A New Hero

Northern Plains, Hopelea, Evening

Victor, Jun, Channel, and Cali were seated patiently as they looked over the horizon. Their carriage drew closer to the northmost point of Hopelea. The other half of the party were in a second carriage, following close behind.

“Hey Channel, haven’t you noticed how strange those trees seem?” Cali asked as she pointed at them.

“Now that you mention them, the grass also looks discolored,” Channel replied with a puzzled look on his face.

Well, no wonder the flora looks strange. They’ve been thoroughly corrupted by the Demon King’s presence. Bident Online touched on it, but I do wonder how it actually works.

“We’re getting closer to the final boss, guys. Exactly where he is is still a mystery,” Jun said.

Just a few more hours until I’m able to go back home.

Cali stood up and raised her arms to stop the sun from blocking her vision. “We’re a few kilometers out from our destination. I see a village just beneath the horizon.” Cali said. Channel also stood up in an attempt to get a better view. “Huh, I can’t make anything out that far away,” Channel commented. “It’s just a perk of being a ranger,” Cali replied.

“Do you think the Demon Lord is someone to be afraid of?” Channel asked as he sat back down.

“That’s also something I’ve been thinking of during the ride,” Victor said.

I can see why they might not be convinced that the Demon Lord is evil. They haven’t seen as much as I have. They’ll completely change their tune as soon as they see the carnage he’s caused.

“He’s still just getting started. If left to his own devices, he’ll kill a ton of innocent people, our friends and families included,” Jun replied.

“So he’s like a force of nature that can be stopped early?” Victor asked.

“Bingo.”

“If there’s still any doubt in your mind, we can interrogate him ourselves,” Jun added.

The typically green grass took on an ash-purple hue. Nearly every building in the distance had been violently torn down, leaving nothing but rubble. The closer the carriage came to the village, the bumpier the ride became because of long horizontal divots left in the ground. Many of the homes inside the village were missing walls, had roofs caved in, and had broken windows. What used to be a small communal village became a ghost town in the matter of weeks.

“It won’t be long until we’re back, sir. We’ll also pay you handsomely for our trip back,” Jun told the driver after he got off the carriage.

“What the hell caused all of this destruction?” Jordan asked as he walked towards Jun.

“Hey… YOU! STOP!” Cali shouted out towards the distance. Cali broke into a sprint after a brown figure far in the distance.

Damn it, couldn’t we have talked about this first?

Within a few seconds, the person dressed in a brown cloak entered a building, then barricaded the door using furniture. Cali was the first to reach the door and tried twisting the doorknob to no avail. She then planted her foot against the door, steadying herself before she kicked it down. Tonio and Jun both placed one hand on her shoulders before Cali could knock the door down.

“Can we try talking this out before you end up killing someone, damn,” Tonio yelled between gasps of air.

“Yeah, what he said,” Jun followed up, equally out of breath.

“Just let me handle this,” Tonio said.

Knock Knock.

Tonio knocked on the door in front of them in a musical rhythm.

“I don’t have anything!” The woman behind the door yelled in an accusatory tone.

“We’re not here to ransack you. We’re adventurers, and we’re just trying to figure out what happened here,” Tonio replied.

After a brief pause, the woman pulled the bookshelf back and opened the door halfway. “Come in,” the old lady said. Tonio, Jun, and Cali let themselves in, the rest of the group slowly filed in one after another.

“We’re adventurers, and we’re looking for clues on the Demon King. Do you mind letting us know what occurred here? It might be a clue that can help us prevent this from happening again,” Tonio asked.

“Well, okay, it’ll be a long story though.” The old lady shared as she took a seat in her chair. “The man you guys call the Demon King strolled into town and started taking young men away to work.” She continued while looking out of her window. “During the following weeks, everyone who wasn't hurt rushed to flee. I tried to join them, but I was left behind,” The old woman continued before taking a brief pause to collect herself. “They had left me behind, claiming ‘I’d just slow them down’,” she made air quotes to emphasize herself. “I’ve been foraging for food and water in the rubble of the buildings the Demon Lord left behind after practicing magic. He actually called it target practice,” the old lady took a second to collect herself once more. “It'll be sooner or later until this building comes down, but I’ll stay strong,” the old woman said.

“Do you have a clue where the Demon Lord might be?” Jun asked.

“I have been watching in secret, but he seems to enter and leave from the northeast,” The old lady said. “If you head to that part of the village, you’ll notice how few buildings still stand.”

The eight adventurers set out with their course set northeast. Almost immediately, the path of destruction the Demon Lord left behind was apparent. Buildings were torn apart thoroughly, and the rubble was strewn all over. Long, uninterrupted paths of scorch marks painted large strips of land. The party walked just over the hills outside of the village. The foliage in the direction the party was approaching took on deeper, more vibrant red and violent colors. The trees they passed grew anguished faces that looked akin to a spirit trying to escape the bark. The sounds of crickets, birds, and any other wildlife went silent.

There’s no way he’s stationed this close.

The party was overlooking three tents with a hobbled-together stick fence perimeter. Jun led them as they walked with slow steps, closing in on the center tent. Jun unsheathed his sword to open the curtain, acting as a door from a distance.

Inside the tent was a man sprawled out asleep. The man was wearing nothing but brown underwear. The man had pale grey skin, black hair that jutted in chunks, long black nails that grew to sharp points, and long black horns that faded to purple at the ends.

Yep, this is him.

Jun smacked the sleeping Demon King with the flat end of his blade, jolting the man awake.

“What business do you have here?” The Demon Lord groaned as he wiped the crust from his eyes.

He let out a yawn and sat upright. Upon a second glance, he realized he was outnumbered eight to one, with everyone aiming their readied weapons against him.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” He said before laughing.

“So mind explaining why you tore down that village?” Jun asked while lifting his blade to the Demon King's throat.

“That worthless settlement? I thought it’d make a good place for a castle,” The Demon King explained in between hearty cackles.

“And what about those who already lived there?” Jun pressed.

“You humor me. Why should I care about those bipedal cattle?” He responded

Slash Slash!

In two rapid slashes, Jun beheaded the Demon Lord.

“Let’s search the other tents to see if we can find anyone he’s kidnapped,” Jordan called out as he left the bloodied tent.

Let’s go! Finally, I can get back home… Wait? Wasn’t all I needed to do was beat the game? I know that I’m a bit early, but the campaign is over. The final boss is dead now.

…

Bathhouse Resort, Hopelea, Night

Luxurious stained mahogany floorboards stretched across the floor. High ceilings with low-hanging chandeliers lit the room. A deck connected to the room, separated by a sliding glass door, overlooked a private bathhouse. Inside, Cali, Shelby, and Amber were lying on the floor mats that served as bedding.

“So what do you guys have planned for next?” Shelby asked

“Idk, but it probably won’t be adventuring for much longer,” Amber responded.

“Agreed,” Cali chimed in.

“Yeah, I started with my brother, mainly for fun, but now it feels like a chore more so than anything else,” Amber ranted.

“That fight being our driving force for the last couple of months, and for it to have ended so quickly really made it seem like our effort wasn’t well spent,” Shelby replied as she laid her head down and tucked in for bed.

…

Jun, Jordan, Tonio, Channel, and Viktor were bathing in the hot spring connected to their private room. Jordan and Channel were more engaged with trying to wrestle than listening to the conversation everyone else was participating in.

“So Viktor, what do you think you’ll be doing in the future?” Tonio asked.

“I did reach quite a high level as a cleric, I’ll probably spend the next few years studying medicine, then open a free clinic. I have more money than I’d know what to do with, so working a job isn’t something I’ll ever need to do again.” Viktor replied.

“I feel the same way. I’ll probably just reconnect with my family and work with my dad in his shop,” Tonio said.

“How about you, Jun?” Viktor asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jun replied curtly.

“Well, I’m just going to party and live the high life as a bachelor.” Jordan butted in.

“The ceremony the king is holding for us soon will also act as our debut in noble society,” Channel added.

“I can imagine myself married to a noble woman,” Jordan said.

“Hah, you wish!” Channel responded mockingly before he stuck out his tongue.

“Why you!” Jordan said as he splashed water towards Channel.

“I’m gonna turn in for the night. I have some stuff to think over,” Jun said.

Jun grabbed a towel, wrapped himself in it, then went back indoors to get ready for bed.