"Grgghh! Goddamn it! Furghh!" Rexerd's body quivered in uncontrollable agony.
A rattling scream tore from his throat as blood pooled under his numb body.
Every breath he took felt like glass shards scraping against his lungs. His vision blurred at the edges, tears mixing with sweat and grime.
And Juliana…
She was still laughing. Still peeling off his nails one by one.
And only after she'd had her fun by ripping off seven of his fingernails did she lean down. Her voice was full of mock concern when she whispered, "Do you want me to stop now?"
Rexerd couldn't answer. His jaw trembled, and his lips shook, yet nothing but a weak whimper escaped his mouth.
He was trying — trying to circulate Essence, trying to summon a Card — but the poison mixed with pain made it impossible to focus.
Juliana giggled. "Poor thing. You do want me to stop, don't you?"
