Zerum’s eyes widen in disbelief. He tries to back off a little while still holding onto Lev. Skeleton now is confused.
‘Do... understand... me! I... speak... inferior language... fine! You... follow...’
Cold sweat comes down Zerum’s face as he opens his mouth.
Gulp...
‘W... What if... if we... we don’t.’
Pressure that was subtracted a little once again reigns on them. It was at least three times stronger then before as a skeleton glared at them with only one intent.
Intent to kill.
‘HOW... DARE... LOWLY RACE... NOT OBEY...’
He looked like he would have a heart attack, except he didn’t had one in the first place.
‘LORD... IS... EVERYTHING... LIFE... DEATH... @#£&£#@£#&...’
As he kept on screeching, massive pressure puts Zerum flat on the floor. Lev wasn’t affected much as he still stands on his knees staring into the floor, emotionlessly.
‘£#@&£#... EVEN IF... TEAR ALL... LIMBS... I WOULD... DRAG YOU... IN FRONT OF HIM... £#@#£&$€...’
Barely managing to catch his breath, Zerum yells
‘We... WE WILL FOLLOW'
His voice echoes through the room as a pressure starts to lift up. Skeleton becomes quite and without a word turns around. He slowly starts to walk towards black wall in the back of the room. Zerum gets up while trying to hold Lev up as well. They walk close behind him as not to make him mad again.
Wall looked very smooth with many engravings on it. As they come closer and closer they could see many small cracks on one part of the wall. Right in front of it, skeleton stops while holding his bare and boned hand on the cracks.
‘£#@&$¥@#’
What Zerum heard was screeching again, but what others heard
Language of the dead
‘This lowly servant requests passage, as per supreme ones command.’
Cracks in the wall starts to shine while a big, thick black blocks fly into the wall. As it starts to open up on other side there could be seen blocks rearranging themselves forming a floating spiral staircase going down. Only when skeleton walked on the said stairs he could see it.
Around 500 feet wide, seemingly bottomless there was a massive chasm. Stairs are still forming from other parts of the wall. They go straight down. Zerum was reluctant to step on it, you know floating and stuff. Skeleton stopped on 6th block and only glanced behind him. With dark red glare that was carved in his memory, not wanting to repeat it he firmly gets a hold of Lev and takes a step.
Meanwhile outside of the ruins, on top of highest ruined pillar someone was sitting.
He looked like a child, covered in black tattered robe with a piece of his blonde hair sticking out of the hood.
Gulp... Gulp...
Out of old looking wooden flask, he was drinking something. After he finished one single drop fell from the tip of it.
Drip...
Drop fell on the platform he was sitting on while at same time melting its surface.
Boy suddenly starts to curse. It was a strange language, not know to humans or demi-humans alike. It was...
Ancient Chaos language
‘Fuck it, wasting perfectly good drop. I suppose it was that bastards fault.’
Without a thought, he throws seemingly empty wooden flask in front of him. In that specific direction, across vast forest and long mountain, many miles away it was still visible.
Dark pillar that was trying to reach the sky. It felt enormous even from that distance.
‘That fucker, only giving me more work.’
Origin language
‘Ah, just a little more Sammy, ah. You are really heavy, ah, we need report, sob, this quickly...’
Boy glances at the entrance, to where these voices came from. There he could see Meris with her ruined makeup dragging still unconscious Samuel. She was trying to hold him up, but because he was much taller then her it looked like she was dragging him. With her now ruined makeup she looked like 50 year old ugly hag.
Ancient Chaos language
‘How incompetent can he be. Could he at least pretend that he is doing something.’
Boy gets up while stretching out his arms a little.
‘Whatever, lets just clean it up...’
At that moment boy’s body transforms into a black smoke and starts to disappear as a wind blows.
‘... like I always do.’
Going little in the time, it was approximately two hours since Zerum and Lev started to go down floating stairs. They now walk through small cave like path. Skeleton is still walking three feet in front of them, while Lev still isn’t showing even a slight reaction, Zerum...
He looks like he is losing even a tiny bit of sanity that was left in him.
Origin language
‘(No... No... Im... Impossible... No way that he... he... he is weakest...)’
It was a little over an hour ago, when they stepped off the floating stairs and entered this cave like maze. Across this entire place there were dark skeletons, much darker than skeleton in front of them.
Most of lighter skeletons didn’t give a bone about them, but darker ones stopped them. It was most likely to ask one in front where they are going. What caught Zerum’s eye was that every time they were stopped the one in front would bow to darker skeleton. What was more shocking was that he would bow lower and lower to those that were darker and darker.
Out of thousands of skeleton that he saw last half hour, there wasn’t even a single one lighter than that one. Thus coming to terrified conclusion.
The pile of bones that they could only scratch a little, out of thousand skeletons that they saw he was the weakest one.
While trying to convince himself that that isn’t true, that he must be overthinking this. They entered a vast space, that like rest of the cave was illuminated by some kind of blue gems.
At the end of this area there were giant stone door at least 100 feet long. While in the front with a massive red greatswords that fit there build, two giant pitch black skeletons with at least 80 foot of height were guarding it.
Language of the dead
‘Who goes there!?’ said the right one
This time skeleton didn’t bow, but kneeled before them.
‘This lowly servant greets Twin gatekeepers and asks for audience with the lord as per his command.’
The left one starts to speak
‘The lord...’
‘... has informed us...’ right one speaks
‘... of your arrival.’ left again
‘You poor creatures...’
‘... that seek to enter...’
‘... land of death itself.’
Crash... Crash...
They put their massive hands on the door.
‘Bow down...’
‘... and steady your soul...’
‘... because...’
Creak... Creak...
Stone door starts to open and black like miasma begins to come out of it, while two giants at the same time yell
‘KING OF DEATH IS AWAITING YOU’
They opened the door and inside, pitch black room without even a trace of light. Skeleton gets up and starts to walk in the room while Zerum still holding Lev up nervously follows.
Creak... Creak...
Crash...
Light inside the room slowly diminishes as door are closing until light was no more. It was complete darkness and only thing that could be heard is constant screeching from deeper within, when...
Seemingly smooth and refined voice spoke
Origin language
‘Oh, how careless of me. I forgot that you and those long eared humans are only of inferior races that can’t see in the dark. Let me help you out with that.’
Snap...
It sounded like someone flicked with his fingers, when in the middle of the air blue fire lits up.
Second fire...
Fifth fire...
Twelfth fire...
Exactly twenty-eight fire where lit one by one gradually lighting entire room, deeper and deeper.
It was enormous place, maybe a three to four times bigger then a place where they fought skeleton. It looked like a big open cavern with a few massive pillars here and there. There was a long chiselled stone path leading to the centre of the cavern.
Alongside said path, full of dust like they didn’t moved for few centuries.
It was an army.
An army full of black skeletons, wearing based of the glow full enchanted black armour. They were all holding spears high, like they were protecting something or someone. Standing in formation one behind the other and long as cavern was lit.
Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech...
While they walked on this path screeching sounds could be heard from above. Zerum looked up, but only after couple of moments he saw it. It was a pitch black cavern ceiling, that was... huh... moving??!
Maybe because it was poorly lit, it took longer to notice that ceiling wasn’t black. But thousands of skeletons that were crawling on it are. Through out the entire cavern, skeleton on top of the other skeleton, skeleton on top of that skeleton and so on. It was horrifying scene that almost made Zerum’s heart to stop.
In the middle there was a one much larger pillar then the rest and while they were made from stone this one was made completely out of bones. Major part of those were white, but all had different sizes. Right beneath it there was a big stone pedestal and at least hundred step stairs leading to it.
As they walked this stone cold path filled with miasma, other skeletons looked like they ignored them. When they reached foot of the stairs, skeleton that was leading them got on his knees with a head touching the floor while screeching
Language of the dead
‘This lowly failure of a servant bows before the supreme one and informs him that he did as it was commanded.’
‘Come closer’
At the sound of that skeleton starts to shake. It was almost like he was afraid. After a moment he gets up and takes a first step. Zerum not knowing what is happening follows him closely.
5th step...
24th step...
39th step...
As they go higher and higher, air around them feels colder.
56th step...
85th step...
91th step...
It is freezing cold... When...
101th step...
They steeped on stone platform and it felt like a chill froze their legs in place. Zerum didn’t move, didn’t feel scared or shocked, he was simply in awe.
At the edge of said platform there were a total of 8 giants. Four on each side with a height over 20 feet, holding massive shields at least more than half their size that could put Samuel’s one to shame. I say giants because every part of their body was covered with a enchanted armour, so they could be skeletons underneath or just an empty shell.
Past them, at a place that looked like a big throne made out of bones while at the same time looking like a lower part of the middle pillar.
On the right side of it there was one piece of armour, it literally looked like it was a one piece. Without any gaps in it, while being little bend down he was holding no weapon at all. On the left was a tall, graceful looking black skeleton. He had completely different shade of black, that if he was put next to other black skeletons it would look like a new colour. He had two deer antlers on top of his head, holding a staff with beautiful green gem on top while six black orbs were floating around him. And finally...
Sitting on the bonny throne was a cloaked figure. Only thing that was visible are a white hands with black and the green stripes on them while one of them was holding a rough wooden staff with big unrefined red gem on top. His head was a little bend down like he was sleeping. Engulfed in thick layer of miasma that was sipping out of him filling up entire cavern. As Zerum stared at him his head starts to hurt, his mouth starts to dry up and he felt sharp chills down to his bones. It was like he was looking at DEATH itself.
The one of the left glanced at them and opened his mouth
Origin language
‘What a lucky humans you are, to think you would be first ones of your race to witness our lords wakening.’
At the sound of that Zerum realized that one who was talking to them at the start wasn’t the lord, but this guy.
Skeleton maybe few feet away from the stairs stopped and once again kneeled with his head down at the floor.
‘What are you doing? Do you think that inferior race can welcome our lord on their feet? KNEEL’
They didn’t want to and his words didn’t carry any sort of pressure. What they heard was a gentle, refined voice as they stood up on all fours like a little sheeps that they are.
Air inside cavern suddenly changed as a thick miasma that was sipping from sleeping corpse stops to come out.
Stomp... Stomp... Stomp... Stomp... Stomp...
Loud noises could be heard from downstairs. Zerum out of his unfortunate curiosity while still on his knees glanced behind him. His mind becomes blank, not even thinking about surviving because he knew... He knew deep inside of him that surviving was just a fairy tale at this point, as he watched an entire army of skeletons at the same time turned towards them and get on one knee with their spears high.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
Around them, eight giants began harmoniously beating on their shields making a loud noise.
Language of the dead
‘It is starting’
At that moment both gracious skeleton and armoured one turned towards the lord and put a hand on place where their core is supposed to be, while tilting their heads in a slight bow. For entire time armoured one didn’t made a sound as a gracious one starts to talk
‘We, your eternal servants bow to the being who created us, to the being who ruled us, to the Ruler of death itself. As a light goes out with a darkness, as a darkness shines with a light. Everything in this world is perishable, but...’
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Suddenly thick black miasma starts to gush out skeletons in front of the lord with their eyes burning red with extreme passion while gracious one shouts
‘ONLY DEATH IS ETERNAL’
Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang...
From downstairs entire army starts to hit the floor with their spears making very loud sound while cloud of dust falls from them, saying exact same thing over and over again
‘Only death is eternal’
‘Only death is eternal’
‘Only death is eternal’
Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech... Screech...
Ear bleeding screeching could be heard across entire cavern as a black skeletons that were crawling on the celling start to sing for their lord.
Once death quiet cavern became loud as a big city during a royal procession. It only lasted a couple of moments before it became dead silent once again as a pair of red and blue eyes glared at them from high above.
Just as a gracious one was about to speak, one foolish skeleton that was still kissing the ground dared to speak first
‘This... This lowly servant knows that it isn’t his place or his right, but he only wants to congratulate the supreme one on his awakening!’
On gracious one’s face could be seen displeasure as he glanced behind him.
Crack... Crack...
Lord slowly lifts his left hand. It made cracking noise like it was glued to the throne. He points at the skeleton on the floor. From place where his mouth is supposed to be comes out black miasma with few strands of green mixed in, as he lets out dreadful, cold voice
‘I, don’t remember creating that FAILURE’
At that word skeleton starts to shake uncontrollable like his soul is about to jump out of his bone body.
‘Solum my son, explain why did you bring this pile of broken bones before me?’
Zerum tried to look up, but pressure from seeing lord’s eyes was too great.
‘Answering to the lord father, this unfilial son failed to meet your expectation. This is my first impure undead that I created around 15 Eos ago. I brought it here to ask lord father about few pointers. My research didn’t go further from here.’
‘Oh, my son you didn’t disappointed me. To think you created your first impure one only after 70 Eos. I thought it would take you at least 200 to 500 Eos to create it.’
‘Sadly, I must report to lord father that it wasn’t 85 Eos ago when you fell into slumber. It was approximately 41 Eos, 7 Nerr, 3 seasons and 17 nights ago.’
Silence...
It looked like even a lord was surprised as he puts his dusty hand on his face. Some kind of noise starts to come out of him. Was he angry or...
Ha ha ha...
He was laughing?!
Hahahahahahaha...
Louder and louder.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...
When...
Tremble... Tremble... Tremble...
He was laughing so hard that entire cavern starts to shake. Zerum immediately covered his ears as they start to bleed at his devil’s screech. He only for a moment glanced at Lev and was left surprised. Lev was also on his knees and still dead inside, but without knowing why he wasn’t affected by the screech.
Hahaha@#dhaahaha£#@haha@#&haha...
Crash... Crash... Crash... Crash...
As he kept on laughing, skeletons from the ceiling that had weak grip started to fall down. It wasn’t too many, only little less than a hundred that have fallen off with most of them hitting ones with the armour. Even while being bombarded, the ones with the armour didn’t move. It looked like skeletons were falling on iron statutes, with the ones that fell right onto their spears and turning to specs of dust in the process.
‘Hahahahaha, MY SON IS GENIUS... HE IS A GENIUS, hahahahahahahaha... I ‘am so proud of you Solum, to think you managed to create your first prototype in less than 30 Eos. Even I in my prime couldn’t do it, hahahaha...’
‘My lord you jest, but more important issue is...’
‘I know, you don’t need to remind me.’
Lord’s happy and laughing voice quickly turned to sour and grim.
‘That bastard is back! I forgot how slippery he can be.’
‘Lord father, about that failure. Could I at least keep his soul for research.’
‘IMPOSSIBLE’
Wvvvoooooooosshhhh...
Crash...
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
At the mention of that word, suddenly strong pressure comes on top of failed skeleton crashing him in the process. He wasn’t kneeling anymore, but laying instead.
‘M... M... M... My lord! If... If... you are dis... dissatisfied w... with my w... weakness... let... let me... with my hands... so that you don’t d... dirty yours with this f... filth!’
‘To think you don’t even know what you did?!’
Lord lowers his hand back on the throne and grips his staff as he slowly get up.
Tap...
1th step...
Tap...
3th step...
Crack...
Tap...
7th step...
Crack... Crack...
As he walks slowly down the boned steps of his throne with his staff that echoes with each contact with the ground, pressure on the skeleton becomes stronger and stronger. It was at the point when even his bones started to crack.
As a cloaked figure descends off the last step. He stopped and everyone without seeing his face around him knew, even Zerum, that he was angry. Now dark green miasma gushes out of him as he lets out terrifying screech.
‘HOW DARE YOU’
Tap...
Crack...
He strikes with his staff on the floor cracking the ground in the process.
‘TO THINK ONE OF MINE, ONE THAT MY SON GAVE HIS ALL TO CREATE’
Tap...
Crack...
He strikes again making a bigger crack. From it, green light could be seen.
‘WOULD HURT a child’
That last word sounded like he was mourning something as a skeleton with terrified expression looks behind him at a cold eyed Lev with a big fresh scar across his entire face.
‘C... C... C... C... Ch... Child??! No... No... I... d... didn’t... k... know...’
‘It is your fault for not knowing and it is your undoing!’
Tap...
Crack... Crack... Crack... Crack...
As he strikes third time, in direction of now terrified skeleton ground cracks. It wasn’t stopping until it came to him. At that moment crack line splits in two and starts to surround him.
Crack... Crack... Crack...
When it made a big circle around him, one by one small cracks began to form inside of it.
‘You ungrateful being that doesn’t know the immensity of his sin’
Cracks glow green before black flame emerges from them.
‘Let this eternal fire engulf you and burn your very soul’
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
Flame grows bigger and bigger swallowing skeleton that was screaming from extricating pain whole.
‘Life isn’t eternal, maybe even death isn’t eternal, but this pain of your sin, this pain of your guilt and this pain of my tear will be ETERNAL’
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
‘Open – THIRD GATE of HELLFIRE, fire of eternity’
As skeleton was screaming in the middle of raging black flames, he becomes whiter and whiter.
‘Let this fire burn your soul without letting you to see a ray of darkness ever again.’
He stopped screaming while flames start to die out. Zerum’s eyes watch in disbelief as he looks at a pure white being that they couldn’t even scratch laying on the floor helplessly without even a sign of moving.
Tap...
9th step...
He starts to walk slowly again. Zerum noticing this becomes completely terrified like he is going to piss himself.
Tap...
13th step...
While shaking he grabs handle of his sheathed sword and tries to draw it, but no matter how hard he tried sword wasn’t coming out.
Tap...
15th step...
When lord came in front of empty husk that was left of the skeleton, he simply and without thinking walked on top of it. Husk at the contact turned to ash and fell on the floor like nothing ever happened.
Tap...
16th step...
Zerum now giving up on the sword with a thought that he can’t even breathe in front of that thing let alone defeat it, with a last effort he hugs Lev to protect him with his body while staring death straight in the eyes.
Tap...
18th step...
Lord now standing in front of them reaches out his dusty hand towards Zerum and sais
Origin language
‘Who are you human to be in my way!’
He bends down a little and touches his forehead with a tip of his finger.
Splash... Splash... Splash...
Without a pain and without realization, little by little, piece by piece, Zerum’s flesh starts to melt while falling from his bones straight on the ground. He was on his knees as a human, but now he gets up and stands on his own two feet as a pure white undead. Without emotions, without resistance and without life.
Language of the dead
‘What a failure. You humans are really worst materials for refining.’
Lord only slightly waved with his hand at the Zerum like he was cleaning out garbage. Again at the contact Zerum turned into ash and was swept away by his hand. None of said ash did stick on Lord’s hand or cloak and only left a trail on the floor as he walks one more step.
Tap...
Crash... Crack... Crash...
Suddenly loud noises and voices could be heard from the other side of big door.
‘You poor souls...’
‘That seek to enter...’
Crack... Crack... Crash... Crack... CRASH...
Lord glanced at now broken door with a big black gatekeeper flying through it.
Crash...
He fell at least half way to the pedestal and wasn’t or at least couldn’t move. On other side of broken door could be seen other one hugging the wall, while at the entrance
Ancient Chaos language
‘Hey old geezer, could you at least change these two? They really annoy me.’
At the foot of broken door entered small looking, cloaked boy. He wasn’t holding anything but a something bloody and dripping with blood in his one hand.
‘I know that you are becoming senile, but...’
Boy takes one step back while stretching his hand that was holding bloody thing in same direction.
‘... why make my job...’
Boom...
Wvvvooooosshhhh...
With what looked like his full force, he throws the thing like a projectile. For a moment it looked like it broke sound barrier.
Wvvvvvoooooooooossshhhhh...
Wvvvoooooooosshhhh...
In midair it broke in two while flying with a great speed, past giant skeleton and straight into the lord.
Wvooooooooosshhhhhhh...
Tap...
Stop...
Wvvvooooooosssshhhhhhhhhhh...
Around three feet from lord’s face, two things came to a sudden stop midair while floating. Force from the that was strong, but it only made lord’s cloak wave a little in the wind like it was a gentle breeze. Two things were almost unrecognisable because of the amount of blood and mass burn when they were sent flying.
They were the heads of Samuel and Meris.
Lord just glanced at them before releasing the spell making them fall downstairs.
‘What is the meaning of this?!’
‘Hey old man! Don’t play senile now, you own me a bottle of that special wine you were brewing. You know I don’t clean after you for free!’
As a boy steps into the room, behind him like from thin air appeared a piece of the armour. The one that was standing on lord’s right. With his right hand that looks now like a sharp blade he was going to strike at him.
Boy slightly turned his head and glanced at him with his cold blue eye. Armour like instinctively stops mid strike and jumps back. Even he was surprised by that action, until he was certain when midair someone behind him whispers
‘Long time no see, Lucius.’
Crash...
It was over quickly as Lucius gets buried deep underground. He was sent there by a boy wielding at least twice his size, a massive scythe.
‘LORD XURU, EVEN IF YOU ARE SERVING HIM YOU CAN’T BEHAVE LIKE THIS IN FRONT OF MY LORD FATHER’
At first most calming and very dignified Solum, now starts to scream at the boy like a commoner that got his sheep stolen.
Lord puts his hand forward to stop Solum’s screaming and sais
‘Enough, I understand. Just wait for me up there Xuru, I will come soon after.’
‘What about wine?!’
Lord now looks pissed
‘Fine, but one bottle and no more. It will be ready in about 50 years. Is that enough.’
‘Sure, why not. I will be going now.’
Without making a sound he left like he was never there, if you don’t look at the giant gatekeeper, doors or a big hole at the entrance.
‘Finally he is gone, that drunkard will finally be the death of me. Solum my son, fix things down here and help your brother to climb up. Xuru didn’t go easy on him.’
‘It will be as you commanded.’
Solum starts to go downstairs while waving with his staff to make fallen debris to float. With that finally over Lord’s glance goes back on Lev. He didn’t see or hear anything that was going on, he is broken.
Lord bends down a little and put his hand on Lev’s cheek. Scar that was there starts to glow as it begins to heal itself until there was no more. With smooth and melon voice lord sais
Origin language
‘Oh my child, how badly were you hurt. You don’t need to worry anymore. No one can hurt you now.’
Lev’s eyes began to fill with colours as he looked at him like he looked at his father.
‘R... R... R... Rea... Really...’
As he said that, mood around them becomes sour as a lord with his old voice sais
‘Sadly, now it isn’t possible. Let me at least give you a gift.’
Light starts to flicker as a flame that was giving starts to die out. In the corner of the room a shadow is visible. It was a shadow of the lord taking his hood off. From place where his head was supposed to be, a serpent like shape appeared.
‘Happy coming of age, little child’
It swallows him while darkness engulfs them once again.
Meanwhile,
Somewhere in the ruins there was one special room. Fairly lit by many blue floating crystals with few big ones here and there. Room was around same size as previous one. It had many floating bits and pieces with extremely hot magma below and one big pillar that was holding a massive pedestal right in the middle of it.
It didn’t really look like pillar was holding it, because it looked all crumbled down and not sticking together. While at the same time, something was moving inside scorching magma. Making small waves, but not revealing any part of its body.
On one side of said pedestal there was a very wide bridge, that looked like it was made of floating debris. It didn’t stick to one another and was like smushed together with many holes in between them.
In entire room only cave like walls and a pedestal looked like they were carved out of one piece of stone. Pedestal was made out of little darker stone then the rest with many engravings carved in. While it look really smooth on top of it like it was carved out of same stone, was a big rough piece. That stone was on opposite side of the wide bridge and carved in it was...
Thrones
There was one big and one little smaller stone throne on top of it with stairs leading to them. Alongside the stairs there could be seen exactly seven smaller thrones with four on the right and three on the left. They where all on different height from each other with the right side having highest and lowest throne at the same time.
In front of highest throne there was a peculiar spear stuck in the ground. It had two blades one small on the end and one big one in the ground with a silver like handle. Blades were light blue colour with few black like veins and were almost see through. It looked like they were made out of glass. While it was stuck in the stone, few black chains are sticking out of the ground wrapping around it.
Tap... Tap...
Huh, someone is hitting ground with something metal.
Tap... Tap...
On right row, third seat from above out of smaller ones. Little Xuru was sitting, bend down while with his massive scythe lightly hitting the floor.
Tap... Stop...
He stopped in the middle of hitting it one more time and without lifting his head sais
Ancient Chaos language
‘What took you so long, old thing?’
Room was completely empty with him alone in it when...
Right at the place where bridge connects itself with the pedestal, small ash like particles appeared. One by one they started to stick to one another.
Legs...
Coat...
Staff...
‘I had other business to attend to.’
They quickly formed the old undead lord as he was walking towards thrones with few particles still trying to catch up to him.
‘Xuru, what is Seventh’s report? Did he notified other two?’
‘Fifth will meet us there, but Fourth can’t make it.’
‘Why?!’
‘Apparently he pissed some members of small clan and is now in war with them.’
‘How did that idiot made someone angry again?!’
‘I meant that he literally pissed on their clan members.’
There was a slight pause before speaking with regret
‘Why did I ask?!’
As he steps on stone stairs, he starts to talk very grudgingly
‘By the way, did I tell you how much I hate your kind?’
‘There you go again, I think it was in the middle of humans and demons.’
‘For your kind that can even trick death itself, there will not be sweet relief of peace.’
‘You senile geezer, how many times are you going to say that! Just start it already!’
He walks past Xuru and goes straight towards the spear before stopping before it.
‘It was 41 Eos 7 Nerr 3 seasons and 21 nights since he felt that peace. What right your kind have to wake him up from that!’
He stretches his arm towards spear, without touching it and yells
‘ON YOUR MASTER’S NAME, I KAZERON THE FIRST THRONE, REQUESTS ACCESS TO THE COMMANDING CORE. So that you can see your master once more!’
Spear and the engravings on pedestal start to shine as undead lord sits right behind Xuru, on first throne out of smaller ones and sais
‘RISE’
Maybe a few minutes before this, in peaceful town of Marim. Inside the tavern called Inn’s coin, there was a gathering of adventurers going on at the moment. Place was packed full and mostly drunk. At the table second to the door, two adventures are talking to each other. It looked like they only now got here, because their table was empty and they were still on their feet.
‘Hey where did those four go? I didn’t seen them entire day.’
‘Wait, don’t you know? They went to those ruins to give little newcomer some experience.’
‘Why would I know that.’
‘How could you not? Narciss is preparing feast for Lev’s coming of age. Did you not get invited? Zerum practically took him to ruins so that she can prepare a surprise for him.’
‘This is first time I hear this, wait Lucas why are you invited?’
‘Maybe because of my charm?’
Lucas said with his nose high in the air, when...
Thud...
Skinny elf looking lady with a piece of cloth tying her hair, she with one hand slams two big wooden mugs full of ale on the table.
‘H... Hey Narss, didn’t see you there.’
‘I need to tell you something Lucas.’
Narciss starts to act very dramatic.
‘In all these years, I didn’t realize how breath taking your charm was. It would be best if you skip this feast, so that I don’t go blind because of it.’
Lucas, now practically on his knees
‘I was wrong Narss, there isn’t anyone worthy of your charm. Please forgive me!’
Hahahaha... Hahahaha... Hahaha...
Entire tavern bursts out laughing with Narss going through her silky light green hair and sais
‘Oh my, why tell me what I already knew.’
Hahaha... Haha... Hahahaha...
Tremble... Tremble...
As they laugh, suddenly big earthquake hit and entire tavern was shaking while few adventures who barely stood, fell with their ass and face down. Others took a hold of wooden pillars, tables, chairs, everything that could make them to not fall. Friend of Lucas grabbed Narss’es waist thinking it was a good idea. Narciss that was holding onto table politely made him kiss the floor with a single punch.
‘EVERYONE, GET OUT NOW’
As Lucas screamed many adventures came to their senses with others at least sobering up. They rush at the door and upon coming out they could see the entire town shaking with many people out of their homes and onto the street. This street was narrow with dirt path and many houses surrounding it.
People weren’t running, weren’t panicking, it was strange. They all like in trans looked up in same direction without moving while earthquake was still ongoing.
‘What are they...’
In that moment Lucas looks up, suddenly he was lost for words as he looked at a thing that was even blocking moonlight. Like out of reflex he sais
‘What in her divine name is that’
He became like many others looking up until he heard her
‘N... N... No, no... No... It... It... can’t be... Why... that abomination...’
Lucas looked over his shoulder and sees weak looking Narciss kneeling on the ground with terrified look on her face. Lucas now out of trans gets closer to her to see if she is alright
‘Hey Narss, what’s wrong. Are you okay.’
As he reaches out to her, she screamed and strong wind blowed him away few feet before enveloping her in it.
‘S... S... STAY AWAY...’
When Lucas realized what just happened, she barricaded herself in wind barrier and unsheathed the dagger from her waist. She looked at it closely.
‘NARSS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING. PLEASE STOP, LET ME IN’
She just looked at the Lucas and with terrified face she sais with a smile
‘Run’
Her body fell cold on the dirty ground with a dagger piercing through her very heart.
‘NERSS’
As a strong wind barrier becomes mild breeze, Lucas and few more run up to her.
This all was witnessed by a lone red feather hawk that was sitting on one of the rooftops. He only glanced at Narciss like he took a pity on her, before finally flying off in opposite direction of people’s gazes.
Hawk flew higher and higher, past narrow street while seeing almost entire town looking behind him. He didn’t care about their gazes while flying over the town walls. Higher and higher, over the horizon he spots army of few thousand strong marching forward, forward towards death, towards black pillar. At the head of said army was no other then Fort lord Serid trying to rally up troops behind him
‘WHO YOU SERVE’
‘WE SERVE TO THE GODDESS AND TO OUR LORD’
‘FOR WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR’
‘FOR THE ONES WE LOVE’
‘I AS A LORD COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE AND TO EVERYONE WHO IS DESTINED TO FALL HERE. WORLD WILL NOT REMEMBER YOU, BUT DEEP INSIDE MY HEART YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A TRUSTY COMRADES WHO FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE ALONGSIDE ME. LET’S RETURN ALIVE TO OUR PARENTS, TO OUR WIVES AND CHILDREN, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE ANOTHER HOT MEAL WITH THEM’
His voice echoes through entire army, even those soldiers who didn’t hear him right knew what he meant.
‘NOW MARCH FORWARD TO LIFE OR DEATH’
Hawk didn’t seamed to be interested in them that much, as he flew past them and was heading straight for the pillar.
Inside the pillar, there could he see the shape of a certain demon. At sight of it shivers past through small hawk and with many flapping of wings he changed his trajectory. He start to fly straight to the big mountain range on other side of the pillar.
He lands on certain cliff that watches over the forest. When he was about to take flight once again, suddenly giant bloody monster with lizard like head falls on top of him. What was left of poor little hawk was only small pool of blood underneath this giant monster. This was a cycle of life as a monster looks at a pillar and with his last breath in strange language sais
‘My old friend, I’ am sorry that we can’t have one more barrel together.’
Before entering the eternal rest, giant lizard like monster shed a single red tear. It fell off his scaled face and down the cliff. Beneath it was a small, yet quiet stream with lone, young direwolf drinking from it.
Splash...
Bloody red tear fell right in the middle of it. Direwolf didn’t mind it as red doth dissipate into the nothing. At that moment young wolf stopped drinking water and stood up. His ears were twitching like someone was calling him.
He turns around and starts to run, through thick grass, around massive trees, over a long river. After maybe half of the hour of running, he finally slowed down and stopped. With a tail high in the air and nose close to the ground. Maybe it were his animal instinct, but he kneels down to show his respect, respect to the strong.
In front of him like out of painting, few thousand feet long horde of monsters. Direwolfs, goblins, orcs, nagas, harpies, ogres, cyclops and many more kneeled down around giant black pillar. It was a breathtaking sight, like monster from all around Accursed forest of Verenta gathered here.
At the foot of said pillar, looking like he was absorbing part of it was a Erin. With dark eyes, red hair with few black strands and menacing glow around him, he was slightly floating above bloody circle.
Inside the circle, high in the air a demon was eating. His blue arm starts to consume the rest of his body.
Shoulder...
Chest...
Neck...
Right leg...
Half of the face...
Stop...
Midway through eating suddenly stops as this half human – half demon abomination raises his blue hand to the chest and slightly waves with it.
Crack... Crack...
Pillar like it was made out of glass starts to crack at the level of his hand before finally breaking in two. Slowly it starts to vanish in direction that was his hand pointing to. At the place where a mighty pillar stood, now flies a demon with his one black wing.
‘Ha ha ha ha, to think against all odds I would live! I can’t wait to see expressions of those geezers and that old hag when I start to toy with them, ha ha.’
Massive amount of pitch black aura starts to envelop him
‘Everyone will bow before me, while I will to no one. I will show them despair, what a true power really is. I will show them my legacy and what it means to call yourself a TRUE DEMON’
Chapter 1 ENDS