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“Regeneration properties,” Professor North announces. We look at him with his arms crossed and a stern look glued on me. “Notorious Worms have extremely fast regeneration magic. It’s written in their DNA and executed whenever they shed their shell skin. It’s why they’re able to grow new skin and allow it to grow and envelop them like a wrapped blanket. They then blend with their environment and hibernate to grow new layers and let their instinctive predator side take control in keeping the body alive with ‘food.’”
“So…” Hades is staring at me, then Larkin. “Isn’t he going to hibernate and eat whatever is near him to survive?”
All eyes are on me.
My eyes dart between Professor North and Professor Blackbird. I’m sure one of them has an answer, but neither of them says anything, making the silence that follows feel like an approaching plague is ablaze.
“Well, it was nice knowing you all,” I declare casually. “My sister can take my place when she hears about my death and comes back from wherever she is to avenge me.”
“You believe your sister would come to avenge you?” Azrael inquires.
“If she didn’t, my ghost would haunt her,” I scoff, making him smirk.
“That confident?”
“Very confident,” I vow.
“Larkin won’t eat you,” Kali announces. “The stab of the trident draws blood, which mixes with his magic and turns into a perfume that proliferates throughout their surroundings, which normally is their nest. By doing that, it leaves a scent upon its master’s body that’s permanent. Anyone within that radius is also deemed safe, so the Notorious Worm wouldn’t feast on its host or anyone carrying the unique scent. It also protects them from future Notorious Worms or any creature within that family tree of fae creatures.”
“What about family, then?” Azrael questions.
“Notorious Worms would never eat another who shares the bloodline of its master. Meaning the family and relatives are safe. The only time that would void if the worm was starved to the point it overrides the imprint due to the master’s neglect and sets out to eat the master as a form of revenge.”
I’m not the only one who cringes.
“Did you study them in particular on purpose?” Blair asks.
“No,” Kali huffs. “I was forced to partake in it as a child.”
None of us say a word as Kali rises from his crossed-legged position.
“By the way, Notorious Worms are always male. Just like how Notorious Caterpillars are always female and are usually in Malevolence,” he declares. “Can we go now?”
“Waiting on Larkin to be done,” Professor Blackbird notes and looks at the creature, who stopped dancing and is snuggled up against Ophira’s medium-sized body.
I didn’t even notice she’d grown in size to accommodate Larkin.
“Seeing as I doubt Larkin will wake up during the remainder of the trials, we’ll teleport him to your room in N.M.U,” the professor announces. “You’ll have the necessities to take care of him, and we will incorporate lessons on training your Notorious Worm into your private curriculum, Miss Guinevere.”
“Appreciated,” I whisper and look at my hand again.
“What about that massive skin?” Hade brings it to our attention. “If you’re saying other fae bring it with them and create armor, wouldn’t Guinevere be offered the same privilege? Despite not being a fae blood, it’s technically her right, yes?”
He may have a point, but one look at the gigantic shell makes me feel like an ant in comparison.
“I don’t think I can drag that back to N.M.U.,” I earnestly admit.
“I’ll handle that,” Professor Blackbird assures me with a rub on my back. I’m not sure he realizes he’s doing it, but the motion brings a bit of comfort. “None of you will need armor until you beginCombat and Survival Roulettein Arc Two, but as Hades mentioned, you did earn the shell in a team effort. So, if all of you survive until that time comes, you’ll be rewarded with such armor, which I’m confident no one else will be blessed with unless your peers go on a Notorious Worm hunt, survive, and can carry a one-hundred-ton shell.”
“Where is everyone?” I’ve been wondering why we’re the only ones left here.
“Are they dead?” Kali questions, looking as though he doesn’t care.
“Every team of students was teleported to spots that were deemed equivalent to the group dynamics’ strength. You can divide into tiers if you will,” Professor North explains. “So, the majority of your peers should be at the edge of the beach.”
“What tier is that?” Blair asks.
“Hmmm.” Professor Blackbird takes a moment to think about it as he stands and offers me his hand. I don’t hesitate to take it, his help much appreciated. “Level One. I don’t think that area is too difficult to overcome. As long as you avoid the water, the majority of the students should be alive.”
