by Luka Petrov
I didn’t want them to die or be taken too.
We stormed into the Demon Lord’s Tower that being said it was no easy feat. First, we found the portal by using the book that I found in the bookstore. The portal was exactly where I expected to be, and McAllister created the right energy around us, so we were able to go through it.
Entering the alternate dimension was not a foreign as it once was. Since I had been in alternate dimensions many times now, I no longer feared crossing the threshold into the unknown. Before we made it to the portal, as it was only a few miles away from the city of Gilmore, we had to trek through the forest and face a few monsters along the way. Creatures probably created by the Demon Lord to throw us off our path but all the time and effort we put into the improvement of our skills made this part of the journey easy.
There was no other choice but to follow the path that was set before us and climb up the stairs that was to the side of the room. We all kept close to one another while my hand remained on the Magi Staff, my fingers wrapped around it with a firm grip just in case a problem would occur. The tower was gigantic, at least 300 feet high. It was a dark cylinder that loomed with its own presence. We did nothing for at least an hour, but climb, and climb, and climb the stairs up to the top of the tower. Everything the book stated was true. This tower replicated the levels of the Abyss, but in the opposite direction.
And there was a problem.
I couldn’t help but feel disgusted, the emotion formed within the pit of my stomach as we reached the last step of the staircase. It had led us to the room where the Demon Lord remained, he clearly had been there all along and waited for us. He sat on a chair that could actually be seen as a throne. His minions were by his side, ready to attack us at any given moment, but for now, they weren’t any of our concern. We focused our attention onto the Demon Lord. On his face appeared to be a sneer that was stretched across his horrendous face as he looked down at us, not an ounce of respect for us found in his dark gaze. He looked exactly as I remembered him from my dream when he beat King Harold and then crowned him as King Hylar.
As if this was all part of his plan.
I took a protective stance in front of Yves and Cecily; they were under my care and I wouldn’t let the Demon Lord take another person from me. My grip on the Magi Staff tightened, my expression grim, but I knew if I showed any more that would be disadvantageous to me. I couldn’t have the Demon Lord believe he had the upper hand between us. I noticed him look at the Magi Staff. I was well aware that he knew of its power, and hopefully this intimidated him.
“So you’ve found me, Edward.” The Demon Lord mused as he looked at only me, it was clear that he had no interest at the three who accompanied me. To him, the three of them were probably nothing more than a nuisance he would be more than happy to get rid of. Not that I would allow that since these two girls and the archmage were important comrades to me. A frown wanted to appear on my face because of his careless actions but I knew better than to let my emotions get the best of me.
However, I didn’t have time for idle chatter. Instead, I calmed myself and kept to the mission at hand. I would not be swayed by his conversation that would lure me away from my original goal. Walter. Walter was in here and he needed to be rescued. I focused my attention on the Demon Lord and extended a hand towards him.
Not out of friendship or goodwill but to demand my friend back. I owe him my life. Before, I never considered him a friend and even looked down on him. Now, all I could think about was saving his life, even in exchange for mine.
“Hand back Walter.” I sounded grim; this seriousness I had gained from the time I had been on this journey.
However, my demands were dismissed. Nothing more than a stupid request to the Demon Lord. I watched as he inspected me as if my demand was childish. He rose from to his feet and we took a step back. As much as I wanted to close the distance between us, I knew that since I had a team with me that distance would play an advantageous role for us.
Our movement earned us a laugh from the Demon Lord before he cleared his throat. This time he extended his hand to me, fingers curled as if to beckon me to his side. There was no temptation found in me, but I knew that this was meant to lure me in.
“Will you become my servant, Edward?” The Demon Lord asked as confidence overflowed out of him, expecting me to just surrender. Right here, right now. There was no shyness to be heard since he believed that I would accept his proposal just like that. “Or would you rather just save Walter as I go ahead and destroy Gilmore?”
The threat dangled between the two of us. The latter option of the destruction of Gilmore was enough for me to feel apprehensive. I needed to get Walter back and protect my village, next to Draererth, the only home I knew.
“Hand over Walter, you’ve done enough treasonous crimes. Do you not feel any guilt?” I questioned him for one reason: perhaps there was some good in him. I knew that I would punish him for the crimes he had committed but if there was some good at him then maybe I would have extended compassion towards the Demon Lord.
But he never gave me that chance because he did not want to be forgiven by actions he saw as a means to an end. The Demon Lord was not only raised with privilege but with an automatic bias against everyone else, he was not someone that had been taught humanity only the cruelty to against it. And even the Demon Lord was aware of his actions, but his moralities were different than mine and I had to get used to that concept.
Even if I didn’t want to.
“I have no interest for such petty feelings. To return your friend because you asked. It took you so long to come and save him, I thought you did not care for him. I actually felt bad for my own servant. He became depressed when you did not come and save him, that’s when the punishments became even harsher.” The Demon Lord spoke, and that was enough to confirm my thoughts as much as I didn’t want them to. The pompous look on his face as he looked down at me made me want to cast a spell on him to remind him of fear but if I committed to that action that would make me look stupid for lack of better words and lead to our end. Brash behaviors would not defeat the Demon Lord.
I had to bide my time before I would launch the attack that would render him to nothing more than someone who would listen to me. But before I could delve further into these thoughts, I felt at tug at my clothes and I turned to see the two girls that had accompanied me on this journey.
“Trying to reason with him is useless,” Yves remarked, she stilled remained calm at the face of the Demon Lord. Or that is how she wanted to appear towards everyone who had their eyes on her.
But I glanced down, and I could see a faint tremble of her hands she was quick to hide as she followed the line of my vision. Her hand was no hidden behind her back as she looked me with an affirmation that she had no intention for the Demon Lord to be free of charge.
Before I could comment on the tremble Cecily butted in as she always had. Not that it was a bad thing to do since it was probably needed.
“Let’s just blow him up!” She grinned from ear to ear as she looked at me and Yves. Her hands balled into fists; she was ready to cast spells she had practiced.
She had grown considerably, and her explosion magic was not to be taken lightly.
Meanwhile, the Demon Lord watched us with a calmness that did not befit him. As if this was just a source of entertainment for him, he could easily rid of. That only rubbed me the wrong way since we were here to subjugate him, but I could only wonder if we had the prowess to do that.
But these self-doubts would go away. There was no other choice but to stop him the fate of Gilmore was on my shoulders and the lives of Yves, Cecily, McAllister and Walter.
“I will ask one more time — do you not feel any guilt?” I asked with a stern voice as I pointed my staff towards him. I wasn’t sure what expression I had on my face, but I saw the girls look at me from the corner of my eye and saw the pride plastered on their faces.
My hold was steady as I kept to the ideals I
held deep within my heart. I did not need to be swayed by the Demon Lord but at the very least I could sound him out and figure where did his intentions lie. The Demon Lord looked at it curiously for a second as if he was just curious by the tool itself before he dismissed it. His attention back to me and any hope I had left for the Demon Lord was ripped away.
“Is there a reason to? Everyone is just a stepping stone for my ultimate goal.” The Demon Lord asked in a blunt manner, there was a crudeness in his expression that only angered me. I watched as he shrugged his shoulders, truly unperturbed by the immoral actions he had committed.
As if he simply didn’t care. Agnes died because of him. Because of me.
“They are people too.” I was disgusted and the bitterness could be heard in my voice. I remembered the pain that everyone faced at our losses and how we suffered because of this Demon Lord. My mouth had gone dry, and I found it hard to swallow down the lump in my throat.
But perhaps it was idiotic of me to expect anything from him because he gave me a look of pity. It was clear he would never view me in the same level as himself. To him, I was just a novelty he wanted to have as a servant, and he made that clear.
“Don’t hold your morals against me, Edward.” The Demon Lord warned me and there was a shift in his tone. The way his voice thundered in the room even made the demons by his side look scared. The Demon Lord’s patience was now just a mere thread I had constantly tugged at. And he was no longer in the mood to amuse me in conversation since he looked at me in the eye once more. “Join me or die.”
The choice was a lose-lose situation, regardless. And I would not accept either of the both were a betrayal to those around me. With my decision confirmed there was no choice in the matter. I would not be listening to a demon that did not value the surrounding lives.
“I chose to save those around me,” I said, my voice steady like my gaze as I met his stare that had been focused on me the whole time.
From his bleary black gaze, there were an amusement and mirth reflected from his glare. I knew that he still took my words kindly, but it was obvious that his amusement was a dangerous one. The sneer only deepened and so he raised himself from his seat. The tension was felt in the room as it hanged heavy like fog if we were not careful one move from him in this enclosed space would prove to be fatal.
“Then you’ve chosen to die.” He nodded his head towards the demons were beside him, he didn’t have to lift a finger yet. Why expend energy on such useless humans that clearly showed no interest in being obedient towards him. Instead, he would leave such a duty to those who followed him. That was the only use they had, anyway. “Minions go after him.”
As he commanded them the minions were by his side, high-tier demons that were under his rule. We readied ourselves and got ourselves into a formation that would play to our strengths. With the archmage, Yves and Cecily at my back, I knew there was no room for any mistakes for they would make up for my faults with their own abilities.
The high-tier demons swooped down; their wings flapped as they growled towards us. Despite their act of low tier vocalization, I knew that the fact we could see intelligence reflected within their pitch-black eyes spoke volumes of their capabilities.
“Yves, can you create an elemental bolt wall to keep them away from us?”
“Oh, you know I can.” Yves grinned and took a step forward. The braveness she had squired allowed her to be more forward with her spells. She raised her hands with electricity sparked between her fingertips as she spoke the spell, she was familiar with to a high degree. “Electricity on my fingertips, rain down in shocking drips... Thunder Bolt Rain!”
With her command spoke the spell itself came to life. There were various thunderbolts that surrounded the circle we were in. It kept the demons at bay because every time they tried to cross the wall made, they would be shocked by the intensity of her magic. They looked at one another and circled the cage of thunder that Yves had set around us to keep them out. The high demons had a few wounds but not enough for them to deter them.
They would patiently wait, after all, they knew that Yves’s magic wall she had created from offensive spells would be useful. Every second counted and was precious. One step out and they would be torn to shreds. At the very least they had to create an attack that would render the high tier demons useless.
“Cecily, pair your explosive magic with my ice wall?” I asked her as I spared her a glance. I saw the excitement on her face at my question.
Her eyes glowed with ideas as she wanted to prove herself useful towards the team. She was well-versed in the art of explosion magic. So I knew that she would be able to see the plan I had in mind without the idea explained. Her face was flushed from the excitement and her head nodded up and down fervently at as she imagined what was to happen.
“Oh, you’re going to... yes!” She muttered to herself while the last word was directed towards me. She positioned herself behind me so she knew exactly where to cast the spell that would weave in with mine.
With a deep breath, I raised the staff was in my hand that would amplify my powers to a considerable degree. Ice Wall was a sixth-tier magic spell, but it could be considered a catastrophe when paired with the staff in my hand. I also would not be able to perform it’s without the Magi Staff. With the spell in my hand, I chanted it under my breath before I yelled out the last part for massive effectiveness.
A fortress made of frost, a clear-view barrier that was not lost...
“ICE WALL! Now Cecily!” I yelled quickly as I cast the ice wall just in time, frost began to fill the room and formed the wall before us. I had formed it at the top of us but angled in a way that would be easier to blast. With my hands raised as my mana was used to control the stands of the ice wall within my hands.
The thunderbolt rain had gone away as the time for it was finally over. We needed the wall to keep us safe for a moment before our true offensive power would be shown. All my hopes we could progress to the next stage was now placed on the shoulders of Cecily.
I trust her.
“Flames balled into my hands, an inferno that burns wherever it lands... FIREBOMB!” Cecily spoke eagerly as she blasted the spell towards the ice. Water had dripped, but it was enough to break the ice into sharp shards that would puncture the surrounding demons.
I added the lost spell, Shards of Frost and amplified the spell with the Magi Staff. Concentrating on the love for my friends and the loyalty I had to Walter, I summoned three shards of ice that circled me and the other magic users as a defense. Then, one by one, the shards lodged into the demons.
Lord Abraxas’ minions were dealt 15 points of cold damage from the combinations of the spells cast by Edward and Cecily.
Ice was lodged into their bodies and they screeched from the severity of pain. Blood oozed out and they clawed towards us even with their wings torn to shreds because of ice shards that tore through delicate wings. They were now rendered to the ground, a crawling mess of gore as they still had to obey the command given them by their Demon Lord.
“Kill them, you fools.” The Demon Lord commanded once more and one could hear the annoyance that was woven into his tone, this was the last warning he gave them. To everyone in the room, it was plain that if they didn’t obey the wishes he had, then they would be nothing more than minced meat. The Demon Lord did not treat them as comrades but more akin to minions or slaves that had to do his every bidding. There was not an ounce of emotion attached to them.
Because of this, the minions knew that their life dangled before their eyes, so they had to be quick to act. They breathed raggedly as they readied themselves to launch at least an attack to prove themselves as useful, but it seemed that wouldn’t be the case. They didn’t have a chance to even launch an attack.
I still held the rest of the broke ice shards with my magic, I kept half of them afloat the room. In case there was a moment that like this. With a wave of the staff the ice shards dropped fast. Their sharp ends pierced the two high ti
er demons without remorse. They made gurgled gasps as the blood has rushed into their mouth and they drowned as their demonic blood filled their airways. The pain was reflected in their eyes and I had to make sure to always remember that I had yet again taken another life. Even if it wasn’t human.
They breathed their last breath and were no longer alive.
Lord Abraxas’ minions were dealt lethal doses of cold and piercing damage.
We all began to relax; it was clear that the time we had spent to polish our skills had been worth it in the end. I turned my gaze towards the Demon Lord, a frown deepened into my face as I was ready to attack him. This was the final person we had to get through.
Walter, just wait—
“You really want to give me a hard time, hmmm?” The Demon Lord asked as he lifted his hand, a swirl of dark magic was collected into his hand.
I realized then and there that he planned to kill us regardless if he wanted me or not. We were just trouble for him now and with the massive amount of power he had, there was no other choice but to get rid of us. I had to protect myself, the archmage, and the girls with me, this man was clearly without morals. Truly Lord Abraxas befitted his title as the Demon Lord. Quickly, I changed for a different defensive spell that would protect us before I would fire one of the most powerful offensive spells I had in my arsenal. I just needed to buy time until then.
“Fire Wall send me your power for protection, may the light show it’s reflection! FIRE WALL!” I quickly used the barrier and watched as we were encased in a red and orange tinted flames. The wall of fire emerged from the ground, standing sixteen feet high, twenty feet long, and a foot thick, separating us from the Demon Lord. Anticipating an offensive attack from the boss, himself.
Lord Abraxas failed his Dexterity save, taking 5d8 fire damage.
I knew that it was able to withstand even the worst of attacks. The only problem would be after it’s gone that I would be unable to cast it once more for a period of time.
