THE MOMENT
Kelly didn't have as much time as he would have liked, but it would have to do. 'Perfected' was too strong a word, and maybe even 'gotten the hang of it' was a minor stretch; but, the endless horde of undead surrounding his kingdom weren't likely to wait. Regardless of his proficiency, he had achieved something akin to hope. He could successfully kindle what he called 'the Fires of Industry', and now it was time to show the Dark Lord and his army how hot they could burn.
Kelly lived in a fantasy world of swords and magic now. Over time, he learned the strongest magics were those with powerful and significant symbolism. He'd led a simple life, tinkering with smithing professionally and occasionally studying magic as a hobby. Suddenly, as if overnight, the world changed. Darkness was more notable and ever-present in his simple life. Even his profession was in jeopardy, and that's what drove him to discover something that might help them fight back. He'd come from a different world and had seen things this world had no concept of yet. That was his secret weapon.
"If you want to preserve any portion of your army...," Kelly spoke with full confidence once he stood face to face with Dark Lord Oren. He was a pale young man with a pronounced widow's peak and slicked-back black hair. "...you'll want to start retreating," he said.
"If you want to preserve any portion of your fellow villagers' lives, you'll want to start surrendering," Oren replied without the same confident smile Kelly used. It was a neutral, unconcerned expression spoken with the same nonchalant tone as someone giving directions to the restroom. They were both extremely confident, but only one of them felt it was important to show it. In his defense, Oren had grown bored. He was too successful a Dark Lord, and he knew this would be just another conquest.
"It sounds like we're both ready, how about upping the stakes?" Kelly asked. Once, when he was younger in his own world, he'd heard that bluffing was the best way to portray confidence. Except, he wasn't prepared for Oren to agree.
"You've already bet the entire Server," Oren shrugged. "Unless you have another one I don't know about, you only have one thing left to bet that would interest me. Are you telling me you're up for putting your soul on the line, too?" Oren's clear grey eyes stared into Kelly's, and he raised a single black eyebrow along with the question. Fortunately, it was enough to scare some sense into him. So far, he hadn't risked anything he couldn't rebuild.
"No, never mind," Kelly shook his head. He was confident, but not stupid. "We're good as is. Ready for the final battle?" he asked.
"Engage my army whenever you're ready," Oren nodded and took a step back as he made a courteous half-bow.
"You know...," Kelly grinned as he extended his arms with the palms facing upward. He began to collect sparkling ethereal magic in his hands as he continued. "...since I did bet the Server, now would be a great time to tell you about it," he chuckled as he gathered more magical power. Oren was known to be evil, but his reputation for adhering to rules was one of the reasons so many people thought they could outsmart him. While setting up the Conquest game between them, Oren conceded the first strike to give Kelly a 'fair chance'.
Now, that chance would be his undoing.
"The most powerful magics here are those powerful and significant with symbolism...," he said as his hands ignited with magical flame. "... I bring forth.. THE FIRES OF INDUSTRY!" He spread his arms to aim at a squad of undead soldiers on each side of them and the flames shot forward to envelope them.
Except, it only stuck to two on one side, and three on the other. The armored zombies remained still under Oren's command while the fires burned until they died down within seconds.
"'Industry' doesn't mean anything to this world," Oren chuckled and shook his head. "It's a fantasy world, they have no idea what it is and your imagination isn't enough. There's no symbolism there. No power. Was that your best move?" he asked. "Do you just want to surrender now?"
Kelly nodded with a sigh. At least he got to keep some resources and villagers during a surrender. A full conquest would have left him with nothing. "Yes, please."