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Chapter 8: Lirulu

 Back in Dosnatia, the party had left the portal and was back in the temple. When they exited the temple, the sky was darkened. They could hear growls and screeches everywhere. They looked at Dosnatia Castle in the distance, and saw a horrible sight. There was a huge, dark portal above it. "We have to go there! The Demon King might be waiting there!" Lilia shouted. Destry took out his map. There was a path to the castle near them! The party ran to the path as fast as they could. When they got there, they saw many monsters lurking around. As they went down the winding path, they fought off many monsters.

When they had walked a few miles down the path, they spotted a group of monsters gathered around a fire, eating some unidentifiable food. There were Swamp-Dwellers, Makios, and even a Nighttooth! But among them, there was an oddity. A strange-looking man, gleefully having a conversation with a Swamp-Dweller. In front, there was that stand that they had seen so many times on their adventure.

The shopkeeper! He noticed the party, and ran over to them. Or attempted to run. When he reached the party, after catching his breath, gave them his usual greeting. "So, what exactly is going on here?" asked Destry. "I'm SO glad you asked! Well, I got inspired after seeing you go on your little adventures, so I decided to go on one of my own!" the shopkeeper answered excitedly. "I'll never be the best merchant in Dosnatia if I'm not well-traveled!" he continued. When Evren asked about the monsters, he replied "I met them when I left Ayrith Village, and we've been traveling together since! Call me crazy, but I think I can understand them!".

He got behind the stand, which now read "THE SHIP". He had somehow, misspelled "SHOP". His spelling and penmanship still needed work. "I've got food for sale if you're hungry!" he said excitedly. Destry's mouth watered at the thought of food. But when he looked over the goods, he was saddened. There was only dirty apple cores, moldy cheese, and curdled milk. There was also some cloth, and several arrows. The shopkeeper twirled his mustache as the party looked over his goods. Echo decided to buy some arrows, and all of them wished the shopkeeper good luck on his travels. "YOU TOO!" the shopkeeper shouted after them.

After that disappointing encounter with the shopkeeper, the party headed back down the path. Meanwhile, the Demon King was on a rampage in Dosnatia Castle. He had made his way to the king and queen's chamber, and slammed the doors open. That awoke the king and queen of Dosnatia, Kondet and Hegathri. They saw the Demon King, and screamed in terror. Before they could call for the guards, the Demon King waved his weapon, a strange cross between a sword and a wand, and they lay flat, unable to move. The Demon King moved towards Kondet, and shoved his weapon through his chest. As his blood splattered the bedroom, Hegathri tried to scream in grief and terror, but nothing could come out. Tears streamed down her face as the Demon King moved towards her. "Hello again, dear sister." he said sinisterly while smiling. "I've got you right where I want you..." he continued. The last thing Hegathri saw was the tip of his weapon and a burst of red. She had no time to react.

In a tower on the right of the castle, the princess of Dosnatia, Lirulu, was having the scariest night of her life. There was someone in the castle, someone who was not supposed to be there! Neither the guards or her nurse had come to check on her. She decided to go investigate on her own. She reached under her bed and pulled out the rapier she had been secretly training with. She strapped it to her back, and went to put on her trusty pair of boots. She then left the tower. Lirulu's nightgown brushed against the ground as she ran towards her parents' chamber, grabbing a candlestick on the way.

When she reached her destination, she walked into the room and whispered "Mother? Father?". But they could not answer. The light from her candlestick revealed a grisly sight. Tears began to roll down Lirulu's cheeks as she walked closer to the bed. But her grieving was interrupted by a very sharp tap on her shoulder. So sharp, that it left a cut. Lirulu turned around, only to come face to face with the Demon King.

"Hello, little girl..." the Demon King said with an eerie grin on his face. "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILLED MY PARENTS!" Lirulu shouted through tears. She pulled out her rapier, and held it in front of the Demon King. "I think I've had enough of killing for now... I shall save YOU for later! The Demon King said. He simply waved his weapon, and Lirulu fell to the ground, unconscious. The Demon King slung her over his shoulder, and opened up a portal back to Nocturnae so he could put Lirulu in one of his many dungeons.

When the party had reached Dosnatia Castle, they saw the dark portal above the castle close up. The towering castle's drawbridge lowered down, and the gates opened. Evren took out his wand, and shouted "SUPRASHIO!". The white mist returned, and circled the party until their wounds were all healed. The party joined hands, and walked into Dosnatia Castle. The once regal entry hall was a shell of its former self. The Demon King had scratched up tapestries, damaged the walls and floors, and had committed atrocities that cannot be mentioned!

Evren was holding on to Lilia for dear life. Lilia tried to reassure him that everything would be okay, and he relaxed a little. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang through Destry's head. "The Demon King just left for Nocturnae! He left a portal open upstairs. GO FORTH!" it said. "It's Meirxae! She says there's a portal upstairs!" Destry told the party. He led them upstairs. Just like Meirxae had said, there was a portal upstairs!

"This is it, guys! The final boss of Quest for Dosnatia!" Destry exclaimed as they were about to leap through the portal. The trip through the portal was quick. They held onto each other throughout the trip. When they opened their eyes, they had arrived in Nocturnae. Nocturnae was a vast, dark realm, with deep purple clouds everywhere. There was a long, spiraling purple stairway in front of the party, which led to none other than the Demon King's lair.

The party began to walk up the stairs, and had to stop to catch their breath a few times. As they reached the top, they had to fight off several Nocturnites. When they had reached the Demon King's lair, they saw the black, metal gates open, and walked through. When they entered, they heard a girl's voice calling out. "HELP! I'M TRAPPED DOWN HERE!" she shouted. "We have to help her!" Destry said to the party. "But what if the Demon King sees us?" asked Echo. "We'll be very quiet." he replied. They followed the sound of the girl's voice to a stairway leading to some sort of basement. They descended down the stairs, and discovered that they were in no ordinary basement. There were cells lining the walls, and there were several unpleasant looking contraptions set up around the room. In the cell in the middle, the girl was being held captive. Destry walked over to her. "Who are you? Did the Demon King take you?" he asked. "I am Lirulu, princess of Dosnatia. The Demon King kidnapped me and locked me up here! I think he is going to kill me soon!" Lirulu said through tears.

Destry noticed that she was quite pretty. Even though her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear-stained, her beauty shone through. He also saw that she was clutching a rapier in her left hand. "I'm Destry, and this is Echo, Lilia, and Evren." Destry said. "We'll get you out!" Lilia said. Lilia drew her wand, aimed it at the lock on Lirulu's cell, and exclaimed "SUNFIRE BEAM!". The beam shot out of her wand, and hit the lock, breaking it into pieces.

The door swung open, and Lirulu walked out. "I just wish there was some way I could avenge my parents..." she said. Destry got an idea. "Why don't you join us? You have that rapier, so you can fight!" he suggested. Lirulu's face began to light up. She would really get to fight! She would have friends for the first time! "Yes! I would love to join you!" she said, trying to contain her excitement.