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The attack was immediate

The worms seethed from the dirt, slithered with impossible speed toward Orc’s stone feet and threw theainst his unnatural flesh

Orc stopped He gaped down at the creatures

He turned with creaky slowness back toward Albert and Howard and said, “Kinda tickles”

“Pick a cabbage,” Howard called out encouragingly

Orc bent down and dug his stone fingers into the dirt and scooped up a cabbage He looked at it for a minute, then tossed it toward the truck

Albert opened the door of the truck and bent cautiously doard the cabbage He refused to step down Not yet Not until they were sure

“Howard, I need a stick or so,” Albert said

“What for?”

“I want to poke that cabbage, make sure there’s no worm in it”

In the field the worms continued their assault on the creature whose rock flesh broke their teeth Orc scooped up threeback

The wore of the field they slithered off Orc and retreated into the ground

“Beer me,” Orc demanded

Albert did

He wondered how Sa up kids to work in the field “Not very well, I’d guess,” he muttered to himself