If she had some of its blood; Eva knew several quick and dirty rituals to use with the blood of an enemy. Carlos wasn’t wrong about keeping blood out of other people’s hands.
Eva glanced down at the fake corpse of the jezebeth. Not insignificant amounts of blood stained the ground. It wouldn’t work. Not unless that wasn’t an illusion and the demon was merely pretending to be dead.
No harm trying. It was a better idea than standing around waiting.
Eva moved to the edge of where her shield would be if she could still perceive it. Keeping as much of herself within the boundary as she could, Eva quickly swiped the tip of her dagger through the pool of thick blood.
The blood felt off as Eva pulled a large sphere of it in front of her. Whether that feeling was from an illusion or the unusual viscosity of the liquid was hard to say.
The carnivean stepped closer to Eva. “That won’t help,” she said. “Your demon is dead. Your friend is dead. And I am going to pluck your legs off like a child plucks the wings off of flies.”
“Good luck with that,” Eva said.
The ball of blood was already spinning in her palm. Some of her own blood wrapped around the ball in three thin rings. Her blood started heating up as it constricted around the main sphere.
“You are a pathetic creature,” the demon’s voice rumbled. She walked closer and closer until she stopped a mere arm’s length away from where Eva’s shield should be. “Neither here nor there. Everyone you know is using you for their own purposes. Your demon never cared about you. Your friends are going to betray you. Your–”
“I find it hard to believe that Arachne lost to someone who can’t shut up. Did you talk her head off?”
The false demon growled as it started walking around Eva’s shield. Despite Eva’s belief that her shield did exist, she couldn’t help but feel nauseous under the carnivean’s hungry glare. All of her instincts screamed to either run or bring up a new shield.
Only three orbs of Arachne’s blood orbited her head. Eva would need every one of them in a few moments.
She spared the remainder of her own blood to form into a shield. It wasn’t strong and wouldn’t stop much. Hopefully it would soak enough hits for Eva to escape if needed.
The jezebeth’s blood was starting to boil. The rest of the blood on the ground started boiling with the ball in her hands.
Eva smiled as a faint scream started ringing in her ears.
The illusion of the carnivean shimmered. It didn’t disappear, just a flicker. It twisted its face into a grimace.
“Fool.”
Eva blinked.
Her shield was gone. Broken. Drained instantly.
All the blood around her–her own, Arachne’s, and the jezebeth’s–all dropped out of the air. It splashed against the ground.
Two stinging spots appeared just beneath her breasts. Hot liquid ran down her stomach.
“Wha–”
Blood spewed from Eva’s mouth as she started coughing.
She couldn’t breathe.
Eva tipped backwards, falling against the ground. Two tentacles wrenched themselves from her chest with an audible squelch.
She couldn’t understand. The real demon was still fighting Arachne.
No. Both of the fighters within the house, Arachne and the other copy of the carnivean, shimmered out of existence.
Eva tried to scream.
Blood gurgled in her throat.
Her lungs were filling with blood. Both had massive chunks taken out of them.
Even her heart suffered damage. One chamber was open and spilling.
She’d bleed out if her heart didn’t fail completely.
Clouds started forming in her thoughts. The blood to her brain, the shock, the drowning in her own vita. All of it added up.
Mustering the last of her rapidly dwindling strength, Eva swung her arm into her own chest.
A void dagger pierced her heart.
Eva concentrated as hard as she could. Focused on one task. She had to force her blood to move properly. She had to drain her lungs.
She had to repair the damage.
Before the demon thought to finish her off.
Granted Eyes
Author’s Note: If you find yourself becoming uncomfortable, skip to the line “time to find some containers”
“Demon of strength?” Arachne let out a long laugh. “When I kill you, I think I will be taking your title.”
“Fool. Such arrogance will be your demise.”
Arachne laughed again.
It was disappointing, actually. Carniveans were supposed to be strong. Very strong. Sure, if it managed to wrap a tentacle around anything, that thing would break off–two of Arachne’s legs and most of one arm were testament to that.
None of that strength translated to martial prowess.
Still, it was the first real fight she’d been in since the necromancer’s cave.
Arachne intended to enjoy it to the fullest.
The carnivean jumped through the air at Arachne’s laugh. Two glowing red eyes blazed brighter as her three-fanged mouth opened in a snarl.
