NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Facing The Demonlord
The air crackled with nervous energy as they huddled, their whispers barely audible over the menacing thrum of the Devourer. Shania traced the chamber's layout on the dusty floor with her finger.
"We can't overpower the wards," Shania admitted, frustration etching lines on her forehead. "A frontal assault would alert the demons of our presence."
Seraphina's green eyes gleamed with a warrior's fervor as she slammed her fist against the wall. "There must be another way," she muttered.
Leor, however, remained calm, his mind racing through all the outcome of every possible move they could make. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization. "The wards," he breathed, "they respond to raw magical energy. But..."
"But what?" Seraphina pressed, trying to fully understand.
"What if we could feed them exactly what they want?" Leor countered, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Shania, catching on, a slow smile spreading across her face, "And create a distraction that'll buy us time to finish this." she finished the thought, her eyes gleaming with realization. "We create a powerful magical surge, and then,"
"Disable the wards and destroy the Devourer, together," Corvus finished the thought, his expression stoic.
The plan was audacious, bordering on reckless. But with no other options, they embraced it with a mixture of determination and apprehension.
Leor, channeling arcane energy, stepped forward. With a battle cry, he unleashed a swirling vortex of arcane energy. The chamber pulsed under the sudden surge of his power, as he momentarily aimed them at some of the wards. The tendrils of dark energy sputtered around the orb, momentarily distracted.
This was their window. The chamber thrummed with a chaotic tremor, as Leor's magic began to disrupt the wards.
In that fleeting moment, Corvus, a blur of obsidian steel, darted around the pedestal. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he deactivated a ward, a sigil carved into the chamber floor flickering and dying. Shania, channeling the elements, conjured a controlled beam of lightning, launching it at the remaining ward - a spiderweb of crackling energy.
The assault found its mark, shattering the final ward with a satisfying crack. The Devourer, momentarily vulnerable, pulsed with a final, desperate burst of malevolent chaos energy.
Seraphina kept a watchful eye on the door to inform them of the number of demons approaching.
The group knew this was their only chance. From a safe distance, they focused every ounce of their will, drawing upon energies and combining their magic. With a surge of arcane energy, they slammed their combined assault onto the pulsating orb.
The chamber filled with a blinding flash. When the light subsided, the Devourer was gone, replaced by a faint, swirling mist of smoke that slowly dissipated into nothingness. Shania and Seraphina slumped to their knees, drained but exhilarated. However, Corvus and Leor stood firm.
But their victory was short-lived. A thunderous roar echoed through the chamber as the door slammed open, revealing a horde of enraged demons led by the imposing figure of Azarath.
"You again!" he bellowed, his voice dripping with fury as he fixed his gaze on the group. "You morons have doomed yourselves!"
Leor moved forward, a defiant glint in his eyes. "Well, we need to stop running into each other like this," he declared, his voice calm but unwavering.
Shania, gathering the last vestiges of her strength, stood beside him. "There's another way, Azarath," she pleaded. "Humans and demons can really coexist."
Azarath stared at them, a flicker of something akin to surprise crossing his glowing eyes. He raised a hand, silencing his enraged demons.
For a tense moment, silence hung heavy in the air. Then, to everyone's surprise, Azarath let out a humorless chuckle. "Naive," he scoffed. "But perhaps... intriguing."
He lowered his hand. "You've earned yourselves an audience with the Demon Lord Zariel himself. Consider it a... reward for your audacity."
With a final glare, Azarath turned and strode out of the chamber, his demonic horde following in his wake. Shania, Leor, and Seraphina exchanged shocked glances. They had destroyed the Devourer, but their fight for peace was far from over. It seemed they were headed straight into the heart of the enemy's domain, to plead their case before the one of the very demon lords they had to be worried about. Corvus, transforming into a blue light, vanished.
The road ahead was fraught with uncertainty, the fate of humanity hanging in a balance. But as they emerged from the chamber, unbroken, a sliver of hope remained. They had faced impossible odds before, and emerged stronger. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could have a word with the Demon Lord Zariel himself. Their journey for peace had taken an unexpected turn... but they were ready to face the challenge. The adrenaline of their recent victory pulsed through them, a tangible counterpoint to the exhaustion gnawing at their limbs.
"An audience with the Demon Lord Zariel," Seraphina muttered, a hint of concern lacing her voice. "We've come a long way from demon-hunting patrols."
Shania nodded, a wry smile playing on her lips. "Indeed. Who knew a demon hunter, a demon prince, and a prodigy would become unlikely diplomats?"
Leor chimed in, "Unlikely diplomats or not, we need a plan. With Corvus gone, we must concentrate on convincing the Demon Lord. We need to present a unified front, a compelling argument for coexistence."
The weight of their responsibility settled upon them once more. They were no longer just individuals, but a team, a beacon of hope for a fragile peace. With renewed determination, they huddled together, drawing upon their combined knowledge and experiences.
Shania, ever attuned to the land's emotions, remembered that she had unearthed a forgotten memory of the past- a pact of co-existence forged millennia ago, before it broken my misunderstanding fueled by fear and mistrust.
Leor, remembering his demon princely upbringing, understood the potential for diplomacy and progress, understanding the advancements humanity had made despite their flaws.
Seraphina, remembering the vast repository of the Overseer's fortress, remembered that she had discovered a hidden network of neutral demons, those who yearned for an end to the conflict. Perhaps, they could be allies in their quest for peace.
As they pieced together their argument, a sense of unity blossomed. They weren't just presenting facts, but a vision - a future where humans and demons thrived side-by-side, sharing resources and forging alliances.
Resolute, they walked, escorted by a contingent of Azarath's demons. A tense silence hung heavy in the air. The journey to the Demon Lord's citadel was short, they passed a desolate landscape punctuated by towering obsidian structures, each a testament to the demons' power.
Finally, they stood before the imposing gates of the citadel, a monument to dark majesty. The air crackled with a malevolent energy, a stark contrast to the fragile hope blooming within their hearts.
"This is where we part ways,"
Azarath turned to the group as he gestured towards the gates.
"Thank you, Azarath," Seraphina replied, her voice warm.
Azarath nodded in response.
Boldly, the group stepped forward, the massive gates groaning open before them as the demon guards let them in. They were about to face the ultimate test, a gamble for a future they desperately desired. They didn't know what awaited them within, but they were ready to plead their case, to fight for a peace that seemed more and more like a distant dream.
As they entered the dimly lit throne room, Shania's breath caught in her throat. A figure with glowing green eyes sat upon an obsidian throne. Clad in dark armour with a helmet that obscured its face and curved horns that seemed to glint in the faint light of the room. This was Zariel, the demon lord.
The weight of his presence pressed down on them like a physical force. The air was thick with an overwhelming sense of dread, every breath from Shania and Seraphina labored as though the room itself sought to suffocate them. Leor remained calm and silent, his golden helmet covering his face.
Shadows danced along the walls, casting long, unnatural shapes that seemed to writhe and shift, whispering ancient secrets only they could hear.
Shania's pulse quickened. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, not out of anger but out of necessity to steady herself. This was more than a throne room—it was the heart of something old, something dangerous. Every instinct screamed at her to be prepared for the worst, but she fought the urge, taking a slow, deliberate step forward, her voice faltering for just a moment as she spoke.
"Greetings Lord Zariel, we come in peace," she declared, her voice ringing with conviction.
Zariel remained silent, an unreadable figure of darkness, the glowing eyes his only feature visible beneath his helmet. His stare was unyielding, piercing. Shania could feel it, like a weight on her chest, pressing harder with each second of silence. She glanced at Seraphina, whose hand had instinctively gone to the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white. The warrior in her was screaming for action, but here, brute strength meant nothing. Leor seeing their fear, signalled them to remain calm with a gesture of his hand.
"We come with a plea for understanding," Shania continued, her voice steadier now, though her heart pounded in her chest. "For a chance at coexistence between humans and your kind." She hesitated, unsure if her words were reaching him, but pushed forward. "We cannot continue this endless war. Both sides have lost so much, but I believe we have the opportunity to change that. For good."
For a long, agonizing moment, Zariel didn’t speak. His gaze shifted between the three of them—studying, assessing, and observing them. Then, a low, rumbling laugh echoed through the chamber, startling Shania as she reached for her blade but didn't unsheath it. Seraphina's grip, already on the hilt of sword, tightened further.
"Coexistence," Zariel finally said, the word dripping with disdain. "You speak of peace as if it's something within your reach. Naive human." He stood, his muscular form casting a shadow over them all and the sheer magnitude of his power, obvious.
"And yet," Zariel continued, his voice dropping to a slow, dangerous whisper, "I find myself... curious."
He stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Leor, his gaze weighing his suspicion. "You, there, tell me—why do you think humans and demons should coexist?"
Leor, calm as always, held his ground, meeting Zariel’s gaze with unwavering defiance. "Because," he began, his words slow and deliberate, "I’ve seen what both can become, if given the chance. There’s more to be gained through alliance than through endless destruction.
Humans and demons are not without flaws, they are with great potential however. A union between both sides could make both the human and demon realms stronger." Leor replied, his words hanging in the air, waiting to alter Zariel’s perception.
In that moment, Leor felt calm. He wasn’t just speaking as a demon prince—he was speaking as someone who had fought beside humans, had seen their resilience, their capacity to change. And that, he knew, was worth fighting for.
Zariel’s eyes flickered, a glimmer of something—intrigue perhaps, or amusement. "Interesting," he murmured, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. He turned his gaze to Shania and Seraphina. "And you, warriors," he sneered, "what makes you think humans can coexist with demons?
Seraphina gazed at Zariel with no fear in her eyes. "Because I believe a lot of great things will come from this, not just peace," Shania replied.
Zariel paused and then shifted his gaze to Seraphina, and then to Shania, and then finally settled on Leor, seeming to study him.
Leor had felt Zariel's power—He could sense that Zariel's power was only a fraction of his, but he remained calm because he knew just how important peace was, for them. As the Demon Lord’s burning gaze fixed on him, Leor fought to suppress his demon side to avoid being detected. He could feel his demon stirring within him, not only with recognition, but with rebellion—a whisper of dominance, as if some ancient part of him wanted to make Zariel kneel before him, but his princely upbringing had trained him to maintain a stoic mask. Here, in the presence of Zariel, he felt like a giant in the court of a child but he calmed himself, standing tall beside Shania and Seraphina.
The future of their worlds, the fragile hope of coexistence, hung on a knife's edge. They had one chance, and he wasn’t sure if their words would be enough.
"You have intrigued me. Tell me more. Show me why humans deserve a chance at peace," Zariel rumbled.