Chapter 35; The Perfect Villain
Grayson was speechless. He couldn't believe in his own ears. Had Peter really accepted the fiend's offer? Sure, all of this was some kind of farce made by Peter´s uncle… but becoming a Villain? No, Peter shouldn't have done that. He was supposed to be the Hero. Joining the bad guys wasn't a heroic feat… it was like backstabbing all that was good and decent.
And Peter had accepted the evil offer? Why?
Because of salt?
"You will what?" – asked Grayson, after a while.
The Imp was also very surprise by the Ranger's revelation.
"Really?" – inquired the Imp, feeling a bit confused.
He had made a similar offer to dozens of Heroes, and none had ever accepted it. Could it be that his luck was changing?
"Yes." – assured Peter.
The Imp started laughing hysterically. He had done it! He had done an evil deed! Every fiend would envy his luck!
"Wow! I have just corrupted the Hero! My mother is going to be so proud of me…" – stated the Imp.
Peter glared at the fiend.
"Shut up, minion!" – ordered the Ranger.
The Imp stopped talking. Had that damn fool just order him to shut up? Had he? Had he dared to order him to shut up?
"Hey! Don't tell me to shut up, you damn…" – demanded the Imp.
The Ranger sighed. He lacked patience for stubborn minions.
"I said… shut up." – repeated Peter, using a very menacing tone.
The Imp wanted to bite the Ranger´s nose off. How dared he talk to him like that? But there was something about Peter´s eyes… they had changed. They were more serious than before. They reflected a very deadly seriousness that yelled "Don't mess with me!".
"Yes… Master…" – whispered the Imp.
Grayson looked at the Ranger and then at the frightened fiend. Peter had never talked to anyone like that. What the hell was happening in here?
"Peter… I think that the loss of all that salt has made you crazy." – suggested the Fighter.
Peter stopped glaring at his minion and looked at his former ally.
"Crazy?" – asked Peter.
"Okay… crazier." – corrected Grayson.
Peter sighed. Had Grayson always been this pathetic?
"Bah! You think too much, Grayson." – growled the Ranger.
The Fighter nodded, and tried his best not to punch his friend.
"You don't think at all, Peter!" – mocked Grayson.
That was enough. He wouldn't stand such insolence from lesser creatures.
"Silence, you fool!" – ordered Peter.
Grayson took a step back. Peter had never yelled at him… well, at least not like that. It was as if Peter despised him.
"Look… Peter… fun is fun, but you are starting to scare me." – explained the Fighter.
Peter laughed at that comment. Grayson's stupidity was very amusing.
"Scare you, Grayson? Oh, my… I am terribly sorry. I didn't want to scare you." – assured Peter.
Grayson gave a sigh of relief.
"Good." – replied the Fighter.
"I wanted to intimidate you." – added the Ranger, while showing an evil grin.
"Well… you are the Hero, aren't you?" – mocked Peter.
"Hero? I am the Sidekick, remember?" – answered Grayson.
The Ranger laughed and shook his head. Pathetic creature, indeed.
"Well, since I am now the Villain, I guess that you were promoted." – mocked Peter.
"Wait… I am the Hero?" – asked Grayson.
"Yes, old friend…" – said Peter.
"Why are you doing this, Peter? Why do you want to be a Villain?" – demanded Grayson, feeling very intimidated.
"Why? Why? Isn't it obvious?" – yelled Peter.
"Please, don't tell me that it is because of the salt…" – begged Grayson.
The Ranger looked suddenly annoyed at that comment.
"What's wrong with salt, pray tell?" – growled Peter.
"Nothing…" – squeaked the Fighter.
"Good. Oh! By the way, I am afraid that I will have to… kill you." – explained Peter.
Now Grayson was really frightened. Peter didn't seem to be joking. What was happening in here?
"You will have to do what?" – inquired the Fighter.
Peter nodded at his friend, and then shrugged.
"Unless…" – added Peter.
"Unless?" – demanded Grayson.
"Unless you join me, Grayson! Join me and become my trusted advisor." – offered the Ranger.
The Imp looked a bit uncertain and then yelled a curse.
"But I am your trusted advisor…" – reminded the furious fiend.
"Shut up, pathetic creature, or you will suffer a thousand agonies!" – shouted the Ranger.
"Yes, Master." – growled the Imp.
"Join you? Become one of the bad guys? Is that it?" – asked Grayson.
The Ranger nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, Grayson. Join me and together we shall rule all of the realms." – yelled Peter.
"And if I don't join you, Peter?" – inquired the Fighter.
"Then, I will have to kill you, Grayson. I am the Villain… I can't leave my enemies alive." – explained Peter, while rolling his eyes.
"You are asking me to choose between living as a bad guy and dying as a good guy?" – asked Grayson.
"I know you, Grayson. You are a coward..." – stated Peter.
The Fighter looked ashamed for a moment. It was true… he was a coward. There was no use denying that.
"You will never choose that pathetic option. Dying as a Hero is very… overrated." – mocked Peter, while showing an evil grin.
"Well… I…" – mumbled Grayson.
Grayson sighed. It was a tough choice… he could either live as a bad guy or die as a good guy.
"Yes?" – asked Peter.
No, he had been wrong. It wasn't a tough choice. How could it be a though choice, when he already knew the answer?
"I will never be part of your mad plan, Peter!" – yelled the Fighter.
Peter seemed surprised by that answer.
"Is that your final answer?" – inquired Peter.
"Hell, yeah!" – said Grayson.
The Ranger laughed. It wasn't a very pleasant laugh.
"Then so be it…" – growled Peter.
The Ranger started walking towards the fallen Necromancer, that still thought that he was dead, and picked up the Wizard's Magic Staff.
"Hey! You aren't a Wizard! You can't use a Magic Staff!" – stated Grayson, looking a bit uncertain.
"Oh, really?" – asked Peter.
Peter pointed the Magic Staff towards the wall behind the Fighter. Suddenly a huge lightning bolt was launched from the Magic Staff and the powerful spell opened a huge hole in the wall.
"Damn…" – squeaked Grayson.
"You were saying?" – mocked Peter.
"Peter… look… just put the Magic Staff on the floor…" – begged Grayson.
The Ranger pointed the Magic Staff towards the Fighter.
"Don't you dare patronize me, Grayson!" – growled Peter.
"Okay! Sorry!" – said Grayson, while making gestures for Peter to calm down.
"I am now far more powerful than you… old friend." – mocked the Ranger.
Grayson sighed. There was nothing that he could do. The only thing that he could do was hope that Peter would snap out of it.
"Will you please step a little closer to the Necromancer?" – asked Peter.
"What? Why?" – inquired Grayson.
Peter laughed and then sighed.
"I am about to kill two birds with one stone…" – explained the Ranger.
"Errr…" – mumbled the Fighter.
"You and the Necromancer are the birds… and the Magic Staff is the stone." – added Peter.
"Peter! You can't be serious!" – stated the Fighter.
The Imp looked a bit uncomfortable with the whole idea. He had gotten quite used to the Necromancer's company and constant stupidity.
"Master? We may need the Necromancer… he is a Wizard and…" – said the Imp.
"Silence, you damn creature! I already told you to be quiet!" – growled Peter.
The Imp had to fight a sudden urge to bow for forgiveness. What was happening? Why was he so afraid of Peter? He was just a damn idiot!
"Yes… Master… but…" – continued the fiend.
Peter grabbed the Imp by his neck and started tightening his grip.
"I have a new rule, Imp. When the Master is speaking… the ugly bat shuts up!" – said Peter.
The Imp nodded in agreement and begged for forgiveness. The Ranger tossed the fiend against a wall. No more interruptions, then. It was time to end all of this tiresome business.
"Any last words, Grayson?" – asked Peter, trying to savour the moment.
"You are mad, Peter!" – stated Grayson.
"Mad? Mad? Did you call me mad? Mad? Ha! Ha! Ha! Mad? I will show you! You haven't seen anything yet! I will show you pure madness!" – yelled Peter.
The Ranger pointed the Magic Staff towards Grayson and the Necromancer. There would be no happy endings… Not when he was around.
"Behold, Hero… your doom!" – shouted the Ranger.
A bright light appeared on the end of the Magic Staff. Soon… it would all be over.
"Muah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!" – laughed Peter.
It was the perfect maniacal laugh, the Imp thought. It had been perfect. Not even the Demons and fiends of the Hells could give such a perfect and evil maniacal laugh.
What had he done? What had he created?
Oh, no! The perfect Villain…
Suddenly a pony appeared from nowhere and walked towards the Necromancer, putting itself between the fallen Wizard and the Magic Staff.
"What the hell?" – growled Peter.
The pony looked sadly at the Ranger and then at his fallen Master. The damn creature seemed to be begging for the Wizard's life.
"Is that a pony?" – asked Peter.
"It's my Mast… former Master's pony." – explained the Imp.
"Oh? What a sorry excuse for a Villain. A pony? Bah!" – mocked Peter.
"Yes, Master." – agreed the Imp, but his tones were a bit sad.
"What is the creature doing?" – asked Peter.
Grayson glared at Peter and then pointed at the pony.
"He is trying to protect his owner, Peter!" – said the Fighter.
"Bah! Why would such a pathetic creature even try to protect such a useless excuse for a Villain?" – growled Peter.
"Why? Why? Peter, don't you remember anything?" – yelled Grayson.
"What do you mean?" – inquired the Ranger.
"He is defending his owner because… he is his friend." – explained Grayson, looking hurt.
"Friend?" – raged Peter, as if that word made him sick.
"Yes, Peter! Just like we were! We were best friends, Peter!" – added Grayson.
"We were… friends?" – mocked Peter.
"Sure we had some tough moments and all… but in the end we stood up for each other." – continued the Fighter.
Those words seemed to make Peter hesitate. Could it be? Had Peter hesitate?
"Silence, Hero." – ordered Peter.
"And…" – continued Grayson, trying to make his friend snap out of all this madness.
"I said silence!" – yelled Peter.
The Ranger glanced at the pony and shrugged.
"It was a… noble speech. But it doesn't change anything. Friendship… is part of the past. It made me weak." – explained Peter.
"It made you strong, Peter! You could always count on me or Pawl to help you out!" – stated Grayson.
"What? Are you kidding, man?" – asked Peter.
"What do you mean?" – inquired Grayson, looking a bit confused.
"Count on you and Pawl? Didn't Pawl abandon us, his so-called friends, when Tiffany was about to kill us?" – yelled Peter.
"Well… yeah, he did. But that's not the point…" – mumbled the Fighter.
"And didn't you lie to Tiffany by saying that your name was Peter, in order to save your pathetic hide in case the Thug went after you?" – mocked the Ranger.
The Fighter had to admit that Peter had a point.
"Yeah… I guess that you are right, Peter… We suck at being great friends. But we are only human." – explained Grayson.
"Pawl is a Dwarf." – corrected Peter.
"You know what I mean… We make mistakes, we have flaws. Our friendship had flaws. But we were friends, nonetheless." – concluded the Fighter.
"Our friendship made me weak, Grayson. Friendship is for fools. Why do I need friends when I can have loyal servants?" – growled Peter.
"They won't be your friends, Peter!" – yelled Grayson.
"Bah! They will do as I order. That will be enough. I don't need their friendship… just their loyalty. And they will be loyal… or suffer the consequences." – mocked the Ranger.
"You are not the Peter that I used to drink ale with." – said Grayson.
"Good… That Peter was pathetic." – replied the Ranger.
"No! You are pathetic!" – added Grayson.
Peter showed his friend a mocking grin. Enough words…
"Die…" – whispered Peter.
The Ranger pointed the Magic Staff. Grayson and the pony closed their eyes… So this was it… the end.
But death didn't come.
Grayson decided to open his eyes, in order to understand what was happening. Peter was still pointing the Magic Staff towards them, but he seemed confused.
"Master?" – asked the Imp, after some time.
"I…I…" – squeaked Peter.
"Just kill them already, Master." – said the Imp.
"I… can't…" – replied the Ranger.
"Master?" – asked the Imp.
Peter grabbed his head and screamed in pain.
"Argggggghhhh!" – yelled Peter.
The Ranger glared at Grayson.
"That damn fool… is still alive." – growled Peter.
"What?" – asked Grayson, feeling completely lost.
Peter showed the Fighter an evil grin.
"But not for long." – added Peter.