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((Triple Wednesday -- Page 2 of 3))
‘Full?’ said Hector.

‘Of ardor,’ said Garovel.

‘Yeah, but what does that actually mean?’

‘Dunno. Try to do something with it.’

‘Like what?’

‘Uh. Hmm. Maybe it’s got a secret button on the bottom of the handle.’

Hector checked. ‘It doesn’t.’

‘Well, shit, I’m out of ideas. You think of something.’

Not knowing what else he could do, he tried swinging the mace at thin air.

It didn’t do anything.

The worm was gaining on him again, so he had to stop fiddling with the mace and concentrate on keeping his distance. The beast didn’t seem fazed by the loss of its tail. Perhaps because its tail wasn’t even missing, anymore. The splattered sludge had already reaccumulated.

He waited for his next opening, which arrived when he got the worm to slam dumbly into the wall again.

This time, he tried just pointing the mace straight at the worm. He knew that he would probably have to get close and attack it directly again, but he really didn’t want to do that and was therefore trying to exhaust all other options that he could think of, even if they were stupid and pointless like--

The spike at the tip of the mace turned suddenly white hot, burning and glowing with enough intensity to make Hector squint inside his helmet.

Then a thick beam shot out, appearing all at once, a bar of bright, solid white light.

And it cleaved a chunk out of the worm like a knife. Black sludge went flying in the familiar way.

‘Holy fuck!’ said Garovel.

‘This fuckin’ thing can shoot lasers?!’ said Hector, wide-eyed.

‘Oh, it’s empty again. I guess that used up all the ardor.’

‘Aw, shit.’

‘Recharge it! I wanna see more lasers!’

‘Garovel, I’m trying not to get us killed here.’

‘Oh, I know! And you’re doing a great job of that, by the way! Really, just stellar work! Keep it up, buddy!’

‘Thanks...’

‘Now go recharge that laser.’

Hector intended to, but he wasn’t nearly as thrilled about it as the reaper seemed to be. Getting in close enough to hit the worm with the Moon’s Wrath again would be flirting with death, he knew. And Hector wanted to keep his relationship with death purely platonic, if at all possible.

Nonetheless, he dove in and got his hits. It took a while. Where before it had taken only two swings, this time it took four, perhaps because the hits themselves weren’t quite as “solid” as that one from earlier had been.

But the Moon’s Wrath was finally recharged, and Hector found an opening to use it.

Just as before, the beam shot out, illuminating the chamber and carving a hole into the worm.

A hole which was refilled all too soon, just like the last one had been.

‘Hmm.’

‘Garovel, this laser’s not doin’ shit to that thing.’

‘Yeah. That kinda bites. You’d think something that cool would be the solution to all our problems.’