Chapter Text
Narrator
You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a cabin. In the basement of that cabin is a prince.
You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
You
Yeah, I tried that. He slayed me right back. I’m guessing it didn’t save the world either, since I’m right back here.
Voice of the Warrior
Only one thing to do about that. Go back to the fight.
Voice of the Hero
We could try other things. Any other thing at all, even.
Voice of the Warrior
Are you scared? Am I stuck in this head with a coward?
Voice of the Hero
I would argue that it’s not unreasonable to be afraid of dying, but mostly I just don’t want to get beaten to death again. It’s not a quick way to go.
You
(It’s perfectly reasonable to fear death.)
(So why don’t you?)
Voice of the Warrior
Sounds like cowardice to me.
You
We could win this time. We know what he’s capable of now.
Voice of the Warrior
That’s what I like to hear!
You
[Continue to the cabin.]
Narrator
Well, I’m glad to see that you’re determined. This is an important duty, you know.
Voice of the Warrior
Sure. Duty. That’s definitely why we’re doing this.
Narrator
I do feel that I should give you one warning, before you face him.
He will lie, cheat, and do everything in his power to stop you from slaying him. You cannot allow yourself to believe a word he says.
Fortunately, he’s only a chained up prince, and you’re a brave and skilled warrior. This will be easy so long as you stay focused.
Voice of the Hero
The chain didn’t seem to stop him much last time…
Voice of the Warrior
It had better not. I don’t want an unequal fight. We need an even match if this is going to be worth it.
Voice of the Hero
I’m going to be honest here. I’m pretty confused about your priorities. Do you want to slay him? Because you sound pretty fond of the guy.
Voice of the Warrior
I want to fight him. I don’t care what happens after that.
Narrator
Slaying, preferably. You know, since the fate of the entire world is at stake.
You
(You’re not here for the world. You’re here for him.)
[Proceed to the cabin.]
Narrator
The interior of the cabin resembles a cave more than a building. The walls are harsh stone and almost brutally utilitarian. The only furniture of note is an iron altar with just enough room at its top to house a pristine blade.
The blade is your implement. You’ll need it if you want to do this right.
Voice of the Hero
What about the mirror?
Narrator
What are you talking about? There is no mirror. There’s hardly anything at all. Honestly, it’s a pretty depressing place.
Voice of the Warrior
Who cares about the mirror? It’s time to get back to him. To the fight! To the heat of battle in our blood.
Voice of the Hero
You sound less reasonable the more you talk, do you know that?
You
[Approach the mirror.]
Narrator
Okay, you walk over to the wall. It’s just a wall. There’s nothing on it, other than some scratches and cracks in the stone.
You
[Crouch down and look at the scratches near the basement door.]
Narrator
Once again, there’s nothing there. Do you want me to describe the cracks? They’re cracks. They’ve probably always been part of the rock, unless this place was dug out. Honestly, it looks a bit like an abandoned quarry, so maybe it was.
The corner you’re so obsessed with has several thick cracks, some of them large enough to make small gaps in the top layer of stone. I suppose one of them looks a bit like a kidney?
You
(Or a heart.)
(But that would be stupid.)
Narrator
I’ll be honest, I really don’t know what you want from me here. I’ve run out of things to describe.
You
[Take the blade.]
Voice of the Warrior
Finally! It feels so good to hold it again.
Voice of the Hero
It would be a pretty difficult fight without it. He’s stronger than us if we’re just using fists.
Voice of the Warrior
That’s going a bit far. This body isn’t weak.
Voice of the Hero
May I remind you that he literally beat us to death with his bare hands?
You
And he won’t this time. Because we’re ready for him.
Narrator
That’s the spirit.
You
[Enter the basement.]
Narrator
The rough appearance of the cabin continues as you pull open the heavy stone doors. The stairs look like they were carved directly from the surrounding rock, with less care the further down they go. The bottom step is little more than a chunk of stone, without any effort made to flatten the top. The very air is thick with heat and a faint tang of iron.
If this is really where the Prince lives, slaying him is probably doing him a favor.
Voice of the Warrior
Our battle won’t be anything like a favor. We’ll meet him as equals or we won’t meet him at all.
Narrator
A voice echoes against the stone from deep below.
Prince
“I can hear you hesitating up there. Come down and fight me, won’t you? It’s been too long.”
Voice of the Hero
Wow. Look, I’m not saying I’m scared, but we can at least agree that his voice sounds pretty threatening, right?
Voice of the Warrior
Absolutely. It’s perfect.
Narrator
Let’s not get carried away.
You
[Continue down the stairs.]
Narrator
Unlikely as it seems, the basement is even narrower than the upstairs. There’s been no effort made to turn it into a hospitable place. The ground is uneven and tilts slightly downward, as though even the stone wants you to approach the Prince.
Voice of the Hero
That would make it even harder for him to reach us, too.
Voice of the Warrior
I don’t like it. This doesn’t feel like a properly fair fight.
Narrator
As for the Prince himself, he stands tall, strength pouring out from every inch of him. He’s more beast than man. It’s a miracle that the shackle chaining him to the wall can even fit around his wrist.
He’s massive—but he’s also mortal. Don’t forget that.
Prince
“What, nothing to say? I suppose words mean little in the face of what else we can do. What we are.”
Voice of the Warrior
He’s right. Why waste our breath on talk when we could have the clash of steel instead?
Voice of the Hero
Uh, I don’t think there’s going to be any steel-against-steel clashing. He’s unarmed.
Voice of the Warrior
It’s a figure of speech.
Voice of the Hero
I don’t think it is.
Narrator
If you could focus on the task at hand, please.
You
“You wanted to try talking last time. Changed your mind?”
Narrator
He laughs, deep and menacing.
Prince
“You made it quite clear that you weren’t interested in talking. If you wish to converse, let us do it with our bodies.”
Voice of the Hero
Um.
Voice of the Warrior
He means fighting. Don’t make it weird.
You
“Should I toss away my blade and meet you bare-handed? It feels like cheating if I have the advantage.”
Narrator
The Prince growls. Literally, actually growls. There’s not another word for it.
Prince
“Don’t mock me. You’ll need your little claw if you’re going to have a chance of besting me. You barely managed to kill me last time, even with the advantage. I hope you can give me a better fight this time.”
Narrator
Alright, fine. Let’s address it.
Voice of the Hero
Address what?
Narrator
You’ve clearly been here before.
You
What tipped you off?
Narrator
The way you and the Prince are openly speaking about it, for one.
Voice of the Hero
We’ve been talking about it this whole time, and you were ignoring it before.
Narrator
Frankly, I was hoping that you’d gone a bit mad or that the anticipation was getting to you. But you’ve already failed. You let an entire world die.
You
What of it?
Narrator
What of it? I’m not exaggerating when I say that you doomed a whole world, you know. All of those people are gone now because of you. Forgive me if I’m hoping to prevent that from happening again.
You
If you want me to win this time, then stop distracting me.
Voice of the Warrior
And we will win. Losing would shame us forever in his eyes.
Narrator
It would also end the world. Just to make sure you understand what’s really important here.
You
(You’ve always understood what’s most important. That’s never the problem.)
Prince
“Well? Are you going to fight me or are you going to stand there?”
You
“Keep it together, beast. I’ll give you the fight you want.”
Narrator
You lunge at him, piercing forward with your pristine blade. He grins widely, showing off fangs that curl upwards, almost like tusks. His expression is both hungry and joyous. It is clear that, in his eyes, this fight is the greatest gift you could ever give him.
Voice of the Warrior
It isn’t a gift. Do I really have to say it again? We need this just as much as he does.
Narrator
He dodges your first swipe with a bark of almost hysterical laughter. His huge fist swings at you, and you barely manage to leap out of the way. His chain tugs at the wall, widening the cracks already spidering out from its attachment.
Voice of the Hero
He’s going to pull that thing straight out of the wall, isn’t he?
Voice of the Warrior
Good.
Prince
“Yes! Oh, yes. You know what we are, don’t you? You understand what we need?”
Narrator
His glee only grows with each blow you exchange. Neither of you can avoid taking a hit forever. You get a hard thump to the stomach that knocks the wind out of you, but you manage to sink your blade into his shoulder before you fall over.
Your grip on the blade’s handle is the only thing keeping you upright. This close, you can see the strands of saliva falling from his fangs. He’s panting harshly, and when your lungs begin to cooperate again, both of you are breathing the same air.
Prince
“We can cut this path together. You won’t leave me alone again, will you?”
Narrator
There’s a loud crack as he does, in fact, pull the chain from the wall.
Voice of the Hero
Knew it.
Narrator
You can feel the chain wrap around your throat in some sick mockery of an embrace. With all the stubborn strength you have left, you pull the blade out of his shoulder and plunge it directly into his heart.
His feral grin turns almost tender.
Prince
“You’re perfect. Did you know that? Do you even realize how perfect you are?”
Narrator
It’s a struggle to breathe with the iron grip he has on those chains. It won’t be long before your throat is crushed.
Still, you manage to speak.
You
“Don’t…talk…nonsense…”
Prince
“It’s not nonsense. It’s the only thing that’s ever made sense! You and I are…we are…”
Narrator
His words come slower. He coughs, making a bit of blood land on your face. It’s warm.
You’ve dealt him a lethal blow, but the edges of your own vision start to fade as well. I’m sorry, but you won’t survive this.
Voice of the Warrior
We wouldn’t want to. Not if it means being without him.
Prince
“Why is it getting so cold? It shouldn’t ever be cold when I’m…with you…”
But you don’t get the chance to answer before he is folded into a many-armed embrace, disappearing from sight.
You are alone.