Max and Merlin moved fast along the narrow path leading up the mountain. The air grew colder, and a magical fog clung to the ground as they made their way up. Dark, twisted trees kept looking at them, their branches high in the sky. Every step felt heavier as though the mountain itself was trying to push them back.
Max kept holding his staff, his nerves on edge. He could feel it in the air, the darkness. They were walking straight into the heart of it. “This place sucks,” Max muttered, his breath visible in the freezing air.
Merlin, who was leading the way, didn’t say anything. Max hadn’t spoken with Merlin since they left the castle.
The path became wider, in front of them smaller demons—twisted, humanoid creatures with sharp claws and glowing red eyes—were walking in front of them. They moved in packs, but Merlin stopped, thinking of a plan.
He spoke for the first time since their journey to the top of the mountain started. “Stay close. We can’t afford to be separated here.”
Max was afraid, a small fart escaped between his buttcheeks. “Shit…” he whispered. The group of demons turned towards them, they let out a weird sound and charged toward them. “Here we go…”
A dozen demons rushed at them, their shrieks piercing the air. Max raised his staff and cast Fireball, sending a wave of flames crashing into the nearest group. The explosion ripped through their ranks, but more kept coming, their bodies barely slowed by the flames.
Merlin wasted no time. His fingers moved in precise motions, casting Arcane Blasts that tore through the demons like paper. Bolts of energy lashed out, vaporizing several of the creatures, but still, they kept coming.
Max teleported out of the way of a demon’s claw, reappearing behind it just in time to launch an Ice Lance through its back. The creature screeched before crumbling to dust. “This is endless!” Max shouted.
“They’re just pawns,” Merlin said, his voice calm despite the chaos. “The real fight is deeper inside.”
After what felt like hours of relentless battle, the last of the demons fell, their bodies disintegrating into the foul air. Max wiped the sweat from his forehead. “If those were the small ones, I’m not looking forward to what’s waiting for us.”
A massive, jagged opening in the rock, black mist spilling out like smoke stood in front of them.
At the heart of the cavern, they found it—a pulsating mass of dark energy, twisting and writhing in the center of a deep pit. The core of the plague. It was alive, a heart of corruption pumping out waves of disease and darkness. Max’s stomach turned at the sight of it.
Before they approached it, a shadow appeared in front of them. Its voice was a deep rumble that echoed through the cavern.
“So… this is the new generation who dares to challenge me. You are but a child playing with fire. You think you can destroy what I have created?”
Max swallowed hard, this was definitely him. The Demon Lord. “We’ve come to end this,” Max said, his voice shaking. “We’re destroying this plague, and you’re next!”
The Demon Lord chuckled. “Bold words… hi Merlin. The plague is eternal. You may destroy this vessel, but the infected will carry my gift forever. You cannot win, boy.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Merlin stepped forward. “Hi.”
Without a second word, Merlin raised his staff. The ground shook, this was a powerful spell.
The cavern trembled as the Demon Lord roared in fury.
“You will regret this…”
Max collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily as the dust settled. “We… we did it?” he asked, looking up at Merlin.
“We destroyed the core,” he said. “But the infected… they still carry the disease. It’s still transmissible.”
“So… what do we do now? How do we stop it from spreading?”
“I know what needs to be done. But you’re not ready to hear it yet.”
“What? What do you mean I’m not ready? We just went through all that, and you’re keeping more secrets?”
Merlin didn’t answer. He simply started walking back toward the cavern’s entrance.
I hate this cryptic shit…”
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Black, oily smoke rose from the rooftops of crumbling buildings, and the streets were filled with the bodies of the infected. People wandered aimlessly, their skin pale and bloated with sickness, dark sores covering their bodies. Some were barely recognizable as human, their faces twisted with agony, eyes clouded over with the plague. Pools of blackened water filled the streets, a foul stench of death and decay thick in the air.
The cries of those still alive echoed in the distance, begging for relief, for an end to their suffering. The fields surrounding the town were naked, and the river that had once provided life to the people now flowed with a sick, green, color. The very air was poisoned, heavy with the disease, grasping everyone like a suffocating blanket. Crows circled overhead, feasting on the corpses that were on the ground.
Max took a few steps back. “This is worse than an hour ago…”
“The plague has consumed them. There’s nothing left but death and corruption.”
“But… but there are still people down there. We can’t just leave them like this. We have to help them, right?”
“No. There’s no saving them now, Max. The plague has taken too strong a hold. Even if we healed them, the disease would spread again. This entire town is a breeding ground for the Demon Lord’s curse.”
“Wait… you can’t be serious. You’re going to…?”
Merlin didn’t answer. Instead, he began to float into the air, rising high above the ground. His robes fluttered in the wind as he ascended, and his staff glowed with a terrifying light. Dark clouds gathered above, swirling around him as the air crackled with energy.
“Stay back. This is the only way.”
Max stumbled backward, watching in disbelief as Merlin soared even higher, the entire town now spread out beneath him like a map of misery.
The wind howled, and the clouds above darkened to an inky black, swirling violently as Merlin raised his staff high above his head. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light as he began to chant in an ancient language, his voice reverberating through the air like thunder.
Max stood frozen, unable to move, unable to speak. He could only watch as Merlin’s power reached its peak.
With a final, earth-shattering word, Merlin thrust his staff downward. From the sky, a massive, searing beam of pure white energy erupted, piercing the clouds and crashing into the town below. The ground trembled as the beam expanded, engulfing the entire town in a blinding light.
The buildings crumbled instantly, disintegrating into ash. The plague-ridden bodies of the townspeople vaporized, their cries cut off in an instant. The land itself seemed to burn away, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth and blackened remnants of what had once been a big town.
The light faded, and the once-sickened town was gone—reduced to a smoldering crater. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the faint crackling of the scorched earth.
Max stared in shock, his heart racing, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed. His hands shook as he took a step forward, his voice barely a whisper. “You… you destroyed everything…”
Merlin descended slowly. “It had to be done.”
“But… but those people… They were still alive. You could have saved them!”
“They were already dead. This plague would have spread to every town, every town until nothing was left. You saw what the Demon Lord’s essence said—this is only the beginning. I stopped it here before it could spread any further.”
“I don’t… I don’t know if I can do this anymore…”
“You’ll have to. This is the reality of the world we live in. Sometimes, there are no good choices. Only hard ones.”
Max didn’t respond. He could only stare at the destruction.