The white light slowly fades into a deep purple before dissipating in front of me. I blink away brightness to find myself on a glowing sigil inside of a grand hall. Probably a football field long and half as wide, a grand purple carpet reaches from the oversized doors all the way to the short set of stairs leading to my feet. Pillars support the arched ceiling far above my head. Torches rest on each pillar, glowing an identical purple to the sigil below me.
Four figures kneel before me: a headless suit of armor with its helmet resting in its arm, a woman with seemingly light purple skin and pointed ears, a man with dark skin and white hair pulled into tight dreads hanging around neck length, and a pale woman with, what seems to be, cat ears? A low voice echoes out from the armor. “My Lord, we humbly welcome you to this land. We, your loyal Generals, are here to serve you.”
“We eagerly await your commands.” The purple skinned woman speaks next.
I can’t keep myself from smiling. “We are the tools for your journey to greatness,” the dark skinned man bows his head even lower. At this point, I begin to laugh. The three with heads all look at each other, seemingly confused.
“Guys, er, Generals, please stand.” They hesitate for a moment but all eventually rise to their feet except the armor. They all keep their eyes on their feet… Well, except the helmet. “Seriously, there’s no need for the formality. I invite you to be my equals, not my underlings. Please, introduce yourselves.” I squint for a moment at the formality of my own words before shaking it off as some kind of side effect.
I gesture to the suit of armor first. “My Lord… I’m at a loss for words, we do not deserve to be your equals.”
“Please, General. Consider this a command, then. Rise and speak freely. Introduce yourself to me, if we’re to work together I should at least know your name.” I offer a friendly smile to the man though I’m unsure if he can even see it.
A frustrated grunt comes from the helmet before he stands to a rather imposing height. The plates of his armor are immaculate and beyond well polished. I’m unsure if there’s a body inside but if there is, he’d give even Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for his money. “My name is Anlon (Pronounced: on-lon). I’ve been given the great task of leading your army.” He bows, crossing his left arm over his chest as he does so, careful not to tilt his helmet too much.
“If you don’t mind my asking, Anlon. What… What are you? I couldn’t help but notice that your neck is smoking and you don’t have a head.” I worry my question may be insensitive but knowledge is the only way to prevent further ignorance.
“I’m a dullahan, Sir.” Anlon stands tall and holds his head up in front of him.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to have you on the team.” I give him a nod and move my focus to the next in line. “And you are?”
The pointed-ear woman smiles. Her emerald eyes convey a warmth that you think would be out of place in the castle of a Demon Lord. Her face has a young maturity to it with more pointed features. She appears to be in her mid-thirties but given the wisdom in her gaze, I’m willing to bet she’s far older than that. Her hair drapes over her shoulders carelessly. “My name is Maree. I’m an elf and am your head sorceress. All matters of magic and sorcery are my specialty.” Maree waves her hands to the side in a faux curtsey. Her movement draws my attention to her elegant yet simple robes. More akin to a dark blue dress, it’s lined by golden thread and is cut along the thighs to, hopefully, allow for freer movement. Though, the deep cut over her sizable chest implied it may be more for grabbing attention. She appears to be rather tall, probably five foot ten or eleven and in pretty good shape for someone, I’d guess, who’s in a library all day.
“Again, my apologies for my rude questioning. However, my perception of elves was typically that they had rather… fair skin. I can’t help but notice that-”
“Yes. You are correct.” It seems like her interruption was more to take initiative than to insult me. “My skin is a side effect of the abundance of magical energy I was born with. Our people used to be one of grand magic and natural power. However, as the Church grew in power and influence, our magic was shunned. As I showed great potential in the craft, my people cast me out. As my power grew, my skin became… tainted.” She looks down with a hidden shame.
“No.” She looks at me with confusion. “Drop the A. Your skin became tinted - not tainted. You are still you. The color of your skin shows that you’ve become strong. That you’ve defied those who cast you out. Maree, we shall be your family now. So put that smile back on, it was much nicer to see.”
Her eyes grow soft once again as a smile creeps back onto her face. “Thank you, My Lord.”
“That’s another thing. My name is Kris. I welcome you all to call me that. If that makes you too uncomfortable, Lord Kris or Kristoph also works. And if even that is too much for you, I suppose you can say ‘My Lord’ but to be honest, it sounds a bit odd to me.” I scratch at the back of my head to try and convey a bit more relaxed demeanor. “But, let’s continue.”
Looking at the dark skinned man, He’s wearing a set of baggy medieval style clothes and his left arm is an immaculate, clockwork creation. He’s clearly tall as well, having several inches on Maree. His face is far more angular with a strong jawline. His eyes seem proud and he stands tall with his chest out. He’s in immaculate shape, clearly far stronger than I ever was in life. His voice is refined as he speaks, “My name is Sowande (Pronounced: shoh-WAHN-deh). While I may be a simple human, my knowledge of the sciences is vast. If you keep me by your side, I can promise you the most scientifically advanced empire in all the lands.” He gives a deep bow.
“Humans aren’t simple. We… Well I suppose you all, now...” I look down for a moment to comprehend my new form but choose not to dwell on it, “Humans are an incredible race capable of many great things. But what made you follow a Demon Lord? Surely your science could do great things for your fellow man.”
“I intended for them to, as well. However, the Church had other plans. They branded me a heretic: claiming science as against God’s teaching. I was ‘perverting’ his creation and to heal people with medicine rather than a Cleric’s magic was a sin. They took my arm as punishment.” He reaches over and grips his metal wrist. “So I made my own: to continue my sinful ways and fight them with knowledge.”
I smile down at him. “Well, I’m happy to have you with us. I’m sure your knowledge will prove beyond value.” Finally, I turn to the beautiful woman at the end. She seems a fair bit shorter than the rest of the group, probably five foot four. Her round face was covered by her smile and framed perfectly by her hair. The length in the back was pulled into a tight but long ponytail and her ears were prominently on the top of her head and appeared to be fox-like more than feline. Her clothing is surprisingly short and tight. In fact, her outfit was akin to Mai’s from King of Fighters - but colored the same purple that surrounded us. However, now that she was standing, her grand set of fluffy, fox tails stood proud behind her.
“Hello!” She sounds beyond excited as she places a hand on her chest. “I’m Zhaohui. I’m a Huli Jing, your beautiful intelligence officer and head of espionage. Oh, and feel free to call me Z.”
“Clearly humble too.” I chuckle at her dramatic movements to showcase how ‘great’ she is.
She joins in my laughter. “Nobody told me we’d be summoning such a cute Demon Lord, either.” She bites her lip in a way that forms a pit in my stomach and turns my cheeks red. I’m hoping the purple sigil’s glow is hiding that fact. “And since the other two got to share their life stories, I might as well join in. I tried to go from village to village but eventually my true nature would be found out. Let’s just say fox spirits aren’t necessarily seen in a positive light. Are we naturally tricksters and deceivers? Yes. But that doesn’t mean we’re always doing something naughty!”
“Well then. I’m noticing a theme among you three, at least.” I gesture to my three generals with heads. “You’re outcasts. You were rejected by a society that betrayed you. I’m sure you all want some form of revenge.” Their eyes all light up with a flash of wicked joy as smiles crawl across their faces. “I’m sorry, but I ask better of you.” Their smiles morph into looks of confusion and slight worry. “Revenge is fleeting, a corrupted emotion. We can be better than that. I ask you all to join me in forming a home free of those prejudices. A home for people to live free from the ignorant and harmful nature of the Church. We may be demons, but that doesn’t mean we are evil. I believe it’s not our job to rule with an iron fist, but instead rule with an understanding and acceptance of humanity and all of its glorious flaws.” Their worried expressions start to fade into ones of understanding. “If hatred is truly all you have left, then I will hold no grudge if you decide to leave. Though if you stay, know that you will be treated as a respected equal and that, together, we will create a grand empire that will welcome everyone. We will prove that we are better than those who cast you out and shunned you. Will you stand with me to show that our appearance does not change our hearts? Will you help me show the world the bright side of evil?”
The four all look at each other for a moment before looking back at me with a renewed passion in their eyes. Anlon bends to a knee and speaks first: “I shall stand by your side always, My Lord.”
Maree joins him on bended knee. “My magic is yours. I look forward to building the greatest empire this world has seen.”
Sowande comes next. “I thank you for providing the opportunity for me to regain my passion in helping the people of this world. I shall forever be in your debt, Lord Kristoph.”
Zhaohui puts her hands behind her head and shrugs her shoulders with a mischievous smile. “Sounds like a fun idea, Mister Kris! I like your style. Let’s do it!”
I look at each one with a passionate grin. “Thank you, all. Together, I’m sure we can achieve anything.”
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