Chapter 34: Resentment

"<Day time!>"

Prisoner's ran to Kalika's cell with a single thought in mind. They reached it only to be met with a bright pink eye that transports them into a dark hopeless forest. They're attacked by several monsters from all sides that also bear the same pink eyes, full of rage and disgust. Their screams echo through this illusionary forest, with the men now being eaten from the inside out.

Kalika, seeing Rhonda's work, praised her.

Rhonda simply smiled back happily as Kalika could only watch the men as they convulsed violently on the floor.

"Whatever she did, I'm glad she used it on me…" Kalika almost felt sorry for them. Key word, 'almost'. "Whatever they're dreaming, it must be pretty horrible. Too bad for them."

Kalika exchanged a glance with Rhonda. "And Rhonda…" Kalika started.

Rhonda immediately perked her ears, listening more intently . "Please… Don't do anything weird with them or… Embarrassing..."

Rhonda darted her eyes blushing a little. She shyly tucked herself into her shoulders. "O…Okay…" She said, a slight hint of embarrassment clearly evident.

Kalika also became flushed, quickly averting her gaze. "A-a lady like yourself s-should be more selective. t-that's all." Kalika became a little more flush, clearly not thinking her own words through.

"A-alright, I-I'm going now!" Kalika raced off to the safety of the trapped dungeon hall. In her way stood several men encroaching from the corner of the hall just behind her.

"There she is!" the first yells. "Kill her!"

Another two approach closely from behind.

"Alright! Don't lose nerve now!" Kalika dodged the first attack. "A cut and scratch are nothing." the other two cut into her leg with their swords, she grits through the pain. "Don't stop! And just keep running."

Another man appears in front of her, just in front of the trapped dungeon hall. She jerked back a little.

"Gotcha!!" The man brings the blade down fast, but Kalika caught it in time.

"Damn it! I can't win against this and those other men will...!"

"Get out of my way!!"

A sharp pain ran coursed through Kalika's veins, like something sharp suddenly appeared within her followed by a boiling.

Kalika suddenly punched the man. dumbfounding everyone that witnessed this.

"W-wait… What?" she uttered.

She quickly snapped back to reality, pushing past the man and into the trapped hall.

"Damn!" One shouts. "I thought she couldn't fight back without that blade!"

"Maybe it was all a ruse to let our guards down." another scoff. "Don't get too cocky, we'll be getting you next time!"

Kalika let out a sigh of relief seeing them leave. "That was unexpected…"

"I wonder how I punched that guy... it was like the time that creep Rakon was smelling my hair…" A shiver went down Kalika's spine. "Oh how I hate demons…" she firmly pressed her hands into a fist, but relaxed just as quickly.

Kalika didn't waste entering back into the labyrinth of traps. With expert precision, she leapt, dodged and avoided each of the pressure plates, every string and all the bricks that would spell her demise. She stopped, sensing a familiar malicious presence.

"It's them…" she quietly said. "They're here earlier than usual."

Reluctantly Kalika ran off in the opposite direction of the bloodlust she felt, until she came across a staircase by chance. She stopped once again, glancing down the deep dark corridor with peaked curiosity.

"I never ventured further down before." a pang hit her stomach. "I really don't want to… but maybe... Maybe this will throw them off."

With her mind made up, Kalika descended down the stony staircase, and a huge wave of relief hit Kalika all at once as she finally reached the next level of the dungeon.

Indistinctive chatter is heard. There were demon guards traveling through the halls now. Kalika hugged the corner of the wall listening in gathering whatever bit of information she could understand.

The name Bjorn suddenly came up. Her ears perked, listening more intently to find key words she could understand. Despite her best efforts however, she was unable to unravel much from what they said before taking their leave. Likely back to their post.

"That didn't help much…" she thought.

Seeing no reason to linger she pressed forward. Keeping low, hugging corners and staying as quiet as humanly possible. The guards were more relaxed, bored by the mundanity of moving supplies and keeping a lookout through the unchanging halls.

All of this was in Kalika's favor as she continued moving quietly though he halls.

instinctively glancing to the ground, she halted. She slowly reeled her feet back cautiously. There was a pressure plate, likely containing another trap. "They have traps here too? How annoying."

The depressing thought of being caught in one of these traps and captured by the guards, didn't sit right with Kalika. She started to mumble curses and groan in annoyance. "Did they really booby trap the entire dungeon or something?"

She continued to proceed with much more caution through the halls. Eventually she came across storage rooms with barrels and sacks filled with ingredients. Feeling adventurous, Kalika entered, and opened a sack revealing the onions within it. She cringed seeing this, immediately closing it back up.

"Hmm... Maybe there's more food here."

She continued her search and ransacked the entire storage room finding nothing but vegetables to her disappointment. Not long after, the scent of freshly cooked meat invaded her nose. "M-meat! I haven't had anything aside from bread for a long time."

She quickly peeked out of the room in search of the delicious scent. Keeping low she found herself inside a kitchen with pots of already cooked meals and prepared plates with utensils. Looking to her left stood another door, likely to lead to another mess hall similar to the one in the prison.

"Where's the cooks?"

The strong smell of the freshly cooked food hit her nose again.

"S-so hungry." Kalika quickly found a bowl and a ladle, scooping up from strange cubed brown meat. And despite the weird look, she helped herself to the food.

"Mmmm~~! Shoo gud! Mmm. How is this more delicious than that meat porridge??"

Soon after enjoying her blissful meal the voices of demons could be heard. She quickly hid behind some counters across from the door with the noise. Hearing the conversation between another two demons she could easily discern two words. "Girl" and "Intruder".

Kalika became annoyed. "I probably shouldn't linger around here…"

The two then rushed out after covering the food. Upon being left alone, she quickly helped herself to a second serving of food prior to leaving the kitchen.

back in the dungeon hall, she looked around the corners of the hall, Kalika could see that the guards had become more active. "Not there…"

She turned around heading down another path. Even more guards. "Oh, great…"

Once again, she is forced to backtrack through another hall littered with even more storage rooms. A guard turned the corner forcing Kalika to hide in the nearest storage room.

She waited as the guard slowly marched on his patrol, holding her breath until he was finally gone. She eased up, knowing she was in the clear once more.

Looking back into the room she found a barrel filled with an assortment of glowing colors. "What's this…"

she approached the barrel, feeling the colors of red, green and blue. She even saw a few spots of brown mixed within the confetti of colors. She dipped her hand in, feeling the sandy and grainy colors. Shortly after touching the colorful powder, most of the colors disappeared, replaced by gray crystals.

"That's weird…what happened to the colors??" Kalika poured the gray crystals from her hand, back into the stockpile of colors. At the corner of her eyes she found something that looked familiar. She approached the barrel filled with metal pipes on a stick.

"Wait. Isn't this…" she reels herself in to touch the strange weapon.

"Kalika?" A deep voice arose. Kalika stopped, just inches from touching the weapon.

Kalika turned back, finding a familiar face. "Oh… long time no see Bjorn…"

"You seem to be overly casual today… for sneaking into the fifth level" Bjorn hunched his head down to peek through the doorway.

Kalika looked at him blankly. "How did you find me?"

Bjorn ignored her. "I'll be escorting you back now," he said.

"Are you kidding me! This guy." Kalika forced a smile upon herself. "Is that so… and what if I say no."

Bjorn suddenly grabbed half of Kalika's body with one hand. "I wasn't asking." his eyes gleamed with his dead serious gaze.

Kalika, shocked by his boldness, reached for one of the barrels as Bjorn pulled her out of the room. He effortlessly lifted Kalika into the air to meet his eye.

"Let go of me!!" she yelled

"Don't make things more difficult than they have to be. Wait a minute." Bjorn looked at a stain on Kalika's prisoner attire. "Did you eat our food?"

Kalika blushed a little. "I said let go!!" The next moment Kalika threw the gray powder into Bjorn's eye.

Bjorn instantly jerked back screaming in pain. His grip loosened allowing Kalika to escape.

She ran without a second thought, speeding down the hall as fast as possible, turning around every corner she saw to lose him. The next moment, a roar echoed through the entire dungeon.

A trap suddenly sprung forth with long spikes protruding from the ground, almost grazing Kalika.

"Too close."

Kalika was forced to wait for the trap to reset itself. The ground shortly after started to shake violently, the sound of destruction coming closer and closer along with dread.

Bjorn suddenly crashed through the stone wall right behind Kalika. His anger was very clear..

Kalika became pale upon seeing him. "Crap! I really pissed him off, didn't I?"

Once again Bjorn grabbed her. "You never learn, do you?"

Bjorn's face contorted to an anger she's never seen before. His thirst for blood became more apparent to Kalika as she was thrown over the trap and through the stone wall of the hall!

Kalika coughed, finding herself in another storage room. She then coughs up blood, struggling to get back up from within the dust and smoke. From inside the dust she could tell that Bjorn was approaching her, breaking the spikes from the ground like toothpicks.

"Get up." Kalika forced herself to her knees. "Get up!"

It was too late as Bjorn grabbed her head and forced it onto the wall. He squeezed her head against the stone brick wall with tremendous force, cratering her head further in.

The pain from her head surged through, it was unbearable. "Aaarrrgghh!!!"

"Again and again, you've always found some way to test my patience's. I couldn't care less that you're a human, much less the queen's toy! But you. You…!! You're such a shortsighted women!!"

Before either of them realizes it, with one last push Bjorn forcibly pushes Kalika through the stonewall and into the next room.

Kalika is sent hurtling through the room and is left writhing and screaming from the pain.

She looks back up to find a blue demon woman like her with mostly black and yellow eyes peering at her. She freaked out, frantically scurrying away from the demon.

It's not long before Bjorn smashed through the rest of the wall, sending rubble flying through the rooms and filling the room with the sound of shattering glass.

"Impressive… You're still alive..."

Kalika shook and bloodied, looking up to find Bjorn giving a scornful look before turning to scan the room. "Damn it. I knew I should've moved these Mirrors further down."

"M…Mirrors?"

Kalika quickly looked around the room. "Hold on… Where's the other demon…?"

Bjorn picked Kalika up by the waist. "What other Demon?" He threw her back into the other room onto a barrel with rocks.

"Arrrghhh!!"

"It's just the two of us here. Besides, the guards in this dungeon know to stay away from me when I get like this," Bjorn stated, a calm anger stirring within.

Bjorn Sent another punch hurdling to Kalika, She quickly dodged her head in time, avoiding the attack.

The barrel behind her suddenly shattered and broke from the impact. pain washed over her back like a bush of hot iron nails .

She glanced up finding his other arm ready to strike, mustering all her strength, she nearly dodged his fists as it broke the ground.

Turning to meet his menacing gaze, she opted to retreat, scrambling to her feet to gain what little distance she could him.

There was no questioning it now. Bjorn wanted to kill her. Knowing this she ran back into the dungeon hall, carrying herself whatever distance she could from the pissed demon general.

"I have to get out of here Now!"

She hurriedly ran down the dungeon corridor, cutting whatever corner possible, all while trying to avoid all the deadly spikes and fire traps littered throughout the dungeon. But it all seems meaningless as Bjorn crashed and smashed through the walls as if it were paper, leaving a trail of chaos and rubble.

"The staircase has to be around here!"

Huge red hands pop out from the corner of the walls, all an attempt to capture Kalika. She barely avoided his grasp, and doubled back into the dungeon.

Bjorn completely smashed through the wall behind Kalika and charged after like a bull. smashing through walls and corners and through other rooms. Kalika then turned a corner to find a dead end!

Suddenly his hand pops through the wall again in another attempt to grab her. He repeats this action again and again. one after another all in quick succession he keeps smashing through the wall with his hands alone, all in the effort to catch Kalika.

Long after avoiding his attempts, Bjorn crashed through the wall once again and into the dead end. seeing that he missed his opportunity to catch her in this dead end, he became angrier.

Bjorn chased after her again leaving Kalika with running as her only option from this angry demon. The chaos continued to unfold as he tore through walls, smashed through others, and created mountains of rubble in his wake. All the while Kalika could only panic and dodge each attempt.

Within the chaos however, a strange wispy voice started to echo through Kalika's mind.

"Call me… Call me…Call me…"

Kalika's head started to pound harder and harder. the calling became stronger. her senses dulling. and like a switch, Kalika felt a strange connection. An unnatural desire overcame all judgment as she twisted, turned, dodged.

"Why is everything becoming so... Quiet?" She turned a corner to find another staircase leading further down the dungeon.

A strange yet familiar dark aura emanated from down below those black stairs, it was absolutely hypnotizing. "I…I need to..."

Bjorn came from her side like before, but this time she had no time to dodge. "I said STOP!!" Bjorn grabbed Kalika, ramming her through several of the walls until he reached the end, leaving Kalika's mangled body in a crater.

Bjorn breathed heavily, watching over as Kalika resurrected. She gasped for air, trying to reorient herself

Kalika looked back up to find Bjorn with eyes full of hate. "I'm glad Rhonda isn't here to see this," he said to himself.

Bjorn raised a fist, quickly punching Kalika in the gut.

"W-why?"

Another to the face.

"W-w-why??" she started to tear up.

Kalika looked up to see Bjorn wearing a mask of absolute rage. But upon closer inspection… "Wait a minute… did he really just… cry?" Bjorn sent another punch. Kalika closed her eyes in anticipation.

POWSH

Kalika felt insurmountable pressure blowing her way, only to quickly cease. Upon opening her eyes, she found the most unlikely person to come to her aid.

Before Kalika and Bjorn was none other than Rakon, who now glared deathly at Bjorn. "Bjorn. What is this?"

Bjorn's mouth trembled upon seeing Rakon, he tightened his jaw before giving a bow. "I'm-"

Bjorn was smacked across the room and into a pile of rubble by Rakon.

Rakon started to approach the General, intimidatingly. "What was your order?"

Bjorn got up, to bow once again. "It was to e-"

Rakon grabbed the huge demon by the neck. "IT WAS TO ESCORT KALIKA BACK TO THE PRISON!" He yelled. "NOT TO PUMMEL HER AND DESTROY THE ENTIRE FIFTH LEVEL!!"

Rakon furiously squeezed at Bjorn's neck even harder. "You're lucky I still need you alive, otherwise you'd be dead!"

"U-unlike Kel and Ek?" Bjorn choked out.

Rakon's eyes widened in anger. He instantly threw Bjorn to the side into some walls.

Kalika watching couldn't help but be awed by Rakon's strength.

Once again Rakon paced himself to Bjorn, who again bowed before Rakon. "You know what I hate most, more than sheer incompetence, Bjorn? It's the sheer lack of loyalty!!"

Rakon grabbed Bjorn horns and broke them off!

Bjorn screamed in agony and blood started to gush from the horns. Rakon threw his horn at Bjorn's knees.

"Say another word and I'll rip an arm from your body." Rakon hissed.

Bjorn remained silent writhing in the pain, he reluctantly grabbed his horn and gave a deeper bow before taking his leave.

With Bjorn dealt with, Rakon turned his attention to Kalika. He looked back to find her blushing a little. She quickly hid her face, not saying a word.

"Alright, Let's get you out." Rakon grabbed Kalika from just under her armpit, pulling her from the crater she was stuck in.

"And don't misunderstand me either. I didn't help out of good will; I just have no intention of breaking you like that sister of yours did."

Kalika froze. "I…" her face became a little redder. "I know that already…"

Rakon peeked at Kalika's condition to see that her prisoner's outfit was in a very morbid condition. "I suppose we'll have you fitted with new clothes before I bring you back to the prison."

Rakon moved past some of the rubble to enter into the destroyed dungeon hall. He then gestured for Kalika to follow which she reluctantly abides, trailing her gaze away from him.

"H-hey. Can I get a mirror from here too while we're here?"

Rakon stopped for a second, glancing at her. "Absolutely not."

"Boo." Kalika, seemingly returning to normal, became indignant. as she followed behind Rakon.

********

The Confederate army finally arrived in the mountain village. The commander on the horse looked around finding earnest folk doing their best to cultivate their fertile lands that they owned.

However to their surprise, some of the people witnessing their arrival start to become panicked, some running off somewhere out of their village.

The Commander looked around, past the shabby shack and dirty homes, seeing children running around playing. Very familiar children.

"Wells." General Thomas called.

The commander was taken out of his stupor. "O-oh, yes?"

"Something doesn't feel right," Thomas said.

Some families start to flee. "Halt right there!" A soldier yelled.

Even more people started to flee the village and the children playing just moments ago started to be picked up by the parents to flee too.

The commander then recognized the voice of one of the kids. He looked back to see a girl with a very familiar hair. "No. it couldn't be…"

"Welcome… I see you all arrived just in time."

Everyone, from the soldier to the captain, to the commander and even the General were all shocked.

From a distance stood the Demon Queen, Lillian Archelion, who stood tall with a knowing smile etched on her face.