The four of them tiptoed out of the underground cavern and hid around a corner in the tunnel, about 15 meters away.
The tunnel blocked the chaos behind them, but it couldn't block out the mind-piercing shrieks and the dull thuds of flesh impacting flesh.
The center of the cavern had already turned into a meat grinder.
The Earthworm Queen had descended into a complete frenzy.
It had abandoned all defense, turning its hard head and sharp appendages into the most primitive of weapons, ramming and tearing at the Joyous Thorn's main body again and again.
The Joyous Thorn was not to be outdone. It gave up on its bewitchment, and all its vines turned as tough as steel whips, lashing viciously against the Queen's shell with a sound that tore through the air.
Some of the smaller vines, like venomous snakes, burrowed into the gaps of the Queen's shell, trying to shred its internal organs.
"GULP."
