Epic War Introduction

Original cover by Daniel Beaver
Reworked by Rachel Bostwick

This will be the first chapter of the book and serve as an introduction to the conflict ahead, I will also make the next chapter available on the blog, but after that you will have to enjoy the final product. I will keep you updated on my progress occasionally on the blog, but if you want more frequent updates feel free to follow me on twitter @worldofdiamic. Enjoy



Sadasé Anok, The Demon King
“I am Sadasé Anok. I am the demon king. My name means, “his power will come!” It is the battle cry of devils and demons. It is I who leads the armies of the dark lord into battle, I who pierces the hearts of angels, and I who corrupts the hearts of men. I am the nightmare that never ends, the scourge of heaven, and the bane of Gabriel.”

-From the Book of
Anok, the Dark and Unholy Scriptures

The demon king grins while beholding the carnage around him. With the thrust of their mighty curved and crudely beaten swords he and his armies pierce the hearts of the many angels and send them to their dooms. It has been said that demons and angels cannot die, but they can be banished to separate planes of existence, or they can be imprisoned and powerless, helplessly held in an encasement of stone. The angels begin to fall like flies from the heavens. The goal is clear and in sight for the demons. Soon Diamic will be there’s. Soon they will convert the mortal realm to another circle of their kingdom. Diamic would become the ninth hell.

Sadasé is not prepared for what occurrs next. He beats his sword relentlessly against the blade of Gabriel, as if he is pounding the angel into the ground. Gabriel breaks a sweat, staggering back helplessly with every strike. Sadasé grins as if he could feel the angels strain and licks his lips as if he can taste the despair of the guardian angel who nearly relents.

With a blinding flash and a deafening low-pitched ring, a beam of light ascends from seemingly
nowhere. The light covers Sadasé who growls and releases a low shriek as if the light burns him. He can barely move, except in slow motion. Sadasé will forever remember the smug smile he sees next, just before Gabriel sinks the sword deep into the demon’s heart. When the sword comes out Sadasé feels the stone encase his body. His feet grow heavy and his legs burdensome. Then his chest constricts, feeling tight and heavy. He can barely breathe as the stone spreads upward through his neck. If he could move, he would have shiver profusely from the numbing cold that runs through his body. One final deep gasp, and even the demon’s head turns to stone. The statue falls far, plummeting to the world of Gorka.

The statue lands with a deafening crash that shakes the world of Gorka, and leaves a massive crater on its face. Bits of flaming earth fly everywhere, and land nearby still burning in the night. The crickets and owls in the woods nearby seemed unfazed, still singing and embarking on their nightly adventures.

The sun will rise before the demon king regains his consciousness. He finds himself
hovering, trapped in the vicinity of the statue. He is fully aware of his surroundings, but is too weak to leave the statue behind, or do much of anything. He even swears he feels himself growing weaker and being pulled away from the statue. He fears what will happen if the unseen force succeeds. He clings desperately to consciousness, and wonders if the legends were never true: maybe angels and demons can die after all.

All he can see is the area around the crater and the broken up earth surrounding it along with some woods across a plain of grass in the distance. The skies are gray and dim, but otherwise mostly clear. A few rays of light to slip through the cracks in the sky. The smoke is just clearing by now. He hears naught but the sound of birds singing along with a gentle breeze as it strokes gently past the statue. He then hears footsteps, crunching through dry and charred earth. Black robed figures approach. Some of the dirt has been turned to glass from the heat of whatever made impact with their world last night.

They examine the statue curiously. Many of them gasp as they chatter in their strange gurgled tongue, which seems primitive and consists of many low grunts, groans, and growls. Sadasé tries to understand the mortal language by attuning his empathetic skills as a spirit. They seem to be talking about some kind of prophesy. Within hours they load him onto carriage and bring him back to a dark and secluded temple. There they lay him on an altar. Sadasé still remembers the first creature to reveal his face. He is a young, green-skinned orc, maybe twelve. His ears are pointed, and his teeth sharp and jagged, like tiny tusks. They're like ivory but tinged with spots of brown. His nose and other features are flat, and his eyes orange and yellow like the color of fire. Short black hair lies sleekly on the young orcs head, and shimmers in the light of the shining sun.

Sadasé listens to the sounds of a great wolf growling and clawing across the earth as it pulls the carriage. The wheels bump gently against the cobblestone roads, and Sadasé enjoys the ambience. Most of all, however, he enjoys watching the eyes of the orc boy. He is weak and innocent. He is vulnerable.
If Sadasé could regain his strength through a mortal, it would be him.
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The young orc male kneels before the statue. His eyes are filled with tears, but the rest of his face along with his hands are covered in blood. The corpses of his black robed brethren are scattered and lying about like discarded rags. He opens his eyes only momentarily to look up at the majestic demon statue on the altar before him. It matches dark gray walls of stone around the room, and seems to go well with the black marble floors beneath his knees and all around. The statue towers over him, considerably. His whispers of prayer echo throughout the halls. “My master, please do not leave me in the silence!” he begged softly. “I have done as you commanded. I have obtained vengeance. Yet they told me it was you. The torture, the pain, the beatings, and the unspeakable acts they committed against me when I was still a child. They said you commanded it. The lies, the blasphemy, the arrogance, oh how their clever tongues slandered you! But I cut them out.” He holds out a hand presenting the various bloody and sinewy objects on the altar.
“I gave you all that you asked for. Their hands, their hearts, their teeth,their eyes, I offer them all to you now. Please! Leave me not in silence, but speak again. What am I to do next?”

Slowly and with a low rumble the stone cracks and trembles. Piece by piece the shards of stone fall to the floor, lightly ringing and shimmering as they linger on the black marble. With a roar that reaches heaven the massive creature shakes the remaining stone free and spreads his arms and sinewy dragon-like wings. His flesh resembles the color of blood, but with steam and glowing red mist exuding from it. His eyes ignite like the pit of a stirring volcano. His mane of black hair wavers as he shakes his head free of the shards of stone. He reveals a face with mostly flat and bullish features. With fine, but razor-sharp teeth he produces a sadistic grin then a ferocious roar as he turns his head to heaven, calling to his minions.

The orc stares up at the creature in horror. He tries contain the terror, knowing this is his god,
the one he served. He remains on his knees with his hands folded. Another grin and the beast sinks his claws into the back of his neck. He screams in agony, though none can hear him.
“Please master! Please! Have I not served you? Are you not pleased with me?”
He picks the orc up who kicks bare and dusty feet in the air, screaming gruffly to be released.
“You have pleased me!” The demon huffs and snorts, speaking with a low growl. Loud but strangely muffled, the voice resembles many rather than one, and is so intense it strikes terror even in those who hear it miles away. The orc screams sucking his chest in and out with every desperate breath. “And now for your reward…I will end your suffering, I make the you the first rather than the last die in Gorka!”

Floods of flame erupt throughout the world. Massive explosions wipe out thosands, and the
fires spread even further. With thousands of demons swooping overhead the orcs are helpless, trying to defend themselves. Women and children run in all directions screaming for their lives. Many are swooped down upon and taken into the air where they are tortured and tormented before they are killed. Most of the men hold bows and arrows and axes trying to kill their opponents in the skies and on the ground. They are no match for the overwhelming power and might of their massive and formidable foes. Within days the face of Gorka will be engulfed in flame, and the orcs will fall to their knees in surrender. That day Gorka becomes the ninth plane of Hell.

The demon-king is pleased, but not satisfied. He remains too weak to go into a world outside the planes of hell, and he cannot send his demon minions alone. Nonetheless he sets his sights on the world of Diamic. The orcs are weak but by mortal standards he has never met opponents more fierce and determined to defend their homes. It would take a few generations to mold the orcs into what he wanted them to become, but through torture and other “reeducation” techniques the demons employ they can be corrupted and made to forget who they are in time. They could be stronger and deadlier in battle, and they could be easily molded into what he wanted them to be. They will be valuable soldiers in the coming war.

He grins as he shakes hands with his generals, who he has been previously separated from. It
is good to be back in charge.
“What will we do now?” his top general asks.
“We will wait. This generation cannot be so easily tainted, but a few more generations and they will serve us well. They will be pawns in our war against the people of Diamic, foot soldiers in our glorious carnage. Diamic will be ours, the tenth kingdom of Hell.”
“It will be a difficult war, and a bloody one!” the general grins as well.
“Indeed! It will be a bloodbath like none of the worlds have ever seen…it will be an Epic War!”