“I see,” Carlos said. He moved in and started looking over her legs, though in a far less invasive manner. He confirmed her fears after a moment. “These are smaller, though not nearly to the degree of your hands.”
“Well,” Eva said with a sigh, “the hands had an extra six or seven months compared to the legs. If they’re shrinking slow enough I failed to notice, then it will probably be another few months for the legs.”
The real question was whether or not her hands were still shrinking. Something Eva would have to keep on eye on.
“In any case, my hands and legs are one of the reasons I wanted–”
Another circulatory system popping into existence behind Eva’s seat cut her off.
Zoe took one step towards their group before she fell to her knees. Blood flowed from a gash in her arm and another in her back at an alarming rate.
Eva sprung into action as soon as she realized what she just thought. She jumped over the couch and knelt next to her professor. “Arachne, potions.”
Keeping her dagger palmed–she still had the presence of mind to hide the bloodstone–Eva pressed the flat of the blade against Zoe’s injuries. She couldn’t heal other people’s wounds, but she could shape the blood to keep Zoe from bleeding out.
Immediate concerns out of the way, Eva sheathed her dagger beneath her jacket and took a moment to look over the professor. She ignored the noise everyone else in the room was making.
Zoe wasn’t wearing her usual suit. The fabric felt far too thin. It was torn in several places apart from the large hole on her back and covered in coarse grit across most of her back–dirt most likely. Eva couldn’t see for sure, but Zoe likely had several bruises showing on her chest and face. If they weren’t visible yet, they would be soon enough. Several more shallow cuts lined nearly her entire body.
One arm bent at an awkward angle just above her elbow. A leg was similarly twisted.
Her breathing was shallow and labored. Despite that, her heart pounded in her chest. Drastically less blood than normal pumped through her body. It shouldn’t be an issue so long as Arachne hurried.
Apart from the largest two wounds, nothing appeared lethal. Still…
“You should have gone to a proper medical center.”
“No time,” Zoe wheezed. “Attacking demons.”
“Demons?” Eva’s response was echoed by everyone save Arachne who chose that moment to languidly toss a few vials in Eva’s direction.
“My home.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but Eva put a sharp finger over her mouth.
“Drink first.” Eva shoved one vial after another down Zoe’s throat.
Some of the effects were near instant. She could see the veins knitting back together. The skin started mending, but it would take significantly longer due to the size of the wounds.
“Two demons, larger than before,” Zoe said. “Burst into home. I fought.”
“I don’t know where you live.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Arachne said. The spider-demon bounced from heel to heel with a wide smile on her face. “I should be able to sense them. Let’s go,” she said as her grin turned feral.
“Right,” Eva said. “Can’t leave them to attack others.” She started building magic for a teleport. Arachne took the time to shrink to her spider form.
“Clean towels in the kitchen and showers,” Eva said to Carlos. She gestured towards one of the rooms. “Potions in there. Hope you have medical training, if not then don’t worry, she won’t die I don’t think.”
“You’re going to go fight two demons on your own?”
“Arachne will be with me and I’m sort of the only person who can be considered an expert–” Eva cut herself off as a thought occurred to her. “Actually. Juliana, you know which building Devon made his lair?” Eva asked, earning a nod from the blond in question. “Go tell him what happened.”
“I can do that. Nel and Ylva?”
“Probably already know,” Eva said, thinking of the black skull. “I doubt they’d do anything. Nel can’t leave. Not sure about Ylva.”
Arachne, in spider form, crawled up onto Eva. “Don’t worry,” Eva told everyone, but turned directly towards the shaking Shalise. “Everything will be fine. We’ll be back soon.”
Without waiting for complaints or protests, Eva released the gathered magic and vanished from the room.
The strong odor of brimstone was all that remained in her place.
Illusions
“There,” Arachne said.
Not that she needed to say anything. Eva could feel the flames from a block away. Particles of blood started vanishing from her control as they neared the inferno.
“See anyone?”
“They’re still around.” Arachne’s long tongue darted out of her mouth to run across her lips. “I can almost taste them.”
“Don’t get eager. If it looks like a trap, we’re running.”
Eva focused on her blood sense. It wouldn’t help if the demons had a trick like Ylva in sunlight, but it was the best she had. She would have to rely on Arachne for anything else.
