With shaky hands, Kalika's breathing shallowed. She clung tight to the points of the giant grey crystal and chuckled. A faint energy flowed into her, like several steady, flowing streams that were slowly losing momentum. Suddenly, a dark energy pulsed into the crystal, and the stream into a raging river. She winced and clenched her teeth, clinging tighter to the crystal as a pressure of power roared into her. She shook,
The crystal buzzed and flickered with a mind-numbing dark energy in an attempt to revive its light. Feeling faint, Kalika slumped onto the crystal, still clutching its sharp edges. "You're trying to worm your way back into this crystal, aren't you? But I won't let you. So just give up, Zorbian."
"Kalika!" Donovan, along with Bjorn and some guards, rushed through the swamp of black sludge that flowed like a river through the plaza.
Bjorn, seeing a dark light flicker within the crystal, gasped. "That dark light…It can't be."
Donovan glanced back at Bjorn. "What?"
Storming onward, Bjorn watched as Kalika strained to stay awake as the crystal continued to fight to live. "There are legends of a crystal that glowed black, it said to have a mind of its own, to be responsible for the downfall of the firsts Kings rule. It's hard to believe that thing was inside the castle! Just by looking at its size, it must've stayed hidden for over hundreds of years."
Donovan watched Kalika struggle with the crystal with a determined gaze. "We need to hurry, if that crystal does have a mind of its own, who knows what it'll do to Kalika!"
Unexpectedly, the sludge around them shifted, and from inside several slimy tentacles emerged. "Shit!" The tentacles whipped into action, pulling the guards around into the sky and whipping Bjorn and Donovan across the plaza away from the pitch-black crystal.
"Grk! That thing doesn't know when to give up!" Donovan, with focused eyes, watched as a tentacle slinked towards Kalika. acting fast, he raised his pipe and blasted a fireball, blowing through the tentacle. From inside the black sludge, several more tendrils sprang out and surrounded Donovan and attacked. He raised his pipe and brace for impact. Just then A fire chains of blade sliced through the tentacles above,
Peeking up, Donovan caught sight of Zelak, as he finished slashing the attacking tendrils before landing into the murky sludge.
"Thanks Zelak! But where's Charla?"
"The old coot is keeping her in check. that contract is still trying to force her to aid you." Zelak turned a glance and saw several layers of tentacles piling atop Bjorn. He prepared his sword but ceased at the sight of a fiery hurricane blasting from inside.
Freed, Bjorn cut through the last tendrils with an axe made from earth. With a fury, he turned and slashed through the remaining tentacles the flung their men. From within the sludge the guards rose, recovering from the sudden ambush.
Bjorn, Standing tall, Spoke clear authority. "
The remaining guards raised their hands and weapons and cheered.
Without hesitation, Bjorn turned to the castle charged in with his axe poised and ready for the incoming opposition. All the while, the guards followed right behind with their war cries.
Like the guards, Donovan and Zelak followed, blasting and slashing through the waves of attacking tentacles that pulled, whipped, and lunged at them with a fierce ferocity.
"
Ignoring the chaos around them, Donovan pushed on, launching fireball after fireball at the tentacles attacking Kalika.
"Watch out!" Several more tentacles sprang in front of Donovan, attacking at once. From behind Zelak sped ahead and slashed through with his fiery sword. "Focus! Let the champion and those things be herself!"
"In case you haven't noticed, Kalika's the only person keeping the crystal thing from killing us! if she lets go of it now, who knows what might happen!"
"Donovan's right," Bjorn said. He slashed through another group of tentacles blocking their way and burned another attacking from the side. He grimaced with a deepening annoyance, then glared towards the crystal as he pushed on.
"Kalika's uncanny blood magic to absorb magic is likely keeping things from getting out of hand. But that's all the more reason to destroy that crystal." Feeling a shifting tide, Bjorn came to a screeching halt. Like a rising wall, before the last plaza pillar, an army of tentacles and huge dark puppets emerged.
Each of the dark puppets spawned bigger than the last, with twisted, white-eyed bodies so deformed that it was even questionable if it was human-shaped at all. Donovan irked at the sight. "Those things again."
Kalika, on the other side, could only look at the growing army with bitter frustration. She turned back to the crystal and angrily butted her horns on it. "Damn you, Zorbian. You won't win this!"
********
"
Everyone watched as the number of dark puppets grew behind them in all their deformed glory. Bjorn, seeing the growing threat, snarled and tightened his grip.
"
"Desperate?" Donovan repeated.
Zelak raised a brow to Donovan before turning back to the large behemoths towering over them. "Yes. A Garu that is cornered, typically shows its talons when threatened."
Bjorn sighed at the statement, exhausted. "Even so, it's clear to see that it's trying to buy time."
Donovan with eyes locked on Kalika, saw her grip slowly loosen from the crystal. "Theres no time. if we try to fight against tall those, it'll probably be too late and that thing, revert to being that damned giant." He raised his pipe to his shoulder and poised to attack. A torrent of fire spewed in the air and quickly flattened into a blade.
Shocked, Bjorn and Zelak eyed Donovan.
A cold sweat ran down Zelak's face "Human, what the hell are you doing!?"
"What does it look like! I'm gonna clear the way, so both of you! get down!!" Donovan swung at once, forcing Bjorn and Zelka to duck as he sliced through the army of sludge and the stone pillar. The guard behind marveled at the sudden display of power.
But just as quickly as it extended into the army, the fire blade shrank to a simple tip of a blade.
Donovan barfed blood, and all eyes drew to him. With a determined expression, he continued to march on. "D-damn it. What are you all staring at?" He wheezed. "We have to destroy that crystal, right!? So go!!" Blood trickled from his eyes, and he dropped his pipe.
Bjorn peered and glared at Donovan's deteriorating state. "You mad man. You better not die, you here?" he raised his axe in the air. "
The guards tensed, hearing the sudden order, and broke free from their shock. They all turned to Bjorn, who charged in, cutting through the rising opposition. Reinvigorated, the demons joined and stormed behind, conjuring their red-stained swords, spears, and axes to their sides, fast approaching their target.
Donovan, mustering up the will to move, marched on.
Annoyed, Zelka, grabbed Dononva's shoulder. "Hey, just stay here-" Swamp of sludge shook, and the dark puppets behind moved.
Alarmed, he whipped his chain sword out and glared at the approaching horde of Zorbians, deformed puppets. "Lay down and I'll-" Glancing back, Zelak could only watch as Donovan continued to march through. "You damn fool." he muttered.
Donovan watched Bjorn and the guards charge in, crushing the sludge hand and tentacles beneath their feet like soft sand. His vision hazed and his head tingled, as he attempted to keep his balance as he saw a new deformed puppet spawning in front of Kalika. He raised his hand with desperate resolve and pained expression, manifested a small flicker of fire in his hands. "D… Damn it."
Bjorn swung his axe, striking through the dark puppet and smashing the crystal. Pieces of crystals shattered at once, and forced Kalika to brace.
The guards quickly followed Bjorn's lead, smashing and cleaving at the crystal with merciless resolve. Splinters of crystal flew through the air, and piece by piece, shard by shard, the crystal was whittled with a black ooze pouring out from inside.
Eventually, the sludge dissipated from all around into a cloudless mist, and light from the crystal finally faded. With the sludge gone, Donovan stopped and, with strained breathing, watched from a distance as the demons smashed the dying crystal.
"Thank goodness…" Donovan thought.
From behind, Zelak watched at Donovan and sighed, seeing him wobble around. He turned his glance to the roof, where Charla stood frozen in place with Cyrus right behind her. "Release her."
At once, Charla stumbled, and In a panic, she jumped from the roof, rushing to Donovan who slowly fell from exhaustion. She caught him in hand and quietly rested his head on her lap. Her smile twisted and contorted, and with restraint, she placed her hand on his cheek, rubbing. A drool ran down her lips, flushed with new and impure thoughts. She inched closer to her face, but quickly bit into her lips, bloodying them.
Suddenly, the crystal shattered, cleaved in two by Bjorn's axes. From inside, a blue oily liquid leaked out, and the crystal died. The buzzing ceased, and the overwhelming power Kalika had felt had completely vanished from the crystal.
"Finally," Kalika sighed. "It's all over…" Her grip loosened, and she fell to her side.
Bjorn, turned to Kalika somber, then at Charla who fought against her own instinctual desires. "
Reluctant, Charla agreed and laid Donovan flat and forced herself away, letting Bjorn take him.
Zelak, seeing no reason to linger, departed, joining Cyrus in the roofs above. "
"Aye." Cyrus, along with Zelak, watched on as some of the guards continued to smash away the crystal. From the continued destruction they saw, Charla followed through, taking the half-conscious Kalika and escorting her away on her shoulder.
"What a pity. And here I was hoping to destroy that core. But with everything that's happened, it seems that chance has passed."
"Don't look now, but it seems that Lyra is still watching." Zelak pointed.
Cyrus peeked a glance and saw her stare at them blankly. "I suppose that makes two, whose plans crumbled tonight."
"Right." Zelak sighed and turned away. "And I doubt Lyra is so pleased about what happened. Makes me wonder if she'll have her girls come to hunt us down."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. It won't take long for the guards to figure out her involvement. And knowing her, she'll want to take the first ship out from Oar's."
"
********
"
Lyra lasered her eyes at the succubus. "
"
"
"
Lyra sighed at the question. "
"
"
The woman glanced around, confused by Lyra's statement.
"
The other Succubi quickly followed behind, entering deeper into the darkening alley.
"
********
Kalika, still half-conscious, watched on as Charla carried her through the stone streets of Oar's. A platoon of guards then rushed past them, with spears at the ready, and Bjorn spoke up.
"
"Yes."
Kalika felt Charla pick up the pace and move around. Slowly, the weight of her eyes became heavier, and as she gazed at her limp blue arm, a single thought passed, and she fell into a deep slumber.