The Final Campaign of Ceres the Forsaken: Book V
The Telling of Final Reconings
By Travis, Period 4
Ceres approached the decrepit building with a sense of dread. The dark walls and broken towers filled him with a deep sense of foreboding. He encountered no resistance and saw no one guarding the immense, sprawling complex. He landed in the wide square in the center of the castle. Something about the place gave him s sense of vague de ja vu, although he could not place the origin of the impression. He walked through the village, all the houses and shops in ruins. There was not a living thing to be found; nor was there any indication of an army waiting for him.
Ceres continued his investigation and continued to find nothing. He leapt to the wall encircling the castle and village, and began to make a circuit around it. Checking in each guard tower, he found no evidence of occupation; not even a corpse or cobweb. Ceres bellowed several challenges, only to be met with his own echoes.
Having already scanned the entire area, Ceres turned his attention to the large castle occupying the farthest corner of the compound. Approaching the Massive wooden door, Ceres found an inscription: "ONLY AFTER ONE HAS BEEN THROUGH HELL CAN HE PASS ANY FURTHER." It was at that moment that Ceres realized what the castle really was, and where he had previously witnessed it.
It was home. The very kingdom he had been cast out of like trash was there in the Heart of Hell. Ceres passed through the familiar corridors, noting the poor repair. There had not been a room untouched. Even the grand throne room had been demolished to the point of non-recognition. Ceres sadly walked through the rooms, looking for something to tell him what was going on.
He found only one thing. In the dungeons, he found his father’s crown, pitted and gray with what looked like crusted blood on it. Ceres sorrowfully picked it, and recalled poignant memories of his youth. Holding court and watching all the courtiers; riding the royal horses through the countryside; the fencing training he had received as a youth. Returning to reality, Ceres reverently replaced the crown where he had found it. There remained only one place to check: the roof.
Ceres climbed the long spiral staircase, being careful not to cause a collapse. Sections had fallen down, so Ceres was forced to fly over these segments. Continuing to advance up the stairs, he noticed some odd fire damage on the walls and ceiling. Once he spotted what looked like a burned relief of a silhouette, with black all around a relatively clean area in the shape of a person with his arms above his head.
Ceres emerged from the building to find a lone figure waiting for him. Ceres gasped, for the person waiting there for him was none other than himself. Ceres stuttered out request for a name; in response the creature stated that he had been called by many names over history: Diablo, Lucifer, Devil, Hades, Pluto, Beelzebub, and Satan. The creature further stated that in his present state he was the incarnation of every bad aspect of Ceres, and that his intention was to prevent Ceres’ further progression. In reply, Ceres called on the Armor of Truth that he had received after defeating Brandon and prepared for battle.
Moloch smiled, and drew his sword. The two faced each other for a moment, no one making any movement. Then, Ceres slowed time, only to find that the time difference had no effect as Moloch moved through the lapse with him. Ceres tried to defeat him with his sword, but the dark prince matched him blow for blow. Ceres fired every arrow in his quiver, only to find that they never found their intended target. Ceres even managed to split the evil one in half with the Battle-Axe of Justice, only to find that Lucifer could reform himself after every attack. It seemed that no matter what he tried, he could not even phase the dark reflection of himself.
Attempting a new approach, Ceres launched a furious series of swings at Satan with his mighty sword Titan, also attacking with his lightning prowess. However, this attack too failed. If anything, it made Moloch stronger. Ceres landed, thinking of how to attack next.
However, Satan seemed unwilling to wait. Making the decision for him, the dark prince leapt into flight, sailing up into the air and coming down with a mighty downward chop with his sword. Ceres barely managed to jump out of the way, the floor beneath where he had been completely destroyed from the vicious blow. Launching himself at Ceres again, he launched a whirlwind series of swings, his weapon changed into a scythe. Ceres barely managed to avoid these wild assaults, using his shield and sword for protection. Seeing an opportunity, Ceres swung Titan with all his might, his sword going from the Devil’s collarbone clear through his groin. The two grotesque halves fell to the ground. Ceres landed, drew the Battle-Axe of Truth, and smashed what was left and turned to leave. He was knocked to his knees by lightning, however, as Satan had already regenerated himself. Ceres picked himself up, and hurled the Dagger of Vengeance at the raging incarnate. The dagger merely penetrated and went through, causing no damage. The Evil One laughed at Ceres and asked him if he really thought that such a pathetic weapon could bring down the Supreme Malevolent Force in the Universe, and in reply Ceres drew the spear given to him by the Chronicler and threw it with all his strength. Satan, seeing the ancient power in the weapon, barely managed to dodge the spear. It clattered uselessly to the ground behind him. Angered, Satan sprang foreword and before Ceres could react, struck off Ceres’ left arm. Ceres fell to his knees, waves of pain washing over like a boiling tide. He held the bleeding stump where his arm had been, and screamed out in pain. Demanding if that was the best he could do, Satan prepared to give the final blow. Ceres, however, managed to get to his feet and draw his sword, feeding from his pain and using it for strength. He was unstoppable at that moment. People on the surface claimed to have heard him swinging and cursing the Devil as he hacked and chopped him to minute fragments. Ceres kept swinging until he could no longer see his adversary; after he was done, he turned to look at his arm.
In that moment, Lucifer regenerated and buried the Dagger of Vengeance deep in Ceres’ heart. Feeling all strength leave him, he collapsed onto his arm and shield. Snorting in contempt, Lucifer turned on his heel and began to walk away.
Unbeknownst to him, the shield had worked its magic yet again. As soon as Ceres’ body had fallen upon it, the shield had healed both the dagger wound and the amputated arm. Ceres saw his opportunity with Satan’s back turned, turned invisible, retrieved the spear, and once again threw it at his enemy.
This time there was no avoiding it. The spear caught Beelzebub in the center of his back and hurled him twenty feet forward. The spear imbedded itself in the high wall around the Keep, with Satan’s feet two yards from the ground. He struggled there, wriggling like a worm on a hook with his blood spilling onto the ground. He gurgled and screamed, trying to remove himself from the long shaft. He turned to look at Ceres, took a long breath, and expired.
Ceres flew up, retrieved the spear, and his other enchanted weapons. This time, unlike all the last, the light that came for him was not powers and weapons; rather, this light transported him back to Earth. He did not know where he was or when, but as he emerged into the light of dawn, he finally knew happiness as he set off on his next journey.