Willie flopped around. The sharp blade of a dagger would home in on his eye and Willie would simply fall backwards. His back bent beyond the point where even an accomplished contortionist would be able to extend.
As Genoa reaimed her missed attack to swipe down towards his thigh, the demon slid straight to one side.
Not slid. He was dragged by thin strings holding him up. The higher points of his body were dragged first with his feet scraping along the ground to follow after his body.
Genoa’s blade did manage to clip one of the strings. Despite it being severed completely, both sides reconnected before the cut portion could fully succumb to gravity’s grip.
She jumped forward to strike again.
Willie’s head hit the floor and his feet swung up into the air. A polished shoe knocked into Genoa’s hand.
One dagger went flying. It spun end over end before landing, point down, in the wooden floor just in front of Eva.
Undeterred, Genoa gripped the iron rod out of the air and started shaping it into a blade even as she brought it down upon Willie.
Who, once again, jerked to one side as the strings yanked him around. By the time Genoa’s attack had failed, he was back on his feet.
Throughout their fight, Eva was not idle. She struggled against her restraints. Even with Arachne’s sharp claws, she was unable to cut through the wires faster than they could regenerate around her. Given that the spider-demon was still restrained as well, Eva wasn’t feeling too put out by her inability to escape.
Arachne had an extra three sets of limbs and was still trapped.
Fire did not appear to help. Burning her hands as hot as they would go only left her with a few blisters near where her carapace ended and fleshy skin began.
Both of Juliana’s arms were bound to her side. None of her struggling produced anything but small cuts against her bare arms.
A moment of silence brought Eva’s attention back to the ongoing fight.
One combatant was panting and clutching her side. A small trickle of blood leaked between her fingers. The cut was extremely shallow, nothing dangerous. Though it was less of a cut and more of a tear. She must have tried blinking herself and wound up pulling the wire out while fighting.
The demon stood still in contrast. Absolutely and totally still. His arms were crossed in front of his chest.
For just a moment, they stared at one another.
Genoa lurched backwards. Her back struck a pillar near the edge of the stage. The pillar cracked with a loud snap in the silent theater.
She hit the ground, tumbling. Wood splinters scattered around her as she turned her tumble into a lurch to her feet. She blinked.
Gone from near the pillar, Genoa reappeared right in front of the demon. Pinpoint holes appeared in her body, mostly centered around her right side–her arm and chest.
Whatever pain it caused went completely ignored as she thrust forward with her left hand, burying her dagger inside Willie’s chest.
The theater-demon staggered backwards, taking the dagger with him.
Limp and unmoving, he hung in the air.
It didn’t last. He straightened out as the strings attached to him pulled him up.
“Foolish fighting fair maiden. My delightful domain does defy any attempt at defeating me. The very world itself despises the thought of my demise. Now disarmed of your dagger, you find yourself at the villain’s devious dispensation.”
“Don’t hurt my mom!”
“Sorry, milady, but entertainment must be had.” The demon slid his mask back over his face as he turned towards the three strung up women. “A human, a spider, and a…” He turned to Eva. “A whatever walk into a domain. Sounds like the start to a good joke. And the best jokes always have an air of tragedy.
“Unlike dear Juliana, none of you have Rings of the Damned on. That means,” he broke out into a short laugh, “we can have some
Stuck Together
Catherine glanced back and forth between the two arguing people. She never would have expected Baxter to take her side. The professor had not left her with the impression that she was well liked when she kicked Catherine out of her classroom the last time she got injured.
Few humans would side with a demon in the first place, though the point may have been moot. The sides were between Catherine and Ylva.
“We cannot allow her to leave. She will betray Us the moment she perceives a lack of danger.”
Catherine shook her head side to side hard enough that her currently orange hair flayed wide around her. It wasn’t exactly untrue, but at this point, Catherine didn’t care what she said so long as she got to leave in one piece. It was, however, somewhat offensive that she was viewed as being so weak.
They weren’t the ones who had Zagan breathing hot air on their necks at random points throughout the day.
“If she stays, Zagan might notice her absence. If he comes looking for her…”
