Magnus tightened his grasp on his axe and swung at Kalika. The impact on the gravel echoed the large tunnel, and glancing up, he found that she had already distanced herself.
Kalika smiled, amused. "
Not pulling a reaction, Kalika pointed her dagger at Magnus. "
Magnus rested his axe on the ground and narrowed his eyes at Kalika. A silence grew along with Kalika's impatience.
"
Indignant, Kalika sharpened her eyes back at Magnus, who was scrutinizing her with his very gaze.
Kalika perked an annoyed glare at the demon. "Kalika Archelon," she answered. "
Magnus scoffed. "
Kalika sneered.
"
In growing disbelief, Kalika began to chuckle, completely baffled by Magnus's conclusion. She reached for her face, laughing even harder. "
Her voice shook. "
"
Kalika shot a wild glance at Magnus. "
Magnus slammed his axe, sending tremors through the ground.
Kalika dodged, and their eyes met with a quiet understanding.
Magnus swung his axe to his side. "
"
Kalika scoffed. "
"
Kalika evaded the flurry of attack, eventually coming to a duck, letting his axe smash into the tunnel wall. Stone crumbled beneath the weight of the demon's strength as he dragged his axe from the wall to smite Kalika.
Acting fast, Kalika conjured her dagger and lunged forth, stabbing into his legs.
Magnus winced, and she twisted, attempting to cut deeper. As she readied to slice, Magnus grabbed and pinned her to the ground. He raised his axe and slew her without mercy.
As he finished the deed, Magnus took keen notice of the blood. Finally realizing the blood splattered across the ground was black, shocking him. "
Kalika's Lifeless body clung to his arms. The blood, once lost, receded back into her body. And in an instant, Magnus brought his axe down on her again and again in a vain attempt to keep her from reviving.
Eventually, through the chaotic onslaught, Kalika managed to conjure her dagger and stab Magnus straight in his wrist.
He pulled back, allowing her the chance to retreat. And as if she were alive, Kalika distanced herself, circled Magnus, and attacked again.
"
She slashed his side, then his back. And as she fully revived, she threw her dagger, aiming for the back of the giant demon's neck.
Unfortunately for her, Magnus deflected her attack into a dead tree. And with Bubbling irritation, Magnus raised his arm and blasted strings and webs of blood from his fingers, striking the tunnel wall as he tried to hit Kalika.
Magnus snarled and clenched his hands. In an instant, blood strings that pierced the wall shot at Kalika, like a desperate flurry of arrows. With a click of her tongue, Kalika reluctantly conjured her dagger, dodging and deftly deflecting the incoming shots.
Once again, seeing an opening, chaos of webs that surrounded her, she threw her dagger at Magnus, only for him to deflect it with even greater ease. "
Magnus reached to catch Kalika and slammed his palm into the gravel, missing her by just a hair. He swerved his body, but before he could react, Kalika clawed into his back, climbing him.
She grabbed his horn and yanked his head back as she conjured her dagger back in her hand.
Suddenly, He rammed Kalika into the wall. He grabbed her from his head, throwing her in the air. He poised his axe and swung with vengeance.
Kalika blocked, and the sound of iron clashed echoed in the tunnel.
Not relenting one bit, Magnus outstretched his arm and shot out another torrent of blood webs. Each one pierced her body after another, riddling her body with holes and a string of blood, that posed her like a puppet on a string.
Her body froze, unable to move in the air, a string of blood shot through her head, returning the darkness she was all too familiar with.
A strange sensation filled her. As if being tossed around, she felt her body rise further and further, and as she woke, she found Magnus charging into the ready to strike with his axe.
They clashed with the brute force of the giant demon, spiraling her into the air like a geyser. Before she knew it, both her and Magnus were out of the hole. And just distance, her companions watched in shock at the unfolding events.
Not to be distracted, Kalika turned back to Magnus, whose webs shot at her again. It pierced through her body and tossed her around like a rag doll. Once again, he sent her hurtling, this time into the forest, crashing through trees after tree, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Her black blood riddled the forest tree and ground, and coughed as she got up. To her surprise, her broken bones and flesh healed.
She looked at her hand curiously before darting her eyes around, expectantly, awaiting any hint of Magnus's next move.
Hearing a bush, she turned, only to be greeted by blood strings that erupted from the ground.
Kalika dodged the growing vines of blood and deflected the incoming strings that shot at her.
She glanced up and, as expected, Magnus was attacking from above, ready to smite her with his axe.
She jumped back, letting his attack crater the ground. As she did, she once again threw her dagger, this time stabbing his chest.
Unconcerned, he ripped the blade out and charged in with another flurry of swings. Tree after tree fell from his attack as Kalika was left on the defensive.
Finding the chance she wanted, she distanced herself from Magnus, only to be bombarded by his blood webs again.
As she evaded and deflected the attacks, she narrowed her eyes at Magnus. "Weird. He's not chasing me with his big axe?" She smirked. "I wonder…"
Sensing a looming danger, she jerked her head back, evading Magnus's blood string to the head. Curious, Kalika watched as the blood whipped back into his body as he slashed and swung his axe at her until finally cornering her against a tree.
Magnus smashed his axe right beside Kalika's head, splintering the wood and partially blinding Kalika.
"
Magnus ripped his axe out and cleaved Kalika's head off, along with the tree.
In an instant, Kalika's body darted around Magnus and slashed at his side. He winced and whipped around, slapping the body back into another tree. "
He raised his arms and pinned her body down with several of his blood strings turned with his hands outstretched, shooting several piercing the body, and stopping in its tracks.
He watched as the body tried to free itself from the blood piercing it. To his shock, the blood that held Kalika's headless body broke from the restraints. Her head reconnected, and once again, she darted away, a quick, uncaring glance at the demon. "How annoying…That demons weird power keeps chasing me. And that's if that damned demon isn't swinging down his axe around."
Kalika's confident smile returned. "But still. I wonder if I should take him hostage or kill him." Kalika charged back in and clashed her dagger with his axe. Her smile deepened with a single thought. "If I could find Rakon with this bastard, this stupid dream could probably become a little sweeter at the very least."
Getting overpowered, Kalika redirected his attack into the ground and leaped away.
Without hesitation, Magnus blasted several more blood webs shot at her once more. She deflected and evaded them once again as she closed the distance.
Like before, the blood retreated back into Magnus as he slammed his axe down.
Through the smoke, left behind, Kalika scraped past Magnus's axe and struck her dagger deep into his side. Before he could react, she sliced through the demon with a single arc of her dagger, leaving a trail of dark magic that quickly dissipated.
Magnus winced and swung towards Kalika, who blocked, interlocking blade with axe.
Not feeling the same pressure as before, Kalika's eyes drew to his injury and watched as Magnus used his power to web up the huge gash left behind.
"Hmph!"
Unexpectedly, Magnus suddenly distanced himself. He raised his arm and slung out an army of blood strings from his entire palm.. The string of webbed blood pierced the ground and tree and ricocheted around Kalika like a cocoon.
"
Magnus clenched his hand and raised his fist. Like a command, the webs that surrounded Kalika shrank in an instant, catching her off guard.
"Huh?" Kalika tried to wiggle free from her captured state before turning a glare back at the demon. He towered over with unnerving calmness.
Within the blood cocoon, Kalika quietly clenched her fist. "Wait? Does this mean he's bringing me to Rakon?" Her body, that was once tensed, relaxed.
Without hesitation, Magnus grabbed the cocooned Kalika, throwing her on his shoulder. "
FWOOM
"ARRRGGGHHH!!!"
A huge bush of poured onto Magnus's back, forcing him to drop Kalika.
He stumbled forth and whipped around to find an exhausted Donovan holding a long stick with a magic crystal connected crudely with a leather strip.
Donovan huffed and puffed as a subtle gasp escaped his mouth. "It worked…" He muttered.
He became more stern as he glared at Magnus. "Charla free Kalika!"
On order, Charla snatched Kalika away and freed her from her cocoon prison.
"Hey! I said to leave him to me!" Kalika scolded.
"Sorry, Kalika, but I don't plan on breaking any promises today."
Magnus, irritated, glared down harshly at Donovan, who shook. His hands tensed and grasped the stick more tightly. "But if you want, Charla and I can watch from the side at the very least. I just don't want to see any of us get separated again. I mean. You want to leave this dream, right!?"
Before he realized it, Magnus was already poised to smite Donovan. He choked and froze.
Without delay, Kalika clashed with Magnus. Rumblings of their clash echoed through the forest, frightening even the monster that lay in hiding.
"You idiot." Kalika exhaled. "Now he'll be after you, too. Why do you think I told you to let me handle him?"
Donovan was left speechless by Kalika's statement. All the while, Kalika as if she was being crushed beneath the weight of Magnus's sheer strength.
Regaining composure, Donovan aimed his long stink and spewed fire from the crystal.
Magnus's face caught fire, forcing him back. He patted down the fire, which invaded his beard, and shook his head. He glared straight at Donovan, with a new hatred brewing. "
Magnus rested his axe on his shoulder and glared at Kalika and Donovan. "