What Is the City But the People

[Athena Myaló]

Sentient creature. That still left a lot unknown. It was strange that the robot hadn't been more effectively briefed for his mission. She was still a little uneasy about this whole thing, especially since the machine had approached without her detection.

"You are prime? Have you been in this strange world long?"

"I am a Prime, yes," she said, still mulling over this quick change of subject. The robots she had encountered rarely tended to be the smoothest conversationalists. There was another motive here somewhere, even if it was just to gather more knowledge. There was a chance, after all, that this whole situation was a ruse, and the mechanical creature was trying to distract her while his constituents set up an ambush from behind. Always slightly paranoid, she focused her attention quickly on scanning the area around her... and she found them. Thirteen small beings, approaching quietly from the ceiling behind her. Whether they were working with this robot or against him, she knew it would be best to act casual and stay alert until they made the first move. She continued speaking as if nothing were out of the ordinary (or, rather, further out of the ordinary than she had already encountered): "Not long, only a few hours or so, by my estimation. 'Strange world?' So are you a Prime as well?" The movement of the creatures behind her had stopped. She tensed very slightly. "I had assumed you were an employee of the Empire, given your somewhat similar appearance to the armor of the local guard, but -"

"Eeeelectro Web!"

Athena dove forwards, behind the robot whom she had been conversing with, and tried to stifle a derisive scoff. Her biggest worry had been that her reflexes wouldn't act fast enough once she knew the attack was going to come, but then the conductor of the ambush had the foolishness to verbally announce the first strike? Even as she was still moving, she reached with her right arm behind her cloak and pulled Crescent Gold out, pulling the trigger to extend it to its full shape. She turned in order to make a snap decision. If the robot was now facing her in alliance with these other scuttling monsters, she would run.

Thankfully, she saw that the mechanical being had instead equipped a spinning shield to deflect the attack. She stabilized her scythe and began pulling the firing mechanism, tilting the weapon towards the ceiling. What she saw there were large... caterpillars. Large, talking caterpillars. She took a moment to adjust her reality to the reality of the situation.

"It would seem the infestation has found us."

So this was the infestation, then. Not surprising. Perhaps these were a variety of those "Digimon" creatures.

She continued shooting, but it wasn't doing all that much good. She hit her targets a couple of times, but without enough damage to kill any of them. Mostly, all she had accomplished was putting a few dents in the panels of the digital ceiling.

"We need to lure them down."

Not as simple as it sounded. These things, from what little she knew about caterpillars, could walk as easily upside-down as on the ground. Furthermore, their ranged attacks were as good as hers - neither side was having much effect, but she was sure the larvae could surmise that coming to the ground would disadvantage them. Assuming their intelligence isn't too subpar, that is. But how could she get them down by force without actually hitting them? She no longer had her mind control abilities, that she knew. The only way she could reach them was with Crescent Gold.

But what if I don't have to hit them? She had noticed the creatures clinging to the ceiling, especially to the cracks in it. Cracks in the ceiling. Which were slowly, gradually widening as she repeatedly barraged them with gunfire. As much as she didn't want the ceiling to collapse... it may happen soon enough if the two sides continued this way.