Chapter 61: Darkness Rising

Rakon scribbled onto his parchment and placed the last few symbols on it. Slowly the words vanished from the pages once again, leaving Rakon writhing in frustration. "<Another failure…>"

Bjorn and Gaz entered shortly after, opting him to get up and toss the parchment to the side "<Good work Bjorn. You can leave now.>" Rakon said.

"<Alright. But before I go, you should know that the immortal girl doesn't seem to be doing well.>"

Rakon narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. "<Not doing well? What do you mean by this?>"

"<Mae and Magnus wanted a guide for the dungeon, so I led them around. And by happenchance they to see Kalika but when we arrived, she looked sickly... like had some unnatural disease.>" Bjorn explained.

Rakon was taken aback, hearing this. "<Is that so…>" Rakon sat back in his chair pondering himself for a while.

"<What do you want to with her?>" Bjorn asked.

Gaz glanced at Bjorn; he then turned his attention to Rakon. "<Would you like to delay the journey again?>"

"<No… >" Rakon said. "<But tomorrow morning I want you two to escort her me directly. It's already late, so go and rest for the night Bjorn. as gaz.>"

Rakon threw a blood blade dagger to Gaz. He caught in his hands. "<It belonged to that maid, put it with the rest of blood blades and I'll explain tomorrow...>"

"<As you wish>" Gaz gave a bow before leaving with Bjorn, leaving and closing the door in silence. They both began to traverse the castles corridor.

"<What a troublesome woman…>" Bjorn sighed.

"<I'm assuming she causes a lot of trouble,>" Gaz said.

"<You don't know the half of it. But this time seems a little different.>"

"<Oh. How so?>"

Bjorn glanced to Gaz with furrowed brow. "<How do I say this...>" Memories of when he first saved Kalika from a band of Bandits resurfaced. He grunted. "<It's not often you see a look of desperation coming from that woman. in fact, I'd say it's rare commodity…most days I've seen her, she would give those around her the stink eye. While other pretended to care about world her.>"

Gaz chuckled to himself. "<She sounds like an interesting women. I guess Rakon likes his women feisty. can't blame him. have a soft spot for those kinds of myself from time to time.>"

Bjorn scoffed and rolled his eyes. "<incubuses. >"

Gaz continued."<Anyways. I'm sure she'll be just fine. After all, there aren't many that can't die. Not even demons are immune to deaths embrace.>"

Bjorn couldn't retort Gaza's statement. But something Kept gnawing at him that felt like a bad omen.

********

Bjorn was now faced with a demon unfamiliar to him, but somehow had a familiar presence to her. The demon looked like a savage from the pit. But upon closer inspection of the weapon she readied, it had a striking

similarity to another he saw before. Seeing this, he narrowed his eyes.

"<Who are you?>" He questioned.

Without another word, Kalika launched herself at Bjorn. Bjorn blocked her first attack with his arm. To his shock she was able to leave a scratch on it.

He wasted no time smacking her with the back of his hand, sending her into the dungeon staircase. He quickly followed down to crush her with his fist.

She dodged it and rolled away, prepared to counterattack. But she was suddenly punched with his follow up attack, sending her flying through the hall behind and into a wall. She crashed through the wall into a room where demon guards were playing a game of cards. They all looked at Kalika, practically shocked.

"<Leave now!>" Bjorn shouted.

They quickly scattered upon seeing Bjorn's approach.

With each step taken by Bjorn, Kalika felt herself become more and more calm and relaxed. Glancing around, Kalika remembered this dungeon from the last time Bjorn and pummeled and destroyed this level. She wobbled back to her feet, amused.

With a better look around, most of the walls around were all still being repaired while others remained open. It was like they were now fighting in a dungeon tailored made for them.

"<Still Alive?>" Bjorn became more serious, running at Kalika full speed. He closed in to grab her, only for her to dodge him at the last second. He used his other hand only for her to dodge again, this time to the side!

She slashed at him again, Hitting him! But upon closer inspection, there wasn't even a scratch on him.

Bjorn turned, smacking Kalka away from him. She slid back somewhat and charged back without hesitation. But she felt much slower, and her strength seemed to be waning. Bjorn, seeing this, used this opportunity, he grabbed her by her head and pinned her to the ground!

With one hand he continued to press down harder. "<Do you give up!??>"

Kalika struggled under his grasp, trying to free herself. His strength was on another level from hers and more so as she felt like not fighting back. But she refused.

Unexpectedly, Kalika laughed. She then dug her dark cloak dagger into his arm.

Bjorn flinched back, letting go of her.

Kalika turned back onto her feet, and followed up with another attack, she slashed and left a shallow cut on his stomach. 

Bjorn gritted his teeth, confused and angered. He brought his arm up at Kalika, quickly sending out torrents of Fire Kalika's direction.

She dodges again to his side, but she was just as quickly met with a punch from his other hand. He then tried following with another punch with his other hand, but this was blocked with her dagger!

She was hit into another wall, smashing into another hall with the guards patrolling seeing her.

She got up quickly. Seeing the guards pursuing her, she threw her blade at the first demon and slashed the other with her newly manifested dagger.

"<Your tougher than you look.>" Bjorn said. The shallow cut on Bjorn's stomach began to heal very slowly.

Bjorn tore open and entered through the hole with his hands raised. He then manifested a ball of earth and shaped it into a large club and grabbed it.

Bjorn pointed his newly made club at Kalika. "<I don't have time to deal with the likes of you, so I'll just kill you now.>"

Kalika laughed again upon hearing him. "<Kill me?>" She glared up at Bjorn with a wicked smile.

Seeing this, he swung his club only for her to block it in vain. She's sent flying through the dungeon. All the while, Bjorn chased her at the same speed, hitting her again to the side!

They broke through another wall and with his club raised, Bjorn closed in to smash her with it.

She nearly dodged out the way as she smashed the ground hard. Rubble flew in all directions as he left a crater in its wake. 

Seeing an opening Kalika rushed to his side. And with vigor and steady hands, she drove her dagger into his arms. Bjorn flinched, then with all her strength she sliced as much as possible with a single move.

Bjorn screamed in pain and whacked her away from him.

"Grr!!!" Bjorn closed back into Kalika, swinging her club hard. He missed her, smashing through the wall. He swung his club again, and again. each time missing her as she dodges out the way. He then slammed the ground with tremendous force again, yet again with the same result as to smile tauntingly.

Bjorn placed his other hand on the ground and sent a wave of earth that covered the floor. Kalika jumped from the floor as a spike suddenly appeared. She nearly dodged most of them, with some spike leaving cuts and scratches on her.

Bjorn quickly gathered the ear back to his hand and transferred a giant ball of earth into multiple spikes, sending them Kalka's direction. Kalika is forced on the run avoiding each one and running up the side of the wall as she did. Eventually Bjorn ran out of spikes, leaving him open. 

She slashed at his back, leaving only a small scratch. He turned around quickly, this time hitting her with his club! She tumbled onto the ground, getting up and she found Bjorn's readying his club. She dodges as he smashed at the ground beneath Kalika!

Using his other hand, he releases a burst of fire beyond him. "<You savage! Tailless! Demon!>" His eyes fired up with determination and he swung his club true, hitting Kalika once again!

He pressed his club against her and the wall, all the while she smiled and laughed like some maniac. "<Savage? I'm going to enjoy killing all you damn demons!>" She stabbed his club with her dark cloaked dagger, and in a swift move, cut it in half.

Bjorn hit the wall next to Kalka, shocking him.

Kalika didn't waste this prime opportunity as she stabbed at his leg, and like his arm, she sliced through it!

Bjorn is left to scream out once more from the pain of the cut. He immediately move to grab her, but she easily maneuvered around him

"Tch! Has she adapted to my blood magic already? No! That's not possible!" Bjorn thought.

Bjorn easily repaired his broken club, restoring it to its former glory.

He smashed the ground, barely hitting Kalika.

"There's only four other people who managed to fight past this power but…"

Bjorn blocked Kalika's attack from above.

The thoughts of Lucius, Rakon, Jala and even Lillian came to mind for him as he pushed Kalika away from him. "To fight back in such a calm and passive state is practically impossible, especially for your average demon." Bjorn narrowed his eyes looking at Kalka.

Bjorn's mind raced. "This tailless savage is not an ordinary demon… There's something about her." On closer inspection, Bjorn noticed a dark aura cloaking Kalika in her entirety. "Impossible! Isn't that-!"

Kalika suddenly disappeared from sight. They immediately clashed. "No, it's not possible." He thought. 

Each of them exchanged blows and clashes until Kalika finally overwhelmed Bjorn, this time sending Him crashing through the wall!

He stood his ground however, plunging his club into the ground to keep himself firmly planted on the ground. Looking back up he found Kalika already on the attack. He blocked and parried her through the corridor wall into more guards that fled.

As Kalika got back to her feet, Bjorn crashed into the wall, grabbing Kalika's face and plowing her through several of the walls behind until they reached the end. "I'll end this now!!" He then pinned her into the wall, and without mercy, burned her to a solid crisp.

Bjorn stepped back, sighing to himself. Seeing the carried husk he left.

"<That should do it…>" Bjorn turned around to leave. "<Damn savage.>"

"Where are you going?" Kalka said.

Bjorn stopped, utterly shocked. He looked back to the supposed savage demon he burned. He found her as her skin reverted back to the cold blood skin it was before. Dagger in and with an overwhelming thirst for blood emanating from her very being.

Her dark aura became much more visible to him. "I hate all of you damn demons. I can't wait to kill you all in this world." 

"She can speak the human language????" Bjorn could see Kalka smiling wickedly within the dense darkness that's encasing her. "That voice…It can't be…" Bjorn watched as Kalika's horns started growing more, becoming more and more prominent as it curved to the back of her head.

Bjorn was taken aback seeing this. Remembering back, to seeing Kalika in her sick like state with all the blue spots on her as well as seeing this demon with the dagger, it finally clicked. An answer so absurd that it should be impossible.

"It can't be… This savage is…"

"Kalika?"

Kalika's golden eyes pierced through the dark sheet covering her.

Suddenly Kalika appeared above Bjorn and forced him to make another club and block it. All of it was in vain however she sliced through the club and through Bjorn with seeming ease.

Bjorn didn't let the pain stop him as he retaliated using her broken club. They clashed with the overwhelming power sending cracks from throughout the floor. "I don't know how this happened to you Kalika. But this stops here!!"

Bjorn pressed down much harder than before. He expected her to weaken with his blood magic but there was still no apparent change. Bjorn clenched his teeth, frustrated. "Why isn't she…"

Bjorn's eyes widened as looked at the dark aura. As it turned out, this dark aura he saw was in fact blood. A cold sweat ran down his face.

"The blood that trumps all others-..."

Kalika broke through, deflecting his attack. A tail then shot out from behind Kalika, launching her into the air. All the darkness converged into her dagger as she attempted to finish their fight.

Bjorn conjured further shield of hardened earth, blocking that attack. Slowly, cracks began to appear one after the other beneath Bjorn. He tried to hold strong, but eventually Kalika broke through this shield. Cutting through his chest!

He's sent crashing through the ground onto the sixth! Then the seventh, cratering him to the ground!

Kalika got up from his body, as the dust around them settled. She smiled as she looked around, finding herself surrounded by many different looking demons. And not too far from her was a large hole, bigger than anything she's ever seen. 

All of the demons around her looked frightened as they watched the surprise spectacle.

"What's going on?" A man within the crowd of demons pushed his way past to see the event. This man was Donovan. As he looked, he became flushed and shocked.

"W-w-w-w-what the heck!???"

Kalika ignored the comment as she became excited with a rising bloodlust. "I like this dream," she said.