"Amber!?" I yelled in surprise. Seeing her hiding behind the giant demon caused me a great deal of confusion. Why was the queen hiding behind the enemy, and why did the demon seem to be protecting her?
I held the grip on my sword tighter than usual and asked, "What is going on, Amber? Why are you hiding behind the demon? Why is the demon protecting you?"
Amber walked forward, and she had a look of shame on her face.
"Lord Thomas," Amber said. "I am sorry, but I am a traitor."
"A traitor?" I said, not understanding what she was talking about.
"Yes," Amber said. "I have been conspiring with the heretics. I have been helping them bring the demons into this world. I have been assisting them in destroying the kingdom."
"What, Why? How could you do this Amber? You are bringing great pain to your people. Why are you working for the Great Tree? What does it want exactly?"
Amber was a beautiful elf woman, and she had a sad smile on her face. She looked at me and then at the ground.
"Lord Thomas, I am sorry, but I have been given a mission by the Great Tree. I have been instructed to assist the heretics in bringing the demons into this world. I have been told to assist them in destroying the kingdom. The Great Tree demands a great sacrifice for the betterment of elf-kind. After listening to The Great Tree, I concluded that you are not suitable to be ruler of this world. There is a great, looming threat arising that will cause a lot of suffering, The Great Tree demands sacrifices to avoid the coming calamity. It needs power."
"What calamity?" I asked. "What does the Great Tree know that I don't?"
"The Great Tree knows many things," Amber said. "It knows of the threat that is coming. It knows of the suffering that will occur. It knows of the sacrifice that must be made. The Great Tree has foreseen all of this. That is why it must be obeyed. It is for the good of the elves."
"How can the Great Tree ask for so many sacrifices? How can it ask for the death of the kingdom? How can it ask for the suffering of the elves?"
"The Great Tree knows what it is doing," Amber said. "It has a plan. It will not allow the elves to suffer for long. It has a plan for the future. It is a shame what must happen. But the future of the elves is important. The sacrifices must be made. The Great Tree will lead us to a better world."
"You're insane," I said. "The Great Tree is not to be trusted. It is only thinking of itself. It does not care about the elves. It is not concerned with their suffering. It is not concerned with their future. There is no possible way it could be concerned about those things. From what I gather, it simply wants power! Only I am the Author of Life, I alone rule this world! there is no other like me. Come to your senses Amber."
"No," Amber said. "You are wrong, Lord Thomas. The Great Tree cares about the elves. It is thinking of their future. It will lead us to a better world. I will not listen to you, Lord Thomas. You are not worthy of being the Author of Life. I will not allow you to stand in the way of the Great Tree's plans."
I readied my sword and charged at the demon. The beast roared and swung its massive claws, narrowly missing me as I dodged. Kyran was by my side, and we both attacked the demon together.
We swung our swords, and we landed a barrage of blows to the demon's body. The beast was unsteady on its feet, and it seemed like we were gaining the upper hand.
But then, the demon roared and swung its tail, hitting me in the stomach and sending me flying through the air. I landed on the ground, and I felt the air leave my lungs.
The demon lunged at me, and it raised its paw to strike. Just before it could land the blow, Kyran jumped in front of me and blocked the attack with his shield. Meanwhile, Arron and Althea were firing arrows at the demon, while Sophia moved into position to heal my wounds.
As the battle wore on, it became clear that the demon was a formidable opponent. Its scales were thick, and its claws were razor-sharp. It was strong, and it was relentless.
But we were not going to give up. We had a duty to protect the kingdom, and we were not going to let a demon stand in our way.
We continued to attack the demon, and we were able to wear it down. I pierced its hide, and I plunged my blade deep into its flesh.
The beast roared in pain, and I pulled my blade free. Blood poured from the wound, and the demon staggered.
We pressed our advantage, and we continued to attack the demon. We struck it with our swords, and we pierced it with our arrows. We were able to wear it down, and we were able to deliver a mortal blow.
After a while, the demon fell to its knees. It was breathing heavily, and it was bleeding profusely. It was on its last legs, and it was not going to survive the battle.
I approached the demon, and I readied my sword.
"I will show no mercy," I said. "You have brought great suffering to this kingdom. For that, you must pay."
The demon growled, and it looked at me with hatred in its eyes.
I swung my sword, and I sliced the demon's head off. The beast fell to the ground, and its blood spilled onto the dirt.
With the demon slain, I turned to where Amber was initially only to see that she had disappeared.
"Where did Amber go?"
"She's gone," Kyran said. "She's escaped."
"We have to find her," I said. "We have to stop her. She's working for the heretics, and she's aiding the demons. She must be stopped."
"Wait, Lord Thomas," Althea said. "Do not worry. We will find her. We will stop her. But first, we must regroup and recover. The battle was intense, and we are all tired. We must rest, and we must regain our strength. We will not be able to defeat the heretics or the demons if we are weak."
"You're right, Althea," I said. "Let's rest and then move on to finding more survivors. After that, we'll march to the Great Tree. It's time we get some answers."