The desolation of Taraksun's realm faded away before Kalikekeztra's eyes and was replaced by the steaming jungle walls of Vinraj. Just beyond the thick vegetation the tall spires of the Holy Temple of Nashputt could be seen.
"Of all the places in the prime, this is where you want to go to?" asked Selexia as she realized where they were." Back to the battlefield of your defeat?"
"I told you, I have unfinished business here" protested Keke.
"I thought you had your share of bloodshed after the mortals kicked you and Taraksun out of their realm," teased Selexia as she grinned and did a little hop to emphasize the word kick for the much larger demoness.
When Kalikekeztra refused to answer her taunt, Selexia sighed and proceeded with her preparations. The Succubus closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and for a moment seemed locked in a trance . Keke wasn't exactly sure what she was doing exactly, but a part of her jagged memory recalled it had to do with attuning herself with the local's perception of grace and beauty. Though she could take any mortal form, a society's values and preferences often determined what was attractive and what wasn't. Though she was far from a seasoned traveller on the Prime worlds, Keke has seen some cultures that were short on food value fat spouses, and those from a war like society value muscular ones.
After several moments, Selexia glowed slightly and then pirouetted before Kalikekeztra in her new form. While Keke easily saw through her guise with her 'true' vision, Selexia's new form sat over her old form in a dual image that few but the demoness could appreciate. Gone was the tall ivory skin demoness with the seductive curves, the waist reaching straight black hair, and those almond shaped burning eyes and long smoking lashes. Replacing her was a much shorter caramel skinned girl, with dark spiral braided hair, dressed demurely in high sandals and a tight embroidered blue sari. While this form still displayed an ample amount of feminine curves, it was conservative compared to some of the Succubus' more favored alter egos.
"Not bad," commented the shapechanged succubus as she stretched and appraised her new limbs. "Now it's your turn."
Kalikekeztra nodded and took the hair pin that Selexia had given her. While illusion and polymorphing was far from her forte, she was still a very competitive creature. Though she was considered one of the more powerful demons, she seldom shapechanged or altered her appearance in any form. Once she drank a potion and transformed herself fully into a python for a duel, and another time an Arcanaloth mercenary casted a spell that grew wings on her so she could engage a flight of Vrocks, but she never took on a human's appearance for the purpose of deception before. Despite this, she didn't want her form to look stupid or frumpy to her ally.
"C'mon, we don't have all day Keke, " said Selexia as she tapped her newly formed sandals impatiently. "Remember, the pin's magic is not as strong as mine. It can only alter your shape into a form similar to your planar type."
"Eh?"
Selexia sighed. "It means you can't fully change to a human like I can, but you can take a tiefling's form. Meaning, you need to retain at least one demonic trait in your new form. Don't worry, you can choose. Just don't pick something obvious like scaly skin, fangs, a bestial tail, or backward appendages like those foolish Rakshasas. "
Keke nodded and placed the pin into her short serpentine hair. What to choose, what to choose? After a few seconds thought, the monstrous serpentine demoness finally took hold of a mental image.
Keke stretched and felt the magic of the pin wash over her. After a few seconds she assumed human form. At first she thought she would fall over, since she wasn't well practiced in walking with legs, but her mobility and flexibility seem unhindered by the change. She thought the process of shedding her scales, growing legs, losing four arms, and compressing her fifteen hundred pound frame to that of a human would be painful, but it was a surprisingly tingling sensation.
"I did it!"
Selexia's jaw dropped as she gaped at Keke with a disappointed look. "Is that your form? I thought transforming first, would help guide you in taking a more pleasing form, but..but…that's just sad."
Keke ignored that comment and mimicked the pirouette that Selexia had did earlier. Her human form was roughly the same height and skin color as her companion's but her legs were significantly thicker, and her hips substantially wider. Her body was more muscular than the Succubus' and was sheathed mostly by a thin lair of fat. Most of her form was 'rounder' in general, but that didn't seem to bother the demoness which pulled back her thick black hair and revealed a pair of small grey horns.
"Uggh…You look like a farm wife…or a bar maid…" said Selexia in disgust ignoring the horns.
"Yes, that's what I was going for. As you know, I like to take trophies from my foes. I've noticed that several of the more seasoned warriors often have portraits of their beloved in a locket or some such thing. Most of the pictures depict women that look more like this than you," said Keke smugly. "Besides this form is much stronger than your own, has a lower center of gravity, has more stored food…."
Selexia simply shook her head as she helped Keke out of her partial bronze armor and handed Keke an orange Sari.
Keke took the long cloth and fumbled to put it on. After a few failed attempts Selexia sighed again and aided her friend in dressing by wrapping her tightly and expertly in the fabric. While the Succubus could change her clothes with her magic, the enchantment on the pin Keke used had no effect on her clothing and armor. After finally being dressed, the Succubus then pointed to Keke to stow her weapons into a large sack, much to her reluctance.
"Alright, now that we look the part, what's this important mission you want done," asked Selexia.
"I can smell it, we're close," replied Keke obscurely as she sniffed the air. After getting the scent, she waved the Succubus forward and led her out of the jungle and into the ruins of an alien looking black stained field that seemed more suited to be in the Abyss than in Vinraj.
While the humans had recovered most of their dead, the bizarre corpses of the demons littered the abandoned battlefield. Though all mortals died pretty much the same boring way, they fall down, lose their bowels, grow stiff after a while, before beginning the long process of decomposition, demons and Asuras died in a multitude of ways. The feared Balors would literally explode with the power of volcano, taking out their foe and any slow footed allies around them. Other denizens of the Abyss would turn to stone, maggots, wood, sulfur, or any other vile substance. Some demons would even split into smaller demons and attempt a crude escape, but Keke knew such desperate methods were seldom effective. Keke hoped that when she died she would spew out serpents to bite her enemies, and perhaps take out a few of her obviously less than effective allies in the process as well.
Given that several thousand demons had died here recently in a multitude of unpredictable fashions, the land was covered in stone statues, pits of maggots and other vermin, pools of acid, and even spectral images. Despite this vile transformation, several bands of humans could be seen scattered around the battlefield. Some looked like priests that were slowing cleansing the land, reversing the demonic taint. Others looked like warriors still collecting the bodies of their lost comrades. Others still were skulking in the shadows, obviously scavengers, but Keke's true vision easily spotted them.
"Umm, can we hurry this up. The humans defeated your army, I don't think the pair of us would stand much of a chance," said Selexia, cringing from the dead bodies around her. While Succubus' were no strangers to death and murder, they preferred a more subtle form than the raw violence of a battlefield.
At first Keke, felt her hopes dashed, but then her spirits were lifted when she noticed that the bulk of the scavengers, priests, and the soldiers on morgue duty had not reached the spot where her forces fought the Ghattians.
"There, " said Keke smiling. "We're close. We'll get my blade and then we can do whatever 'mission' or scheme you have plotting."
"Wait? All of this is for a lousy sword? " asked Selexia stunned at her statement. "You risk our lives for a piece of equipment. You could have told me, and I could have gotten you a new one. There's paladins around here….I can sense them."
Keke rolled her eyes and proceeded towards the spot her nose told her. "It's not just any sword. My magic is powerful enough that I can pick any blade and imbue it with my abyssal magic, but this weapon is …umm….it's special to me. "
"Eh? Does it have a special enchantment? Does it bleeds its foes or curses them? Is it a memento from a vanquished foe? Perhaps a gift from a demon lord? " asked a now intrigued Selexia.
"Hmm, now that you mention it, it is a magical weapon, but it's not that powerful. Not anymore than my magic can create anyways. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure why I want it, but something buried in my head says I should get it. I think my last trip to the torture pits scrubbed that portion of my brain away. Anyways, I want it, and I'll get it," shrugged Keke as they approached the epicenter of the battle. She sniffed the air once again, and could only get a hint of its scent.
Selexia as stunned. "I..I can't believe it. I don't know what to say. This is the stupidest thing I've seen you do since that Archon fiasco…."
At the mention of the Archon, images in Kalikekeztra mind triggered.
Bloodstained gold.
A fallen warrior.
Wings pierced.
Tears of sadness.
"Quick, we've been spotted," hissed Selexia as she broke Keke's daze.
Keke looked and saw three armed men in grey robes approaching them.
"I've already died ten years ago. I can't be slain again so soon. This was a terrible idea to come here," hissed Selexia. Keke wasn't sure if she could shift them back into the Gray wastes, but assumed she couldn't when she saw her ally was about to drop her guise and take flight. Keke simply grabbed Selexia's shoulder and forcefully pushed her to the ground.
"It's okay. I know one of these guys," said Keke smugly as she turned to the approaching warriors. Selexia, unsure of what was happening simply hid behind the stout woman.
"By the order of Prince Lalit, this battlefield is off limits to looters," declared the lead warrior. "Only mages and alchemists with a sealed writ are allowed to forage for arcane components, and since I do not see scrolls or talismans, I'm going to assume you are scavengers. "
"Drop the act Vikokima,"said Keke. "Unless you want me to drink from your severed skull."
The lead warrior took a step back, while his two lackeys went for their blades.
"Hold," said Vikokima as he signalled for his lackeys to stand down. "I …I know these two. I have business to attend to. Wait for me back at camp."
The two dazed looking swordsmen did not hesitate at his odd command. They simply nodded numbly and proceeded to march away from the trio.
"Lady Kalikekeztra?" asked Vikokima when his beguiled soldiers were out of earshot. "I..I did not think you would…no…I did not think you could return back to Vinraj until the next eclipse."
"Eclispe? " puzzled Keke.
"err.. Rahu's day," bowed Vikokima.
"Umm..who is this? One of your demon spies? " asked Selexia, her confidence returning.
Keke laughed. "Well, not really my spy, but a spy for Taraksun, yeah. He's kind of like you, he can go between worlds freely. "
"Rajah Vikokima at your service m'lady," bowed Vikokima. "Rakshasa spymaster extraordinaire."
"You must be, if you can evade the detection of all these paladins around here," said the disguised Succubus.
"While I suspect my scent revealed my form to Lady Kalikekeztra, there are 'ways' and 'techniques' to avoid a paladin's accursed vision," smiled Vikokima.
"Oh? Perhaps…you can enlighten me….privately…." purred Selexia.
Keke snorted. She didn't have time for this. "Okay, save your little backstab seduction games for later. I'm looking for a sword. No, I'm looking for MY sword. I really want it back. Enough that I'll crush someone's kitty kat spine over if I don't get it. This is where I lost it, but I don't smell it here."
Vikokima took a step back and bowed again profusely. "Forgive me mistress. I will do all in my power to recover it. If it's not here, could you describe what it looks like. Perhaps, it was recovered along with the other holy relics."
"Curved, with wings, kind of whitish, with red flecks…really sharp. Some clown with a big turban and a really punchable face disarmed it from me. He had a weird looking serrated sword…"
"A khanda? A shark tooth sword? Oh…I know that man. That can be other than Bey Javindar. Only he uses such an archaic weapon. His betrothed is the Holy Sampada, the priestess that drove back Taraksun's horde with her divine magic."
"The Mahadevi of the Western Holy temple?" asked Selexia fearful once again. "We're overmatched here, she can vanquish us with but a word. We should leave."
Keke waved her off dismissively." Where is the Bey now? Maybe he took it as a trophy."
Vikokima shook his head and chuckled. "He is beyond my reach m'lady. An …ally… has told me that he has undertook a quest, and is sailing to that barbarian hold known as Grom City. He is after a 'Black Scroll' of all the crazy things, the one Rajah Mogombo stole I believe. "
Selexia tensed at the mention of the Scroll, but Vikokima simply snickered at it.
"Aye..good luck with that, " laughed Keke.
"What's so funny?" asked Selexia as some of her tension seemed released.
"It's quite ridiculous really. We've sent our agents in an attempt to recover this missing scroll for decades now with no success. My cousin caused quite a stir when he attempted to achieve immortality with it. After Mogombo's death, we just assumed it was destroyed. Any paladin worth his salt would sense the evil it radiates, and wouldn't hesitate to burn it. If for some reason anyone attempted to use it, we would feel the psychic ripples even from here and would send more assassins after it. "
"Why would they be after it then? " asked Selexia.
Vikokima shrugged. "My …ally…tells me it's a case of bad information. It seems that they know Lord Taraksun has a Black Scroll and believe they need one of their own to defend themselves from it. A logical conclusion since Taraksun was able to lower the temple's defenses during the last assault with it. They are simply following a wild lead to find one themselves. It does nothing but waste their resources by sending one of their best warriors away from Vinraj. We even took it upon ourselves to set an ambush for his War Kaylon across the great sea."
"War Kaylon?" asked Selexia.
Vikokima looked confused and then smiled. "Ah..a war galley. The locals have flavorful names for certain things here in the Impossible Kingdoms."
Keke shrugged."Forget the scroll, where's this holy Sampada then? I doubt a guy that uses something as cool as a shark tooth sword would want to use my scimitar. Maybe he gave it to his betrothed as an early wedding gift? ..and maybe I can go see if she has it."
Vikokima and Selexia both looked shocked. "Wait, you can't be serious?" they said simultaneously.
"Taraksun dropped the wards to the holy temple during the last eclipse, and even then my best agents were slain by Holy Sampada and her guard," explained Vikokima. "My Rakshasas were master shapeshifters and assassins, and were laid low by her magic. Surely, you will not fare any better."
Selexia threw her hands up and nodded her head in agreement. "No, I didn't sign up for this. You told me you wanted me to help you with a simple task before you helped me with mine. You didn't mention anything about suicide. I'm going to wait back in the jungle instead of this nonsense."
"If you attempt an assault on the temple, it would alert its holy warriors. My deception and my carefully placed charmed dupes have gone on long enough mainly because they are not looking for me. I will not participate in this fool hardy endeavor," added Vikokima. "I will wait in the jungle, as you ruin months, no years of my preparations. "
Keke consider their cowardly whining. She could see their point. She should simply abandon the blade, get a better one, and go help Selexia on whatever 'quest' she had planned, but something inside her craved for that sword. "Suit yourself guys. I'll be back in a little bit," she said." err….Wait…"
Selexia and Vikokima stopped with a look of relief on their faces.
"What does Holy Sampada look like?" asked Keke sheepishly.
Vikokima pointed at Selexia." She's her height and skin color. She has black coifed hair, perfect white teeth, and intricate but tasteful piercings. She goes around in expensive but conservative silks. They accent her form, not flaunt it. She has tattoos that legend has it were inscribed on her as child by the greatest gurus of the land that protects her from all magic. Basically she looks like her, except less slutty."
Selexia opened her mouth as to protest, but simply shuddered and stomped off towards the jungle speechless.
Keke nodded at the information as she parted paths with the Succubus and Rakshasa.
Kalikekeztra made her way along the path to the Western Holy Temple. She thought she would be challenged but surprisingly she wasn't. For one thing, despite Selexia's teasing, her guise allowed her to blend easily with the other pilgrims making their way to the temple. With her modest appearance and meager possessions, an orange sari, a large sack, and a pair of dusty sandals, she looked even more humble than the people she was travelling with.
At one point a pair of holy warriors did stop them and used their vision to scan their group. She tensed, and was about to go for her weapons in her sack when one of the holy warrior's vision seemed to fall on her, but his partner mumbled something about the demon taint in the area messing up auras, before they were allowed to pass.
When Keke reached the actual temple itself, she expected a powerful ward to repulse her from it. If that did happen she would happily return to the jungle, and see if Selexia or Vikokima were still waiting for her. Oddly enough she did encounter a powerful ward, but it was nowhere near as powerful as the one that repulsed Taraksun and his Rakshasas. Did that mean her multiheaded boss' powers weren't all that great? Or maybe the Rakshasa's weren't as good as their reputation states them to be. Or maybe….she was way more powerful than any of them. She did beat Pasurendra pretty handily, and despite their differences, she grudgingly admitted that brutish giant was a pretty powerful Asura.
As she considered the possibility that she was more powerful than a demigod, she dismissed the thought and simply attributed it to good fortune. It was most likely that the Holy Priestess Sampada was sloppy and simply forgot to renew her protection spells.
It seemed a ridiculous hypothesis, but when she slipped away from the other pilgrims, and began scouting the temple herself, she was surprised to see her theory was confirmed.
As she climbed up an outer wall, tearing and fraying her orange sari in the process, she caught a glimpse of a woman that matched Vikokima's description waiting alone in one of the temple's inner gardens. There were many such gardens under the tall spires of the temple, but Keke was drawn to this one because it was protected by a powerful illusion. Keke slipped into the shadows as best she could and scanned the woman from afar. Her 'true' sight easily piercing the veil around the garden. She concentrated her vision and smell but could not detect her blade on the woman. That didn't rule out that Javindar thug gave Sampada her sword though. She did recall the Rakshasa mention her ability to evade magic. Perhaps she had it stowed in a treasure room, or maybe it was hidden on her person by a magic holding pouch of some sort.
Keke was about to confront the priestess both personally and violently but retreated back in the shadows when a powerful looking individual entered the garden, a handseome young man in white with a golden breast plate and a regal bearing about him. He stank of arcane magic. Holy Sampada bowed towards him respectfully, before the pair of them rushed together and engaged in what looked like a face hugging kiss.
Wait…were holy priestess allowed to do that? Were holy priestess that were engaged to some Bey guy allowed to do that? Keke knew of some sects such as Calistra and Aphrodite that engaged in brazen orgies, but she was pretty sure holy Puranas, chief of the Vedic Deities, wasn't one of them. She had heard that some holy men broke one or two vows, such as eating meat, or took up weapons, but those were out necessity, this was one step beyond. What was more shocking was the identity of her partner.
While Kalikekeztra had never met Prince Lalit in person, she was given his description before their last disastrous battle incase she had to deal with him on the field of combat.
Weren't those two supposed to be brother and sister? She could understand a holy man or woman giving in to their base desires and seeking romantic relations, even she admitted to have a longing for companionship once in a while, but she was pretty sure outright incest was forbidden in Puranas' teachings.
Keke watched the couple and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Perhaps her 'true' vision was impaired by her mortal form. She blinked her eyes rapidly before closing them for a few seconds to wash out any dust that might have obscured her vision and viewed the couple again to see if she was being deceived.
Nope. No magical guises or anything of that sort.
Perhaps those two were just exchanging a sibling embrace. Yeah that must be it. A sister was allowed to kiss her brother right? That would explain things. Yeah that made sense. She wasn't use to mortal notions of romance and was just seeing something that wasn't there. It was all an innocent greeting. She was just mistaken…..
Keke's eyes widened as Prince Lalit began disrobing, even as Holy Sampada slipped out of her robes, and the pair began to intertwine.
Kalikekeztra was pretty sure this wasn't a regular sibling greeting, but remained silent and watched the two roll around in the garden while they moaned and grunted in ecstasy.
"HALT! INTRUDER!" shouted a voice nearby, interrupting Keke's show. The demoness glanced down and saw the couple scramble towards the cover of some bushes at the sudden noise even as several holy warriors were shouting at her from one of the tall spires of the temple.
With her cover blown, Keke knew she had to think fast and act fast.
"Keke!" shouted a tall ivory skinned winged demoness as a beaten and battered Kalikekeztra slithered into the jungle clearing with her large sack over her shoulder. "You're alive!"
"Keke?" questioned a large rotund tiger headed man. "You call her Keke?"
Kalikekeztra shot the Rakshasa a withering glare that made it clear who or what could use that nickname.
"We heard the temple bells, and thought you were done for," said Selexia as she hugged the much bigger demoness.
Keke shrugged and spat out a broken tooth and plucked some loose scales from her bleeding tail. "I thought I was done for as well, but as you can see, I got away."
"There goes years of hard work," sighed Vikokima.
Selexia closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's forget this little mishap. Since Vik's job here has been...adjusted, he has to lay low for awhile. He's offered to assist us while things cool off. Let's rest for the night, and continue with our original mission when your wounds have healed a bit. "
Keke shook her head and flashed her fangs in a victorious grin." No, we should go now. I got something of theirs…I suspect they'll want it back right away."
Selexia and Vikokiama's eyes both grew wide.
"You recovered your blade from the valuts of the holy temple, Lady Kalikekeztra?"
"Did you truly find it Keke?"
"Nah, but I found something almost as good, " she said as she emptied the large sack she was carrying.
Besides weapons, a censer, a battle banner, her torn orange sari, and other assorted nick knacks, a small frightened woman bound and gagged by tattered silks rolled out onto the jungle floor. Given her tattoos, piercings, and braided hair, her identity was clear.
"Holy Sampada!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can trade my sword back for her," smiled Keke.