Demon Lord’s Castle
As you recall your initial reluctance, the offer that you could not refuse, and the elaborate scheme of madness you pretended to avoid being involved in this war, you yawn. Mieren jabs at your cheek playfully with the finger that you had once seen her use to pierce an orc’s skull. The head had exploded seconds later, almost showering you in bits of orcish brain if not for the magic shield that you had put up just in time. “Really, are you feeling sleepy already?”
“I like to reserve my strength for more important battles.” You’re close. You can feel it. Success is at hand! You pat the ground besides you and say, “Why don’t you-“
“Oh, no.” With a cheeky grin, the red-haired martial artist spins away, her taut posterior wiggling slightly as if to taunt you. “I’m reserving my strength for a more important battle.” Damn. Ah well, baby steps, you suppose. You are just making an investment for the future.
“Shot down again,” chuckles Syke.
You shrug. “It was worth a try… I think I’ll try again tomorrow, Mieren?”
She sticks out her tongue at you.
“Tomorrow we face the Demon Lord.” Rurik chides you with a gentle smile. “I scarcely think that even you could find time to flirt during such a momentous battle.”
“You would be surprised.” Lobelia speaks up, impassive. “Remember the thousand orcs battle at Redtaur Valley? He found time then.”
Mieren raises an eyebrow. “Was that what you were doing when we were split up?”
“I fancied myself a skirt-chaser, but you surely triumph over me in so many ways.” Kyle slaps his thigh, shaking his head in laughter. “How were you picked as the Hero over the rest of us? A lazy scholar who did not even know how to hold a sword when we first met?”
“I don’t know myself.” As you speak your doubts, the Hero’s Medal pinned to your chest tingles gently, subtly reminding you of your destiny and of the righteousness of your cause. “Perhaps the goddesses love me?”
“The goddesses love all mankind equally, but they would not reciprocate the love of a womanizer. Not in that profane way, so stop your drooling,” lectures Althus mockingly.
“Hey, I resent that. I’m not a womanizer,” you grin. “I’m the best damn womanizer in the world.”
“Oh? You mean like that time at Kolyptus, where you…”
As the band laughs, recalling some of the escapades that they have been through, you lean back, feeling utterly relaxed. It is a feeling that you have only had in two places in your life: your parents’ ancestral home in the Windspear Heights, and your cozy corner in the Academy of Towers. Perhaps it is strange to feel this way, the night before the battle… but it feels right.
With them, you feel at home.
***
Dawn breaks, and the ground shudders with the reverberation of a thousand horns blaring in the distance. You open your eyes blearily, nudge awake by a combination of the noise and of Mieren shaking your shoulders.
“It’s time!” she hisses excitedly.
The Seven Kingdoms are marching on the Demon Lord’s stronghold. The armies of humanity and demonkind would clash before the black spire, in an apocalyptic battle that would decide the fate of this world… but in truth, it was a diversion, planned as cover for your heroic assault on the castle.
“Are we ready?” asks Lobelia, her staff held high.
“Wait, wait, wait,” interrupts Syke. “Are you certain this will work?” he asks you nervously.
“It should,” you scratch your chin.
“His plan is sound,” agrees Lobelia. “If I am the one casting the magic, it will work.”
“Who would have thought that jumping short distances would not be disrupted by the demons’ anti-teleportation field?” Althus murmurs. “Why is that?”
“They spread it wide in order to prevent any direct incursions from the Seven Kingdoms. Think of it like casting a net over the Black Spire and the surrounding lands… hey, I’m not here to give a lecture on magic,” you sigh. “All you need to know is that it will work. If you are that interested in the theory, go hit up the library once we finish the job.”
“You only suggested this plan because you were tired of walking, weren’t you?” Kyle smirks knowingly.
“That’s true,” you admit. It is riskier than walking, but it is also so much quicker once you make the effort to get the magic right. “But if it works…”
“Then it works,” says Rurik. “Results are all that matter.”
“I just hope we don’t get our body parts mixed up or something…” mutters the still reluctant Syke. “Magic travel… oh man.”
“Please, I am not such an amateur that I would let that happen,” retorts Lobelia, brimming with icy pride.
“C’mon, we’re wasting time here. Let’s get this over with!” Mieren pounds her fists together impatiently. Her fiery red eyes glint with barely restrained bloodlust. She gives you a wink and a grin: you take it as a promise of fun things to come once this is ‘over with’.
“That is correct. It is time for the Hero and his brave companions to fulfill their Fate-woven destiny…” says Althus.
“We are ready.” Rurik nods confidently. “Give the order, Hero.”
“Very well. It’s been a long journey, my friends, but soon that journey will reach its conclusion.” Looking each of them in the eye, you continue, “For Layla, Rennock, and Talley…” They bow their heads, their eyes closed as they murmur the names of your dead comrades. “We will put an end to the Demon Lord today, save the world, and return victorious! Then I can finally use my well-deserved fame to declare a Month of Laziness throughout the entire land, so all of you… don’t die before you can enjoy it.”
“But before that, one last bout of effort,” says Kyle solemnly. “Don’t slack off now, dear leader.”
You laugh. “Lobelia, take us in.”
***
The demon knight stands in your way, its gigantic two-handed axe poised to strike. The ragged red cloak swishes gently behind it, striking a sharp contrast with the spiky, black armor. With the knight clad from head to toe in full plate, you are unable to see your opponent’s expression. Behind it is a set of massive double doors, and beyond, you can sense an overpowering presence awaiting you. The Demon Lord.
“So, you are the last obstacle?” You are alone, in the depths of the Black Spire. The others had been bogged down by the endless hordes of desperate demons attempting to defend their king, and you had been separated from them. No matter: you had dispatched whatever monsters you found on your way easily enough. A trail of corpses lies behind you. The blessing of the Goddesses was stronger than ever, here in the heart of evil. “I don’t suppose you would let me walk past without a fight?” you ask. “It would be so much easier for all of us.”
The black knight responds by swinging its over-sized axe at you. You leap back. It impacts the stone floor with the force of an explosion, hurling rubble everywhere. As you dust off your armor, you draw the Hero’s Sword. Muttering a thanks to Rennock for training you in the handling of weapons, you take up a basic stance. The knight attacks again, and you parry. The force of your swing pushes the demon back, and even behind its faceless helm you get the feeling that it is surprised at your strength. You might not have the best technique amongst swordsmen, but as you are now, you could still best almost any human knight in the world.
You exchange a few more ground-shattering blows with your foe: it is more skilled, but you are stronger and faster. Though you might win at this rate, who knows how long it would take? You would like to finish off your opponent quickly without dragging things out - after all, its king awaits you beyond those doors, and it would be impolite to keep him waiting too long. Given the demon knight's high durability…
You take a step back and sheathe your sword.
The surprised demon speaks for the first time. “What is the matter, Hero? Have you given up?” it taunts, its voice distorted badly by the monstrous helm. It still seems confident that it can defeat you.
“No, I just thought it was rather silly of me to engage you in a physical battle when my specialty is in magic,” you say casually. Yes, one of your own creations would do the trick. You would need nothing less than that to put the demon knight down in one hit.
“Your… what?”
You grin, and begin to cast your signature spell…
***
A. Gigadyne. The original spell that earned you the nickname of the ‘Thunder Emperor’, and the most powerful lightning magic in existence. It transmutes matter into pure electrical energy, and can be cast directly as an attack magic, used to empower your equipment, or to transform you into an intangible lightning form that is impervious to most weapons and spells. Initially conceived as a way to both bypass anti-teleportation defenses and damage security measures in the Academy’s female bathhouses.
Rank increase: Agility (in lightning form)
B. Soulscythe. The original spell that earned you the nickname of the ‘Saint of Death’, and the most feared death magic in the Seven Kingdoms. It summons an enormous, ethereal scythe that can reap an entire battlefield of enemies in the blink of an eye. The use of death magic in the summon grants the scythe the chance to sever a target’s thread of life with a lucky hit, turning them into your skeletal minions. Initially conceived as a way to clear lawns quickly in a brief attempt at starting a lawn-clearing business.
C. Black Dispel. The original spell that earned you the nickname of the ‘God Crusher’, and the strongest application of gravitational magic at present. It generates a powerful force field that multiplies the weight of everything besides the caster a thousand-fold and draws them into the center of the spell. Those who are able to survive the crushing force will find their physical capabilities impaired while within the field. Initially conceived as a way to compact garbage infinitely without having to clean up.
Major decrease: Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Agility (on opponents)
D. Reality Tear. The original spell that earned you the title of the “Killer of Dimensions”, and the finest offensive magic known to humanity. Following the caster’s fingers, it rips a tear in the fabric of reality, effectively acting as a slashing attack that bypasses physical and magical resistance. Only dimensional magic can defend against it, and once struck, its damage can only be healed by the reversal of time. Initially conceived as a method of spying on examination papers through opening a dimensional rift.