Page 81 of The Only Way Out Is Up

I have to reverse direction, too; ridiculously, I’m now chasing the multi-ton monster, which flees from me like I just said boo. I can’t afford to let it get too far away, or my own noisemaker might not be enough to get it to abandon its prey.

[Assessment: it is closing on Ky], Star sends from his perch on the monster. [Thirty seconds before she is ground to fine meat-paste.]

I count under my breath, pulling out another BLAST. Can’t cut it too fine—

Activating.

The brief delay gives me a heart-stopping moment of worry that the weapon is defective. Then it snarls its horrible discord, echoing and re-echoing down the narrow tunnels. My ears are starting to hurt, earmuffs or no.

Did it stop?

[Progress: yes. And I was not thrown off this time. Ky appears to have escaped.]

It’s all for nothing if you don’t plant the weapons. Keep working!

[Offense: I am capable of performing two tasks at once, you know. Three planted.]

The walls are shaking again. Rotwurm is coming back my way.

[Impressed: Ky pursues the enemy with vigor.]

She’d better. We need at least one more cycle to give Star enough time to get all the way to the head. I start running again as soon as Rotwurm comes into sight.

This is what I mean about the Twisted being stupid. A human—even an animal—would quickly figure out that someone is playing games with them. But Rotwurm isn’t, either. It isn’t a real thing at all, just a bag of murderous impulses and a crude network that responds to stimuli. Give it the same stimulus and it responds the same way each time.

Of course, the timing has to be right. My chest is tight and stitches tear at my sides as I run. If Ky is too slow activating her next BLAST, this can all still go very wrong—

I feel the distant thump of the weapon, but the Twisted doesn’t stop. The whirling, shredding mass of limbs is only a few meters back.

Fuuuuck me.

Star!

[Difficulty: Ky set off her BLAST as instructed. Rotwurm has not halted.]

Yes, I can see that. Why not?

[Hypothesis: repeated detonations have damaged its aural sensors. I have noticed significant degradation in my own.]

Shit. Apparently runic sensors aren’t as immune to the sonic weapons as I’d originally hoped; we’d deafened the fucking thing. I throw myself around a tight turn, and Rotwurm slows a moment to follow, legs rippling along its length.

[Report: fourth weapon planted. That pause allowed Ky to approach closer.]

She’s still chasing it?

[Analysis: I believe she is trying to find another way to distract it.]

Shit shit shit. I tumble down a short slope, bladed limbs clanging off the wall just above me. We’re nearly finished—

[Report: final weapon planted. Ky attempts to engage with her sword.]

That’s the craziest fucking thing I’ve ever—

Rotwurm stops again, and I skid to a halt a few meters ahead of it.

[Update: Ky has severed a number of limbs from its rear head. If one can be said to be the rear—]

Get to her! We need to get clear!