‘Please work. I’m so hungry.’ 

He stabbed his spear at the point where the single node was connected to the Tyrant as he landed. He knew that was it’s weakest point but the spear did not even leave a single scratch. ‘Damn it. Plan B. Run!’

He jumped off the worm and landed in a roll and instantly dashed forward. The worm let out an uncomfortable shriek and burrowed underground, approaching swiftly. ‘Faster!’

Of course he knew he could not outrun that thing so he had devised a plan if his initial surprise attack did not work. Right in front of him, he saw a small pond of blood red liquid, the same kind that he ran away from at the start of this hell. This was one of the reasons why he took his time to lure the worm here. 

He was almost near the shore when the ground rose under him and he was thrown sideways. Cursing, he got up instantly, ignoring the pain from the reopened wound from his leg and limped towards the pond. The worm was fully revealed and getting closer to him now, clicking it’s many sharp teeth.

After a few seconds, the blood red liquid rose from the pond and seeped towards Rowan, seemingly trying to merge with him. Behind, the worm sped forward, fully opening it’s maw, ready to tear flesh and bone . 

Instantly, Rowan leaped and rolled, away from the maw of the worm and the approaching red terror. He stood up and grabbed his spear, staring at the place where he was a few seconds ago with wide eyes. The red terror had completely ignored him and was now devouring the head of the worm, completely melting the stone hides. The worm was convulsing uncontrollably and after a while, went completely still. He was suddenly glad that he ran away as fast he could during his first encounter with the red terror.

Shaking himself off his stupor, Rowan limped towards the tail of the worm and dragged it away from the red terror. ‘You’ve had your fill now. Let me take this part.’ 

After a few hundred meters, a red line of liquid stretched thin from the pond and finally broke off the carcass. ‘So that thing cannot leave it’s main body. Good.’ Setting down the worm carcass, Rowan brandished his spear and cut it’s meat from the torn insides, pinkish blood oozing everywhere. After almost an hour of cutting, he took off his shirt and cut it. Putting the meats inside, he tied up the ends, using it as a cloth sack. He put his jacket back on, zipping it up and threw the sack over his shoulder.

Instead of going back to the ash field towards the light, he went deeper south-west in search of firewoods, or at least something similar. He didn’t know anything about the types of wood in this place. He wasn’t that hopeful. The black wood spear he was using was strangely sturdy.

‘Well, if fire isn’t possible then…eating it raw won’t kill me…right?’

As he feared, he could not even find any wood splinters laying around and backtracking to where he came from would be a waste of precious time. So, he tore a piece of meat from the sack and chewed on it. 

Rowan almost vomited. It tasted…so weird and disgusting. Well, he didn’t have much choice so he just took a deep breath and chewed on it, missing his mom’s cooking dearly.

‘If I want to see her again, I have to survive this place and get of here in one piece…or at least intact enough.’

After finishing the piece of meat slowly, he checked his leg and went to the red terror pond. The red liquid rippled and approached him slowly. As it reached in front of him, Rowan dipped the spear head in it and rotated it, retreating slowly as he did so.

After it was fully coated with the strange liquid, he pulled it back and retreated back hastily. The red viscous tread became thin and was finally severed. The part coated to the spear had been moving wildly before, trying to devour the spear tip, which it strangely couldn’t. Now, it became absolutely still and unmoving but still coated.

Smiling a bit, Rowan nodded in satisfaction and continued his journey towards the flickering light. On his way, he climbed the mounds and slept when he needed rest and continued the following day.

***

2 days after the worm attack, Rowan finally crossed the field of ash and entered a forest with shrubs which was eerily silent. He could see the flickering light a bit clearly now. It looked like blue flames on top of an ancient lighthouse.  

Lighthouses are meant to be beacon for lost travelers, so he desperately hoped that he would find something there. Right now though, Rowan was incredibly thirsty. He had to find a water source soon or he might collapse before reaching the lighthouse.

He had taken only one step before he felt the tremor. This time much more intensely. He felt his blood run cold as he turned around. There, far in the distance in the ash field, there were subtle movements, rapidly approaching towards his direction.

‘Too soon. I thought I had more time. Darn it’ It was definitely the Brood Mother. It must’ve felt it’s connection sever with it’s fragment. It seemed very angry. And that anger was directed to non other than Rowan.