Prologue A: Symphony of Destruction 
~~Chapter Theme~~~~Two Weeks Ago~~The scene: Ultima Fortress. The staging ground for the Demon Lord's quest to conquer all of Generia, to subsume the Ten Kingdoms under the reign of demons. The chief goal of all adventurers in Generia is to one day set foot upon the island of Ultima, which is protected by a powerful barrier, held up by the life force of each Demon General. One of the greatest achievements that all adventurers devoted to defeating the Demon Lord can achieve is the defeat of a single Demon General, weakening the barrier and allowing them to invade the Ultima Fortress. Today, the Demon Generals convene upon the order of the Demon Lord, to prepare for what may be the coup de grace upon the Ten Kingdoms, and may finally tip the balance in favor of the forces of the Demon Lord.
At least, that is what they intend to do. A saying that I've heard that might apply here is that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, a saying which here means "many failed endeavours begin with a zealous, but fruitless drive". For instance, one might feel the need to roll a boulder up a hill for fun, but find that doing so is easier said than done. In the case of the Demon Generals, they felt that they had discovered the right way to end the Ten Kingdoms once and for all, but such an endeavour may well be easier said than done.
A tall, imposing figure in armor, his distinctive helmet topped with protrusions resembling a bat's ears, gazes out over the darkened, craggy terrain of Ultima, the umber spires of the Ultima Fortress looming behind him, red banners bearing the Demon Lord's symbol, two hands outstretched below the chin of a beagle, flapping in the harsh winds of the island along with his black cape. He groans.
"....the others. The others still aren't here. This is ridiculous."A clanking noise, the noise of a large figure walking in armor, can be heard behind him. The smaller man in armor sighs, turning to face the newcomer, peering up at their imposing form, a horned helmet peering down at him with beady, red eyes. The newcomer must have been at least twice their height, a gigantic hulk in metal, but both figures exuded a different sort of air; the smaller figure was dead serious, with a genuine threat to him, whereas the larger figure was far more lax, possessing the bearing of a particularly lazy cat rather than the Demon General they truly were. Especially with the human-sized crystal tablet within their hands, two of their fingers easily covering the whole thing.
"General Belphegor."
"General Mammon."".....you're late, Belphegor. And showing up like this....we've spoken about this multiple times.""I'm here, aren't I? I should have a medal.""Not the point-"The discussion between the two armored figures was suddenly cut off by them being joined by three more figures, a sleek, black-haired woman in a slick, jet-black, revealing dress, a broad-chested, exuberant blonde man in armor, and a serious-looking, red-headed man, stalking behind the newcomers.
"Well, hellooooo ladies. Looks like you're getting the party started without me, huh?"
"Shut up, Lucifer. You've been showboating since we left Midgardia. We could have done without you flirting with that succubus."
"Aww, poor grumpy bear. Maybe if you lightened up a little and quit doing your best impression of a constipated grandfather, maybe you might be a little fun to be around?"
"I am General Satan of the Demon Lord's forces and I will not be insulted-" 
"Oh, would you two give it a rest? Seriously, I don't know how you two put up with each other if you're at each other's throats so much.""I don't envy you at all, Asmodeus. Honestly, how you put up with those two-"Mammon smashed his fist on the parapet, garnering the attention of the entire group, the balcony falling to silence as he drew himself to his full height.
"Enough. This incompetence is the reason we have spent so long in a deadlock against the Ten Kingdoms! Behave yourselves; I expect more out of those who call themselves generals of the Demon Lord, especially considering the subject of this meeting."
"Whatever you say, dad. You dragged our butts all the way from Midgardia just to talk?"
"Petulant child-!"
"Mammon, my dear. Please, calm down."Mammon, as well as the rest of the assembled Demon Generals, looked towards the entrance into the castle to see a pale-skinned, black-haired woman in a simple dress with golden trim. A gentle half-smile floated on her lips, aimed at only one person in particular. Mammon seemed to shrink, his eyes staring at the woman who was approaching.
"Leviathan....my darling. I.....sorry."
"Nothing to apologise for, my dear."
"I can never stop those shivers up my spine when I see that woman....her and Mammon, a match made in heaven."
"That's because you've never seen a man really in love with this wife. The only kind of girl who'd marry you has more looks than brains."
"T-that's rich, coming from you!""Ladies and gentlemen. If you will?"The Generals all gazed towards the reason they had all been assembled.
A man in dark, refined clothing strolled forwards, eyes concealed by a half-mask, half-black, half-white, carefully groomed platinum-blonde hair poking out over the top. He adjusts his collar gently. The Generals, even Mammon and Leviathan, knelt, hand on heart; save for Belphegor, with one hand still playing on the crystal tablet they had brought in.
"Lord Mephistopheles. I apologise for the indiscretions of my comrades-"
"No need to apologise, sir Mammon. We are all friends here. All of you, stand up. I've drafted up the plans, in accordance with Mammon and Leviathan's recommendations."The entire group stood up, listening intently. Lucifer rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath.
"Of course Mammon drew up the plans. Someone's always got to be the favorite."Mephistopheles breathed in deeply, preparing to go through his plan.
"This plan may well tip the balance in our favor at long last, ladies and gentlemen....wait a moment. Where is General Beelzebub?""The fat bastard's still in Blobbonia, presumably."".....that's fine. Plans can always be changed. I will get in contact with him personally. In any case....this plan may change the very balance of our eternal war on the Ten Kingdoms."
"For years, our approach has always been to remain in the shadows, to conduct the war from behind the safety of the Great Barrier. However, all of us have talents that may well be of use to the war effort. Lucifer, you're good with people. Satan, you're a keen fighter, ruthless. Asmodeus, your charms and connections with the succubi and the dream brothels are invaluable. Belphegor, you've got the monetary links. Beelzebub....well, Beelzebub has their....unique talents. Leviathan, you have some leverage in Kaisei, and Mammon, you're our best tactician. It's time to use those talents outside of Ultima. Essentially, your missions are either to destabilise the kingdom's governments or prevent adventurers from continuing to pass through.
Belphegor, you will go to Begnin. I'm sure the test sites there have plenty of underpaid employees; you sort that out. Lucifer, you handle Bastapa; your personality is uniquely suited to cosying up to the madmen who run amok there, and we just need one egotistical maniac to throw their voting system into chaos. Satan, we need you in Wybernia; the wyvern corps of the kingdom are relatively tough, but I'm sure you can find a way to deal with them. Asmodeus, you're going to Midgardia, which is essentially home territory for you, given your line of expertise. Beelzebub will stay in Blobbonia, and I will deliver his mission to him personally. Leviathan will handle Kaisei, use her contacts there, and Mammon will attempt to collapse the defense line in Penultia, to give us a foothold on the mainland.
If all goes well.....the kingdoms will collapse within a matter of weeks, if not months. Meanwhile, I will stay here, doing the will of our greater hellish master, preparing our vanguard to break the weakened line of defenses at Penultia and we will regroup there. Any questions?"
"Ah, yeah. That's it? No bigger plan, no coordination? Leading from the front's pretty dangerous for a general. You know that kinda thing's just in books, right?""I'm trusting you to use your judgement, sir Lucifer. You all have armies of your own; stay out of the spotlight, use your men to protect yourselves and try not to get in trouble. This is an incredibly risky venture, I understand, but....""The tide has stayed too long in favor of the Kingdoms. We must change our tack or else we risk an eternal stalemate from which we cannot break. You have your orders. We ride out in the morning."".....if that is all, I'd like to call an end to the meeting to....get this down in writing. Our greater master will need to be informed...in their own way, of course.
Well, off you all go, then. You have kingdoms to topple. In the name of the Demon Lord, be underway."
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Topic: FEF: Wonderful Blessing IC Thread: Epilogue B (Read 208275 times)