[color=1055E5][Damon][/color] Four more roombas zoom over to each individual in the room, entering from random vents in the walls. They pause at a respectful distance, cleaning up bits of sword hilt nearby. Already, he can imagine it, every last one of them lying in a gruesome fucking pile, butchered by whatever the flying fuck those claws do. He'd be the last one to die, having to watch everyone go down before him for having failed to pick an item that wasn't a legendary pile of shit. Stupid, so fucking stupid, is was such an obvious trap, god fucking dammit. Why does he have to destroy everything he touches? Damon can't help but stop and wonder when it'll finally happen. When the proverbial looming sword of Damocles will come crashing down, throwing the dark curtain over their saccharine excursion. Kayden's acting so suspiciously benign. When will he strike? When the roomba is away? How could this situation be turned around? Escaping now would be simple enough, but all of his friends might die as a result, and that's not the kind of outcome that can be considered acceptable. He could try provoking the roomba, but that's more likely to just draw its ire to himself. Finally, there's the prospect of attacking Kayden first, but if that became the only reason he decided to attack, everyone's deaths would all be Damon’s fault. Damon spends a good minute or two lying down after being blasted away, staring blankly at the ceiling and trying to find ways to circumvent elaborate problems which may or may not exist. His gratuitous internal turmoil is interrupted by the surely well-meaning concern of the only adult in the room. Kayden peers down at Damon, trying to make out signs of life. It takes longer than one would expect, but eventually he blinks, indicating that, yes, he is still alive. Concerned adult and sole guardian of these four kids, Kayden is looks relieved. He opens his mouth, pauses, then tries again. [color=#BADA55]“...Why aren’t you getting up?”[/color] Belatedly, he offers Damon his hand. Damon continues to be comatose for another five uninterrupted seconds of pure awkwardness before he takes Kayden’s hand and gets up. [color=1055E5]”Thanks, I appreciate the gesture.”[/color] Damon doesn’t answer Kayden’s question at all, instead dusting himself off as he weighs the possibility of the roomba just being fucking broken to begin with. Shrugging off the immense amount of disinterest he had garnered, Kayden attempts communication once more. [color=#BADA55]“You should pick a different Soul Tech--the web and glove looked fairly promising.”[/color] Yeah, that’s definitely not suspicious. God fucking dammit, those would have been his other choices, whatever will he do now? [color=#1055E5]”Yeah, you’re right.”[/color] Like walking into a trap on purpose, Damon tries to think of ways to, at the very least, batman gambit this son of a bitch. He then comes to the conclusion that this is fucking stupid, and that such an ultimatum would be better off resigned to when he actually has a Soul Tech to work with. He turns to the queen of the roombas and asks the most important question in this dangerous game of life and death, the answer to which would change fate forever. [color=1055E5]”Why is the steel string in a spiderweb pattern?”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”Dr. Nadim decided that stainless steel was aesthetically pleasing when arranged into a spiderweb.”[/color] Meanwhile, Kayden gives up. He walks over to an empty pedestal, the roomba following, and asks it a question that the others don’t catch. As if his world view had just been shaken at the foundation, Damon looks at the steel string in a new light, as if this bundle of metallic silly string held power over the lives of everyone here, because yeah, it probably did. He doesn’t even bother to look in the roomba’s direction this time. [color=1055E5]”I’d like this one then,”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”Understood.”[/color] A slot on the pedestal opens up, and the spiderweb rises up out of it. The slot then closes, leaving the spiderweb on the pedestal. At the same time, the glass lowers. Off to one side, Kayden spots this and glowers at his roomba, conversing in low tones. Damon takes the web, subconsciously bracing for impact. It somehow turns into an actual cobweb and gets stuck on his hand. Scenes of himself using the web flash through his mind. A rope, fired from his hand, sticking to targets. Separating the rest of the rope from himself to fire the other end at another target. At Damon’s whim, things sticking to the rope, or sliding off of it. The rope contracting and flinging things together violently. The rope relaxing and sagging. One of two ropes vanishing as Damon creates a third rope. With an expression of pure placidity, Damon withdraws the web and points it at the roomba. The rope extends, latching on to the hideous yellow hockey puck before he gives it a whirl, spinning the roomba around and smashing it violently into the pedestals. Somehow, its glass parts only get minor scratches from the collision. [color=f49ac2]”Please do not assault the self-directed cleaning units. There are fifty training dummies for that express purpose directly to your right.”[/color] [color=#1055E5]”I’m feeling pretty lied to right now.”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”I do not recall the self-directed cleaning unit having lied to you.”[/color] [color=#1055E5]”An aesthetically pleasing arrangement and indicating that it turns you into fucking spiderman are two very different things. Are you telling me I need to deal with this sticky mess just to function?”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”The ability should not leave any residues behind. If you’re referring to the activation of the Soul Tech, that will only occur upon absorption.”[/color] Damon blinks behind his glasses. [color=#1055E5]”‘Absorption’?”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”When you touched the Soul Tech, you absorbed it.”[/color] Damon lifts the roomba up yet again before bringing it back down, slamming it against the pedestals again. A crack forms, but the glass still holds steady. Wow. [color=#1055E5]”Couldn’t you have mentioned this earlier? Do you have any idea how much I hate spiders?”[/color] Already, he can imagine it. This stupid rope thing servicing as a makeshift noose to end this joke of an existence he’s been cursed to. [color=f49ac2]”Revealing the ability earlier would have ruined the surprise.”[/color] [color=#1055E5]”Shut up, you stupid, worthless hunk of garbage.”[/color] Damon pinches the bridge of his nose, absolutely blown away by the sheer magnitude of stupidity at work here. He feels his fingers stick to his face ever so slightly as his anxiousness increases. [color=BADA55]“Kid, how about you don't insult our host? [Sub]The one that could bring this whole place down on our heads at any moment...[/sub][/color] Kayden whispers furiously, having crossed the room with surprising speed. ...That’s an interesting reaction. Damon remains silent, appearing to ruminate broodingly as he confirms that his three friends are on the far end of the room, unable to see him. His right hand, pinching his temple, pushes his glasses up and to mask his face as it twists, tears starting to escape. Kayden just stares awkwardly. What else could he do? Put him out of his misery? If the kid made a scene too, he might actually consider it. Kayden looks over at Damon’s friends, but they're all gleefully occupied with their own new powers. Such good friends. [Color=#BADA55]“Are you [i]sure[/i] I can't have a second Soul Tech?”[/color] The heavily dented roomba crackles, but otherwise answers as usual. [color=f49ac2]“I am sure.”[/color] Suddenly, Damon is hugging Kayden, burying his face into his shirt and gripping uncomfortably tight. Kayden is torn between comforting the kid and violently freaking out when Damon pushes off him, looking as if absolutely nothing just happened. [color=#1055E5]“Sorry, man. When I was younger, my dad was bitten by a venomous spider, and... you look a lot like him.”[/color] Walking backwards towards where they came from, Damon makes an announcement loud enough for the others to hear. [color=#1055E5]”I’m ready to go, you guys coming?”[/color] Kayden is left to wonder what the fuck just happened. [color=f49ac2]“Before you leave, please return your Soul Techs to the pedestals.”[/color] The AI’s voice echoes to the room. One might pick up a hint of frostiness in the AI’s tone. So [i]this[/i] is the game being played. Alright then. Your move, Kayden. With a facade of innocence, Damon turns to Kayden, as if deferring to his wisdom. [color=#1055E5]”Kayden?”[/color] [Color=#BADA55]“Listen to the nice lady and put it back on the pedestal.”[/color] Kayden gives Damon a reassuring smile. Damon’s expression manages to be completely and totally neutral. [color=#1055E5]”It’s been absorbed, remember?”[/color] [Color=#BADA55]“Have you [i]never[/i] used a Soul Tech or something??”[/color] Kayden asks rhetorically. [color=#1055E5]”Welcome to Kylertown, where only a single person in the entire town has ever used a Soul Tech. I’ll give you a hint, it isn’t any of us.[/color] [Color=#BADA55]“...That’s actually amazing. What the fuck age is your town living in?!”[/color] [color=#1055E5]”It’s actually a concentration camp with no selection criteria.”[/color] [Color=#BADA55]“...That ...I ...wow. Okay then. Damn. Whatever. Focus on your Soulspace and just think of removal, taking it out, lifting it out, however you want to think of it. It should appear in your hand, judging by how it disappeared in the first place.”[/color] Damon lifts his hand, palm up, as if to say ‘well there you have it.’ Nothing happens. Kayden blinks. [Color=#BADA55]“What’s the problem? Literal children can do this on their first tries. ”[/color] Damon, without moving anything else, looks in the direction of his palm, then back at Kayden. [Color=#BADA55]“...Don’t tell me you can’t. Fuck fuck fuck, god fucking dammit of [i]course[/i].”[/color]