GAME: The Final Sin

AND SO IT WAS that a great doorway rose from the earth in front of Southreach's gates, just as tall and twice as large. Made of blackened stone and copper, the door was carved with all manner of strange rune, fell beast, and terrible weapon. For the span of ten heartbeats the door stood silent, before slowly creaking open just a crack. From the great whiteness within the doorway bolted forth three female figures riding on strange mounts, faster than any six-legged steed. 

The first was tall, taller than any Person, lovely without compare, with skin the color of fire-ash. Rising from the top of her head amidst shoulder-length black hair were two sharp backward-curving horns, smoldering as if they were logs pulled from the fire. The first's amber eyes were large, her ears were small webbed wings, and her figure shapely but wiry. She was dressed in a red sleeveless coat, slung at her side was a saber, sheathed in brass, and around her neck was a golden choker-collar, intricately carved. In her hand was a tall spear, a bundle of cloth wrapped under its obsidian head.

The second was somewhat shorter than the first, just as lovely, sharing skin color and ears. Her black hair formed a long tail that hung down her back, her horns two hooks. Her eyes were azure, and she wore a sleeveless, low-cut black hide shirt and hose, clinging to every slender curve. She bore a saber as well, and a moon-bladed halberd. 

The third sister was the second's exact twin in body and dress, save her eyes were leaf-green and her polearm was a grandly-barbed harpoon.

The engines upon which they rode resembled two black iron lizards whose jaws bit each other, their legs clamped down on burning wheels of smokeless flame.

The first raised her banner, and thrust it into the earth, where the bundle unfurled into a banner, with a strange house as its device. The three sisters dismounted, drew their swords, raised them high, and crossed blades in salutation. 

"We, the Qarluc Clan," they shouted in unison. "do claim these lands in the name of our family, our selves, and our needs. This we swear, that until every star ceases to shine in the sky, that enemies of the tribe shall meet death, that friends shalt be welcome among us. Come forth, Those-Who-Need!"

Then the doors swung open and a great mass of demon refugees dressed in all manner of rags stormed out, surging upon the gates. 

BUT ONLY IF across the battlefield, Zazelle notices Castor, and, pointing her gleaming gold saber, beckons her to duel.

"My business is my family. My family is now here to stay. My name - however - is Zazelle. Zazelle Qarluc. And what is yours, pretty Knight? With whom of what family do I have the honor of crossing blades?"

"My family needs to eat, Pretty Knight. They need a place to live and call their own, a place to raise our children in safety. There is no such place back there in Nishkriya." said Zazelle, pointing in the direction of the Mistake. "The right question is, will you slaughter us all, Pretty Bloodstained Knight? Those who merely wish to live?"

With a flash of movement, Zazelle parried the blow. "That was an poor assault. You fight half-heartedly, Pretty Knight. Could it be? Yes. You doubt the "people" of this land. Are they worth fighting for?"

Blade flashing, Zazelle whipped her saber forth an overhead chop.

"Don't you know? Lying kills."

AND SO IT WAS that Zazelle, with a quick stroke of her flashing blade, beheaded Castor, slaying the best and truest of knights Southreach ever had.

(Oh, crap. I just realized that I can't ask for your death. Not now, since you're still a Novice. So I change my statement to the following.)

(Also, when you use 'You Ask Far Too Much' you need to expend a theme.)

---

"Don't you know? Lying kills. And we'd know. These cannonballs are made from lie-tellers and speak-falses."

AND SO IT WAS that the the great doorway opened, and a large battery of red-metaled artillery pieces. At Zazelle's command, they discharged, pounding Southreach with rounds of white bone into so much dust and blood. 

"See you, Pretty Knight. When next we meet, you will tell me your name." said Zazelle, her sword-arm raised in salute. A grin, a twinkling of the eye, and a great leap later, the three sisters raced off into the great doorway, which slammed shut with a resounding, final BOOM.

It was nightfall when the party got back to Southreach. Already, rumors had begun to spread; was it the beginning of the end? Some more antagonistic elements blamed Castor and the knights, thinking it a plot for them to keep magic for themselves. Others brushed off the rumors of three she-demons astride fearsome iron beasts. Nevertheless, the city was in a furor.

An old woman, slender and ethereal, approached Castor at the city gates. "Young lady, could you come with me for a while?" The tone in her voice noted that she knew the situation was more sinister than the people thought.

"I am not your foe; in fact, I will tell you what you need to know about them." Grasping Castor's arm, she teleported the two of them to the top of a secluded tower.

"AS you may have surmised, these demons are from another dimension. They sense magical energy, and when there is enough of it - especially when used for eldritch purposes - they decide to take magic for themselves. Nevertheless, they're not immortal - yet they require a lot of power and mastery of words to overcome."

"Yes, yes... though as it is I am more displeased with how the world is, given that it is why we're in this mess." A weary sigh left the old woman's lips, and she turned to a bookshelf. Retrieving a blue-covered book, she turned to Castor and asked, "Should you be willing to undertake this, do remember that even the most honorable warrior is but a few steps from perdition."

"This book contains an ancient ritual that will allow any human to close a demonic portal. However, to do so, one must acquire a tremendous amount of magical energy - and, as I will tell you many a time, magical energy is one of the most insidious forces in the universe. You must vanquish many a foe to do so. However, there is a quicker way to gather energy, and you must only use it if and only if desperation crosses your mind and you are willing to lose your humanity."

"You defeat them in single combat. Their code demands that they fight with honor. Together, the demons are unstoppable; by themselves, they are vulnerable. They will retreat once they are defeated, yet I would suggest you get help before sealing the portal."

The old witch sighed as she readied herself. "If you must... magical energy is gained from a being's energy. It is linked to their nervous systems, so creatures with primitive nerves, like a jellyfish, are almost non-existent magically. It is enhanced by the creature's emotional bonds, which are more prominent in sapient beings like humans. Positive emotions are the strongest enhancers of magical energy.

My point is... should you wish, you will have to betray and kill your friends and loved ones to quickly gain the energy. But doing so will leave you more vulnerable to corruption. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide. Does your humanity matter as much as saving this doomed world?"

"All right, then. Guard the tome with your life, if need be." Muttering an ancient teleportation chant, the crone sent Castor back to Southreach.