Revenge

After a brief discussion, the two finally decided to split up. Thisalee would stay on the high ground and hold off Etherix's attack head-on, while Kalei would take Big Black off the high ground and circle around in the shadows to find and finish off the badly wounded Ordos.

At first, Thisalee was worried about Kalei's safety. She wanted him to hold off the enemy while she turned into a Black Raven and went looking for Ordos.

But Kalei refused. To find out what had happened to his father, he insisted on facing Ordos himself.

Seeing how determined he was, Thisalee stopped trying to talk him out of it and could only wish him luck.

Kalei took out his staff, called over the somewhat tired Big Black, and climbed down a gentle slope behind the high ground. Though weary, Big Black rallied at its master's call, its eyes gleaming with the light of a hunter.

The cavern was pitch-black. Not a glimmer of light could be seen, and not a sound could be heard. Kalei had no idea where Ordos was hiding.

But that was no problem for Big Black. This powerful magical panther was the cleverest hunter of the night. The moment it collided with Ordos, it had memorized his scent.

Powerful spellcasters often used magic to erase their scent, but that was useless against a Saber's keen nose.

With Big Black leading the way, Kalei silently passed through gap after gap and hole after hole, steadily closing in on his prey.

Just then, the battle on the high ground began anew. Etherix summoned two Felhounds and launched another attack.

The whistling of Shadow Bolts and Thisalee's spellcasting chants echoed through the cavern.

Hearing the sounds behind him grow more and more intense, Kalei kept moving. At this point, he couldn't afford to stop.

He had to find Ordos as quickly as possible. Only by taking the man out could he help Thisalee deal with Etherix.

Fortunately, his wish was soon granted. Big Black stopped and waved a forepaw at him. Its ears pricked up, and it crouched slightly, ready to attack.

Kalei knew Big Black well. He immediately understood that Ordos was hiding in the stone forest ahead.

Kalei took a deep breath and did something unexpected: he raised his staff and released a ball of green light.

In its glow, he saw Ordos hunched over, sneaking toward him.

The man had clearly recovered almost completely. He had probably sensed someone approaching in secret and planned to turn the tables, using his claws to launch a surprise attack. He hadn't expected Kalei to expose him with the light.

Ordos had a hide thicker than a castle wall. Even with his cover blown, he showed no embarrassment. He simply stood up and burst out laughing. "The boy from the Nightdew family! You're here!"

Hearing him call out his family name, Kalei's expression darkened. "So it was you, Ordos, you traitor! You actually sided with demons and led Satyrs in an attack on the village. What did you do with my father?"

Ordos laughed. "You want to know what happened to your father so badly? Fine. Come over here, and I'll tell you!"

Kalei spat. "Ordos, you don't think I'm stupid enough to believe you, do you?"

Ordos grinned viciously. "Well, it seems you're not stupid, at least. You're a lot smarter than your brainless, spineless father..." As he spoke, he suddenly flung a Shadow Bolt at Kalei. At the same time, two Felhounds that had been hiding in the darkness pounced on him from either side.

The attack caught Kalei off guard. He hadn't expected Ordos to be so shameless and cunning as to hide two Felhounds ahead of time, then use their conversation to distract him before launching a surprise attack.

But Ordos had underestimated Kalei, despite all his scheming.

At the critical moment, Kalei suddenly Blinked behind Ordos. He drew the dagger at his waist with his left hand and thrust it into Ordos's back.

Ordos had been sure his trick had worked. He was already imagining how he would toy with Kalei's corpse and tear out his soul to satisfy his filthy desires. He hadn't expected Kalei to use Blink to ambush him instead.

The Shadow Shield he had cast on himself earlier had already been dispelled. He wouldn't be able to cast another protective spell for a while.

With danger upon him, he could only gather all the shadow energy in his body at his back, hoping to stop the dagger from piercing him.

But Kalei had anticipated that. As the dagger sank in, he infused it with nature energy, neutralizing the shadow energy's protection.

The dagger, more than a foot long, plunged effortlessly into Ordos's back.

Ordos felt a sharp pain in his chest. He clutched at it with his claws, cried out, and collapsed to the ground.

He struggled to get up, but the pain in his chest left him unable to move. Dark green blood kept pouring from his wound, staining the ground.

Looking at the blood pooling around him, Ordos felt a chill sweep through him as fear rose in his heart. He turned his head and stared wide-eyed at Kalei.

He had never imagined that one day he would fall to the son of that fool, Malka.

His eyes fixed on Kalei as he cursed in a feeble voice. "You... you can use magic? You... you've abandoned the old ways!"

"What, you traitor who sided with demons, and you're calling someone else a heretic?" Kalei said, half amused and half exasperated. As he spoke, he let go of the dagger and planted a foot on Ordos's back, while casting vines to ensnare the two Felhounds chasing after him.

Ordos had been run through by the dagger and badly wounded. Now pinned to the ground, he was furious and humiliated, but he had no intention of backing down. Gritting his teeth, he cursed, "Damn you, brat! Don't get cocky. One day, you'll fall into my hands too, and then I'll make you wish you were dead."

Kalei replied calmly, "We'll see when that day comes. For now, are you ready to tell me where my father is?"

Ordos spat, then said nothing.

Kalei sneered. "Looks like you old bastard are pretty stubborn. I don't believe you won't talk." He and Big Black killed the Felhounds, then he went over to Ordos and grabbed one of his long claws. He bent it with all his strength. With a sharp crack, the claw broke in two. The pain was so intense that even the half-demon Ordos couldn't help crying out.

After breaking one of Ordos's claws, Kalei asked again, "What about now? Will you talk?"

Ordos opened his mouth and panted heavily a few times, then sneered. "That's it...? I thought you'd have some tricks up your sleeve. Is that all you can do, fur-faced brat?"

"Fine, you old bastard. Keep being stubborn. Let's see how long you can hold out."

But what happened next was completely beyond Kalei's expectations. As a half-demon, Ordos showed incredible resilience. No matter how Kalei tortured him, he refused to reveal where Kalei's father was.

Kalei discarded Ordos's last claw. Seeing that he was barely breathing and close to death, he frowned. "You really won't tell me? Aren't you afraid to die?"

Ordos bared his teeth and said softly, his voice full of mockery, "What's death? I've already died once. I only regret that I didn't kill all of you before I died!"

Kalei shook his head with a sigh. "I have to say, you traitors are completely insane. There's no saving you!"

"Yeah, insane, insane. No, I'm not the one who's insane. The whole world is insane! Hahaha... ahahaha..."

Ordos muttered under his breath as his body went limp. The light in his eyes gradually faded. Only then did he finally realize that he really was about to die. Before his death, he thought of how he had betrayed his people and his friends, sided with filthy demons, and ended up like this. Suddenly, he couldn't bear it. He didn't want to die like this.

But the Reaper's hand had already closed around his throat. There was no escaping it. Just as he was about to collapse, he suddenly raised a bloodied claw and jabbed it toward his own eyes.

Seeing Ordos act strangely and mutter to himself, Kalei knew he was up to no good. He hurriedly tried to interrupt him with a spell.

But though Kalei was quick, Ordos was quicker. A sinister, unseen force descended upon him. Under its influence, Ordos's eyes immediately lost their light and turned into two streams of black energy that flew toward Kalei as if alive!

The two black streaks were as fast as lightning. Kalei didn't have time to dodge and could only watch as they burrowed into his body. A bone-deep chill instantly spread through him, making him shudder, but soon he returned to normal.

Still, Kalei knew those two streaks of black energy couldn't be so simple. He used Blink to put distance between himself and Ordos, then shouted, "Damn it, Ordos! What did you do to me?"

But Ordos was already at the end of his strength. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't form a single complete sentence. Then he closed his eyes for good.

Even as he died, the man hadn't shown the slightest remorse. He had even tried to sabotage Kalei. There was no doubt about it: he had been a fine demon's dog.

Kalei brought Big Black over to Ordos's corpse and examined it closely.

Ordos was clearly dead beyond a doubt, but the spell he had cast before dying left Kalei with an ominous feeling.

Looking into Ordos's hollow eye sockets, he felt as if an unseen pair of eyes were watching him.

"Go to hell, you bastard! Even on your deathbed, you still had to cause trouble!" Kalei cursed, then fired several missiles at the corpse.

Purple energy exploded across it, blasting the remains into pieces.

Big Black, standing nearby, was startled by Kalei's treatment of the corpse. Thinking the dark power had clouded his mind, it let out a low growl.

Kalei smiled. "I'm fine. Have you ever heard of an art form called grinding someone's bones to dust and scattering the ashes? That's what this is!"

Big Black shook its head, unable to understand the behavior. It could only think that the societies of humanoid races were far too complicated for the panther kind to comprehend.

A few Arcane Missiles from Kalei blasted Ordos's body into tiny pieces, and he felt a little better. But the sensation of being watched from behind didn't go away.

He couldn't figure out the cause just then, so he had to set it aside for the moment and go help Thisalee. He would ask her what was going on once he got there.