As Phei drew the richest Blood Essence into himself, every blood without essence in it left over began flowing toward the waiting Fiend.
Crimson seeped out from beneath thousands of corpses, peeled itself from broken ice and climbed from wounds that had already begun freezing shut. Blood flowed uphill when necessary, creeping across the white ground in branching veins before gathering into thicker rivers around the kneeling monstrosity.
The Blood Fiend drank it all.
Each stream vanished between its plates with a wet inward pull. Dark-red armor deepened toward something almost black while grotesque veins swelled beneath the surface, carrying fresh essence through the huge body.
The slow contractions became heavier.
A muted thump passed through the armor and another.
The Ice Dragon watched without moving.
Gradually, the battlefield whitened again.
