Chapter 35: Intent

"Argh!"

Kalika peeked down the corner of the hall leading to the staircase down below. In front of the staircase, Valam stood and waited

"So they are trying to keep me from going back down, That's so annoying…! I wanted to get some more of that food they were cooking." Kalika found herself unconsciously drooling a little.

The pattering of one of the demon women walking down the hall echoes, forcing Kalika to press on in the dungeon halls. Kalika peeks from the corner soon after losing the women. "Tch. It's like they want to play a game of hide and seek with me, every time I come here."

Kalika continued to venture deeper into the dungeon until she came across another set of stairs that lead upstairs. These were being guarded by Florin. "Of course." she scowled.

"There's no doubt about it now… They're trying to keep me on this floor…." Kalika once again continued to investigate the dungeon corridors. She activates the trap, but easily avoids it. "At least these traps are a lot easier to deal with… They're becoming predictable at this point. But still, I think I 've seen every nook and cranny of this dungeon. And I haven't eaten in a couple of days." Kalika's stomach growled.

"Uuggghhh… Why hasn't Rhonda come back yet!? I really don't want to go back to that prison. But at this point I'll- ' Kalika's stomach growled loader. "Perhaps I should try to steal a bowl of meat porridge…"

Kalika wanders down the trapped corridor pondering to herself. It isn't long before she walks into another trap that decapitates her, annoying her. "F-fine!"

"It's better than waiting for one of these demons to catch me."

********

Kalika is now peeking down the dungeon corner with the prisoner straight ahead. She could see a couple of prisoners loafing around. She cringed upon seeing them.

"Alright the mess hall should just be to the left of this hall I think…"

Kalika readied herself for a fight. "Okay… Here goes nothing."

She sprinted down the hall with complete disregard of the noise she made. The prisoner, hearing her footsteps, turned to find Kalika rushing down the hall.

"Quick! Got get-"

Kalika stepped and hopped off his face, to the shock of the other man. The other Prisoner disregarded Kalika, scurrying down the other hall with a clear objective.

She made it to the mess hall stammering and running through the door. She then ran and hopped over all the tables until she found the perfect bowl to steal.

"It's the Immortal Maiden! Get her!!"

Donovan, who was serving food heard the ruckus, looks up to find Kalika quickly grabbed the bowl from some poor man, quickly changing gears to escape. He watched as she got slashed in the gut.

Kalika ignored the pain however, opting to continue her escape.

A stab in the back.

Another slash to her arm. She held tightly to her bowl.

Suddenly a cut to her neck.

"D-don't let go! D-don't let go!"

Kalika's vision became hazy and after a while, found a blurry darkness.

She awakes to find herself running out the exit. A proud smile on her face.

Donovan stood still in the kitchen, watching as the chaos caused almost all the other prisoners to chase after Kalika. He followed right behind.

"Hey where're you goin!??"

Kalika, running in the hall, looked back to find many of the other prisoners now chasing after her. And in front of her even more men with Maverick leading the charge.

"Tch! Him!?"

"I just have to turn that corner into the hall and should"

A sword stabbed through her bowl and into her chest. She recognized it as Maverick's sword.

"M…My food…"

The bowl of meat porridge spilled to the ground behind her as she continued to run away.

Kalika looked back up to find Maverick now punching her. She fell to the ground hard.

"Arrghhhhh!!"

The sword in the chest got pulled out causing her to scream further.

"Finally… I had a feeling you'd come out sooner or later." Maverick sliced Kalika's neck.

All the prisoners around Kalika kept their distance from her.

"I messed up."

"Looks like the bitch finally got hungry, didn't she." laughed. "Don't hog her to yourself Maverick."

Kalika resurrected. Her neck got sliced again by Maverick.

This repeated for some time, Kalika forcefully resurrecting and Maverick instantly slicing her neck all in a rhythmic pattern.

Unknown to Kalika Donovan is trying to push past the guards but is being held back. Some of the prisoners watching were starting to get bored with the same attack and death.

One of the other prisoners starts to approach Maverick. "Hey C'mon. Give us a piece of the action too-"

Maverick cut the man's head from his shoulder. Prisoner's loyal to Maverick start to step up, forming a line between him and the other Prisoner that plan to kill Kalika. He swings his sword again killing Kalika

"This girl is mine."

SHINK

"Anyone else that has a problem with this can either leave or die."

Hearing Mavericks' words spooked the prisoners there.

"I…"

SHING

"I…. can't…"

SLASH

"STOP IT!!!" Donovan attempted to push through several of the Mavericks men. He punched and kicked his way through his men.

"That idiot soldier." a prisoner muttered.

"Yeah, what's he doing?"

Maverick just glanced over before slashing once again at Kalika's neck. "You again?" Kalika resurrected once again, shortly after the sword got stuck through her chest, making her scream in agony.

"The last time you tried to help the immortal maiden you were just fortunate the imperial wall stepped in to help."

Donovan broke through opting to punch Maverick. This was met with a punch to the gut. Maverick inched himself close to Donovan's ear to whisper something. "Don't expect any help this time. Because he won't be returning any time soon.

"W-what do you mean!!!??"

Before he could do anything, Donovan got punched square in the face.

Kalika Glanced up to the scene before her. "T-the new guy again? W-what's going on?" Kalika glanced back to her chest to find a sword sticking out of it. Without hesitation, while everyone else was distracted by the one-sided beating, Kalika removed the sword from her chest. She died and was revived shortly after, and using this golden opportunity started to escape.

Maverick now held Donovan by the throat. Donovan punched Maverick several times, but that got weaker with each punch. "Is this all you got? Pathetic!"

"MAVERICK! SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" one of his men shouted.

He ignores the man, putting more attention on Donovan right before him. Prisoners seeing this try to break through the line being manned by Maverick loyal men. The whole situation started to become more chaotic.

The prisoners broken through the line running past Maverick and Donovan all to chase after Kalika.

Kalika peeked once again behind herself seeing not only the horde of men chasing after her but Maverick choking the life out of Donovan. The guards around aren't even intervening, instead they either watched with interest or paid no mind to them.

"He'll be alright…"

"Don't let her get away!"

"He'll…" Memories of when he tried to help her resurfaced along with all those other times, she felt helpless. "He's so annoying…"

To the shock of everyone Kalika turned back around running towards the horde of men.

"I think she's lost her mind now or somethin!" a prisoner jokes.

"Who cares, let's kill her."

Kalika slowly started to approach the side of the wall. "Alright I've done this plenty of times in those corridors. It'll be like dealing with those traps."

"Hey, what is she doing???"

They all watched as Kalika ran up across the side of the wall, confusing most of the men there.

"I can't afford to make any mistakes from here!" Kalika braced herself, leaping from the wall and over the head of the other inmates. Some of them continued to watch, befuddled by the situation.

"What are you doing!?? Get her!!"

Kalika stepped on the face of one of the men watching her. She kicked off hard using him like a steppingstone followed by another man, then another, all until she finally made it past the horde of Prisoners!

Kalika continued to race on and away from the men. Her heart was beating much faster. "T-that was close!"

"Hey Maverick, The immortal maiden is coming back."

"Eh?"

Kalika pushed past Maverick's men. "Hey get her!"

Kalika hopped and grabbed onto Maverick. She clutched his neck with her arms holding him tight. Maverick Released Donovan from his grasp, turning his focus back to Kalika. He grabbed her trying to force her off him.

Right before being pulled off she bit his ear, biting a piece of it off. She grabbed Donovan and spat out the piece of the man's ear.

To everyone's shock she easily dragged Donovan's limp body down the corridor. The Prisoner that chased her earlier continued their pursuit running past Maverick once again, all the while Maverick simply held the side of his ears in shock. "How did she…"

Back with Kalika, Donovan started to regain consciousness. He looked back in confusion, shortly after losing consciousness again upon seeing her.

Some of the prisoners chasing her started to become much more exhausted chasing her down the hall. Some even started to collapse.

"H…How is she still this fast?????"

Kalika turned the corner of the hall with a separate trapped hall straight ahead. She rushed headfirst activating a fire trap!

She barely made it through with Donovan a little burnt. Everyone following stopped in front of this fire trap, blocked by its spewing fire.

Pissed by the outcome, some of the prisoners with dagger started throwing their blades at Kalika to little effect. This only serves to leave cuts on her arms and stomach. Not that she cared about it much now.

With nothing else to do, they all glared back at Kalika, leaving the premises. They all started to murmur about her and Donovan, finding Kalika's actions weird and strange.

Kalika sat herself on the wall across from Donovan. All the while the fire kept going and the stomach kept growling.

After a while of sitting back on the wall Donovan finally awoke. He looked up to find Kalika in front of him. "Y-y-you!??"He started clamoring to the wall. Sweating more profusely. He looked around quickly.

"We're inside the booby-trapped dungeon, just give me a moment and I'll help you out."

Donovan can only look on, a little stunned. "W…What happened?"

"I had to get you away from that brute. Just be glad you're not dead."

"SO I was saved by… The immortal Maiden?"

"KALIKA! MY NAME IS KALIKA! Not Immortal Maiden!" Kalika sighed frustratedly. "Honestly, I Just hate that name."

Donovan jumped upon seeing Kalika's glare. "And another thing! Why do you keep butting in!?? Not that I'm complaining, but do you have a death wish or something??? This is the second time you almost got killed!"

Donovan looked away shyly. "It's just… What they want us to do to you…That… It isn't right. I-I just can't stand by while other people are being trampled on. Especially if they're defenseless. It's just… That's not justice."

"An Idealist, huh…?" Kalika took a deep breath. "Your chivalry will be the death of you if you keep trying to help me. If you really want to help me just leave some food by one of the trapped dungeon halls or bring me food after hours."

Kalika then gave a depressed, concerned look. "I haven't eaten anything in days, and I seriously considered eating a piece of that brute's ear."

"O…Oh…" Donovan could only look on awkwardly.

Kalika got up, seeing that the trapped had finished spewing fire. "Alright, looks like it's safe for you to pass back in."

Donovan Followed her lead approaching the trap. "I-Is it really… Safe."

"Just make sure you run through really fast. Then you should be fine."

A little nervous Donovan backs up, readying himself just before taking off in a sprint and barely making it through the trap "Whoa!"

"Good work. See you around the new guy." Kalika

"I-it's Donovan." he yelled back.

Kalika paid little attention, instead she focused on avoiding upcoming traps ahead of her. Kept watching through the spewing fire, with thoughts of Tilus and what Maverick said about him.

"Where are you Tilus…?" Donovan said to himself.

********

Lillian awoke in the shabby village home with Lucius sitting by her side.

"Lucius? When did you get here?"

She noticed a flesh wound on his chest. "What happened to you???" She became worried, attempting to force herself up.

Lucius stopped her and leaned her back to the bed.

""Don't worry about me, This is just a flesh wound. I just have to rest a little longer and I'll be fine."

"But how did this happen to you?"

Lucius looked away. "Remember that report I sent regarding those strange weapons the Celestine army had?"

"Vaguely. Yes." she answered.

"Well. It looks like the confederate army somehow got their hands on these supplies. Whether or not they've been saving them or somehow got them in a shipment recently I can't say. Regardless, we will have to rethink our approach to conquering this last city."

Lillian became disappointed. "I see… So we're gonna be stuck for a little bit aren't we…"

"Yes… But since one more of their Generals are dead it only leaves two more left to deal with. So you did a good job. Aside from that I heard you dealt with some strange creature."

"It called itself an Angel… I think the General I killed summoned it somehow."

Lucius got up grabbing something off a nearby shelf away from Lillian's view. "Did he use this?"

Lillian examined the horn before her. "Y-yes. He used this."

Lucius gave a dire look at Lillian. "Is… Something wrong?"

"Listen Lillian. What I'm about to tell you has to stay between us."