The head exploded. Absolutely and completely. Through her blood sense, Eva could see all the bits of viscera that flew around the room. The main body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. Only the snake head writhed around. Without the rest of the body holding itself up, the snake didn’t have enough strength to move.
It trampled right over the top of the snake-cerberus without a moment’s hesitation. If the thing wasn’t dead before, it was now. The thing was partially an elephant. At least, it was large enough to be one.
Eva had half a mind to run back into the room and slip over into the girl’s changing room for her dagger. Two things stopped her. She didn’t want to leave Irene when there could be more creatures outside and she didn’t want to run back into the hot springs when she could see another three things behind the elephant.
Hoisting herself up, Eva climbed out the window. She had to kick in footholds to get the proper traction.
Irene was already running away, holding herself awkwardly in an attempt at covering herself. She headed towards the corner of the building that went towards the front.
That was a mistake.
“Irene! Stop!” Eva ran. Each of her legs cracked the cement around the building as she sprinted.
Irene had too much of a head start.
Eva wouldn’t make it.
A creature barreled into Irene as soon as she reached the corner. While the creature merely stumbled, Irene went flying. She hit the ground five feet away and tumbled and rolled another few feet.
It turned its taloned wings towards Irene and stalked forwards on bird-like legs.
Eva leaped high into the air. Her claws ignited.
She wasn’t the best at thaumaturgy. It and her claws were all she had.
The creature let out a squawk as Eva’s weight sent it to the ground.
Eva blinked and failed to move for a second. The creature had stitching keeping its limbs on. The muscle structure had been altered and several organs were completely missing.
It
Eva shook her head. She wasted no time digging her flaming claws into the base of its neck.
Her claws did not make it very far.
The thing’s wing batted Eva into the wall of the building.
Pain lanced up her side. Her skin was unbroken, but something hurt. A broken rib perhaps.
Nothing to worry about now; Nurse Naranga could put her back together. The creature was already getting up.
Forcing down the pain, Eva brought her hands together. She channeled magic into the largest fireball she’d ever created. It took a moment, but she did it.
Mostly. Zagan’s class provided ample opportunity to practice and she had been getting better. The fireball was still unstable. It bubbled and twisted like a boiling pot of water rather than any sort of proper fire. Holding it too long would wind up with it splashing all over Eva.
So she projected it forwards.
The bird-golem shrieked as its feathers went up in flames.
Eva did not waste her opportunity. Ignoring the heat, she jumped onto the flaming bird and dug her claws into its throat.
She didn’t stop until it did.
The heart in its chest was not a human heart. Eva almost started to convert it to a bloodstone despite that. It wouldn’t be hard; she even had actual fingers now instead of fumbling around with her elbow. Unfortunately, it already ceased beating.
Eva pulled herself off the creature and ran over to Irene. She hadn’t moved since she fell, but her heart was beating. Her eyes were shut and her breathing somewhat shallow. Eva knelt and gently smacked her across the face. “Don’t be unconscious. We need to move.”
Irene failed to respond.
A crash and crumbling of walls brought Eva’s attention to the window they had escaped from.
A six-legged elephant stumbled through a hole in the wall. She could see an almost full human body somewhere in the center of its mass. Only the head poked out. It turned until it found Eva–it twisted almost fully around, facing directly backwards. Without turning back, the thing started charging.
Eva scooped up Irene into her arms. Ignoring the pain accompanying a grinding in her side, Eva started running. If it wasn’t for Arachne’s legs, she’d have collapsed in five steps. Irene was not light. The strain on Eva’s arms and back was unsustainable.
Worse, the six-legged elephant was not slow. With its target in sight, it was gaining. Every step Eva took brought the elephant three steps closer.
If she ditched Irene, Eva doubted she would have a problem outrunning it. But if she was willing to do that, she would have simply teleported away through an infernal walk.
Eva took a hard right back towards the dorm building, hoping the elephant would be unable to stop moving forwards.
Her hopes did not hold out.
The elephant stopped on a dime and angled towards Eva. Its charge started up an instant later.
