Lady Kalina felt an aching pain throughout her whole body. No, correction. The pain was deeper than that. A reminder of something, but she couldn’t recall. In fact, she didn’t know why she was lying on an ash-covered floor in the first place. Kalina tried to move but felt a heaviness settle over her entire body. It took an extreme effort to even sit up, so she gave up and remained lying. Wherever she was, it was dark.
Slowly, the memories came to her. The physical pain from the injuries accumulated in battle. Those were just on the surface, but she felt a greater pain. Pain of loss. Cris and Joff were dead. Mina and Alcard? How were they? Lady Kalina wondered. The Lich said they were most likely dead. The Lich inflicted pain on her and something else. Rage. Lady Kalina snarled with anger, and the weight she felt across her body was gone. She sat up and looked at her hands. They were so pale and no longer covered with rot.
Kalina heard rustling to her right. It was a low growl followed by the jingling of armor and weapons. For the first she fully noticed her surroundings. She was in the clearing, where she died. Lady Kalina chuckled at that as if it were a joke. A twisted and dark joke. Footsteps approached her, and they belonged to two Fiends armed with barbed spears. Their intent was as clear as the sunrise. They were going to kill her. Rage burned in Kalina’s chest as she leaped to her feet. No, not rage. Her rage was for the Lich who killed her friends and cursed her. No, he did not curse her. Lady Kalina accepted this. This was an opportunity to get vengeance against the Lich. The Fiends neared her. Were they running? Why did they move so slowly? Lady Kalina wondered. And if she did not feel rage toward them, then what was it? Hunger! A terrible hunger. Those two emotions were what filled her heart and soul. Did she even have a soul?
The closest Fiend jabbed his spear at her, and Lady Kalina easily stepped aside. The Demon was preparing to strike again as the second Fiend approached. Lady Kalina took the moment to wonder where her sword was. It was on the ground, and it did not make sense for her to grab it. Instead, she could feed on the Demon. Lady Kalina was so very hungry, and she knew the cursed form she had taken had the ability to drain energy. All she needed to do was to touch flesh on flesh. Lady Kalina knew this in the same way a wolf pup knew that its fangs were used to tear flesh to consume meat. She reached out and grabbed the first Fiend by the face and poured all of her Will and Hunger into the hapless Demon. It howled as she consumed.
“Yes!” Kalina cried. This felt so good. It dimmed her Hunger.
The other Fiend attacked, and Lady Kalina redirected the spear with a block and slammed her hand onto the second Demon’s face. She held both of them and again, she poured her Hunger and Will into the creature and overwhelmed its innate defenses. She felt its energy go into her, and it felt good. The two Demons were withered corpses by the time she was finished. Her thoughts were now clear, but a terrible realization came to her. The Hunger will never go away. It will only be dimmed. The desire for vengeance will always be on the back of her mind. The two emotions burned her essence like fire. Her essence, who Lady Kalina was, was slowly being devoured. In time, maybe a month, maybe a year, Lady Kalina will truly be dead. She shook her head.
“I have work to do,” she said.
At that moment the Red Portal snapped shut and the giant monolith in the distance flickered and disappeared to plunge the entire floor in opaque darkness. The ground shook and a small tiny light appeared in the distance at the top of a long staircase that replaced the monolith of light.
“Someone has the Hold Core,” Lady Kalina observed to herself.
Now that her Hunger was somewhat abated, she began to worry about her friends and the Guild. Who had the Hold Core? She hoped not the Lich because that would complicate her desire to destroy him. Thinking of her friends, they probably don’t know about the portal here! Lady Kalina was also worried about her sister and Alcard. But, now, she could do something. She could create a Safe Zone. Lady Kalina used her Rune magic to Summon light, and she went to work to repurpose the portal. Even without the Hold Core, she can activate the Portals. They will just need to be maintained. Lady Kalina went to work.
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*****
Ahanu and the Proven charged after Shiv and his team. The Cultists tried to run, but the Blonde-haired Rune caster, Val, appeared too weak. Drake and Ozun readied their weapons and stepped to the front. Web stood just behind them, and Shiv attempted to slink out of sight to get lost in the confusion, but Ahanu’s eyes were locked on him. Then the light went out, and the entire chamber and corridors were plunged into darkness.
“No!” Ahanu heard Val’s voice cry out. “We are too late!”
In the darkness, they could hear the Blonde-haired Rune caster shout out a string of curses so loud that it could be heard over the sound of combat. Dunar, and several other Rune casters activated light sources, and the area was faintly illuminated with dozens of shadows. Shiv was nowhere to be found! Ahanu started to panic. He was so close to avenging Talluah’s death! No way the bald assassin could get away!
“Stop your whining and get us out of here!” Drake growled.
The disgraced Legionnaire, along with the braided-hair sword fighter Ozun, immediately engaged with Dunar, Rolfe, and Helga. Mikal and Web exchange spells at each other. Ice spears versus globs of acid. The two Rune Casters mainly negated each other’s attack and prevented each other from supporting the front-line fighters. Dunar and Ozun squared off in a flurry of steel.
“You have improved,” Ozun observed and added, “But not enough.”
Dunar did not respond with words but instead replied with his axe and sword.
Drake frantically fought against Helga and Rolfe. He weaved, blocked, dodged, and parried but was dancing on a thin line against the two fearsome warriors.
“I could use some help here!” He cried.
Val held her hands together and was chanting with her eyes closed. Ahanu knew he should probably stop her, but he feared Shiv was hiding somewhere among the numerous shadows. This is what happened last time! Shiv ambushed them, and Ahanu vowed that he would never let that vile assassin do that to his friends again. But where did he go!
Ahanu was about to panic when he recalled that he was not the same fighter the last time they met. Ahanu had improved and learned new skills. The Spirit Walker tapped the Mind aspect Channeling tool and completed the glyphs without error or hesitation. Ahanu shaped his Will into a sphere and expanded his senses outwards. He sensed Shiv sneaking up on Mikal! Relying completely on his Will and the Mind aspect, Ahanu flipped his spear over and threw it. The weapon thudded into a shimmering form that was right behind the Frostsworn Healer. Shiv appeared with a spear through his chest, and his wicked curved dagger fell to the ground. Mikal cried out in alarm and stumbled back, but he was safe.
“It is done,” Ahanu said.
“No its not!” Mikal replied and added, “There are four more of them still!”
With the Frostsworn Healer distracted Web was able to Summon forth a thick wall of vines that lashed out and entangled the team. The vines snaked through the gaps in armor where poisoned thorns could strike. Rolfe, Helga, and Dunar were able to cut themselves free, and Mikal went to work to Shape the poison out of their systems. But it was too late. They watched Val create a Rift, and her team escaped through it.
Mikal shook his head. “I fear this is not the last we will see of them.”
Helga looked down at the dead assassin. “Ya, but it is the last we will see of him,” she said.
“Good work, brother,” Rolfe said, patting Ahanu on the back.
The Spirit Walker nodded and wept. Tallulah’s death was avenged, but she was still gone. All this time, Shiv was an unbeatable monster that Ahanu trained hard to fight. In the end, Shiv died without any fanfare. He was another casualty on the battlefield to be forgotten. The training paid off, and Ahanu vowed that he would use this victory to strengthen his commitment to improvement.