Ch. 174 - Snow Worm

"Has the snowstorm stopped yet?" Worry filled the underground hideout, where five travelers were close together. Caesar, with a unique beauty that made it tricky to tell if he was a man or a woman, asked this again and again.

Everyone turned to look at Rice, waiting for his answer. Once, nobody really liked Rice because he seemed so distant. But now, this half-man-half-dragon guy, a dragonkin, was their best chance to survive.

Before they came to these frozen lands for their mission, they never thought it would be this dangerous. If Rice hadn't used his special ice powers to make this safe place at the last minute, the best thing they could hope for was to freeze in the scary snowstorm, with their bodies still whole.

Rice looked very tired; keeping the cave safe took a lot of his energy. "No, it's still going on," he said, sounding a bit annoyed. He really didn't want to keep answering the same question. But he also didn't want his friends to be too scared, so he kept telling them about the storm, even if sometimes he didn't tell the whole truth. "But I think it will stop soon. I can feel the wild ice magic getting weaker."

The others felt a bit better hearing this. They weren't stupid; they could see that Rice was getting weaker and weaker. If he gave up, they knew they would all be in big trouble. There wouldn't be anything left of them.

Caesar, feeling his big bow on his back, whispered, "When the snowstorm is over, we should go away from here. We are all getting too tired, and there's nothing to eat or drink here."

The other three nodded, showing they agreed.

Rice, a bit angry, felt picking these friends in a rush was a bad idea. They just made things harder for him. "You can do what you want, but I'm staying here."

Caesar tried to change his mind, "Rice, you are really strong, but you can't beat the big Snow Worm by yourself. Why don't you come with us, rest, and then come back?"

Rice didn't listen and just focused on the cave. Caesar wanted to say more, but the others told him to stop.

Then, after a short quiet moment, the snowstorm suddenly stopped. Rice, looking serious, took his hands off the cave walls, saying, "It's finished; you can now..."

But before he could finish talking, the ground started shaking a lot. Caesar quickly got ready with his bow and arrow. A magic arrow appeared, waiting to be shot. He shouted, "Something really big is coming from under the ice! Oh no, it's the Snow Worm!"

On the frozen fields, after hearing Adam's caution, Kambi looked as if he was about to face a tough opponent. He surrounded himself with the last of his plant power. To stay alive in the harsh cold of the ice plain, a being had to be super strong. Kambi didn't think he could count on Adam to keep him safe.

Boom.

The ground of ice broke apart far ahead, and out jumped five people. For a moment, Kambi was surprised. "Are they just ordinary folks on a journey?"

"Not them," Adam said, hovering in the air. Around him was a kind of protective field made from his dragon-like power. He had noticed these five travelers earlier, but they seemed so weak to him that he didn't even want to bother. But there was another creature that did catch his eye.

The five travelers were scared. They shouted and ran all over, not working together at all. The ice under them started to crack with creepy sounds. Then, a huge worm came up from the ground.

This worm was as white as snow, with no marks or dirt on it. It didn't have legs or arms. Its long body ended in a head that looked like a tassel. The only thing you could see clearly on its face was a big mouth full of sharp little teeth. Every time the worm moved, its mouth would shine and make snowstorms that ate up everything nearby.

"What's that?" Adam asked, looking interested. The part of the worm that they could see was already very long, and they couldn't tell how much more of it was still under the ground. It looked like a powerful magic animal.

Kambi looked scared as he said, "I think that's the Snow Worm."

"Snow Worm?"

"It's a creature that lives only on these frozen fields. It's super strong here where there's a lot of snow and ice. It's not smart, but it's very aggressive. It will keep attacking anything that gives off power until it eats it. But after it eats something, it gets rid of it, and what comes out is very valuable. That's why so many brave travelers try to find it," Kambi looked even more worried, thinking about how unlucky they were to meet the scariest creature of the tundra right after a big snowstorm. "Sir, should we run away while it's busy?"

Adam didn't look like he wanted to leave. The Snow Worm might look scary, but to him, it wasn't that powerful. While the Snow Worm was chasing the travelers, Adam went down and picked up a box-like thing.

"Is this an energy rock?"

Adam looked surprised. He didn't know that creatures in this place could make solid blocks of power in their bodies. This thing looked just like the energy rocks from the mage world, but it seemed to have even more power inside it, and it was very pure.

Walking right behind Adam, Kambi thought Adam was asking him, so he quickly said, "That's what the Snow Worm leaves behind after eating. People call it the 'Ice Elemental Crystal', but 'Energy Stone' works too."

In the world of mages, they could change different kinds of energy stones into what they wanted. But it looked like the world of dragons didn't have that skill.

Adam thought he might know why energy stones weren't so special in the mage world. Maybe creatures that make energy stones are everywhere in all the worlds. So, after winning a battle in one world, there would be a lot of these energy stones to pick up.

While he was thinking, the Snow Worm had already eaten three of the travelers. The two left were running as fast as they could to a safer place. The Snow Worm could make big snowstorms with its power. If anyone stayed too far from the worm, they couldn't run or fly away. They would just be the worm's next snack.

Suddenly, Adam felt the ground shake. The Snow Worm was moving under the ice and coming straight for him.

"Rice, it's okay. I can't go on." Caesar had lost his bow and arrow. Ice covered a lot of his body, making it hard to move his legs. He could only move because Rice was pulling him.

Rice didn't say anything. He was trying hard to walk in the big snowstorm the Snow Worm made.

"Go on without me. Be safe. If you can, please look after my little sister in Lep City." Caesar tried to sit up using his arms.

"Be quiet." Rice put his hand over Caesar's mouth and kept pulling him. He jumped high to get away from a bright light the Snow Worm sent out.

Walking right behind Adam, Kambi thought Adam was asking him, so he quickly said, "That's what the Snow Worm leaves behind after eating. People call it the 'Ice Elemental Crystal', but 'energy stone' works too."

In the world of mages, they could change different kinds of energy stones into what they wanted. But it looked like the world of dragons didn't have that skill.

Adam thought he might know why energy stones weren't so special in the mage world. Maybe creatures that make energy stones are everywhere in all the planes. So, after winning a battle in one plane, he could get a lot of these energy stones to pick up.

While he was thinking, the Snow Worm had already eaten three of the travelers. The two left were running as fast as they could to a safer place. The Snow Worm could make big snowstorms with its power. Anyone too weaker than the worm wouldn't even be able to run or fly away. They would just be the worm's next snack.

Suddenly, Adam felt the ground shake. The Snow Worm was moving under the ice and coming straight for him.

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