Bloody history

Kali looks at you, stunned, and for a moment you see pain and sadness in her eyes. Then she slams an open palm against your chest.

The fire is thankfully absorbed, but you feel several ribs break under the impact. You land a good ten feet away, and despite the pain you roll to one knee. You raise a hand to a panicked looking Maya to tell her to wait. The half dragon looks more bestial than you’ve ever seen her, eyes wild, fangs growing from her mouth, and spiked ridges of scales along her arms and legs.

“Maya! It’s ok, that was my fault. Kali, I’m sorry if it hurts to talk about, but please, tell me.” You stand, hiding your pain as best you can, although you cough wetly, tasting blood. You think to yourself, ‘Well...that’s a hospital visit.’, as you slowly walk back towards Kali.

Kali lowers her hand, somehow looking a bit ashamed of her actions. “My...my mother....no one’s ever asked about her. I...I never knew her, she died shortly after giving birth to me. I learned things about her from...from slaves my father took from her village.”

Stepping carefully closer, you nod, speaking softly. “What do you know about her?”

Kali’s eyes are far away, the red and black orbs focused on the past. “I’m told she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman anyone could remember, and a good person as well. A kind soul, beloved by everyone who knew her. She...she was supposed to marry a hunter in her village, but shortly after her betrothal my father invaded her country. Her fiancée went off to fight and never came back.”

Kali sighed, looking down at her gauntleted hands. “My father did come, though. His army did what conquerors do, and my mother was taken as spoils by my father. When he...finished with her, he sent her to the **** camps with the survivors of her village.”

You nod at her, listening intently, though you could feel something seriously wrong inside your chest. You could taste blood on your breath and some was starting to dribble from your nose and mouth.

Kali continues, “It wasn’t long before she discovered she was pregnant. The villagers...they snuck in herbs to end the pregnancy. My mother...she refused. She told them that my father was the monster, not the child. She said that I was not responsible for my father’s crimes, and shouldn’t be punished for him.”

She looks at you, a tear falling from her eyes. “She...she saved me, gave me life...when I first heard this I laughed in the slaves face. I told him that they delivered me into the darkness, and do you know what they said to me?”

You shake your head, blood dripping from your chin.

“They said when I was born, my mother told them that even amongst demons, love and beauty can grow. As she lay dying, she told them I was beautiful...”

Tears are flowing freely from her eyes as she spoke softly now. “My fathers men took me, brought me to be raised amongst demons. I only learned about my mother years later, from one of the last survivors of the village. He said he promised my mother that he would share her story with me some day. He died within a week of telling me.”

Gently, you reach out and place a hand on Kali’s shoulder. “Your mother was right, Kali. You are beautiful, and you don’t even know how beautiful you can be. I learned one more thing about Lilim born of a human. You get a choice. You can choose to turn your back on the demon lord. You can turn away from your **** magic, and in doing so, gain life magic in its place. Your mother saw this in you Kali. You could be a healer instead of a destroyer.”

You cough, blood dripping down onto your chest. You take her hand and press it to your blood dampened shirt. “You have a choice now, Kali. You can take me to your portal, I can’t stop you now. You could score your victory for your father. Or you can break the hold he has on you. You can become what your mother saw in you the moment she saw you. The beautiful healer, the risen Lilim.”

Coughing up blood, you look into her red and black eyes, eyes wet with tears, **** and afraid.