like it was sensitive to every vibration that got close enough. So of course they had to push their boards to the max at the end of this bright dual sun day. He continued “You still see it right? Wait… what’s it doing now.”
They had never seen a sand worm puke before so the sight before them made them both hesitate simultaneously. Through their goggles they could get a telescopic view of the worm spewing a slew of sand and debris from its maw, opening up all six of its jaw without biting anything in half. Everything had been spat just out of view behind the dune it crawled out of but a terrifying sound almost knocked their unnerved knees into buckling.
Energy in the Glass
Re: Energy in the Glass
Upon impact the sands of these deserts seas tensed in anticipation, the warrior rolled into his momentum, gathering his energy around every element that would resonate with the sound he was about to produce. The stance he had fallen into would brace him to withstand the recoil of a sound that was pressurized to the frequency of a laser beam and released it as he raised his head in order to get his message across to this one and any others that might be close by.
It would sound like a sand worm ten times the size of the one in front of him had just been challenged. Teralok flexed almost every sinew of mineral to maintain acute control over the minute vibrations that produced the shrill high pitched roar that depicted the angry bloody visage of his next course of action. Blood curdling, spine chilling screech reverberated across the desert muting the other disturbances of the sand if only to make sure they were safe from this one.
They both paused afterwards in relative silence, gusts of wind disturbing the dunes peak, grains of sand they could both feel tumbling between them. The blind creature poised as if it was studying the landscape, before diving off and away from Teralok into the sand. Then and only then did he let himself feel any sense of relief, which was still difficult since he hadn’t even checked to see how alone he was yet. Still, he found the edges of his focus unraveling into the sand, stretching the modules of his mind allowing the natural energy to flow freely through the granules of his body. He would be half buried within the minute and slouching in a comfortable darkness within five with nothing but a few tufts of hair at the bottom of a sand pit that hinted at his presence. If the warrior ever needed to rest his awareness it was this moment, for if he had let it lack inside the beasts belly he might very well had become one with its insides.
It would sound like a sand worm ten times the size of the one in front of him had just been challenged. Teralok flexed almost every sinew of mineral to maintain acute control over the minute vibrations that produced the shrill high pitched roar that depicted the angry bloody visage of his next course of action. Blood curdling, spine chilling screech reverberated across the desert muting the other disturbances of the sand if only to make sure they were safe from this one.
They both paused afterwards in relative silence, gusts of wind disturbing the dunes peak, grains of sand they could both feel tumbling between them. The blind creature poised as if it was studying the landscape, before diving off and away from Teralok into the sand. Then and only then did he let himself feel any sense of relief, which was still difficult since he hadn’t even checked to see how alone he was yet. Still, he found the edges of his focus unraveling into the sand, stretching the modules of his mind allowing the natural energy to flow freely through the granules of his body. He would be half buried within the minute and slouching in a comfortable darkness within five with nothing but a few tufts of hair at the bottom of a sand pit that hinted at his presence. If the warrior ever needed to rest his awareness it was this moment, for if he had let it lack inside the beasts belly he might very well had become one with its insides.
Re: Energy in the Glass
Not ten minutes had passed before the pair came to halt over the spot that that dreadful noise had erupted from. ‘You think it’s coming back?’ Jeanne said quietly as they looked at the contents of the worms stomach trying to make sense of it. There were different patterns of crystals along with decaying scorpions and human remains.
‘Wherever it is it’s definitely going to be hungry.’ Trevor replied. As they got closer would hear an oscillating humming noise coming the bits and pieces of crystals. It was subtle, right under the undertones of the desert wind but it drew their attention nonetheless. Looking at each other before dropping down onto the sand without stepping a foot off they gliders they picked a piece of the humming crystal which immediately stopped its sound upon leaving the sand. ‘Whoa.’ Trevir the first one to pick one up exclaimed. The sound continued more quietly from other crystals, he noticed as he looked around. More so coming from lower in the pit that they were in and looking even closer he could see white hairs that weren’t supposed to be in this arid climate.
His sister noticed first, the sound that exuded from the crystals captivating her curiosity for the beauty of nature. She parked her glider right on the other side, her reasoning leagues ahead of her brothers, knowing the creature below these sands was both alive and able to fend off a sand worms attack. ‘What the fuck are you doing?!?’ Trevir exclaimed quietly out of habit near the sand. He rushed over to his sisters side and not a moment to soon, he spotted the sands motion before she did and reaching out he grabbed her smoothly by her bag and threw her on the back of his glider and ramping into the air off of hers.
From that height they could see clearly the cascading sand about to overtake where his sister was standing and that sand was already compacted and nestled firmly on the warriors skin. The humming had ceased along with it their sense of appreciation for the beauty of the nature around them. Now they were just loud, in an environment that wasn’t forgiving of disturbances, right next to a man that seemed to cause ruckus after ruckus.
They remembered the fearsome exchange that brought them there as his face was revealed by the depleting sand. All the decaying bodies and half digested creatures suddenly striking terror in their hearts as her brother escalated they height as quickly as he could. Jeanne covered her mouth in horror as her glider was indiscriminately crushed, flattened by the tons of sand that was falling into the creatures body. Looking back at her, however, were eyes just as indiscriminately curious following their every move back into the sky.
‘Wherever it is it’s definitely going to be hungry.’ Trevor replied. As they got closer would hear an oscillating humming noise coming the bits and pieces of crystals. It was subtle, right under the undertones of the desert wind but it drew their attention nonetheless. Looking at each other before dropping down onto the sand without stepping a foot off they gliders they picked a piece of the humming crystal which immediately stopped its sound upon leaving the sand. ‘Whoa.’ Trevir the first one to pick one up exclaimed. The sound continued more quietly from other crystals, he noticed as he looked around. More so coming from lower in the pit that they were in and looking even closer he could see white hairs that weren’t supposed to be in this arid climate.
His sister noticed first, the sound that exuded from the crystals captivating her curiosity for the beauty of nature. She parked her glider right on the other side, her reasoning leagues ahead of her brothers, knowing the creature below these sands was both alive and able to fend off a sand worms attack. ‘What the fuck are you doing?!?’ Trevir exclaimed quietly out of habit near the sand. He rushed over to his sisters side and not a moment to soon, he spotted the sands motion before she did and reaching out he grabbed her smoothly by her bag and threw her on the back of his glider and ramping into the air off of hers.
From that height they could see clearly the cascading sand about to overtake where his sister was standing and that sand was already compacted and nestled firmly on the warriors skin. The humming had ceased along with it their sense of appreciation for the beauty of the nature around them. Now they were just loud, in an environment that wasn’t forgiving of disturbances, right next to a man that seemed to cause ruckus after ruckus.
They remembered the fearsome exchange that brought them there as his face was revealed by the depleting sand. All the decaying bodies and half digested creatures suddenly striking terror in their hearts as her brother escalated they height as quickly as he could. Jeanne covered her mouth in horror as her glider was indiscriminately crushed, flattened by the tons of sand that was falling into the creatures body. Looking back at her, however, were eyes just as indiscriminately curious following their every move back into the sky.