The Hero, the Dark Commander, and the Demon Lord

Pain pushed the Demon Lord's hand off him and stood up straight.

"Charlotte, what are you doing here? What about the plan?" he shouted.

"I came here so you wouldn't have to die, and what do I see? You're just messing with the heroes like you do everything else!" she yelled back.

"I am engaged in serious combat here; I just disarmed the Hero so that I could deliver the next attack!" Pain retorted.

"But you were just going on about how the sword was uncomfortable to hold. What's more, you shouldn't even be able to hold that sword with the dark power that was infused in you!" The Demon Lord pointed out.

"Are you sure? Because the sword seems fine to me. Should I be bursting into flames or something?"

"I don't know; it is a holy sword forged to slay the Demon Lord, all I know is that it is very dangerous."

"It's probably just dangerous because you can cut your hand just by holding it. Here try it and tell me it's not uncomfortable." Pain turned the sword blade around and held out the hilt for the Demon Lord to grab. She sighed and poked the stones with her finger.

"Oh, yeah, those seem rather sharp," she said. She grabbed the sword and swung it through the air.

"Impossible! Even the Demon Lord can wield the holy sword!" Girolamo yelled.

"See, it's a little uncomfortable, but it is not such a dangerous tool," Pain said.

"Your right, I can feel some warmth from the divine energy, but it is not going to kill anyone. Actually, this would be great to have when walking around the castle in winter." The Demon Lord said after taking a liking to The Holy Sword of Light.

"Um, excuse me, Demon Lord. Would it be okay if I had my sword back? If you want, we can leave right after that and come back another day." The Hero politely asked.

The Demon Lord looked at the hero; then she looked around at the crowd of her soldiers that surrounded the Hero's party. Her face turned red, and she quickly handed the sword back to Pain.

"Dang it, Pain, you got me caught up in your tomfoolery!" she said in a somewhat hushed voice to Pain before clearing her throat. The Demon Lord began to speak in an evil voice: "Whahahaha, you foolish mortals have come this far only to be stopped by my Dark Commander!"

"Oh, that was way better than my evil laugh!" Pain said.

"I told you the training expense was worth it!" she snapped back.

"I think we still can practice that for free, though."

"Pain! I'm trying to make an evil speech to the Hero and his party," Charlotte said with a tint of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh, sorry, please continue," Pain said.

The Demon Lord looked around at the confused Hero and his party. They weren't quite sure what to make of the situation. She sighed.

"Never mind. You guys can just deal with it however you like. Dark Army, please disperse and let Pain take it from here." The army members exchanged looks with one another but ultimately went along with the Demon Lord's plan.

"Are you sure, Charlotte?" Pain asked.

"You already ruined the mood. Just have them leave and come back another day. We will engage in a proper battle then as the forces of evil and good should." She said as she walked away from the battlefield. Only the Dark Commander, The Hero, and the Hero's party were left.

They awkwardly stared at each other for a moment before Pain broke the silence.

"Well, I know a good place in the nearby town to get drinks. Why don't we go there to discuss when you'll come back?"

"You fiend, we know you wish to poison us!" the dwarf yelled.

"You don't have to drink anything if you don't want to, I guess," Pain added.

The Hero Girolamo sighed.

"Sure, let's go get some drinks. I need some after what just transpired here," he said.

"That's my man! Charlotte never wants to join me for a drink, says she always needs to be in top shape for battle, so I was worried you might be as stiff as her," Pain said with a thumbs up.

And so, the Dark Commander escorted the Hero of Bright and his party out of the castle, through the Wildering Woods, and across the Sticks River to the Town of Evilsburgs, which was closest to the Dark Castle. The whole way, he swung The Holy Sword of Light around like a child would swing a stick.

They walked through the town filled with an assortment of monsters and dark creatures to the pub, Witches Brew, that Pain liked to visit. He happily pushed open the doors to the pub and escorted the Kingdom of Bright warrior inside.

"Onyx, I'm back, and I brought some guests!" he yelled out.

A witch on a broomstick flew out from the kitchen to Pain. She had a long, black dress and a black hat that went up to a point. Her skin was an emerald shade of green, and she had bright yellow eyes. She greeted him with a hug.

"Oh, Pain, it's good to see you again. How have you been?" she asked. Then, she leaned over to look behind Pain. The Hero and co. were awkwardly standing in the pub.

"Pain, who are the Kingdom of Bright looking troops?" Onyx asked with a concerned tone.

"Oh, this is the Hero of Bright and his friends. They just tried to attack the castle and failed, so I figured I could treat them to drinks before they went home," Pain cheerfully answered.

"Oh, I see, well you brought them to the best pub in Evuluss!" Onyx happily decided to go along with the situation at hand, even though everyone else in the pub was staring at the out-of-place Hero.

"My Hero, I think this might have been a mistake," the elf whispered to him.

"You might be right, but we've come this far. I'm not backing down now," he answered.

"This isn't the time for your stubborn streak," the expository wizard said.