Two and One: Chapter 8

 Grakdar looked up at the dark, cloud-covered sky. The clouds were thick and black, and they swirled in the air like a hurricane. The wind was howling, and the rain was pouring down. The storm had come suddenly, and it had caught them by surprise.

"Come on, we need to find shelter," Grakdar shouted over the storm.

Hope and Laira were huddled together, shivering in the cold. They had walked along the river, heading towards the center of the invasion. Grakdar had a feeling the Demon King would be there, and he was determined to find him. But the weather had other ideas.

"Where are we going to go?" Laira asked.

"There has to be somewhere," Grakdar said.

He scanned the landscape, looking for any signs of shelter.

He saw a group of trees that had fallen, their roots exposed. The storms were so powerful around the center of the invasion they has torn most all of the trees out of their ground, leaving piles of trees and large puddles of mud everywhere.

"Over there," Grakdar said. "The fallen trees."

The three of them ran towards the fallen trees, their boots sinking into the mud.

"We need to get under the trees," Grakdar said. "Quickly, the lightning will strike here soon."

They made it to the fallen trees, and they scrambled under them. The trees provided some shelter from the wind and rain, but they were still soaked and cold.

"This isn't much better," Hope said.

"At least we're out of the rain," Grakdar said.

"Do we just stay here?" Laira asked.

"The storm won't last forever," Grakdar said. "They come and go in waves."

"I don't think I can handle much more of this," Laira said.

"It won't get easier," Grakdar replied.

"Nothing about this has been easy," Laira said.

"That's why we have to stay strong," Grakdar said. "To find the Demon King, we must keep pushing forward."

They huddled together as Grakdar tried to find dry wood to build a fire. The wind whipped outside, howling and screaming as it took mud, rain, and leaves sideways in a blur outside of their shelter.

The wind was howling, and the clouds swirled overhead. The trees swayed and creaked as the storm raged on. Raindrops fell like bullets, and the temperature dropped as the sky darkened. Grakdar, Laira, and Hope watched as the lightning struck the ground, sending sparks and smoke into the air. The wind was picking up speed, and the rain came down harder. The air smelled like ozone, and the ground was a swamp.

Hope felt lost. She had been trained in the ways of the elves and had mastered the basics of her magic, but now, with the demons invading and the veil between worlds thinning, she found her magic to be unreliable and unpredictable. It was as if she could no longer control it, and it was beginning to terrify her.

She had seen what had happened to the world. She had seen the demons and their destruction, and she knew she had to fight back. But with her magic acting up, she was worried she wouldn't be able to do anything.

She was scared. She was terrified. She had no idea what she was going to do or where she was going to go. She had no idea what was going to happen next. All she could do was huddle with her sister and the orc warrior, and hope the storm would pass.

Laira, too, was worried. She had seen the destruction of the demons. She had seen the devastation they had left in their wake. She had seen the loss of life. She had seen the hopelessness.

She was an elf, a priestess, and a healer. But her powers were limited. Her magic was unreliable. Her skills were not suited for fighting the demons.

She had thought she could help. She had thought she could heal the wounded. But she had quickly realized that her healing magic was useless against the demons.

The demons were not just physical creatures. They were creatures of magic. And her healing magic was meant for healing wounds and injuries, not destroying creatures of magic.

She had no idea what she was going to do or how she was going to survive. All she could do was hope that Grakdar would find a way.

Grakdar was determined. He had seen the demons, and he had seen their destruction. He had seen the loss of life, and he had seen the hopelessness.

He had a mission. He had a goal. He had to find the Demon King. He had to destroy the Demon King. He had to end the demon invasion.

He had no idea if he could do it. But he knew if he could, he would finally be able to die and return to his family. He would finally be able to see his wife and children again. He was scared, but he was also determined. He was not going to give up. He was not going to stop. He was not going to let the demons win. He would keep fighting until he found the Demon King, and he would keep fighting until he destroyed the Demon King.

The storm raged outside, but the three of them huddled together, sharing body heat and hoping for a reprieve.

Grakdar managed to start a fire, and they sat around it, trying to keep warm.

"Are you okay?" Laira asked Hope.

Hope nodded. "I'm just tired. Tired of all of this. Tired of running. Tired of fighting. I just want it all to be over."

"I know," Laira said. "Me too."

"When we're done, we'll return to our home, and it will be peaceful," Hope said. "Everything will be back to normal."

"Do you really believe that?" Grakdar asked.

"Yes," Hope said. "I have to believe it."

"There are no guarantees," Grakdar said.

"But, Grakdar," Hope said, "we have to try. We have to hope."

"Hope is not a strategy," Grakdar grunted.

"Sometimes, it's all we have," Hope said. "It is in my name."

"I'll leave the hoping to you," Grakdar said. "I prefer to stick to my blades."

"There are some things a blade can't fix," Laira said.

"Maybe not," Grakdar said. "But it can still stab a demon. Or two. Or ten. I'll take what I can get."

"Do you really think you can find the Demon King?" Hope asked.

"He has to be out there somewhere," Grakdar replied. "In the center of this madness. His power is breaking the Veil Between Worlds. The good thing for us is, he can't move. He has to stay there. And if we can find him, I can kill him."

"What makes you so sure you can kill him?" Hope asked.

"Orcs are made for war," Grakdar replied. "We are born to fight. We are born to kill. That is our purpose. If the gods want the Demon King dead, then that is what I will do."

"The gods can be cruel," Laira said.

"They can," Grakdar said. "And they can also be kind. They can also be merciful. They can also be benevolent. But the one thing they are is mysterious. I do not claim to understand their ways. But I have my mission. I will complete it. No matter the cost."

"But, Grakdar, if you die, who will remember you?" Hope asked.

"You," Grakdar replied.

The storm started to break, the winds dying a little, but the dark clouds still swirling above them.

Grakdar, Laira, and Hope walked silently through the broken forest, their minds focused on their mission. The clouds were still swirling overhead, but the winds had died down a little. The ground was wet and muddy, and their boots sank into the soft earth.

They had no idea what they were going to find at the center of the storm. They had no idea what awaited them. All they knew was that they had to keep moving forward. They had to keep going.

The trees were bare and stripped of their leaves. The air was thick with smoke and ash. The world around them was a wasteland, a graveyard of burnt-out houses and destroyed villages.

Grakdar led the way, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of the demons. Laira followed, her magic sparking off her fingers. Hope stayed close to her sister, her heart pounding in her chest.

The sky was dark, and the sun was barely visible through the thick clouds. The air was damp and heavy, and the smell of death hung in the air.

As they got closer to the center of the storm, the wind picked up again. The air was thick with smoke and debris. Grakdar pulled his cloak up over his mouth and nose. Laira did the same.

"We're getting close," Grakdar said, his voice muffled by his cloak. He pointed at the clouds above the next valley over, red as blood and lit from something underneath them.

Hope could feel the power coming from the center of the storm. It was an energy unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was raw, primal, and ancient.

They climbed the hill and peered over the edge.

They had found him.