Night 59: Main Hallway, 1-Center

[train_tracer]

[from here]Just like last night, Vino turned the bend to find that he was first in the main hallway again. He couldn't decide if he preferred it or not. Patience wasn't his favorite virtue, but he supposed he'd have to wait. The two meeting places he would have to be at were right next to each other, right? So that was fine. If he had to wait a

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[ultimagi]

It was a little strange; using this same amount of magic only the night before had left her feeling disoriented and drained. Now it seemed to boil over without end, each blast leaving her no weaker than before. However, now wasn't the time to contemplate this heavily; the monster was still alive, and she still needed to focus to actually use that magic. Her eyes had difficulty adjusting back to darkness after that bright flare; in her ears, she heard Edgar's motion and attacks, the spider's pace like the rapid strike of a war drum, and nearly drowning out all that was the relentless beating of her heart.

It smouldered and bled, but the creature still had its eyes, its limbs, and its hunger. Though it moved more quickly than a human could run, the tight quarters of the hall made this a pale advantage. What it did have was its keen eyesight, and its sticky traps: when it charged, it was instinct that had the girl twisting out of its path-- and predictably into its web.

Her "eek!" was entirely undignified, startling in pitch even to her own ears. The web clung to her back, her upper arms, was cold and sticky and yanked at the hair at the base of her neck. At least she could twist her hands to aim--she gave a breath of relief for that small mercy, resuming the cast. Just a few seconds longer, if the beast didn't rip out her throat, and then--!

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar dodged the other way as the spider came charging at them, taking an overarching swing as it passed- the blade of the shovel hit the ground hard, the impact rattling down the shaft and through his hands. His flashlight fell to the ground, illuminating the eastern end of the corridor, the entrance to the side hallway coming into view in the distance. Terra's cry broke his concentration momentarily, drawing his attention to her. In the dim illumination, he could see she was trapped in the webbing, much like his shovel had been only seconds before. He bit back his instinct to run to her, knowing that would only give the creature the opportunity to hit them both at once.

The spider they'd injured had passed them, but turned quickly as it realized it had an easy target. Its hulking mass scooted just out of the range of the light as it prepared for a second charge. He heard the clacking of the legs crawl onto the walls before them- or was that behind them? He couldn't risk turning to look, not when their obvious threat was waiting to attack. He took another blind strike at the darkness, hearing the sounds of movement as the monstrosity distanced itself again.

Two steps backward- Edgar was sure he'd heard something behind him that time, somewhere farther down the passage. He put his back to the wall, standing near Terra, watching both directions as tension mounted him. That bubbling in his chest stirred again; stronger now, it burned through him, fueled by the fight. He adjusted his weapon in his hands, the necessary words coming to him uncalled.

[ultimagi]

"Fire!"

Once more flame burst to life in the dim hallway, erupting below the creature like landmines, burning its legs, its abdomen, its cephalothorax; the chain raced up the creature until the bright orange fire caught the spider's mandible and eyes, burning through its sensitive hairs and muscles. Already wounded from Edgars's numerous blows, it had little chance to scurry free of this new attack. It fell; though not yet dead, the damage to its legs and muscles proved too much for it to carry its own massive weight. The spider tested the strength of its numerous limbs, trying to pull itself back up, but it was no use.

Still stuck in the web, the girl exhaled a shaky breath, pulling once more at her trapped arms. With incredible speed, this was going from frightening and gross to simply irritating.

[girlsandgadgets]

The spider writhed and fell before them, its legs buckling under the weight of its immense body, its strength no longer enough to lift it from the ground. It continued to twist and move with an inhuman hissing. but it was apparent it could no longer stand. It may not have been able to attack, but that didn't mean it was completely harmless; however, it quickly became the less pressing threat as the sound from the other end of the hallway resumed.

Edgar turned, listening, his hand balling into a fist. In the beam of his flashlight, for only a second, appeared another slender leg; it was silhouetted as it crossed the light, disappearing into the darkness as soon as it made its presence known. Edgar cursed under his breath- two of them? One of the monstrous creatures had been bad enough, and a shock to find in the main corridor, which was usually devoid of trouble. Given the chaos they had already passed, he decided he shouldn't have been so alarmed. There was still the lingering question of what was causing the creatures to show up in such numbers, and what was happening with the institute at large in regard to the announcements.

There was a pause as Edgar watched the beam of the flashlight on the floor, looking for any movement in the area around it- as before, the creature had seemingly disappeared. It was biding its time. Without moving his eyes, he took a step toward Terra- his movement was met with reaction, the spider charging at them as its brethren had only moments before. He stood his ground as the creature approached, the click clicking of spindly legs on the hard floor growing louder and more furious.

He reacted unthinkingly as it neared him: his hand shot before him with his cry, calling the spell by name as a wave of flame erupted only a short distance from his feet, its crest touching the ceiling as it rose ever higher. The spider backed away, but wasn't quick enough as the flame sliced downward, burning him through to his core. As the webs around them caught fire, the hallway was illuminated, the creature's retreat visible.

Edgar watched as it skittered away, silently thankful as he put a hand on his chest and attempted to recompose himself. That fire that welled itself in his veins had been stoked again; he felt if he didn't let it out that his heart might burst. After a few swallowed breaths and a quick look toward the downed spider, he turned to his companion, tearing at the webs that bound her with the blade of his shovel, trying to free her as quickly as possible.

[ultimagi]

Finally: the answer. It lit up inside her with the same sort of intensity as the bright flare against her eyes. He'd struck her as different from the other few patients she'd met in this institute, and on some level he had struck some resonance with her -- she who could recall no past, no friends, no family. This, she thought, must have been what she had known all along but could not name.

As Edgar cleaved through what remained of the burned, disintegrating webbing, the girl had stilled in her struggling against the binding, her mind racing. He and Locke both knew about her magic, and told similar stories as to how her power had been used in their world. Her body sagged momentarily when Edgar finally cut her free, but aside from a staggered moment of lost balance, the girl paid it no mind. Her arms sank to her sides, but her eyes were wide, searching Edgar's face in the returning dark.

If he was the same as her, why hadn't he said anything? Why did he keep insisting she needed to discover in time what reverberated so strongly within her, if the answer were so simple as this? What did he gain from leaving her to flounder with confusion over a little spark of fire?

How much weren't they telling her?

[girlsandgadgets]

Ready to move as Terra fell from her webbed bindings, Edgar turned once more, looking down both ends of the corridor for the wounded creatures. The one that had disappeared into the darkness near the eastern end of the passage remained there, the sounds of its skittering away having ceased; the other was still writhing, its feeble attempts to stand met with no success. He headed for that one first, taking the blade of his shovel and stabbing it through the spider's eyes again and again. After a few more hisses, the monster stopped moving, its many legs falling limply by its sides.

Shaking some of the blood from his sleeves, Edgar turned to wait for its brethren to come back. His eyes landed on Terra, who was neither trying to remove the webs still entangled in her hair, nor preparing to attack the creature upon its return; she was simply standing there, striking him with a look he couldn't quite decipher. He listened, trying to ignore her eyes on him. His breath was still heavier than he would have liked and made his efforts mostly for naught; sweat trailed from his temple from the heat burning within him.

Nothing came at them from the darkness. Edgar gave Terra another glance, her eyes still boring into him. She didn't look like she was hurt, so what was it? It briefly crossed his mind that his magic may have triggered something within her, but he was unsure of how to approach it.

To other things, then. He swallowed harshly, finding his voice. "While I'd like to be optimistic and think it's gone, we should go see for ourselves. It'd be unfortunate if it came across another patient in its irritated state, especially if they weren't as capable of defending themselves as we are."

[ultimagi]

And not a word about his power, either. She frowned, looking away from Edgar, down the hall where the supposed second creature might be lurking. Occupied with the first, the girl hadn't noticed sight or sound of a second creature, but it seemed likely to exist. There'd been two birds the night before, when she and another traveled together. She couldn't help but wonder if these things, like the others, were targeting her specifically.

Though, if Edgar were the same as her, wouldn't he be equal in their sights as well? She didn't know, and couldn't. Everything was still so confusing and uncertain...

She pulled at the webbing stuck to her clothing, peeling at her neck and tugging out weak strands of hair. "... Then let's go," said the girl, the tilt of her head and the roll of her slight shoulders indicating the beast's retreated path.

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar caught the frown that appeared on Terra's face as she turned away from him. Though she hid it well enough, he knew there was something unsaid between them, a lingering question that needed answering. He paused, gripping the shovel with both hands; the breath he pulled through him stifled the fire in his chest for only a moment. That energy he recognized as magic still channeled through him, ready to react should he call upon it again.

It seemed for the moment they were safe, relatively speaking; however, Edgar wasn't ready to drop his guard yet. They'd seen numerous corpses on the way, but nothing that size- to find two large spiders setting webbing traps for them was unnerving. Had they simply been unfortunate? Or were the more sizable creatures drawn to those who were capable of protecting themselves?

He pushed another breath through him- that was idealistic thinking, he reasoned. It was likely they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was a minor blessing it had been them who stumbled upon the creatures rather than someone else.

Following Terra for a few steps, Edgar finally broke the silence again: "What was that look for? The one you gave me just a moment ago?"

[ultimagi]

She didn't stop walking at the sound of his voice, but the girl did glance over her shoulder. "What look?" she asked, a note of ignorance to her voice and painted in her expression.

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar's brow knitted together, a stern look coloring his own features. He slowed his pace. "When freed from the webs. You simply stood there, staring. You didn't turn until I addressed you."

[ultimagi]

She mirrored him in parts, in a twist in her expression and the speed of her stride. But where Edgar's features and emotions had a confident force supporting them she had none of those things; confusion, uncertainty, and hesitance gave her all the rigid structure of a spring reed on a windy day. "I was thinking," she replied, her eyes sliding away from his face.

[girlsandgadgets]

His feet slowed again, finally coming to a stop as he watched her turn back to the darkened corridor ahead. "Thinking? Seems like an odd time to do that."

[ultimagi]

Her footsteps stilled only a moment after his did, her turn sleight, appearing caught halfway between Edgar's attention and their hypothetical foe.

"Why?"

[girlsandgadgets]

Though his eyes were trained on her, Edgar kept a watch over her shoulder, should the wounded spider return. It seemed like it might avoid another confrontation if it hadn't taken its chance yet; however, as this was one of the monsters of the institute, he wasn't willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. They had proven themselves a danger enough.

His attention flicked behind her for only a minute before returning. "With creatures attacking us on both sides? Stopping simply to think isn't exactly wise."

[ultimagi]

Once again she frowned, looking away. "It's all I have. Knowing what's wise or isn't, or odd, or normal... I don't have that luxury."

[girlsandgadgets]

"You have your instincts," Edgar said, taking a slow step toward her, followed by another. There was a degree of genuine confusion in his tone. "You know how to fight- you did just now."