Death Wish

Chapter 7. A Fool's Errand

Richard shakes his head. "I would rather not find out. I can see that it would be a long and uphill campaign for our party of six."

The Demon King falls back onto his throne in heavy laughter. "Six adventurers are expected to fight my army and storm my castle to banish me?!" He leans back forward. "Absurd!!!" 

Richard laughs also. "I know, right?!"

The Demon King glares at Richard. "However, you have accomplished this much by yourself. What happens next?"

Richard rubs the back of his head, chuckling. "I honestly had not thought that far ahead! Perhaps we can settle this peaceably?"

The Demon King rises slowly from his throne, producing a lighting spell in his hand. "Now you should have known better than that." He grins.

Richard groans, pulling his daggers out of their sheaths. "I guess you are right, I did know better."

The Demon King launches his spell at Richard, who flashes away in a flash of light. Richard appears behind him, throwing a kick, but the Demon King turns and catches the kick.

The Demon King throws Richard across the room. "You are strong, little ranger, but speed and strength are nothing..." He charges another spell. "without conviction!!!" 

Richard laughs, picking himself back up off the floor. "Who says I did not hit my mark?"

The Demon King turns just in time to see a Fire Ball explode on his back, sending him flying into Richard's fist.

"I am no one you have ever met before." Richard growls as the Demon King coughs up black blood.

The Demon King chuckles and whips his head up, eyes glowing red with anger. He lands a solid punch against Richard's face, sending him back into the throne room doors, breaking them into splinters. "What fun I am having!!!"

Richard lays limp on the ground, unconscious from the punch.

The Demon King approaches and picks him up. "Is that all you had?!!" He delivers punch after thunderous punch to Richard until he is sure he is down for good. He drops his lifeless corpse and proceeds to walk back to his throne.

"So... how is it going?!" Fate asks, mockingly.

Richard sits up in a white open void. "Fine, I guess."

"And you challenged the Demon King, because...?" Fate asks as he turns away.

"I did not want Bianca to have to take on this burden. It was unfair of The Order to order her to banish him!" Richard answers.

Fate looks back questioningly. "Bianca? I thought you already knew she was one of my blessed!!!"

Richard looks at him, confused. "What are you talking about... only ones from other words are......" Richard stops, the thought sinking in. "No.... NO! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!"

Fate turns all the way around. "Could you not see it in her eyes? Bianca is your love, Becca!"

Richard slams his fist on the void's floor. "HOW?!"

Fate opens a vision of the night Richard fell back off the roof, in his world. Richard watches as Becca leaps off the roof after him, grabbing him close and taking his hand in her's. The vision freezes.

"She leaped after you..." Fate answers. "She could not bear the thought of living without you." Fate whips around to face Richard. "It was your act of selfish disregard for the gift of life that ended with my saving both of you! I told you that you must find something to live for... this is it. I am giving you one last chance to make your mistake up to that wonderful young lady... She deserves at least that much from you!!"

Richard slowly stands, at the same time, his body heals itself and stands at the throne room door. "I have my purpose for living." He mumbles as tears roll down his face. He glares up at the unaware Demon King. "I am going to kill you, or die trying." Richard picks up his daggers and launches himself at the Demon King. "SHADOW SLASH!!"

The Demon King turns, surprised to see nothing behind him. Richard appears from all sides, delivering slash after slash, cutting the Demon King into pieces. The castle also begins to fall apart from the slices traveling through it. After the smoke clears from the castle falling apart, Richard stands on a single stone wall overlooking a bloody lump of flesh. He charges up a Fire Ball and sets the castle and the mountainside ablaze. He disappears in a flash of lightning, as the demon army panics and flees the area.

Back in the camp, Bianca and the others have just finished eating and begin heading to their tents when Richard returns. 

Sanya and Bernard glance at him with a smile as they head into their tents. Richard stops Bianca before she heads into her tent.

"Will you take a walk with me?" Richard asks.

Bianca nods, with a blush, and takes his hand. 

They walk away from the camp to a cliff overlooking a forest. The moon is bright and full, laced with a star-filled sky as they sit down next to each other.

After a few moments, Richard looks at Bianca. "I am sorry!"

"For what?!" Bianca asks, confused.

"I am sorry I leaped off that roof in our world, I am sorry I did not take your feelings into account, I am sorry for hurting you!!!" Richard bows, his head to the ground. "Please allow me to make it up to you in this world, Becca!!!"

Bianca's eyes instantly become filled with tears. "When... How..?"

"Fate told me, tonight, just before I killed the Demon King." Richard answers.

She slowly puts her hand on Richard's head and runs her hands through his hair. "It is Bianca now, but you can call me whatever you want, sweety!"

Richard raises his head just in time to receive a loud and head-spinning slap to the face.

Bianca stands over him, eyes overflowing with tears. "If you EVER do that to me again, I will kill you myself!!!"

Richard smiles and nods. "Not going to be a problem, I am immortal now!"

Bianca grabs his shirt and gives him a long kiss. After what seems to be an hour she breaks the kiss. "I mean it... If you ever try to leave without me again....."

Richard wraps her in a close hug. "Never again. I am staying here with you, forever."

Bianca smiles and hugs him back. "Forever is a long time." Bianca begins to laugh. "Good thing we are both immortal!"

The scene pans up into the star-filled sky as two shooting stars race across the sky, side by side. 

Fate looks through his window, overlooking the two of them, as they walk hand in hand, back to the camp. "You may have found each other, but your purpose in this world is not yet finished." Fate turns to the reader. "I have many more plans for you." 

[Aurther notes> Dearest Reader, Thank you for taking the time to read my original work. I hope you enjoyed every minute of it. However, Part 2 will continue on this thread in the future, so keep your eyes open. And again thank you for reading, voting, and commenting!] {Goal to next part to come}