inside the carriage on their way to the desert lands, the journey had been quiet for the most part except for them engaging making small talk here and there, Vessa dominated most of the 'small talk' with her interest of Mori and curiosity of his elements and talent. Suddenly, their carriage slowly rolled to a heavy stop. A Grunt followed with a thud and the coachman went completely silent.
Armin's eyes instantly sharpened as he sensed something was wrong. Ducking out of the carriage door to check what the problem was, his boots hit the dusty road. He glanced up at the driver's seat and frowned. "Well it would seem our coachman has fallen dead," he called back inside, noticing the arrow through the coachman's head. While he was inspecting the body, a sharp hiss cut through the dry air. A black-shafted arrow came flying straight at him. Armin tilted his body, dodging it with relative ease, but the sudden projectile whistled past and spooked the horses.
The panicked beasts reared up violently, snapping their leather straps, causing them to break free and run off into the distance."Can't say I was not expecting this," Armin said, adjusting his stance. "Bandits."From behind the rocky ridges and low dunes, a group of desert bandits started to appear. Their faces were wrapped tightly in dusty linen cloths to shield against the sun and grit, some wore piecemeal, grease-stained leather armor over faded robes while others wore plain ragged and faded clothing. They brandished a mismatched assortment of curved scimitars, rusted spears, and jagged shortswords.
"Since you know who we are, might as well get down to it. Give us your money if you don't want to die," the one who looked to be the leader said arrogantly, stepping forward with a malicious snicker. The others looked to be fiddling with their weapons and laughing away as they started to fan out and surround the carriage. "Let's nail these guys and just loot them anyways, since they wanna take their sweet time," one of the bandits shouted, his bloodshot eyes locking onto armin. "I'm coming for you, old man!". The bandit charged towards Armin hysterically, throwing his weight behind a sharp thrust of his spear. Armin flinch. In a swift, fluid motion, he deflected the incoming spearhead to the left with his arm and snapping it at the same time, he stepped inside the man's guard grabbing the snapped wooden shaft with his bare hand, and impaling the bandit with the jagged, broken end.
The man collapsed into the dirt instantly.The leader's grin faltered for a second before expanding into a crazed look. "You're not an ordinary old head, are you?" he said, his voice dropping before he laughed manically. "But that makes it all the more INTERESTING!"Mori and Vessa were getting ready to engage when another bandit from the ridge called out, his voice suddenly losing all its bravado."Boss, we should leave before 'it' comes... BOSS!" He started sounding worried and more agitated by the second.The sands started rumbling and moving violently. From a distance, the sand dunes looked to be moving, followed by sharp, deafening shrieks that could be heard clearly even from that far away."BOSS, WE NEED TO RETREAT NOW!" the bandits were full on screaming now, turning to run.
Before some of them could even make their move to retreat, a massive Worm like creature burst out upward from the sands causing a sinkhole. The beast was colossal, its heavily armored body covered in thick, interlocking plates of rocky, chert-like hide that shielded it from the brutal desert elements. It possessed no eyes —only a terrifying, massive circular maw lined with multiple concentric rings of jagged, needle-sharp teeth that spiraled deep down into its tube body. "Sandworm" one of the terrified bandit said before being devoured- Kicking up a massive storm of dust and sand, the monster lunged forward and devoured four of the bandits alone in a single, horrifying chomp.
"This is your problem now, old head!" the leader yelled over the chaos. As the sand kicked up a heavy screen of blinding dust, the surviving bandits vanished completely into the haze. "What even is that?" Mori said, looking up at the huge sand worm as its mouth spread wide open, letting out another deafening shriek that shook the air.Mori gripped his hilt tightly, and bright, crackling flames were slowly beginning to envelop his sword. "Mori, No!" Vessa shouted over the howling desert wind. "Fire wouldn't work against them! They've survived and evolved under these harsh conditions. Why would fire work against them? Think! The best elements would be water, ice, and perhaps lightning!"
Without waiting for a reply, Vessa thrust her wand high into the air. Concentrating her mana, she began chanting rapidly, her voice cutting through the tempest "Gather, restless currents of the deep. O mother of the great oceans, hear my call…" A massive ball of water formed from her magic circle, swirling violently as it launched forward, slamming directly into the beast, aggravating it. The worm angered, let out another defeating shriek and started thrashing. Armin stepped forward, releasing his mana outward as he placed himself firmly between Mori and the thrashing monster.
"Young master, this fight would be beyond your capabilities," Armin said, his voice steady as he readied his blade to attack. "I am sworn to protect you, so I can not stand idly by."