Hope never dies

Whilst he was lying on the gore covered ground, Zook wondered if there was any hope for him left. Probably not. Not after he witnessed the horrible death of The Weapon. The gruesomeness of it all had left him in shock, but it wasn’t over yet. First, the cruel elves had made him watch the death of all his friends. He had been powerless and unable to prevent it from happening. After that, he was forced to watch his beloved pet Squishy die a terrible and brutal death. He was trying hard not to think about that. Zook prayed it would all be over soon. But, as the elves had shown whilst killing Foesj, it was possible he was in for a slow and painful death. Suddenly something caught his eye. Someone was staring at him.

Dick watched the Half Elf closely. The man was looking up at him. His blue eyes were wide in horror, and his whole face was tear streaked. His chest was heaving convulsively, like he was having trouble breathing. And his black hair, which before had been enchantingly pretty, was filthy and messy. The Druid’s clothes were torn, and his whole body was covered in bloodstains, most of them not belonging to himself. The sight alone made Dick hard.

-Was that a gorgeous show or what?!- A voice came from deep within Zook’s mind. It was the Incubus that took over his body now and then, after they had made a pact.

~Those were my friends, you asshole.~ Zook replied, tired of the constant struggle with his demon.

-Ohh, I’m so sorry…- Came the sarcastic answer. –So when are you going to beg for your life? Maybe if you treat them real nicely they’ll let you go...-

~I’m not going to beg.~

-Just wink then?-

~…No.~

-What do you mean by that? You’re giving up?- The Incubus sounded amused.

~My friends are dead. I’m not going to beg those monsters! I won’t give them that satisfaction. Do you really think they’re going to let me live?!~

-You could at least try. C’mon, please? Do it for me. Maybe if you act real pretty they’ll just rape you. I’d like to see that happening.- The demon laughed at his barbaric thought.

More tears formed in Zook’s jaded eyes. ~Yes, you’d like that. And that’s exactly why I won’t let that happen.~

After studying the still handsome being in front of him, Dick came to the conclusion that Zook was preparing himself for his demise. The Half Elf looked exhausted, scared, traumatized, but started to look more and more at ease. There was a sad calmness spreading through his features, but the flow of tears didn’t stop.

-So you’re going to do it this way huh? Fine with me, but you’re on your own. Have a nice death, silly Druid.- Zook heard the Incubus say. Then it became really quiet, and he knew he was all alone.

He felt like he could sleep an eternity after all he went through. Zook couldn’t wait to put all this behind him and finally go to rest. But it saddened him he would never meet his real parents, nor return to his loving gnome village. The thought of never seeing his foster parents, his gnome friends and his own save room again made him weep even more. But then again, he would soon be reunited with his combat friends. It would all be just fine. At least that’s what he told himself.

So he took a deep, shuddering breath, grabbed the dagger he had hidden up his ripped sleeve and attacked the evil Elf in front of him.

Dick never saw it coming. The dagger pierced his heart, and before his blood could hit the already bloodstained floor, he was gone from this world. The other Elves were in shock for a moment, but after that they were eager for some revenge.

Zook saw a couple of Elves drawing their bows and pointing them at him. He prepared himself for the pain. After the first arrows hit him in the shoulder, chest and leg, another Elf plunged forward and stabbed him a couple of times in his back. Zook fell to the ground, his smile altered by the pain, finally finding his peace.