A Contest of Kings (Interfered)

"It was the eve of the final battle, the monsters had already brought my empire to its knees. My fortress, one of the final bastions of humanity, was the last thing standing against the horde's supremacy... something its leader, the King of Dragons, was intending to change. I could see it and its retinue of monsters, their silhouettes threatening to envelop the setting sun. There I stood on the castle walls, maul in my hands and loyal knights by my side, ready to face my fated foe.

Their shadows got closer and closer. Their wings beat the air like tempests. Their roars deafening. Until finally, its black scales fell upon my courtyard, the very earth trembling beneath its weight. My knights split off to cull the horde, I alone vaulted off those stone walls to challenge that damnable beast... and there we were, King against King. Those few seconds we faced each other were like eternity.

I do not remember who made the first move, but the battle was fierce. I, with magic and maul, maneuvered around the air, striking swiftly and heavily all the same. It, with all its being, raged with a tenacity I have never- could never see again. Our fight is forever etched on that courtyard, the ground scarred and scorched, craters and debris scattered.

It was a long and arduous battle, but I finally gained upper-hand.

I charged at that scaled beast, maul low at my side, ready to be swung overhead and deliver my righteous wrath. The dragon swiped its tail across the ground, seeking to strike my legs. A trifling matter, as with a simple activation, a jet of blue energy bursted from the top of my maul, propelling me over the monster's tail. Finding myself in prime position, I swung the maul over my head, activating it mid-swing to propel myself again and deliver a crushing blow atop the dragon's skull. It's scales cracked beneath the speed and weight of my maul, staggering it back. It grew weaker, but also more desperate, I could no longer bide my time.

With my right hand I raised the maul above my head, pointed to the sky.

"Be honoured, wyrm, for you have been granted the privilege to be slain by an Emperor's blade."

And upon that declaration, I grasped beneath my right hand with my left and brought the maul's head beside mine, magic being concentrated into it. A stream of crackling, blue energy erupted from it, forming a long, magic blade that could rend the very heavens: a blade that befits an Emperor. Fearing its fate, it reared its head back and unleashed a furious blaze from its mouth... to no avail. A magic barrier, not my own, shielded me from the fire's wrath. Standing on the wall behind me was my court mage, staff aglow.

"Face your judgment."

And in one swing, I delivered the final strike, its head cleaved in twain, torn all the way to the base of the dragon's neck, the blade of pure magical energy dissipating as it hit the ground.

The broken horde fled as they saw their leader fallen and my remaining knights, free of their defense, reassembled to me. We were victorious... at great cost. So many of my retainers, so many of my people, lost. The empire, shattered and broken. But we would recover. So long as I stood I would not let it be the end...

... Of course the tale did not end there. We would attempt to reconvene in my throne room, to discuss our future actions, until the corpse of my defeated foe suddenly emitted an ominous mist. A viscous, black ooze leaked out of its wounds, joining together, its mangled body haphazardly reconnected by a tar-like web. My fearsome nemesis was simply a marionette all along, controlled by this demented, Strange puppeteer.

We watched in horror as the dragon's body shambled back to unlife, only reacting when black tendrils shot from its body. Those not magically inclined could not protect themselves from it, their armors and defenses pierced like they were nothing. We charged once more against the abomination despite our state, we had to.

I could not count how many times we struck this creature, how many times we dismembered its limbs, body, and head apart... the black ooze just as easily rejoined its body together. As opposed to us, we had already been fighting for so long, exhausted before this new enemy appeared. We were by no means outmatched in skill or strength, but our fatigue caused us to make small mistakes; mistakes it took advantage of.

By the end, we were only six in number: myself, my court mage, and four of my knights, two of them gravely wounded. With nothing left, the mage came up with a last, desperate plan to burn the last ounce of his magic and blood on a sealing ritual. I commanded my knights to carry the wounded and flee, they tried to argue and stay, but they would relent and accept my order.

The mage began his ritual and I stood in front as his shield. I fought the fiercest I ever have despite my fatigue, we could not let this disgusting abomination continue to stain this world with its blighted existence. Upon his final words, the last chants needed for the ritual, the mage disappeared in a bright light that would engulf the whole fortress, where I too was caught in it. But I was satisfied for that to be my last breath, valiantly standing to the end.

But it was not the end! I awoke on that same courtyard, back against the floor. The castle had aged so much and everything was in disrepair. I took my time to mourn the fallen, then set off to search for my surviving knights. I wandered for who knows how long... through forests and deserts, facing lesser beasts, rain and storm. Until I found this village and learned of my fate..."

With the end of his story, Godfred sat back down on the wooden log, tired of standing, posing, and emulating his words.

The first to make a sound was a loud honk from one of the penguins sat? around the fire. Following after the honk, children and hunters with stars in their eyes started asking questions.

"How did the war start?"
"What was your first hunt?"
"Can we see the 'Emperor's Blade'?"
"Did you find your knights?"
"Who were your knights?"
And so many more.

Godfred calmed them all down, pointing to the moon in the sky. "Now, now, it is getting late. I can tell more stories next time. Go home before your parents come and complain to me!"

The young crowd all boo'ed and aww'ed, but still they listened and dispersed back to their homes.

Afterwards, Godfred returned back inside his ramshackle mansion, penguins all around him getting ready to also turn in for the night. One penguin waddled by his side, honking.

"Hmm... no, I never did find them... but that is no longer possible."

The penguin honked again.

"It's alright, I think. I can rest, at least, knowing they lived on."

Another honk.

"How do I know? You see those two girls? One of them with the big sword? I know that sword, you know."

A surprised honk, this time.

"I couldn't believe it either. To think that brat would find a partner when he couldn't find right or left... and one of his descendants is even a so-called 'Legendary Hunter'!"

One more honk.

"No, I do not. But I know the rest them lived on. I believe. Now enough questions."

A final, disappointed honk.

"You are not a child. Go to your nest."

And with a sad waddle, the penguin exited Godfred's room, leaving him to rest for the night.

An Untold Piece

Godfred opened his eyes, the starry night sky the first he could see. Sitting up, he found himself still in the courtyard where light engulfed him. Behind him was the rotted staff affixed into the ground, magic seals written around it. In front of him were the same seals, but written on a larger scale. Beneath him, again the seals written to his scale, but faded. With a groan, he grasped his maul to help him stand up. It was quiet, the courtyard empty save for himself.

After gathering his bearings, he knew what he first had to do. Marching around the castle, he searched for the corpses of his knights, but he could not. Their last traces the rusted weapons they wielded. He collected each one and planted them all into the ground, behind the wooden staff. There were many words he wanted to say, to each and every one of them. But he could not find those words.

"Thank you all, for your valiant service. May you all take your well needed rest."

Suddenly his sorrow was overtaken. He breathed an enraged snort as he turned to the large magic seal. His grip tightened around his maul, a furious desire to end this threat once and for all... but he knew he was too weak. He needed to find his knights, recover his wounds, and gather new retainers. So with a heavy sigh, he turned away, and set off from his castle.