SLAM!

A hand collided with the wooden table.

"No! We need our troop shuttles to flank down towards the West! The Gryphon forces are spread thin there and we can break through!" A well decorated Elven General yelled at the amassed group of advisors before him.

"But what about the Eastern front? They have been amassing their warriors there and if the shuttles are moved, they are sure to break through! Even with the technological advantage, we are beginning to spread too thin!" Another advisor, a Major, stood and shouted back.

"It is the Emperor's call what we shall proceed with. We have an opportunity here to push into their capital, but they also have a strategic advantage in the short term that our troops are moved about. If they break through, then they pose the risk of flanking the main force." All talk ceased as the Dark Elven Princess, Mya, spoke. She sat at her father's right hand and acted as a mediator and voice for the Emperor. Her silvery blonde hair fell down past her shoulders. She sported high cheekbones and a pointed nose, her eyes were a sparkly blue and were accompanied by perfectly trimmed eyebrows. She wore a loose silk skirt as well as a golden pendant around her neck. Her features were highlighted quite nicely, adding more to her physical beauty. On the inside, however, lay the mind of a cunning and prodigious elf. Her magicks could likely rival her the Emperor's on a good day. "My elder brother is on the front right now and has some of the Empires best at his disposal. I suggest we give him some artillery but that is all. The Gryphon barbarians are still using pointed sticks and stones as weapons, so it matters not if they have the larger force. We possess superior technology, tactics, and fighters."

The Emperor, who had been quiet until now, nodded his head in agreement. His right hand scratched his goatee while the other rested upon the armrest of his high chair. His eyes hovered around the assorted faces before him. Each elf present was a high ranking official and played various important roles in the Elven conquest. So far, due to their ingenuity, they had managed to conquer most of the planet. One might wonder why he was waging the war, and it was quite a complicated answer. Only his daughter and a select few advisors knew of his plans for the world. Alas, those thoughts and plans could be postponed for another day. At the moment, he had a war to win.

"I agree with my daughter, though we will be leaving artillery as well as one gunship. My eldest son will know how to handle the situation from there. General Atlas, your request for the troop ships has been accepted. Relay the plans to the army as quickly as possible. If we can get that artifact from those barbaric birds, then our plans can finally enter the final stages."

The assembled officials clapped their hands politely and nodded their heads in approval.

Suddenly, in a flash of green flames, a scroll appeared before Emperor Dommik. He gently grabbed the floating piece of paper and unrolled it. Is eyes flashed over the words written down before he ever so slowly looked towards the door.

A simple gesture of the hand was all it took for the doors to unlock and swing open, almost on their own accord. All heads turned towards the opening as the patter and clank of footsteps approached and a few eyebrows raised as two Elite Guards, one missing his armour, walked through the doors. Upon closer inspection, the high ranking leaders shied away from the duo for the smell premating off him was wretched. It was almost as if the poor elf had been running through the wilderness for weeks without bathing or resting. Its eyes were bloodshot and its hair was a frizzled mess. Its shirt was torn in several places and it walked with an awkward hobble. The Elite Guard who was the acting escort showed no hint of discomfort as he marched alongside his disheveled brother-in-arms.

Both Dark elves bowed as low as they could when they entered the room before standing up. The guard butted the end of his spear into the floor once before about facing an leaving, his face an impenetrable mask the entire time.

Silence reigned throughout the room as the leaders collectively took in the Elf before them. His eyes were locked with the Emperor's and beads of sweat were trickling down his face.

"Everyone, this is Sergeant Kelvin, the Elf who was part of Prince Trignar's search party. He is the sole survivor of my son's guard and has made the long journey through the Everfree forest to report to us. I have been notified that he has information regarding that pesky resistance." Emperor Dommik waved his hand at the young elf. "Go on lad, tell us what you experienced."

Dommik's eyes flicked to his daughters uptight form. Ever since she had heard about Trignars apparent capture, she had been brooding and fuming. She had gone as far as to request her own band of warriors in order to retrieve her younger brother as well as slay the being responsible for his capture. Dommik had refused. They still didn't know enough about this 'Metal Demon,' hopefully this surviving Elite Guard could enlighten them.

"Certainly your Highness." The Elves voice wavered slightly and sounded as if he was struggling to speak. The Elite Guard took one breath of air before launching into his story.

"It started when Prince Trignar began flogging a suspected traitor in the ranks. We had found two of the sentries with their throats slit as well as a wagon having been lit on fire. A general alarm was called and we were all lined up. The Prince had thoroughly questioned each and every one of us, and in the end picked out a member who was hastily dressed and carrying provisions. We had suspected that he was trying to make an escape, but one of the higher ranks among us found him and directed him into line. The flogging had gone on for nearly three minutes when all Tartarus b-broke l-loose." The Elite Guard blinked and suddenly seemed to stare off into space. The Princess leaned forward in her seat and waved her hand.

"Go on guard, it is rude to waste the time of royalty." Kelvin did not move, and the Princess grew angry. "How da-"

"Sulfur and brimstone. The smells of blood and death. Invisible objects obliterating our skin and muscle, ripping through our ranks like a scythe through wheat. The long metal stick in the Demons grip, spouting fire and mayhem. Its movement, faster than a Manticore out on the hunt. Its strength, rivaling the Trolls and Yeti's of the Frozen North. His mouth, stuck in a horrifying snarl as it cut us down, its canines bared for the prey to see. Its knife, cutting through flesh and metal and bone as if it were nothing." The survivor spoke in a dead voice.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Nobody spoke a word as Kelvin slowly looked into each and every one of their eyes. Each time his gaze passed over a peculiar elf, they would immediately shiver and sweat. The shaken guards eyes seemed dead to the world. Princess Mya was staring at Kelvin in fear, his words chilling her to the bone. Everyone present jumped when the Guard began speaking once more.

"I can still see them, my friends and brothers, cut down and killed by the one clad in metal. No mercy, no emotion. The ones it didn't kill right away it left to suffer in anguish on the ground."

Kelvin began to smell the blood, the irony scent overpowering his senses. He saw the fire erupting from the metal stick in the Demon's hand. Body parts flew through the air as gore splattered the ground. One of his long time friends was lying on the ground, his head having been blown apart and his chest riddled with holes, Kelvin could see his ribcage. He saw the magic spear's energy discharge towards the metal clad, the first one missed, the second one smashed into its torso, but seemed to only knock the wind out of it slightly for it kept coming. The gleaming knife in the moonlight as it slashed through each and every Elite Guard, the best of the best, the ones who could not be beaten and were regarded as immortals among the conquered nations. Kelvin, the only surviving Elite Guard in the group, fell to his knees.

"It gave me a message. I remember its blood splattered face staring down into mine, I couldn't move, could hardly breathe." Kelvin took a shuddering breath as tears streamed down his eyes. The spectators could only stare in horror at his display. They all jumped once again, even the Emperor, as Kelvin suddenly leapt to his feet and began screaming.

"It is coming for us! The Demon is going to rip and tear through our ranks and there is nothing that can oppose it! Its fury knows no bounds, and it will stop at nothing until every. Last. One of us is dead!" Kelvin stomped his foot with each word. Guards began to swarm into the room as the onlookers cringed back in fear, the Emperor himself being disturbed by the display. Never before had he seen such a mentally unhinged display. He had seen war, he had seen enemies and elves alike crying for their mothers. He had witnessed soldiers breaking down into tears, but this... this psychotic display was entirely new to him!

"I will not be It's victim! I will not witness the horror that is to be inflicted by the Demon!" Kelvin lunged at a nearby guard, taking him by surprise. The guard failed to react in time as the Delusional elf grabbed his dagger, ripped it from its sheath...

....and slit his own throat.

"I.... I... will n-not..." The elf slowly fell to his knees as blood gurgled from the gaping neck wound. His eyes slowly lost their light as he choked and red liquid spat from his mouth. The red misted projectile flew all over one one chubby elf who was in charge of the finances of the Empire and into his gaping mouth. What ensued could only be labeled as utter chaos. Screaming and yelling erupted from the leaders present, the one covered in blood waving his arm about as most of the noise was coming from him. Someone's chair fell over and a book thumped onto the floor. More guards began to swarm the room, trying to bring back some semblance of order, but it all for naught. The Princess and the Emperor merely sat in their respective seats, but their own emotions were at war. Princess Mya's face had gone pale, her eyes dilating and her ears bending so far back they threatened to fall from the side of her head.

'No, no, no! It was all an exaggeration! No one being could cause this! No one being could take on twenty Elite Guards and the Prince! Whatever this thing is, it had help! That's right; and it tortured the Elite Guard to the breaking point, sending it back here with a message with the purpose of intimidation.'

Princess Mya exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. a second later, she reopened them. A cool calmness had passed over her as her mind was made up and the conclusion determined. She glanced at the Emperor, who was was slightly pale, but seemed more deep in thought than afraid.

"I must consult 'It.' Do not disturb me, do not even look for me. That guard may have been delusional, but I can feel in my bones that something bigger is happening. Try and get the leaders back into some semblance of peace before the whole castle riots at this news. We do not need word of this Demon spreading and causing fear. This being is working for the resistance, and it is simply another thing that we will crush beneath out might. Do not fear my daughter."

Emperor Dommik swiftly exited the room through a side door. His footsteps thudded as he walked down the dimly lit hallway. This passage was old and downright medieval, but It prefered to live down this particular hallway. Its room was easily accessible from all parts of the castle. Dommik passed door after door, each leading to different parts of the Equestrians former capital. Thoughts of what Kelvin the Elite Guard had said plagued Dommiks mind. His heartbeat began to pick up as he marched to his destination, he wasn't far. 'It' was something created from his own mind, a masterpiece of magic and sorcery. It was the ultimate weapon in the case that the Empire came under threat, and also his spy for his enemies that hid in the shadows.

Finally, he reached a large oaken door. He stopped, knocked once, then turned the handle and entered. A pugenant and rotten smell immediately assaulted his sensitive nose, and his ears threatened to bend back. Through sheer force of will, he maintained his composure and glared into the darkness.

"Beast."

Silence permeated the air; it was listening.

"What do you know of the Demon in metal?"

Dommik heard a quiet whimper behind him, and upon turning, he found a little unicorn mare lying in the corner. One of her legs were broken and blood seeped from a gash in her side. He frowned slightly as he realized what he had walked in on.

"I am sorry to disturb your... dining hours, but I need this information."

"The answers you seek you already know, the words of the Guard a prophecy alone."

"The Demon of metal, a foe to behold, his methods are destructive, his emotions cold."

But fear not for when making your plan, do keep in mind.... this Demon.... is nothing but a man."

Dommik stepped away as a tentacle flew from the darkness and snagged the pony behind him. The animal shrieked in fear and pain as she was swiftly dragged into the shadowy confines of the room, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

"But do keep in mind if you underestimate him, your assured chance of victory will grow slim..."

There was a wet crack and the screaming stopped. A low slurping sound slowly echoed throughout the room, and Dommik BlueBlade, the Emperor of the Dark Elves, had heard enough.

"Very well, Beast. I will leave you to your dwellings. But know this, if the changelings fail, I will have this Demon's head, and you will acquire it for me. My victory is guaranteed.

And so he left. The sounds of slurping only growing dimmer as the Emperor moved back to his planning and brooding. He had plans to make, and if he was careful, this Demon of metal... no... This Human, would simply be squashed under his fist.

Dommik smiled coyly as he opened the door, and entered his throne room once more...