Epic Poem[END] THANK YOU PARTICIPANTS!

[Stalker Sasquatch]

For the record, I know this is coming in late, but I'm finishing up my entry. I'll have it in in an hour or two, so don't close the contest just yet, please. Be prepared for something odd.

It starts out good, but then as I rushed more and more it became less articulate. You'll see the degradation of articulation for yourself.

I would have been proud had I spent adequate time on it instead of rushing it at the end.

Perhaps after I submit it, I'll refine it further.

But in any case, there is at least one final and rather lengthy poem coming in this contest.

 

[Stalker Sasquatch]

The Tragedy at Vilgrande
(And the Demon Slayer of Noble Clan Bel)

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I. The Badlands and the Prophecy

The land seemed to stretch before me
Everlasting and o’er full to the brim
Of horrors beyond what men may see,
And those that make men’s hearts grim.

The darkened Earth here ripped atwain,
Something hot and grim filled the air,
Fires and decay raged and wrought pain,
Though no humans, there was despair.

I, once a bachelor of the Nobles,
Sworn into service from Clan Bel, was I,
At the graciousness of my holy King
To whom I’d sworn my full mortal life.

And now here I stand on the precipice
Of ill-gotten suffering and ungodly pain,
With a terrible journey ahead of me,
But only until the Demons are slain.

For, you see, I came here not on a whim,
In this blasted land lies a secret old,
One so powerful, so secret to men,
A weapon against demons, so bold.

It is said by our oracles and wise men,
Passed down for generations of progenies,
That in the blasted lands of Demons afar,
A power exists to cease their tragedies.

So here I came far from home,
In order to find a power to fight
The Demons’ bloody invasion, alone,
Should I find this potent might.

With me, I had neither a steed nor squire,
I had naught but the ancient blade.
Unable to fight the powerful evils,
It could keep lesser demons at bay.

Upon my visage came shortly a spire,
Followed by many others, in decay,
Each a testament to ancient fires,
Each a binding, terrible scar to display.

On the wretched land around
Lay scattered cadavers and remains
Ancient though this ground may be,
Demonic feet still here remain.

The lesser beasts approached me,
Each screeching with piercing cry,
Soon they lay broken at my feet,
As my blade slashed at their sides.

Not stopped at all, I pressed onward and ahead,
Curious to see what in this ruin lay secret,
That I could find this power, but instead,
Only a dilapidated stone with prophetic inset.

“O brave hero, have ye come for lore
Of Power which would rock the foundations
Of men and demons forevermore,
And the knowledge of the manifestations?”

“Then ye have come to the correct place,
Although this journey be not for those
For the faintest of heart, and disgraced,
Or those who are weak and indisposed.”

“The power here in this land, foretold
Is wrought between Arch-Demons, potent,
And now severed, split apart, sevenfold,
And awaiting the demon-hunter’s portent.”

“As each is fought, wounded, and slain,
The demon-hunter will find new skill;
Power within him, power disdained,
But power greater than the demons killed.”

“Be warned, brave hero, and heed the warning,
Although your heart may be pure and unsoiled,
This power can corrupt and make thee disturbing
And make thine brethren thine enemy, foiled.”

This was the last of the prophetic stone,
Although I knew not all of what it meant,
I did know now that seven Arch Demons stole
The power that would save my home from lament.

So I, with my goal exposed, I turned,
I left the broken ruin to its fate.
I knew to travel to the lair, spurned
By the light, filled with demon’s hate.

In the distance I could see clear,
Far across this treacherous land,
O’er the burnt badlands far and near,
That which would condemn man.



II. Demons of Odium and Avarice

The moon’s bright face was hidden
In this forsaken land, wreathed in black,
Although I knew, in this land bidden,
That night had come, my sight did lack.

The bleak redness of the land dead
Became naught but darkness to my eyes,
Although by the fires of the dread,
I could see my goal before me aligned.

Upon a grand cemetery, I came,
Tombstones, broken promises, and passing,
Lit not by fires but instead by pain,
And not the dead, but the demons laughing.

Before me I saw the Arch-demon brutes,
The beasts of Odium and Avarice,
Upon me they waylaid, so destitute,
And laughed, only to say with malice:

“O human hero, didst thou come for us?
Did thou come to wreak havoc and distress?
Did thy machinations expect success?
Or didst thou seek thine death and sadness?”

“It makes little difference, largely,
For thine puny soul will suffer!
This day is the last for thou, truly,
As we will make thou our supper!”

At me, they lunged with brevity,
Leaving me little time to prepare,
Yet I drew my sword with clarity,
And dodged away with great care.

I hastily turned to face my foes,
This is not the end, I knew, surely,
For I have a quest to finish, I know,
So towards them, I lunged bravely.

Upon them I fell, still recovering
From their attempt at slaying me,
Yet I hacked at their black armoring,
And wrought from them a metallic cling.

Alas, my blade was to no benefit!
Their armor was strong to be certain!
Yet I gave up on hope, not a small bit,
And sank my blade betwixt the iron curtain.

With a cry of agony, I could hear,
Dreadful pain, surely terrible to see,
As the horrid demon of Odium near,
Was no longer a living threat to me.

His partner turned, enraged at me,
And with great vengeance she cursed,
“I will slay you, though not quickly!
I will make your final breaths your worst!”

I kicked the demon’s body from my blade,
As his lifeless corpse tumbled afar,
I lunged away from the coming cascade,
Instead I was hit, pained with a new scar.

I could spare not the time at the moment,
For she circled about again, angered,
I flicked the blood from my brow, discontent
That this demon witch had me endangered.

With little time to spare as she approached,
I prepared my sword quickly, once more,
And she dove at me, her claws had encroached,
But I stabbed her, saving myself from fatal gore.

I was winded, wounded, tired surely,
With this fight, I was nearly hurt gravely,
But I fought to my best with impunity,
I had to leave soon, and continued loyally.



III. The Hero’s Duty and Love

With two Arch-Demons dead by my own hand,
And this area cleared of their defect,
I knew now that I could take the brave stand,
And perhaps destroy the demon’s prefect.

However, I realized, after a short time,
That I felt different, much more powerful,
And realized that with each demon dead,
I would become monstrously unstoppable.

I noticed also, that my wounds were healed!
Somehow magically restored, it seems,
Perhaps this demonic power I absorbed
Is the cause of such supernatural things?

With clarity, I strode forward, onward,
I could see in the distance a bastion,
I knew this was my next destination,
And yet my mind wandered, with distraction.

I thought of home, the grassy knolls of yore,
The merchants, the nobles, the plebeians,
The sweet woodland scent of flowers and more,
And the home of my Clan Bel, salient.

I sought after my betrothed in my mind,
For her, I waded through this hellish land,
For her father, the King, although kind,
Needed a hero to save our human strand.

As my future betrothed, heir to the throne,
I was entitled to greater fortune than most,
Her beauty was unparalleled and naught
But goddesses could compare to her post.

She was the epitome of beauty,
And I was surely entranced when first I saw
Her flaxen locks of superb waves and plaits,
And we could not fail here, not to demon claw!

So when her father, the King, asked of me
The utmost sacrificial, demon hunting quest,
I knew I would save our home, indeed,
If only to save my love, at his behest.

So now here I am in this situation,
In this land laden with the unholy,
Fighting demons and risking destruction,
If only for my love’s prosperity.

I hope only that in due discourse,
That I remain with my wits about me,
That no matter the defiling remorse,
I, as man, will return to my fiancé.

As I walked, lost in thought, I realized soon,
That I had walked much longer than thought,
I was already at the gates to doom,
Within this bastion waited demons I sought.



IV. Demons of Envy and Pride

Through the gate I entered this vile lair,
Spires and arches and spikes abound,
I could hear screams of pain and despair,
I knew nearby demons were around.

The decrepit ruin seemed so malign,
So full of dark secrets and pain,
The walls were dilapidated with time,
And much was eroded from rain.

The wet rock and cobblestone floors
Echoed my steps around the rooms,
Signaling to whatever beasts inside
That I had come and echoed doom.

With little time having passed inside,
I had just entered the broken main hall,
Only to be accosted by feral beasts,
Each one deadly, strong, and tall.

The beasts came one after another,
And still more demons, increasingly,
Coming through the cracks and broken walls,
Each writhing and screeching horrifically.

I drew my weapon, my only defense,
And I eyed the ones that drew near,
And only after I cut a few down
Did their red eyes fill with fear.

They had all come, these lesser beasts,
As no more appeared to my sight,
I was prepared to lacerate and kill,
I was set to give them a fight.

They lunged and I dodged, rose and severed,
They tried to bite, only to taste their blood,
They crawled and writhed, failing endeavors,
And to my blade they all fell, leaving red floods.

At the end, I was tired and panting,
Although I knew I was not done this day,
I felt something horrific and dark coming,
And through a stone arch I saw a display.

The twin Arch-Demons, Envy and Pride there,
One was short and wide, a terror to behold,
The other was tall and stunning, but a scare,
Its features in me aroused fear untold.

Without a word, eyeing their dead slaves,
At me they lunged, seeking to deprave
My being, at once endangered, braves,
Seeking to sow fear and dig their graves.

The first, although short, was powerful,
And at me he flew with sharp claw revealed.
I turned only slightly to have it swipe past me,
And I attempted to stab through the shield.

His armor was weak in the back, too weak,
And my blade passed right through it like butter,
And soon his body ceased after a final beak,
I ripped the sword out, he fell to the gutter.

I was stricken soon with new power,
And left exposed was I, for a moment,
Which is when the tall demon, Pride, came,
And slashed at my form with enjoyment.

I cried in pain, for surely it was there,
My back now suffered from grievous wounds,
But with little time for me to spare,
I spun to face my potential doom.

This demon Pride, with human appearance
Came toward me with his sword drawn.
I felt a black pit in me with coherence,
Knowing the strength of demon spawn.

Without delay, I fell upon him then,
Slashing, parrying, dancing with grace,
He, too, was skilled in the art of swordplay,
And our weapons clashed as we gave chase.

With impunity he struck wickedly,
His rapier piercing my defenses,
And with intense amounts of pain,
I felt it pervade my senses.

I grimaced and countered, his weapon still stuck,
And back at him I struck frantically.
Although his weapon had pierced me badly,
I had pierced him more fatally.

With this, the last Demon here fell,
And to my chagrin his weapon was torn
From my torso, painfully, with a yell,
But I knew with power I’d live, with scorn.



V. Demons of Gluttony and Sloth

T’was only a short while later now,
That I’d left the crumbling halls of grief,
And my wounds were again healed and sound,
However now I felt something with disbelief.

It seems the power of my latest feats
Over the Arch-Demons Envy and Pride
Had awakened in me something new,
Although I took it in stride.

I had begun to turn into something new,
For I noticed physical alteration,
I noticed now my bare teeth now pointed,
And in my skull some minor inflation.

Although this was not a demanding boon
I knew that inevitably this would become,
And I realized I had to finish this soon
So I went to the next demonic scum.

Upon a blasted, forsaken field I came,
Only to spy with great impunity,
Blackened earth and rock tainted with blood,
And dead grassland with burnt shrubbery.

With time run short, I began to search,
Knowing that the enemy was nearby,
It did not take long before I stepped near,
And from the ground came a lurid cry.

From the depths of the rocky land
Far beneath the trembling ground
Came a pair of demons, grand
And before me they stood profound.

“Halt, human warrior, heed my call,
Know that here today you will fall.
And in the annals of history, scrawled
Will be your pain, to forever appall.”

This beast stood with another horror,
Each was tall and daunting, sure
But each seemed lithe and weak
And frail against my sword, pure.

Both Gluttony and Sloth came at me,
Each rearing to rip my flesh about,
However little were they prepared
When my sword came, with a shout.

“Demons, I shall not fall here, to you,
I shall henceforth survive this war,
You will be etched in stone of conquest
As Arch-Demons I killed evermore.”

Before they knew what next to say,
There was naught left of the damned,
For since that I had cut them down,
And continued on my journey, condemned.



VI. Interlude; the Tainting of the Hero

If only I could remember the days
Of old, when human, the sun rays
Would shine down and cascade
And bathe the land in gloried ways.

However now the sun was gone,
And there remained only darkness.
I knew after this no good would come,
Since I had lost to wickedness.

I nearly had the power to save my land
From the great darkness so vile and near,
But with each Arch-Demon slain at hand,
I realize my missing humanity with fear.

My head’s pain revealed a striking thing,
Wicked and pointed these things were,
Twin horns crowned upon my head newly,
Each a twisted and sharp demonic spur.

My hands now formed something new
From the human hands I’ve grown apart,
My fingers instead of nail ended with claw,
And each was a wicked new impart.

I felt in my mouth, my teeth,
Far had they left human likeness,
Instead they now were sharp,
Likened to demon exactness.

I noticed my skin once bronzed and rich,
As a companion of the gloried sun’s light,
Now seemed to exude ice and cold
As they were paler than in moonlit night.

And now I noticed finally my ache,
My back was burning terribly fierce,
I feared to know what next would come
As the final Arch-Demon drew near.



VII. The Demon of Lust

I drew nearer to the dark stronghold
When I heard the sounds of a beast,
Or many beasts to be exact, above,
Descending through the veil to feast.

I saw horrors that can nary be told,
These winged beasts that came from above.
Their toothed maws slavered hunger
And their wicked claws waited to rend flesh.

They came at me and tore in a moment,
I was unable to defend myself or block,
But in this moment I felt instinct take hold
And I grabbed the nearest beast of the flock.

With little effort, I gripped and crushed
The sharpened limb of the great fiend.
It screeched horrifically and fell to me,
Only to be crushed by my might, redeemed.

Without the ancient sword, I might
Have thought myself lost to fate,
However, o’er the course of this journey
I found a new way to compensate.

The demon’s power coursing through me
Now revealed me as monster in a new light,
Drenched in black blood and circled by naught
But monsters willing to end my plight.

In one hand, my sword drawn and ready,
The other extended with claws, deadly,
The other three winged demons came then,
And my might saw them die quickly.

So potent was this power, and these beasts
Once feared by a mere man like me
Now fell with but a swipe of claw
Or jab of magical sword, I decree.

With confidence and fearlessness I strode
Onward into the fallen, once-human abode.
In the main hall I encountered my enemy,
And before me she stood seductively.

“O, master, lord of men, thou hast come
As Lord of powers greater than thine kin.
Thou may understand what thou has become,
But does thou yet understand thine sin?”

“I see thou beholds me with such contempt,
And yet thou find thyself worthy of naught
But praise and power and everlasting gain,
But thine stole the powers thine wrought.”

“Does thou yet understand, once-human man?
Such hypocrisy does not suit one of our kind,
Which is what thou art now, in all ways,
But more powerful than I, and misaligned.”

“I beg of thee, reconsider your quest,
For at this point thou must understand,
That by killing me, thou shall gain
Only enemies and no command.”

“Stay here, with me, and rule our damned,
Become king of the Demons and live with me.
Together we can destroy the evils plaguing
Both thine lands and ours, does thou agree?”

I answered in kind to her sweet words,
“Wench, thine tongue need be severed.
No matter my outcome, I will save my land
And my people will find me admired.”

With grace, the mighty Arch-Demon of Lust
Came towards me, no weapons seen drawn,
She allowed death with some grace and trust,
And I ended this quest that I’d been upon.



VIII. The Revelation and the Return Home

At her death, I felt power course through me,
Power ludicrous by its very being,
And at this the final transformation came
And tore through my form, receding.

At last, the power to save my home was mine!
And with one last look I beheld my form,
Only to gasp in horror at what I saw,
And realized that my being was forlorn.

I no longer seemed human, and naught
But my friends would know me by name,
I looked far more wicked than all the other
Arch-Demons I had recently slain.

My skin was translucent, veins palpable,
My hair was white, and no longer dark,
My claws seemed not a shred affable,
My wicked demon horns a damned mark.

And worst of all, I found the source
Of the pain that had plagued my spine,
I now had a pair of bat-like wings,
And that the title of demon was mine.

With a test of my new leathery appendages,
My new power more than tenfold potent,
I left the ground, and its rotten images,
And flew towards my home, my final portent.

I soared o’er the Badlands far, far below,
Seeing the places I had walked aground,
But no longer corrupted, I felt with sorrow,
I hoped that demons here were no longer abound.

Miles passed quickly, and the darkness faded.
The sun’s rays appeared as home came near,
But alas, the light now struck me with pain!
And I had to descend to cloud cover in fear.

However, home was not far, I could see
The woodlands that I had wandered in youth,
And I could see the smoke of the demon’s siege,
So towards my home I carefully flew.

I came across the desecrated places near
That the demons defiled with obscenity,
I came across blood and bodies with fear
For my comrades, now reminders of atrocity.

The battle had moved into the walls
Of my beloved capital city, Vilgrande,
The seat of power of my future kingdom
Was now swarmed with demons, armed.

I entered the massive, though shattered gates,
To witness the fires and gore of men,
As I viewed the death in the city straights,
My mind was turned with brevity to revenge.



IX. The Slaying of the Great Evils

Immediately upon entering the desecration,
I came across hordes of shrieking demons,
They were hunting, running amok, no discretion,
And to me they paid no great attention.

It frightened me so, knowing this is my fate,
And that the witch Lust knew my fortune,
That these demons thought me one of their own,
For the beings I hunted thought me not foreign.

In anger, I landed amidst the dark city,
In the midst of a hundred foes, around,
Although none of them knew me yet,
It took mere seconds to drive them down.

I drew not my sword, but my claw this time,
I wrenched the demon’s bodies and souls apart,
I wrought upon them the blunt force of my havoc
And upon them I left hatred I wrought.

Soon, the main street was coated in gore,
With my enemies either killed or fled,
And a thousand demons moved nevermore,
So I quickly rushed for the castle stead.

The castle’s great walls were besieged by demons,
And I could see amongst the writhing crowd ahead,
The great dark evils that plagued my city anon,
Leading the remaining demon hordes of dread.

With righteous fury I prepared myself,
For this was a massive fight ahead,
I could see hundreds of these beasts about,
And soon they would die by my hand.

Through them I hacked and slashed, spreading pain,
Wreaking upon these foes what they had wrought me,
And to the great leading evils I came shortly,
Upon me they turned their forms wickedly.

“Human or Demon, thou seem betwixt,
As if some machination of yore persists,
And your path here is a cosmic fate,
That all of us must follow forthwith.”

“Heed us, one-human, now-demon beast,
Heed our words of wisdom evermore,
Know that your path will end soon
If you continue with your endeavor.”

“Your kin will betray you to your wicked fate,
And your kind will turn on what was once their own,
And yet you continue to help them regardless,
As if you are better than what is known.”

I responded not, as I vehemently approached,
Their massive forms waning as I marched,
Their demon hordes had been past encroached,
And they were left with minions, naught.

With nary a pause, I leaped afar from my place,
Landing on the nearest of the great evils,
And with my claws razor sharp and furious,
I slashed at their writhing demon coils.

The first was downed, and above I could hear
My friends, my kin, above on the wall,
I could hear them shout with great cheer,
And realized that the demons would fall.

Upon the second I came, not drawing my blade,
Instead attacking, aiming to maim with claw,
And its massive form could not fully protect
Itself from my speedy form, in awe.

The last gazed at me with great anxiety and fear,
As I approached with vile grin, and bloody hand,
Although it seemed the taint in me was real,
I happily made the final demon’s death grand.



X. The King’s Turmoil and the Death of Love

Cheers vented from the ramparts still standing
As they gazed upon the Demon Slayer of Bel,
The savior of the remaining human kinfolks,
And the savior of man from the depths of hell.

I rose from my victory, although coated in gore,
The gate to the castle was lowered as I arrived,
And I was greeted by my knightly brethren,
Although once they outside, they gasped.

They could not have seen, high atop their spires,
My new features, now demonic in nature,
And now that they did, they watched with ire,
Seeing their savior, of another composure.

They silenced quickly, the cheering died,
Although the relief was utmost abound,
I strode through the survivors straight,
Towards the giant castle standing aground.

Inside I was met by the King,
His holy grace, now saved
Had come to see me,
Only to see me depraved.

He stared for a moment, briefly,
His visage twisted in confusion,
But also he seemed to know me,
Who I was, with recognition.

“Hero of Clan Bel, the Demon Slayer…
What hast become of thine human being?
Have you forgotten the mortal thou were
In order to attain demonic power, abhorring?”

I responded in kind, trying to keep calm the setting,
“My king, it is still I you see, the hero you sought,
I trekked my way through the wilderness of yore,
Through the twisted badlands of demons I fought.”

“Yes, but thou are more demon than man,
Thine has twisted thine own being, greatly!
Was this the power t’was said to be wrought
Deep within the demon Badlands, listlessly?”

“It matters not my king, you see,
I have slain the demons evermore,
Never again will we be bothered
By the hand of demon beasts of yore.”

“And my betrothed, your daughter, I seek her now!
For her I’ve wrought this terrible journey through,
I wish to see her lovely visage again, presently
So please, send for my love, whom I pursue!”

“Demon Hunter of Clan Bel, savior of Vilgrande,
Although to thou we owe our princess, bred,
For thou, I must declare with trepidation,
That my daughter, thine betrothed, lies dead.”



XI. The Decimation and Legacy

I stood aghast, unprepared for this news,
My mouth was open, pointed teeth shown,
All was silent in the halls of my liege,
For whom I’d risked my life and home.

However the King, though pity shown,
And sorrowful eyes did he spare,
He did have ought to say about this,
And of the demons we so despaired.

“My Knight, rise and heed my call,
There is yet one more quest of injury.
There is a greater demon about,
And to you I ask to end his misery.”

To him I turned, I had naught to say,
For the sun’s bright rays left only blight.
The bright waves of life and forgotten day
Had left my life and left only light.

“I ask of you, heed these final words,
Know that what I ask is of great meaning,
That the greatest, most powerful demon of all
Must leave this world free of demeaning.”

I was confused, for I had slain them all,
Even the ones who were weak,
I had stopped the invasion and saved
My kin, and the knights and the meek!

Alas, without warning, I was stabbed from behind,
A sword point I saw rent with blood before me
Through my chest it pierced with great impunity,
And the King stared at me, condescending.

“You monster, you realize you were but a tool,
A blade for the master’s hand to use,
Without you this world will prosper,
And without you, no demon power to abuse.”

I fell and knew naught but bewilderment,
This was something I did not expect,
As the sword withdrew I assumed my descent,
And to the cold floor I fell, with reject.

I could feel the powers I had collected,
Coursing through my veins, foremost,
As if willing my death on, neglected,
And wanted to escape the human host.

I died, the life left me here, distraught,
I failed and the powers within me left,
And I knew that I had died for naught,
As the darkness coalesced, of me bereft.

I fell from this Earth, feeling ire,
Knowing I was used to no ends good,
I wished for them all to be bathed in fire,
And I knew this new demon certainly would…


***


My last few fleeting thoughts were of the fair sun,
The bright rays of beauty upon a stone edifice of home,
Me and my beloved, long ago, my promised one,
And those last moments in golden fields, we roamed.

 

[Stalker Sasquatch]

ChibiDanceParty

And I still expect that feedback you promised... if you would so kindly tell me what you thought, how I could improve it, et cetera.  

[Stalker Sasquatch]

ChibiDanceParty

TheSadGuy666

I'll be posting the side notes I had for them soon! emotion_awesome
It took me so long because I had to review those for the poems as well as the poetry itself before posting the winners. Lolz.

Still waiting :c I only wanted to know what you think of it. And your critiques, I want them all, no matter how "harsh" you think you're being.