The clang of heavy, dread-steel boots shifting across freshly polished netherstone echoed throughout the Palace of Rex Infernus. They were the sounds of oaths kept, of victories promised, of a new conquest’s beginning… for with each step that pierced the silence of those vast, abyssal halls, the Prince of Demons knew that his day of glory had come at long last.

It was for that reason, that Pluto stole himself across the corridor with no great haste, or for any particular motive.

He found the vacant atmosphere and eerie silence to be somewhat pleasant for a change. After all, hundreds if not thousands of fiends passed through the palace halls on a regular basis. Demonic lords and ladies, devilish courtiers and courtesans, wicked souls of every possible shape, size, and sin… it was pandemonium at the best of times.

But today—today was a fine reminder of where Pluto’s measly journey had begun, all that been accomplished since, and everything that was yet to come.

“Your Highness…” A meek, hoarse voice said over Pluto’s shoulder abruptly. No sooner had it done so, did a small, reddish body flicker into the prince’s perihelial view, held aloft in motion between two leathery wings, “I bring word from the Concilium.” The quasit continued, “Your presence is requested.”

“Kyot?” Pluto replied, regarding his foremost familiar with the barest hints of a frown, “I thought I told you there were to be no disturbances today?”

Peace and quiet had been in short supply for well over fifty celestial years, and it seemed today would be no different.

For his part, Kyot’s tail slunk between its legs, and he hung his head low, showing the tips of his stubby horns, saying, “My apologies, Your Highness. But your armies have gathered in the hundreds of thousands. They are ready to make war against your enemies.”

“They’ve all arrived?” Pluto cocked his brow curiously, dismissive at first, though he was most pleased by the revelation.

From the four corners and seven deadly spheres of his abyssal domain, had the armies of the Underworld been summoned. And it was no small feat to gather so many fiends in one place, let alone a host of demons driven by one singular purpose. Yet another good omen on a day that surely belonged to the Prince of Demons.

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And he deserved it.

It had taken no less than two-hundred-eighty-seven celestial years for Pluto to conquer the Demon Realm, reclaiming his family’s palace and rebuilding all that had been lost ages ago. Nothing about the campaign to achieve his late father’s dreams of conquering the Mortal Realm had been easy, and yet he’d overcome every obstacle thus far. Perhaps it was the fact that when he started his journey, Pluto had been little more than a common mane—a demon of such inferior quality that reaching the Abyssal Court was thought to be nigh on impossible.

Pluto hadn’t just earned it all, he’d taken it by force. And now, on the eve of his worldly conquest, his armies were ready to take even more in his name.

“Indeed, my lord.” Kyot nodded, “They wish to receive the blessings of Your Highness—their God—that they may march into battle with your divine providence burned so deeply into their blackened souls and jagged blades, that victory is all but assured!”

That was laying it on a bit thick, but Pluto appreciated the sentiment. Eagerness could not be contained for such an occasion, and the Lord of the Underworld was not about to upset morale on his day of reclamation. To do so, would be the end of him.

“Yes, very good…” Pluto simply murmured with satisfaction, a twisted grin stretching across his shaded features.

Without another word, the Prince of Demons rerouted his path through the palace, and strode for the Great Hall at once.

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Hi there everyone,

That was just a snippet of what I've been working on. But cutting straight to the point, and as the chapter title might suggest, my plans for this year include the return of Evildoers, Beware! as more of a standard LitRPG, re-written to adhere to my original vision of the story while addressing some of the problems I had with writing it the first time around. The D&D aspects were largely too tedious to write, and definitely the most time consuming to write, so those will all be scrapped in favor of a more standard approach to the 'system' and progression elements. I think the main story that's already written will remain largely in-tact, as in the direction of it, but probably rewritten to flesh out certain areas I might have glossed over in the original posting.

That's about it.

I appreciate all the support I received on the initial run of Evildoers, Beware! last year, and can hopefully win some of you back the second time around. Also, I'm not sure what the exact release schedule will look like yet, but some time in the spring seems likely at this point as I wrap up Book One.

Thanks :]