Lightning filled the violet Torremor sky as Kalikekeztra lunged. A thousand pounds of serpentine fury leaped forwards , wrapped in flashing blades and surrounded by a trail of poisonous vapor. She was an engine of destruction that few could withstand, and bore down on her golden haired prey.

Instead of fleeing though, the Archon ducked her first swing and dived into the eye of the deadly storm, narrowly missing the deadly weapons that sought to slice and skewer him. The Celestial took several pommel strikes and battering from the hafts of the Marilith's weapons, but avoided the brunt of her attacks as he glided parallel to her body, lightly slashing the length of her body with his scimitar.

As Keke recovered from her unsuccessful attack, she threw her censer at her opponent, striking him squarely in the chest and releasing a cloud both acidic and toxic. As she wheeled about to finish him, she frowned as she saw the Archon had folded his wings around him in the last moment. While this tactic most likely saved his life, his pure white wings were blackened and burned with poison, and rendered useless untill healed.

Kalikekeztra seized the advantage once again and leaped at her reeling foe, this time in a raw attempt to overpower him instead of closing within range for her weapons. She clipped him solidly with her shoulder, sending him staggering back in pain. Lightning quick before he could even fall to the hard rock, she wrapped her mighty coils around his body, squeezing and contorting his body as she crushed his bones.

Keke could feel her opponent's muscles strain as he futilely attempted to resist her death coils. She savored his pain as she crushed the life out of her opponent. As a taunt she bared her fangs and hissed into her opponent's strained helpless face. Instead of submitting though, the Archon forced a smile on his angelic face and stretched his neck forward and gave her a light kiss on the nose.

Keke reeled in surprise, loosening her grip slightly before recovering and tightening her grip once again.

"I ..I believe victory is mine… my lady," said Eliaos haltingly with a smile even as Keke poured her strength around him.

Kalikekeztra was angered at his bold statement, until she realized the Archon's blade was brushing lightly against her neck. Somehow he managed to weasel his sword arm away from her coils and now threatened to slice open her throat.

Keke sighed and released her grip. "That's no fair," she pouted as she rubbed her nose. His Angelic essence burned her fiendish flesh, but she was more embarrassed than pained by his tactic. "You wouldn't do that to a Balor."

"I would if he was as pretty as you," laughed the Archon as he coughed up some blood. While the fight had been a duel, both combatants made it a point not to hold back. That was something few would do against Keke, and it pleased her despite her loss.

"I was winning until you pulled off that cheap move."

"Aye, you were," smiled the Archon as he examined his ruined wings. He flexed them a few times and watched in disappointment as several feathers fell off. "I would brave that kiss again, even though it was a costly win on my part, and despite that victory, I'm still behind on our duels."

"Fourty to fifty three by my count," nodded Keke smugly. "With two draws."

Since capturing Eliaos, Kalikekeztra had been amusing herself by dueling her prisoner, a legion Archon they had captured during one of the great epic battles between the Heavens and the Abyss. While her partner Selexia preferred more conventional tortures, Keke quickly tired of the beatings and whippings and favored something more invigorating. At first it was merely a contest, if the Archon won he would gain his freedom, if he loss than his tortures would increase ten fold.

Keke won the first three battles, but they were close affairs. Close enough for her to gain some degree of respect for her foe's prowess. Also she didn't increase his tortures ten fold, there was only so many times she could whip him or break his bones until it grew mundane. When he finally did win, Keke expected him to slay her and make a break for freedom, but the Archon didn't. He chose to remain her prisoner. Keke figured he either thought it was a trap, a test laid by herself to ambush him if he somehow won, or perhaps Selexia had placed an enchantment on him, a mental block preventing him from leaving. While the Succubus and herself amused themselves with the torture of their captive, the Lords of Abyss wanted things like stratagems, battle plans, and troop strengths. Eliaos would not give up that information so easily, even charmed, so they resorted to the tried but true method of slowly breaking his will.

Though it began as a method of eroding his resolve and breaking his body, Keke found herself enjoying her duels with the Archon more and more. Though it didn't surprise her that much because she enjoyed combat in any form, it did surprise her that she found herself enjoying losing to Eliaos as much as winning against him. It was a little game in the bleakness of the Abyss that she enjoyed more than she should have.

"Okay big shot. You've won. Are you going to ask for your freedom this time?" she asked as she stretched her limbs after that intense fight. As she did so, she noticed a long cut along her body, from her shoulder, down past her breast and abdomen, and even along her scales. It was a razor sharp cut, she hadn't noticed it at first and guessed she got it when he dove into her first lunge, but it had started to bleed black ichor quite profusely.

Keke fumbled around for a healing ointment, but Eliaos simply stepped up, uncomfortably close to her. He placed his fingers on her shoulder along the stinging wound and a tingling blue light glowed along her wound. Keke gasped from the sensation as he slowly traced the wound down her body, stopping the bleeding and even mending her scales as he gently caressed her skin. While Archons had some healing powers, Keke reddened when she realized he rather used them on her than to mend his broken wings. She wasn't sure why, but it made her feel special…prized.

"Are you going to ask for your freedom?" Keke asked again, quivering from his touch.

"You know what I want," the golden hair Archon said as he took her in his strong arms and kissed her once again.

Keke knew this was a mistake. He was trying to seduce her, trying to win his freedom as he toyed with her emotions. They were forever enemies, an Archon and an Asura, and this was simply a way for him to escape. A way to make a fool of her so she would let down her guard. She should strike him down for his audacity. Rip him to shreds with her superior strength, but she found it….amusing, and yielded to his embrace…for now.

"I think you're carrying too much," warned Whelp. " One or two weapons at most, not an entire arsenal."

Kalikekeztra ignored her as she grabbed a cutlass, two belaying pins, a gaff hook, oddly enough a bull whip, and a crossbow with a case of quarrels. She would have preferred a poison censer, but she made do with what she could find. Though her companion complained about the encumbrance, it did little to weigh her down, and she was well use to positioning them on her body as to not to impede her in battle.

"Hurry up," ordered Whelp. "We need to find the ship's crew on this accursed island if we want to escape from here."

Now that she was on dry land, Keke was more confident than ever that she could rip apart the warrior woman with her superior strength, but she found it amusing and yielded to her command …. for now. Besides, there was some truth to what she said. The island was smothered in some magic draining mist, and due to their lack of nautical skills they would be unable to escape it without use of the cutter. Also given the fact that she was still a prisoner of those Khanate manacles, she was unsure of the extent of her own powers. It was better to wait for a better opportunity if she was to turn on Whelp.

After resupplying from the ship, the two began to trek on the rocky island in search of the missing crew. While neither had any appreciable tracking skills, Keke's sense of smell was still superior to that of Whelps. She had initially detected five travellers from the ship, but their scent was quickly obfuscated by a strange alien fishy smell.

Not a fresh scent like one of those big ocean going fish like a shark or a tuna, but something more akin to the rotting smell of an eel, or one of those bottom dwellers with the whiskers that dwell in the mud in the rivers. It was a smell of slime, worms, and ooze, a primordial smell of wriggly things that fled from the light.

"I think I hear something," said Whelp as she cautiously trekked ahead into the mists. Keke agreed. While the mists obscured their vision and strangely enough muffled nearby sounds, she was sure they were being watched as they travelled deeper into the rocky island. While her true sight vision was impeded, she still saw shadow moving at the edge of her vision that she couldn't fully attribute to her imagination.

"Careful," warned Keke. While it didn't matter either way if her companion was crushed by a giant anthromorphic catfish or not, she would prefer if she died after her shackles were undone or after they were rescued. Being alone on this island wasn't tactically sound right now.

After the initial period of paranoia, their fears proved unfounded as they ventured deeper into the island. They passed several ruined pillars and even some smashed statues, though they saw no direct signs of the travellers they were tracking or even any ambling catfish men.

"I don't understand," puzzled Whelp. "There's not a sign of them. Maybe we should call out for them?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Keke as she shook her head. Whelp agreed and they continued forward till it was dusk. While Keke's body could trek all day and night, her trapped body was at the end of its endurance, especially with all the weapons she carried. She didn't want to admit Whelp was right earlier, and tried to look eager to continue, but made a show to be reluctant when it was suggested to make camp.

"I don't know where they could have gotten to. I see no signs of them. No trails, tracks, or even foot prints," said Whelp, puzzling over their elusive quarry.

"Maybe they went underground," shrugged Keke. She wanted to mention something about the strange slime scent she detected in the mist, but didn't want to seem paranoid or afraid in front of her companion, especially when she saw no sign of any catfish person. That was a sign of weakness, and she didn't want that to hamper her already tenuous relationship with the warrior woman.

Whelp nodded as they set up camp. They picked a defensible location around one of the ruins, with a large wall at their backs, and multiple escape routes. With the supplies they scavenged at the boat, Whelp made some crude snares and trip alarms. Keke thought her 'traps' wouldn't be able to stop even a tiefling, but the whole purpose for them was to alert them of any night attacks.

"You've done this before," commented Keke approvingly. While she seen such tactics before in the armies she commanded, she often left such details to her scouts and skirmishers, and even then only the must cunning and resourceful of them laid such plans.

"I seldom get a chance to do this, being in the temple and all….."

Keke raised an eyebrow. Previously, Whelp had been deliberate to not mention any specifics of her past. Though she suspected she had clerical training due to her magic, this was the first time the warrior woman had admit as such.

"….but I do like to be prepared while travelling. It's just something I picked up from….."

"The banana boy!" said Keke smugly, finishing her sentence. "You're always thinking of him aren't you!"

Whelp was a bit surprised at the playful accusation but shrugged. "Sometimes. I have way too much to think about these days, not least of which is to get out of this accursed ocean, but yes…he sometimes prop up in my thoughts. Also, we were in a mango grove not a banana grove. "

"Banana boy sounds funnier than mango boy," laughed Keke. "You miss him don't you?"

Again a shrug. "He was pretty resourceful and taught me a lot, but we kind of left on the wrong foot. I'm afraid I gave him an…unfavorable impression of me when we parted ways…."

"Yes you told me. You dumped his ass for some rich guy. I woulda have done the same."

It was a crude attempt at a tease, but Whelp simply sighed and shrugged again in agreement.

An awkward silence fell between the two before the warrior woman spoke. "So, I've basically told all my dark secrets, how about yours. Is there a mister Keke somewhere?"

Keke knew that was a lie. Even without her true vision, she could tell Whelp was holding back the truth, but she simply shook her head at the question. Not that she minded, everyone had their little secrets, even herself. Though, she probably couldn't remember any of them since her last visit to the pits. A century of endless tortures tended to scrub one's mind of any useless attachments.

"No, there's no Mister Keke," she said truthfully.

"Aww, that's too bad. You seem likeable enough. That's their loss I guess."

"There was someone though. Tall, blond hair, handsome….I think. I can't remember his name. I think it was Elias or maybe it was Eliaos. The memory is hazy…"

"Must have been a crazy night at the tavern if you can't remember a tall blond handsome stranger's name," chuckled Whelp.

Keke scratched her head, annoyed at her own fragmented memories. "I think my friend dug her claws into him as well, and something bad happened. Something tragic…"

Before Keke could piece together her thoughts, the ooze smell returned, more powerful than before. She drew her cutlass and a gaff hook and whirled around scanning for her foe. Whelp's senses were not as sharp as her own, but the warrior woman followed suit, crouching into a combat stance while aiming her spear into the mists.

Keke's true vision still couldn't penetrate the fog, but she could see the shadows of large creatures had surrounded them. They seem to be in a holding pattern though as the rush she anticipated did not happen.

"Welcome to my island," said a withered voice from the shadows. "You'll be joining your friends soon."