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((Triple Saturday -- Page 2 of 3))
And as Hector sensed more lightning inbound, he was beginning to feel as though this conversation was not the tide-turner that he needed it to be.

‘What about weaknesses?’ said Hector as he dove out of the way of more exploding lightning rods.

‘Oh, yes, of course. In order to kill them, you must destroy somewhere around ninety percent of their body. I have read numbers as low as eighty percent but also as high as ninety-seven percent, so make of that what you will, I suppose.’

Hector’s brow furrowed, and he scrambled back to his feet, armor scraping against rock. ‘That’s...! That’s not really a “weakness,” Emiliana...’

‘I, ah... I realize that, yes...’

And there was silence as Hector merely continued fleeing.

At length, he had to break it. ‘Are you telling me that worms don’t have any weaknesses?’

‘I’m afraid so. At least, none that Ibai and I were able to discover in so short a time.’

That was probably the very last thing that Hector had wanted to hear, right now.

But wait. Maybe she was just joking around. Maybe Chergoa was putting her up to this. ‘Really?’ was all he managed to say.

‘Yes. I’m sorry.’

‘You didn’t even find anything about a “wave” that can put them to sleep?’

‘What? A wave? What kind of wave?’

‘That’s what I’m asking you!’

‘Ah! Oh! I’m sorry! I don’t know anything about a wave that affects worms!’

‘Well, shit!’

‘Wait a minute, are you okay?! How much danger are you in, right now, precisely?!’

‘A lot!’ He knew that he probably should’ve kept trying to play it cool so as not to worry her... but fuck it. Everything was terrible, and despite his better judgment, he really wanted to just say so. ‘Oh, but it’s just me, though! Zeff’s not here!’

‘I wasn’t going to ask--’

‘I wish he WAS here! He could probably kill this fuckin’ thing!’

And there was a pause, then Emiliana laughed.

Hector didn’t know how to respond to that. ‘What the--?! Why are you laughing?!’

‘Ah, I’m so sorry! I just--! I didn’t expect you say something like that all of a sudden! I’m not happy you’re having a hard time or anything like that! I swear!’

But he could still hear her snickering a little.

‘I’m so sorry! That just took me by surprise! Really! You just always seemed so stoic and in control that I--! I just never thought you would say anything like that!’

‘I hope Gohvis eats you.’

That made her laugh even harder than before, though she continued trying to apologize.

‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘But now you’re really distracting me, so I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, if I’m not dead.’

‘Okay! Um! Do your best! Again, I’m so--’

He refitted the Shard into his armor, having had his fill of that conversation.