Sword Saint
The demon lord was dead, felled by my blade, beneath my feet. I was covered in blood, sore and bruised, back to the cold blackstone wall of the dark citadel. The Holy Sword of Eris steamed the monsters black blood of the half reptilian monster splayed before me. I felt the heat of Ophelia to my side. I smiled. We had made it.
“We did it.” I spoke to the party. On behalf of the emperor, we set off on an epic quest. A long journey, filled with difficulties, bonding through each adversary they faced. I turned, looking into Ophelia’s emerald eyes, leaning my face into hers. I took her face in my hand, pulling her closer-
“A toast! To victory!” the war priest of our party, Maximillion, interrupted me. Ophelia blushed and looked away. I gladly stood to accept the cup he offered, a reward well earned for a job well done. We had traveled over continents, across the world, slaying many monstrosities, and in doing so, I had earned my name and title. The Hero- the Sword Saint.
“You were carrying wine in that bag of holding, Max? I thought alcohol wasn’t godlike.” I started, drinking deeply from the ornate, silver chalice. Max handed me his second cup, which I passed back to Ophelia.
“Now is the time to rejoice!” He passed a third cup to our parties tank, Dimitry. “Almost all of the enemies of the Empire are dead.” Max smiled widely. I had never been much of a fan of him personally, but he was one of the best priests for turning undead and demonic forces to ever live. The wine he carried was a fruity blend, unlike anything I had tasted. Surely expensive, sweet on the tongue.
“Max.” I spoke, sitting back down next to Ophelia, whose face was still flushed. “Just where did you find this?” I asked, leaning back. “This wine is-” suddenly, and without warning, I felt an extreme pain in my chest. I grabbed at my shirt reflexively, nearly vomiting. I felt bile drip from my mouth.
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Poison Inflicted <500> Damage!
I swiped the notification away, then I swiped at my mouth, staring down at the red liquid that covered my hand. “Max… what is this?” I looked up, seeing Dimitry falling to the ground, pressed to his knee. A manic look came to his face, and he charged at Max without hesitation.
“Imperium bastard!”
Max swiped out, leveling Dimitry to the ground. He rolled where he landed, manic eyes locking with my own. I could see blood trailing out of his mouth. Dimitry prepared to rise. “This is for the good of the Empire.” Max proclaimed, in his holier than thou attitude. “It’s a shame you all perished in the fight versus the demon lord. WIth this, there will be no more threats to the empire. Don’t worry; your legacies will be positive. Your friends and families will be well taken care of, granted titles of nobility for their contributions.” Max paced, dumping out the wine from the last chalice he filled.
Poison Inflicted <500> Damage!
I fell to my knees, gasping. Reflexively, I turned to Ophelia, who was our party’s healer. I reached out towards her. As a healer, her health pool was much lower than mine. She was laid over on the floor, blood pouring from her eyes like tears, flowing from her nose and mouth. She twitched as we made eye contact. “No.. No! You’re going to be okay!” I picked her up, leaned her back against the wall, and began rummaging through her bag for an antidote. I watched her eyes follow mine, she sat otherwise unmoving, before I found it, uncorking the neon blue liquid and lifting it to my mouth-
My head was battered aside by Max’s mace. I felt the impact rattle my skull, and tried to stand, but dizziness overtook me and I fell back towards the floor.
“The Emperor cannot allow a hero more powerful than him to live. You were a threat to the Empire.” I heard his foot prints echo behind me. My entire body burned, and my limbs were no longer obeying me. My sight was overwhelmed with red. I tried to shout, gurgling. Ophelia looked at me, blood and tears coursing down her face. Why? Why? Why? I wish I could have said she smiled at me, content in that final moment. Instead, I saw a face full of terror at the thought of death.
Poison Inflicted <500> Damage!
I heard the wind whistle behind Max’s swing, his mace falling down onto my head. With a final crunch, it was over.