Ksaz shoved his shovel into the sand, making a dull thud.
He had been digging in this pit for hours under Shane's plan, yet he still didn't feel the slightest bit of fatigue.
Although sand scalers were already known for their endurance, his current state was far more extreme than that of his kin. Not only had he grown larger and stronger, but his stamina was several times that of his peers.
“Ksaz, why don't you take a break?”
Karu's voice came from behind. Ksaz stopped what he was doing and glanced back at his fellow tribesmen. Several of them were already panting heavily, their scales slightly dimmed from exhaustion.
“You guys rest first. I don't feel tired yet.”
Ksaz shook his head and swung his shovel again. Seeing this, Karu opened his mouth to say something, but after scanning Ksaz's body—which was now more than twice as muscular as his own—he chose to keep quiet.
He glanced at the skeletal hounds that were continuously digging sand nearby and couldn't help but shake his head. His brother was no different from those creatures now.
Sighing, Karu had no choice but to return to the others to rest for a moment.
Ksaz glanced at Karu's retreating figure and went back to work. The pit was currently less than half a meter deep, far from what Mr. Leynas required. If his lack of effort failed to stop the quicksand and the oasis was destroyed, he would never forgive himself.
But just then, his broad soles suddenly detected a faint vibration. At first, he thought it was an illusion, but the vibration gradually grew stronger.
He stopped his work and quietly felt for the source of the vibration.
Suddenly, his heart sank. He immediately turned and shouted to Karu and the others who were resting, “Run! It's an earth stinger!”
“What?”
Hearing the shout, Karu was a bit dazed. Before he could comprehend what his brother was saying, he felt a violent tremor erupt beside him.
In the next second, dust flew as the massive body of the earth stinger burst from the sand. Its tail stinger gleamed with an eerie green light, pointing straight at the bewildered Karu.
The surrounding sand scalers froze completely. They never expected to see an earth stinger here. Staring at its glowing stinger, their minds went entirely blank.
They hadn't found any trace of an earth stinger during their water searches and surveys over the past few days. Why did it have to appear now?
After this thought flashed through their minds, the sand scalers instinctively wanted to flee, but their sheer terror of the petrification ray rooted them to the spot.
They could only watch as the green light drew closer. Just as it was about to reach them, a massive figure appeared and shoved them out of the way.
Karu and several other sand scalers tumbled across the sand. They scrambled to their feet and looked at Ksaz, who had pushed them aside, instinctively crying out in panic, “Ksaz!”
But the scene before them completely exceeded their expectations, leaving them staring wide-eyed in shock.
Ksaz stood with his arms crossed in front of him. The green light illuminated his arms, casting an eerie glow, but the petrified grey patches only flickered briefly on his scales before vanishing.
His scales now emitted a faint golden glow, and the strange patterns upon them were shining.
No petrification occurred.
“Click-clack?”
The earth stinger was bewildered. Unable to comprehend what had happened, it could only stare at Ksaz, shifting its legs uneasily.
Ksaz was also stunned. He stared at his arms, unsure of what had just transpired.
He glanced back at Karu, who was staring at him in disbelief. Karu suddenly barked, “Watch out!”
Hearing the warning, Ksaz immediately rolled to the side to dodge. Snatching up his shovel from the ground, he grinned as he watched the earth stinger's massive pincers miss their mark.
Since your petrification ray is useless, it's my turn!
The shovel struck the earth stinger's carapace with a dull clang. Even though Ksaz was immune to the petrification ray, a mere shovel was still not enough to breach the creature's defenses.
Enraged by the blow, the earth stinger swung its massive pincers, smashing them down toward him.
“Karu, get them out of here first!”
Dodging another strike, Ksaz shouted to Karu. Just because the petrification ray was useless against him didn't mean the others were safe. It was best for them to retreat while he kept the beast distracted.
Karu nodded and prepared to lead his people away. After just a few steps, he saw the skeletal hounds, which had been digging sand, abandon their task and brush past them to reinforce Ksaz.
Looking up, Karu saw that Shane had already noticed the commotion. Shane raised his hand, gesturing for Karu to lead his people to safety, while he commanded the skeletal hounds to assist Ksaz.
However, the battle did not last long. Seeing several skeletal hounds charging toward it, the earth stinger had no intention of lingering.
After knocking Ksaz back with its giant pincers, it immediately backed away. Dust swirled once more, and its massive body quickly vanished beneath the sand.
Ksaz did not lower his guard even after the earth stinger departed. He gripped his shovel tightly, focusing all his senses on the vibrations beneath the sand. Only when the faint tremors completely faded did he turn toward the dune.
“Mr. Leynas!” he called out, his voice strong and showing no signs of fatigue from the brief clash. “The earth stinger has gone!”
Standing on the dune, Shane stared at the spot where the earth stinger had disappeared. He didn't reply immediately, only nodding and calling back after a brief silence, “Understood. Come up first.”
In Shane's view, the earth stinger would likely not give up so easily. To prevent any accidents, it was best for everyone to stay grouped together.
“Um... Mr. Leynas?”
By then, Isha had made her way to Shane's side, a trace of lingering anxiety visible on her sun-kissed face. “What was that thing?”
“An earth stinger,” Shane replied briefly. “A desert crustacean. Its tail stinger can fire a petrification ray.”
A petrification ray!
Isha's eyes twitched. Such an ability was terrifying to anyone with a modicum of common sense. She glanced at her workers behind her; sure enough, all of them looked pale.
She had only come to help out. If she lost her life here, it would hardly be worth it.
Consequently, she began to hesitate, wondering if she should have offered to help in the first place.
Shane paid no mind to her hesitation. He glanced at Isha and the people behind her, naturally understanding their concerns. Instead of addressing her, he turned to Elon, who was standing nearby. “What do you think?”
“It's very strange!”
Elon rubbed his chin in thought as he stared at the spot where the creature had vanished. “Normally, with their cautious nature, earth stingers would never approach a large gathering of humans. It's clearly not a rational choice for it.”
“Yet, it came anyway. After so many days, it looks like revenge from a human perspective, but an earth stinger's mind shouldn't be that complex.”
Having organized his thoughts, Elon raised his hand. Instantly, three pale blue owl phantoms materialized. With a forward wave of his hand, the owls took flight, spreading their wings.
“Though I have a suspicion, I can't be sure yet.”
Elon watched the direction in which the owls flew—the same path the earth stinger had taken—and added, “Let's wait for the results. Hopefully, there won't be any surprises.”
Rate on N.U.
