Zwei The Demon
The effect of the sword was becoming more and more apparent as Cedric's mind was slowly being consumed by Zwei, the entity formed by the Zweihander. Thoughts of Celia's recent death filled his mind and Zwei continued to feed on his feelings of hate and rage. He thought back to what Zeal had told him that day. "If all goes according to plan then everything will turn out for the best". "It's her fault" Cedric began to think.
"She must pay for her crimes, the ultimate judgment! Cedric, the day she dies will be a glorious day!" Zwei thought.
"No, this is just my anger speaking. I refuse to act upon my rage, and you shall not convince me otherwise!" Cedric thought.
He continued to wander the plains in search of resolve. A voice popped into his head.
"It's been a while. I see you're not doing so well. The entity has become stronger." Zeal said.
"Shut up! Everything is all your fault! Celia died because of you!" Zwei thought.
"I forgive you" Cedric thought "though you have caused me much pain".
"Don't forgive her! She must die for what she did!" Zwei cut in.
"This has gotten worse than i thought..." Zeal said.
"Zwei! Leave me be! Zeal, is there anything you can do to help me? Rid me of this evil abomination from hell"!
"Cedric, there is nothing I can do at the moment, but I am working on a solution. I will contact you when ready. Please hang on just a little longer".
Cedric continued wandering the plains until he came across a town. He saw smoke rising from the main hall in the center of the town. As he entered, the guard stopped him. "Sir, now is not a good time to be here. Bandits have invaded the town hall, it isn't safe. Please turn back now". Cedric brushed him aside and walked towards the main hall. He opened the door to the burning building. As he entered, one of the bandits noticed him. "Who the hell is this guy? Get him"! Five bandits surrounded Cedric. "These fools don't deserve life, slaughter them, show them what true justice really is!" Zwei thought. One of the bandits lunged forward. Cedric's great sword began glowing black as Cedric swung. The bandit ignited into jet black flame, burning through his chest and eating away at his still beating heart. The other bandits hesitantly attacked. The black flames fired out of the sword, consuming them as well. "What... how did my great sword..." Cedric began muttering to himself. "No need to thank me, just doing as I saw fit." Zwei thought. "I have developed to the point where I can make the powers of the Zweihander appear in any weapon... like so"! And with that, black flames fired from the great sword, burning the building to the ground. "Don't you hate it when I over do things." Zwei thought as he began to laugh. "You bastard!" Cedric thought as he ran out of town before Zwei could do any more harm. "Awww. You spoil all the fun. I wanted to play with them a little more." Zwei said as he left. Cedric continued traveling the wilderness, heading in the direction of the port city Demacus. Using up the last of his food supply, Cedric made it to Demacus.
The guard at the gates welcomed Cedric with a smile. "Welcome to Demacus." he said. "God I could go for some rum right now." Zwei said. "The tavern is just down the main road, on the left. Help yourself." the guard replied. Cedric's jaw dropped. "Holy crap! It worked!" Zwei thought. "Did you just speak through me?" Cedric thought. "I guess I did." Zwei replied. "But we have more pressing matters to attend to. To the tavern!" Zwei shouted as he ran down the main road.
As he entered the tavern, Cedric overheard some drunkards talking.
"You ever hear about that legend...you know, the one about the guy with that fancy sword?" one of them said.
"Yea, what about it?" the other replied.
"Well, I've been thinking, do you guys think we really have any control over ourselves. I mean, the guy in that story had no control at all. He did whatever whoever wrote that thing wanted him to." the man continued.
"Somebody hit him, he's gone stupid on me!" the other man replied.
Zwei ordered a round of drinks. "SO how did you manage to speak earlier?" Cedric thought. "Simple, I've grown a lot since you became my host, if you will. I've been here since you first picked up the Zweihander. As my consciousness grows, yours shrinks. It's that simple." Zwei responded. He ordered another round of drinks. "Eventually, you wont be around anymore. I will simply push you out of existence. What I'm trying to say is live your life to the fullest while you can, and live without restraints. Get arrested if you like, because I really don't give a damn what you do with what little time you have left. You know as well as I that my powers are near unstoppable at this point, so do whatever you wish, however charitable or devious it may be, and let me handle the concequences." Zwei thought. It was then Cedric noticed a dagger someone had stabbed into the table. Cedric snatched it up and held it to his own throat. The tavern went deathly silent. "I wonder how you would deal with the concequences of this Zwei." Cedric thought. "Heh, you forget who has the upper hand here Cedric!" Zwei replied as he slammed the dagger back into the table. "Another round." Zwei ordered.
He continued guzzling down drinks all night. "Zwei, don't you think you've had enough? Lets go get some sleep." Cedric thought. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for caring though. If I could hug you right now I would." Zwei replied. "Yep, you're drunk. There is no way in hell you would hug ANYTHING, let alone me." Cedric thought. "Well, maybe one thing...but I'm okay buddy, don't worry about me." Zwei said. "I think you've had enough. Listen to yourself. You're talkin' to yourself. Now get on out of here or rent a room." the barkeep said. "W-w-well, I g-g-guess I'll t-take your advice." Zwei said. As he got off the stool, he took one step and passed out on the spot. He awoke in one of the guest rooms of the tavern. There was a not on the bed stand that read "Looks like you drank a bit to much last night stranger. No need to thank me for hauling you up here. You can pay me for the room on the way out. -Burettol". Cedric got out of bed and walked downstairs. "I see you're finally awake. The bill for the room and the hefty bar tab you racked up last night comes to four-hundred gold." Burettol said. "Thats exactly how much I have on me." Cedric said as he handed over the payment. "Now what are we going to do without money?" Cedric thought. "I'll handle this." Zwei thought. "Oh no you don't. We're getting this money legit, got it?" Cedric replied. "Does it look like you have a choice in the matter? I didn't think so." Zwei thought as he made his way towards one of the houses.
He tested the door on the house. It was unlocked. He made his way inside. It was to dark to see much inside. Despite this, Zwei somehow made his way to the cellar door. "They always stash the good stuff in the cellar." Zwei thought as he opened the door. He made his way down the stairs. What Cedric saw next was beyond his own belief. There was the Zweihander, laying on top of a pile of boxes. "What did I tell you. The good stuff is ALWAYS in the cellar." Zwei thought as he grabbed the sword. He heard a voice from behind him. "Get your dirty theivin' hands offa' my sword, unless you want a bad bump on the head!" A man yelled from behind. He was short and stocky, but clearly very muscular, considering he was wielding a war hammer twice his size. "I'm just taking back whats mine." Zwei replied. "I found it first, so ifn' you want it, you gotta' get through me!" the man said. "Fine, it's your feuneral." Zwei said. Zwei stared into the man's eyes as the Zweihander began eminating massive ammounts of dark energy. He snapped his fingers, and the man burst into jet black flame that licked away at his very soul. As the flames died down, he saw the eyes of a frightened girl watching from the stairs. Before he could get a good look at her she bolted up the stairs, and Zwei gave chase. He managed to corner her in a hallway as she stumbled in the dark. She appeared to be around the age of seventeen, blonde hair, blue eyes and still wearing her night gown. Zwei assumed she was the daughter of the man he had just killed. "Please, do whatever you want, just don't kill me." she pleaded. Zwei spit at her feet. "Those who fear death do not deserve its glorious freedom from this hell called life! Some day you will wish I HAD killed you." Zwei said as he walked out of the house. "Finding the Zweihander in there, that was more than a coincidence wasn't it?" Cedric thought. "You forget, the sword and I are one in the same. I have been guiding you back to it from the very beginning, and you still believed you controled your own fate." Zwei replied. "But how did you know it was there?" Cedric asked. "You really are stupid aren't you." Zwei answered. "I think you forgot something in that house, the gold you were planning on stealing." Cedric said. "I never planned on bringing back anything but the Zweihander." Zwei responded. "Anyway, if we're ever going up against Zeal, we need backup." Zwei thought. "You still want her dead, but not because of Celia's death, you could care less about that. There is something more. And who would want to side with you anyway?" Cedric thought. "Some old friends." Zwei said as he walked out of town. Zwei looked up at the starry night sky and got his bearings.He began walking south west. "It feels so good to be reunited once again." Zwei said. "Where are you taking me?" Cedric demanded. "You will find out soon enough" Zwei replied.
After walking a few miles, the sky grew dark and cloudy as thunder boomed off in the distance. Cedric immediately realized where he was headed. As he entered Alevergon, the town at the edge of the swamp, Zwei yelled out "I'm back"! A shadow crept out from behind one of the buildings. It was the vampire that Cedric had encountered in Legion Horn. "I see you have finally awakened to your full potential." she said. "It's good to see you again Millie. I wish I had the time to catch up with you on all that has happened since, but I'm afraid I have come on more serious matters. To put it simply, I need an army." Zwei replied. "Come, let us discuss this in a more suitable location." Millie said as she walked off towards the Citadel.
She led him into the council chambers. It was a large, ornate room with a long table in the middle. It seemed to be used as a meeting hall. "Who is this sitting at the head of the table, a place reserved only for Valkenon, the man I left in charge in my stead?" Zwei exclaimed angrily. "Much has changed in your absence. Valkenon was vanquished by a wandering priest. This was no ordinary priest though. He wielded the powers of nature as though they were tools for his cause." Millie said. "He has been taken care of, but that still doesn't answer my question of who this man is!" Zwei continued. "That is enough!" the man said as he rose from his chair. "I am Lord Drocanus, the one Valkenon left the empire to after his death. Now who is this whelp to challenge my authority?" he asked. "I see you do not recognize me in this human imprisonment. Most people know me as Zwei. I assume that pompous attitude of yours hasn't interefered with our political influence has it, because the lords of our alliances do not care for pompous morons like yourself. If any of our alliances have been jeapordized, you will pay dearly." Zwei responded. "Zwei, didn't you say you needed an army?" Millie asked in a desperate attempt to break the tension between the two. "Ah, yes. I need fifty of our strongest warriors to accompany me in battle. Have them ready by tomorrow night." Zwei said as he walked off to the guest chambers.
"What is going on? It seems like you have known these vampires for quite some time. But how is that possible?" Cedric thought. "It would be wise not to inquire about the affairs of others. It could cost you quite a lot." Zwei replied. There was a knock at the door. "What is it?" Zwei asked. "Lord A..." the vampire paused as if to keep himself from saying what he was about to, and then continued, "Lord Zwei, we found a young girl who apparently followed you here. Would you like to see her, or would you like us to take care of this pathetic creature." the vampire said. "Bring her in." Zwei replied. With that, the door opened and the girl was shoved into the room. The same girl Zwei saw the previous night now lay before him, bound and gagged. "Leave us." Zwei said. The vampire did as he was told.
Zwei picked up the Zweihander and approached the girl. She cringed with fear, thoughts of a horrible death filling her mind. Rather than killing her, like she expected him to, Zwei instead cut loose the ropes and removed the gag. "Why the hell did you follow me here?" Zwei said calmly. "I want you dead! I was hoping to avenge my father by killing you myself!" she yelled furiously, eyes full of tears. "Don't be stupid. I've single-handedly taken out armies of soldiers. What makes you think you could kill me? I don't even think you have it in you. You're lucky I even let you live in the first place, and then you do something as stupid as to follow me. I cant help but laugh at you for this." Zwei said. "Why didn't you kill me then?" the girl asked, having calmed down a bit. "You have Cedric to thank for that one. You reminded him of a girl he used to know. That is why I didn't kill you." Zwei answered. The girl gave him a confused stare. "This is gonna take some explaining isn't it..." Zwei began. "Cedric and I share the same body. He is a host body, if you wish to think of it that way, which I have been slowly taking over. Still don't follow, do you. Wow you're dense. Maybe it would be better to just show you. Cedric, enjoy this moment of freedom while it lasts." Zwei said.
"Wow, feels good to be able to actually speak again. My name is Cedric. I am truly sorry for what you have been put through. If there is anything I can do to repay you, just let me know." Cedric said. "Is killing yourself and option?" the girl asked. "Believe me, I've tried." Cedric replied. "Do you have any other family that can take care of you? Maybe your mother?" Cedric asked. "My mother was slaughtered in an attack on her home town. To think, the Imperial Legion would attack a peaceful town in the middle of nowhere." the girl replied. Cedric felt a cold sweat as he remembered the attack on Rogenthall. "There is my sister though. I heard she managed to escape before the second attack. She lived in Rogenthall with our mother, while I lived in Demacus with our father." the girl said. Cedric, already fearing the worst, asked "What was your sister's name"? "Celia. Why do you ask?" the girl replied.
Cedric thought back to when Celia was still alive. He remembered all those nights that the two of them would lay out in the fields staring into the stars, but one night in particular had stood out in his mind. Celia had just returned with a new pitcher full of tea, since she had spilled the previous one on the way, and sat down beside Cedric. "We've known eachother for a while." she began. "I thought it was finally time I asked. Do you love me the way I love you?" she had asked. "I never really took the time to think about it." Cedric said, taken by surprise at the question. He really did love her, but he didn't realize until it was to late. He was never able to tell her how he truly felt.
Cedric broke down in tears. "She's dead, isn't she?" the girl asked. Cedric nodded his head as he continued sobbing. "I couldn't do anything to save them. I failed my duties. Damn it all, I'm useless. Everyone in this girl's family died right in front of my eyes, and i could do nothing about it!" Cedric started muttering. "Zwei, I want her to be brought back to Demacus alive. If nothing else, please do me that one favor." Cedric thought. "Millie!" Zwei called. She entered the room. "I know I can trust you with this. I want you to take this girl back to Demacus, and make sure no harm comes to her." Zwei said. "You must be in a good mood. Wait, that sword. I know I've seen it somewhere before. Wasn't that the sword...". Zwei gave her a look hinting at her to stop talking. "Anyway, I might as well get going.Millie said as she walked off with the girl.
Nightfall came quickly the next day, and just as requested, fifty vampires stood ready for battle. Suddenly, Cedric heard Zeal's voice in his head. "Cedric, I'm all set. Meet me at the top of the Abysmal Tower." she said. The timing couldn't have been any worse. Zwei and the vampires quickly made their way towards the tower. After a few hours travel, the tower finally came into view. It was a tall, Gothic style building, covered in arcanic runes. As the army approached, the runes began to glow. Beams of magical energy soon began raining down upon the army. "So this is the power of the enchanters." Zwei said as he broke down the front gates. Zwei quickly made his way to the rooftop while the vampires had a feeding frenzy.
When he reached the rooftop, he saw Zeal standing in front of Project Redemption. "I can not let you use that machine, even if it is to rid me of this thing. I will not allow any more innocent lives to be sacrificed!" Cedric thought. "I have modified it. It no longer needs a human soul to contain the evil energy." Zeal said as she activated the machine. Project Redemption started up, and the dark force within Cedric was absorbed into the machine. Cedric looked around and realized he was in control of his own body once again. "It's finally over." Cedric said. "DON'T BE SO SURE!" a voice boomed as the core of the machine exploded releasing the dark energy within. After the dust cleared, Cedric and Zeal saw someone standing amidst the ruins of Project Redemption. "Zeal, I really must thank you. This machine has brought me into the physical realm!" the man said. Now that the dust had cleared, Cedric could actually see what he looked like. He was lean, but had a solid build. His white spiked up hair didn't even flinch, despite the high winds blowing around them. A dark aura emanated from him as his arm morphed into a massive blade.
"I guess it's time I revealed my true identity. You have known me as Zwei for quite some time, although I never actually gave you my name. You just started calling me Zwei, I assume because of that infernal sword I was imprisoned in. My real name is Arcanus. I was leader of the vampires in the days of our glorious triumph. The world was nearly ours. That is until I was imprisoned in that sword. It was actually by one of your ancestors, Artimus Moore. That is why I was drawn to you in the first place. I controlled the minds of all of the sword's wielders, trying to guide my way to you, or someone in your ancestry anyway. If I could control you, there would be no risk of being foiled again. But this is even better that having control of your body. Now, lets see if you have what it takes to kill me. Show me the power of the Moore bloodline!" Arcanus said as he rushed towards Cedric.
He slashed at Cedric with his massive blade, but Cedric blocked with the Zweihander. His other hand transformed into a dragon's head and lunged at Cedric. Unable to dodge in time, Cedric was knocked to the ground. Zeal rushed in to try to help him, but as she did, a wall of jet black flame rose in front of her. "Stay out of this. You will have your turn to die soon enough!" Arcanus said as he continued morphing his arms into various weapons to attack Cedric. Cedric finally regained his balance and countered Arcanus. Arcanus grabbed the sword, stopping it with his bare hands. "Heh, you truly underestimate me Cedric, and after all that time getting to know eachother. I expected more from you!" Arcanus said as his free hand formed a point and stabbed through Cedric's shoulder. "I really gotta hand it to you Cedric. A lesser man would have fallen long ago. But sadly, it's time to say goodnight". Arcanus let go of the Zweihander and morphed his hand into a whirling blade. He lifted Cedric into the air and prepared to deal the final blow. Just before he could swing, Cedric blocked and slashed.
Arcanus threw Cedric to the ground. Turning his attention to Zeal, Arcanus put his hands together and morphed them into a massive scythe. He went to slam it into Zeal. "What the hell are you doing back on your feet"! Cedric had blocked the strike. "Damn you're annoying!" Arcanus yelled as he swung again. Cedric blocked and countered. His sword sliced right through Arcanus.
"I did it. We won." Cedric said. "Not quite." Arcanus said, as the two halves of his body melted into a black shadow and reformed him back in one piece. "It might be best if I let you two live. If i don't, I won't have anyone challenging to face in the future. Not to mention, what would be the point of letting that girl live if she were to go on living alone. I have what I want. Just don't get in my way, not yet. I hope you are more of a challenge the next time we meet, because I hate holding back, and I don't plan to next time." Arcanus said as he sprouted large black wings and flew off into the night sky. "Why would he do that? Why would he spare us like that?" Zeal asked. "I think I may have rubbed off on him. It feels like he took a piece of me with him when he was pulled from my mind. He still shares my memories. That is why." Cedric replied. "Now what should we do? It's not like we stand a chance against Arcanus in our current condition." Zeal said. "We do exactly what he wants us to do. We'll wait until we're ready, prepare ourselves, and then meet him for the fight of our lives." Cedric replied. "Where should we go now though? Legion Horn is destroyed, Rogenthall is in ashes, and this place brings back memories I just want to forget." Zeal said. "I've got just the place. Remember that girl Arcanus mentioned. Well, it might be best for you to just see for yourself." Cedric replied.
Cedric went to pick up the Zweihander and realized it was now no more than just a normal great sword. The runes were gone, its distinct shape now replaced by straight edges, and the hilt now made of steel, rather than the smooth white bone of the Zweihander.
They made their way down the tower, which the vampires had left a disaster, and made their way to Demacus. Cedric walked to the house she lived in with her late father, and knocked on the door. The girl opened it and saw Cedric standing there. "So, which one are you?" she asked. "It's Cedric. Don't worry, Zwei is no longer a part of me." Cedric said. "We accidentally brought him into the physical realm." Zeal said. "Okay, I guess I can trust you. You were a friend of my sister after all. What are you doing here anyway?" the girl asked. "Well, we need a place to stay, so we thought that maybe you would enjoy some company." Cedric said. "Sure. I'm running low on gold as is, and there's not that many options for making a living for a girl as young as me, so I guess you could stay here, as long as you pay rent that is." the girl said. "How much do you want?" Cedric asked. "How much you got?" she replied. "You've been hanging around the tavern, haven't you." Cedric said. "Maybe..." she replied. "Well, we're kind of broke at the moment, so we can't offer much. Maybe we can strike a deal. How about we take care of working so we can pay you rent, while you take care of the house and cooking?" Cedric asked. "I guess it sounds fair enough. I mean, what other options do I have?" she replied. "By the way, I don't think I ever got your name." Cedric said. "It's May." she replied. "Nice to finally have a name to put that face to." Cedric said as he walked inside. He and Zeal looked at each other and looked back on everything that had happened and thought "Who the hell saw this one coming".