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Chapter 36: Mission Complete

Never before has any movie, regardless of origin, amassed 14.3 million dollars domestically in just four days. Not even the most celebrated works from humans or elves have achieved such a feat.

Take "The Moon's Lullaby," that acclaimed elven masterpiece. It broke records by earning 8 million dollars in a week in the Moon Kingdom. But "The Demonfather"? It's not just surpassed that benchmark; it's obliterated it.

The film's momentum shows no signs of slowing. Its continuing hype throughout the Morningstar Kingdom borders on miraculous. I can only imagine the global box office figures once it starts screening worldwide.

Yet, amidst this unprecedented success, I find myself overwhelmed with regret.

Why? Because I'm one of those who abandoned Hellfire Studios when news broke of Prince Arthur's exile by his father. I wasn't alone in my hasty decision - many of my colleagues jumped ship too.

Now, watching "The Demonfather" break record after record, become a global phenomenon... the weight of our mistake is crushing. We can only imagine what might have been had we stayed, had we believed in Arthur's vision.

Every headline trumpeting the film's success is a bitter reminder of our short-sightedness. We let fear and uncertainty cloud our judgment, and now we're left on the sidelines, watching others bask in the glory of what could have been our triumph too.

Today, we found ourselves in front of Hellfire Studios, the weight of our past decisions heavy on our shoulders. As we approached, I overheard my friends' nervous chatter.

"You really think they'll take us back after we bailed on them?" Zeke muttered, his tail twitching anxiously.

Nara, always the optimist, chirped, "Hey, you never know until you try, right? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, I don't know," Krix groaned, running a clawed hand down his face. "Maybe they'll laugh us right out of the building? Ugh, I was such an idiot for leaving."

I was about to respond when a familiar face approached us. "Well, well, what brings you lot here?" Lilith, one of the studio staff, eyed us suspiciously.

"Lilith!" I blurted out, surprised. "I, uh... didn't expect to see you here."

Recognition flickered in her eyes. "Mochi? Is that really you? What in the nine hells are you doing here?"

I swallowed hard, gathering my courage. "We were hoping... is Prince Arthur around?"

Lilith's eyes narrowed. "And why, pray tell, would you be looking for His Highness?"

"Look," I said, glancing at my friends for support, "I know we messed up. But we were wondering if there's any chance... any chance at all... that we could come back. Or at least apply again?"

Lilith studied us for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed. "Wait here. I'll see if the boss is willing to hear you out. But don't get your hopes up."

As she disappeared into the building, we exchanged nervous glances.

"Well," Nara whispered, "at least she didn't set us on fire on the spot. That's gotta be a good sign, right?"

We chuckled weakly, the tension momentarily broken. As we waited, I couldn't help but wonder if we were about to get a second chance or if we'd just made the biggest fools of ourselves in demon history.

***

(Arthur POV)

The room buzzed with excitement as we celebrated our unprecedented success. "The Demonfather" had shattered records, and we were riding high on the triumph.

George, my dwarven friend, was in rare form. He'd downed enough alcohol to fell a demon army, yet he was still going strong, his robust dwarven constitution on full display.

I raised my glass, grinning at my crew. "Indulge yourselves, my spawns! Dive into the alcohol and feast like there's no tomorrow!" I paused for dramatic effect. "Because once this party's over, we're diving headfirst into our next big project!"

A chorus of groans and cheers erupted. "You're a slave driver, boss!" someone shouted, but the grin on their face betrayed their excitement.

"Yeah, yeah," another chimed in, "but at least we're slaves to success now!"

Laughter rippled through the room. The mood was electric; we'd proven ourselves with our very first film, and everyone was eager to see what we could achieve next.

As I was about to propose another toast, Lilith, one of our staff, approached me discreetly. "Boss," she whispered, "those employees who jumped ship when you were exiled? They're outside, asking to see you."

I nearly choked on my drink. "Them?" I muttered, memories of their hasty departures flashing through my mind.

"They want to come back," Lilith added, her tone neutral but her eyes questioning.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Of course they did. Now that we'd hit it big, they wanted a piece of the pie. "Let me guess," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "they've had a sudden change of heart?"

Lilith nodded, awaiting my decision.

I took a moment to consider, then made up my mind. "No need to see them personally. Tell them this," I leaned in, my voice low but firm. "Coming back won't be a cakewalk. If they want to return, they'll have to prove themselves. Our standards have... shall we say, increased dramatically since they left."

A mischievous glint appeared in my eye. "In fact, tell them their first task is to create a short film that captures the essence of loyalty and perseverance in the face of adversity. They have one week, minimal budget, and they can't use any professional actors. Let's see how creative they can get when the odds are stacked against them."

Lilith's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Understood, boss. I'll relay the message."

As she left, I turned back to the celebration, raising my glass once more. "To loyalty, my friends! And to those who stick around when the going gets tough!"

The room erupted in cheers, the energy palpable. We'd climbed to the top together, and I was determined to keep this team - this family - intact as we reached for even greater heights.

We partied hard into the night, eventually collapsing in heaps across the cramped warehouse floor. The sound of collective snoring filled the air as we slept off our excesses.

Come morning, I stirred awake, my head pounding from the night before. As I contemplated the merits of investing in some demonic hangover cure, a sudden chime echoed in my mind, cutting through the fog of my headache:

[Congratulations! Mission "Successful Blockbuster" completed. Reward unlocked: Computer Technologies]

The system's notification instantly cleared the cobwebs from my mind. A grin spread across my face as the implications sank in.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," I muttered, my eyes gleaming with anticipation.

I glanced over at George, still passed out and snoring loudly. My grin widened as I imagined his reaction to this new development.

"Wake up, you drunken dwarf!" I called out, kicking his foot lightly. "We've got some experimenting to do!"

George groaned, burying his head deeper into his makeshift pillow. "Five more minutes, ye demon spawn..."

I chuckled, already formulating plans in my mind. Computer technology in a world of magic? The possibilities were endless.

As I started to rouse the rest of the crew, my hangover all but forgotten, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. We'd already revolutionized cinema with "The Demonfather". Now, with this new knowledge at my fingertips, who knew what we could achieve next?