The Folly Of War

In the 149th year after the fall, the Hero and his followers finally managed to bring an end to the war that had long plagued the land.

The hard fought battle saw countless casualties on both sides, but the light shown victorious in the end as the Hero raised the Demon Lord's severed head over the battlefield, signaling the end to a century and a half of bloodshed...

At least, this is what shall be recorded in the history books.

The truth of this story is far more tragic, a great deal less heroic, and, rather than a noble Hero wielding a Holy Blade, it centers around a seemingly insignificant servant known only as Eris.

– – –

After more than five hours of battle, the stench of death now permeated every inch of the battlefield. The corpses of both man and demon alike littered the landscape as the clashing of steel against steel, and steel against flesh, drowned out the pleas for help and the cries of death.

If they were all piled on top of each other, there was no doubt that the mountain of corpses could rival some of the smaller mountains that dotted the landscape of Corinth.

The once vibrant long grass and flora were now trampled to mush, creating a disgusting mixture with the ongoing splattering of guts and viscera. The meandering river that descended from the Frostfang mountains and ended in the Izalin Sea, and had once supplied clean water to the entire nation, now ran a crimson red.

Despite this horrendous spectacle that was developing around them, both sides fought on with all they had, undeterred, each trying to force the other to back down first.

Unfortunately, neither side had any intention of yielding.

In the end, this large scale "final" battle was simply a distraction meant to leave the Demon Lord vulnerable to humanity's final trump card, Raiden Eckbert, the wielder of the Holy Blade, Aesteroth, and this generation's Hero.

Being naturally the weakest of the races, humanity had placed all of their hope on the Hero and his party to free them from the long night of war. However, if this last ditch attempt were to fail, they would find themselves once again at the mercy of the Demons.

'Demonkind and humanity had initiated a war against each other over a century ago for no apparent reason other than the mutual hatred the two races regarded each other with. And, after 149 years of bloodshed they were left with nothing more than mountains of corpses.' This thought nagged in the back of Eris's mind as he ran through the Demon Lord's castle, following closely behind this very Hero.

Alongside him were the Purifying Saint Ariana, Gerid the Berserker, Esther the Huntress, and the Crown Princess of Corinth, Noel Eckbert, sister to Raiden.

The small party of six made quick work of the few demons that patrolled the palace grounds and were now heading toward the main hall and ultimately the throne room where the Demon Lord resides.

The entire castle was made of a blackstone brick and had been built against the Quelfal mountain range. A massive courtyard led up to five large arches, the center one being the only one that acted as an entrance, and a semicircle perimeter wall, which was dotted with three towers on either side and was built into the face of the mountain.

Past the perimeter wall lay the main castle, made up of a main body, four outer towers, and a single main, center, tower. The structure was devoid of any openings, the face being completely smooth and without ornamentation. Such was the style of the Demons.

The party had already made their way through the perimeter wall and into the central tower. The halls were eerily quiet as the majority of the nobles and warriors that had once frequented them were away at war. The majority of those that had remained to defend the castle had already fallen.

As Raiden's blade sliced through the final demon blocking his path he turned to shout behind him.

"We're almost to the Demon Lord. One final push and we can finally bring this war to an end!"

Ever the optimist, Gerid chuckled heartily. His war hammer squashing the skull of the demon that had charged their flank.

"Raiden, you focus your attention on the Lord. We'll deal with any grunts that try to block your way." He said, with a smug grin plastered to his face. "Let's go show these demons that humanity is not to be trifled with."

Noel and Ariana stayed quiet, but Eris noticed the two of them nod their heads approvingly. It took most of his mental fortitude to keep from collapsing in laughter on the spot.

Esther was the only one that appeared unimpressed. Or maybe she was simply uninterested, Eris had never been able to read the cold huntress.

As for the two muscle heads, while they may be idiots, at least they know how to boost morale.

Despite the situation they found themselves in, Eris ran down the corridor nonchalantly. He had been quietly dispatching of demons from afar so as not to attract any unwanted attention from his party. With nearly imperceptible movements, he threw daggers toward any approaching demons, piercing them through the small crack in their armor that exposed the neck, they would die before their bodies could even hit the ground.

He was there, not as a member of the party, but as Noel's servant and "protector." The latter was meant to be nothing more than a simple title.

If his abilities became known it would only create an unnecessary situation for him, so for once he was thankful that his Master had forced him to study the art of assassination under the wise and cruel Lady Yuria.

As they dispatched the final Demons, the group came upon a well lit corridor, the only one so far throughout the entire castle. The torches that lined both sides flickered menacingly, revealing the massive doors that stood between them and their ultimate goal.

Each member took a hesitant glance at the others before they pressed on toward the doors.

Eris immediately moved himself between Noel and the doors, unconsciously palming at the hilt of his sword.

Raiden and Gerid kicked the large double doors to the throne room open, sending a loud BOOM echoing through the massive castle.

As Eris expected, the Demon Lord sat on his throne staring down at the small party without any indication of surprise, as if their presence there was nothing more than the annoying bloodstains they would soon become.

As his crimson eyes darted between the party, they rested on Eris for a brief moment, filled with recognition, then reassumed a blank stare in Raiden's general direction.

Unfazed by this obvious lack of interest, Raiden stood proudly at the base of the throne room, pointing Aesteroth at humanity's mortal foe.

"Come down here and fight me Demon Lord!" He snarled in a voice uncharacteristic of the normally cheery Hero. "It's time we end this once and for all. Your days of tyranny are over."

"You seem to lack both knowledge and respect my young hero." The Demon Lord said, sneering as he spoke the word hero. "Firstly, if you are going to address me, you might as well use my name. It is Cain Pendrake if you were unaware. Secondly, I am no tyrant, just a Demon. There is a difference, though you humans have never seemed to understand that fact."

Raiden paused, clearly taken aback by the gentle cadence of the Demon Lord's voice.

Without waiting for a response, he spoke again, this time his voice was far more sinister.

"Not what you were expecting?" he growled, "Contrary to your popular beliefs, not all Demons are evil creatures, and this war was initiated by you humans breaking your promises once again. It appears that making peace with a race as selfish and power-hungry as yours is an impossibility."

As he spoke, the Demon Lord's anger became more and more apparent, and by the time he finished, it had manifested into a force that nearly pushed everyone to their knees.

"Lady Teah grant me your blessing. Cleanse this realm of evil and oppression, radiate your light and glory forth and beckon to all that follow you. Purifying Light!"

The chant resounded through the throne room, growing louder and louder as Ariana's words seemed to beat back the Demon Lord's force until there was nothing left other than the comforting light radiating from the orb atop her staff.

"So it seems a disciple of Teah has joined you on your quest, how very impressive, though disappointingly unoriginal, and it seems that small chant has used up most of her Holy Power. What a pity."

The Demon Lord chuckled lightly, and with a small gesture he beckoned his four generals out from behind him.

'I can't believe he got them to wait so patiently behind those tapestries,' Eris thought to himself as he helped Noel to her feet. 'But I guess this isn't the time to be so carefree. The abilities of this party can barely handle a single Demonic general let alone the Demon Lord himself.'

Something he had failed to mention to the others before they set out, but to be fair he had told the King, who had failed to heed his advice. Though he couldn't expect much, as he had disguised himself as a servant.

"Eris we need to escape quickly," Noel whispered in his ear, propping herself up on his shoulder to regain her balance. "We were far too naive, my brother is not his match."

Obviously.

But, a wave of pity smashed into Eris as he saw the worry and fear that now covered her face, forcing him to steel his resolve. Even if it meant revealing himself, he would do all he could to protect her from harm.

If he didn't already know that she would hate him for it, he would have scooped her into his arms and fled at that very moment.

"I know, we will. But first we need to wait and see what Cain's true intentions are. At the moment I don't believe he is going to, nor does he want to, kill us." Eris whispered back reassuringly.

Confused as to why he had referred to the Demon Lord so casually, Noel made as if to speak, but she was cut off as Raiden let out a pained scream. Or maybe it was a battle cry. It was hard to tell because of his exhausted state.

As Eris looked over, he noticed that Raiden had sliced his hand open on Aesteroth's edge. It appeared as if he planned on performing a blood sacrifice to the Gods, which would burn his life force in exchange for a taste of their powers.

"You poor fool. Even with that you are still not our match." One of the generals sneered, thrusting his chin out so as to better look down on them.

"Remove your hand from the blade and stop the sacrifice, and I will follow through on my original intention of letting you go," The Demon Lord said calmly, "But if you choose to continue and make a move against us, you will all die."

Time seemed to freeze as Raiden darted forward with Aesteroth aimed at the Demon Lord's chest, but before he could make it even halfway up the steps he was slammed back down by one of the four generals.

"I warned you, but it seems my advice has fallen on deaf ears." Cain looked over at Raiden with the utmost disdain before his eyes flicked over to Eris, and without breaking eye contact he simply said, "Kill them."