The Final Battle
The massive, ornate doors to the Demon Lord’s throne room buckle, crack, and then explode inwards in a golden torrent of energy. As splinters of stone and metal rain down across the polished black marble, you walk through the deformed opening left behind by your spell. The demon knight is on its back, the thick armor sizzling and broken. It stirs, struggling to get up. Its gauntleted fingers fumble weakly for the melted remains of the battle axe by its side.
“You’re a tough one, aren’t you?” you whistle. “Tell you what, if you stay down and take a nap, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you slacking off.”
“I… I will not let you get your way,” gasps the demon.
“Have it your way.”
“WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON DOING TO MY DAUGHTER, HERO?” The loud, commanding voice stops you before you can deliver the final blow. That’s right, the Demon Lord. You had almost forgotten about him. You look towards the end of the great hall, where he is seated on his throne. Almost as if he was patiently awaiting your arrival. As tall and as powerfully built as an ogre, with six great horns sprouting from his head, black, bat-like wings that could span the hall’s width, a full beard that would put any emperor to envy, and a fiery glare malicious enough to wither spines at a single glance, he looks every bit the grotesque Demon Lord you had expected to see from the tales told of his evil exploits.
But more importantly… “Gigadyne.” Daughter, he said? With a flick of your fingers, you turn the demon knight’s battered armor into lightning. The knight yelps out in a panic. It is enveloped in a dazzling light which arcs away, shattering stone where it lands. As the crackling electricity subsides, you are able to see the demon’s actual form. You look down at the voluptuous silver-haired girl in front of you, helplessly trying to cover her nakedness. You look back at the Demon Lord. You shake your head.
“I’m sorry, I really don’t see the family resemblance,” you murmur apologetically.
“REST ASSURED THAT SHE IS THE FRUIT OF MY LOINS.”
“Does she take more after her mother, then?”
“THAT IS SO, HERO.”
“A stroke of good luck, Demon Lord.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” The enraged demon princess, as stunning as her father is hideous even in her anger, musters up enough of her remaining strength to fly at you, her claws raking the air. She is stopped quite ignominiously enough by a dark, translucent wall. It transforms into a cube and encloses her, floating away into the air. She shouts at you, kicking and punching the cube, but her words do not make it past the barrier. Though you seem to recognize some rather rude words from the movement of her lips.
The chill of fear runs down your spine for quite the first time in a while. Dark Wall, an extremely powerful defensive magic. It twists space to form a nigh impenetrable barrier, yet the Demon Lord had seemed to cast it on a whim without even reciting the incantation. Of course, you have ways of getting past magic of this nature, but all of those methods would take effort.
“NOW THAT OUR LITTLE DISTRACTION IS OUT OF THE WAY,” booms the Demon Lord, “ARE YOU PREPARED TO STEP ONTO THE STAGE OF YOUR DESTINY, HERO? NO… PERHAPS ASSASSIN WOULD BE MORE BEFITTING A TITLE.”
“It would be,” you agree. You had long acknowledged the real nature of your quest. In war, sending an agent to bypass armies and decapitate the enemy’s leadership is an act of assassination. Though some of the others – Kyle and Althus, in particular – would have balked at being portrayed that way, you are under no illusions about your actions. The Hero’s Medal throbs warmly as it always does when you have the slightest doubt in your heart, reassuring you of your righteousness once again, and you say, “But as long as it is for a just cause, it does not matter.”
“AN ASSASSIN IS EXPENDABLE. THEY ARE PUPPETS TO BE DISCARDED AFTER THEIR PURPOSE IS ACHIEVED… PUPPETS OF FATE THAT DO NOT QUESTION WHETHER THEIR CAUSE IS JUST.”
“I have seen your dungeons on my way here, Demon Lord. You do not have a right to moralize about causes. Are you going to deny that you have harmed innocents next?” They were a gallery of horrors that had caused even stoic Rurik to turn away. Captured villagers peeled open like frogs, their innards laid bare while still kept alive by healing magic. Rows and rows of live brains in jars. Strange experiments that mated man and beast in various ways, creating misshapen monstrosities that could not survive on their own.
“INNOCENT THEY MAY BE, BUT IN THE END HUMANS ARE JUST LIVESTOCK. THEY SERVE A BETTER PURPOSE IN ADVANCING MY KNOWLEDGE,” replies the Demon Lord imperiously. “FURTHERMORE, DO YOUR OWN KINGS NOT CONDONE THE SAME TO MY PEOPLE?”
You had heard of captured prisoners being experimented on, but those rumours had begun after you left the capital. You could probably start to argue about who started it first, and how experimenting on prisoners of war could be more morally justified than doing so to innocent civilians, but it would be too much of a bother to engage in such a long debate. After all, you are here for one reason only: to slay the Demon Lord. And if he is talking this much instead of immediately ambushing you with his strongest spells, he must have something in mind.
“I can’t say that you are being very convincing, Demon Lord,” you say, drawing your sword. “You’ll have to offer me something better. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can go back to lazing about.”
“I SEE. MORAL REASON WILL NOT WORK. VERY WELL, LET US MOVE NEGOTIATIONS UP A NOTCH. I BELIEVE THE CUSTOMARY OFFER IN THIS SCENARIO WOULD BE… HALF OF THE WORLD, WAS IT NOT?”
“That’s a bit more tempting, I must admit.”
“AHEM.” The massive demon coughs politely, and stands up from his throne. His wings stretch out, blotting out the light from the torches. The gust created from such a minor movement almost forces you to your knees to stay upright. Placing the full weight of his attention upon you, he declares: “JOIN ME, HERO, AND YOU WILL HAVE HALF OF THE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS.”
You respond:
***
A. “We have a deal.” It’s half of the world! How could any sane person turn down an offer like that? It would be a great start for your ambitions, a perfect package to kick off the rest of your life. When you are the ruler of half the world, you can easily laze your days away without any consequence, with more luxury and women than you know what to do with.
B. “I would rather have your daughter instead.” Ruling the world, even in name only, sounds like a hassle. Being the son-in-law of the Demon Lord that rules the world seems like an easier life. After all, you do not discriminate. A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, no matter the species, and the demon princess is quite possibly the loveliest girl you have ever seen.
C. “I refuse!” It is an insult to think that you would bow to the fiend that you have been fighting so long against. Humans are livestock to him: the Demon Lord cannot be trusted. The Hero’s Medal shines brightly, giving you confidence to fight. What sort of betrayer would you be to turn against your allies when the enemy is pushed to the brink? Besides, if you actually wanted the trouble of ruling half the world, you’d plan for that yourself.
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