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The rescue attempt was going so well, too well, thought Olivia, but she was willing to group it in with the sheer absurdity of these last few weeks. The animals, the environment, her daily routine, the entire political system, any form of safety or stability gone. Now, she knows it was foolish to think she could celebrate Master Wormcy’s return for even a moment before she would be ripped away from her hands, again.
The former Lady and General had barely taken a few steps with the lime green worm shared between their arms before a massive force sends them tumbling to the floor. Wormcy’s breastplate and pauldrons, along with Yunan’s armor, scrape against the floor and grate on Olivia’s last nerve.
“Leaving so soon? But we have so much to discuss.” The mad king’s voice booms as he steps into the room to formally greet the trio. He launches into some tangent about the great glory of the Empire that goes over Olivia’s head, leaving her dazed and confused until a giant spider-like machine descends from the ceiling with an ear piercing screech along with a strained whirring.
“What the fuck is that?” Wormcy asks.
Instead of an answer, one clawed appendage shoots forward and seizes her entire tiny body, haphazardly depositing her onto a throne of pale, purple coral. Restraints suddenly grip her tail and midsection, leaving her unable to move away from the steel cables connecting to ports on her breastplate. Wormcy yells something from the chair, but it’s like the world has turned to static and all spoken words are unintelligible.
A panel opens on the ceiling, some sort of helmet slowly creeping it’s way towards Wormcy as she flails desperately. She silently pleads to Olivia and Yunan to save her, but they’re both too stunned by what they’re watching and it’s all happening so fast. The helmet clamps down on her head and an agonized doot immediately escapes her snout. Red binary burns pipe cleaner, scorching her fur, searing pain unlike any other into the remnants of her mind. She doesn’t stop until she bonelessly falls over, unconscious, not dead, she can’t be dead.
The shrill screams will haunt Olivia’s dreams and nightmares alike until the day she dies, a day she’s beginning to think will be sooner than she anticipated as she stares slack jawed at Wormcy’s limp body.
“It’s finally time for the Core to lead us to our destiny,” the thunderous footsteps still can’t compare to the echoing screams, can’t make Olivia even look away from the chair, “but what destiny you may ask? Well, I suppose I’ll just let it speak for itself.”
The worm writhes on its throne, attempting to sit up properly to no avail. Several cracks sound like artillery as it jerks out of its restraints and curls up onto its throne. Ten flames glare into the newts before them, matched with a sly grin like this is all some sort of game.
“Why, wello where.” Dormcy politely greets.
Olivia finally lets herself scream.