Raziel is destined to become a great hero. It is not a coincidence that he came across the Transwarp tome that is connected to mine. As long as he possesses the tome, I know his every action, and so I record it here. I am his chronicler, but I do not follow him physically.
“What is this strange slab?” Raziel asked aloud, knowing there was no one around to hear. He investigated it, but could not figure out why he was attracted to it. He abandoned his endeavors and placed the stone in his pack.
Living in the Underworld may sound ludicrous to you, but living on Earth sounds ludicrous to a demon, which Raziel is. He lives in a small cave, surrounded by a thorn field. There were only two landmarks in the Underworld proper; the spiraling staircase down to Tartarus, and the Rasharus Coliseum.
“Never know what I’m going to find in the Wasteland.” Raziel said as he left the sight of his discovery. Whence he entered the thorn field, he sensed a disturbance. As he surveyed his surroundings, another demon slammed into him. Now on the ground, Raziel looked at his assailant. “Cursed Genzi demons!” He yelled as the beast was joined by two others. The first Genzi growled and charged at him. The other two attempted a flanking strategy. Raziel drew his axe and attacked. He sliced open one’s cheek, causing a red mist to flow out. With a sweeping motion, Raziel knocked all three Genzis onto their sides. He raised his axe and brought it down heavily on one, dividing it in half. Raziel is a very strong demon; otherwise he would not be able to wield an axe the size of himself. The remaining two Genzis leapt up and attempted another strike. Raziel brought his axe around and severed one’s head in a single swipe. The other snarled and pointed its horns at Raziel, ready to charge. As it ran toward him, Raziel jumped, landing behind it. Before it could figure out what happened, he ended its existence swiftly. “They’ve never attacked in a group before… Has something new come to the thorn field?” He wandered the bramble for hours, but found nothing unusual. As it became dark, he thought it best to return home, lest he be torn limb from limb by the Nightdwellers.
The next day, Raziel fought in the Coliseum. The Rasharus Coliseum is five times larger than that of Rome
“Is this a Level 5 Ogre? Seems more like Level 10, the highest level!” The announcer yelled. Raziel ran along the wall and leapt up to the beast’s head height. He slammed the axe into its scalp, but it seemed unfazed. The Ogre grabbed him and tossed him into the audience, much to their dismay. Its meaty hand came down on Raziel and the demons around him. It then let out a roar of pain as its hand left his arm and fell to the arena floor. Raziel smiled, pointing his bloodied axe at the Ogre. He shot a spell into its opened wrist, poisoning it. It let out a final roar as it fell to the ground, dead.
Later in the arena master’s office, Raziel collected his pay. He tapped his clawed fingers on the stone desk as Vittur counted the Tokens.
“There you are, thirty-eight Tokens.” Vittur said, placing the sum on the desk. Raziel chuckled. “What?” Vittur asked.
“You’ve always been a very generous arena master. In past, I would have been lucky to get thirty-five for that performance.” Raziel replied.
“Maybe those old masters were just stingy.” The two of them laughed some more. “Are you going to the concert tonight?” Vittur asked after a moment of silence.
“The Silk Road Bandits one?” Raziel asked. Vittur only nodded. “Yeah. I hear they’ll be performed a slew of new songs.”
“Heard that too. I’m going there with a friend of mine. You should meet him, he’s an interesting guy.”
That night, the third floor of the Coliseum was the center of attention. An immense crowd had gathered for the popular band. Chants of “SRB!” came from the fans, calling for the band to come out. Raziel found Vittur in the middle of the audience.
“Raziel, this is Jenxier. Jenxier, Raziel.” Vittur said.
“Nice to meet you.” Raziel said, shaking the newcomer’s hand.
“Ditto.” Jenxier replied. At that moment, the band began to play. First, there was the soft pounding of drums, and then the guitars chimed in. Finally the singer let out his explosive voice.
When it’s the gods who control the world
You just don’t know what to do
The king says he’s righteous
But he is no more than you
Theocracy, theocracy
Theocracy, theocracy
Theocracy, theocracy
We should rule the world
The ones who are truly pure
Not the ones who take it and say “it’s divine”
But when balance is on the line
You must take hold
Be bold
Gods do not determine who rule
WE DO
Theocracy, theocracy
Theocracy, theocracy
Rule the world, take what’s yours!
“Raziel, you know that singer from that old Earth band, Bliss?” Jenxier asked. “Yeah, Kirk Colton
“And you know how it ended, right?” Jenxier pressed on.
“Yeah, Kirk hung himself. Heard he came to the Land of the Dead, but went missing after three months.” Raziel responded.
“Not this again, Jenxier!” Vittur said, rolling his eyes.
“What?” Raziel asked.
“I have reason to believe his soul still resides in the Underworld. He is in the outskirts of the City of Dis.
“He… he’s still out there?” Raziel stammered.
“Yeah, but word is he’s not up to anything but sulking.” Jenxier replied.
“I think… I think I can convince him to come out of this.” Raziel said after a pause.
“Please. He wanted to end himself only to find there was an afterlife.” Vittur intoned.
“I’m very persuasive.” Raziel replied.
To Be Continued…
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