Ascent of the Holy Blade

Chapter 1

        The great beast sulked on his obsidian throne, leathery wings fluttering in agitation while dagger long talons thrummed a rhythm of impatience as he stared balefully around the macabre landscape of his dark realm.  Purple and green mist, a constant in the Infernal Realms, swirledthroughout the vast cavern.  It flowed over the mountainous piles of skeletalremains of the beast’s past victims, undulating around the six onyx pillars striped with crimson veins that pulsated with arcane power and marked the boundaries of the beast’s seat of power.  Yet even the mindless mist had the sensibilities to stay clear of the tempestuous entity stewing on the dark throne.

        Ahmah, second in command of the Dark Master’s demonic horde, and who noted the passage of time in eons, was well aware of how much time had passed since the seductive whispers had caressed the fabric of the Infernal Realms.  Word had spread through the realm like wildfire of a weakening in the barrier that separated the lush, ripe plane of mortals and the Infernal Realm.  The shield had been placed by Him and His followers in the early days of this world to prevent Ahmah and his demon brethren from devouring the weaker races after their insidious desire for those beings’ flesh, and more importantly their souls, had been discovered.  

        Every few years, the shield would weaken and create a spot where with the right ritual it would be possible to create a gateway into the realm of mortals. Like the rest of his kind, Ahmah was fervently seeking the anomaly to exploit its vulnerability, and cross over to join his followers in sowing chaos and death across the face of Allura. 

        Unfortunately, the search was taking longer than the demon lord had expected despite the efforts of his normally efficient minions.  Hours had turned into days, days into weeks and still no word from his scouts.  In frustration, the mighty demon tightened his taloned fist, shattering the polished skull goblet he held, showering himself with bone chips and a thick liquid that resembled fresh blood.

         “Damn!”  Ahmah cursed, shaking his hand to remove remnants of the goblet and its liquid content from his raven scaled hide.  The goblet had been made from the skull of a rival who had thought to usurp the powerful Ahmah and replace him as the Blood God, deity of the gorthins.  

        But the upstart had proven incredibly inept, and with little effort, and perhaps more show of arcane power than necessary, Ahmah had defeated the cretin and magically altered the lesser demon's skull to serve as a chalice.  The chalice doubly served as a warning to those who sought to replace him, and as a reminder to not grow so complacent with himself as to forget the treachery of his  brethren.

        Mulling over the loss of his trophy, Ahmah failed to notice a ghostly shape detach itself from the side of the cavern and glide stealthily towards him.   Rez Nak waited patiently for his master to acknowledge his presence, as the shadow stalker had seen firsthand the fate of those that interrupted the Blood God’s silent reverie.  Besides, it gave the lesser demon time to fantasize about the rewards his master would heap on him once he delivered his report. 

        Thoughts of delectable mortal souls for his own carnal pleasures lured the demon’s attention from his master, down the dark tunnel of his twisted imagination that had Rez Nak hissing with anticipation.  Unfortunately for the scout, Ahmah had chosen that moment to acknowledge his servant, and when the shadow stalker failed to answer the Blood God’s query, he was oblivious to the danger that loomed mere feet from him.

         “Rez Nak!  The anomaly, have you found it?”  Ahmah’s booming voice crackled with arcane energy, fueled by his impatience and anger.  “Or do I need to flay strips of your flesh from your worthless hide and feed it to the Koarouc beetles to stir your memory?”  The Blood God’s fists slammed onto the armrests of his throne with a thunderclap that snapped the shadow stalker from his fantasies.

        Koarouc beetles, the carrion scavengers of the Infernal Realms, were one of the few things that could frighten the shadow stalker.  Rez Nak himself had used the voracious insects as a means of torture to get reluctant individuals to divulge their secrets.  The vile beetles paralyzed their prey with their bite while slowly feeding off of the poor victim.  With a shudder, the minion gave his report to the eagerly waiting Blood God. 

        “Masster, I have found the anomaly,” Rez Nak hissed as he kept his wraithlike head bowed.  “It iss very ssmall and wass difficult to locate.”

         “Have any of the others found it?  Were you discovered or followed?”  Ahamah asked anxiously,  releasing the breath he had been holding when Rez Nak shook his wispy, horned head.

         “No my masster, and a falsse trail that I left will make ssure that none other than the mighty Blood God will.”  The shadow stalker finished with a bow. 

        “The Bloodmoon will rise in one lunar cycle, and my powers will be at their peak.  With the aid of my mortal servants, the gorthins, I will be able to tear open the weakening, allowing myself and my followers access to the mortal realm where we will make all bow to me, Ahmah the Blood God!”  The mighty demon thrust his taloned arms towards the vaulted ceiling, loosening a primordial roar that shook even the magically enchanted chamber.

        “And you, my loyal Rez Nak, will be the first to follow me through the barrier, and free to have as many mortals as you may capture for your own desires.” Ahmah grinned evilly at the shadow stalker.  The flame blue eyes of the scout showed no emotion, but its wide reptilian mouth split wide into a matching grin that displayed several rows of needle-like teeth as he was caught up in his master’s fervor.