I just vanqui- no, that’s not the right word. I killed the Demon King. While most might find this to be triumphant, I do not.

Originally, I was sent by herd to go kill him & return our treasure, the Minotaurs treasure. I traveled over mountains & rivers, until I finally met the Demon Kings army. I did very well, I hacked & sliced through thousands of Demons with my Thunder Axe. At the end of it all, I met the Demon King, he was a tall gargoyle decorated in Black Armor, wielded a gigantic sword, & dawned a golden crown. Our battle was epic, lasting almost an entire day. At the end, I managed to win, almost losing my life multiple times. But before the Demon King died, he asked me something. “Please. Please, take my crown, my sword. Do what I could not.” I was surprised, the ruthless Demon King, begging me, not for his life but to do what he could not? But I could not ask him to elaborate, as he was dead.

I did as he asked & took his crown & sword. I first put on his crown & was suddenly transported to another plain. I was in a state of shock as I was floating above a great field of Opals. As I was looking at the rocks, a long serpent like dragon shot out from the Opals, just as shiny as they were. The dragon stared at me & claimed “Your the new Demon King.” “Me? The new Demon King?” “Yes.” The dragon looked at the crown & then looked at me. “You don’t think your the king, don’t you?” “Of course I don’t! I have no clue what’s happening!” The dragon glanced at my deep wounds & the blood on my body. “You killed Percy?” “The Demon King? Y-yes, I defeated him.” “Hmm, I knew this would come.” “What do you mean?” The dragon then held out one of his claws. “You are currently the 17th Demon King. Do you know what that title means?” “The King of Demons?” “WRONG. A Demon King is a general, a general who commands an army to protect Hells Jewel.” “Hells Jewel?” “It’s a special Ruby holding the 10 titans, the same that almost destroyed your world, Mercury.” I was puzzled, Hells Jewel? It’s a Ruby, but the Minotaurs treasure is the Heart of the Mantle, a Ruby as well. I then asked “Who originally had this Jewel?” “Lucifer MorningStar.” A shiver went down my spine. “Lucifer was the one who originally sealed away the 10 Titans in the Hells Jewel, but he couldn’t bring it back to Hell as the Titan cursed the Jewel to remain on Mercury.” Wasn’t Lucifer just the original Demon King? “To allow Lucifer to continue his ruling of hell & to keep the Jewel safe, he appointed the first Demon King, Arthur Pendragon.” “King of the humans?! But how could he be a Demon King?!” “He was, just didn’t like to use the title. At some point, Arthur was found to be unfit to hold onto the Jewel, so Lucifer sent Beelzebub to retrieve the Jewel. Arthur refused to give it up, so Beelzebub killed him, becoming the 2nd Demon King & the first to utilize an Army to hell.” This sounds so similar to the history I’ve learned, yet different. “Which leaves you. You, Mitus Arvoth, the 17th Demon King. The Hells Jewel will be placed within your protection, along with an Army of Demons to serve you.” “But I didn’t sign up for this!” “Yes you did, you claimed the crown, therefore claiming the position & responsibilities of Demon King. Good day.” “Wait!” I was hurled back into Mercury, waking up to find Demons around me, kneeling & calling me their king.

I refused their loyalty at first, but realized they would not go. I accepted my new servant’s & responsibility as I was given the Hells Jewel, a Ruby holding ever screaming souls. But I wondered, why did my Herd tell me this Jewel belonged to them? Or why the humans continue to claim the 2nd Demon King stole the crown of the Humans? That dragon couldn’t lie to me, they are guardians legally bound to speak only of the truth. I wonder if I have one too… whatever. I’m going to figure out this mystery, ask both my herd & the humans about this information, including those other races. And, I’ll make sure to keep this Hells Jewel safe in the meantime until this is all sorted out.

Humans, also known as Daemons due to their fighting techniques, were finally put to heel. By an adventuring party of elves, we managed to infiltrate and kill their King.

But as he died and we were taken prisoner, not caring because we had finally won the war, we were shown a 'video.'

"This is a primer for any defectors to our cause, and stands as an introductory video into why the Beastpeople And Human Republic do as we do." the man we had just killed said.

"In the Terran year 2049 AD, Terra-Humanity, unified as the Terra Firma Systems Union, or TFSU, created a portal to an alternate dimension. Our alternate dimension. Terra-Humanity had recently united, and shared the same with us. They were... careful about it. They guided us around mistakes, but made sure we did each step on our own. By the year 74,029 Elven Rein, a mere one hundred years after first contact, the lifespans of Etheria-Humanity and the Beastpeople was up to one hundred years. By 74,128, we had matched Terra-Humanity with agelessness, and The Uplift was complete, despite the technological disparity as Terra-Humanity continued to develop.

"We had moved not quite as fast as Terra-Humanity, but fast none-the-less. The Beastpeople And Human Republic, known as the BAHR was our own unified government, and we were doing well. As the two most overlooked peoples of Etheria, getting a grand total of four visitors over the entire course of The Uplift, began to successfully reach for the stars. We left Etheria behind, and became the first from Etheria to venture out into the cosmos.

"But we couldn't fully leave Etheria behind - sure, people might not care much, but this is our sentimental home. So, with the assistance of the TFSU and the Inter-dimensional Gateway project, we began to subtly uplift the rest of Etheria. The printing press, the granola bar, fast food - these are all things both the BAHR and TFSU invented on our own. We shared them, and we tried, oh how we tried, to bring the prosperity we both were given and found ourselves to Etheria.

"But that wasn't enough. Corruption, enough to stagnate invention for the past seventy-five thousand years, they did not like the BAHR and, even if they didn't know it, the TFSU. So they attacked. Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, all in one massive campaign to stop our 'dark magics' of using the nature of the cosmos to create machines.

"So here we are, at the end of it all. By the time you watch this video, I am most likely dead; swords kill, after all. But I beg you. Do what I could not, and bring Etheria to a new age. Touch our suns; the TFSU have done their's. Land on a planet orbiting a distant star; we have, and we wish for you to as well. Travel faster than the speed of light, and make this all available to the common population.

"The BAHR cannot maintain such a prolonged conflict as this one, despite the backing of the TFSU. But..." The man sighed, and put his head in his hands. "Take my crown, one not of gold, but of responsibility; take my sword, not one of steel, but one of knowledge; Do what the best of the best in an alternate dimension could not, and bring not just peace, but true prosperity to these lands, and with it, innovation.

"I am, I was, Electorate David Daemon, winner of the one hundred and third election of the BAHR. Signing of; Power to the people."

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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