Chapter 4: Escape!!

A couple of years passed by since Lillian and Kalika had visited their father's final resting place. She's watching her maid Rhonda do her normal duties of cleaning the prison cell and keeping it pristine. Kalika can see that the girl is improving as a maid. It even seems that she's starting to grow horns from the top of her head. It almost looked cute. 

The little maid Rhonda brought a new cup of water for Kalika. "Thank you." Kalika took the cup drinking its contents.

Kalika always avoided eye contact with the girl when she could. She still couldn't except this young maid fully since the maid was a demon. Along with everyone else in the castle.

The maid finally finished her work and bowed as usual to Kalika before taking her leave. Kalika could only watch as the girl disappeared down the dungeon hall. 

Kalika Sighed getting up to jump around a little to wake her body up and did a couple of stretches. She started to exercise her body a bit, doing jumping jacks, jogging in place, and even running back and forth from the two ends of her cell.

After completely exhausting herself, she sat on her makeshift bed of hay to catch her breath. She quickly looked out of the cell, thinking she heard something. There was nobody outside her cell that she saw. This exercise routine was her little secret, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Kalika gave a glance at her body and gave a somewhat disappointed sigh. "This is probably as good as I'll be able to get…" Kalika looked at her hand then around her cell.

"I can walk and run again but I still need a way to get those keys from that demon girl."

There was nothing more than a pile of straw hay, a bucket and chains that were hanging from the wall. Kalika looked at her arms too. There was no real use for the chains. Straw from hay was no help and a bucket isn't going to be knocking that girl out either. 

"Maybe I should've done those push-ups too."

Kalika jumped as she looked back up to find a pair of piercing green eyes through the cell bars. They were unnatural and the only thing that truly stood out. This was obviously a demon although she couldn't see its face.

A Brown looking crystal is tossed by the cell bars. Kalika was taken aback by this. "A gift," The voice said. The Demon with the green eyes looked away and left before Kalika could ask a thing.

Looking like it was safe she went ahead a grabbed the crystal through the bar curiously. "This contains earth Magic!" This mysterious Demon gave Kalika an opportunity she couldn't even fathom. With this crystal she could finally escape if she wanted to.

Then Kalika looked at the crystal again questionably. "Why did it give this to me…?" This was puzzling to be sure. But regardless of the demons' intentions, she doubted that it actually knew that she could put the crystal to use.

Kalika sat down examining the crystal more closely. "The power is very weak, but I think I can use this. I think I only have one shot to do so…."

Kalika took the crystal she had hidden it in the straw bedding she had. "I'll have to choose the time to escape wisely… I just have to endure a little longer, then I can escape this hell…"

Unknown to Kalika, a red demon with a similar visage to the Demon King is smiling to himself knowingly. "So, you need an opportunity, huh?"

Days have passed by since the strange demon gave Kalika the crystal. Kalika made sure she kept the crystal a complete secret from both her demon maid as well as her sister that came to visit her. It would be the same ongoing routine, that was until… Lillian stop coming.

It's been a couple of days since she last saw Lillian. It was strange since Lillian never missed a day to see and torture her. Kalika certainly didn't mind the peace that it gave her, in fact she was quite happy for the peace it entailed. Although Kalika could tell that something was awry just by her demon maids' uneasiness.

The third day has passed since she's seen Lillian, not to mention that her maid is now late. Her maid Rhonda has finally showed up; however, it looks as though the entire castle was starting to get on high alert. The demon guards of the dungeon were running back and forth between Kalika's cell, almost like there was some sort of panic. 

Rhonda was looking worried, so this got Kalika curious about the ongoing situation. "Hey, Rhonda what's going on?"

The last of the guards seemed to have finally retreated from the dungeon. The maid girl seemed to have ignored her as she entered the cell with her cleaning supplies. 

"Hey," Kalika said again.

Rhonda forced a smile and gestured Kalika not to worry about it. Kalika could only narrow her eyes as the girl went on to start cleaning the cell.

"All of those guards just now. They usually patrol the dungeon. The only possible explanation on why they're leaving is that reinforcements are needed above for something…"

Kalika looked back at her maid and then the brown crystal being hidden. "I may not get another chance."

Kalika resolved herself, grabbing the brown crystal she clutched it with one hand and posed her other, pointing to the maid. Kalika formed a rock chunk the size of a man's fist and launched it at the girl's head. 

Rhonda was none the wiser as she was knocked out by the sudden impact of the attack. Kalika didn't hesitate to the girl's body, searching for the keys. With the keys now in hand, she went on to figuring out which key was for her cell door until finally… the door was open.

 Kalika smiled excitedly as the first step of her plan had been achieved. It was almost a dream that she was finally able to get out of her cell without retaliation. She then looked at the crystal in her hand. The crystal seems to have become grey and dull. Knowing it had no further use for her, she simply tossed it to the side and gave one final look to her cell.

The well-kept cell with a makeshift bed and a now bleeding maid. Kalika stopped, seeing some of the blood leaking from the girl's head. "S-she'll be alright." 

Kalika took a step outside the door but stopped once more. She then turned back once more and seemingly growing a conscious made her way back to the girl. She looked at the poor girl bitterly and ripped off a piece of her prisoner's clothes. "Don't take this the wrong way. I still hate your kind." 

Kalika carried the limp and unconscious girl to her makeshift hay bed. Without much else to do she left her cell scurrying down the corridor as silently as possible. She made sure to peak down every corner in the case that guards might remain.

She still remembers the layout of the castle dungeon like the back of her hands.

********

It was some time ago when Kalika and Lillian were kids. Lillian is running along with Kalika by the hand. "H-hey where are we going??" Kalika questioned.

"It's a secret. Just come with me."

They ran through the dungeon corridor which in Kalika's eyes was just a terrifying place to be.

"I-I don't like it here, I wanna go back."

"But we're almost there! See!" Lillian pointed to a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

They erupt through the doorway to find a vast forest with a close by village by a huge lake. Amazingly enough they could also see a stream that connects to a nearby waterfall that sparkled like jewels. And beyond that, a mountainous range that seems to peak even the heavens.

Kalika found the sight to be very captivating and awed at the beauty of the Landscape. "See I told you it was great!" Lillian was very proud of herself.

"We're outside the city walls right now… Father once told me that beyond those two mountains is where God was born." Lillian pointed to the range of mountains to Kalika.

"He said the Mountains were soooo big that it was considered the mountain of the gods. And the God came down to make it smaller."

Kalika furrowed her brows a little. "But… why would he do that? Especially if there were other gods." Kalika didn't seem convinced.

"It's because all the other gods were greedy and selfish. God wanted to give us hope in times of darkness. While the other gods… they wanted us to live in fear for our lives." Lillian now overlooked the forest at the edge of the cliff.

"And that's why the mountain isn't here anymore. Plus, that also why we have the heroes of prophecy in our greatest time of darkness."

Lillian seemed to be shining very bright in Kalika's eyes, but she wasn't sure why that was.

"Heroes of prophecy? That name sounds dumb."

Kalika couldn't help but giggle. Lillian followed suit.

"I guess it does, doesn't it."

*********

"Why am I remembering this now?" Kalika thought bitterly. Kalika put her focus back on escaping as she continued to silently move through the dungeon corridor.

"This is it!" Kalika remembered this corridor. It was only a straight path to the exit, and she could tell by the subtle light in the distance. It made her heart flutter with the prospect of finally leaving this dungeon.

It was like nothing had changed in the years that she was trapped. But this was different. She started running through the corridor carelessly and without worry. She kept running and running with all her might. 

It was almost shocking for her, but the exit was still there! The light was a blinding beacon of hope. Although it was hard to see she kept running knowing that she was almost there.

Finally, Kalika has made it out of the dungeon. All those years of being tortured and she finally escaped.

Kalika overlooked the same cliff that her and Lillian visited as kids. The light was so bright that she could barely see an inch in front of her, so she had to wait and adjust her eyes.

To some miracle the entire scenery seemed to have remained the same. It looked like an unchanging landscape that even time itself couldn't touch. Kalika couldn't help but cry a little as her escape was practically complete. All she had to do was work herself down the cliff.

Looking down the cliff the fall could kill just about anyone if they were clumsy enough. Kalika wasn't a fan of having to climb down but it was necessary if she wanted to get as far from the demon army as possible.

She slowly went ahead to climb down. She tried to find one good footing after another, and it went well for a time. That was until her foot made contact with a sharp piece of rock on the cliff side.

Kalika yelped in pain loosening her grasp on the cliff wall, dooming Kalika to fall to her death as she screamed. Kalika, like all those other time, was met with darkness upon contacting the ground. After a few seconds she awoke, quite disappointed in herself.

Kalika got up, turning to the forest. The forest was still a distance away so Kalika couldn't waste any further time. Kalia looked back at the cliff she fell from and back to the forest resolving to get to the lake village as soon as possible.

Kalika sprinted to the forest finding herself losing breath really fast. She was only able to reach the edge of the dreary forest before needing a break. 

"Why does that stupid village have to be so far." 

Kalika gritted herself and without wasting further time she entered through the forest, knowing that the village was still some distance away.

Kalika now ran in the forest trying to formulate a new plan once she made contact in the village. "Okay. Once I get to the village, I'll need to get a horse and some then I can head west to Caledonia. I'm sure the demon's army hasn't reach there yet!"

Kalika stopped and looked around feeling some sort of presence. "I-it couldn't be! No That's impossible!" Kalika continued to run.

"It's gotta be my imagination. There's no way she can be here!"

After some time, Kalika finally made it to the outskirts of the Lake Village she and Lillian saw way back when. Kalika was completely out of breath and felt relieved seeing the village. Kalika felt a happiness welling up as she ventured closer to the village, it was almost unbearable.

All the excitement and Happiness… soon became emotions of horror and confusion. The Happy villagers that Kalika saw in the distance all had horns and the skin of demons.

Maybe seven years ago this village would have still been populated by humans. But this village is now that of demons!

"N-no. This can't be happening!" Kalika was bewildered and terrified. She realized that she'd made a grave mistake. She foolishly thought a simple village like this still belongs to humans.

"I… I have to get out of here!" Kalika took off running the opposite direction. "I should've known that this village was already doomed!" Flashbacks of the pile or dead corpse from the day of the demon invasion ring through Kalika's mind.

Kalika quickly hid behind a tree despite there being no perusers. 

"I… I need a new plan I-I should go south to Nirenberg. No! that would be the first place they'd have march their armies! B-but I can't head north either. The city of Bellerin is too far. And if I tried to travel there, Lillian or other demons might catch me on the way!"

A panicked Kalika started to hear a rustling in the bushes, alerting her to a presence that seemed to have been watching her.

"Who… Whose there?" Kalika was on the edge as it seemed that her plan was falling apart.

A rough roguish looking man comes from behind a tree. He sported a goatee with a scar close to his left eye and was dressed down in some loose leather armor. It looks as though he had fresh blood on his armor and arms, possibly by hunting or from doing something far more sinsiter.

"A-a HUMAN!" Kalika was shocked and happy, but then quickly realized that he likely had very bad intentions.

"W…What happened to all the other humans?" Kalika wanted answers.

The Man gave a wicked smile. "It's been a while since we've seen a girl round these parts."

Kalika was suddenly grabbed from behind by another man. He was choking the air out of her. "S-shttop…Pl...p..." Kalika was starting to wheeze but could finish any words. Kalika was starting to lose consciousness.

"I think Harry will like this one. Hehehe."

Before Kalika knew it, she was knocked out cold. She was now at the mercy to these rogues.