Lightning Storm
The ferocious beast towers over you. Its nostrils flare widely as it snorts, blowing out a cloud of steam. Its eyes are burning red with anger, and as it lets out another earth-shaking bellow, flames run up and down its horns. Not just your normal, everyday monster, it seems. The goblins squeak and plead loudly, shaking their furry paws. Though you do not understand their language, the overall message is clear: please spare their unworthy lives. The monster hammers its fist down on the ground with tremendous force, causing the goblins to scatter and flee as far as they can, and the floor to crack even further.
“They’re calling it the… uh... Minotaur Firelord.” The demon princess shrugs, unconcerned by the beast’s display of strength. “Well, no matter what they call it, this thing is in the way.”
“It’s a bit of a pain, but let me take care of it,” you say, scratching the back of your head. Stretching out your hand, you concentrate on the spell that you want. Drawing upon your mana, you use it to change the world. The ground begins to crackle with energy, freezing the minotaur in its tracks – stunned by the electricity, it lets out a painful lowing. You call out a warning to the demon princess as a matter of courtesy. “I can't guarantee your safety if you don’t move out of the way.”
“For a spell such as this? There is no need.”
“Well… suit yourself.” The material earth will transcend and soar the skies; my will is the light of judgment that illuminates the world. Putting all you have into a single casting of the spell, you summon lightning. Bolts of glowing energy, drawn down from the clouds, strike the stone all around you. The ground quakes. More and more of the ruins begin to crackle, sparking with electricity as the effect of your magic spreads. The minotaur is now cowering in fear, unable to move. The demon princess’s posture begins to change, from unparalleled confidence into a cautious hunch. Yet you realize that you can still push yourself further. Above the roar of the thunder you can hear a high-pitched whirring, getting stronger and faster by the second. The disc above your head is spinning. And as it does so, it is somehow drawing in mana, replenishing your reserves – not faster than you can consume, but enough that this will be the strongest spell that you have ever cast in your life.
Your remaining wing becomes wreathed in electricity; from the stump of your left, blood spurts out and is transformed into lightning, molded into the shape of the missing wing. This is all rather beyond your expectations; you are not exactly sure what is happening to your body… and it is almost veering out of your control, as the spell greedily takes in everything you can give it.
“Hero… this… you are…” You can hear the demon princess shout angrily, her words drowned out by the deafening rumble of your spell. A split second later, she vanishes from sight, leaping away in a bid to escape the range of your incoming attack. You decide to end the spell before you are entirely drained. Clenching your fist, you shout out the spell’s name, ending the incantation. “Gigadyne!”
The ground underneath the minotaur’s feet disintegrates, transmuted into golden plasma by your magic. So are the remaining ruins around you. Doing your best to minimize any further damage to your surroundings, you concentrate the overwhelming flow of energy into a single, colossal pillar of lightning. There is an explosive bang of thunder as the intense heat of the pillar’s formation blasts away the air around it in a powerful shockwave. Like a vengeful dragon, the lightning roars into the skies, piercing the heavens and parting the clouds.
As the lightning dissipates, what is left behind is a molten hole in the ground the size of a small field, and scorched earth as far as you can see. Of the minotaur there is no trace – having been trapped in the epicenter of the spell, there was not even a speck of ash left of the monster.
You gasp, trying to regain your breath. Your knees feel weak, and a slight dizziness is troubling your head. It is probably not something you should make a habit of doing. A strong wind begins to blow, stirring the air around the wasteland that you have created.
“What have you become, Hero?”
Behind you, the demon princess approaches, her expression tinged with fear, fascination and uncertainty. Soot blackens her beautiful frown. Her armor is ruined again, and she has only kept enough of it to retain her modesty.
“That power… I could sense a bit of my father’s essence within it. Just what did you do? What happened after the explosion at our castle?” she asks.
“I…”
A fearful yowl interrupts you. Turning around, you see a surviving goblin, creeping forward in a gesture of worshipful submission. It appears to be the one that had spoken to you first. There are a few others, some of them missing limbs from the destruction, crawling out from the rubble that had sheltered them… all in all, five lucky survivors in total. It starts saying something. You glance at the demon princess.
With a sigh, she begins to translate.
“The light of your arrival killed fifteen of our people, the earth shaking from your battle killed twenty more, and the judgment you brought down upon the lord of fire must have killed at least fifty of us. Oh, truly, you are the Shining One, the Demon God prophesized to return and bring us to paradise… and that is the gist of it,” she says in disgust. “They seem to want you to go back to their village, to rest, and to bless them. Of course, I am invited as well, as your…” She frowns at the lead goblin, who stops talking and shrinks underneath her fiery stare. She barks out something at it, and the goblin responds apologetically.
“Well, that is the gist of it,” continues the demon, as if nothing had happened. “This is a good opportunity. We can talk more easily rather than standing around here in this blasted place. Do not even think about running off. There are things you have to tell me.” Her grip on the battle-axe tightens: she is serious.
***
A. You agree to go back to the goblin village and recuperate there.
1. You will tell the demon princess everything. Honesty is the best policy. Covering up lies with more lies is more effort in the long run.
2. You will tell the demon princess half-truths, leaving out the scene where you ate her father’s heart. She might not like to hear that at all.
3. You will not tell the demon princess anything at all. She is not entitled to any explanations from you.
B. Teleportation is the best way for getting out of sticky situations such as this. You’re going home!
us with the dog or cat question. Well played treave. Well played.
