rulethem

rulethem t1_ixshrjr wrote

Reply to comment by BlightFantasy3467 in [WP] You are the Big Bad, you've been purposefully sending weaker minions to the Hero and their party, in order to strengthen them for the final confrontation. All you seek, is a worthy death. by BlightFantasy3467

That's a fantastic catch! Thanks for taking the time to write it so thoroughly. I have edited the contractions out and I completely agree.

Also, great prompt! It made Mergoloth pop right into my mind, a troubled, unkillable king that is tired of life but whose religion prohibits him from dying unless defeated in an honorable battle--a very conflicted and torturous combination, which should yield an interesting character if written well

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rulethem t1_ixqs7mq wrote

Reply to [WP] You are the Big Bad, you've been purposefully sending weaker minions to the Hero and their party, in order to strengthen them for the final confrontation. All you seek, is a worthy death. by BlightFantasy3467

Mergoloth held a knife to his own throat. With a trembling hand, he pressed the blade and swayed it, slicing his skin ever-so-slightly. Drops of blood slithered down his throat and dried at the seam between his neck and armor.

"Why?" he screamed at the top of his lungs, and the stone walls of the throne room wavered and cracked. "Why do you forbid my death?"

His expression shifted from hatred to repentance. He hauled the knife and collapsed to his knees. With a quick motion, he held a gloved hand to his heart and muttered, "This is a prayer to the Three Gods, Vilkor, Vanazar, and Vaeros. Forgive me for yearning for death even in its most disgusting, unworthy form. Forgive me. I will not succumb to my thoughts. I will ignore them. I will die an honorable death, not one that comes by my own hand. I will sit with you in the Brimming Halls. I will not be weak. I will not falter."

Mergoloth moved his hand from his heart to the stone floor. Then, he mumbled forgotten words under his breath and traced the names of the Three Gods across the stone.

"I pray this prayer reaches the Brimming Halls," he said and the names of the gods burst afire on the floor. "For I fear there is no one who can gift me a worthy death. For I fear my might has reached bounds no other being can reach. For I need guidance, temperance, and patience."

A sigh followed as he rose to his feet. On cue, the gates of the throne room grated open and a small, hunched figure stepped in and faced Mergoloth.

"You can speak," Mergoloth said.

"They're ready, Your Endlessness. They've killed Bamoth. Gruesome death, but a worthy one."

"Did they struggle?" His words came out with a hint of worry.

The servant nodded. "They struggled oceans, Your Endlessness. They barely survived."

Mergoloth stood in silence. The air grew heavy and tense. The walls trembled again and their fissures deepened the longer the words lacked.

"Your Endlessness?" the servant said, stepping backward.

Mergoloth drew a deep breath. "They are not ready. They are too weak. Bamoth, who was said to be the most powerful being roving the world, knelt the moment she felt my presence. I could have killed her with a single word."

"Yes, Your Endlessness, but the enemies are growing older and Bamoth was our most powerful minion. There's no one else we can send. They won't get stronger--"

"They are not ready!" Mergoloth shouted and the thundering roar of a collapsing palace followed.

A storm of boulders fell upon them. The servant was reduced to a pool of blood and crushed bone but Mergoloth remained unscathed, for every rock that touched him broke and turned into sand.

After the noises settled, he swung his hand in an upward motion, and the endless debris encompassing him disappeared into the sky. He walked then, and he did so for thirty days. Not a word was uttered throughout the journey, not a sound was heard.

Mergoloth came to a halt in front of three adventurers, who, upon seeing him, unsheathed their swords and surged towards him to commence a flurry of attacks that lasted for thirty more days. For the entirety of the bout, he remained stone-still against the battering of swords and spells. He never moved nor retaliated. He didn't even flinch.

But when exhaustion embraced the adventurers, he shed three silent tears. "You were my only hope. My one and only hope." His gaze strayed to the stars then, and with a shattered voice, he screamed, "Why are my prayers not heard? Why am I left without aid? I yearn to die a worthy death. I yearn to reach the Brimming Halls. I--I yearn to be gone. Why? Why?"

The adventurers attempted to escape as he spoke, but after ten steps, the cracking of bones thundered through the night. All of them collapsed like ragdolls to their death, for Mergoloth pulverized everything inside of them with a single word.

Mergoloth broke into laughter. His tears turned into plumes of smoke. "I understand now." He looked at the sky again. "Vilkor, Vanazar, Vaeros you hear me. You have always heard me. Every single word I spoke you heard and you ignored them, for I am your worst mistake." His grin widened. "And because of that, you fear me. For I can murder all of you. You fear me and so you hide from me in the Brimming Halls and fill my head with the importance of honor in death. There can not be honor in death, for death is the destination not the journey."

Mergoloth stopped to laugh a deranged laugh. "I see now. I see clearly." His extremities trembled with delight. "You may prohibit my entrance to the Brimming Halls, but I will tear the gates down with a word and devour each one of you across all eternities. You made me, and you made me only to bring me suffering. It is time for your punishment to come. It is time for you to suffer the suffering I felt.

"Tell me, what can a God do against a Mergoloth?"

With that, Mergoloth unsheathed the knife from his waist and sliced his throat.

-----------------------------

/r/AStoryToRuleThemAll

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rulethem t1_ixlvtas wrote

Reply to comment by AverageBeef in [WP] Out of the blue, your spouse asked you if you would still love them if they turned into a worm. Thinking it was a little odd, you said that yes, of course you would. It was a short time later when you realized that they actually meant “wyrm.” by Maximum_Pootis

Thank you, average beef! Subverting expectations is always fun--and not an escape hatch/silly excuse for poor writing, no, nothing of the sort.

GOT FLASHBACKS

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rulethem t1_ixlvmii wrote

Reply to comment by Chemical39 in [WP] Out of the blue, your spouse asked you if you would still love them if they turned into a worm. Thinking it was a little odd, you said that yes, of course you would. It was a short time later when you realized that they actually meant “wyrm.” by Maximum_Pootis

I've heard on very sunny days if you use a magnifying glass you can speed up the worm-drying process! They will even dance a bit as you do it--and I've heard their dance moves are so good, you may see a plume of smoke!

I recommend this method for maximum worm-gratefulness and protection in the future.

Not financial advice

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rulethem t1_ixiwk2n wrote

Reply to comment by MrRedoot55 in [WP] Out of the blue, your spouse asked you if you would still love them if they turned into a worm. Thinking it was a little odd, you said that yes, of course you would. It was a short time later when you realized that they actually meant “wyrm.” by Maximum_Pootis

They're small enough to fit in an ear and they're 99% evil and 1% wyrm-loving. You can draw your own conclusions from there.

>:)!

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rulethem t1_ixiw9ov wrote

Reply to comment by CrazyTrain_mechanic in [WP] Out of the blue, your spouse asked you if you would still love them if they turned into a worm. Thinking it was a little odd, you said that yes, of course you would. It was a short time later when you realized that they actually meant “wyrm.” by Maximum_Pootis

hahahaha, very glad you liked it, Crazy! I was laughing myself when I thought about turning the MC into a worm.

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