ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 606: The Burrowmaw
A Burrowmaw is a colossal subterranean predator, a creature that spends nearly its entire existence beneath layers of soil, stone, and tangled root systems, rarely exposing itself to the surface unless it is feeding or defending its territory.
Built for life underground, a Burrowmaw possesses a long, heavily muscled body reinforced with dense bone plating along its spine and flanks, allowing it to force its way through compact earth with terrifying ease. Its limbs are short but immensely powerful, tipped with thick, shovel-like claws capable of tearing through packed soil, clay, and even fractured stone. Every movement it makes beneath the ground is deliberate and efficient, conserving energy while allowing it to travel vast distances without ever being seen.
The most defining feature of a Burrowmaw, however, is its maw. Broad and wedge-shaped, its mouth can split open both vertically and horizontally, creating an unnatural opening lined with multiple rows of backward-curving teeth. These teeth are not meant to slice cleanly, but to hook, drag, and crush, ensuring that once prey is caught, escape is nearly impossible. A Burrowmaw does not chase in the traditional sense; it ambushes, erupting from below with explosive force and ending encounters in seconds.
In terms of behavior, Burrowmaws are highly territorial and fiercely solitary. They rely heavily on vibrations traveling through the ground, using them as their primary means of detecting movement, size, and distance. Footsteps, shifting weight, even hurried breathing can be enough to alert one to nearby prey. Because of this, they are most active in dense forests, plains, and regions with soft or layered terrain where surface movement is constant and easy to exploit.
Despite their size and aggression, Burrowmaws are not mindless beasts. They possess a predatory intelligence that allows them to distinguish between prey worth pursuing and threats best avoided. If an ambush fails, a Burrowmaw will often retreat underground rather than recklessly continue the attack, choosing patience over risk.
***
After missing Liam, the Burrowmaw did not linger even for a heartbeat. With a heavy, grinding motion, it dragged itself back beneath the surface, its massive form disappearing into the earth as if it had never been there at all. The ground quaked in its wake, a low tremor rippling outward and forcing Liam and the others to steady themselves as the forest floor shuddered beneath their feet.
’Dammit,’ Liam cursed inwardly. ’I knew it would retreat underground, but I didn’t expect it to be that fast.’
Even with Edith’s sharp reflexes and immediate reaction, she hadn’t come close to reaching the creature before it vanished back into the soil.
"Things are really going to get troublesome," Liam muttered under his breath. His gaze shifted briefly to Lily, Linda, and Yuriel, his expression hardening. "Especially with how they’re looking."
"Th–That was a... Burrowmaw... wasn’t it?" Linda whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched onto Lily. Both girls pressed close to one another, fear clearly etched into their wide eyes and rigid postures.
"Be quiet," Edith said at once, her voice low but sharp. "Yes, it was a Burrowmaw, and if you know that much, then you should also know that it moves based on vibrations. That means the louder and messier we are, the faster it will come back." Her eyes flicked between the two girls, intense and unwavering. "So pull yourselves together and keep your voices as low as possible."
The girls froze, their bodies still shaking, tears threatening to spill over as fear took hold of them. Even so, they forced themselves to listen, swallowing their panic as they struggled to remain quiet and limit their movements as much as they could.
Seeing that they had calmed down, at least slightly, Edith turned her attention to Yuriel. The noble boy tried to maintain a composed expression, but it was painfully obvious that he was failing. His grip on his sword was tight, yet his hands trembled, the blade wobbling ever so slightly.
’Tch,’ Edith clicked her tongue internally. ’Looks like I put too much faith in him. Even with an earth affinity, he didn’t sense the Burrowmaw until Liam warned us.’ She watched him for a moment longer before shaking the thought away. ’It doesn’t matter right now. Blaming him won’t fix anything. As their leader, I need to find a way out of this.’
While Edith focused on solutions, Liam observed them all from where he stood, his mind already moving several steps ahead. He considered the possibility of killing the Burrowmaw himself, a miniature sun forming briefly in his thoughts.
Even with the fifty percent myst output restriction in place, Liam knew his fire magic wasn’t nearly as constrained as his dark magic. Fire was the affinity he had trained with the longest, the one he had relied on most in battle. Because of that, he knew exactly how much damage he could inflict with a condensed sun, even when limited to half his usual output.
’Still,’ he thought, ’it won’t be easy with how fast that thing is.’
The Burrowmaw’s retraction speed was terrifying, and the odds of missing were high. But if it lingered for even half a second longer than before, killing it would not be a problem.
Liam slowly scanned the area, focusing on the faintest vibrations beneath the ground. ’I have to make sure I kill it on the first chance, he reminded himself. If I miss, it won’t fall for the same trick twice.
’The plan has to be decisive.’
As he refined his thoughts, he suddenly felt the vibrations intensify beneath his feet.
’It’s coming up again. But why? No one is moving—’
His thoughts cut off abruptly as his eyes snapped toward Lily and Linda. Despite their efforts, their bodies were still trembling, the small, involuntary movements sending faint vibrations through the ground.
"Edith, it’s going to come up there," Liam shouted.
Edith reacted instantly. Enhancement magic surged through her body as she launched herself forward, crossing the distance in a blur. She grabbed both girls and yanked them out of the way just as the ground beneath them shifted. The three of them crashed hard onto the forest floor, skidding several meters before slamming to a stop near the base of a tree.
Almost immediately, the spot where Lily and Linda had been moments earlier bulged upward, the earth rising as if something massive were about to burst through. Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
Liam narrowed his eyes, confusion flickering through his mind. He was certain the Burrowmaw had been about to erupt from beneath the girls, yet it never broke the surface. Instead, it retreated once more without revealing itself at all.
’Is this thing smart enough to fake charges?’ Liam wondered, his expression darkening. ’Trying to scare us, make us move, and then catch us off guard for an easier kill?’
’If that’s the case,’ he thought slowly, ’then baiting it might be more possible than I originally believed.’
While the others were still visibly shaken by the sudden chaos that had erupted moments earlier, Liam’s voice slipped quietly into their minds as he activated the Whisper spell, ensuring his words reached them directly without producing the slightest vibration in the air.
The instant they heard him—Edith most of all—they realized just how rattled they had been when the Burrowmaw appeared, so panicked that they had completely forgotten about the existence of the Whisper spell altogether.
"I need all of you to listen carefully," Liam said in a calm, steady tone. "I have a plan to take the Burrowmaw down, but I’ll need every one of you to play your part." His gaze shifted toward Lily and Linda, his crimson eyes settling on them. "That includes the two of you as well."
The girls’ eyes widened slightly, unease flickering across their faces. It was obvious they wanted no part in whatever Liam was about to suggest. Before they could respond through Whisper themselves, Edith cut in.
"Go on," she said evenly, her tone leaving no room for hesitation.
Liam didn’t waste a second. He laid out the plan he had pieced together only moments earlier, explaining each step with precision and clarity. By the time he finished, silence followed, broken only by the subtle sounds of the forest around them. Each of them reacted differently, expressions ranging from thoughtful to outright fearful.
"It seems solid," Edith said after considering it for a moment. "Let’s go through with it."
"No," Lily interrupted immediately, her voice tense even through Whisper. "I don’t want to be part of this plan. It’s far too dangerous."
"She’s right," Linda added quickly. "And what if it doesn’t work? What if one of us gets caught by that thing?"
"I won’t allow that to happen," Liam replied without hesitation, his tone firm and unwavering. The certainty in his voice made both girls falter, surprise flashing across their faces.
"Look," Liam continued calmly, "I understand that you’re afraid, and you have every right to be. Things can go wrong out here." His gaze remained fixed on them, unblinking. "But I can promise you that nothing will happen to either of you, because I’ll make sure of it. If you still don’t trust me and choose not to participate, that’s your decision. Just remember this—while this may be a group trial, it’s still an individual evaluation in the end. Think carefully about what that means before you decide."
As his words settled over them through the Whisper spell, the girls fell silent. A brief moment passed as they weighed his warning, fear warring with logic. Finally, Lily lifted her head and looked back at Liam, her eyes hardening with resolve.
"You’d better keep your word," she said. "We’ll do it."
"Good," Liam answered simply.
"I’ll take part as well," Yuriel added, his voice far steadier than it had been earlier, the panic from before mostly gone.
Liam studied him for a moment before shifting his attention back to the group as a whole. "Alright then," he said calmly. "Let’s hurry this up and continue our journey."
