“By the Holy Lords of Terra, how far is this walk?”

  Thordin stretches his legs mid stride; his bones creak and muscles ache with long sighs and grunts. He twists and turns to get his blood pumping and mind alert.

  “Does anyone have any water?” Sylvie says, her voice is hoarse and scratchy, like a bag of nails scraping alongside a chalkboard. “I think I have some gunk in my eye and it’s disgusting.” Sylvie rubs the bags beneath her worn down eyes while Ashton pulls out a water skin. “This is the last of it, use it sparingly.”

  “What? What happened to the rest of it?” Sylvie slashes it on her face and tilts her head up, the dirt and grime on her pale skin flushes and dries off. She pours the rest of the cold water down her throat, gurgles, and spits it on the dry dirt floor.

  “Oh that’s a lot better.” She tosses the water skin back to Ashton, who scoffs and throws the empty container away.

  Miranda stands at the front of the group, with Ashton, Thordin, and Sylvie close in the middle. Felix and Abel lag behind, struggling to keep up with the rest of the party’s high stamina despite their rough celebration last night.

  “Felix, what I said this morning-”

  Felix raises his hand that was resting against his staff.

  “Abel, there’s nothing left to discuss.”

  Abel stammers and stumbles over his words, a tsunami of words blurt out of his mouth before he could make a proper sentence.

  “Nothing left to discuss? I know what Tera told me, I know what I heard. She said This is the end. The goddess is never wrong Felix. We need to turn back.”

  Felix responds, “Turn back to where Abel?”

  “Away from here! This is our end Felix and I am not so eager to meet it.”

  Felix shakes his head and tells the frustrated Abel to quite down. “The party doesn’t need to hear this right now, we spent years trying to reach this place and now you’re telling them to pack their things and go home?”

  Abel puts his hands up in a sporadic manner, “We still have time Felix, we can always find another way.”

  “And what then Abel? What are we to do if we can’t stop him? What is the world to do if we can’t win?”

  Abel sits still for a moment, his mind sinks into agony and his eyes crumple beneath his blindfold. He raises his head and gazes at the people before him. He sees Sylvie and Ashton bickering while Lucy watches in amusement. He sees Thordin talk a storm to Miranda who laughs and carries a mighty grin on her face, eager for more of his tales.

  He whispers, “I just don’t want to see my friends die.”

  Felix sighs and taps his friend’s back. He ruffles his matte black hair, making sure to dodge the horns protruding from his skull.

  “Ahh!” Abel swats away Felix’s hand while he smirks.

  “Abel, have faith in the companions who fought alongside you. You assume the worst in your messages but not the best in your friends. We will win this, divination or not. Besides, your prophecies have always been up to interpretation. Remember when Tera said to “kill the Wolf King?””

  Abel scratches his head, “Yeah I remember the message.”

  “And remember how we all thought it was the king of the wolves Ratcha, but it was actually Marcus the king in the north who had the wolf as his banner?”

  Abel’s face flushes and as he remembers the confusing debacle so many years ago. They spent so long searching for Ratcha, but Marcus was plotting with the Demon King right beneath their noses. The party didn’t blame him, but it wasn’t the first time his messages were vague.

  “You’re right Felix. But this time it seems so confrontational, so direct. I felt worry in her voice, and sorrow.”

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  Felix grins, “Maybe Tera is sad you’ll stop talking to her once this is all over. You are her favorite after all.”

  Abel’s face softens and he chuckles, “She does get a bit moody when I ignore her.”

  “See! You worry too much my friend, this message is nothing to fret over.”

  Abel nods, “then what is it supposed to mean?”

  Felix shrugs, “What else? The end of the Demon King’s reign, and our journey together.”

  Felix reaches out his hand, “It’s been an honor, walking alongside you Abel Garden.”

  Abel grasps Felix’s tender hand with a warm embrace, “It’s not over yet my friend.”

  “Hey! You two hurry up, we're already at the entrance!”

  Sylvie sits on a rock while Ashton and Thordin peek their head into the entrance of a cavern. It is the size of a small outhouse, with the entrance being no larger than an average door. The cave leads with broken jagged steps made of sand, descending into an abyss.

  “Hello?” Ashton calls out, his message echoes along the cave's dusty walls.

  “Ashton, will you shut up? It’s like you’re begging to be killed.” Sylvie knocks the assassin’s head and he grunts.

  “I don’t know how many times I have to preface this,” Ashton takes a deep breath, “ There’s no one here!” Ashton rubs his head and raises his fist.

  “No, Sylvie is right this time.” Felix and Abel meet the group at the entrance. Felix furrows his eyebrow and tilts his head, “I surveyed the area for miles and found nothing.” He rubs his finger alongside the stone entrance and feels it crumble beneath his finger tip.

  “This isn’t supposed to be here.”

  Felix reaches in his leather satchel and pulls out a leather bound book. He flips through the pages and finds an illustration with the entrance, but it is nothing like the stone cave before them. The picture details a vast dark castle with crimson banners hanging on spiky, black metal walls. Two demonic hounds at the entrance guard a large stone door with engravings etched around the frame.

  Felix looks up at the entrance and wipes away at the dust. Beneath thick layers of dirt, he finds the same engravings as the ones in the book.

  “Guys, I think this is the Demon King’s castle.”

  “What?” Ashton raises an eyebrow and scoffs, “It’s a lot smaller in person.”

  “I agree with Ashton on this one, where are the traps? Guards? Lava and gates?” Sylvie waves at the entrance unamused, “This is just sad.”

  Lucy looks around at the empty space behind the door, “Maybe it's invisible?”

  Felix shakes his head, “No, the dust goes uninterrupted in the wind, if it were invisible, it would be lying against something by now.”

  Thordin grunts and throws his war hammer over his shoulder, “You little lads don’t understand. It’s not about the outside, it’s about the inside. He’s goading us, telling us that we are not worth the effort to give it his all.” Thordin grips his hammer and flexes his muscles, “I’ll show that little welp! He should have given us a proper welcome.” Thordin rushes into the cave before Miranda grabs his shoulder. “Thordin calm down, we don’t know his plan and we can’t risk running in there.”

  “Felix, what does the book say about the castle layout?” commands Miranda.

  Felix rummages through the pages, “Well accounting for the downsizing, this door is supposed to lead to the demonic temple, and after several hallways filled with traps, it leads directly to the Demon King's chamber.”

  Miranda nods, “Then we will treat it as such, despite its appearance, this is still the Demon King’s home. Felix and I will take point while Thordin and Sylvie watch our sides. Lucy and Abel will support us from the back and Ashton will stealth around the room and look for any openings.”

  Miranda holds her blade, rich with magic and incantation. It is a mighty force of mithril steel enchanted by the elders of the Mage Tower. Welded in the middle of the blade is a golden conduit for magical energy surrounded by spells. The guard is made of horns with a crimson dragon eye nestled in the middle. The grip is wrapped in elven leather, and the pommel the face of a lion, granting the user immeasurable strength. The Chimera sword, passed down from generation to generation of sworn protectors. Miranda lifts the sword in the air and it illuminates with a majestic light. It softens, as the incantations circle around the blade.

  “Everyone, prepare yourselves for the fight of our lives.” The party all prepare their weapons as well.

  “The Demon King won’t see us coming.” Ashton opens his system one more time to check his stats. He waves his hands and the screen dissipates. He clasps his hands together and whispers “Shadow Step,” before his body turns to shadow as he dissipates into the air.

  “I’m going to shoot him right between the eyes.” Sylvie caresses her bow, the gleam of the ruby jewels brighten, and the string exudes a force of wind.

  “He shall suffer Dwarven wrath!” The war hammer on Thordin’s shoulder steams and erupts in a fiery flame.

  “He will pay for what he did to this land.” Lucy holds her spear, Leif, as it carries moss at the bottom shaft of an intertwining dark wooden branch. Atop lies a tooth of a dragon wrapped in leaves and flowers.

  “Holy Tera, please bless us.” Abel holds his golden shield with the tree of life etched in the disc.

  Miranda looks at Felix, his book and scroll in hand.

  “Are you ready?” Miranda says.

  Felix whispers into his book, and a small bolt of lightning appears in his eyes, “Let’s do this.”