Chapter 30: 29. Like A Worm’s Nest

The girl was unresponsive. Her dead eyes gazed at the ground as she sat there like a lifeless doll.

Naomi gazed at her with crossed arms.

"And you're telling me she just gave up?"

"Yeah." Gabriel nodded.

"How were you so sure she wouldn't just shoot you?"

"Let's just say I had a hunch. I did not feel any ill will in her aura."

Naomi gazed at him silently for a moment. Then, he leaned close and carefully inspected his eyes.

"Hello? Are you sure you don't need glasses?"

Gabriel grabbed Naomi's wrist. His grip was painfully tight as he pushed his hand aside.

He crouched down to the girl. Gently grabbing her chin, he raised her head to get a better look at her eyes.

"She proved herself to be a dangerous opponent when she fought the zombies. When she was up against me, it felt like she was holding back. As if she did not actually mean to harm me in any way. Even when she attacked me, her weapons were begging to be dodged as she aimed at my non-vital points."

Naomi rubbed the pain off of his wrist.

"Are you telling me she was acting?"

"Correct. Though I have no idea for her why, I could see right through her intimidation play."

"Well, it looks like she is just a teen. Perhaps hormones affect girls differently in this world?"

That idea was so stupid even Naomi felt embarrassed.

Though they did not know anything about the girl besides her name, they had to take responsibility for her. She seemed to have been half-unconscious, thanks to the shock of a near-death experience. If they were to just leave her there, the respawning monsters could easily take her life.

Gabriel placed the girl on her back and stood up.

"Let's go." He said and continued down the stairs.

"W-Wait! Are you sure you want to do the dungeon like that?"

"We are almost at the end. If we were to climb back up to the entrance, that would mean fighting the rock monsters again while having a girl on our back."

That was a solid point, furthered by the fact that they could barely win that fight without outside intervention. As terrible as it was, they had to finish this dungeon with an unconscious girl on their backs.

Thankfully, it seemed like the end was near.

The low rumbling from the bottom of the mine grew louder with every step. Whatever beast made that continuous sound, one thing was clear about it.

It was gigantic. The deep rumbling that echoed throughout the mine never ceased and the deeper they went, the more the walls shook from its intensity.

As they walked further down the stair, they found themselves on a platform. It looked like a bridge made out of old, rotting wood. This bridge reached around the sides of the mine in the shape of a circle.

This platform surrounded a gigantic, egg-shaped boulder. It sat on the bottom of the mine, alone, surrounded by nothing but small pebbles.

The rumbling echoed from under.

As if something, or rather somethings were moving.

"H-Hey, Gabriel!" Naomi's voice trembled as he pointed towards the bottom of the mine. "Please tell me those are not what I think they are!"

When Gabriel looked down, all he could see were ordinary stones. He raised an eyebrow and was just about to question Naomi, when suddenly…

"Slurp!" A tongue appeared from one of the stones.

Gabriel immediately took a step back.

"D-Don't tell me! Those are…"

He could not finish that sentence. Even though he managed to stay calm until this point, the grotesque thought of what lay below made his stomach turn.

At the bottom of the mine, that large gravel pit of stones and pebbles was actually a nest full of rock monsters. They wiggled around like a sea of worms, trying to reach the warm flesh atop the bridge.

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Seeing this inhuman sight, Naomi had nearly puked.

"Do you have any fire spells?" Gabriel asked while sticking as close to the wall as he could.

Naomi took his grimoire and scrolled through all the pages in an instant. He stopped at a page with one word atop.

"Fireball"

However, as Naomi read its description, he barked out in surprise.

"What?!"

The spell required almost three times his maximum mana. That meant he must waste at least two mana potions on a single spell alone.

Thankfully, it seemed like he had priority over the loot, and all the goods for killing the monsters before fell into his inventory. He had enough mana potions to cast a Fireball, but it would take a long time before the spell would do its effect.

"And?" Gabriel raised his voice. "Don't be lazy and burn this cesspool to the ground!"

"A-Alright! I'm just… Something has been bothering me."

Gabriel nearly threw him off the bridge. He was frustrated, and also very scared, and he did not want to deal with Naomi anymore.

"What is it?" He yelled at the mage.

"It's just… If this is a nest, then that means there should be a mother nearby, right?"

Gabriel wanted to slap him for such a stupid question, however, the realization slowly dawned on him.

He turned around to see that the gigantic egg amidst the mine moved. As if opening its mouth, a crack formed atop the boulder, and a large, slimy tongue reached into the sky.

It moved slowly like a snake. It was incredibly long, and in girth alone, it was the size of a large truck.

"D-Did it sense us?" Naomi whispered.

Gabriel did not answer. Instead, he sneaked back towards the stairs with slow, careful motions.

As he moved, one of the planks under him made a tiny, almost inaudible creak. And as it did…

Wuh-PSSSH!

The giant tongue snapped towards them like a gigantic whip, destroying the stairs and the wall behind it. The blow of this force was so large, that it sent both boys flying away.

Thankfully, they landed atop the bridge and Gabriel managed to catch Chucky.

The girl blinked twice. Slowly, she regained some of her consciousness.

"What–– Where am I…?

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and when she looked up, the shadow of a titanic tongue met her gaze.

The drool that rained from the fleshy tongue rained onto the bridge. It was acidic and slowly burned through the wood.

Gabriel was horrified. The giant tongue searched around for they could be, readying itself for another strike. It was only thanks to the falling debris of its attack that it could not sense the terrified trio.

"What do we do now?" Naomi yelled, and the giant tongue, mistaking his whereabouts, struck the wall under him. It was enough to nearly kill them with a heart attack.

However, Gabriel would not let him pass so peacefully.

"Take her!" He put the girl onto Naomi's back. "Just keep casting your spell and make as little sound as you can!"

"W-What about you?" Naomi asked and the giant tongue missed his location once again.

Gabriel's eyes shone with a determined gold. Unsheathing his rapier, he held it vigilantly before himself.

"I will invite this tongue to a little tango!"

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