And if Juliana was lucky, she wouldn’t have to ask Saija to sense Eva. The succubus didn’t seem to like her too much, so she might be more cooperative if she didn’t mention her goal. Nel had mentioned that the other hunter was on a roof in the city. Flying overhead might let her spot them much easier.
Juliana waited with bated breath as Saija seemed to consider the proposition. She had wanted to watch the a fight between the doll and Eva earlier, so mentioning being able to watch the fight could help sweeten the deal.
Saija hummed, eying Juliana. Almost as if she didn’t trust Juliana’s intentions.
Sweat dripped down Juliana neck. Here she was, trying to manipulate a demon that probably had centuries more experience than her in everything. There was no way that Saija would agree. Even with the needling of her pride in her wings and her ability, it wouldn’t be enough. She would realize and lash out, maybe even–
“Okay,” Saija said with a smile. “I haven’t had a chance to stretch my wings much since arriving here. I do want to get a better look at the fight and flying seems a safe location. I’ll do it.”
Juliana sighed, letting out a small breath. “Excellent,” she said, giving a half-shrug to a thoroughly confused Irene. “Let’s head up to the roof then.”
Not willing to give the succubus time to reconsider or otherwise back out of her commitment, Juliana took her hand and pulled her along. Being a demon, Saija could probably break free with relative ease. She didn’t. After a few steps, she started walking along on her own.
A few steps more and Saija was practically dragging Juliana instead of the other way around.
Once they got up, Juliana paused.
A human—or human-like being in Saija’s case—carrying a human in flight seemed like it would be incredibly awkward at best, uncomfortable at worst. Well, not quite. Being dropped at a high altitude would be far worse than merely uncomfortable.
“So how are we going to do this?”
“Well, first I’ll wrap my tail around you,” she said, moving up close and wrapping the tail around Juliana’s chest, just beneath her armpits. “That way I will have a chance to catch you if you fall. Like a seatbelt in your car things.”
Juliana glanced down at the tail. It was a thin bit of leathery flesh, far smaller than any staircase handrail, with a spaded tip at the end. Not very long either. Even with Saija standing right up against Juliana, it barely made it all the way around her.
Given its size, Juliana wasn’t feeling very confident. If Saija’s much more normal sized arms couldn’t hold her up, what hope did the tail have?
Maybe I should drop off a few pounds of metal before we get started, Juliana thought.
But Saija had other plans. She bent slightly, hooking one arm right against the backside of Juliana’s legs. Juliana flailed as she fell backwards, eventually grabbing onto both of Saija’s shoulders just as Saija caught her back with her other arm.
“There,” the succubus said. She let out a short, slightly strained breath. “You weren’t kidding about your weight.”
Taking a moment to make sure she wasn’t about to fall, Juliana readjusted some of her metal to make the side closer to Saija a bit thicker. Moving their center of balance a bit closer to the center seemed a good idea. Still, she had to ask. “Too heavy?”
Saija tilted up her chin with a smug look on her face. She tried to puff out her chest, but it wasn’t as effective with Juliana in her arms. “Never. When I said I could lift ten of you, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration. One is still fine.”
She took a few steps forward, each more steady than the last as her confidence grew.
“However,” she said, pausing, “maybe think about a diet? Some of the people I was eating lunch with were asking how I could eat so much and still maintain my figure. I didn’t really understand, but I guess a diet makes you less heavy. So try that.”
“I’ll think about it,” Juliana mumbled. It’s just the armor.
Saija walked them right up to the edge of the building. Craning her neck, Juliana managed to get a quick view of the fight below.
Arachne was missing several more legs. They were lying scattered about the plaza. She had actually shrunken down to her humanoid form, perhaps because she ran out of legs to keep her bulky form mobile. Or even standing.
The hunter was actively trying to disengage. He kept snapping away from the demon and the doll. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t get away. Nearly the entire ground level had been webbed in like some sort of arena cage. Anytime he tried hacking away at the threads, Arachne or the doll made it to him before he could get through.
The doll would hound him relentlessly until he managed to get away again while Arachne just occupied his attention long enough for the doll to get over. She would stop fighting and repair the fencing.
Being less mobile, the golem would help keep him away from Arachne while she worked. Occasionally a rock would fly across the arena like a missile, sometimes missing and sometimes hitting but always forcing him to back away from the fence.
They watched for a few moments before Juliana remembered the whole reason they had come to the roof in the first place.
“Shall we take off now?”
“This seems to be a perfectly good view of the fight.”
“Well, if you can’t do it, I understand. I was just so looking forward to the flight.”
Saija didn’t respond. She tipped forward and stepped off the edge of the roof instead.
Juliana’s hands, already tight around the succubus’s shoulders, clamped down. Saija might survive, but Juliana wouldn’t.
The fall didn’t last long, however. Saija’s wings spread out, catching the air and turning their dive into a glide. A few quick flaps and an angle slightly upwards had them climbing and soaring straight over the battlefield.
“Please don’t do that again,” Juliana shouted over the wind.
“It’s more fun that way.”
Well, I’m not here to have fun, Juliana thought as she turned her attention to scanning the rooftops below. They were quickly moving away from the battle and towards the city, which was good for Juliana. She didn’t need to steer Saija. At least not yet.
“Oh. I wondered what that was,” Saija said.
It didn’t take long to realize what she was talking about.
One of the rooftops was lit up like it belonged in Las Vegas. Neon lights danced around in a large ring, flickering between green and red. Squinting her eyes, Juliana could barely make out the tiny form of Eva hammering her fists away at the flickering barrier.
“Quick,” Juliana said, “put me down on the edge of the roof.”
“Put you down? After all the fuss you made about getting to go flying?”
“Saija…”
Chapter 022
Eva hit her fist against the barrier. Unlike her first several hits, the barrier barely flickered. Every time she hit it, her strikes got weaker. She could barely lift her arms. Worst of all, she couldn’t tell if it was doing anything. The barrier was still keeping her stuck on the platform.
Even if it was weakening, it wasn’t going to fall before Eva collapsed.
Really, she should just stop. Her arms were exhausted. So was she. She should just sit down for a moment, shut her eyes, and take a quick nap. Just a little rest to reinvigorate her.
The moment her eyelids started to droop, Eva slapped herself on the side of her face.
Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t her proper thoughts. Something about the circle was draining her and she was falling into its trap.
More than she already had, anyway. How foolish. One step to the side and she found herself caught already.
There had to be a way out.
Teleporting didn’t work. Neither did blinking. They were among the first things that she had tried. Both felt like running headfirst into brick walls. Her flames didn’t scorch the floor. They just slid off the surface. Despite the roof being made of gravel, it was like there was there was a layer of water over the surface that just made her flames stay inert.