THE MOMENT
"YOU are Skulron??" Maxwell kept his guns ready and aimed at the teenage girl even as he posed the question. The teen girl in black armor rolled her eyes as she took a step forward. Maxwell didn't hesitate to fire a warning shot past her and she stopped.
"Yeah, that's me. What do you want, or whatever?" she asked.
"You're the dark lord of monsters? A teenage girl commands legions of orcs and dragons!??" It was too much for Maxwell to believe. The trek to Skulron's castle was easy thanks to his weapons. He left a trail of lead-filled corpses on his way to the Dark Lord; the horde of monsters was no match for him. It was simple to destroy the grotesque abominations attempting to murder him. This girl with sand-colored hair and tan skin looked almost innocent.
"Look, Ozone gave me a kingdom and told me it would boost my strength. I didn't get to pick my name, and I have no idea why you're here. So, what do you want?"
"Proof..." Maxwell replied. He lowered both of his guns; but, only slightly. "... if you truly are the dark lord, prove it." It was a stalling tactic more than anything. Maxwell needed to wrestle with the idea that the girl before him was evil enough to raze the country with her army. He didn't necessarily doubt who she was; but, he needed to see proof before he committed his own atrocity.
"Guards..." The teen dark lord rolled her eyes and spoke an almost bored command. The thundering sound of heavy, metal-covered feet suddenly came from outside the room. Maxwell heard it a moment before a squad of six hulking, armored ogres filed into the room. They were obviously the dark lord's personal guards; they seemed different from the hundreds he'd already defeated. Their black armor was more elaborate and each one was as tall as a house. They rushed to stand next to the dark lord's throne and awaited further orders. "Kill him," the girl said.
Maxwell turned his guns on the ogres as they approached and he filled the throne room with echoing rapid gunfire. The bullets pierced their armor effortlessly and they fell as easily as all the others had. Once the last one fell, leaking puddles of black blood on the stone floor, Maxwell turned his attention back to the teen. She hadn't moved and simply looked at him.
"There. Proof. Happy?" she asked. But, Maxwell shook his head as he aimed both guns at her.
"I am satisfied that you are indeed the dark lord...," he said. "...but, it brings me no joy to have to end such a young life...."
"Oh!" her eyes widened with realization. "You're here to kill me?" she asked. Her tone had a sudden playfulness that made Maxwell anxious. She stepped forward and shook her head. "But, you -,"
A single gunshot rang out as he forcefully interrupted her. Maxwell made his decision and he acted before he hesitated again. The bullet produced a small puff of dust as it entered her head and vanished. It was a strange sight as if Maxwell fired at the ground itself.
"...can't," the dark lord finished her sentence as she stared at him. "Rude much? I was talking," she added. It was unexpected; but, Maxwell was determined. He opened fire again, this time he kept his fingers on the triggers for several seconds as bullets pelted the teenager. She was still standing, with an annoyed expression, once he let go.
"Ohhh....," she said quietly. "...you're not a player; what's your favorite number?" he answered her unusual question even before he tried to understand what she meant by 'player'.
"One!" he said instantly.
"Well, that explains it," she nodded.
"Explains what? Why don't my bullets work on you?" Maxwell asked. Whatever she realized was less important than him accomplishing his goal. She seemed to be in a casual mind and he hoped she would reveal something. "I destroyed your guards easily enough," he added to remind her he wasn't powerless.
"Oh yeah," she smirked with amusement. "It's super hard to kill NPCs," she said. "Anyway, you can't kill me with those; and not really at all. What are you going to do next?" she asked. "I could help you, you know...," she added as an after though. She seemed to be trying to coax him to her side, or at least mocking him. But, Maxwell had already considered his next move.
"I don't want anything you're offering!" He dropped the guns and reached behind his back with both hands. In one swift motion, he yanked two grenades loose from their pins and tossed them at her. Both of them hit their mark directly. They hit her head and fell to her feet.
The teenager lifted her foot and stepped on one with her metal-covered foot and absorbed it into herself. Then, she repeated the action with her other foot to take in the second one. Maxwell had the sudden realization that she wasn't normal. Her black armor seemed to be a part of her. Each of her armored feet flowed down like loose, wet sand over the grenades. Then, Maxwell heard two faint, muffled pops.
"Oh good," she smiled. Maxwell wasn't prepared for the sudden sandstorm that erupted around him. He shut his eyes; but, tried to stand his ground as millions of glass-sharp particles began wearing down his skin. He knew it was her doing somehow. Despite the spinning tornado of sand enveloping him, there was no wind. He could very clearly hear her voice one more time before he blacked out. "I didn't want to help you anyway."