"...can't stop me, little heroes! The power of your cards is as nothing to my undefeatable Dragon Army! Once I have defeated the last Dragon Priest, the world is mine, and a thousand years of darkness shall be my reign!"

He gloated, his array of magically-charged Dracomancy cards orbiting him like a crown of dark stars.

Off to my right, a huge flashing pattern of green lights came on. A cue, I realized, one which conveniently drew my attention away from the climax of the dark lord's speech, just as scripted. I half-turned, involuntarily, before I had even realized what it was.

"Villi-Anne! Am I boring you?" he snapped, turning on me.

His script meant he wasn't supposed to notice the bank of flashing lights, so he didn't. He just turned his attention to me, a tertiary character in his 'empire of evil'. I felt the weight of his amplified presence for the first time, staring up at him, and I hesitated.

His question was my cue, but I still shivered. He was designed to be frightening. From his sinister armor, to the scraping claws of his enchanted gauntlet; from his harmonically amplified voice, to the glow that came from somewhere inside his helmet like phantom flames where his eyes should be. The throne room, the castle... all meticulously workshopped, designed and redesigned, engineered for maximum affect.

"Villi-Anne!" he barked, subwoofers cranked until my bones rattled with the repeated prompt.

Shit, I thought, startled out of my reverie.

"N-no, my Lord!" I responded, internally wincing from the unscripted stutter. I hunched over, flexing the clawed card-gauntlet menacingly, as my script described. "I was just thinking what delicious torments the heroes are in for, Master, once we've defeated them!"

The dread lord Malevilar, ruler of the Really Badlands, King of Evil and Master of Misdeeds, leaned closer. His breath hissed warningly, like a rattlesnake's tail, as he loomed.

"Once 'we've' defeated them?" he repeated, gauntleted fist creaking with barely restrained rage.

I knew it was part of the script, yet I couldn't help but shrink for real. He was terrifying. Part of me wondered what he would be like if he was genuinely enraged. That same part of me wondered if I could tell the difference, before it was too late.

"Aaaand, cut!" came the shout, just as I gulped.

Interrupted while drying my hair, I grabbed my sweatpants and sports bra from my luggage, tugged them on. I hadn't even finished unpacking, and didn't know where my sweatshirt was. I decided whoever it was would just have to put up with my muffin top. My sweatpants stuck to my still-wet skin, but I ignored it, and went to answer the door.

"Hey, Anne. Got a moment?" the dark lord asked, as he tried and failed to wrangle chronic helmet-hair into some semblance of presentable.

Filming over, we were mostly done for the day. I had gone for a shower, having jumped at the opportunity to peel off my work armor. Meanwhile the dark lord had--as usual--made his rounds to check in with his core team. I hadn't expected him to check in on me; I was still new. This was our first face-to-face, off camera.

"Um! Shit. I-I-I mean, yeah. Yes sir, sorry sir," I stammered, backing away so the dark lord could storm in as he pleased.

He didn't, though. He stood in the doorway, waiting until I looked his way. For a moment I stared, confused, as he searched my face.

"It's not an order, Anne."

It was... disarming, in a way I wasn't prepared for. His voice was strong, but his tone was gentle, unhurried. It was disorienting, and felt out of character.

Then it hit me. This wasn't the dark lord Malevilar. This was... well, shit. Whoever he was when he wasn't being the dark lord, I guess. A man, a person. I didn't even know my boss's name.

Wincing inside, I gestured for him to come in.

"Yeah, no, sorry. Please, excuse the mess." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as he passed me, trying to reorient myself.

He nodded and stepped into the room, his armor scraping the door frame. I closed the door behind him, then realized I didn't know what to do with my hands while my boss, the most dangerous man on the planet, watched me drip on the floor.

He set his great horned helmet on a table, and looked around. The suite was cluttered--old furniture, new books, most of my luggage, and a computer. The table I had designated as my workbench was entirely buried in scripts, pieces of my armor, and a portfolio of palette options and accessories I had been given by his image consultants, a few options already highlighted. Two doorways--one leading to a bedroom with an unmade bed, one to a bathroom wet with steam--stood open on one wall. Condensation from my shower frosted the windows on another.

He absorbed it all, methodically. His gaze held no judgment, no recrimination. I was surprised to notice that, for all his massive size, he was careful and concise with his movements, even turning his head in measured increments. He also had surprisingly kind eyes, and he turned them on me.

I realized I had been staring at him, and flushed crimson. He was considerate enough to pretend not to notice it, and he walked towards the window instead. His back to me, I had the opportunity to gather myself.

"I wanted to check on you, see how you're settling in," he said.

He waved his hand, and something in his armor flashed. The moisture that obscured the view dried in an instant, revealing the snow-capped peaks of the Drake Mountains around us. He leaned on the window sill, taking in the view, a reason to let us talk without me feeling stared at or judged. A casual exercise in unexpected civility, from a man whose entire reputation was being a monster.

"If you need more time to prepare mentally, I can come back later, or we can make an appointment," he offered.

Once again, I had been so busy thinking that I had missed my cue. I hid my face in my hands, feeling my wet hair stick to my cheeks. With an effort of will that was surprisingly difficult, I forced myself to straighten up, claw my hair back out of my face, and respond.

"No, sorry. I'm just... it's not what I expected, sir," I managed.

He chuckled, nodding out the window. I could see his face, reflected in the glass, as he scoured the mountainsides with his eyes.

"You're not the first to feel that way," he agreed. "What was it you expected?"

I darted into my bedroom for my towel, and started drying my hair as I answered.

"Most of us grew up knowing you as a monster. No offense, sir."

"None taken," he laughed, boyishly pleased.

"Well, um. I didn't exactly audition for this role. I was selected--kidnapped, really--pulled out of my chemical engineering degree for this. I mean, I get it, you can't exactly advertise that the dark lord needs minions, but I was expecting... I don't know, exactly. Evil stuff. Spikes, spiderwebs. Torture chambers and a harem of enslaved elves, maybe. Not... uh, this. Not, um, karaoke nights. Definitely not a staff canteen with a Michelin star."

He smirked, but held his laugh. I realized he was thoroughly pleased with himself, and for some reason that made me angry, a little. The anger made me bold, and I rambled on.

"What's the point, even? I mean, sure, take over the world. Everyone knows the threat of the dark lord is why we dump, what, a quarter of the GDP?, into heroes, magic items, healing research, crap like that. No one likes having to enlist into the Armies of Light, having to fight your summoned dragon monsters, but we get why we have to do it. You threaten everything, and when we can't stop you, whole cities just... just vanish."

In the reflection, I saw the smile disappear from his face, but he didn't look angry. If anything, he looked... resigned. Hair mostly dry, I threw my towel into the bedroom, and started searching my luggage for my sweatshirt. I yanked hard at whatever my hands found, still mad, and pulled out fistfuls of clothes.

"And... and," I continued, unable to stop myself, "And you have all this power. Even with all our military spending, all the heroes and stuff, you could probably wipe out half the world if you wanted to. But you... I don't know. You're fixated on this 'Ultimate Dark Dragon Deck' thing, despite having an army large enough to invade the entire Alliance. You could beat everyone in a single day with saturation bombing from your Fell Drakes; or unleash a bioterror plague with the Dracolich Necromancers, but instead... I don't even..."

I found my sweatshirt, squeezing it ferociously, unable to even process that I should put it on. I was in full vent mode. I needed to say it, to scream it.

"But no, you've got everyone convinced that the world's only hope is some... some tween! Some dork you've got calling himself a 'dragon priest'--whatever that means--with a special summon spell that you made, getting enough of a deck of magic cards together to... to play some stupid game at you!"

My shriek echoed in the suite, and he shifted at the window. Some small part of me, call it my survival instinct, suddenly twanged inside, reminding me that I had just screamed at the most dangerous man in history. The most dangerous man, standing not twenty feet away, in my small suite in his castle; while I sat on the floor with nothing but a scrunched up sweatshirt to defend myself, if he decided he was offended enough to rebuke his new minion.

"Um. Sir," I amended, squeaking the word.

He sighed, but he did not turn. His gauntlets scraped at the windowsill as he moved his hands--hands that could kill me a thousand ways, while I could do literally nothing to stop him. I realized I was shaking.

"Anne... I apologize," he said, finally.

I felt nauseous. So this is how I die, I thought. Shooting off at the mouth, blowing a gasket at the dark lord, while sitting on the floor in my underwear.

C-list was a comfortable position. I hardly ever had to put much work into the villainy aspect, so I got so focus more on my personal business. And, It meant I got to be a little bit goofy, which is always fun. For the most part, the heroes I ended up facing were kind, helpful, and sweet. I even kept in contact with a few of them.

Despite being publicly listed as a villain by most government, the truth is a bit more complicated. For most would be heroes, I'm the first real stumbling block they face, the test that's given to see if they can handle the serious threats posed by others, or if they'd be better of sticking with small-scale threats and crime on a small scale.

I also existed to weed out true villains masquerading themselves as heroes. that is where this story begins.

I was working at my bookstore, a small little place with a cozy atmosphere. I had a few employees, mostly people who had recently gotten out of prison and had tried to turn their lives around. Good people, hard workers.

It was a slow day, and then in walked "The Hammer," The most recent "hero" I'd been tasked with assessing. He didn't lack power, that was for certain. He had the ability to turn any part of his body into any metal, super-strength, super-speed, and flight to boot. What he lacked was morals. He only seemed to care about himself, and he could get quite angry when he didn't get his way.

The store was no stranger to heroes and villains visiting, but most were discrete, using their secret identity. But here was The Hammer, in his full getup, standing in the open doorway after he'd kicked down the door.

"I know you're here Amanda! Come on out!" His voice boomed

I saw Amanda standing frozen. she turned to run, but was hardly able to move before the hammer rushed over to her and grabbed her by the arm. I spoke up.

"Sir! let go of my employee!"

He scoffed "Your employee? did you know that she's a thieving piece of shit?"

"That's not relevant, let go of her and get out of my store now."

"Or else what? You'll report me? Who do you think they're gonna believe, a small bookstore manager and his criminal employee, or the greatest up-and-coming hero?" He squeezed Amanda's arm, she let out a cry of pain.

"There's a lot of people outside, and seeing you drag out a screaming woman is bound to create rumors."

I saw the thought of his reputation being damaged enter his head, and he let go of her hand. "Fine, but I'll be back. And when I come back, you'd better come quietly, or else this little bookstore might be reduced to a pile of rubble by a tragic 'accident.'" He gave Amanda a shove and then stormed out of the building.

Amanda had a fracture in her arm. I reported The Hammer to the organization that assigned heroes and villains their ranks. They told me to deal with it how I saw fit, and they'd keep press coverage to a minimum, letting me keep my C-list ranking.

Next morning, he was going to be given a mission to stop me. I was going to make a volcano erupt or something stupid, I didn't really care about the details, what mattered was that it was remote.

He arrived right on queue, wearing his full costume. I had neglected to wear mine, instead wearing my manager's uniform. The fool didn't even make the connection, and just started making fun of me. He didn't even notice the spike of stone forming until it passed through his chin. If he hadn't been so careless and overconfident, he might've stood a chance against me me, but it was going to get him, or someone else killed eventually.

His body was never found. The news story was that after stopping me, he decided he simply didn't want to be a hero. For his secret identity, he went missing on a hiking trip.

Amanda made a full recovery, and there was a small party welcoming her back. Like continued on, and there was one less villain in the world

I really enjoyed this one, would love more xxx

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I got more than a bit of In the Mouth of Madness vibe from this.

Fantastic. I'd upvote the dig at DOTA any day of the week, but the style was pretty accurate too.

thank you! <3

Days even weeks went by and before I knew it, it was already the day of the Emporer's death. I knew this day would come. I've been prepared to see his bloody body. My plan is in motion. My plan has been going smoothly even with the Emporer knowing. He won't get away...

The guards were away on "special duty" as I like to call it. The Emporer was alone. My plan is all set and ready. Now the assassin must kill. Once the Emporer is finally dead, everything will end. His madness, his people, and everything he did wrong will be corrected. People will know who he is. They will know what he has done. I can't wait.

I roamed the halls, looking closely at all the impressive paintings of the Emporer's family. They passed long before by the Emporer himself. They deserve this...

An hour passed and still nothing. The assassin hasn't come to report. What happened? Could his majesty have taken him out? No way! He doesn't know how to wield a sword. How would the Emporer know? He couldn't. There is no way.

I ran through the halls heading straight to the Emporer's room. He must be inside. He has to be dead. I must see it for myself.

I burst into the Emporer's room to see him holding a bloodied sword and the assassin lying dead on the floor. How could this have happened?

As if the Emporer could read my mind, he says "you should have paid a better assassin. Now time for my plan to start." He took a step toward me. I'm scared. What will he do?

He came up close to me and laid his hand on my shoulder. I was trembling in fear. There was no way the Emporer could have done this! "It was a good plan, just not good enough." He says leaving his room.

What am I to do now? Will I die? I start hyperventilating. Everything became blurry, my breath stalled, my vision darkened and soon I fainted. Not knowing what is to come.

I take it English isn’t your first language?

Some things I’ll point out: the first person singular subjective (“I”) is capitalized except in extremely informal situations; the first word of a sentence should be capitalized; also “a” or “an”, use “a” if the first letter of the next word is a consonant, use “an” if it’s a vowel, “h” is a special case though sometimes you’ll use “a” other times “an”.

These things will come with practice and experience. So keep practicing!😁👍

I, the emperor's advisor, have been planning his assassination since day one. I hate his guts no matter how much he tries to deceive me. I know him all too well. He looks nice but he actually isn't. He makes me sick! If only he was dead. It won't be too much longer. I just have to wait patiently for the next month. That's it. Then it's over.

I was walking through the hall to the Emporers study as he requested. It was nerve-wracking. I wondered if he knew. The plan would be scraped and I will die if he ever finds out. I need to make sure. Everything has to come through...

I knocked thrice on the Emporer's door. He knows instantly it's me. "Come in William..." The Emporer says.

I come in to see him at his desk looking through piles of paper. I composed myself as I have done several times before. This is like every day. Just stay calm and he will know nothing. He can't know.

"You called?" I question the Emporer. I am loyal to the Emperor. Never straying from his words... As far as he knows. He once told me to drop the formalities as he treats me as his friend. I don't buy it but I do as he told.

The Emporer doesn't answer me. He's probably busy with paperwork. What does he want? Advice? A loyal companion? I don't know. Maybe nothing at all. That would be for the best.

Then suddenly the Emporer speaks, still not looking up from his paperwork. "How long?" He asks.

"What?" I answered instantly. How long for what? I don't understand. He couldn't know. There was no way. Nothing makes sense. Did I do something wrong? Does it show on my face? No... It couldn't. He hasn't looked up from his work. Then what?

"How long have you been so disloyal?" He asks as if he already knows.

"Never! as I am always loyal to you. Isn't that why you made me your advisor?" I decide questioning would be a better road than saying nothing. After all, he couldn't know. There was no way. I must calm down. The Emporer knows nothing... He can't.

"Hmm.. Very well..." He says scribbling something on his paperwork. I must calm down before he looks. If he looks at me he would be able to tell. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Still wracked with nerves. "You know lying can get you killed." He continued.

Shocked. That's what I was doing. How did he know? No... He can't know... There is no way he could tell... No way... My plan was perfect!

"Of course," I say answering him. I don't have time for him to question me. I must change the subject. Something... Anything at all... Ah! "Have you read the book I recommended, your majesty?" I questioned when I noticed the book sitting beside a stack of papers.

"Changing the subject I see..." He says once again scribbling. I wish I could read his mind. I wouldn't be so nervous. "If you won't be honest then I'll come out and say it... How long have you been planning my assassination?" The Emporer asks finally looking up from his work. He looked straight at me.

What do I do now? He knows! How? I don't understand. I must get him off my trail and fast. "I don't understand what you're talking about, your majesty. I wouldn't dare do something such as that." I say bowing my head with my arm across my chest. He trusts me. There is no way he would ever think it was me.

"I already know so be honest." He says calmly, "and drop the formalities. That's not like you." He's looking me dead in the eyes. I can't do this. Not like this. I must beg for forgiveness... Or something. And fast.

I quickly got on my hands and knees ready to beg for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry your majesty. I had no choice! You must believe me!" I say nearly yelling. I must convince him and fast.

"I already know you're the culprit. There is no need to beg, that's not like you. I'll ask one last time. If you don't answer honestly then I will have no choice but to hang you from the palace. How long have you been planning my assassination?" He says with cold eyes. I could tell he was serious.

I have no choice. I must tell the truth. If I'm going down then I might as well take him with me. I got up onto my feet, looked him in the eyes, and said "since day one. My plans are nearly complete. Even if you kill me here and now, you will still die. Even if not by my hands. I must say I didn't think you would find out this quickly." I won't let him have the last laugh. Everyone will finally see him for the person he really was.

"Good," He says looking back down at his paperwork. I was stunned. What did he mean by good? What's up with him? Is he trying to trick me? He can't! I could hear him scribble away at more paperwork. He really mean what he said.

"What do you mean?" I finally spoke up. This was bizarre. Who wouldn't ask more once knowing there was an assassination plan? I don't get him.

"Hmm?" He says not even paying attention.

I walk up to his desk and slammed my hand down. "What. Do. You. Mean. By. Good?" I asked word by word. He needs to be serious about this. He will die and he's acting like I didn't say anything. Like he doesn't know what I'm talking about. What happened?

"I want you to continue with your plan. Act like I know nothing." He says scribbling away at the paper in front of him.

"What? Why? You're going to die and there is nothing you can do about it." I say bewildered. This man makes no sense. Shouldn't he do what he can to make it stop? What is up with him?

"Why should I? I won't be dying." He continues, "that's all, you may leave." He says dismissively waving his hand.

Shocked, I leave his study room, closing the door behind me. The halls were dead. You couldn't hear a pin drop if you wanted to. Confused I walk aimlessly through the halls not knowing what to do. He knows... What am I to do now? What was his plan? Should I go with my plan anyways? I don't know.

“If I could’ve fit the last three years in the suitcase and taken it with me, I would’ve.”

When I’m sitting here questioning the future of my marriage, this hits personally.

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I promise you it has not lol

[Waking by Hand]

"What was that?" The Dark Lord stopped walking and turned to look at General Avery. The Dark Lord was not wearing her imposing, horned helmet and her long silver hair flowed freely.

"Nothing my lord!" General Avery fell to his knees and apologized profusely as soon as he had her attention. Even on his knees, the lean elf was still almost as tall as the teenage Dark Lord. "Forgive me! It's not for me to know your plans!" Even as Avery begged for his life, he couldn't help but notice the Dark Lord's warm smile.

He couldn't help the sniveling, try as he might; but, deep down he knew she wouldn't actually hurt him. There was a reason General Avery was loyal. The Dark Lord was actually a polite, pleasant person. She giggled at him as she reached her hand out to help him up.

"I told you to quit doing that...," she said. General Avery accepted her assistance. She was much stronger than one would assume based on her appearance; there was a reason she was the Dark Lord. "...But seriously, what did you say?" she asked once they started walking forward again. General Avery was escorting the Dark Lord for her daily rounds and giving her the appropriate reports. But, he was so comfortable around her that he accidentally spoke his mind.

"It was merely a bad joke, my lord," General Avery shook his head. But, it was more than that. The elven General was concerned about the campaign and his own sanity. Every fiber of his body was telling him to keep his thoughts to himself. All he had to do was keep quiet and follow that programming; but, he really wanted to make a different choice. The more he wrestled with it, the more he realized he could make a different choice. It was difficult but not impossible. "..it's just that...," he struggled to get the first words out. But, the Dark Lord stopped walking again and gave him her full attention.

"Just what?" she asked. The Dark Lord's kindness was enough encouragement to help Avery through. He was having trouble putting his ideas together and he blurted out the half-formed question.

"Why are you conquering the world with a children's card game?? HOW??" he asked. She tilted her head at him.

"That's an insightful question," she said. Her observation was followed by a sudden question. "What's your favorite number?"

"One, why?" General Avery answered. The Dark Lord nodded and smirked.

"Oh boy, you're in for a few surprises," she said. "First of all...," The Dark Lord stepped closer to General Avery and offered him her hand. "....my name is Emily," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Avery."

"Thanks...," Avery shook her hand. They'd obviously met before, he'd worked very hard to achieve her goals. But, this time it felt like he was meeting her personally; and, more than that. Something about their handshake and the way she met his eyes. He felt like he was her equal. "...what do you mean surprises?" he asked.

"You'll see," Emily replied. "I don't have a lot of time right now; but, I can answer your other question. You wanted to know why I'm using a 'children's card game'...," Emily used air quotes. "...to conquer everything, right?" Avery nodded.

"The simple answer is, that's my class. I'm a Card Mage," she said. She made a motion with her hand in the air and suddenly she was holding several cards splayed out between her fingers. She flipped her hand over again and they were gone just as instantly. "...A necromancer would try to conquer the world with the undead, a wizard would use magic, I use cards," she said.

"As for how I am achieving my goals using a Children's card game...," Emily shrugged and winked. "...I'm just kind of making it up as I go along. I'm doing okay so far," she giggled. "If it works, it works."

"Ohhh..," Avery found he was somewhat disappointed with her lack of plan. This whole time he thought he was serving a greater ideal. He thought the Dark Lord was special and unique; but, he was starting to realize he was just some school girl. His loyalty flickered in the back of his mind. It happened for the briefest of moments; he let a stray thought take form: "I could be a better Dark Lord."

"Hey, Emily, where's the patient?" A new voice startled Avery. He turned and saw another teenage girl, this one with dark violet hair, standing with them.

"Hey, Vivi," Emily nodded at Avery. "This is Avery. He just Woke up," she said.

"Great, it's nice to meet you Avery," Vivi offered him a handshake and he accepted it.

"Thank you... who are you?" She grinned.

"I'm going to take you to Mundo, he'll answer all your questions," she said.

"My lord?" Avery looked at Emily out of habit and she nodded at him.

"Go ahead, Vivi will take care of you," she said. Then, she added a reminder. "My name's Emily."

***
Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1778 in a row. (Story #333 in year five.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on August 22nd and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until May 26th. They are all collected in order at this link.

Good luck with that. I'm sure you're getting loads of new members often ;)

You sound so convincingly pissed in first-person that it almost seems like something like this actually happened to you.

....shit. I forgot that I broke her hands. You think it would be okay to go back and edit?

Armchair biblical scholar here. Liked the story. Funny, but since he's talking to a now five-year-old table, he would have no reason to know who Judas was given that Christ was conducting his ministry for around that amount of time before the Levites had their way with him. Rome was just the tool the priests used.

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I'd recommend it too, but make sure you have a therapist on retainer first.

Does it really have to be spelled out? It's heavily implied

Didn't come here to get mad. I hate it. 10/10

Wow that made me angry at so many levels, you are great!

I would have put the Quickie before the Fin

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