《Godland》 Chapter 1: Ungrateful The day of the apocalypse has arrived, when all must perish, when everything comes to an end... The ancient scriptures speak of a great cloud far darker than the darkness itself, one that enveloped all life within its reach to corrupt it, a source that negated the very notion of life. Long ago, Humans, Venelyans, Dwarves, Elves, Crodods and Giants, all lived in separate lands, as per the Creator¡¯s will. A vast ocean separated them, and no one was allowed to go beyond their territory. It was a vision of a true paradise, the land fertile and vast, all lived in peace and abundance. But the endless flow of blessings ultimately leads creatures to grow ungrateful, believing that their wealth and strength derive from themselves, thus forming false divinities for the sake of fooling the feeble. The very worst of them regarded themselves as gods and commanded servitude from their own kind. Because of the arrogance of the world¡¯s inhabitants, the birth of the first calamities and curses emerged. The creatures thought themselves too elevated to be bound by divine law. No one anymore followed the path of the ancients, the rules imposed by the divine law of the great god was shunted aside... It was in the name of Jasdu and his mighty army that the cloud first appeared. Bringing retribution for their transgression of the covenant. As kingdoms and castles fell one after another, the once haughty and confident humans could do nothing but scream... The mighty Titans themselves, known for their great strength and fearlessness, fled in the face of the cloud, trembling for the first time in their lives... There was no more hope left, this was the end... It was in the end that a new world was created, a world that refused to let the darkness wash it all away... In fire and tears, guided by celestial angels, the survivors set out for Arch, a new world with impenetrable walls. In this new world, they shared the land, new countries and kingdoms were born and an eternal peace was agreed between all the creatures. But it only took 21 years for the first conflicts to appear in Arch... 8000 years later, Oosa, the empire of the Giants is heading for an all-out war against the kingdom of Venadyl. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The Giant army is constantly expanding, relying on their overwhelming physical strength to win battles. It was in the first dawn of the 5th Age that Kho was born, son of Goan and nephew of the Emperor of Oosa, Rogg. Kho was born a Demi-Giant, a status seen as a curse and a sign of great dishonor. Many believed that it was the Venadyl mages who were responsible for this curse, given that the very first Demi-Giants appeared in the course of the war against Venadyl. While it was customary to bury Demi-Giants alive, the fact that Kho had the Emperor¡¯s brother¡¯s blood in his veins protected him from such a fate. However, he was locked up in the castle of the ¡°three stones¡±. In the Bara stronghold near Venadyl¡¯s western border, the mighty giant warriors advance. It¡¯s pitch-dark, and once again the giants launch a surprise attack on Venadylian territory, weakened by a long war. Venadyl is a kingdom comprising a powerful people of wise scholars with a mastery of magic. Although they are very similar to humans, they differ in the red color of their eyes. Venadylians are known to have magic abilities far superior to those of other races. It was they who attacked the giants when they invaded their ally, Pierre, a human nation which, like many others, had been conquered by the giants of Oosa. At first they surprised the giants with their magical might, but years of war inexorably shattered Venadyl, leaving their army in tatters. As a group of 100 giants advanced, the terrible sound of their footsteps frightened away the few guards protecting the border. Fleeing, the giants under General Gu¡¯s orders did not seek to infiltrate, but to use the darkness to create chaos and pillage the nearest villages. Cric! Crac!! Cric!!! POW! POW!!POOOOOOWWW!!!POOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!! The footsteps approaching as noisily as rocks falling from the heavens! Abandoned by fleeing guards, Volgia, the town closest to the western border, is invaded by Oosa¡¯s giants. Left without defenders, the local population is trapped. Gu and his warriors, having crossed a small forest, reached Volgia, a town of good size unlike any small village, he and his kin were getting ready for the feast. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy every moment of this!¡± Said Gu Human flesh was good, but Venadylian flesh was even better. Its slobbering mouth exposed sharp fangs, the vicious fangs of a monster. As Volgia¡¯s population tried to flee, Gu and his warriors surrounded the town, watching a young woman whom he grabbed before grinding her under his fangs. The others, pulling out a huge cage, captured the Venadylians in a similar fashion to a harvest. In anticipation of a Venadylian counterattack, they were fast and brutal, breaking the bones of some as they grabbed them and threw them into the cage. ¡°It¡¯s the first time they¡¯ve done this, aaaaaah¡± Kesa said plaintively regretting not having to fight Gu looked back at Kesa for a moment before saying ¡°It was too easy, but I¡¯m not going to complain.¡± Gu¡¯s bloody mouth devoured anyone it caught, the howling was intense, houses went up in flames, and the giants continued until they were satisfied. A few warriors were about to head for home with the spoils, while Gu and the rest of his warriors continued to penetrate deeper into Venadyl, however, it was at this precise moment that a dark light rose to the heavens and all instinctively realized that death was about to befall them. Chapter 2: Summoned invader In Venadyl''s capital, Yawrzidr, in the underground of the royal palace called Ygretamuaht, a gathering was held for the kingdom''s elite mages. The Cigma group, with all its members except its leader Aigam Zigam, was present, descending beneath the palace via a secret passageway. A large, spacious room stood before them, barely lit, with a blue circle at its center, filled with magical lines, reminiscent of a summoning circle. The subterranean ceiling was fitted with a lever that allowed it to be opened, giving a view of the sky directly over the circle. Cigma''s mages positioned themselves around the circle, with other, less powerful mages behind them and royal soldiers in the corners. Footsteps could be heard, as several people prepared to meet them. The most powerful mage Aigam appeared, and with him the King of Venadyl, Rapha Wisym Ygreta Venadyl, followed by his escort and advisors. ¡°My king!¡± this word came from everyone''s mouth, followed by a traditional salute as a sign of gratitude to their liege. His majesty Rapha Wisym Ygreta Venadyl simply ignored them, his body slim and his face stiff with age, the noble king seemed to have become lifeless. The mages in robes, the guards in armor and spears, all understood that Venadyl was in a desperate state and that what he was about to do was their last card to play, their trump card... Unperturbed, Aigam overtook the king, who remained in position, close to the circle. ¡°Let''s get started, Cigma, prepare the gangways,¡± he says, looking very serious. Aigam wore a heavy, full robe that hid even his face, and carried his cane, the handle of which appeared to be a goat''s head made of a very misterious black material. Four Cigma mages advanced from the four cardinal points, carrying with them what appeared to be a mirror, each point observing the circle. Aigam advanced to the center and began to recite an incantation, magical energy began to gather, the center grew darker and darker. ¡°Open¡± Under this order from Aigam, guards on different floors operated the levers, in the dark night the full moon illuminated the circle. This primordial magic had never been used until now, because it was so dangerous. It had been discovered through dialogue with the tenebras. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was never intended to be used because it was so dangerous, but the Venadyl Kingdom had no choice: the giants were going to destroy the Kingdom and exterminate the Venadylians... It was the only solution... Everything depends on Aigam, thought the king, watching intently as the magician raised his hands, imploring dark shapes. A magic that allows demons to be summoned and transformed into weapons to destroy Oosa. ¡°Oh I invoke you dark king¡± said Aigam ¡°Accept my offering and accept my request¡±, the fists clenched together while the intense reddish glow of the mage''s eyes seemed demonic, particles of darkness emerged from the circle and shapes began to appear. Aigam, regardless of his power, had never won the trust of the king and his advisors, whether it was the folly of his previous creations or his dangerous ideas. If the kingdom wasn''t at war, he would probably have had the mage imprisoned, but today he had no choice but to rely on him... A light appeared from the four mirrors and a barrier sprang up, preventing the darkness from spreading any further. From the south to the lands of the Dwarf Kingdom, from the east to the Kingdom of Bal and from the west to the Empire of Oosa, everyone could see a ray of tenebrous clouds rising up to the heavens from the Kingdom of Venadyl... In Volgia, Gu and his warriors decided to move forward. The giants were not in the habit of fleeing in the face of fear, but would soon regret their decision... In Oosa, at the palace of the three stones, in a vast outdoor garden, the young Demi-Giant Kho watches from afar as a beam of darkness pierces the distant skies. Kho regains his composure and, alone with his claymore, continues training to become a warrior. Kho faces the void and launches a dive attack, his execution speed is remarkable but he''s not satisfied, ¡°I''m tiring too fast...¡± he thinks. ¡°Excellent, master,¡± says a human servant in Kho''s service. Long blond hair, dark blue eyes, slim but muscular waist, he continues, ignoring the servant''s words. He struggles on, sweat pouring off his body before collapsing... ¡°Dule bring me some water, I''m thirsty,¡± he said, turning and staring at the servant. The servant looks once more at the Demi-Giant''s face, which is different from that of the giants, yet neither is it human: fangs and savage claws can be seen, and the gleam in his eyes is nothing like that of a human. Dule was a warrior from a country now destroyed, that of Lorem. He hated the Giants, but preferred to surrender and become a slave rather than die. If his life had become a living hell, everything changed when he entered Kho''s service in the palace of the three stones. His hatred of giants was still burning, but he wasn''t a hater of Kho. "Dule!" ¡°Right away, Master Kho¡± he said before taking a huge jar with him. Dule was tall for a human, but even so, he wasn''t half Kho''s size. ¡°¡®Here, master¡¯ presenting the jar to Kho, who drank several gulps before stopping and observing the thread of darkness. ¡°Tell me Dule, do you know what this is?¡± ¡°I''m afraid not, I''ve never seen anything like it in my life, Master¡± Dule observed again before adding... ¡°But it gives me the shivers, like something terrible is going to happen...¡± ¡°I was thinking the same thing Dule, something terrifying is going to attack us...¡± Back in Yawrzidr, from a portal of darkness a mass of demons emerges and, advancing in all directions, the royal palace is filled with flames that rise straight to the moon. The capital of Venadyl has descended into chaos, in a deathly silence, a massive demonic army with their king, prepare to continue the massacre... Chapter 3: The blue palace At the imperial castle, Emperor Rogg, seated on his gigantic turquoise crystal throne, received important information from one of his warriors. Far away in the lands of Venadyl, a ray of darkness linked the heavens, as the warrior bent his knee in front of the emperor to share his fears. The emperor, was the 2nd son of the previous emperor, and had been chosen for his fighting skills, which surpassed those of his brother. His body was like a diamond, and he wore a red-and-white, reinforced woollen robe, slippers and a majestic crown of gold and precious gems. His face showed a few wrinkles, demonstrating an advanced age, his expression seemed firm, merciless and the hair absent from his head. He looked much older than his big brother Goan, but his body and the gleam of his blue eyes showed great power and vitality. Honoring the emperor''s name, Rogg, the new capital was built in the center of the empire, where the old capital, Oossas, lay toward the northern seas. The Moon Palace, a structure that rivals the old capital''s Palace of Bones in size, was in fact far superior, thanks to the materials used in its construction and, above all, to the participation of dwarf workers brought in from the only neighboring territory allied to the giants, in the south, offering detailed knowledge and expertise in terms of construction. The interior of the palace seemed dark and light at the same time, but the throne shone with a bluish light that seemed almost sinister. The warrior waited with bent knees, head bowed, watching the gloomy floor. Rogg, curious, got up to see for himself, dismissing the warrior with a wave of his hand, and moved towards the 3rd-floor balcony. It was the first time such a thing had happened, he thought, as his eyes riveted on the ghastly scene. -Magic?¡± said the emperor in a serious tone. His advisors, who followed him, aquiesced. It was magic, they said, powerful magic, although they didn''t actually know the damage it would cause to the empire. -Should we launch a full-scale offensive? suggested one of the advisors. -No, Rogg replied sharply. -Let''s prepare to defend our lands. Bring me the mage. From the balcony, Rogg and his advisors continued to watch in silence, the emperor seemed to observe a tiny blue glow mingling with the tenebrous beam, as he was about to signal this to his advisors he was interrupted by the arrival of a messenger carrying important news. He ran up the steps towards the balcony, sweating as he began to lower himself to the ground as the emperor interrupted him. -A message from the mage? Speak up! -No, your highness, Ennemies are invading our lands. In the blue flames, the glorious palace of Ygretamuaht burned, strange, almost lifelike flames engulfed everything. The capital was transformed into a bluish furnace. No sound, no life, only the sound of the flames devouring the history of Venadyl. In the palace of the 3 stones, Kho continues his training, he trains relentlessly since he knows that he will have a role to play in the war, every day he persists in moving his claymore in all directions, his Half Giant hands, although robust, bleed from supporting such fast and powerful movements of such a heavy weapon. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Ah... Yaah!!!" The heavy noise of the claymore falling from his hands in full jump resonates on the large room on which he is. Kho who tries to pick up his claymore on the ground ends up losing his balance under fatigue and almost collapses. "That''s enough, don''t overdo it, Master Kho, it''s already late, you need to rest now..." "No... I haven''t mastered my weapon yet..." "Master, mastering a weapon comes with time, training too hard will have no good results." "Very well Dule, I asked you to advise me since you are an old warrior, so I will follow your advice" Kho was alone with Dule in the room, having no one else but human slaves to talk to in the palace, Kho had made the decision to ask Dule, his favorite servant, to teach him his art of combat. Taking his claymore with his right hand, Kho advanced towards the terrace of his immense room which was on the 4th floor, the building being made to accommodate the people of the Giants, it was therefore colossal and extremely large, the surrounding land was green with many massive trees, the full moon gave a rather sinister aura to the dark surroundings, only in the distance a blue light could be seen, something terrible was preparing in the distance, Kho knew it. As he watched the surroundings of the palace from the terrace he couldn''t help but check if his father had definitely forgotten him... He feared him because he had already tried several times to kill him, but Kho still wanted to see him again, he wanted more than anything to be accepted by his father and the other Giants, he cursed his condition as a Demi-Giant and his only real moments of joy were in his dreams when he saw himself as a Giant. Kho was impatiently waiting to go to war, and to earn his place in Oosa, but now it was time for him to go to sleep. "Dule, bring me something to drink, then tell me one of your stories to help me sleep." "Yes, Master Kho." In the territory of Venadyl, in Volgia, Gu and his warriors advance outside the city, their instinct tells them that something is going to happen soon, and as Gu prepares for battle, a pain seizes him. "Guah..." Kneeling, he and a good part of his warriors begin to vomit. - Arrows of Magia - Rain of fire - Sticky web Magic spells came out of the foliage of the forest, it was the magic guard of Venadyl, under the orders of Captain Duake Vermisse, their sinister trap had worked. "Ah dirty giants, we got you well" With a smile on his lips, the captain rejoiced to see the monsters kneeling on the ground suffering the magical attacks of his soldiers. The divine arrows had pierced several Giants, while the rain of flames penetrated their wounds to burn them from the inside, and the sticky web that usually does not hold the giants for long, this time immobilized them completely in view of their state of weakness. Only a few giants including Kesa seemed not to suffer from this... "Arrgh that.. Uh... What did you do!?" Gu yelled filled with rage to see himself so helpless... "So you have a hard time digesting these Venadylians that you consumed?" Said the captain before all his soldiers started laughing, but Duake signaled to his men to launch the next round of magical attack so as not to take any unnecessary risks. "What!?" Gu seemed not to understand, or did he just want to gain time, but Duake, irritated by his reaction, decided to be clearer. "You bastard monster, you still haven''t understood that we poisoned those people you devoured in Volgia, didn''t you find it weird that they couldn''t move?" "It was an obvious trap, we paralyzed them with magic to prevent them from fleeing, you and your inferior monster race are still being fooled, you really have nothing in your head..." "Now that you know, it''s time for you and yours to die, too bad you won''t be there to see your monster empire destroyed by our secret weapon" "But I''m sure you felt the power that was released in the distance, and this powerful magic, I''m shaking with excitement..." "Wait!" Said the giant Gu while some of his warriors had already lost their lives, remaining stony because of the sticky web spell that immobilized them in place. Duake ignored the Giant and was about to launch the final attack, but a demonic Dragon suddenly appeared behind him. The secret weapon he thought, the other Venadylians in joy at the spectacle prostrated themselves in front of the Dragon who spat purple flames that burned most of the Venadylians as well as giants. Kesa who still had all his strength, took advantage of the chaos to free himself from the web and flee as quickly as possible... The Demi-Giants It was at the beginning of the war against Venadyl that the first Demi Giants were born, seen as a curse caused by the mages of Venadyl, it was customary to kill the young Demi Giant by burying him alive to erase the curse. The Giants could not bear to see their offspring smaller and weaker... For warriors like them it was a terrible shame... At first it was very rare to see births of Demi Giants, but the more time passed, the more Demi Giants were born... Great massacres took place that weakened the giants, since they killed their own children... The war against Venadyl continued in full swing and many Giants perished, Rogg the emperor of Oosa decided against the wishes of all the Giants, to forbid the massacre of Demi Giants... Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Rogg saw the massacre of the Demi Giants as a waste, instead of killing them it would be better to make them fight in the war against Venadyl. But he preferred to wait for the right moment to introduce them into the war. A moment when the Giants would be in great need of reinforcements to avoid any complaints... A few Demi Giants had already fought and some of them were doing well, to motivate them, the emperor announced that glory in the battlefield would prove the worth the Demi Giants and that they will be accepted in Oosa on an equal footing with the Giants. 2 days after the summoning of the demons, the time had come for Kho, the emperor''s nephew to take his first steps on the battlefield with the first army of Demi Giants at his head...