Chapter 87: An Unexpected Truce
Inside the tribal longhouse of the demon savages, Kalika ate, devouring the large portion of meat given as she glared at the demons that sat around her. Despite the long table being filled with a plethora of other ready-to-eat meals, the demons around couldn't help but sit and watch Kalika eat, as each second that passed grew even more tense.
She took a bite from the large, freshly cooked boar leg. The tender juices of the meat were almost distracting enough for her to ignore the demons around. Almost.
She took one more glance around the large room filled with the decoration of a strange animal and a monster skull; it was hard not to be on edge. The only redeeming factors she could find were the finely decorated tapestry and vases depicting some dark god clashing with another.
She then brought her eyes across the long table of demons, where an extravagantly dressed old red demon sat. His eyes were grey, and he sported snow white hair that draped over his shoulders. His whole body was marked with a plethora of black swirls, and he wore a yellow and black feathered headdress with brown-colored magic crystals embedded in it.
"Psst. Kalika."
Kalika darted her eyes to her side, where Donovan sat with a small plate.
"I-I'm a little weirded out too, but at least try to pretend to enjoy yourself." Kalika noticed Donovan's quick gaze at her clothes before turning his head, embarrassed.
Her new clothes were simple garments that mirrored the clothing worn by the other savage demon women, consisting of cloths wrapped around the waist that were adorned with black and yellow feathers, and bra-like garments that barely reached her stomach.
Despite the loss of her previous clothes, she didn't mind carrying on eating before responding more quietly. "For all I care, these demons can all go to hell."
Donovan turned back, more disapprovingly at Kalika as he called her name.
Kalika rolled her eyes, ignoring his ire. Not long after, she felt a question arise and turned back to Donovan, who took a bite from a strange thin piece of meat.
"Hey, Donovan," Kalika called. "Earlier, you said they imprisoned you in a wooden cage, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. What about it?"
"How did you escape?"
Donovan chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "W-well, when everything was getting chaotic, everyone was running out of the village. I tried to burn my way through the bars at first, but it didn't seem to work. So then I tried using earth magic, and I was able to break the bars by expanding the rocks between them."
"O-okay." Kalika nodded.
A cold sweat ran down Donovan's face. "B-but after that, I got surrounded by their warriors."
Kalika noticed a few glances from some of the demons at the table as if singling themselves out to the act described.
"I uh… Eheh. I had to flee them, so I ended up being chased for a while."
"Why didn't you just fight back?" Kalika pressed.
"I … I, uhhh… Well, I tried, but uhh… There were a lot of them… and I'm still new to this whole magic thing, y'know."
Kalika narrowed her eyes at him, "Hmmm…".
"H-honest! L-look, it wasn't until a fireball was sent flying into the air that they stopped chasing. But when I saw that, I figured you might have been around."
"So you followed where the fireball came from."
"Yeah. I had a good feeling you were probably causing trouble. And boy was I right. But to be honest, I'm glad I got there before you killed that demon. Otherwise, we'd probably have it hard finding Bjorn."
"The name is Zelak." The demon called.
Zelak, who sat at the other side of the table next to their chief, bit into a massive piece of meat. "I didn't think you'd be so bold to try to escape 'human'."
"It's Donovan!"
Zelak quickly felt the harsh gaze set by Kalika and corrected himself.
A ruckus was made just outside the building, prying Kalika's gaze to the window, where she found the denizens and children crowded up, just to get a peek at her.
"Ignore them," Zelak said. "They only want a glimpse of the fabled champion."
Kalika cringed. "This again? I'm not some champion."
"Yeah, and what's with calling her your champion? You've been saying that a lot." Donovan said.
"That's because our god had bestowed upon her his blessing just as he did the first Demon king. Not only is that proven with her immortality, but the black blood that pumps through her veins."
Kalika scoffed. "This is so foolish," she bit into her food once more. "If I'm your so-called champion, why would you ambush us in the first place and attack us? And where's Bjorn!?"
Zelak cleared his throat as he pondered his words. "H-hmm… How do I say this without stroking some anger?"
Donovan raised a brow at Zelak's remark.
"Some of us are looking to extend our lives here in this village by some hundred years or so. Me especially… But to do that, we need black blood that pumps through you now."
"Huh!?" Kalika sharpened her gaze.
"And we didn't want to disturb you while we-"
Donovan shot up. "So you ambushed us so you could steal her blood!!?"
A bead of sweat fell from the side of Zelak's face as she tried to maintain his composure. "S... Steal is… S-such a strong word."
Kalika now glared at Zelak as she rested the side of her face on her palm, tapping the table rhythmically with growing impatience.
"P-please, we don't want to fight, we want to work with you. Yeah, Yeah!"
"Work with us!? Are you kidding!?" Donovan sat back in his chair, exhausted by Zelak. "You demons are unbelievable."
"I'll admit, I was desperate, but I couldn't let this opportunity to obtain the fabled black blood elude us- Argh!" Zelak winced, clutching his face. "Again?"
Zelak wiped his eyes and smeared the bottom of his palm with blood.
Feeling her patience waning, Kalika questioned them again. "But where's Bjorn?"
Zelak raised his head back up and paused. "That demon should be in a settlement called Bona. But you should forget about him."
"So he's not here?"
"He was sold off to some Incubi according to Zelak," Donovan answered. "Apparently, he has a long history with Bjorn?"
"Oh?" Kalika cast a curious glance at Zelak, who seemed to tense up as beads of sweat came raining down off him. "Seems like he didn't want to tell me." Kalika sighed.
Finally, Zelak spoke up. "Th-that bastard betrayed me. He had me thrown from the heavens back down into this pit! Whatever happens to him is well deserved! Besides, you don't need a demon like him leading you through the Pit."
Donovan narrowed his eyes at Zelak as he continued.
"One of us can-"
"No." Kalika interrupted. "Bjorn said he was going to help lead us out of the pit. We even made a contract. I'm not negotiating this, especially with a demon like you."
The old chief, who's been listening all this time, furled his fingers on the table. He slowly stood up, garnering the attention of everyone around.
"
Kalika cringed. "Tch! This again? Why are you demons so obsessed with my blood!?"
To the surprise of everyone around, the chief suddenly bowed his head. "
Kalika scrutinized the chief with a slowly piquing curiosity. "Anything I want?"
"
"
Everyone around was silenced at once as a sense of pride filled Kalika. She sat back with a smile cracking as she pondered.
"
Donovan glanced back at Kalika, surprised.
"
Kalika's smile sharpened.
********
A punch struck Zelak, sending him swinging by his bound legs, as he hung upside down. "
Kalika smiled contentedly as she watched one of the strangest matches a person could set up.
As she glanced around, she saw that the other demons, not fighting, were enjoying the spectacle more than her. Bets were placed for and against the demons that fought, and quickly became a madhouse of yelling and banter. All the while, Fists swung, demons flailed, and fighters were getting knocked out.
Meanwhile, as everyone watched in complete excitement, Donovan became more distant. As exciting as the fight seemed, he couldn't help but feel that the demons around were a little too excited about their own pummeling each other. As he turned to Kalika, he finally noticed a rare expression.
"She's… smiling?" Donovan quickly pushed his thoughts aside as uncertainty filled his mind.
One of the demons was punched unconscious and another got head butted. Zelak threw another punch, only to be met with a counter.
Witnessing Zelak getting sucker-punched filled Kalika with a deep satisfaction. There was no better entertainment she could ask for.
After all the excited shouts and engagement with this game, Zelak came on top to Kalika's disappointment. However, a few seconds later, he passed out too, leaving the game to be a draw. Groans and scoffs of other disappointed demons filled the air.
Kalika chuckled. "That was fun."
Kalika took a glance out the window, now realizing how dark it had become. She growled irritably.
"What happened?" Donovan asked.
Kalika scoffed. "It's already nightfall…."
"
Kalika stared blankly at the chief as if trying to read his intentions. "Fine. But I don't want any of you demons near us!"
The chief nodded, and with the gesture of his hands, Several women came in, collecting the plates and food.
"Are you sure it's a good idea, Kalika?" Donovan asked.
"I don't trust these demons, but it's not like it matters. Even if we camp somewhere far outside, they could still chase and ambush us right after if they want. But that's if they're stupid enough, of course. And if worse comes to worst, we'll kill them. And when morning comes, we'll leave to get Bjorn."
"What about the demon Zelak?"
Kalika sighed. "I prefer to get Bjorn without him. But if he knows where Bjorn is, we'll probably need him."
Donovan looked at Kalika, surprised by her sensibility. "O-oh… it sounds like you put some thought into this."
"As much as I hate these demons, I prefer to escape from this stupid dream. And if I have to make some stupid compromise, so be it."
Donovan Chuckle. "Yup. There it is…"
Suddenly, the demons that hung were cut loose, with several of them falling on the table, including Zelak. Just as the demons were getting freed from their bonds on their legs, the chief halted them.
"
Kalika turned to the main door and saw that the Chief was waiting for the two of them. "Looks like they're ready." Kalika stood back up. "I'll leave the house picking to you, Donovan."
"Gee. Thanks." Donovan followed Kalika's lead as they were led from the longhouse.
With everyone gone, a blue demon woman with yellow eyes as large as the moons and messy black hair peeked from behind the door covers from a separate room. Like a primal animal, she kept low to the ground with her plump stomach rubbing against the dirt-filled ground.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Zelak by the leg and dragged him away from the group of other unconscious demons, and back into her secluded nest away from prying eyes.
In the cover of the darkened room, Zelak steadily opened his eyes to a familiar sight of a woman sitting next to him.
"Bretta?" He eyed the mark on her chest, shaped like a crescent with a line through the middle. ""
Bretta cuddles up to him further, embracing him and rubbing her cheeks against his. Zelak's eyes then traced to her stomach and sighed. ""
Zelak moved his hands, caressing Bretta's cheeks. "
********
With the new day supplies loaded onto a pristine large cart with two of the large bird beasts holstered and ready to go. Watching the supplies of food being loaded was almost daunting for Donovan.
"I-isn't t-that more th-than enough!? Ep!" Donovan jumped away, feeling the touch of one of the demon women. The men and children followed suit, examining him as if he were a lost puppy.
"Kalika! Help!!"
Kalika stared blankly in Donovan's direction before leaving him to his fate.
"KALIKA!!!"
Kalika watched as the clothes were loaded onto the cart as well. "Isn't this a bit much?"
"Teh! I guess my father is trying to make up for my shortcomings for how I handled you." Zelak said.
Kalika darted a glare. "You're more brazen than you look. Just remember. Just because you're traveling with us doesn't mean we trust you. Because of you, this stupid dream'll be longer than I wanted."
"You don't have to tell me twice. I've already learned my lesson trying to fight against Zorbian's champion." Zelak took the lead, hopping aboard the cart and picking up the last bit of supplies. He then rummaged around until he found a red-stained sword in a holster.
"Hey, Human, here's your sword!" Zelak grabbed the strap of the holster and tossed it to Donovan, who somehow caught it through the dense crowd around him. "It's DONOVAN!!"
Zelak then turned back to Kalika, his smug smile still in place. "Hey, if I do a good job helping. How about giving me a pint of your blood?"
Kalika cringed. "It's disgusting that demons like you exist."
A rock struck Zelak square in the head. "Ow!"
"
Kalika raised a brow. "< What is his blood magic?>"
"< It's called clairvoyance… it was passed down from his mother's family for generations, and it allows him to see even beyond the pit and into the heavens. But using it strains the user and shortens their lifespan. Against the advice of even the demon King, he burned through over three hundred years of his life in just a span of the last fifteen years. All in the name of petty revenge.>"
"
"
The Chief sighed.
Just before Kalika could retort, Donovan zoomed past, grabbing her. She was dragged to the cart where she was pulled in. "Donovan what are you-"Without hesitation, Donovan whipped the reins, racing the cart out from the village.
Turning her gaze behind the cart, Kalika saw a mob of demons chasing after them. They all reached out in desperation as they tried to catch up. But it was too late. The cart ran past the gate and into the wilderness of the wetlands ahead.
Donovan exhaled a sigh of relief. "That was close! I thought they were going to kill me for a second. I think one of those kids bit a chunk off me!"
Zelak laughed. "How about that! It looks like the human 'Donovan' was more popular than expected."
Irritated, Donovan yelled at Zelak, starting a banter between the two as Zelak continued to mock him..
Uninterested in their argument, Kalika flumped herself on the floor of the cart as it bumped around. "Well… We're on the road again… Strange… I feel like I'm forgetting something." Kalika yawned. "Oh well. It probably wasn't important."
********
Inside the town of Berg, with bloodied and blackened stone foundations of the many homes that stood, continued to crumble as demons far and wide worked together, still searching for the casualties of battle.
"
A group of several demons with an escort of several other armored guards stepped up. A tall red demon with a scar and a broken horn. A vast blue demon with a gruff gray beard and giant axe. A more petite blue demon girl with white hair, the size of an average child. And a human-looking man with the average characteristics of a demon with pink eyes and an attire fit for a noble.
One of the demon residents. His eyes widened from shock, recognizing the tall red demon immediately, "L-lord Rakon!?"