The group realized that they'd been sealed in the cave by a threat worse than the sand worms—these were sand centipedes.
The sand centipedes were several feet long, with large segmented bodies and thick red scales. The cherry on top was their large teeth that made those of the sand worms seem like baby teeth. They also had two blade-like structures on either side of their mouthparts. The trigger for the centipedes' appearance seemed to be the removal of the thermal mythril.
"We've gotten what we came for. Let's just get out of here," Peter voiced his complaints.
"I couldn't agree more, but I don't think they'll let us," Mike replied.
"We'll have to fight our way out. After all, our mission was to retrieve the thermal mythril, and we've done so. All that's left is to get out of here alive," Kevin said.
The group readied themselves for a battle they knew wouldn't be an easy one.
They all got into position as the damage dealers led the charge against the centipedes at the only way out.
"This is the exact type of do-or-die situation I was trying to avoid," Derek said, visibly annoyed, as he continued to charge forward.
The one who led the charge was Kevin. Kevin was of the warrior class—he was the strongest and most renowned fighter in their midst. So, in a sense, it was all riding on him.
Kevin gripped his mace tightly and pulled his shield closer as he jumped and slammed his mace down on one of the centipedes. The centipede was pushed back a little but was completely unhurt.
Right before Kevin could go in for another attack, another centipede thrust its large teeth toward him. Luckily, he blocked with his shield, though he was sent flying backward. The other fighters weren't relenting, as Mike and Peter had teamed up to defeat one of the centipedes.
Meanwhile, Harden and Raizo were struggling against one.
"These things are tough. It's difficult to slice through them," Raizo complained, as he landed an attack that did next to no damage.
The centipedes continued their charge as another one attempted to bite down on Raizo, who blocked with his katanas just in time.
Harden wanted to help his friend, but he couldn't—he had his own enemy to deal with. That's when an idea hit him.
Harden ran toward Raizo as fast as he could, with the centipede following close behind, gaining on him. Just as he was about to be eaten, he activated the Blink Step skill, evading imminent danger. He jumped and pulled his fist back, activating a technique called Dead End Fist. A yellowish hue enveloped his fist as he slammed it down hard on the head of the centipede attacking Raizo. The centipede that was chasing him crashed into the first one with its teeth, giving it a severe wound.
"That was brilliant," Raizo exclaimed. "Reckless, but brilliant."
"I was about to help these kids when I saw they were in a pinch, but it seems they're good enough to handle themselves," Annie commented.
The group continued fighting several centipedes, with Harden and Raizo using their hit-and-run tactics. Eventually, the last centipede fell under the might of Kevin's mace.
"Let's... take this... thing and... get out of here," Kevin said, referring to the thermal mythril he held in his hands. Kevin was visibly exhausted, blood covering his face—mostly the centipedes', with a little of his own.
The group made it out of the cave, exhausted but with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, as it was finally over.
Or so they thought.
In that moment, something moved past Mike, who stood beside Kevin. All that remained of Kevin was his right arm, still holding the thermal mythril.
None of them saw what had happened—only the aftermath.
The group stared at the arm in disbelief, as if their brains couldn't process what had just happened. They were all visibly surprised and terrified.
Just then, a loud screech erupted from the back of the cave. As the group turned to see what it was, their eyes met with a centipede bigger and more menacing than any other.
"Is that... the boss?" Raizo asked. He was clearly terrified, his voice cracking.
"Now we're really screwed," Derek said, with a terrified expression as sweat dripped down his face.