I hate Sand... Scuttlers

The Bore Worm ate the phosphor grenade and screamed in animal agony as its insides were cooked. It spasmed for several minutes in the egg chamber before dying, taking an uncomfortably long time to expire, even for an animal trying to eat them.

Sophia looked at the carts. They certainly had enough Crab meat and eggs to hatch a small clutch of these alien crabs. Plus the Bore worm carcass, cooking as it was. And Alexis was in no mental condition to hunt for sport.

"Let us return to Dabbler and Steve. I think we have enough specimens for whatever Sage intends." Sophia picked up her 'arm', and reattached it like it with little trouble. She moves her fingers on the arm to show it hardly hindered her. The spectacle certainly drew looks even from the hardened veterans.

Sure enough the others were waiting on the causeway, Steven himself having scored a handful of kills. Dabbler took the cake though, sitting on a large crab claw the size of a small tree trunk. The creature it must be from must've been enormous.

Sage stood by herself, staring out at the salt sea. Beside the trucks were shopping carts filled to the brim with metal bound tomes. She turned and saw the team's haul, but more importantly, Alexis's morose mood.

When they returned home and the time was right, Sage would suggest a psychologist she knew - Ja-Eun Yeong, apparently her cousin, and not mentioning she was likely a threat to Steelheart as Dragon Girl.

((words: 5,335 xp: 10 LOW: 335 ))

It seemed to take an eternity for the worm to actually die.  Alexis did not move the entire time.  She stood there, trembling, holding herself as if that would make what she had done any more bearable.  The screams were horrible.  Alexis was actively crying by the first minute, and by the second she had manifested a long spear with slender point and began to stab down at the creature again and again, screaming.

When it finally died, Alexis kept on stabbing down.  You had to make sure it was dead, after all.  They might come after if you if you were alive again.  She didn't want that.  

Only after the soldiers pulled her off the creature did Alexis stop.  She lay on the ground shuttering, the spear on the ground next to her.  It was so cold here.  No warmth.  She was covered in its ichor.  It smelt like rotting seaweed and death.  It was everywhere, trying to get into her.  She began to frantically try and rip her facemask off in a panic.  The soldiers had to hold her down for that too.  

When she had finally calmed, Alexis stood and morosely helped the others cart away the spoils of their hunt.  Adjunct could not bear to look anyone in the eye.  She had failed again.  She had lost it and endangered people.  She was no better than the worms.

((words: 3,667 xp: 7 LOW: 167 ))