"Spit the cat-birb out!" Pinkie Pie bellowed. "Spit the cat-birb out!!!" she bellowed loudly before launching her ghostly self at the writhing neck of the Tatzlwyrm.
"Pinkie!" Twilight gnashed her teeth, twirling to keep up with Rainbow Dash's rapid movements around their otherworldly target. "It's no use! Will you give it a rest—?!"
"But it's got Wildcard!" Pinkie Pie stammered, continuing to "punch" and "kick" at the beast's scales with her incorporeal limbs. "Somewhere in there is a ghost throat just waiting to get choked! Rrrrrrrrrngh! Come on! Up the chuck, ya meanie-meanie-pants!"
"Could you please hang back?!" Rarity exclaimed, also struggling to maintain a professional survey of the fight. "You're more needed using that pinkie sense of yours to—"
"It's gonna dive!" Applejack shouted.
"She's right!" Fluttershy pointed at the ground. The scales of the beast shifted as it began descending into the sundered earth. "Any second now—!"
Holding her breath, Rainbow Dash dove low, twirled sideways, and strafed the pebble-riddled hole from which the wyrm was still protruding. As she saw the length of the monster sliding downward, she brought a hoof to her neck and summoned a burst of energy from her pendant. FLAAAAAAAASH!
A ruby stream of light pelted the circumference of the wyrm—startling it. It stopped in mid-descent and lunged its neck forward, slamming into the hard surface of the ground. THUD!
"!!!!!!" Wildcard was spat out. He cartwheeled Edgeside like a cricketball until—Thw-Thwppp!—the tentacles of the beast were launched at him. He blocked with Bard's staff. TH-THAP! The tips of the black tendrils stuck to opposite ends of the bludgeon, and Wildcard found himself struggling for control of the lengthy weapon. As the beast tugged and pullged at the late Desperado's staff, this only angered Wildcard all the more, and he wrestled with renewed vigor.
"Jordan—!" By now, Rainbow was gliding over to where the griffin fought a tug-of-war with the beast. He grasped his limbs and tugged at the ensnared weapon as well. "Just... let g-go!" her voice cracked. "Bard... Johnny would forgive you! I pr-promise—!"
But Wildcard only hissed and struggled harder to maintain control of the weapon. Sweat clung to his feathery headcrest as he wrenched a metal talon free and repeatedly slapped at the taut tendrils fused to the staff.
While Rainbow and Wildcard fussed with the creature...
...Seraphimus flew high above, studying the scene. She gazed at the upper half of the wyrm, slumped over and fighting with the two Heraldites. Then—with calm charcoal eyes—she looked aside and spotted a bevy of loose weapons and supplies. The spidersilk bows and chitinous arrows donated by the Spindlers glistened in the twilight, lying in full display.
"... ... ..." Swiiiiiish! Seraphimus descended in a pale blur. She landed, grasped an arrow in one hand and a bow in the other, somersaulted forward, then ended in a kneeling pose... aiming the projectile upwards at the beast. Notching the shaft of the arrow, she studied the head of the wyrm carefully. She took note of its torn frill, its dark blood leaking, its narrow black eyes arranged cylindrically around its fucshia crown. Finally—exhaling—Seraphimus squinted one eye and let the arrow fly. Thwiffffft!
Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish—Chtung! The arrowhead sunk meatedly into one eye socket of the beast, embedding deep.
"RAWWWWWWWWRSSSSH!" The beast howled, shaking all over. Seraphimus tried firing another arrow, but the painful damage had evidently been done. The beast whipped its tentacles loose of Bard's staff, retracted the tendrils, and sank like a wet stone into the earth.
"!!!" Wildcard and Rainbow were flung forward, clattering across the broken ground with the Desperado's preserved weapon. Beneath them, the world shook and grumbled.
"Let us not forget the common rules of existence..." Seraphimus stood up with her bow and arrows. "If something lives... it can feel pain."
"Yeah... well..." Rainbow panted, standing up on wobbly hooves. "Let's just be glad your aim's way friggin' better than your poetry."
"Whatever..."
"Hey!" Logan's voice called from halfway between that spot and the plateau where the rest of the group were hiding. "Did you slay the damned thing or what?!"
As Wildcard struggled to get up, Rainbow looked aside at her friends. "Fluttershy? Rarity?"
"It's..." Rarity fidgeted. "...not exactly fleeing, darling."
"I sense it circling rapidly beneath us," Fluttershy said with a noticeable tremble. "It must be trying to get over the wound Seraphimus just dealt it."
"It's sure as heck mad!" Applejack's voice cracked. "That's for dang sure!"
"Well...?!" Rainbow slicked her bangs back, trying to catch her breath. "Is it coming back for us or not?!"
"Guuuu-uuuu-uuuuhhhhhhh!" Pinkie wobbled all over.
Twilight pointed at her. "What does that tell you?!"
"Luna Poop..." Rainbow tugged at Wildcard's talon and took off in a prismatic blur. Swoooosh! "To the plateau! Quick!"
As she and Wildcard took off, a solid column of broken earth surged after them.
Seraphimus cursed under her breath. Ascending rapidly, she flew backwards while aiming her bow and arrow at the ground—hoping for a length of scales to expose the beast at any moment. As if sensing her presence, the wyrm remained underground—burrowing ominously shallow. "It's in rapid pursuit!" she shouted.
"Move! Move!" Rainbow and Wildcard flew for the plateau. They reached down and picked up a gasping Logan along the way, dragging the fat stallion towards their lofty destination uphill. "Flynn! Kepler! Thinking caps on! We've got a super ticked-off space snake after our flanks!"
There was no response.
Panting, Rainbow squinted ahead at the plateau. Several large boulders and rocks were lying in the open twilight, and the bodies of multiple ponies—Herald and Dihmer alike—perched atop the loose chunks of earth. "Guys?! What the hay is going on—"
Rainbow spotted Ariel's sharp eyes stabbing her from afar. Kepler—perched next to her and Flynn—brought a silent claw up to his tusks, signaling for Rainbow and the rest to be silent.
Logan clammed up. Wildcard steadied his wingflaps as he and Rainbow dragged the stallion up onto a loose boulder. Perching down beside him, the two veteran travelers observed how still and quiet the locals were.
The Dihmers sat meditiavely on the boulders, scarcely breathing or saying a word.
Seraphimus hovered above the scene, armed with her bow and arrow and looking noticeably confused. She studied the still figures of the locals... then glanced Edgeside at the column of surging earth rolling towards the plateau. Holding her breath, she descended sharply and landed atop a chunk of rock—perching as silently as possible.
Rainbow's friends held their breaths. Fluttershy gnawed on her fetlock while Rarity squirmed visibly. In the meantime—though—Pinkie's body stopped shaking and quivering.
Then—as thunderously loud as the ambush had begun—the angry burrowing of the beast ceased. The ground beneath the plateau stopped shifting. The Dark Side was still.
One could hear a pin drop.
Instead, Rainbow Dash exhaled quietly. She pivoted about, studying the meditative poses of the Dihmers. "... ... ...how..." She leaned in towards Ariel and Flynn. "...how are they doing it...?"
"...they're not doing anything," Ariel whispered back. "...it's the boulders..."
"... ... ..." Rainbow stared down at the loose rocks separating their bodies from the solid earth of the plateau underneath. "... ... ...it senses us through the ground..."
Kepler nodded. "...and we have a bufferr," he whispered, gesturing at the rocks. "...so long as we rremain still..."
"...and quiet..." Flynn's mechanical eye rotated. He timed his breaths carefully. "...it doesn't know precisely where we are..."
Logan looked around, tail flickering nervously.
Wildcard was still sweating... catching his breath...
Seraphimus inhaled... exhaled. "...it..." She looked cautiously across the bed of rocks. "...it must know we're here..."
"...yes..." Kepler nodded. "...but if the actions of the Dihmerrs arre any indication, then we can wait it out..."
"...yeah..." Logan grimaced. "...but for how friggin' long...?"
Kepler blinked through his broken spectacles. He looked helplessly at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow gulped. She stared at the ground—broken and disturbed—just beyond the crest of the plateau.
The Dihmers and the Herald sat in awkward silence... anchored in place as the twilight glimmered overhead...
Hiding.
Walk without rhythm and you won't attract the worm.
Man, that’s tense. Boulder isolation pads for the win.
Tremors
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Thought the same thing.
Now all they need is some convenient metal pipes nearby so they can pole vault out of there.
Seraphimus x Logan Ship Confirmation Chapter Counter: 37
Well, they wanted a rest...
Sera with the dodge roll into a charged arrow. Pretty much how I start the fight once I track the monster.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
Tremors 5: The Dark Side
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I wanna hug Kepler.
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I mean, maybe, but they're also three factions that have survived a war going on for millennia - their culture and upbringing probably center around it. When generations have believed they were either going to win or die trying - what are they gonna do when/if neither of those is true? They're a bunch of people whose entire existence has been to fight and die bloodily. Denial is a pretty common response to your worldview being overturned - I wouldn't be surprised if there were at least a portion of each faction that would refuse to believe that everything they've fought for is for naught.
Of course, on the other side would be Princess Luna - so it might not be the absolute end of everything...but I don't think it'll be a clean split.
I just found this series. Going through all the stories, the whole shebang as of this current update I'm looking at is apparently 3,588,433 words long.
Hory shet, I don't know if I even want to start this. Somebody please tell me if this is worth it.
Always annoying when one of Cthluus minions land on the van I just spent three gaming sessions building up and rigging, and then the pit trap means the backpacks got to go or the party falls, and all thats left is the prybar.
That, and the party looks round, and asks, did anyone remember to carry at least one grenade actually on them instead of in safe storage?
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Trust me, it is absolutely worth it. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so don't be afraid to dive in. Besides, I think Austraeoh's beginning will have you hooked :D
Sometimes, stealth is all you need!
Ah, Tremors! Such an interesting part of my childhood.
Ah yes, how to fight against underground creatures 101. Stay still and silent, and hope it doesn't get lucky.
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I'd say read the first book and half of the second. If you're not invested by then, you're probably not going to have fun with the rest. It might seem long, but you don't need to binge it all either. This series is gonna be here for a while, you'll eventually catch up. I, for one, hope you'll enjoy the story.
Well, they wanted a stop for rest, now they can rest while they remain quiet and silent avoiding to be devorate. : P
I personally wonder if all the fighting is going to attract unwanted attention, unless this kind of thing is common on the dark side. Which is a distinct possibility
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Most of us wouldn't still be here 3+ years later if it wasn't good.
and now for the little advice I give to every newcomer.
Read the entirety of the first book, if you like what you see, keep going, if not then the end of Austraeoh is a great early stopping point.
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Your avatar and that comment together are hilarious.
"did we kill it?"
"No. We just made it angry..."
Also I've finally caught up... again.
I very nearly thought you were going to kill WC there.
On the bright side, you got them to make camp.
Let's hope this has worm has less patience than the ones in the movies.
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Fun fact: I checked on the series after reading the last two chapters and there seems to be a fifth movie of Tremors called "Bloodlines", released in 2015. Another one is in production right now. I didn't know it either.
I think they're going to be there for a while. Hopefully no Bloodwing squadron comes swooping down to kill everything like they did to that stampede.
Graboids exist on the dark side confirmed.
Phew, relax everyone. Bard's staff is fine... for now
Definitely getting a Tremors vibe from this chapter
It waits.
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Absolutely!
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There is a Tremors 5, and it is horrid and cringe-inducing. Do not speak of it!
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My thoughts exactly.
Dang, this many chapters?! I was only gone for...well, I uh... hey look a tatzlwurm!
Well, they wanted to stop and rest. Wish granted.
Such a bad Danger Noodle!
Pulled?
Glad he didn’t lose the staff that would’ve been a bit sad.
Welp, there's your break!
Aaaaaand break.
It cliffhangs. Both us and them, really.
Time to get your meditation on.
Well get comfy guys, it's gonna be a minute.