I hate this…

Just this one thought pervaded Diane’s mind.

Her small hands were balled up extremely tightly, the whites of her knuckles showing.

Why does everyone have to be so cold and heartless? Why can I only watch when good people die?

The world itself was a blur moving before her empty eyes, she could hear talk every now and then, but felt as if she was being pulled along by someone else.

It’s always the same…

A new place, different voices. She clutched her chest tightly.

Everyone always suffers. Everyone always leaves me. Everyone always dies.

Another voice. A familiar voice, but a voice without sound, sinking and disappearing amidst the cacophony of silence overpowering all else.

Why must everyone be like father?

Like a swarm of locusts devouring all that is green, she feels the memories enveloping her.

Why…

Diane remembered her wet nurse, her nanny, her friend, sweet Clarissa… her brother had a toy he received from Father, she had wanted to play with it, so when he was done, Clarissa brought it for her.

Her brother cried to Father that Clarissa had stolen it, and as punishment, he would sentence her to death.

She begged him, pleaded him not to hurt Clarissa.

She remembered his eyes of disgust looking upon her…

A GOOD DAUGHTER SHOULD LISTEN TO THEIR FATHERS JUDGEMENT. I AM THE DUKE, I AM JUST AND I SERVE JUSTICE!

She remembered her father, looking at the crowd… and for a moment, she believed in him.

HOWEVER, AS A GOOD FATHER, I MAY SHOW LENIENCE…

But in the end…. It was only about Status and Power.

AND INSTEAD SHE WILL BE STRIPPED OF 60 YEARS OF HER LIFE AS PUNISHMENT FOR HER CRIMES.

And so… she watched the court mages, together with her Father…

She watched as the youth and hope fled the girl’s body, leaving only the shell of a decrepit old crone…

But… it’s not right….

Her sisters always spoke so sweetly to father. Yet they would always torment all the animals, they would prevent the servants from feeding them to make them rabid. They giggled as the dogs lost their minds, fighting to live, killing each other… eating each other…

It made her so sick she had thrown up at the sight of that, it made her so mad that she hit her sister…

Yet without power, with little more than her natural strength as the youngest child, and her mana core completely blocked up… her sisters easily crushed her.

HOW DARE YOU STRIKE YOUR SISTER? YOU BRING NOTHING TO THE CULAINE FAMILY BUT SHAME AND DISAPPOINTMENT! I WOULD SOONER NOT BELIEVE YOU WERE MY CHILD AT ALL!

As she got older, she was assigned ‘reputable’ tutors by public proclamation. Her father had made a show of it every time, passing off sizeable wallets of gold to those who would ‘attempt to reform his unfortunate daughter’.

All of them would take the money, and soon after proclaim her hopeless despite their best efforts, without even taking a moment to teach her, let alone speak with her.

A couple had taken her out to ‘train’, and yet rode in a different carriage than her both times. She could remember the servants who were with her screaming for her to run, she could remember the sight and smell of their blood, she could remember the faces of the men who took their lives… the first time, she had managed to escape by fleeing and finding a returning guard patrol.

The other time, she had the fortune of being saved at the last moment by a travelling group of adventurers.

None of them stayed around for long though.

I shouldn’t be alive anyways…

She was isolated. Alone.

She was somewhere new, sounds echoes beyond her ears. Somebody was making quite a fuss. And then things got quieter. The place felt familiar… but everything was so empty…

I hate them, and now… I’ve done something like them… something unforgivable…

…

I hate this…

Then… she could feel something… in her chest… confused… lost… rebelling against the emptiness…

There is no meaning… there is no point…

Something was wrong. Her eyes were out of focus as she stared eternally through the ceiling of her room.

It would be fine if I never moved from here again… it wouldn’t change a thing…

The pressure was growing in her chest… growing quickly like a raging storm…

Wind?

A terrible gale buffeted the windows of her room, and she started to hear the noise that had been flooding around her.

Her chest felt like it was on fire, as dark lines spread forth from the epicenter, crawling across her body while changing violently between crimson and black hues.

Anger.

Pain.

Hatred.

Despair.

IF THE WORLD SHALL STAND IN MY WAY, THEN I SHALL CHANGE THE WORLD!

What?!

The voice rang clear through her mind, the furious emotions disturbing the emptiness within her.

Small choking noises crawled out of her throat, as her small body lifted off her bed.

I… I can’t breathe!

SHE IS MY CONTRACT, MY FIRST CONTRACT, AND I… I DO. NOT. FAIL.

He… he is in pain… because of me? No… no…. NO! He is my friend, my only friend, I… I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS! YOU CANNOT BE ANYTHING ELSE!

Wake up! WAKE UP!

“WAKE UP!”

The force of her words finally broke through her lips, the lines receded from across her body… but everything still seemed so heavy…

Diane was barely able to turn her head, each movement slowed as if the weight of the world was pulling against every muscle, as she quietly looked at Thistleman’s empty sleeping space.

For a moment there was silence, as the red light of the moon poured through the window, before a truly horrendous shriek of wind ripped through the alleys and roads of the town.

With a saddened look in her eyes, Diane quietly mouthed the words… almost to nobody at all… “I’m sorry… I know I am not alone… I’m sorry… Forgive me for causing you pain…”

Diane looked out the window, entirely missing Clover cowering in the corner, the poor creature’s eyes never missed her for a moment, and it instinctively knew and felt fear.

Just come back already… and we will make all this go away! Let’s just keep things like they always were!

Even as the wind changed directions back again, with the storm clouds racing to fill the sky with thunder, wind and rain… the rays of the Scarlet Moon still managed to cut through small parts in the seething skies and reflected off of Diane’s resplendent purple dress.

It was a moment that could cut through any thought itself.

Diane’s eyes opened wide, and she loosened all the grip in her hands as her body finally relaxed. Even the chaotic emotions that broke the silence and emptiness within her felt as though they had temporarily subsided.

The moon… and the sky… it’s just so… beautiful…

Far across the Sea of Calimnon and beyond the Fey Archipelago lies a land shrouded in darkness. Spires of rock twist high into the sky, surrounded by the smoke and fires of industry, piercing into the low-lying clouds of soot blocking out the starry night.

Constructs forged of steel and stone rip through the soil as abominations hammer relentlessly across undying forges, the flickering lights of the flame disappearing into their hideous forms.

Horribly mutated forms of what once were Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Gnolls, humans and twisted evil Fey laughed and cheered as they ripped, tore and devoured the flesh of human, dark elf, dwarf and dragonkin captives whose screams of agony sung a terrible melody of torment. The thunderous sounds of colossal weapons of war meshed with symphony of suffering as the armies of the Demon Lord gathered themselves on the border with the Empire of the Sand. This realm was none other than that of the Demon Lord of Malice, Carinthus.

Seated on a throne of skulls and silks atop a massive war-beast, clad in a thick, all-encompassing black armor concealing all but his blood-red goat-like eyes and single pointed horn protruding from his forehead was a Demon through and through. From the delighted contortions of his eyes and the swaying two and fro of his gauntlet, it was as if he was playing a concierto all for himself. His weapon of choice sat next to his throne, stained with the blood of countless fallen enemies. His enormous spear was dotted with numerous dulled barbs pointed out to best catch and painfully rend as much flesh as possible, done as painfully as possible. It was a weapon whose use could only be considered by a considerably powerful individual, as it would only penetrate flesh or armor with nothing less than the use of overwhelming strength and violence.

As the moon rose in the west, its beams of scarlet light flitted about underneath the dark and heavy clouds.

“oooooOOooooOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Howls rose from across the ranks of the Demon Lord’s horde as they were bathed in the light of the moon, and the humans began to change drastically, revealing the claws and fur of werewolves and the fangs of vampires.

Carinthus slowly rose from his throne, unleashing his ominous aura to claim the attention of his followers. His voice was like thunder, deep and resounding.

“TONIGHT, WE HAVE RECEIVED AN OMEN, DELIVERED TO US BY THE GOD OF DARKNESS!”

“U-RAH! U-RAH!”

The horde chanted in unison at his words, their united voices drowning out the wailing of their victims.

“WE, WHO ONCE WERE OUTCASTS THROWN ASIDE BY SOCIETY, HAVE FOUND OUR PURPOSE. TOGETHER, WE HAVE GROWN STRONG!”

“U-RAH! U-RAH!”

“ALL THE PAIN, ALL THE SUFFERING THEY HAVE BROUGHT UPON US, WE SHALL RETURN UPON THEM!”

“U-RAH! U-RAH!”

“BUT WE SHALL NOT SETTLE FOR SIMPLE RETALIATION, NO, WE SHALL RETURN EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE TO US A THOUSAND TIMES OVER, THEN A THOUSAND TIMES MORE!”

“U-RAH! U-RAH! U-RAH! U-RAH!”

“THE TIME HAS COME WHEN WE SHALL NO LONGER COWER IN THE SHADOWS, IT IS TIME TO UNLEASH YOUSELVES TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT! OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS SHALL SOON COME TO JOIN US, FROM THE FALLEN DAEMON KINGDOM TO THE SOUTH THEY MARCH!”

“U-RAH! U-RAH!”

“AND FROM THE FALLEN DAEMON KINGDOM TO THE WEST, NEW SHORES SHALL AWAIT YOU! THE KINGDOMS OF MAN ARE WEAK AND DIVIDED! OUR TIME IS NOW!”

“UUUUU-RAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”

With a cacophonous cheer, the horde began its march southward, crossing into the deserts home to the Empire of the Sand.

With an insidious smile, the Demon Lord of Malice reviewed his reports once more, for his own sheer self-satisfaction. The Daemon Kingdoms had fallen easily, their system… their culture… so easy to corrupt and usurp! The Daemons will soon be converted into loyal Demons. Even so…

For Grath to survive this long against Matroshka… the useless struggles of a fallen king. It will only be a matter of time before she, or his former subordinates, finds and kills him for good. Such is the way of a Marilith, she truly must be delighting in his suffering!

Carinthus laughs heartily to himself, as he seats himself once more upon his throne.

Now then, you lesser kingdoms, show me what pitiful resistance you can! Prove you are worth more than a mere afterthought in the annals of my conquest!

“My Sultan Salhadin, Lord over All Bedhassin, Conqueror of the Shifting Sea, Master of the Shimmering Dunes, The Cartassin blessed by the Lords of Fire, He Who Has Survived the Inferno and claimed its treasures! This humble emir seeks to offer his congratulations on this joyous night to his greatest of Sultans, and his new Sultana Darrahnin, foremost beauty of the Tenassah(Dark Elves), the Lady of the Deepwood, to whom all Tenassah pay their respects! I pray you are satisfied with my gifts, forged with the heart and souls of our people in celebration of the union of our two great peoples! May the heavens bless you with bountiful heirs and show us their favor!”

“His Eminence, Sultan Salhadin, shows his appreciation and thanks to the Emir of Mirrah! As a symbol of our continued shared trust and faith, he presents his valued Emir with 6 scrolls of the Fatallah and his Divine Guarantee of your right to manage the Emirate of Mirrah!”

It has been a fortnight since the wedding… yet these painstaking and lengthy formalities must be done.

Sultan Salhadin sat atop a mountain of silken cushions, wearing fine ornate robes laced with gold and a gem-laden turban mounting his head. His body was highly toned in spite of its years, with the grays of his noble beard contrasting perfectly with his sun-kissed brown skin. On his waist, tucked in with his silken sash, was an ornate sheathed scimitar, glowing with a deep orange hue. Mordis’ blade, taken from the heart of the inferno itself.

To his left sat the envy and dream of every man, Darrahnin, the queen of the Tenassah. They are better known to the world, by a more derogatory term, as the Dark Elves. While her skin was clearly darker than that of the Sultan, it had a smoothness and such a sheen to it that she almost glowed in the warm light of the mana-crystal torches adorning the walls of their sandstone palace. With a thin waist and ample curves to match her well-defined body that would hardly show the effects of age, she was truly and idol to behold. Slung on her back was an almost non-descript bow, its ashen grey color was mixed with spots of deep reds, fashioned from the core-wood of the Elder Trees.

However, the sounds of merriment and the neighing of horses coming from outside their palace quickly fell to a hush, as rays of scarlet light began to climb over the horizon.

Salhadin’s eyes narrowed, and after sharing a quick glance with his Sultana, he waved his hand with a flourish through the air.

The crier standing at the foot of his throne nodded at once, and turned to the host within the throne room. All attendees bowed deeply, including the emir clad in a light silver armor.

“His Eminence, Sultan Salhadin, has expressed that we shall cease further celebration and gift exchanges for the night! Representatives of the Clans gathered here tonight, please send for your clan heads at once, per the order of the Sultan!”

Wordlessly, the Sultan and Sultana had come to an agreement.

It was likely time to fulfill the purpose of this marriage. The Demon Lord would not wait quietly on a night such as this. War for our very survival is finally upon us.

At the very least, Sultan Salhadin thought, I will be able to enjoy a few moments of bliss before hell begins. Let Ishtar’s vendetta against Elvenkind be damned!

The Sultan and Sultana shared a quiet, knowing smile with each other, before the Tenassah and Bedhassin Clan Heads began filtering into the palace. It was a sight that neither Salhadin nor Darrahnin imagined they would see in their lives. There was much that still needed to be done, but unfortunately, there was no more time to do it. Salhadin steeled himself once more, his eyes opening fully as he gazed authoritatively into the crowd of Clan Leaders below him. He would not use his crier this time, and for some, for their first time, they would hear the Sultans voice, the voice that spoke with the Authority of Allah.

If only the other damned races weren’t so selfish and heeded our warnings… we can only hope that they soon see reason…

“DUTY BEFORE DISHONOR! FOR THE EMPEROR!”

SGT Dufount’s desperate cries were as much to rally his comrades as they were for himself. Before them was a colossus the likes of which they had never seen before, towering into the sky!

It was as if they had to fight the mountain itself. Such was the duty of an Imperial Knight, to fight even the gods if the Emperor willed it! However, never was that core mantra put to the test as much as it was tonight.

The fell wind which had blown forth from this area had finally ceased, and even after coming this far, they had never had the chance to see the target of their hunt.

“DIVINE REINFORCEMENT! SHIELD OF THE EMPEROR!” Marn screamed at the top of his lungs as he raised his tower shield towards the Colossus. A blazing white square surrounding a lion of white flame erupted forth from his shield, floating between the knights and the Colossus.

“OOOOOOoooooUUUUUUUUuuuuuuu….”

Almost as if it was a rumbling, slow groan, the stone monster turned towards the insignificant knights. Slowly, it raised one of its fists, as small boulders and trees fell from its titanic arms. Then, with a sudden snap sending shockwaves through the air, its fist came down with the force of a meteor.

*THWOOOM*

The sheer force of the impact caused the shield to lace with dozens of cracks, and the earth around the impact area crushed downwards. Marn let loose a wet cough as blood poured out of his mouth, his eyes bulged and blood flowed like a river out from behind them.

“MARN! ARE YOU OK?!”

Theo’s eyes opened wide in horror. With just one blow… just one blow!

“DAMN YOU! JUST FUCKING DIE!”

Theo quickly took the opportunity, and that in spite of the damage Marn just took, his shield had stopped the blow from the Colossus!

Mana gathered quickly into his bow, and Theo notched a blessed adamantine arrow.

“Bring peace to the holy, bring penance to the sinners, and strike evil from this land.”

SGT Dufount whistled to summon the horses.

At the very least, with the miasma now concentrated in that thing, our horses should listen to use again!

“I call upon the strength of our forbearers, the blessings of the Emperor, the righteousness of our cause…”

The Colossus began to raise its other arm.

“MARN, GET ON YOUR HORSE NOW! THEO! THEO!”

“AND WITH THE AUTHORITY ENTRUSTED TO ME, I SENTENCE YOU, ARROW OF JUDGEMENT!”

“OOOOOOUUUUMMMMMMM”

The bright energy gathering furiously in Theo’s bow concentrated itself into the tip of his arrow.

The fist of the Colossus came down once more.

*THWOOOM*

The arrow unleashed from his bow with righteous fury!

*DOOOOOOM*

Theo nearly collapsed from the amount of mana he poured into his attack.

Let’s see how you take this, bastard!

The air shook from the impact as Theo’s arrow met the incoming strike of the Colossus!

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”

Theo felt a strong grip at the back of his armor as he was lifted up onto SGT Dufount’s horse.

“RIDE, COCO, RIDE! I CALL UPON THE SPIRITS OF THE WIND TO AID THEE, HASTE!”

For a moment, it felt as if the Blessed Arrow might burst through… however…

BOOOOOM

The force from the Colossus was greater. A small shower of boulders burst from the fist of the Colossus, as its fist impacted the ground with a vengeance! Shockwaves rippled through the earth like water, chasing behind SGT Dufount, Theo and Marn! The legs of their horses, boosted by the power of haste, moved into a seamless blur of afterimages as they barely outran the shockwaves and hails of stone!

Damnit! Damn it all! There is no way… we have to let the Captain know about this somehow! This is far worse than we could have possibly imagined, and we haven’t even seen the Demon Lord yet! FUCK!

SGT Dufount quickly looked around for anything, anything at all that could give them an opportunity.

The woods themselves would offer little cover or shelter against this… monstrosity. It is practically a giant walking hillside for god’s sake! Nor would any of the surrounding terrain slow it down!

With each stride, the Colossus easily covered several city blocks worth of space. Its footfalls crushed trees and stone alike, imprinting deep into the earth. Even with haste… they couldn’t outpace it long. Worse… haste comes with a cost, and the exhaustion was quickly setting in on the horses.

Think! Think, damnit!

With what little energy they had left, Theo, Marn and Dufount would launch spells at the Colossus to almost no effect while they fled.

Looking east, SGT Dufount’s eyes opened wide.

The storm that had been blown back from the earlier burst of wind was raging forth, unconstrained and with renewed fury.

That’s it! That’s our way out! We just need to keep it off our backs until the storm comes in… that damn thing is so huge that the clouds in the sky will be our cover!

Riding on the shoulder of the Colossus, Rok watched the knights fleeing below.

His eyes narrowed in focus on the knights, but his true focus was elsewhere…

Hunting humans… it could never be this easy…. To offer this level of power so freely… there must be a price somewhere, something he hasn’t told me… He simply wanted me to terrify these humans? After all they did to my people… my tribe… my friends and family… I won’t be your pawn, as much as I won’t cower before the humans ever again! After I am through with them, just you wait, Demon! My Vengeance will come after you too!