The Sixth Son

Sir Lucan charged at the monsters, swinging his warhammer at the first one that caught his eyes. The hammer struck the side of the demon's head, smashing it into the sewer wall. Cracks spread across stone, and the demon began to dissolve into dust. 

Fucking disgusting, he thought bitterly, as something moved in his peripheral vision. Not so fast.

Sir Lucan ducked beneath a swinging sword and punched upward into the enemy's arm. The monster stumbled back, and he swung his warhammer again, this time point first. The spike drove into its eye and the creature screeched out in pain. 

Its face began to dissolve as it stumbled back, two more immediately taking its place. 

Sir Lucan took both of them on, dodging their slow swings, with a speed he hadn't been able to show off in a while. They were dead within a few movements. 

Only six more to go.

This wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter.

The sewer began to shake, and Sir Lucan fell to one knee. "What is this?" He groaned with frustration. 

Behind the other five monsters was a glowing red doorway, similar to the ones they'd appeared from. The sixth was summoning it, kneeling in the water with one hand upraised. 

The doorway opened, and a figure shot through like an arrow, slamming into the stone ceiling. More cracks spread along the stone, but it seemed to hold. 

Sir Lucan got to his feet. 

The new figure dropped into the water, triggering a surge that knocked Sir Lucan off balance. Towering above him, it almost grazed the ceiling. Its countenance, like the rest, was shrouded in shadow, yet it contorted and wriggled like a nest of serpents. Unlike its counterparts, its eyes gleamed with a golden hue.

He's…stronger, Sir Lucan observed, taking a tentative step forward. His breath came in labored gasps now, his blond locks slick with both sweat and filth from the sewage water.

"You…are what they call a knight?" The demon said, his voice dry as sand. Its eyes squinted with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "Four of my army lie slain. This should not have come to pass. Humans can't possess the means to defeat us."

Sir Lucan shrugged. "Sorry to break it to you. But that's actually the fifth of you that I've killed. We even have a few more of you bastards locked up."

"Yes, I am aware of that. But their imprisonment is temporary," the demon said. 

"You're confident."

"Of course I am. I have an entire legion at my command. And all that stands between me and laying waste to the city is…you. One solitary knight."

Sir Lucan smirked. "One man can be worth that of an army. I haven't swung my warhammer like this in months. This has been a good warm up to get me back into it. Alright, I'm ready. Let's see what you got!"

The demon snarled, its face writhing with contempt. "I am the Sixth Son. The Scourge of Hell. You will regret ever laying eyes on me. For they will be the last image you ever see, Sir Lucan, son of Maezin."

Sir Lucan's smile faltered, replaced by a look of unease. "How do you know that name?"

At the demon's side was a double-sided axe. With a swift motion, the Sixth Son raised the weapon high into the air, casting a foreboding shadow over the scene.

"End him," the demon commanded with chilling authority, its voice echoing with the weight of centuries of malice.

Sir Lucan assumed a fighting stance, raising his warhammer up to his shoulder. You must protect the city. You must protect your king. This is the only way.

*******

King Leandis waded through the murky waters, his face wrinkled in distaste. "I am a king. A king! Yet here I am, immersed in the filth of my own kingdom."

"Some might argue that's the purpose of a king," Galvan remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Leandis sighed, feeling the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him. 

Comparatively, his brother had always possessed a lighter demeanor. Perhaps because he didn't have the burden of the crown. Being the youngest in the royal family had its advantages, after all. The biggest of those being the luxury of insignificance. 

The tunnel began to shake, and Leandis could hear voices up ahead. 

Galvan's hand instinctively reached for his shortsword, the metallic rasp cutting through the tense silence as he positioned himself in front of Leandis. His eyes darted through the shadows ahead, ready for confrontation.

Sir Melior stayed behind Leandis, guarding their rear. He was one of Leandis' more skilled men. His combat prowess had earned him victory in countless tournaments, a fact not lost on Leandis, who often placed large bets on Melior's matches to great success.

The scene the three came upon was unexpected. 

The girl, who Leandis had last seen in his throne room, sat unconscious against a wall. Nearly twenty feet ahead stood Sir Lucan, who was facing off the shadow demons, similar to the ones brought before him a few days prior. 

One of the demons noticed the newcomers and almost seemed to smile. Its voice dripped with scorn and derision as it addressed Leandis with mock courtesy. "Ah, come forth. Please, 'King' Leandis."

Galvan raised up a hand, telling Leandis to stop. He stepped forward. "No one commands the king. Sir Lucan, what is this?"

The knight wore a grim expression. "Demons. Sent by the Seventh himself."

"The Seventh?" The demon asked, astounded. "No…he was the First. The first child of the universe. He bore me and my brothers. Our rule is absolute. He is the only king you shall serve."

The Seventh, King Leandis thought. The immortal god that prevented the people from committing crimes. The books stated that the Seventh son turned from his brothers. He was the progenitor of the demons, the eternal ruler of Hell, where the damned suffered for the rest of their existence. 

"The Six. Do you humans worship them?" The demon smirked, reveling in the uncertainty that flicked across their faces. 

"They are the gods who will accept us into the afterlife," Sir Lucan said. "That is a fact."

"But…they are dead. My master's siblings have been dead for a long…long time. He is the lone ruler of this world."

"That cannot be. Even if they are dead, their legacy endures," Sir Lucan proclaimed, his voice ringing with unwavering faith. "Their ideals of justice, compassion, and righteousness live on in us. And even in death, they guide our path."

The knight had never been religious, to the best of Leandis' knowledge. So why now, in the face of adversity, did he defend them?

The Sixth Son recoiled and hissed, but remained silent.

So that's it, Leandis realized. The gods were never all powerful. They were never our rulers. It is the human spirit, the resilience, the strength that guides us. It is that spirit that endures the darkness.

In that moment of clarity, Leandis realized that their strength lay not in the whims of divine beings or the machinations of malevolent entities, but in the indomitable spirit of humanity itself. It was the resilience, the unwavering determination to endure and persevere in the face of adversity, that truly guided them through the darkness.

Leandis stepped back as Sir Lucan charged forward with a silent, focused demeanor.

"Take the king back to the surface, Sir Melior!" Galvan screamed. A moment later, he was joining the fray.

The tunnel exploded into action, and the clash began.