The Keytool changed into a long double bladed sword. It caught the Beast in the throat, and Bob held a grip on the handle. He would not fall, and the Beast could not swallow.

The Beast couldn't make a sound except for a strangled sound and jagged breathing. It staggered, bumping its shoulder against the solid rock wall. The sword remained in place like a spike that wouldn't allow stubborn prey to be swallowed.

It then did the only thing it could think to do. It opened its mouth wide and lurched itself forward, using a combination of retching and the forward momentum of its body to spit Bob and the troublesome sword back out.

Gizmo observed all of this from its hiding place nearby. It's self-preservation protocols reminded it that if Bob and Glitch perished, it would be stuck here alone without any way of getting back to Starwell or finding her. It needed Bob to succeed in order to save Starwell and to get back to her.

So it did the only thing it could think to do; it followed the last command that Starwell had given it, a command that was still in its memory buffer. It went into defensive/protective mode, changing into the same electrical rope that it had become to tie up the werewolf that had attacked its owner some time ago in the forest.

However, this Beast was much, much larger than one of those werewolves. Gizmo could only form a length just long enough to stretch itself around the Beast's hind legs, securing the ankles together. It was, however, just enough to make the Beast fall down flat on its face with a resounding boom that seemed to shake the entire cavern.

Several chunks of rock were shaken loose from the ceiling, clattering on the ground. One of them hit the Beast between the shoulder blades and bounced off. It didn't hurt the Beast much but it did sting a bit.

Bob blinked. He felt nauseous.

He stood up and used the double-bladed Glitch sword as a leaning stick. He swayed, his legs buckled.

"Glitch, Sonic pulse. 180 Radius." The blade changed into its original Keytool form. Bob allowed himself to land on his knees. The Keytool released an electrical shriek. The Beast's head and upper torso was in that radius.

The attack had the desired effect; the Beast was effected. The shock took a small portion of the Beast's health and left it mildly stunned for a moment. It blinked its massive eyelids a few times, trying to shake off the effects.

It had a powerful sense of Will, however; it quickly recovered and then released another deafening roar. It used its good paw to reach forward and grip the ground, dragging itself across the cave floor within reach of Bob.

Gizmo was doing the only thing it could do at the moment; continue to hold itself securely around the Beast's ankles in its current rope-like form. However, it was hindering the Beast's progress, at least. Plus the floor had stopped shaking since the Beast could no longer stomp around.

The Beast managed to drag itself within grabbing distance of Bob. It snarled, then it reached out with its good forepaw and gripped Bob's legs tightly.

"Glitch, Sword!"

The Keytool changed. Bob stabbed the Glitch-Sword into the ground, and held on.

The Beast growled in aggravation. It maintained its hold on Bob's legs, using its own momentum and (gingerly) its wounded forepaw to pull itself forward, just a little closer. Then it rested the forearm of its wounded forepaw across Bob's legs, pinning him in place.

Then it raised its good paw high above its head, then moved to bring it down on Bob with significant force.

"Glitch Double-Blade." The Keytool changed in accordance.

The Beast roared and gripped Bob between the shoulder blades, ripping off a portion of his body armor. It then raked a couple of claws against his back.

Bob cried out. He yanked the Double-Glitch Blade out of the ground, and stabbed into the paw/hand that held him.

The Beast snarled in pain and fury. The Guardian's action had made its already wounded forepaw more useless than it had been already, and the Electric-Rope-Gizmo continued to hold its ankles together securely.

It drew its mouth close to Bob, releasing a deafening roar that shook the cavern and prevented him from finding his footing. The Beast then opened its mouth in an attempt to snap him off the ground in a mouthful.

Bob's balance was ruined. He couldn't get up properly. He did the first thing that came to mind, he held the Glitch Sword up, blade first.

The shaking floor ended up giving the Beast a disadvantage in this manner; its own aim was off, and it ended up biting down on the sword. This caused the blade to rip into its mouth, causing a bit more injury.

The Beast grunted in pain, momentarily stopping its attack as it attempted to regain its composure. It then growled and decided to focus its attention on the rope that bound its ankles together. It twisted its body around and sank its teeth into the rope.

The ground stopped shaking. The rope released its grip on the Beast's ankles, and it dangled from the Beast's mouth like a collection of glowing, wadded string.

"Gizmo!" Bob yelled, only catching glimpses of the changed Keytool in his wavering vision, "Guardian Protocol 452, Accept Command: Anything!"

If Gizmo had had eyeballs, it probably would have blinked. It knew it was being spoken to but it had no idea what Bob was talking about or what he was referring to, although it did get a general idea; it needed to do something. Now.

It retained its current shape; it released an electrical jolt that caused the Beast to loosen its hold, then it snaked out from between the Beast's teeth and matter-of-factly wrapped itself around the giant mouth, forcing it to close tight.

The Beast's eyes widened. It shook its head violently, trying to shake it off, but it would not budge.

Bob stumbled up. He shut his eyes to regain some composure. He held the Glitch Sword in front of him, and charged. He wasn't sure he was going the right way until the blade sank into something soft and furry.

The Beast could no longer roar. It had just barely stood up when it felt something sharp pierce into its side. It released an angry snort through its flared nostrils, and then it bent down and wrapped its front arms around Bob, pressing him against its chest and lifting him into the air in a tight bear-hug.

Bob had one thought left to use, and he knew that this was going to be the biggest Game-Breaker he had ever done. "Glitch," he gasped, "Drill." The Keytool changed, and Bob used it to its fullest.

This resulted in one of the most disgusting things that could happen in a game, especially considering the Beast was programmed to contain blood. The drill was inserted through the upper torso of the Beast, causing the fur to fly, followed by bits of flesh and blood. Blood splattered in all directions as the Beast sustained a mortal wound. It released Bob and then collapsed on its side, in a big, bloody, furry heap. It inhaled and exhaled raggedly through its nostrils, still alive but heavily wounded. It's eyes were wide, angry, and for once, fearful as well.

It did not move. It simply stared at Bob in open fear and hatred as Gizmo's rope-form continued to glow eerily around its snout, holding its mouth securely shut.

"Glitch, Sword." The Keytool changed. Bob stumbled towards the Beast. The look on his face was beyond pity. It was sorrowful, regretful. "I am so, so sorry."

Bob lifted the sword, and slashed down. His eyes were closed, resolute.

The Beast's eyes went wide and blind as the killing blow took effect. Blood gushed dramatically from the inflicted wound, splattering onto Bob's arm and pooling onto the ground around his feet. The Beast then went completely still, its lungs exhaling as its final breath escaped its lungs in a strained sigh.

When Bob finally opened his eyes, the Beast was already dead and its eyes had closed. He let out a puff of breath and allowed himself to fall to his knees. The Guardian took a few moments to regain some of his stamina as well as his composure.

Finally, he stirred. "Gizmo, come on," he said in a tired voice. "We've got something to complete."

Gizmo didn't respond immediately. It maintained its position for a moment longer, as if wanting to make sure the Beast was truly dead. Once this fact was confirmed on its sensors, it finally untangled itself from the mouth and slithered onto the floor.

It then returned to its normal, Keytool shape, right in front of the sprite. Bob gently picked up Gizmo and returned it to his free arm.

Bob eyed the enormous corpse for a long moment. He then took a dagger from his armor belt, knowing that he still had to collect the final ingredient for the cure; the dead creature's heart. He grunted in displeasure as he braced himself.

He plunged the sharp tip of the blade into the furry pelt, slicing through the skin and the muscle tissues underneath. He grunted in disgust as his blade tore through the flesh, becoming bloodied as he did so. He struggled a bit as the blade raked across a couple of ribs.

Finally he managed to get the area of the body open enough so he could insert his hands. Unfortunately he had to remove his gauntlets to do this, for they were too bulky for this… plus he had to feel for the heart.

He was extremely grateful for the fact that he was low on energy, if only because it meant his stomach didn't have much in it. Otherwise the putrid stench of blood and sliced flesh, along with the grisly deed, might have made him barf.

After a few moments he finally retrieved the heart. It was a large, lifeless clump of flesh that almost seemed to beat one final time in his hands before it went completely still. He grimaced as he wrapped it carefully and put it into his backpack along with the other ingredients.

He turned away from the corpse then, refusing to look in its direction again. He just wanted to get out of the Cave.

It was game-hours before Bob finally exited the Cave. He had fallen and stumbled many times trying to leave, and he used a Glitch-stick form in order to walk properly. The deed that Bob had to do, it had been done.

The moment he was outside, his processor registered horror. The Day had turned to Night.

"I'm too late..." Bob murmured, and then collapsed at the entrance of the Cave.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Matrix awoke from a dreamless sleep. He was uncomfortable, his back ached and his neck had a crick and his throat had gone numb. He touched the skin along his windpipe. It still felt the same, but the feeling of itching, or of anything, had left it entirely. He glanced up and looked at the window. The light was fading outside, which meant the sun was setting. The day was nearly over.

He cursed. He gently shook Starwell, who was napping on his shoulder. "Kid, you're going to need to get up."

Starwell awoke after a moment. She blinked, and then felt a bit sheepish when she realized she had been sleeping against Matrix's shoulder. She stiffened, leaning away from him and scooting off a bit. "Huh?" she said, blinking. She then grimaced; her arm felt like it was fire. She glanced down at herself, and she gasped with horror when she realized that almost every inch of her exposed skin was glowing eerily.

"What's happening to me?!" she cried out as she scrambled to her feet. She held her arms away from herself and splayed her digits as she stared at her palms. She get a little shriek, looking as if she expected her infected skin to explode any second.

"Kid, calm down," Matrix said carefully. He stood and faced her. "It isn't going to be easy. You need to take a nano to relax."

The girl continued to stare at herself with widened eyes. Her overly exposed body revealed just how far and completely the infection had overtaken her. It was no longer something that she could put out of her mind or pretend wouldn't happen.

Bob wasn't coming. No miracle was coming to stop this. Maybe part of her had even believed that somehow this wouldn't happen. But apparently, it was happening.

She shrank back, clasping a hand over her mouth as her eyes went saucer-wide. What's going to happen to me? She couldn't help it. She was very, very close to completely freaking out. Her entire form felt strange and he had no idea what would happen if she… changed. Terror shot through her chest as she imagined it being painful, possibly even affecting her mind in some way.

This was something she had never experienced before, nor did she ever dream she would have to endure anything like this. That just made it all the more scary.

Matrix walked towards Starwell carefully. "Kid- Starwell, look at me," he said in the same way that Dot would have said to him when he was small, and when he need to take a moment, "You need to breathe. Input and output, okay? Do you understand me?"

Starwell squeezed her eyes shut. She bit down on her index finger to keep herself from screaming, and the sharp pinch of her teeth against her skin gave her a temporary distraction. It was enough; she then focused on her breathing for a moment.

Then she lowered her hand... and grabbed Matrix's hand, as if for comfort or at least something solid to focus on, a presence to keep her in the here-and-now.

Matrix permitted the touch and held her hand gently. "Just breathe," he urged. He glanced at the window, noting that the light had faded completely. He took a breath. "You're going to be fine, kid." He gritted his teeth.

Starwell had managed to calm down when she felt something erupt inside of her. She gasped, releasing Matrix's hand and taking several steps back. She groaned, grabbing her head as it began to throb painfully.

Then she screamed as every nerve in her body seemed to pulse. What was going to happen was going to happen any nano now.

Were Matrix wise or even cowardly, he would have stood back or even banged the bars on the cell door for help or something of that nature.

Instead...

Matrix was in front of Starwell in an instant, "Kid, look at me. Come on! Look at me, I need you to focus on me." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "You need to focus on me kid!" He dug his fingers into her skin just long enough to distract her, to get her attention.. Compared to him she seemed so small, yet that could change any nano if the infection finished engulfing her. He hoped she had the willpower to fight it.

Starwell grunted, inhaling sharply as she looked up at him. Her entire form was trembling now, and she stiffened under his touch. "W-what's happening?" she asked, her voice shaking. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Just focus on me." Matrix was processing rapidly, he need something to distract her, "Not long after I returned to Mainframe, there was a mass infection on the Net," He didn't bother to add anyone else, he had to keep pushing his point, "Everyone got infected, including me. I had to fight did, I did fight it and I won. You need to fight yours, Starwell, you have to fight it."

There was a distant discomfort at the back of Matrix's mind.

She gritted her teeth, staring up into his eyes. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice strained. "Am I... b-becoming something e-else? C-can I s-stop it if I f-fight it, or is it g-going to h-happen anyway?"

"I don't know..." Matrix muttered. He gave Starwell a squeeze of the shoulders, "I don't know. Just focus on me, just focus." The distant discomfort was becoming a bit painful, and Matrix took in and released a deep breath. He couldn't fall to it. Not now.

"Where is B-Bob?" she asked, her shaky voice taking on an almost whiny edge. "And where's Gizmo? If they were here..."

Another shudder rolled through her body. She was starting to feel drained, as if the infection was eating away at her willpower. Her shoulders slumped beneath Matrix's hands and her head dropped down. Her knees weakened and she fell against his chest.

Matrix caught her, and knelt to the ground. There was a jolt, and he sucked in air. The distant pain had become a throbbing, and he could feel something cold under his bitmap. He clenched his teeth.

Starwell's eyes suddenly flew wide. Somehow she knew deep inside of her that she could no longer fight whatever was about to happen. She grunted and struggled weakly against Matrix's arms.

"J-just let go." She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from him.

"I..." He could hear a pounding in his ears. He clenched his teeth. Matrix let go, and backed away. The throbbing pain sent a wave, and he nearly lost balance, but he refused to let it come. He would not let it take him.

Starwell screamed as her entire form was engulfed by something she couldn't explain or describe. Her body then reconfigured itself and changed shape, growing somewhat larger and more muscular while still retaining some of its feminine shape.

Bare skin was replaced with light-colored fur in a rippling effect, her head formed a snout and pointed ears, and her tail-bone sprouted a large, bushy tail. She huffed and puffed, collapsing on all fours. The pads of her paws ached slightly against the chilly stone floor, and she felt her claws digging against the solid ground.

Her eyes finally opened. She looked around, feeling an almost feral instinct well up inside of her. Starwell bared her teeth, feeling a strong sense of... hunger. She thirsted for in-game blood, and she needed to sink her teeth into something. Anything.

"Kid..." Matrix stared. He kept his implanted eye on the creature that had replaced Starwell, a target but there was nothing to stop it or deter it.

Another wave of cold past through him. He forced himself not to shake. "Starwell!" He said to the beast, "Come on kid! Tell me your still there!"