The Grand Battle [Game Over!]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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There was a flurry of activity around the hospital. To Alcarith, it seemed as if every ambulance was being rushed into service - not unlikely, considering the damage that had been done before the police arrived.

The panic was such that, it seemed, doctors were being sent out with the paramedics. They had no idea of the number of victims or how many were surviving, and were preparing for the worst. They were too busy to look up and see the dragon flying near the hospital, looking through the crowd for someone.

After a few minutes, the ambulances took off. One doctor, however, was left by herself. "Not enough room," she sighed. "I guess I can start walking..."

Alcarith landed in front of her.

"I can give you a ride."

***

Eximo extended more arms than it ever had before, desperate to fend off Lutherion's assault. At least twenty skeletal limbs were out, fighting desperately. It was of little use; about half simply got caught in the web, and the bone javelins were as aggressive as ever.

Eximo grabbed three javelins with three free hands, and slashed at the web with knives in two others. The knives simply got caught. Then it tried to hit the web with the javelins, but the bones of the web instintively retreated from them - and the javelins were still trying to move on their one.

Eximo's analysis worked faster than it ever had before - faster than the machine had ever realized it could think. Lutherion was controlling the web, and the javelins. Lutherion was preventing the javelins from touching the web.

And Eximo had about a dozen arm caught in the web.

It began struggling mightily with the trapped limbs, moving them to intercept the incoming javelins. The javelins flew away to avoid impact with the web; it seemed Eximo had found a viable strategy for survival, at least for the moment.

Amethyst watched the vacuum cleaner's display from her section of the web. She was surprised by this sudden display of intelligence, or at least faster thinking; Eximo had always thought slowly before, and it seemed unlikely this was a pre-programmed response, given the unusual nature of the situation. Was this somehow linked to the oddity in its memories Eximo had told her about? Or perhaps the desperate nature of the situation had forced it to think faster?

She stopped herself. Curious as this behavior was, the more pressing question was how to deal with Lutherion. If Eximo seemed too troublesome, he might turn on her next - or worse, Aeon or Nathan. Linked as they were at the moment, killing one might render the other completely mindless...