A red dot appeared on the Captain's tunic. A sinister chirp rattled over the top of unsettling moans.

A bright pop of light. Just enough time to catch a glimpse: ghoulish figures and mechanized spider-creatures. The Captain's mind spun with the others' descriptions of redeads and… what had the Champion called the—

Searing pain shot through his body as the beam made contact. The door held up his limp frame. The chirping sounded again. The red dot returned. Pulsing magenta began closing in.

Mustering everything he could, the Captain bolted. He ran headlong into what must've been one of the redeads, which turned, gaped its maw and let loose one of the most unholy shrieks he'd ever had the misfortune of hearing. Before he could more than stand it leaped on his back, biting his neck and shoulder.

Thinking fast, the Captain turned, placing the red dot square onto the redead's back. He didn't go unscathed, but it lessened the blow as another beam struck. He scrambled to his feet and charged at the mechanism, using its magenta glow against it as he aimed his strikes at its legs. It took several blows before the first limb severed, and by that time the red dot was back, chirping incessantly. Another redead shrieked from behind him. The Captain couldn't decide which sound was more horrifying.

He dodged the beam just in time for it to hit the redead, turning it to dust. He was bleeding badly, but the adrenaline dulled the pain. He charged the construct again, hacking off another leg before bolting away, colliding with yet another freaking redead and falling, pinned to the ground by its wail until it too was turned into a convenient meat shield from the magenta menace's red beam of death.

Another pop of bright light. More machines. The Captain scrambled to his feet as several red dots danced across his torso. He ran blindly, dashing behind dim silhouettes as beam after beam fired. His shield wouldn't stand up to a hit like that, dodging was his only option. Perhaps he could get them to kill each other—

Another shrill shriek, a gaping maw ahead of him and a chirping sound behind. He was trapped. The glowing eyes of the redead held him fast, helpless as he heard another beam fire.

A strange sound. Was he behind a pillar? Quick as lightning he dispatched the redead and spun around. Crackles of electric lines simmered around one of the machines just before it collapsed, its lights flickering defiantly before dying.

Another beam fired. The Captain dodged out of the way, but the dots didn't follow. A burst of light—not as bright as before—the beam compressing against something before flying back into to the blue eye that sent it.

That machine, too, crumpled and died.

Three more beams fired, each one reflected back in turn. All light faded. The only sounds were the dull moans of whatever redeads remained.

As his heart rate slowed, a memory returned. "Kid!" he called, sword at the ready just in case.

Softer than a mouse came the halting reply: "Here."

The Captain stared. He shook his head. No, that must just be coincidence; something else must have reflected those beams. The kid was smart—maybe he saw some kind of large mirror during those brief flashes and used that as cover.

"I think, um—"

A door opened.