Strategy is Key

With the occasional skirmish with lesser demons, the party remained relatively unnoticed until they had reached the Demon Lord’s castle. They hid in the shrubbery that surrounded the large property.

The castle was just as impressive as the one in the capital, except with a darker color scheme–dark gray with deep purple touches. Spires stretched into the sky menacingly.

Lightning struck, a classic reminder that this was the lair of a villain. Calum turned to the friends behind him. “We’re almost there. The only thing ahead of us now is the Demon Lord. We need a solid strategy, and a backup plan in case our main one fails.”

“You’re our leader. You should be the one to come up with the strategy.”

“Thanks, Kia, but your input is just as important as mine. We’re a team here. I have a last resort prepared, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“You don’t mean–”

“Judgment.”

Tilaya shook her head. “No, you’re not going to use that. Don’t you remember the cost of using the spell?”

“Yes, the cost is my life.”

“We don’t even know if Judgment will work on the Demon Lord.”

“That’s why it’s the last resort. It’s our final gambit.”

Erik raised his hand. “I have an idea.” Everyone turned to him. “Calum and Kia can go on the offensive, and I can stay back to protect Tilaya while she throws her strongest spells at him.”

“That sounds like a pretty good plan, but… are you sure you should be the one defending Tilaya? Kia or I would probably be better, since we’re faster.”

“You’re the hero, so you will be the Demon Lord’s main focus. Kia is the best person to fight with you. Her speed and skill work perfectly with your fighting style.”

“Makes sense. You’re certain you can keep Tilaya safe?”

“Positive.” Erik puffed out his chest. “I doubt the Demon Lord can best me while he’s busy with you two. But, if need be, I will even die protecting Tilaya.”

Tilaya’s cheeks flushed. “Please, don’t die for me. I don’t want to be the cause of a friend’s death.”

“That is a good plan…” ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t want Kia protecting Tilaya because he doesn’t trust her. Even after all this time, and how much she’s done for us… He still doesn’t trust her.’ He cleared his throat. “Tilaya, what spells do you think will be the most effective?”

“Since he’s a demon, I think I should focus on casting divine magic. I would like to avoid using my strongest spells,” she flashed Erik a glance, “because they take a lot of mana. I can only use a few before I completely run out. It would be best to save those spells for when it’s not going our way.”

Calum nodded, silently agreeing with her. “Alright, what should our backup plan be?”

…

With their strategy meeting over, Calum scanned the castle for guards, but found none. A sense of foreboding filled him. “There should be several guards, but there are none…”

Kia peered at the castle, noticing the lack of defense. “Either the Demon Lord is confident no one can make it here, or this is a trap.”

“Whatever the reason, we can’t go barging through the main entrance.”

“Erik’s right. If this is a trap, going in that way is suicide.”

Calum stared at Erik and Tilaya. “But what if they’re expecting us to use a different entrance?”

“That’s also possible…”

Kia continued studying the castle. “There’s most likely a trap at every entrance. We have to expect the worst.”

Erik stepped forward. “Let’s barge in. Maybe we can outrun the trap the demons have set for us.”