The spheres of fire quivered, cascading downwards in a lance of raging heat and striking against the body if the giant worm. The resounding explosions robbed us of our sight, spreading the red sand into the air like a thin mist, but the scream we heard coming from the worm told us the result. Instead of a pained squeal its scream was full of anger.

The ground rumbled beneath us, the small worms disappearing as the sand began to shift. Like a wave in the ocean the sand rose and fall once more, crossing the entire arena before it returned to us. And then, all at once, the areal the wave flowed through began to lift, burrowing the surviving goblins underneath the shifting sand. What appeared beneath the sand was the colossal body of the worm, dragging its length through the whole arena, all while having part of its body still buried underneath the sand.

While we figured out that there should’ve been something bigger than the worms, we believed it would’ve been only a few times bigger, not big enough to cover the whole area without even trying. And opposed to its size it was still quick, its skin forming a blur as it passed us, freed from the binding sand.

Green blood gushed out from it, forming a visible trail, released from the wound the fire left behind. But even if the loss of so much blood would have left any of us dead in a few seconds it just seemed like a little wound at the worm’s body.

Then I was ripped out of my thoughts as Goraa through himself, and me with him, to the side when the worm crawled towards us. Sand was thrown up once more, but there was no way it could hide the worms now that I ran free.

As its sheer length wouldn’t allow it to twist its body out of the way Goraa ran at it, smashing his claws against the skin of the worm, but the just produced a metallic clank. Instead of hurting it his claws were pulled away, the body dragging them along, making Goraa spin around, breaking his stance.

The sudden spin made me dizzy, the headache worsening once more. Still I forced myself to remember the circle that flashed through my mind at the start of the battle, releasing the energy inside me to form it, shielding us with a barrier once more.

Quickly it flickered into existence, blocking one of the smaller worms. It didn’t hold long though, as another worm crashed into the other side, cracks spreading across the surface. But it gave Goraa time to balance himself once more. He sprang backwards, just in time to make the worms crash together in front of us as the barrier broke apart.

Just as fast as he stepped back, he shot forward again, stabbing each worm with a claw. He wanted to pull them out again, but the worms didn’t let it happen. While the left worm dashed past us, dragging his arm backwards the other worm creeped forward. When they surrounded Goraa completely the bend inwards, their bodies pressing down on him as they bit into the other worm to stabilize them, immobilizing Goraa completely.

Once more the giant worm was upon us, and only now we saw its. Out from its maw, with rows upon rows of pointy teeth leading towards a dark and wet hole, the came out. Apart from the insectoid arms, ending in sickle-like claws, a good dozen of these worms came out, their ends deep inside the worm’s stomach.

“Damn that thing is irritating…” I muttered in disgust.

“Quit gawking and help me!” Goraa shouted out, trying his best to press against the worms but accomplishing nothing with it.

Then the are began to shake once more. At least that is what I thought before I noticed the ground getting more distant, the worms lifting us up towards the mouth.

“I already fucking said,” I guided my flames along my arm, forming a blazing claw once more, “I’m not going to get eaten by a worm!” I smashed the claw into a worm holding onto Goraa. Opposed to the worms before it didn’t scream as part of its body was burned away, not even twitching. Again and again I hacked at it, before its end was torn off, the rest hanging out of the worm flinging around, showering us in the blood that spurted out of it before Goraa managed to push the severed piece away.

The ground trembled beneath us as we landed in the sand. Another shriek of anger resounded, making Goraa step aside before a giant sickle stabbed the position we were at before.

“Any other idea?” Goraa grunted.

“Depends…” I paused for a moment while throwing a flame orb at another sickle coming down on us. “Can you manage to dodge until it bleeds out?”

“How about you try to shield us from its attacks?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” Another pair of sickles forced us back as they swept through the ground. “Just keep dodging, I’ll try to do something with my fire.

The spectators looked at their struggle with bated breath. No one expected them to survive a minute of the second round, not to mention forcing the boss of the monster out into the open. A being only few had ever seen before, and even less could tell their stories afterwards.

A Hunger Worm which lived for thousands of years, feasting on others till it finally evolved and evolved. A being which was strong enough to ruin countries and continents, possibly even responsible for destroying a few species before they could ever grow. A World Eater.

It was already a wonder that they wounded it with the first attack, but every other attack only inflicted shallow wounds, burns or scratches, nothing that would ever stop this monster. By now only the two remained, the big goblin and the elemental, the rest long since ripped apart or buried beneath the sand.

Fire shot out form the body of the elemental, striking against the worm’s skin, releasing powerful explosions but the worm still came out unharmed. And any attack directed at the maw of the worm was blocked by its sickles, cutting through them, or worms blocking them with their bodies. With no other way out, it turned into a long struggle with only one end.

Still, none of the visitors walked away, Imprinting the last moments of to warriors fighting against fate into their memories as the view focused on them once more.

“Hey Goraa.” The elemental whispered, his voice grim and heavy.

“You didn’t look like someone who turned grievous at the end.” The goblin mocked him.

“I have another idea…” A sickle passed besides them, throwing off the projection.

As it came back part of the sivkle was stuck in the ground, separated from its appendance.

“You serious?” The goblin asked in a mixture of shock and awe.

“let’s do it before I change my mind.” It sighed, its face turning resolute.

“The different species will make tales in your honor!” Goraa shouted out in excitement as he rushed at the worm, which countered withits sickles and the smaller worms inside.

“How about I tell my own after coming back?”

“Hahaha, if you think you’ll make it!”

“Just wait and see!”

More and more crashed down besides us, leading us towards a worm that crawled in our direction.

“There’s our ride.” I slapped the big guy beneath me on the shoulder.

“I’m on it!” He dashed forward, straight towards the worm, only springing upwards as it was barely before us. Landing on the worm he continued, walking across it while trying his best to keep his balance on the wriggling mass. What started as a sprint quickly turned into a climb, with him smashing his claws into it to keep onwards.

Though that didn’t keep the other things away, as worms came from all side. I deflected them with my fire, but as the big one noticed it wouldn’t shake us off anytime soon it sickles dashed inwards, cutting through the worm we were on.

Before we fell with it Goraa jumped off, stabbing his claws into another. We slid down as his weight forced us down, until he found hold, once again ascending towards the maw. Quickly we left the ground beneath us, climbing up higher and higher until the worm pulled back all the little ones and cut off the one we were on.

“This is as far as I go.” He pressed his feet against the falling worm, taking a last jump upwards. The sickles pierced towards us, but instead of defending he grabbed me, trusting his armor to keep of the hardest hits.

He pulled the fist I was in back, the sickles piercing into his body or cutting through its sides. “Finish it.” With his last strength he threw me upwards, far into the mouth of the worm.

With the light given from my flames I could see it clearly. Every inch not covered in teeth bigger than me or functioning as a place where these sickles grew out was covered with worms, some smaller, some even bigger than the ones we saw beneath. And now that I was here, they all seemed interested in getting a bite out of me.

“And I thought your outer appearance was disgusting.”

I gathered my flames in a last attack.

“Sorry, I’ll need to borrow some more of your strength.”

I didn’t know why, but these words came out of my mouth before I knew it. And in return, I heard a voice, faint as a whisper, but full soothingly gentleness. Let me help you.

I stretched the blazing white hand out, as it light suppressed anything else. Then I spoke the words she whispered to me.

“[Solar Flare].”