Kalika pressed her back against the wall, peering down the rotted alley as incubus after incubus passed by. She scowled with clear annoyance. Soon, the maddening steps of her followers quieted. With the coast clear, Kalika slumped to the ground with a sigh. With peace finally won, she gazed up, lost in thought.
"This is so annoying. I wonder if I should return to that Kasak place… Nnmmm… Probably not." Kalika sighed. "Hopefully, Donovan and Bjorn are on their way… And knowing Donovan, he's probably freaking out trying to get to me now. Grr! I wish I had that stupid book, but I guess it's a good thing Donovan has it on him."
"
"Hmm?" A loud slap echoed in the alley behind her. Curious, Kalika peeked and found a few familiar Karnals milling about.
The bald red Karnal puffed out his chest. "
"
Zef slammed the blue, grey-haired Karnal against the wall. "
"
Zef pressed harder. "
"
Kalika narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah. They were part of those bounty hunters chasing me… I wonder if I should kill them… Hmm… Probably not. The last thing I need is to draw attention."
She watched as Zef shoved Abbot and tossed him closer to Kalika.
"
"
"
"Zef. Zef!!!"
Zirg, watching, could only rub the back of his neck awkwardly. "
""
"
Abbot stared. "Uh-huh…"
"Hmm?" Catching a glimpse of something suspicious, Zirg cocked his head. Curious, he peeked to the left, looking down the alley.
He gasped, and his eyes widened. "
Kalika, still oblivious, watched with bewilderment. She glanced behind her, seeing no one there. "What is he… Oh."
She turned and saw Abbot dash toward her. She scowled and retreated.
"
They shot from the alley back into the street of chaotic anarchy. Bounty hunters began to burn homes and demand further answers, only to be interrupted by her presence. Quickly realizing her identity, they chased, with Abbot falling behind.
Desperate, he sprouted his wings and leaped into the air, taking to the skies to follow.
With mild annoyance, she glared up at Abbot.
The familiar presence of her incubus pursuers returned. She leered at the roofs, seeing the obvious silhouettes of them watching. Some even fled, no doubt to report her location.
She focused back on the road, sprinting even faster as she weaved through the chaotic streets, dodging the grasp of hunters out for her.
Unexpectedly, a huge line of bounty hunters and guards blocked her way. She scanned for an alley, only to discover a line of demons blocking those, too. She came to a screeching halt and scanned for any escape, whether from the roofs or otherwise. However, the more she looked, the more it became obvious that it was a trap.
Rows of demons, like an army, stood in her way.
Bickering suddenly rose within the army of bounty hunters who would claim the prize. The crowd chasing her slowed, and a subtle hope stirred.
Suddenly, an incubus from the roof shouted.
"
"What!" Kalika whipped her head toward the incubus, who passed along a fluttering pamphlet of a new decree, complete with the royal insignia.
Bounty hunters caught it and grinned. Some were displeased; others were more than optimistic with the offer.
The dysfunction Kalika's hoped for, vanished in an instant, replaced with a newfound ire for the incubus servant. "Bastard," she whispered.
With a solemn sigh, she conjured her knife into her hand. Some laughed; others grimaced, recognizing it. ""
"
Kalika closed the distance to the first, locking eyes and stabbing him in the neck. With a cold glare, she stared at her next victim, just as easily streaking an arc and opening his neck. The demons who watched shuddered. They fell one after another as Kalika slaughtered them with cold, calculated precision.
Thrust in the heart. Cut to the neck. Stab in the head.
No demon was safe as she overwhelmed the large horde, slicing and cutting from within.
"
"
"Where'd she go!? She was just here—>"
Kalika wrapped her arms around the latest kill and pressed her knees into the demon's back. She easily pulled the demon's neck up and sliced it open for all to see.
Blood spurted, drenching the floor and Kalika's hands, staining them red.
She twisted and cracked the demon's neck, then jumped away.
The crowd instantly backed away. Insulted, Kalika glared at the group with a deeper, more murderous intent, then at Abbot, who continued to watch with a pale face.
"
The red on the ground slowly expanded from all the dead bounty hunters, and soon it covered the feet of the demons around Kalika. Each one was more nervous than the last.
"
"
A demon erupted from the crowd with a large red-stained spear. With deadly intent, he slammed it downward, missing Kalika by mere inches.
She stared at the demon much more coldly. "
Insulted, the demon raised it and swung with vicious intent. One swing after another, the crowd widened, cautious of the wild arcs as Kalika dodged one attack after another with ease.
Once again, he arced it down at Kalika, with nothing to show for it.
Boldly, Kalika stepped on the bladed end and frowned.
"
With some reluctance, demons emerged, attacking Kalika at once. She dodged and blocked their attack and threw her knife into the air. With deadly accuracy, it zipped in streaks of red, slicing a neck and stabbing into another's leg.
Aggressively, the spear demon attacked, thrusting and whipping his blade at her as the others attempted to corner her with their swords.
Unconcerned, Kalika called and caught her blade, blocking and clashing through the hail of attacks. She let out a laugh, then cut the wrists of her attacker.
She turned back, and the sound of metal echoed through the streets as she caught the spear demon's attack mere inches from her shoulder.
A fire lit in the demon, and he pressed harder.
Eventually, Kalika slid her blade back, taking the attack to the surrounding demons' shock.
The large spear demon grinned cockily, but soon found himself falling backward.
Kalika, nonchalant, strolled on with her gaping wound.
Her wound healed, and the clothes once torn mended together as she picked the demon's head up from the ground. With her other hand, she caught her knife, then stabbed it into the decapitated head of her foe. Finished and blood-soaked, she tossed the head aside.
An uncontrollable pride and glee rose within her, her face contorting into a manic grin.
She quickly covered her mouth. Her pride turned to disgust. "N-no! I'm not like them!"
She inhaled and shuddered out her breath, trying to clear her mind.
The once cocky, cruel, and deviant bounty hunters slowly backed away, frightened. They each trembled with disbelief, some barely even able to stutter out a step.
"
"
An explosion erupted behind the crowd of bounty hunters. Confused, some whipped around. "
Some gasped, slammed against a large club, and others were engulfed in fire.
"
"
"
Like a rampaging bull, the two tore through the crowd of demons. A chaos of earth magic exploded, with spikes that skewered and shot through the air with deadly accuracy. Donovan, brimming with determination, sliced with a fiery sword and then hurled balls of water at the demons.
"So they did come," Kalika mused. She watched quietly as the bounty hunters turned to escape with the others, clashing head-on against the two.
Bjorn, with his large lumbering arm, took a demon by the head and threw him into the crowd. A path to Kalika opened. With renewed vigor, Donovan charged straight to her. "Kalika!"
He clashed blades and countered through demons' attacks, eventually reuniting with Kalika, bloodied and stained just as much as her. "Finally," he wheezed. "We thought you'd be at the fortress, but then all those bounty hunters came running this way."
He glanced around, finally noticing the massacre left behind by Kalika.
"It's good you two came, but did that blue succubus run into you?"
Bjorn punched an attacking demon and raised his palm, spewing torrents of fire between them and the bounty hunters.
"U-uh, yeah," Donovan said. "We ran into her and the kids."
"We left the boy to her and her group," Bjorn stated. "As it just so happens, she came with a group of pilgrims from some desert part of the pit. Can't say I know of any desert, but the boy should be fine now."
"Good. Hopefully, we don't get any more stragglers. So what's the plan?"
Bjorn ceased his fire and gazed over the horizon. "Past them is the town's main gate. There should be some cart there we can steal and escape with."
"Honest general turned to thievery?"
"We do what we have to. Now get ready. I'm going to clear the way." He raised his palm again and manifested a huge ball of fire. Another manifested right beside it, then another.
Aimed in a triangular formation, the huge fireballs shot at the group, who desperately countered with a wall of water magic.
Steam exploded. The fire tore through, and the demon holding the line faltered at the sight of his comrade burning asunder.
"NOW!"
Kalika led the way with her knife whistling through the air. It arced through necks and heads of the encroaching bounty hunters, each one still desperate to stop them as they rampaged through the horde.
Shallow cuts struck the group, with Kalika completely ignoring the demons as she sped down the road.
Soon, a new light shone through, and the endless wave of bounty hunters and guards ended.
"
Kalika's knife slung back to her hands, then slithered back into her body.
The houses dwindled in number, and the road ahead widened.
Horns blew, and guards rushed forward, blocking their path.
"Great," Kalika murmured.
Bjorn took the lead.
Guards drew their spears, but just as quickly faltered at the ringing sound echoing through the air.
Like a raging bull, Bjorn ripped a hole through their line and cracked spikes from the ground, killing an unfortunate few. "Hurry! The carts should be near!"
They continued past the guards, with an army of demons on their trail.
Kalika glared. Donovan huffed. And Bjorn focused.
They turned and climbed a small hill of buildings filled with watching demons.
From behind, blood ropes and daggers zipped past and missed them. Desperate, the bounty hunters and guards screamed, shouted, and lashed out with magic and knives. With each step, they inched closer, gaining new ground on Kalika and Donovan.
Annoyed, Bjorn slowed, then turned his hands, conjuring a large stone wall.
Unconcerned, Kalika and Donovan pushed on with Bjorn behind them. Not long after, rows of carts came into sight, each one nestled and housed in a long hollow building.
"There it is!" Donovan exclaimed.
Without hesitation, Kalika jumped into the first cart they saw. Donovan, however, stood unsure. "What about the Garus?"
"We don't have time for that." Bjorn rushed past him, grabbing the two front poles of the cart.
Reluctant, Donovan jumped in.
Like a speeding horse, Bjorn pulled and dragged the cart to the street.
Kalika glanced back, watching as demons got past Bjorn's wall and gave chase again. Irked, Kalika conjured her knife in her hand. "At this point they're going to follow us to the ends of Rocia."
"Don't worry. There's a large ravine with a bridge. It's just beyond the gate."
From above, fireballs flew their way, each smoldering the wood of the cart.
Donovan aimed with his pipe, firing back at the pursuing demons. From the group, a single demon flew at them at top speed. He crashed in and poised with his blood blade. "
"Hey, you're the demon from that alley…" Kalika grabbed the sword, nonchalant, and glared down at the Karnal. "
The sound of steady water hitting the cart floorboards became audible for everyone to hear.
Donovan, almost feeling sorry, turned his head, as if to preserve the demon's pride.
Abbot abandoned his prized sword and jumped out of the cart, practically rolling to safety as Bjorn burst through the fragile pair of gates.
"Peh. Well, that takes care of that," Kalika said, throwing aside the sword. She flicked her hands, still feeling a buzz. "For a second, I thought I was going to pass out from pain."
"W-w-well, you certainly have a good poker face," Donovan admitted. He turned back and saw the winged demons turn away along with the horde of disgruntled bounty hunters. "It looks like they stopped following us."
"They did?" Bjorn glanced back. But to his surprise, a familiar black blur appeared. "Grr! That's why!"
Bjorn sped up.
Stumbling, Donovan and Kalika clung to the side.
"Hey, what the hell is going on!?" Donovan barked.
"That incubus Gaz is behind us! That's what happened. We can't escape if he catches up!"
Annoyed, Kalika glared at the black encroaching blur. "So annoying. I thought I knocked him out, too!"
"W-well, apparently not." Donovan aimed and shot a fireball at the blur, missing and grazing the incubus in spectacular fashion. "I can't get him!"
"Stop focusing on him! Focus on making a boulder heavy enough to snap a bridge."
Although hesitant, Donovan began, manifesting a small stone and growing it larger and larger as Bjorn hastened his steps with a huff and a puff.
"We're almost there! Is it ready?"
"N-no! I need a little more time!"
"We don't have time, Donovan! If I could do it myself, I would've done it. You need to finish it fast."
"I'm trying!"
Unexpectedly, Kalika raised her hand toward the growing stone.
"K-Kalika no!" Nervous and panicked, Donovan hovered the stone away from her.
"Calm down," she said. "I want to help."
"But if you touch it—"
"I'm not stupid. I know if I touch it, I'll only absorb it. But magic doesn't need touch to be used, right?" Kalika reached her hands forward, and to Donovan's surprise, the stone boulder grew bigger and faster.
Kalika winced, feeling a sensation so strange she thought it was alien. A sly chuckle escaped her lips as she gazed at the big rock. "S-s-so… This is what it feels like. To use magic."
Her lips curled even more, looking at Gaz's desperate face as he reached for their cart.
Running across the bridge, Bjorn shouted out, "DO IT NOW!"
The boulder shot down. The cart jumped. The wood splintered, and they sped off away from the wreckage left in their wake.
Gaz, hanging by the loose floorboards of the bridge, grimaced. "
********
Watching from afar in the gate tower, Mishti, the boy, and Fayelynn watched the events unfold. "May Zorbian watch over you… Champion."