Elvirund | ✔️

Chapter Eighteen

"There's no way we can defeat this one."

As I said that, I realized with a strange sense of detachment that we hadn't even disposed of the other demon earlier in the day. Maybe Calphys had decided to euthanize it after all. Or maybe we would have to face it again another day. I didn't even know if any of those demons I had ever gotten rid of were real or dead or whatever.

"Well, I can think of one way," Chip grimaced and shook his head, "but you are not going to like it."

My steely gaze focused on Chip, searching his eyes for hints. When I found none, I quietly asked him. Something told me it was risky and aggressive.

"It involves blood. Both mine and yours."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Okay fine, then just mine."

"No way."

Chip held my gaze and narrowed his eyes.

"Tigers respond to the scent of human blood. Either I do it or we die."

My hands started shaking and I could feel my skin heating. I couldn't panic now. But as much as I tried I couldn't help it. I couldn't be the cause of another injury.

"Chip, don't hurt yourself. Please."

My breath caught in my throat as I silently pleaded with him.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled at me and began walking in the demon's direction. I didn't see it until he was past me, but as it caught my eye I collapsed. Blood. A dark mahogany stain following Chip's footsteps, and more of it dripping from his left forearm. I tried to process this, I tried to wrap my head around the fact that Chip had intentionally injured himself. I tried to stand and run after him, but he turned around and looked at me. His face was relaxed, a quiet determination underlying the calmness.

"I have to lead it this way. I'm relying on you to kill it before it kills me. You didn't want to follow either of my plans so I'm doing this whether you like it or not."

I finally stood on shaky legs, gasping for breath and trying to keep my hold on my knife. Chip resumed his steady pace towards the demon, his left arm hanging at his side. I wasn't quite sure how he had done it. I didn't want to know.

"Clover, hold it together."

I breathed slowly, methodically. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Chip would be fine. He would be just fine. He was intelligent. There would be no tiger mauling accident report, and I would come out of this with no less than I had come in with. I shoved the negative thoughts to the back of my mind; I had to focus for now at least.

"You know what to do, I hope."

"Of course."

I hoped my voice wasn't too unsteady. The thought that I wouldn't know what to do scared me. But one step at a time, I kept behind Chip. All at once, everything happened and nothing happened. The demon leapt out from the bushes and I stifled a shriek before I lunged in at it, swiping with my knife. There was no way for me to use a bow in this risky of a fight.

"Chip, do what you have to!"

I circled the tiger. This was the intelligence of a Level Five within the confines of a Level Four. I could take no chances. As we both stared at each other, the tiger growled softly, and I snarled back. Once more I thrust the knife out, grazing the demon along its right flank. It was angry, yet it didn't attack me immediately. The tiger paced in front of me, throwing a glare my way every so often.

"Clover, be careful. This is not a normal tiger so do not analyze it as such."

At the sound of Chip's voice the demon in the tiger let out a loud scream. It shook its head, turning its attention to him instead of me. In the hopes of keeping it at bay, Chip whipped out the bell and rang it with a panicked fervor.