Keke pounced on the so called Bat knight. Her blade and hook were poised to rip and stab the big mouthed fool, but before her strike could land, the man simply 'blinked' out of existence.

Ulfgar wasn't gone though, she could hear him 'pop' back into existence behind her. It was an old magician trick, that she had encountered before. Effective but unreliable with a short duration, it would only be a matter of time before he mistimed his 'blinks' and be at her mercy. Knowing this Keke twirled even before she landed and readied herself to leap at the man but the bat knight seemed to pay no attention to her and instead concentrated on Whelp.

A mistake in Keke's opinion.

Before she could capitalize on his misstep, the man spoke some arcane words and the tunnels rumbled as a wall of iron rose between himself and Whelp. His divide and conquer strategy wasn't perfect though, as Whelp's spear sailed past the barrier before it was fully formed and caught the man in the arm, even as her hook and saber did their bloody work.

Ulfgar grunted from the multiple hits before he blinked out of reach again, though Keke noticed no blood from his wounds. In fact, her keen senses discerned something amiss as the bat knight's flesh seemed to take on consistency of stone as it easily deflected the trio of attacks.

Keke screeched in frustration as she repositioned herself and was about to level more attacks against UIfgar, but the knight swung his great sword and cut through her storm of blades as a counter. Keke was cautious enough to hop back out of his reach as she felt a dangerous radiant energy from his weapon. She was faster than him, but just barely. His bulk and the size of his weapon were deceptively fast, and Keke made note of this for their next exchange.

While Keke did take a few steps back from his onslaught, she quickly recouped and launched herself at him again. He poped out of existense again, but she guessed correctly where he would appear and pressed her assault. His size and his two handed weapon were quick to strike but slow to recover and she took advantage of it. She got in two good slashes and a gouge but was dismayed when an invisible shield sprang forth and blocked two of her strikes forcing her to retreat once again. She didn't escape unscathed though, while she was quick enough to evade his strikes this bat knight was able to unleash two violet lances of force into her hide. Her innate spell resistance stopped one, but the other slammed into her back, almost causing her to lose her balance.

"Bravo," commented Ulfgar who distorted himself backwards before phasing in forward again as he strode confidently towards the reeling Keke. "Your spell resistance is excellent, even against my penetrating magic which I spent years honing." He then turned towards the iron wall as he noticed a blue glow around it. "Your friend also appears quite adept at her craft, though my barrier won't be so easily dispelled. I suspect, my 'allies' will deal with her before she brings down my wall of iron."

Keke didn't like his haughty attitude, but recognized that she needed this lull in combat more than he did. It would be best if she kept him talking. She could recover her breath while his spells ran out. "Allies? I thought you said you were a demon hunter? Pasurendra is pretty much the last friend I would expect you to have."

Ulfgar paused and looked genuinely wounded by her remark. "I..I….it's not like that. Sometimes you have to reach into the demonic ichor with your own hands if you wish to strike down the heart of your foe. If you fight with the devil, don't expect to come out unscathed, either physically, mentally or spiritually. We both know we are allies of convenience, and we both fully expect the other to turn on them after we fulfill our goals. Such is the price of victory."

Keke saw her opportunity and seized it. "First off, I resent you referring to Pasurendra as a devil. You of all people should be able to differentiate Tanarii, Baatezu, Yugoloth, and most importantly Asuras. I hate his ugly face, but we're closer to demons if anything and I'm greatly insulted by your loose application of an analogy. Secondly, it always starts off with making mortals making deals hoping for a fair exchange of goods and services but before you realize it you've become our thrall. A puppet no matter how pompous or self important on a string. Our willing, poor, deluded slave who thinks he can leave at any time, but you can't anymore, because you are in way over your head. Trust me, I may not be one of demonic types that tempt or seduce, but I've snared a few dupes in my day with the promises of power. I mean, listen to yourself, do you have an exit plan? You are doing Pasurendra's shit work for what? A few lost spells, maybe a Barony in the new world order if he tears open this rift?"

Ulfgar chuckled at Keke's taunts. "I initially though you were a Marilith, but it seems you have a bit of Succubus in you. Though those seducers often take more lewd forms, I admit there is something enticing in the form you've taken."

Keke scoffed at his comment, but oddly her cheeks and ears turned red. She had no uses for flighty Succubus, except perhaps for Selexia, for some unknown reasons she still had an attachment for her, To be compared to them was a bit of an insult. However, his words did ring with some truth, as her matronly form she initially took had shed a lot of unwanted weight, and she could see some similarities between herself and them.

"As for my exit plan, aye I have one, and it is almost in my grasp. The Blackblade. My sometimes ally, sometimes rival is bringing it to me as we speak. In the hands of an ancient Hellenistic hero it stopped an entire army of demons, in my trained hands however, I will smite my so called 'allies' and tear apart…"

Keke interrupted him with a loud laugh. "Ha Ha! You actually believe all that? Do you follow every legend you hear? You think some lost hunk of junk weapon can stop Pasurendra, or even Taraksun? I haven't even heard of your weapon, but I know that Galatea the Demonslayer couldn't manage that feat, and that blade stopped Yeenoghu himself. Passy must have hit the jackpot when he stumbled on such a foolish and willing thrall like yourself if he can ply your services with fairy tales."

Now it was Ulfgar turn to grow red. Given his pale skin, his anger was more pronounced than Keke's embarrassment. Her bait worked as the warrior mage charged, his blade flaring with arcane and holy energies. More importantly he had stopped shifting back and forth. Though she forced his hand, she was still careful to avoid the brunt of his attack. She waited till he was right before her, before slipping to the side and kicking his feet out from under him.

UIfgar crashed heavily into the ground from Keke's cheap trick, but before she can seize on his stumble he uttered more words and a fiery aura erupted from his back. Though she was resistant to flames, she wasn't immune, also she felt a holy aura mixed into the fire that protected him. Still cautious with her opponent, Keke leaped back abandoning her strike.

While weapons and her mighty constricting tail were her favored modes of attack, she was not defenseless when it came to a magical duel. Recognizing the danger of this Ulfgar character, Keke summoned her magic and surrounded the Bat knight with a ring of slashing and hacking blades. It was a fearsome spell able to eviscerate all but the most powerful foes, but Keke seldom used it, preferring a more personal touch when it came to killing.

"BEGONE DARK MAGICS!" shouted Ulfgar in an earthshattering voice, as both his flames and her phantom weapons were dispelled. Ulfgar's power rang through the cavern, a testament to his overwhelming arcane power, but it didn't matter to Keke….it was a ruse of course.

Before Ulfgar could get his bearings on his opponent, he spotted a hook in midflight straight towards his head that had been masked by her blades.

*BONK*

Though Ulfgar's skin was as hard as stone, he staggered back from strike to his skull, he attempted to erect another ward, but it was too late, Kalikekeztra was upon him in all her fearsome frenetic glory.

She was a blur of motion, as the bloodlust boiled within her. She quickly replaced her hook with an Alphatian mace, as she bludgeoned, slashed, and even kneed her opponent. Though she only had two arms, an observer might have confused her with having six as her strikes battered and tossed around her foe mercilessly like an unrelenting hurricane. Despite Ulfgar's invisible shield and stony hide, Keke wore down his defenses and spilled a torrent of blood as she tore his flesh into ribbons.

Keke enjoyed her slaughter, but out of nowhere she was swatted to the side by Ulfgar's two handed sword. The strike had unexpected power in it, but worse was the disruptive holy energies it radiated. She didn't expect the Bat knight to be able to muster such strength especially after such a mauling and paid dearly for her misjudgement as she felt several ribs crack and her sides split open.

It would have killed a normal human, but fortunately she wasn't one.

Keke's anger rose within her as she face her foe. She was bloodied, but that was alright, she fought better when she was both angry and wounded.

Her opponent rose to his feet as well, but there was something radically different about him. An aura of death and power surrounded him. Ulfgar's battered and torn body seemed to be transformed into some savage fighting machine as he was bathed in a purple light. She had seen such a spell before, it would transform a mage into a killing machine at the cost of his magic. A desperate spell indeed, perhaps a final spell?

The Bat knight looked different, but still oddly the same. His presence seemed deadlier, his arms grew more chiseled, and his glare was that of a wolf's.

Keke smiled from ear to ear. Seldom did she encounter such a martial challenge. She licked her lips in anticipation.

Both of them roared their respective battlecries as they lunged at each other. Keke was as fast as ever, but Ulfgar's power and speed were on a different level than before. His strikes were more precise as he expertly disarmed her blade and then with a flick of his wrist burned her hand and made her drop the Alphatian mace. She drew another blade, a powerful weapon with unknown properties looted from the Aboleth's lair, but it was sundereded in half in a brutal fashion by a single blow. Keke could not believe the overwhelming force that Ulfgar now possessed. Before she could react the Bat knight smashed the side of her head with a pommel strike, followed with a solid and unbelievable strong kick to her midsection.

Keke flew back into the cavern wall, but refused to acknowledged she was beaten. As with the old man in yellow, even outmatched she refused to submit. She would fight to her dying her breath. She summoned the last of her strength as she narrowly dodged Ulfgar's blade. She considered retreating further and engaging from a distance, but acknowledged the man's magic was stronger than hers. Bravely, or foolishly, she gambled on her own final desperate charge. Drawing a pair of daggers she bolted towards him, hoping her speed could beat his strength. She managed to evade his blade, but once again Ulfgar surprised her as he easily rammed his knee impossibly fast into her gut, sending her sprawling once again to the ground.

Keke was dazed, she wasn't sure how long she was out but felt Ulfgar approached. Actually she felt the burning radiance of his blade approach but it didn't matter now. She dropped her daggers when she fell to the floor, and she was greatly out of position. She struggled to her feet but could only manage a knee as Ulfgar swung his blade down at her head.

CLANG

Keke and Ulfgar both looked in surprise. This was...unexpected. Instead of splitting her in two, the Bat knight's holy blade was stopped….by Keke's accursed manacles.

Keke was the first to recover, as she punched her opponent with all her remaining might in the chest. It would have punched a hole through an earth elemental's chest, but it only snapped a few of the warrior mage's ribs. Ulfgar staggered back, but before he could recover, Keke swung the chains of her manacles at his head. He weaved back, but she still managed to clip him in the jaw and sent him spinning. Before Ulfgar hit the ground, Keke was on him like flies on carrion. Aura or not, transformation or not, epic power coursing through him or not, Keke was in a foul killing mood….and nothing was going to stop her.

She slammed into his back, wrapping the chain around his neck and yanked back hard.

Ulfgar slammed his fists into her wounded side, but he lacked power from his poor position, and was quickly overpowered by the shapeshifted demon. He gasped some words, but they were rendered inaudible wheezing sputterings. The Bat knight's strength quickly drained as the chain crushed his throat, depriving him of both air and his ability to cast spells. To his credit, Ulfgar struggled to the end, much like herself, and Keke respected that even as she snapped his neck into an unnatural angle.

Clutching her open bleeding side, Keke rolled herself off of her foe and began retrieving her weapons. She also noticed that the blue glow on the iron wall was gone, but did that mean Whelp was killed, or was she simply seeking an alternative route to her.

It didn't matter though as a bright glint down the tunnel caught her eye. She wasn't ready for this but took a deep breath and faced the golden clad young man striding confidently towards her.