Chapter 21: The Great Kudonian Sandworm!

Author's Preface

Slowly everyone else began to stir. The wounds Rowlo, Peter, and Jaylia had gotten from the crash were already beginning to heal.

Outside, Vero released himself from his protective cocoon and jumped down into the sand. Immediately he noticed the Eternia was almost completely buried beneath it.

“Jeez... that got out of hand. Alright then...” he muttered.

He wrapped the ship tightly with his strings, grabbed hold, and pulled firmly. He struggled immensely, but slowly but surely the Eternia began inching its way out of the sand.

Inside the ship, the metal creaked loudly as it was dragged upward. Rays of light slowly began shining through the windows again.

Peter, having healed up a bit, glanced over and noticed Mindy still hurt from the crash.

“Mindy!” he exclaimed as he rushed over to her side.

“She’s not like us. She’s hurt guys.”

Rowlo and Jaylia quickly came over as well.

Mindy lay unconscious for a moment longer before slowly beginning to stir, holding her head in pain.

Jaylia leaned down beside her and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

“Mindy, are you okay? We crashed.”

Mindy slowly opened her eyes and looked at the three of them.

“Peter... Jaylia... Rowlo...” She groaned slightly. “Ah man... this isn’t Ziha is it?”

“Never mind that, you’re bleeding. You need medical attention!”

Just then the gangway suddenly opened and the smell of the Kudonian desert rushed into the ship along with waves of heat and bright light from outside.

Vero walked into the vessel.

“She’ll be okay. Her enhanced biology will recover quickly, even if it isn’t as fast as you freaks.”

Peter sighed in relief and slowly stood back up. Rowlo and Jaylia did the same.

Rowlo immediately walked over toward the console and started pressing buttons frantically.

“Systems damaged. Please perform necessary repairs.”

The system’s voice echoed loudly throughout the damaged ship.

Rowlo slammed his fist against the console before kneeling over in frustration.

“Damn it! Communications are down. Navigation is down and we still need to get to Ziha.” He paused for a second. “Mindy’s hurt too. Like what are we supposed to do? Just walk around the Kudonian desert and hope we somehow find Ziha?”

Vero looked around at the destroyed interior, visibly stunned by the situation himself.

“Quite a situation we have here huh.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small device, and placed it onto the ground. Instantly a holographic map erupted from it, displaying their current location along with nearby towns and cities.

“Thankfully DETA operatives always carry separate maps for situations like this...”

Rowlo and Jaylia quickly walked over toward the map.

Jaylia scanned it up and down carefully.

“So... how far are we from Ziha?”

“Yeah I don’t even see it on the map,” Rowlo added.

Vero stepped forward and made a motion with his hand, causing the map to zoom outward dramatically.

“We just needed to zoom out.” He stared at the display for a moment. “Hmm... unfortunately according to this, we’re around 800 kilometers from Ziha... or about 500 miles.”

Mindy slowly got to her feet while holding her side, limping slightly as she approached them.

“Ah geez... 500 miles huh? Lovely...”

Peter walked over as well and looked outside at the vast desert wilderness.

“Can’t say I expected this. Hey Rowlo bro, is at least the fabricator working?”

“Yeah should be. We’ll need some proper clothes for this weather definitely.”

Vero continued scanning the map.

“The nearest town is only like five miles away or so. Girstona. We should be able to rest up a bit there.”

“...And hopefully find a mechanic for this badboy,” Jaylia muttered.

Mindy groaned while holding her leg.

“Before anything, I’m gonna need some meds. Your med bay should have some stims. Could one of you guys grab me one?”

Rowlo, Peter, and Jaylia exchanged visibly confused glances.

Vero looked over at them and let out a long sigh.

“Don’t you guys know what’s on your own ship?”

He walked over toward one of the corners of the vessel and pulled out a sealed package. Inside were several syringes filled with medicine unlike anything they had ever seen on Earth.

“Perfect... stims.” Vero picked one up carefully. “They jump-start the healing process if you guys didn’t know.” He paused briefly. “Somehow.”

Rowlo rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.

“Well we did just get the ship... still figuring things out.”

Vero shook his head in disbelief before kneeling beside Mindy. He pressed the stim against the side of her leg and injected it.

Almost immediately the wounds along her leg began closing over themselves.

Mindy let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Ah thank God...”

Vero glanced back toward the others.

“They can’t repair a severed limb or anything, but they’re pretty good for a quick pick me up.”

The three stared on in complete astonishment.

Within moments Mindy carefully stood up again. She still looked sore, but the limp was mostly gone now.

“Okay... so we’re definitely gonna need some clothes, right?”

“Yep. The fabricator should still be working I think, so let me see if I can operate it,” Rowlo responded.

“...Let me see if I can operate it,” Vero repeated mockingly with a scoff. “Step aside. Those things are so simple I’m pretty sure even a child could figure it out.”

Vero walked toward the fabricator and fired it up. Rowlo watched closely, trying to see how he operated it.

“Alright... desert clothes, right? Something breathable that’ll help with the heat and dryness,” Vero muttered as he pressed buttons on the fabricator.

Vero pressed a few final buttons on the fabricator before stepping back.

The machine hummed loudly as glowing patterns moved across its surface. Then one by one, pieces of clothing began sliding out onto the tray below.
Peter immediately grabbed his set first.

“Finally.”

His outfit leaned heavily green with darker black sections around the shoulders and legs. A lightweight sleeveless green tactical jacket rested over a breathable black shirt made from thin cooling fabric. Loose dark pants designed for movement tucked neatly into rugged boots while straps wrapped around his waist and thighs for his swords.

Peter looked down at himself and grinned.

“Okay yeah... this actually looks sick.”

Jaylia picked up hers next.

Her outfit carried deep brown tones mixed with lighter desert colors. A breathable fitted shirt sat beneath a lightweight long desert jacket that flowed slightly near the bottom. The material looked thin enough for the heat while still protective against the harsh desert wind. A scarf rested loosely around her neck while belts and small pouches wrapped around her waist.

Jaylia looked down at herself and smiled slightly.

“Honestly... this is kinda cute.”

Rowlo finally grabbed his own set and stared at it for a moment.

The outfit was mostly dark blue and black. A lightweight breathable sleeveless tactical jacket rested over a fitted cooling shirt underneath while reinforced sections lined parts of the arms and chest. The material looked designed for harsh climates without overheating. Dark gloves and sturdy boots completed the outfit.

“Huh...” Rowlo muttered. “Feels weird wearing something like this.”

“You’re literally on an alien world light years from Earth” Jaylia replied. “I think we passed weird a while ago.”

“Fair point.”

Meanwhile Vero had already changed.

His outfit consisted of layered red clothing with darker black sections underneath. The material looked extremely light despite the amount of layers. A long red outer coat hung behind him while thin string-like patterns were woven throughout the fabric itself. The entire outfit somehow looked both tactical and strangely elegant at the same time.

Peter pointed toward him.

“Chuh, show off.."

Vero smirked slightly.

“Jealous?" He said with a chuckle.

Mindy grabbed her own gear last.

Unlike the others hers looked far more military. A sleek black tactical outfit hugged closely to her body while still using lightweight breathable material suited for the desert heat. Armored sections covered key areas without restricting movement while utility belts wrapped tightly around her waist. Dark gloves and reinforced boots completed the fit.

She stretched slightly after changing.

“Alright... much better.”

Rowlo looked around at everyone before nodding slightly.

“Well... guess we look like an actual crew now. Let's go!"

They all grabbed some supplies, water, snacks, and other essentials before beginning the journey toward Girstona.

The Eternia slowly grew smaller and smaller behind them while the harsh rays of the blue sun beat down across the endless desert.

Sweat dripped down everyone’s faces as they pushed through the shifting sands. Every step felt exhausting.

“My goodness... how much further?” Peter bemoaned dramatically.

Vero glanced down at the holographic map now attached to his wrist through a watch-like device.

“A few more miles.”

Then suddenly a worried expression crossed Vero’s face.

“Only thing is... according to the map, this area also happens to be home to—”

The ground suddenly began shaking violently beneath them.

The sand shifted aggressively in every direction.

Then all at once a massive sandworm burst from beneath the dunes, enormous pincers snapping wildly as it lunged directly toward them.

“—The Great Kudonian Sandworm! Aw geez...”

Immediately everyone started screaming and running as the creature barreled beneath the sand after them.

Vero quickly wrapped strings around the others before forming massive springs beneath his feet.

Then he launched them all forward.

They crashed onto a nearby clearing of sand.

Rowlo got up first, panting excessively while trying to catch his breath.

“Is everything on this blasted planet trying to kill us?!” he shouted.

“Enough of this. Guys let’s take this worm out.”

Peter immediately grinned and drew Koryu and Kairo.

“Damn, that’s all you had to say!”

The worm burst upward from the sand once more, lunging directly toward them.

“Now Rowlo! Let’s do it!”

The massive pincers slammed against Peter’s crossed blades with a loud metallic crack that echoed throughout the desert.

“Yeah, thanks Pete!”

Rowlo sprinted forward before jumping onto the creature’s back and rapidly running across its body.

Jaylia quickly pulled out her staff and pointed it forward.

“Extend!”

The staff instantly rocketed her high into the air uncontrollably, much to Jaylia’s surprise.

“AHHH—!”

Rowlo looked upward while still sprinting across the worm.

“Come on Jales!”

With that Rowlo leapt high into the air and slammed a powerful kick directly into the worm’s center point, sending the massive creature crashing violently back into the sand.

The worm let out a horrific screech while thrashing beneath the dunes.

Meanwhile Jaylia just kept going higher.

“Okay... okay that’s enough you stupid thing. Now shrink please...”

The staff instantly obeyed.

Unfortunately that meant it rapidly shrunk back down toward her hand while she remained several feet in the air.

Leaving her in complete freefall.

“...Oh boy.”

The worm burst upward again roaring furiously as it recovered.

Peter immediately jumped onto its back, stabbed one of his swords into the creature, and sprinted along its body while dragging the blade through its flesh.

Green blood sprayed violently across the sands.

“How bout that?!”

Mindy grinned while stretching slightly.

“Well I can’t just get left out can I?”

She launched herself high into the air before slamming directly into the side of the worm with a brutal strike that sent the massive creature flying sideways.

Peter quickly jumped free before getting launched with it.

The worm let out another bloodcurdling screech as green blood poured from the wound.

Just then Jaylia came hurtling back toward the ground.

She pointed the staff directly toward the worm.

“Alright... I hope this works. Extend!”

The staff suddenly shot downward at incredible speed and slammed directly through the worm’s center, pinning the creature violently against the sand.

The worm thrashed wildly while screeching and attempting to free itself from the massive pole.

Vero scoffed slightly while watching the chaos unfold.

“Tch... guess yall aren’t completely useless after all.”

He launched himself upward above the pinned worm before wrapping multiple sections of its body tightly with strings.

Then he violently pulled.

The strings sliced straight through the worm, splitting it into multiple sections.