Hector and Diana sprinted from the infected building, their footsteps first squelching on the white growth then echoing through the narrow, debris-strewn streets. Their hearts raced, but fortunately they didn't encounter any monsters on the way. As they reached the building that Hector had spotted earlier, they quickly started to look for good points to place the runes.
Diana pointed to a large support beam, weakened by age and the infestation. "Over there, that beam looks like it could bring the whole place down if we target it."
Hector nodded in agreement, scanning the area for additional vulnerabilities. "And that wall, it's already crumbling. We should put a rune there too."
“I’ll cast the runes onto flat stones, stick them where you can! It will do more damage than casting the runes onto the pillars themselves!” Diana said, already casting her spell.
The two of them worked together swiftly, with Diana preparing what Hector thought of as demolition charges, while Hector ran around putting them into any walls that looked like they were actually supporting the dilapidated building.
Hector felt the pressure of time, and it was killing him; they didn’t know how much of it they had. There was no way to synchronize with Frank, or to know when he would try to bait the swarm. Hopefully they could hear the Dazzling Rune explode to give them some warning. With the weird acoustics, sound tended to carry far in the city.
They kept placing the charges. Hector thought the plan had so many holes. What if Frank couldn’t bait the swarm, he would have to choose between leaving Mia alone or trying to save her without any help. What if he did manage to lure them and they caught him, they could be tearing him and Mia apart right now. Not knowing was excruciating, but the only thing he could do was to prepare the trap as best as they could and hope for Frank to not fail.
Then he heard the distant thump that he recognized as the Dazzle rune Diana gave Frank.
“Hide nearby! Save mana! Frank had triggered the rune!”He shouted to Diana. He placed one last rune in the middle pillar. Once the runes were in place, they retreated a safe distance and watched for the approaching horde of centipedes. They didn't have to wait long, soon they could see Frank turning the corner, sliding a bit and sprinting forward. A couple of seconds behind him a damn wall of legs, claws, teeth and armor gave chase, and it was gaining on him in the open street.
Hector held his breath, and the weight of their risky plan settled over him like a suffocating shroud. He saw that Frank was hurt, his left arm bleeding, the chase was closer than he thought. All they could do now was hope that Frank could lead the swarm into the trap they had set and that they would time the explosions to crush the Abominations and not his friend.
Hector saw that Frank lunged above a pile of rubble gaining a couple of yards on the monsters chasing him. Then a purple glow shone right behind the obstacle, right after the rogue cleared it.
The slowing rune that Diana cast was spread over a large area so the effect wasn't that strong but it was strong enough to trip some centipedes, creating a blockage and giving Frank some extra distance.
“Good job,” Hector whispered to Diana. He was glad that she didn’t try to abandon Frank for a second time. Maybe she could rebuild his trust in time. He turned his attention to the building the set as their trap as Frank was about to run by it. From their hiding spot he could see the main pillar through a collapsed wall.
As Frank dashed closer to the building, the swarm of centipedes struggled against the effects of the slowing rune. Some stumbled, falling over one another, while others were more agile, leaping over the hindered mass to continue their pursuit.
Hector’s focus remained fixed on the situation. He watched Frank's progress; he had made a choice to trust Frank, to not screw up, and Diana, to not try anything. For now, that trust was paying off.
Hector and Diana moved closer to the building as Frank neared it, the tension building with each passing moment. Frank was almost there, the centipedes about a hundred feet behind him. The building creaked ominously, its structure hanging by a thread.
Suddenly one of the centipedes crashed through a wall, it was just behind Frank.
"Diana, now!" Hector shouted, gesturing toward the runes they had set onto the building's weaknesses. He didn’t really know if it was the right time, not really, he went by his gut. He was betting his soul on it, if his decision resulted in Frank’s death he could never forgive himself. But he knew if he waited any longer that Abomination would capture his friend.
The air was split by a cacophonous chain of magical explosions. The building shuddered, then groaned under its own weight. Forces big enough to squash them a hundred times over shifted. Cracks run along the face of the building. Sections of the facade disintegrated into a cascade of debris and dust. Large pieces of wall started raining down one by one. Hector saw one of the pieces fall really close to Frank, but a cloud of dust obstructed his view.
Then came the avalanche of destruction, tearing the structure apart, as runes triggered one after another, like a wildfire consuming dry brush.
The centipedes at the front of the swarm had no chance; they were engulfed in the maelstrom of stone debris.
In the chaos, a cloud of choking dust billowed out from the disintegrating building. It smothered the street, turning the area into a haze of confusion.
Hector’s heart plummeted as he stared into the settling dust, the horrific possibility that their plan might have backfired in the most tragic way was crushing his very soul. It was the most excruciating moment of his life, as he just sat there wondering if he had triggered the trap too quickly, if he had unwittingly sacrificed Frank to save Mia. Worry gnawed at his insides, a suffocating sensation that left him gasping.
"C'mon, Frank! Frank!" he called out desperately, every moment he couldn’t see his friend tightening the grip on his heart. He started to stand up but Diana held him in place.
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“Wait! We don't know if there are any centipedes left!” Diana looked just as concerned as him, but she held him firm. Hector was in too much confusion to really resist.
Then, through the murk, a shadow took form. It was Frank, battered and choked, but very much alive. He stumbled out of the haze, covered in dust, he ran a bit forward and then collapsed onto his knees. He was in one piece!
Hector's relief washed over him like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm his senses. He'd been holding his breath, both figuratively and literally, as he desperately scanned the haze for any sign of his friend. Now he could finally breathe again
"I was worried he might've... well..." Diana stumbled with her words.
Hector just hugged her “Doesn’t matter! He's alive and well!” He could barely stop himself from dancing from happiness.
As the debris settled, Hector and Diana could see the scope of the devastation. A considerable section of the street was blocked by fallen rubble, a barrier of shattered bricks and beams. Frank seemed safe even if some of the monsters survived. However most of the building was still standing.
With relief, they realized that the centipede swarm that had pursued Frank was nowhere to be seen, probably obliterated by the partial collapse. Hector glanced at the main pillar visible from their hiding spot, it was even more cracked than before but it held against Diana’s explosive rune.
Then everything happened all at once.
First Hector noticed Mia limping on the street, she must have slowly followed after the swarm. Maybe she guessed at their plan? Mia being alive was good and he started to feel his spirits rise.
“Fuck! Look at the rubble!” Diana hissed as she hid behind the cover of rubble.
Hector looked around confused. Frank was ok, he was coughing from the dust but was safe. He had a clear street in front of him and a barrier of rubble at his back. Then Hector looked at Mia. Some of the Abominations survived their trap and were visible under the building that they didn't manage to bring down entirely. With the route to Frank blocked they felt the blood on Mia again. If they didn’t do something she would have monsters on her in about half a minute.
Hector needed to act fast and act now. He didn’t think twice, he grabbed a flat stone from the pile they were hiding behind.
“Diana cast the Explosive Rune on this! No time to Explain! Detonate it when you hear my signal!” Hector shouted, even though she was right next to him. What followed were the longest five seconds of his life. He couldn't do anything before DIana finished casting her spell.
“Mia RUN!” Hector shouted as he sprang from their temporary hideout “Frank go around and help Mia!” He kept shouting orders hoping that they could hear him and that they would follow his instructions.
He rushed towards the main pillar through the hole in the wall. Hector slammed the explosive rune into the biggest crack in the column, not thinking about the fact that he could damage the rune. Haste the only thing on his mind.
Then without a second though he covered the crack with his shield on his left arm, used Brace and shouted.
“DIANA! NOW!”
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Frank ran like his life depended on it, because it literally did. The swarm was following him, he never thought he would hope for more monsters to chase him, but this time he did. If some were left behind Mia would still be trapped. He turned the corner and saw the crumbling building they were supposed to trap.
His lungs and legs burned but there was not a single thought of slowing down in his mind. “Running from certain and painfull death, the latest fucking fitness trend” He thought to himself. “You will never want to stop!”
He erupted with a short laugh he really didn’t have the air for. This was the last sprint, he just had to hope Hector and Diana would get the trap timing right. Then a single centipede appeared running through the wall to his side, and even as it skidded to change the direction of its charge it struck at the rogue. Frank managed to duck under its outstretched front claws but it was right on his heels.
He pushed his legs even harder and ran under the building. For a brief moment he willed Diana to start the trap or he’d just exit on the other side with the centipede still on his heels. Then he heard the chain explosions. He glanced up and saw the whole building leaning forward as if to swallow him, large pieces of wall started falling down, and one was heading straight for him. Frank lunged forward and started to roll just as a huge cloud of dust covered him, he thought he could hear the squash of a centipede under a couple of tons of stone.
“Playing Jenga with centipedes and I'm winning” The whole situation was so bizarre he just couldn't stop with the jokes. It was hard to accept that his life now consisted of running away and killing nightmare horrors. Not to mention collapsing buildings on them.
“Ah right, the building.” He never even slowed down but was running blindly forward the dust cloud too dense to see. He just hoped nothing fell on his head.
Then just like that he exited the cloud and was greeted by the weak ambient light of the city. It looked like the trap worked. There were no centipedes right behind him and he was still in one piece. He ran a bit further and slowed down to a walk then put his hands on his knees.
Well mostly intact. There was a gash on his forearm that he forgot about when he was running but now it hurt. Actually the pain was enough that Frank felt dizzy, blood loss probably had its say in that too. He noticed that he also had a cut on his forehead and that blood was dripping down his face.
“Well at least that scar is going to be a killer with the ladies” Frank dropped to his knees, laughing with a crazy edge. His hands shook as the reality of the situation sunk in. His hands shook and he just laughed harder, seeking escape in madness. The sheer magnitude of his survival and relief threatened to overwhelm him. What broke him out of his euphoria was Hector's shout to save Mia.
It took him a moment to process it, at first it just confused him. Wasn’t Mia at the infested building? Sure they had to get there fast but something in Hector's voice told him it was far more immediate.
While he was standing up he heard the warrior shout something again and a muffled explosion combined with a cry of pain followed. What the fuck was going on!? Frank took a step towards the half collapsed building. It was currently leaning on the facades of the buildings on the other side of the street. He heard something snap at that moment and watched in awe as the building fell down all the way. If he thought the last dust cloud was bad it was just because he didn’t see this one.
He quickly dodged into a nearby door frame and rushed through the rooms as fast as he could. If Hector was shouting for him to find a way around and they were bringing the whole building down there was no time for thinking, he would have to trust his friend.
With the choking dust cloud trailing behind him, Frank rushed deeper into the crumbling building. His heart raced, matching the chaotic rhythm of his footsteps. The unstable interior groaned and creaked as he zigzagged through the decaying hallways, desperately searching for an opening that would lead him back to the other side. Time was running out, he didn't know why but he could feel it in his bones.