Kneeling down, Eva picked up his head, cradling him in her lap.
“Sorry, c-commander.” He let out a sputtering cough. “I failed you.”
Eva felt a knot in the back of her throat. “No,” she said. “You took out that worm. You helped organize my troops. I would never have reached as far as I have without you.”
The lieutenant gave a faint smile. He reached up with a bloody hand and dragged a streak down Eva’s cheek.
His smile disappeared with a look of horror. “Behind you,” he said, slumping in her arms. His hand dropped to the ground with a resounding thud.
“Rest well, lieutenant.” Eva gently set him against the ground.
Wiping away the single tear sliding down her cheek, Eva stood and turned.
The giant beetle stood stock still, staring at her. Gray splatters dotted its elytra. Probably the only remnants of the goblin contingent.
It let out a roar. The sound reverberated through the air, sounding as if a hundred of the beasts were shouting in unison. Spittle flew everywhere, some of it landing on Eva’s cheek.
Eva balled her fists. One hand pressed against her cheek, scraping away the slime.
And then, Eva returned its roar with a shout of her own.
It would pay.
Stepping to its back, Eva tried to slam down her foot with as much force as she could muster. She sent a spiderweb of cracks across the armored plate, but failed to penetrate.
Undaunted by its resilience, Eva ignited her fist. She manipulated the fire, twisting and compressing it as she had for the recently exploded worm. Using her good hand, Eva pried up the elytron covering one of the beetle’s wings. She dropped her fireball inside as soon as she made enough space.
And promptly stepped away.
Eva turned just in time to watch the shell snap clean off the beetle’s back. It spun through the air, end over end like some sort of oblong saw blade.
The spin carried it straight through the pillar holding up the second floor and embedded it into the far wall.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
A loud creak echoed through the building. The creak turned to a groan.
Starting at the pillar, the entire second floor collapsed along with a full half of the roof.
The bug screamed out its multitonal wail again. Its pincers swept through the building, pulping the one bear that had been brave enough to approach.
Eva shouted with it, stepping again. This time, her powerful legs punctured straight through the softer carapace beneath the wing cover. Eva dug into its carapace with her claws and other leg for dear life.
The beetle had started bucking, trying to get her off of its back.
It charged through a wall. Eva pressed herself against its carapace. Wood still scraped along her back.
Running out of time, a thought popped into Eva’s head.
She tried something she had never attempted before.
Eva had always used her hands the primary connection between her magic and the world. But she did not use a focus. Her entire body was a focus thanks to the demonic blood coursing through her veins. So what, exactly, was the difference between hands and feet?
Absolutely nothing.
The creature started thrashing wildly, more so than before. Its multitonal screech hit a crescendo as Eva felt her leg starting to heat up.
It was hard without having it right in front of her face. At the same time, it wasn’t all that different. Eva ignored the scrapes against her back, concentrating on building up the flames deep within the beetle’s back. She compressed them, again turning her fire into a thaumaturgical bomb.
After twice as long as she had spent building up either of her other bombs, Eva decided it was time. She stepped straight out of the beetle’s back to mid-air–she didn’t want to take the risk of teleporting into some debris–landing in an awkward position on top of the rubble of the burnt out house.
If exploding bugs could be considered art, this would win an award.
Viscera splattered against the walls. The entire room was painted over in a rust red. Bits of armor plating cut into the walls and debris, sending even more flying around.
Eva shielded her head with her forearms, letting the tough chitin take the hits rather than her skull. Thankfully, none of it was anything giant. Mostly just small shards. She’d be picking bits out of her arms for weeks, but at least she wouldn’t be picking it out of her brain.
The slopping noises slowly ceased as the last pieces of meat settled.
Eva slowly stood up, wincing. Her back felt like it had gone through a few cheese graters. The small cuts could be healed away, but the larger ones, especially those around her preexisting wound, were more problematic.
Looking around, Eva frowned. There was nothing left. Her last surviving dullahan-bear was nowhere in sight. It was probably among the beetle’s viscera. The acid-wounded vampire had been on the second floor. He was now buried under the rubble Eva was standing upon.
