The Legend of William and Kalveroth

[Author's note: This is a long chapter. No sex. Sorry!]

"So this is the last night, eh?" The caravan master said. A stout man with a thick yet-finely groomed moustache, he handed Venus a small washcloth to clean the sweat off her body after her dance routine.

Venus gratefully accepted the towel and began drying herself off in the earnest. "That's right. You have our thanks for your generosity." She replied, placing a hand over her heart, "If there's anything more we can do, you only have to ask."

"Tell us that story again," One of the guards yelled out, overhearing their conversation, "the one with the demon that gets to fuck all those pretty wenches!"

Sitting down next to Venus, Ace grinned smugly as several more people piped up, insisting that he re-tell the tale. The caravan master smiled and nodded his head. he too wanted to hear him tell it again.

"I don't know....I wouldn't want to wear the story out." He began, dismissively shrugging his shoulders, "You know what the bards say: Always leave your audience wanting more."

A clamoring uproar began. Guards started hurling out insults and complaining at the top of their lungs. Workers and merchantswailed in despair and threatened to never sell their wares or services to Ace ever again. It was all in good fun, of course. They knew the game, but they were willing to play it, just to hear the story.

"Fine, fine. You win." Ace said, pretending to raise his hands in surrender. "I'll tell the tale again, but this will be the last time." He climbed up onto a crate, so that he stood high above everyone, and beckoned them closer. They hobbled forward so they could hear him and soon the camp was hushed into a near-silence as they waited for Ace to begin. Basking in the attention, Ace chose to remain silent for a long while. Then he spread his arms in a flourish and began his tale.

"Before the Shadow Hunters, before there was peace, before Fyrona was a kingdom...There was the barbarian warlord Rykes."

"Ruler over all the southern barbarian tribes, Rykes felt a hunger that all men can relate to: the need for power. The lust to have control over all men. His eyes turned north to the bountiful lands of other nations. Ripe for the picking. There were those that stood in his way though, those that could stand up to the Warlord."

"There was the mighty sailor Brax in the east, who was said to have commanded the thousand-and-one fleets of the Kites..."

"There was the kingdom of Gaest in the west, with their illusive secrets and bewildering technology..."

"And then there were proud and stout-hearted people of the central and northern lands, which would soon be known as Fyrona."

"Together, they held Rykes the Warlord at bay, and for a time, there was a strained peace. But this peace only brought forth a greater monster. One that would shake the annals of history and bring all of civilization to its knees. Only by the sacrifices of a few brave men did all life narrowly escape, and it can safely be said that none of this would have happened without Rykes, who had decided to cross the barrier between our world - and the demon world."

"In one terrible moment, on the day of the Eclipse, the Barbarian Warlord Rykes completed a dark and horrible ritual that called into our world the demon Kalveroth."

"Kalveroth was a lust demon, but it felt attuned to the wants and desires of Rykes, his need to dominate others resonated with its own and it immediately seized the opportunity to possess him. Gone was the man, and in its place was a **** the land had never known before."

"The demon seized Rykes' lands and molded it into a terrifying host. He led the barbarians onto a rampage throughout the lands and his name became a wail of despair on the lips of every one of his victims, on every man, woman, and child. His lust was great and inconsumable!"

"Cities were torn down!"
"Fields were burned!"
"Men were slaughtered and women were ****!"
"Entire KINGDOMS fell to the hand of the demon, Kalveroth!"
"His forces brought forth such a spilling of TERROR that the very mention of his NAME would inspire FEAR and send men to their knees!!"

"....But all was not lost."

"The three nations, Brax, Gaest, and Fyrona, bound themselves together, pooled their resources and together they stood against Kalveroth. And from the demon's very own blood was born his downfall. For the demon had a SON. One that he could not locate and kill, and his son's name was William."

"With resources provided by Brax, the technological prowess of Gaest, and the talented blacksmiths of Fyrona, together, they forged William a mighty sword. One that could strike down Kalveroth and send him back to his own realm."

"Together, they fought back."

"After a long and bloody campaign, the survivors battled with the barbarian tribes, beneath the ramparts of Kalveroth's castle, while William fought his way into the castle and challenged the demon to single combat. Half-demon and demon. Father and son. For the fate of all people in Fyrona, they fought."

"Stones shuddered with each clash, and a heavy crack like LIGHTNING could be heard each time William's sword collided with Kalveroth's. From sunup to sundown, the demon and his son dueled without a clear outcome."

"But William had something that Kalveroth did not, and that was a greater love for his people than for himself. Nobly throwing himself upon the demon's blade, William attacked Kalveroth while his guard was open. As they struck each other down, the demon's roar shook the castle and caused it to crumble to the ground, sundering the earth around it."

"Dying from his wounds, William pinned the demon to the ground with his sword and, with the help of seven priests, cast Kalveroth back into the abyss where he came from."

"William died and was honored as a hero, and Fyrona's king united the nations together under one banner that has held together since then..."

"So, that 'William' bloke..." One of the guards piped up. He was a youngish man and was cradling an arrow wound he received in one of the attacks a few nights ago. "What happened to that lovely sword of his?"

It was mid-morning and Venus was riding a foal that they had on spare. She had been scanning the countryside but hearing the wounded guard speak had caught her attention. She was curious as well, considering how the story dropped off last night, and began listening intently.

Ace shrugged, he was lounging in the back of one of the wagons. "No one knows for sure." He turned his head to look at the guard seriously. "It vanished into the history books, never to reappear. Rumors say it's still out there though, buried under a rock or something, waiting to be wielded by someone, waiting to CHOOSE someone. Someone worthy. And whoever it chooses will have terrifying power."

"Enough talking!" Someone shouted out from the front. "We're here."

Venus turned her head and spotted the city, like a statue rising out of the lake. The capital city, Regis.