Chapter 41: The worm’s gambit
The worm roared and brought its tail down hard.
CRACK.
The land split.
The battlefield fractured, long breaks ripping through stone and sand. Smoke climbed into the sky, thick and choking.
Ash ran straight into the dust.
Steel cut. Fire burned.
Each strike found its mark. Ash and Kael moved like parts of the same machine—every motion sharp, every blow landing where it needed to. They struck from different angles, forcing the worm to twist and turn, never able to focus on one target.
Ash darted under a low swing. His blade sank in again. Black blood poured out. The worm reeled, thrashing in pain. The venom was building now—he could see the slight drag in its limbs.
Kael circled above, fire spiraling around him. He shot a ring of flame near the worm's flank. It recoiled, stayed moving—just as they planned.
But something shifted.
The worm's next strike came faster. Not a wild lunge—but a clean, targeted swing.