The Trial of Kings

The Beast from Hell

Taking a moment to catch his breath, the General sheathed his right sword and collected the one that gave him the edge still lodged into the ground. He popped another blue potion as well as a red potion to stock up on his magical ability. He watched the Magical power bar line increase as he finished the potion and it surpassed his HP gauge by half. He nodded and started strategizing regardless of what came next. Turning to face the entrance, he knew that with no red light appearing it meant that the next Floor Boss would be on this stage. He raised his right hand with his palm to the ceiling and began to chant. The audience watching leaned into the screens as if that would help them hear better. The volume was increased in the dungeon to hear his chant so that those watching would catch the words of the spell. Dramatic music for Magic Spell casting began to play as is standard practice in the dungeon. He began to chant…

“I am the plague of darkness that has no end, possessing a power that none comprehend.”

A black smoke began to swirl above him and the c***k of thunder erupted in the halls of the dungeon. He continued…

“I am the force the drives all the world, watch my destruction unfurl.”

The ground shook as the beast appeared as if it was clawing out of the ground and climbing to the surface. The heads came with the paws, fire flowing from its jaws. The Cerberus stood a full three meters tall and breathed fire into the air above. The Three Headed Dog that guarded the gates of Hell was the next Floor Boss. The General continued…

“I hold the world in the palm of my hand, my fire will scorch the land.”

The monster that guarded the gates of hell stood before him and snarled as if ready to strike.

“I am the sword that cracks the Earth, slicing through heaven, raining down lightning, hear me now, Dragon of Destruction!”

And as Cerberus took a step forward, Sir Damon lowered his hand to face the beast of the underworld and lightning stuck the three headed Hellhound with the ferocity of a thunder storm. The Beasts howled in agony as the lightning bolts struck one after another. Cheers could be heard in the streets, taverns and restaurants as they watched the Cerberus HP gauge drop. As Sir Damon saw his Magic Gauge reach about half way he raised he hand signaling to stop the onslaught. The Beast almost immediately shook it off and charged. Drawing the other sword sheathed on his back the General slid underneath Cerberus and held up both swords, cutting deep into the beasts’ underbelly.

“Encore/Numb – by Linkin Park and Jay Z, quickly,” said the Goddess smiling as she circled to a screen only focused on Sir Damons’ face. The intensity clear. His determination unmistakable. “I’m coming for you Goddess,” he said aloud.

Moving to his right he cut away at whatever he could reach. Each strike more ferocious than the next. “I’M NOT GOING FAIL THIS TEST!” his scream was clear as he constantly circled to his right and Cerberus kept circling to its' left to catch him. He used a tactics he learned from Miyamoto Musashi, “Keep your enemy moving to his left”.

And as he slashed and stabbed at the body of the fire breathing beast, he prepared his next attack that was to end it all.

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” – Sun Tzu

Keeping an eye on the Cerberus’ HP gauge, he waited until it was in range of defeat all the while avoiding its fire and bite. Just as its strength at its lowest he rolled underneath it once again and unleashed a flurry of slashes underneath it sending its HP gauge into despair. The beast began to pixelate, then disappeared. The roar from the crowd was deafening in the main Tavern and the people in the streets hugged each other wiping tears of joy. The song had ended and Sir Damon dropped to his knees to catch his breath. His swords still in hand, as if he couldn’t let go. The moment passed and he sat up straight taking in another deep breath.

The red light began to glow signaling that he needed to proceed. Sheathing his swords, he took out another vial of both blue and red potions. He replenished the Magic to full capacity and did the same for the HP but still had some left over. A sigh of relief escaped him as made his way to the light and immediately noticed that the next room was bigger. That gave him the indication that this may be where it ends. This room was definitely large enough to hold – a Dragon. Immediately he checked his stats and saw that he had advanced and levelled up 10 positions which is unheard of in a single session in the dungeon. The other Adventurers exchanged glances as Anne displayed the before and after stats from before the Challenge began. “I would do that challenge for those gains,” said the Viking Leader. The Samurai were talking about his use of Musashi’s techniques in strategy and swordsmanship as they drank to his victory.

Not wasting time and knowing that the next attack was coming, the General checked his straps, armor was secure and then drew his swords. He walked into the center of the great room and one by one the Mini Bosses appeared. They looked like Rock Monsters and stood only two meters tall but were clearly more powerful than the others. Then they did something strange and lined up forming a straight line. Their heads were round and were set ablaze as soon as they lined up. That is when the Goddess ordered the next song to begin. “Play, Hero by Skillet,” she said calmly with a concentrated look in her eye having a bad feeling about this part. It seemed too easy. They were lined up, why?

Sir Damon already realized the gist of the situation. They would either disburse and attack at once or in unison. Or even worse, they are attacking one at a time because of how strong they really are. As the music dropped his motivation began to rise once again. The audience began to pump their fists and cheer at their screens watching the General take a fighting stance. The first Golem stepped forward raised its hands like a boxer. Sir Damon went straight in to test his theory and struck the Monster with a massive swing across its arm as it tried to block his strike. And just as he thought, if it successfully blocked his blow, considering the design of the Monsters' skin, his attacks will not have much effect. Stepping back, he circled the opponent which kept its hands up. The Golem tried punching at him, jabs and hook flying but he was able to avoid them. This was going to be a war of attrition. Picking his shots, the General decided to test the damage versus strikes on the exposed areas. As the monster swung, he slashed at its arms and midsection. It did some damage but not as much as he’d like. As it tried to jab, he drove the blade deep into its chest to see how that would affect it. That seemed to be more effective. But he couldn’t do that all the time.

The Goddess and engineers noticed that the music would run out before the task as one monster was going to take longer than normal. “Line up the next track, My Demons by Starset,” said Goddess Luna. The engineers went to work as they also kept the show going. “And just in case,” she added. “Line up Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace after that,” she ended with a sip of her wine and licked her lips. Remembering why he fought the way he did ignited a fire in her. Thinking to herself how she would reward him once he defeats that Dragon, she smiled at the thought.

The first one was dead and the next took on the form of a Muay Thai fighter which knowing the form himself, he knew to be cautious. He kept his distance and stuck the monsters as hard as he could. Breathing with each strike as his coach had taught him, his stamina would be his biggest asset in this fight. Picturing who he was fighting for brought his energy back and it was if he didn’t need a break. He fought to keep his wits about him. Trying to focus on the task before him knowing that this was designed to sap him of his strength. The Goddess Luna needed him right now, that’s all he could think. And every strike brought him closer to her touch. He longed for her kiss, her scent, the feeling of her body when he caressed her. He craved every inch of her and needed to get through this to have that. And as he pictured her in that room, cold and weak, he pulled out sword skills that he had not used before and sliced through the Golem and the next in minutes. Just as the second last Golem approached him taking a Kung Fu stance, the song “Animal I have Become” by Three Days Grace began to play. The look in his eyes turned violent and he sliced through the Golem from head to toe before it could move. The audience gasped at what they were seeing. “Even at this stage of the quest, he’s getting faster,” said the Vikings amongst themselves. “He’s in love,” said a Lady Warrior behind them. Her dark hair covering half of her face. She flicked her hair to the side to face them slamming an empty beer mug on the counter. “You’d be shocked what someone would do for the people they loved,” she snapped her fingers at the bartender and pointed to the empty mug. The Vikings nodded and turned their attention back to the screen and the Leader yelled, “An excellent point. Another round barkeep and that one for the Lady Warrior is on me.” She raised her now filled mug in appreciation and he did the same.

The last of the Golems stepped forward and took a Capoeira stance and started the movement called the ginga (back and forth rocking or swinging) which was the fundamental movement for the form. It started its kicks and flips throwing him off as he had to dodge and more than the others. A few of its low attacks landed and Sir Damon watched his HP gauge drop. Stepping back, he tried another tactic and began the ginga along with the monster and it mirrored his movements. Using his own knowledge of Capoeira, he swung a few blows at the monster and as it avoided his shots, he followed up with a dual s***h at its neck with sent it staggering back and dramatically decreasing its HP. He followed up with a few quick strikes into its chest and ended off with a slice across its chest to send it into the digital death zone. The pixels lit up for the sixth time and the last of the Mini Bosses was defeated. The audience cheered and pounded their drinks. A chime pinged over all the intercoms as the Public Address system came to life. Anne made an announcement…

“For defeating the Mini Bosses, Sir Damon – General of the Dungeon, has been awarded the Strike Skill called – Red Dragon. Every strike from your Swords, will be imbued with the power of the Dragon. Congratulations.”