THE MOMENT
Xap buried his hesitation and strode forward into the Dark Lord's throne room. Doubts began to grow as soon as he saw the imposing figure. He was a mountainous, villain with a horned hat. He stood from his throne to greet, and likely intimidate Xap. But, Xap wasn't intimidated. His anger flared when he discovered the Dark Lord was a human.
"Let's see what you can do, Orc," the Dark Lord said. Xap had no loyalty do the Dark Lord; he was there for his own reasons. He wanted to kill as many human adventurers as he could; his goal was revenge. At that moment, Xap found himself in a perfect storm of circumstances.
Ever since he leveled up, Xap learned he was different from all the other Orcs, and even the other monsters. He could do things they couldn't do, and even some things they couldn't even comprehend. He only wanted to join the dark army to find a place for himself and wasn't really looking to rise in the ranks.
But now the world opened itself up to Xap. If the Dark Lord really wanted to see what he could do; he would show him. Either he impressed the Dark Lord enough to have an easy life; or, he got to kill another human and inherit command of the dark army. He could not lose. Xap grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.
[Shadow Executioner] A deep voice echoed around the throne room when Xap pulled the card from his pocket. Xap had tested it extensively around all the other monsters; for some reason he was the only person that could hear it. His smile grew when the black-robed ninja appeared from the shadows behind the dark lord with his sword raised.
"You're a- " The Dark Lord's question was interrupted by the sudden slash; but, his head did not tumble off his body like Xap expected. Instead, the crack of splintering wood rang out, and an ethereal golden barrel shattered around the Dark Lord. The deep voice spoke again despite Xap only using his trick once.
[Gag Reflex] the voice boomed. Xap had just enough time to tilt his head in confusion before a soft, wet plop landed on his face; he was instantly blinded.
"Awww crud. Sorry!" Xap heard the Dark Lord's apologetic voice as a large pair of hands began wiping the gunk off his face. When he could see again, Xap noticed the goop was white and a tiny bit of it got into his mouth. It tasted sweet. "I didn't know you were a player, are you here for Duchess' class too?" The Dark Lord asked.
"What?" Xap asked. It was more of an utterance while his brain worked than an actual question. Not only did the Dark Lord survive his attack; he was acting with genuine concern. He hadn't even blinked but treated Xap as an equal.
"Toku-high?" The Dark Lord asked. Then, he elaborated when Xap's confusion worsened. "You don't go to the Nexus Academy?" Xap understood the word 'academy' at least.
"Is that a school?" he asked. He hoped that joining the Dark Army would give him an education that helped him learn about his powers, if nothing else. But, he tempered his own hopes. "A.. human school?"
"What's your favorite number?" The Dark Lord stepped back from Xap when he asked the question; the orc's face was clean enough.
"21," Xap answered before he had time to get annoyed at the question dodging. But, the Dark Lord instantly smiled.
"It's a school for Unique Souls like you," he said. "And me. There are vampires, mermaids, goblins and even orcs that attend."
Xap was excited beyond belief. It all sounded so perfect; and, he realized that it was the Dark Lord himself making the offer. It was probably too perfect. He narrowed his eyes at the Dark Lord.
"You? You go to school?" he asked. The Dark Lord nodded, but Xap scoffed.
"You rule with an iron fist," he said. He shook his head and continued, "Your armies slaughter humans by the thousands; I'm here to join you,..." he said.
"Oh right!" the Dark Lord chirped. "Sorry, but I can only accept NPCs; you don't count. So, you can't join my army, but I'll be happy to show you around school if you want me to."
"What?" Xap uttered again; this time it was an actual question. He was flabbergasted at the Dark Lord's casualness. Xap loved killing humans; but even he had lines he wouldn't cross. The Dark Lord didn't care who got in the way; it just happened to be humans most often. But the mythical persona that sieged the country was a far cry from the polite, and even amicable Dark Lord standing in front of him. Xap could not shake his confusion from the mismatch.
"You're about to conquer the world...," Xap said while shaking his head. "...and... you're offering to show me around school?"
"Well, sure," the Dark Lord chuckled. "The assignment doesn't count unless I turn it in."
"..assignment?" Xap asked. He looked around the Dark Lord's throne room. He knew there were over 100 orcs, goblins, and ogres waiting outside for their turn. ".. this is school work to you?" The Dark Lord grinned.
"Well, I ain't the Dark Lord 'cause I wanna be. It's not usually my game," he chuckled. Then, he stuck his hand out in greeting towards Xap. "Name's Moose, what's yours?"