The sandworm exploded from beneath the surface like a missile of earth and teeth.

  "Blood Nails!" Chiyo roared, her fingers extending in a sharp flick. Crimson blades shot from her fingernails like a fan of throwing knives—sleek, fast, and deadly. They sliced into the worm's hide mid-air, splattering black ichor across the sand. The beast shrieked, its mouth twisting with rage.

  Kenji seized the moment, already in mid-dash. He moved like lightning—sand exploding beneath each step as he launched forward. His swords crossed tightly against his chest in an X formation, his voice ringing out:

  "KEN–X!!"

  The blades ripped through the worm in a diagonal, searing arc, a cross-slash of such force it split through its thick armor like paper. The worm roared and flailed wildly before crashing back into the sand, half its body twitching and burrowing away in retreat.

  Kenji hit the ground hard with a grunt, kicking up a cloud of dust as he skidded to a stop. He lay there breathing heavily, chest rising and falling, arms spread across the cooling sand.

  Timmy blinked in awe. "Nice job, Chiyo! And you too, Kenji!"

  Kawai gave an enthusiastic "Meep Meep!"

  Timmy chuckled. "Heh, yeah—you too, Kawai. MVP right there."

  Kenji, still lying down, gave a rare smirk and muttered just loud enough to be heard, "...Yeah. Nice going, Kawai."

  Chiyo walked forward, hands on her hips with a playful sigh. "You don't have to get up, swordhead. I'll bring you over here without moving a toe."

  She raised one hand with a flourish. "Mini Cute Bats!"

  With a flash of red light, a swarm of small, plush-looking blood bats fluttered into existence, flapping their chubby wings as they zipped toward Kenji.

  "H-Hey—watch it!" Kenji protested as the bats tugged at his clothes with surprising strength, gripping his collar and sleeves with their tiny fangs. "I am not a plush toy—!"

  He was halfway across the field, being gently airlifted, when a sudden rumble cut the laughter short.

  A massive sphere of compressed sand—easily the size of a house—shot toward the group with brutal force.

  "KENJI—!!" Timmy and Chiyo screamed in unison.

  "MEEP!!" Kawai added, Flippers flapping in panic.

  BOOM!

  The sandball collided with Kenji mid-air. His body flew like a ragdoll, disappearing behind a crashing wave of sand. For a moment, all was silent—until the ground trembled again.

  The sandworm burst from beneath, maw wide open—and in one horrifying gulp—

  Kenji was gone.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Shit. Shit shit shit!!" Chiyo screamed, fists clenched, eyes wide with horror.

  Timmy's voice cracked. "We're—we're doomed! It ate Kenji! What the heck do we do now?!"

  Kawai let out a long, trembling, "...Meeeeep…"

  The desert wind howled, and a sick silence followed.

  A few heavy minutes passed, thick with silence. The desert sun beat down on the three remaining figures as they sat on the scorched sand, staring at the spot where Kenji had vanished. Wind blew grains across the surface, but none of them moved. None of them spoke—until Chiyo finally broke the silence.

  "…This is bad. Really bad," she muttered, her voice low and tense. "Kenji's gone… and it's just us three now."

  She looked at Timmy and Kawai—both of whom were clearly not battle-ready.

  "You two can't fight. And I definitely can't beat that thing alone." She turned toward Timmy, a shred of hope in her voice. "Timmy… do you have any ideas?"

  Timmy furrowed his brows, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmm…"

  Then he gasped sharply and leaned forward.

  Chiyo's eyes lit up. "What is it?! Timmy, tell us!"

  Timmy raised a dramatic finger… "I…"

  Chiyo and Kawai leaned in.

  "…have no idea."

  Thwack!

  Kawai slapped the back of Timmy's head with a firm wing. "Meep!"

  Chiyo groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "We're doomed."

  Timmy winced. "Wait wait—hold on, let me think again. Hmmmm…"

  A long pause.

  Then Timmy snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute… I got it!"

  Chiyo turned back sharply, skeptical. "You're not lying this time, right?"

  "No, no, I'm for real this time!" he said, placing a hand over his heart. "Timmy's honor!"

  "Okay…" Chiyo said cautiously. "What's your plan?"

  Timmy pointed at her. "You… can make your bats explode, right?"

  Chiyo raised a brow. "Yeah, of course I can. Why do you ask?"

  Timmy's eyes lit up. "Then we could… place them on the sand! Once the sandworm comes back and eats 'em—BOOM—instant monster stew."

  Chiyo blinked, impressed. "That's actually… a good idea."

  Kawai gave Timmy a proud pat on the back. "Meep Meep."

  Timmy smiled wide. "Thanks, buddy."

  "But," he added, turning back to Chiyo, "how many bats can you make?"

  Chiyo tilted her head, thinking. "Hmm… I've never really counted before. I think maybe… a lot? Like, a lot a lot."

  Timmy grinned. "That's perfect. Okay, then I need you to summon them in concentrated groups—spread out, but all in the same general area. Not random."

  "Why all in the same spot?" Chiyo asked.

  "Because," Timmy explained, "we need that thing to eat all the bats at once. If it only swallows a few, the explosion might not be enough. But if it gulps them all down in one big bite… and you detonate them before they hit the stomach…"

  "It won't hurt the others…" Chiyo finished, her expression softening. "It'll just blow the thing's throat out…"

  Timmy nodded seriously. "Exactly."

  A quiet beat passed.

  "Alright," Timmy said, clenching his fists. "You ready?"

  Chiyo stood, her eyes locked on the horizon.

  She nodded. "Ready."

  Timmy raised a finger. "And no—"

  Chiyo suddenly cut in, eyes narrowing. "Wait. What are the chances of this… y'know, failing?"

  Timmy blinked, scratching his chin. "Mmm… about 60 to 70%, give or take."

  Chiyo's eye twitched. "Sixty. To seventy?"

  "Yeah, I mean…" Timmy held up fingers, ticking off points. "If the worm only eats a few bats? It survives. If you mess up the detonation timing? Wasted opportunity. If the worm senses danger and spits 'em out? Plan fails."

  Chiyo stared at him, deadpan. "…Wow. Thanks for making me feel so much better."

  Timmy smiled proudly. "You're welcome. Now go do it."

  Chiyo sighed deeply, rolled her shoulders, then raised her hands. "Alright, babies… time to shine."

  She summoned them—dozens of mini cute bats fluttered into existence, each letting out a cheerful peep or squeak as they formed into a tight, coordinated cluster above the sand. Their tiny wings sparkled in the sun.

  Kawai gave them a solemn salute. "Meep Meep."

  Timmy and Chiyo returned it. Chiyo's voice cracked slightly. "Goodbye… my precious little babies."

  The sand exploded upward.

  The worm erupted from below like a geyser of terror, massive jaws snapping. In a single sweeping lunge, it devoured the entire group of bats.

  The three stared up in awe and dread.

  Chiyo's lips trembled. Timmy wiped a single tear from his cheek. Kawai dramatically clutched his chest.

  Then—

  BOOM.

  A blast ripped through the air. Blood, sand, and shredded bone showered the battlefield. The sandworm's enormous body flailed wildly for a moment… then slumped midair, twisting grotesquely before crashing down like a collapsing tower. Dust plumed up like a stormcloud.

  For a few tense seconds, there was silence.

  Then the side of the sandworm's mutilated carcass burst open—and from it stumbled Eleo, Tony, Olorun, and Kenji, covered in sand, slime, and faint scorch marks.

  Eleo flopped face-first onto the ground. "Urrrgh… I can taste worm meat…"

  Tony tumbled out and dramatically rolled to a stop, groaning. "That was disgusting."

  Olorun coughed and bellyflopped right beside Eleo. "I don't even wanna talk about what I saw in there…"

  Kenji was the last to step out—standing upright, bloodied but solid. He took one long breath, looked at the worm's destroyed body, then turned to the others.

  "…Nice job," he said firmly.

  Eleo grinned up from the sand. "Yeh… thank you guys…"

  Tony pushed himself up, spat to the side, then walked over and gave the corpse a solid kick. "Tch. Overgrown sausage."

  Olorun raised an eyebrow. "I cannot believe Chiyo saved us."

  Chiyo smirked, hands on her hips. "You can thank the two smartest animals in the desert—and the little Minari genius."

  Timmy and Kawai bowed simultaneously.

  "Meep!"

  "You're welcome," Timmy said, puffing his tiny chest.

  The group broke into exhausted laughter, voices echoing across the dunes as the worm's blood began to soak into the sand beneath them.