Johnquis squinted at the system alert flashing in his HUD and read it aloud, his voice tinged with confusion.
"Prolonged dual-summon may cause severe bodily harm… System will forcibly recall one slave?"
He paused, frowning. "Wait—who's slave???"
Then the next line blinked in:
[SLAVE STORED: Dancer]
Before he could react, a sharp sound cut the air—
SHHHHHHHWMP!
A ripple of black light surged beneath Dancer.
She blinked—startled.
Chains shot upward. They snapped around her in an instant—legs, waist, arms, throat. Wrapped tight.
Then, with a heavy metallic CLANG, two jagged cage-halves rose from either side. Like jaws. They slammed shut around her.
She snarled, thrashed but it was too late.
The cage sank into the void…
She was gone.
Johnquis froze. "Wait. No. NONONO—!"
He stared at his empty side, where Dancer had just been.
"…Aw, crap."
The Tanker, still standing nearby, gave a low grunt.
He stared into space, the regret settling like lead.
"She's gonna kill me…"