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Ben realized too late, and instead moved to cover you with his own body.
<span class="mu-s">“Bomb! Everyone get-”</span>
You never got to finish what you were going to say, because Walker pressed the button, and the ceiling came crashing down.
—----
A shower of rubble and dirt rained down over the table, and Ben chose that time to scoop you up and run for the door. You shouted in surprise, still trying to see through the chaos. Your eyes found Ana, but instead of following you out, she leapt onto the table, ran across it, and lunged at the Harpy!
You tried to scream out her name, choked on some dust, and then watched helplessly as Ben carried you out of the room, and towards the hollowed out spinal column.
At your urging, he set you down on your feet, and looked you over.
<span class="mu-r">“Are you alright!?”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“Fine.”</span> you coughed out. <span class="mu-s">“But Ana, and grandma…!”</span>
You pointed back into the room, and Ben turned back as if he might spot both of them from here.
<span class="mu-r">“Shit! We need to get you away from here, first.”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“But, Ben-!”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“This was a trap, Cindy! We need to get you to safety.”</span> he said, not leaving any room for argument.
You stared into his eyes, and saw the red blur behind him too late.
Ward grabbed Ben by the shoulder and threw him into a wall, cracking the stone with the weight of the impact. You cried out, and balled your hands into fists, ignoring the pain of your claws cutting into your flesh.
Ward sneered down at you, his body suffused with a glow that seemed to be coming from inside his body. Likely the result of countless wards and spell inscriptions carved into his very bones. The Bone Horror.
<span class="mu-r">“And where…do you think you're going?”</span> he said, an ugly snarl spreading across his face.
<span class="mu-r">“Home!” Ben shouted, flying in from the side and tackling Ward into the opposing wall. “She's got…school in the morning!”
He punctuated that last part with a punch to the face.
You ran to go help him, but a solid weight slammed into your chest, sending you stumbling back through the spinal column. You coughed painfully, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Your eyes stared through the tunnel of clear air that had been formed by whatever had hit you, and they met your grandmother's. Her hand was outstretched, and her palm glowing faintly. She looked remorseful, her expression pained.
And then she was gone, and you were sent tumbling down an incline carved from bone. You sink your claws into it, slowly sliding to a stop, but another explosion rang out, and the entire skeleton <span class="mu-i">shuddered</span>.
<span class="mu-s">“Oh crap!”</span>
The spine fractured, and the cracks spider-webbed until your makeshift handheld crumbled, sending you sliding back out of the mountain. Mercy reshaped herself as you went, coiling around your body until you were bundled up like a mummy. The pain you felt from falling subsided then, the bandages absorbing the shock somehow.
(Cont.)</span>
