Part 11:
At the sound of Monch's command, the team acted instantly - the hours of preparation, the brief discussion they had outside, the frantic drive of hope and greed allowed them to push past the beating wings of despair and panic. They charged down the hill, dragging their half-burnt Commander through the snow behind them.
At the bottom of the hill, the ice-worm awaited. Upon smelling the first wave of frantic two-legged appetizers, Yakmahr surged forward, with a ferocious speed that belied her massive bulk. The ground (and her stomach) rumbled with the approach and she met the group head on (not that she had much of a choice, her only discernable weapon was her head).
The raiders threw themselves at her and every last man and woman fought with a desperate ferocity. But victory was not in the cards for them at this moment, despite the cheers of their immobilized and almost trampled Commander.
It was when Greg (remember Greg? Yakmahr's favorite?) lead the first wave of ice-worm spawns against the group that things started to unwind. The teams had been poorly sorted by Monch and did not coordinate their efforts well. At first there were only four young worms, but soon they were joined by four more and it looked as if there would be more. Confusion broke into the ranks, and it was only the split-second decision of Javed that saved them altogether.
"Pull back!" He yelled with authority. Pushing Madaylia towards the entrance while waving the raid to retreat with the other, Javed was able to get them to disengage properly, with the soldiers blocking the rear as they retreated up the hill. Though the worms were well suited to their environment, the raiders were driven by determination and self preservation, and managed to crest the steep incline first, drawing to a stop a hundred feet or so from the entrance.
Losing interest, or so the men and women of Order's Seeker Corps thought, the worm spawn eventually stopped and turned to slide back down the hill.
As those that remained stopped to take a tally of injuries, they were interrupted by a dozen dangerous-looking men and women following Se'Tee'Kaa through the carved entrance and down the frozen ramp towards the larger lair.
"Charade! Je... Where's Jezebiel?" Miaa asked.
"Still stuck in Khitai, it seems," Charade replied with a shrug.
"Nevermind that, it is still good to see you, and only just in the nick of time."
"Enough talk," Blacklizard chimed in, "let's get everyone back up to fighting shape so my knives can take another shot at those oversized nightcrawlers." Javed nodded in agreement. Even after this first disasterous run, they were still in good spirits.
"Alright then. Let's patch up the wounded and see if Monch has a better..." Javed stopped cold. It struck everyone at the same time that they no longer heard the boisterous ramblings of Order's First Seeker. Already knowing the worst to be the case, Billington looked down at the woven leather cord that had been attached to his belt.
It was cut... nay, bitten in twain, the individual straps already unwinding from the larger cord.
"That means..."
Those assembled looked back down the hill, deep into the lair, at Yakmahr herself, calmly resting at the back of the cave...
...slowly chewing.
(To be continued)