The Last Sacrifice of Kalinga: Crushing the Goddess's Harem

Chapter 4: The Path to the Dead Woods

"Is it finally gone?" Gayatri's voice was barely a whisper.

Aristha lowered his half-burnt, smoking branch, his chest heaving. The low growl of the Shadow Fang Wolf had finally faded into the damp forest.

"Yeah. The fire kept it back," Aristha gasped, tossing the branch onto the dying embers. "But we can't stay here. The sun's coming up."

Gayatri sat up, clutching her arms against the chill. "We're in the middle of nowhere. Where do we go?"

"The Terunyan Dead Woods."

She froze, her eyes widening. "Are you insane? That's a forbidden zone! The corruption there kills anyone who enters!"

"Exactly," Aristha said, offering her a hand. "Which is why Prince Rama's golden boys won't dare follow us. They have scout dogs, Gayatri. They'll sniff us out of this shrine in an hour."

She reluctantly took his hand. "But the spiritual beasts... we won't survive."

"We will. Because you have me." Aristha gave her a quick wink. "Now up. We have a long walk."

"I still think you've lost your mind," she muttered, but she stayed close, her shoulder brushing against his as they stepped out of the ruins. "And don't look at me like that. I'm only staying near you because I don't want to get eaten."

"Sure, let's go with that. Keep telling yourself that."

"I am serious! If you die, I have no way out of this forest."

"So you do care about my survival. I'm touched, Gayatri. Truly."

"I care about my survival, you idiot."

"Same difference. If I go down, you go down. We're a team now, whether you like it or not."

"We are not a team. We are simply... co-conspirators in avoiding execution."

"Sounds like a team to me."

The Terunyan Dead Woods were dead, cold, and dripping with mist.

"So," Gayatri started, her eyes darting to the twisted, blackened trees. "What's the plan if we do get through this place?"

"We find a nice, quiet town, change our names, and maybe open a tea shop," Aristha said casually.

"A tea shop?" She scoffed. "I am a high noble of Kalinga! My family—"

"Your family is either dead or thinks you're dead," Aristha interrupted gently. "And right now, the entire royal guard wants our heads. A tea shop sounds pretty luxurious compared to an execution basket, don't you think?"

She looked away, silent. "They framed me. Rama promised he would protect my clan. Instead, he used our family relic to frame us for treason."

"I know," Aristha said. "He's a grade-A jerk. But hey, revenge is a dish best served cold. First, we survive. Then, we make him pay."

"You speak of revenge so easily," she murmured. "But we are powerless. I have no Prana left."

"Who said we're powerless?" Aristha grinned, flexing his arm. "Look at these muscles. I'm basically a god in training."

"You're a fool in training," she sighed, but a tiny, faint smile touched her lips before she quickly hid it. "And you're incredibly loud. If you don't quiet down, you'll attract—"

`[System: Warning. Local spiritual density is highly unstable. Detection of corrupted lifeforms: High.]`

"Yeah, thanks for the heads-up, buddy," Aristha muttered.

Gayatri blinked. "Who are you talking to?"

"Just my inner voice. It likes to state the obvious."

"You're genuinely crazy."

"Maybe. But a crazy guy just saved your life, so show some respect."

"I'll show respect when we're actually safe."

"Fair enough."

Suddenly, a loud snap broke the silence.

"Aristha! Look out!" Gayatri shrieked, pointing.

A thick, thorny vine, pulsing with an unnatural purple glow, whipped out of the fog straight toward her leg.

"Not on my watch!"

Aristha lunged, thrusting a sharpened wooden spear he'd carved earlier. The tip slammed into the vine, pinning it to the muddy ground. The plant hissed, black liquid oozing.

"Did that thing just... bleed?" Gayatri gasped, stepping back.

"The plants here are hungry," Aristha gritted his teeth, snapping the vine with his boot. "We need to move. Faster."

"Look at the ground," Gayatri whispered. "The corruption is active today. It's reacting to something."

"Probably my charm," Aristha joked, though his brow furrowed. "Or maybe we just stepped into a nesting ground."

`[System: Warning. Corrupted Bramble Beast approaching. Distance: 15 meters.]`

"Great. Company's here."

"What? What is it?"

A massive, thorn-covered wolf stepped out of the fog, its eyes burning purple.

"A Bramble Beast," Gayatri whispered, her face turning pale. "Even a high-grade hunter needs a squad to take one down!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a regular hunter." Aristha stepped in front of her, raising his wooden spear.

"Aristha, don't! You don't have weapons, you don't have armor! You can't fight that thing head-on!"

"I have to," Aristha said, his voice dropping its playful tone. "If I don't, we both die. Stay behind me, Gayatri. No matter what."

`[System: Analyzing target. Corrupted Bramble Beast (Level 3). Weakness: The exposed glowing node beneath its throat. Current Prana: 3,240.]`

"Throat node. Got it," Aristha murmured. "Hey, Gayatri. Keep your eyes on my back."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill it."

"With a piece of wood? Are you stupid?!"

"Just watch!"

The beast charged.

"Move left!" Aristha shouted.

He dodged to the right, the beast's claws missing his chest by inches.

"Aristha! It's turning!" Gayatri warned.

"I see it!"

Aristha channeled his Prana, launching himself off a rotten tree trunk.

"Eat this!"

He thrust the spear down, aiming directly for the beast's throat.

The beast's horns clipped the spear, shattering it.

"Oh, come on!" Aristha yelled.

The beast's claw slammed into his shoulder.

"Argh!"

Aristha crashed into the mud, his shoulder bleeding heavily.

"Aristha!" Gayatri ran toward him, her face filled with panic. "Get up! Please, get up!"

"Stay back!" Aristha roared, pushing himself up. The pain in his shoulder was blinding, but his eyes glowed a furious crimson. "I'm not done yet!"

`[System: Warning. Physical damage detected. Consuming 200 Prana to temporarily numb pain receptors.]`

"Perfect. Now let's finish this."

The beast charged again.

"Come on, you ugly bastard!"

Aristha didn't dodge this time. He slid underneath its massive torso.

"Crimson Strike!"

He shoved his fist straight into the glowing purple node on the beast's throat.

`[System: Consuming 500 Prana. Activating concentrated shockwave.]`

An explosion of red light erupted as the beast collapsed lifelessly. Aristha lay on his back, panting heavily.

"You... you actually killed it," Gayatri breathed, kneeling beside him. Her hands shook as she touched his bleeding shoulder. "You're bleeding so much. We need to stop the flow."

"I'm fine," Aristha gasped, though his face was pale. "Just a flesh wound."

"A flesh wound? You have a chunk of flesh missing!" she cried, tearing a strip of cloth from her inner robe. "Hold still. This is going to hurt."

"Everything hurts anyway," Aristha grunted as she tightly bound his shoulder. "But thanks. You're actually pretty good at this."

"My mother taught me basic medicine," she whispered, her eyes softening. "Don't get used to it. I'm only doing this so you don't die and leave me lost in this horrible forest."

"Right, right. Purely practical."

`[System: Alert. Host's blood contains trace amounts of primordial soul energy. The scent is dispersing through the fog. Threat level: Escalating rapidly.]`

"Wait, what?" Aristha grimaced. "Explain that, System."

"Aristha? Who are you talking to again?" Gayatri asked, looking around the darkening woods.

"My blood," Aristha muttered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Apparently, to the monsters here, it smells like a five-star gourmet buffet."

"What does that mean?"

"It means every hungry beast in a five-mile radius just got an invitation to dinner."

"You're joking, right?"

"I wish I was."

A sudden, earth-shaking howl cut through the foggy silence, far louder and deeper than anything they had heard before. The very air seemed to vibrate with malice.

"That wasn't a normal beast," Gayatri whispered, her grip tightening on his arm. "Aristha, the fog... it's moving."

Two massive, glowing red eyes emerged from the mist.

"Well," Aristha muttered, forcing a weak, bloody grin as he struggled to stand, dragging Gayatri behind him. "It looks like the boss just spawned."

"Can you fight that?" Gayatri whispered, her voice trembling. "Aristha, look at the size of it!"

"Honestly?" Aristha swallowed hard, his hand tightening around his last makeshift wooden stake. "I really hope the System has a cheat code for this."