Hands Deep In Sh..

Rose stared at the glowing pile of excrement, her mind reeling with disgust and disbelief. The crystal core, the priceless treasure she had come here for, was very likely buried within that foul-smelling mound. She knew what she had to do, but the very thought made her stomach churn.

Rose gulped, mentally reviewing the supplies she'd brought along. Unfortunately, nothing would be useful in this situation. She made a mental note to definitely bring gloves on the next run.

Hesitantly, she took a step closer, feeling the warmth on her face.

"You can't be serious. Who knows what'll happen if you touch that stuff," Luke hissed urgently, but didn't dare approach. He and Zen stood a few meters back, with Zen even brightening his glow to give her a better view of her "workplace."

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. All bark and no bite. When it came to the gritty and dirty work, he tucked his tail and retreated...

With a blank expression, she pointed at her shoe. Apart from the stench and clinging excrement, it was in perfect condition.

Unfortunately, she found no excuses to avoid plunging her hands in and literally searching for the crystal core manually.

"For Ethan…" she murmured to herself, breathing in and out and pushing both of her hands in at the same time.

The warm, sticky substance enveloped her hands as she dug deeper, her fingers probing for any sign of the crystal core. The stench was overwhelming, but Rose forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The deeper her arms ventured inside the substance, the warmer it became.

Suddenly, her fingertips brushed against something solid and smooth – distinctly different from the surrounding muck. Her heart raced as she carefully grasped the object, slowly extracting it from its foul prison. As it emerged, covered in muck, Rose couldn't contain a low curse. She flung it to the side, where it banged against the somewhat more solid wall with a clang.

It was unmistakably a bone, though Rose couldn't tell what part or what kind of creature it originally belonged to.

Rose grimaced, resisting the urge to wipe her hands on her pants as best she could. The bone's presence only confirmed her suspicions about the dangers lurking in this realm. Steeling herself, she plunged her hands back into the mound, determined to find the crystal core.

Time seemed to stretch as Rose continued her gruesome search. Her arms were now coated up to the elbows in the glowing excrement, its warmth seeping into her skin. She tried not to think about what other horrors she might encounter within the mound.

The crystal core… if only she could find the crystal core, it was all worth it.

Each of her movements was accompanied by the nauseating sound of smacking and scraping. Turning louder in her ears with each passing second.

Wait, what?!

She stopped her movement, and yet the sound continued on, turning ever louder.

Rose whirled around, the search momentarily forgotten as she retreated to Luke and Zen`s side. The sound was coming from further along the tunnel.

Should they dim their light or immediately flee? Paralyzed by indecision, they lost precious seconds. Suddenly, a gigantic form appeared before them, filling the entire tunnel. Its eyeless, earless head inched forward, its maw agape with razor-sharp teeth.

Rose's nightmare had come to life—a giant worm!

The creature's segmented body undulated as it advanced, each movement producing that sickening squelch. Rose's mind raced, trying to recall everything she knew about these subterranean monstrosities. But she couldn't think of anything. They didn't have eyes nor ears, so did that mean they could neither see nor hear?

Not willing to bet her life on that assumption, she frantically wiped her hands on her pants, no longer caring about the mess. She needed to be ready to move, and fast.

"Run!" Rose screamed, her voice echoing off the tunnel walls. She didn't need to tell Luke and Zen twice. They bolted down the passageway, their footsteps thundering in the confined space.

The worm surged forward with surprising speed, its massive body scraping against the walls as it pursued them. Rose could feel the vibrations through the ground, each tremor sending a jolt of terror through her body.

As they fled, Rose's mind raced. Activating her ability seemed futile—what good would it do in these enclosed tunnels? Though at the moment they were fast enough, they couldn't outrun this thing forever. There was no escape, except for the portal. They needed a plan, and fast.

The flickering image of Zen was leading the way, casting enough light for them to see a good dozen meters ahead. Rose followed closely behind, making sure not to trip or fall. Luke was right beside her, keeping pace.

Rounding a corner, they found themselves back in the cavern where they had landed after coming through the portal. To Rose's side loomed the giant slope they had tumbled down, with the portal perched at its summit. What had seemed insurmountable before now became their only chance of escape from the creature. The crystal core momentarily forgotten, survival became their sole focus.

How would they scale the slope quickly enough to evade the worm's gaping maw? Rose knew she had to act fast. As her spirit force stirred within her, she grabbed Luke's hand and dashed towards the incline. Zen, anticipating her move, had already veered in that direction, lighting their path.

Rose's spirit force surged, speeding up her body as she began to sprint up the steep incline. She pulled Luke along, his hand gripped tightly in hers. The loose gravel and debris shifted treacherously beneath their feet, threatening to send them tumbling back down.

The worm burst into the cavern behind them, its massive body coiling as it sensed its prey. The creature's blind head swiveled, searching for them. Rose could hear its raspy breathing, feel the tremors of its approach through the ground.

"Faster!" Rose yelled, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She could feel Luke stumbling behind her, his hand slick with sweat in her grasp. The portal above seemed impossibly far away, a shimmering mirage that taunted them with the promise of safety.

Rose felt her spirit force depleting rapidly, even faster than before. Was Luke's presence causing this accelerated drain? She wrestled with a dark thought—should she abandon him to ensure her own escape? Alone, she was certain she could make it, but with him...

As her activated ability slowed time around her, Rose became acutely aware of every detail in her surroundings. The giant worm, apparently found his target now eagerly followed them up the slope, its giant maw wide open during his pursuit. Luke, struggling along with her inhuman speed, his feet barely touching the ground as Rose pulled him along. Zen, a streak of light zipping ahead, illuminating their path and urging them onward.

She could feel Luke's grip weakening, his fingers slipping from hers. In that moment, Rose made her decision. She tightened her hold on Luke's hand, gritting her teeth against the pain of forcing her ability to keep active. "Hold on!" she shouted, her voice distorted by the warped time around them.

But it was futile. Her hand, still slick from her earlier grisly task and now coated with sweat, couldn't maintain its grip. One by one, Luke`s fingers slipped from her palm. Then, in a heart-stopping moment, his entire body fell backward as she was thrust forward, suddenly unburdened.

With her spirit force completely depleted and time changing back to normal she could still clearly see the horror in his face, when the worms mouth snapped shut around him.

"No! Luke!"