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‘And Sermung killed the strongest one ever?’ Hector asked.

‘That, he did.’ A beat passed, and then Garovel added, ‘Arguably the strongest one ever, that is.’

Hector hesitated with his next question. ‘Is there... like, a similarly strong one that’s still alive?’

‘Not as far as I know,’ said Garovel.

That didn’t sound as conclusive as Hector would’ve liked.

‘If one like that did exist, I have to imagine that either Abolish or the Vanguard would’ve launched a campaign to kill it. But you never know.’

‘Wait, Abolish fights them, too?’

‘Oh yeah. Morgunov and Dozer have both been known to hunt worms.’

‘Why would they bother? Aren’t worms basically doing their job for them?’

‘I can’t pretend to fully understand their motivations, either,’ Garovel admitted. ‘But it’s not so unthinkable that Abolish would want to protect its own interests. Worms don’t exactly pick sides, and you can’t fight a war very well when a giant slime monster is flattening your fortresses and devouring your resources.’

‘I guess that makes sense.’

‘Plus, I bet they want to study them. As far as mad scientists go, Morgunov is right up there at the top. Or so I’ve heard.’

Hector gave a grim frown. ‘You’re just full of comforting thoughts, today.’

‘Also, some worms leave trails of toxic sludge behind, rendering places completely uninhabitable for decades.’

‘Ugh...’

‘Alright, fine, you want comfort? I saw a golem kick the shit out of a worm, once. It was awesome.’

‘Really? You saw it happen? And you’re not lying to me like an asshole?’

‘Yes, really. The golem was protecting a little village. And that same little village went on to become a big center for tourism. The people there took the dried husk of the worm and turned it into a monument. The golem stuck around, too, and kept on protecting everyone there.’

‘That’s amazing.’

‘See? I can offer comfort.’

‘I appreciate it.’