You fight your way through the manor to the great hall, where you expect the Count will be. When you reach it, however, you find it empty. The Count must be elsewhere. So, you continue to hack and slash your way through, checking every room in an attempt to find the bastard.

It's only after a dozen men have died and you yourself have suffered several wounds that you find him. He's sitting calmly in his study, reading a book, perhaps unaware of the fighting that had been going on outside. You readjust your grip on your sword, then bark, "Hey!"

He looks up, sighs, then slips a ribbon into the book on the page he was on. Shutting it and placing it down on a table, the Count stands, and gives you a small smile. "My apologies. I got so absorbed with my reading, I must not have heard you." He stands a good few inches below you, dressed in fine silk clothing with various pieces of jewelry adorning his body. Truly, he's a pompous asshole.

You stare at him in disbelief. "Deaf and corrupt, huh?"

He frowns. "Whatever do you mean?"

You grit your teeth so hard you feel like they might crack. "You've been running this city into the ground long enough. I didn't save this Goddamn world so its rulers could become just as bad as the man I saved it from." You raise your sword, point it at him. "I'm going to cut you down."

The Count looks confused for a moment, and he studies your face. Then, it clicks, and he sighs. "Lord Kit, is it? I see. So you've finally decided to come out of retirement. I knew this day would come." He turns his back on you and approaches his bookshelf. Picking one out, he turns it over in his hands, then shows it to you. The cover is faded, but the words clear as day.

It reads "Sir Kit Against Alistair".

"This was one of my favorite books, y'know. You seemed so pure, so flawless." He flips through it a bit. "But it's clear that reality is far from the truth. How much blood have you shed today?"

"I cut down dozens of your guards to reach you."

"Ah. It would seem you live up to the tales in that regard then." He turns the book over more, before placing it back. "Let's test another aspect of those tales. It was said that Alistair tried to tempt you with unlimited power, but you turned it down. Was that true?"

You snort. "Of course not. As soon as Grace and I entered that throne room of his, we were fighting for our lives. No time for words."

"So it would seem. But if he did offer you that power, would you have accepted?"

You're not sure how to respond.

The Count smiles. "I'll make you an offer. I'm very talented in... Certain aspects of magic. You miss your friends, no?" He snaps his fingers, and a portal is opened to you. What's inside you can hardly believe.

Your friends. All of them. Henry, strumming his lute. Thomas, sharpening his daggers. Lilith, reading holy scriptures... And Grace, sitting there and playing with fire as she always did.

You reach out to them, let out a yell of pure shock and happiness despite yourself. A mixture of awe and sheer joy making its way onto your face. It's them! They're alive! By the Gods, they're alive, like they should be!

Then, the portal closes. You shift back towards the Count, having forgotten he was even there. He gives you an enigmatic smile. "It seems that seeing your companions again got a reaction. I can take you to them again. You can relive your quest, make things right."

Your voice is shaky as you reply, "You're... You're not planning anything? I can fix things... Right?"

"That you can. But only if you spare me."

You ... No. The Count is playing a trick on you. You won't let him.

You look longingly at the portal for a moment. It's tempting, oh so tempting, but you know that whatever lies beyond it is a farce. The Count is trying to trick you, offering you something he knows you would want, but you won't take the bait.

You give your companions a stony face. "You're not real." Then, you turn to the Count, and swing at his head.

The sword cleaves through his dandy face, completely knocking off the top half. He stands stone still for a minute, as if his corpse is denying his death, before falling to the ground. The portal closes, and with it, the image of your friends.

Sighing, you place your sword back onto its sheath, and exit the room.

Before you stands the Count, alive and unharmed. He smiles, but instead of a small and enigmatic smirk, it's a large and goofy grin.

"Well done. You resisted my temptation. Not many have ever done that." He walks around you, examining you, while you stand there still reeling from the shock. "I wonder. How did you know that wasn't real?"

After taking a moment, you respond, "You're too much of a bastard to give me what I really wanted. It was a test. One I passed, apparently."

"Yes, yes it was, Kit. I'm impressed that you sussed that out, really. I suppose you're going to want to kill me again?"

Without another word you unsheathe your sword again and swing. He's cut in half this time. Then, the Count approaches from behind. "It's pointless, Kit. A mere mortal like you? You can't kill me. Just hear me out."

"What!?" you bark out.

The Count laughs. "I have a final offer. No tricks this time. I will give you a way out of this country. A key to a nice home on the Cikoni shoreline. The place will be stocked with food, alcohol, water, whatever you need once a week. Other than that? There will be no one who knows you're there."

You frown. "And in exchange?"

"In exchange, you leave Sodran and this Kingdom. Don't even return. You've been enough of a thorn in my side today."

This offer is much more down to earth and, therefore, more believable. Still, you're wary of any tricks.

You he admitted he was trying to trick you with his earlier offer. No more. You'll strike him down until finally, you kill him for good.

You answer his offer with another swing of your blade. This time, he simply forgoes his reappearance act and rises up again. He uses his hands to put his head back in place, and soon, the flesh has knitted back together and he's back to himself. The Count gives a tsk; lets out a sigh. "I hoped you would accept. I was being earnest, you know. Not many get that honor from me."

"I don't believe you. You're inhuman... A monster. What the hell are you?"

His small enigmatic smile returns to his face. "The answer lies in your question. What the hell am I? I come from Hell."

"... You're a demon."

He lets out a small chuckle. "Exactly. And I hope you know, you'll never kill me."

You go back to gritting your teeth in rage. This time, your grind them together so hard a piece of one of your incisors chips off. "I've killed enough men to know that all you need to do..." You swing, chopping his legs off. "IS KEEP SWINGING!"

You chop his corpse to bits. He comes back from behind you. You keep hacking. He keeps coming back. You keep slashing. He rises again with a laugh. You keep stabbing. He continues to laugh. You keep chopping. He rises without a scratch. Eventually you start bashing him with the flat of your blade. It doesn't keep him down.

But through the constant fierce attacks, you see that pieces of his chest have fallen off to reveal a glowing black heart. That's your ticket. You move your eyes from it before he notices. Right now, the Count is too busy chuckling madly to do anything.

"Alright... Alright, I think you've had your fun." He smiles. "This is the end, Kit."

He snaps his fingers. Flames burst from beneath you. Acting quickly, you roll away from them, and watch as they begin to consume the floor and walls of the hallway you're in. Your cloak is on fire, but you pat it away, and focus on your target.

He's standing there. Smiling that damned smile.

You can't wait to wipe that smirk off his face.

Deep within you, a scream builds up and lets loose. You dash at him, acting as though you're going for a swing. He opens his arms wide, awaiting the fruitless swing...

Then, you bring the sword back and ram it into his heart.

Unlike your other attacks, this gets him to look shocked. Black ooze slowly drips from his lips. You kick him away, and he lies on the ground, staring at you in awe.

"H-how?" he chokes out.

You don't give him a response. Instead, you pull the lantern oil from your pack and dump it all on him. He whimpers something, probably a plea for his life. You ignore him. Pulling your lantern from your hip, you ignite it...

Then smash it onto him.

The flames begin to consume him. He lets out a gurgling screech of agony. You grin at that scream. The rest of the fire rushes to meet him.

You step past his flailing, burning body, and descend to the entrance of the manor. You see that the fire is spreading quickly, burning through the wooden building rapidly. His screams have long since died down.

Outside there are guards waiting for you, staring in terror at your blood-stained body. You raise your sword, but instead, they step aside. The expressions on their faces range from terrified to relieved.

You leave the manor courtyard and disappear into the panicking mass of people in the streets. The guards stare at you in shock. They know that you did it, they know that they should apprehend you, know that you should be hung for your crimes. Still, they don't move out of fear of what you'll do to them.

You leave the city and never return.

THE END