The War March Begins

"My Lord, our Guardsmen are prepared to move out. We have two supply wagons stocked with provisions for the journey. Would you like to ride on one? We can arrange a chair..."

"No, I will walk at the front. Emo, you will bring up the rear. If anyone falls out of formation or attempts to flee, get them back in line."

"As you command, my Lord."

As Diyu moved toward the front of the formation, he observed the Guardsmen, evaluating each one. Upon reaching the front, he turned to face them and deliver a few words.

 "Though you may stand here with uncertainty and fear, hesitant to fight or leave, I assure you that following me means more than following a mere hunter. For I have been chosen to lead you! My people to salvation and to eliminate any obstacles in our path! We have a daunting four-hundred-mile march ahead of us. Our destination is the Anoxe Capital, I know none of you have ever laid eyes upon or even heard of such a place. But mark my words, when we arrive, I will demonstrate unequivocally that I am the one and only chosen leader!"

A few of the men respond to Diyu’s speech with a resounding roar. It seems Emo was right; some of them truly believe in him. But Diyu needed all of them to have faith.

"On your command, my lord." Emo shouted.

"March!"

The wagon wheels creak into motion, and the men purposefully stepped forward. This will be the most arduous journey any of them have ever embarked upon. They must travel two hundred miles northwest through the vast plains of their lands until they reach the coastline. From there, they will have to travel another two hundred miles north and then eventually west along the coast until they reach the Noxeer, the capital. Hunters alone could cover such a distance in around 12 days. However, with the wagons, Diyu estimated it would take them sixteen days. We have just enough rations to reach the capital's doorstep. Once they reach the coastline of the Eastern Sea, they would be to gather more supplies through hunting and fishing parties.

"Um, my lord, may I speak?" a random guardsman marching right behind me asks hesitantly.

"Speak." Diyu replied.

"Is it true that you no longer eat or drink? That you possess the strength of ten Kreegans?"

Diyu takes a second to size up this Guardsman. He is Younger, so young he still has his tusks that most Kreegan loose once they reach adulthood. The boy stood around 7ft still not fully grown but a capable fighter none the less. Diyu could also see zeal and eagerness to prove himself written all over his face.

"It is true. I no longer experience hunger or thirst like you do. As for my strength... you will witness it when we reach the Capital. Then you can spread the tale." Diyu proclaimed.

"I knew it! You truly are here to lead our people away from this dying planet. My lord, how much time do we have left?"

"We have less than a century to unite everyone and escape before our planet becomes uninhabitable. Do you understand this? Not enough food, not enough drinkable water." Diyu said in tone that suggested the soldier couldn’t understand.

"It's a shame, my lord. This home holds so much meaning for our people, and yet..."

Diyu cut him off mid-sentence, "What is your name, Guardsman?" Diyu inquired.

"Varok, my lord," he responds respectfully.

"Varok, if you wish to survive, remember this: we are not bound to this forsaken rock. Our mission is to escape it!"

"Yes, my Lord," Varok acknowledges, feeling rejected he looks down and becomes quiet and continues to walk.  Thinking to himself that he needs to impress Diyu in some way. He needs to show that he too can be a great general just like General Emo. He quickly glances back at Emo. “One day I will prove I am leader and I will get the respect I deserve.” Varok thought to himself.

Diyu increased his pace slightly, moving ahead of the group to find a moment of solitude. He needed time to contemplate and strategize, for the journey ahead holds countless questions and possibilities. Diyu must uncover the workings of these Capitals, understand their leaders, and seek any information they possess about the other Capitals.

As I stride forward, the weight of responsibility and curiosity fuels my thoughts, propelling me towards the future that awaits us at the end of this arduous trek.

As the march progresses, Diyu found himself drifting into daydreams of his younger years spent hunting. However, each reverie ends the same way, with his surroundings engulfed in flames and him left stranded in a dark void, tormented by memories. These flashbacks serve as a stark reminder that Diyu will share the same fate if he fails to unite the clans and acquire the necessary resources to build a spacecraft that can take his people away from this desolate planet.

Suddenly, Diyu hears hurried footsteps approaching from behind. He turned to see Emo running to catch up with him.

"Emo, why aren't you at the back of the pack?" he questioned.

"My lord, about that... We've already traveled 30 miles today. It's time to set up camp and allow the men to eat," Emo replies.

"Hmm, I hadn't realized we had covered such a distance already. Do what needs to be done and have someone set up my tent. I will venture ahead for a short while and return soon," Diyu instructed.

"Yes, my Lord. Your will be done.”

Emo falls back and begins issuing orders to the men, directing them to set up camp and kindle the fires. Meanwhile, Diyu continues ahead, exploring the surroundings to gain a glimpse of what lies just ahead. The landscape offers nothing but further evidence that this planet is slowly dying. The grass is dry and withered, and Diyu stumbles upon the partially decomposed body of an Anoxe. This should be the rainy season, yet the ground is so parched that cracks have begun to form. Every aspect of this environment serves as a poignant reminder of the torment awaiting them if we fail to act. Granted if they are willing to observe.

Diyu retreated to his tent, seeking solace and time to contemplate the looming doom that hangs over them all. His mind yearns for sleep, yet his body refuses to succumb to its demands, as if his mind hasn’t caught up to the changes yet either. This cursed form now feels so unnatural, a vessel dedicated solely to the purpose of leading his people away from this wretched rock they call Hadawon.

Over the next seven days, the Guardsmen persisted in their northwestern journey, eventually reaching the coastline of Eastern Sea. The scent of saltwater permeates the air, and a warm breeze carries in from the ocean.

"Set up camp here," Diyu commanded. "Emo, assemble two groups, one for hunting and the other for fishing."

"Yes, my Lord! You heard him," Emo relays the instructions. "Give me two squads of ten men each. One for fishing and the other for hunting. The rest of you, focus on setting up camp and starting the fires."

Diyu makes his way to the beachfront, gazing out at the expanse of the ocean. Never before has Diyu witnessed such an abundance of water. It was almost a joyful moment. However, as quickly as a flicker of joy attempts to surface within him, visions of the oceans and bays drying up plague his every thought. Dead sea creatures flopping about, slowly perishing under the scorching sun. These haunting visions refuse to release their grip on him. Perhaps only when we escape this forsaken rock will Diyu find respite and be released from this burden.

Several hours pass, and Diyu observes the sun beginning its descent. Once he used to gaze at sunsets with awe and wonder. Now, every glance at the sun fills him with disgust and serves as a grim reminder of the imminent doom it will bring. His hatred for it grows with each passing day.

"My lord, we have a problem," Emo informs me urgently. "The hunters and fishermen have returned empty-handed. Not a single fish or anoxe."

"Do the men still have supplies in the wagon?" Diyu inquires.

"Well, my Lord, they do. However, at our current pace, we will exhaust our rations in four days," Emo replies.

"Put the men on half rations. It seems this wretched planet wishes to test us. What a despicable rock," Diyu seethes with frustration.

"Your will be done, my Lord," Emo acknowledges as he heads back to camp to relay the news to the men that they will now be on half rations.

From this point onward, Diyu knew that only the strongest would survive the remaining two hundred miles up the coast. It will be intriguing to see if their old warrior blood still runs deep or if our prolonged period of peace has made them soft.

In the following days, Diyu observes the toll that the lack of nutrition and water is taking on the men. When they stop to make camp, he addresses them with utmost seriousness.

"Listen carefully. What you are experiencing now is a product of this world, telling us to piss off. But mark my words, it won't be long before your children and grandchildren suffer the same fate as you do now! Will you allow that to happen? Or will you endure a little hardship now so they won't have to?"

Varok, the youngest among them, hands his ration back to Emo and steps forward to the center of the camp. "You can have my rations back. I'm not finished marching yet!" he declares, igniting a rallying cry among the men. They rise to their feet, dawn their armor, and begin shouting as if they are preparing for battle.

‘Ah Roo, Ah Roo, Ah Roo”

Diyu Smiles… "No, we are not done yet, are we? Pack light, leave the wagons behind. Let's march!"

This is the final marching order. They are three days of normal marching away from the capital, but with the newly motivated Guardsmen and without the burden of the wagons, Diyu predicts they can reach their destination within a day by doubling their speed.

“Double Time!” Diyu commands as he begins to run.

The rest begin to run behind him. They run through the night, with Emo taking shouting war cadences to keep the men motivated.  Varok right there to shout back his reply to General Emo. Around the tenth hour of running, some of the men start to drop out, collapsing on the spot. Diyu was unsure whether they had perished or if their bodies had simply given out under the grueling conditions. Regardless, they press on.

Diyu can see fatigue was beginning to take its toll on all the Guardsmen. Even the mighty Emo was showing signs of struggle to keep up with Diyu’s pace. Diyu instinctually slowed down, moving alongside the men, and shouted to them, "Do you know who you are?" Silence follows, interrupted only by the sound of feet pounding the ground and the clanking of their armor as they run. "You are my Elite Guardsmen, the most trusted of my mighty army! When all is said and done, and all the clans are under my rule, I will sit at the pinnacle with each and every one of you by my side as my most trusted of my allies. That is what you are, my Guardsmen! Now, do you know who you are?"

As the men shout in unison, "Guardsmen!" their spirits are lifted, fueling their determination to press on.  Even Emo smiled and felt a sense of pride uplift him on this monotonous and exhausting run.

They continued running through the night, though they did lose a few men to exhaustion along the way. By daybreak, a large stone wall came into view in the distance. diyu command the men to halt, and their legs give out in response to the order.

Addressing them, Diyu proposed, "I can see what appears to be the Capital ahead. Is there anyone among you with the strength to accompany me and scout it out?"

Emo is the first to stand, Varok sees Emo stand and knows he needs to do the same and musters enough energy to stand and smile.  Then a few others also volunteer to join them.

"The rest of you, rest for a while and then set up camp off of the path to conceal our presence. We will return with news and our plan for conquest," Diyu instructs.

The small group and Diyu head towards the capital that is within sight. Before proceeding, Diyu turns his head to address the men behind me. "You all shall bear witness to my deeds. When we arrive, no one speaks, and no one interferes. If I call you then, and only then shall you join in.”

"Yes, my Lord," echoes from the men.

Approaching the Capital, Diyu noticed large metal gates that swung open, and four Kreegans emerge from the capital gate in a hostile manner, wielding spears.

“Wait here,” Diyu ordered.

He did not look back at his men. He shot off in a sprint, one heartbeat he stood next to his Guardsmen the next he was already sprinting toward the enemy. The ground trembled beneath his weight. Dirty and loose stone exploded behind each stride. The wind tore across his face as the distance collapsed between predator and prey. Four Kreegans from the capital waited ahead, their spears lowered, disciplined, and ready.

Diyu could see the tension in their grips. The hesitation hidden beneath bravery, he knew they expected raging beast of violence from the start. When he got closer, something colder entered him, clarity and strategy mingled into one devious masterpiece of a plan. The clarity of it all made him know no matter what their skill. No matter what their courage. They never hope to kill him. These Kreegans would were not obstacles, no, they were the proof. The proof of what he had been telling his Guardsmen all along. Proof of what he was becoming.

Diyu slowed from a sprint, and from a sprint to a jog. From a jog to a walk, his arms opened slowly at his sides. This was an invitation, a challenge, a God welcoming their sacrifice. The four Kreegan’s charged ahead, the first spear came fast. Straight for his abdomen! Diyu did not move, and at the last instant, his hand shot forward. His fingers wrapped around the shaft of the spear just beneath the blade. The impact shuddered through  the wood almost vibrating into the hand of the Kreegan. The point of the spear point stopped, frozen inches from his Diyu’s body. The spearman’s eyes widened in disbelief, as Diyu just stared into his very soul.

Behind Diyu, another spearman lunged driving his spear towards the back of Diyu’s skull. The strike landed but not with the satisfaction of spear meeting flesh. This was a loud “Clank”, as fragments of what used to be the spear head scattered into the dirt. Diyu chuckled out loud just barely noticeable by the spearmen. It was a terrible and frightening laugh to these men. The sound of something realizing it no longer belonged among mortals. The remaining men hesitated, but only for a second. However, Diyu caught it, the small fracture in courage. That single moment where survival outweighed duty.

Diyu ripped the spear from the first mans grasp with ease. The warrior stumbled forward and off balance, too close and too slow to do anything. Diyu Pivoted, the stolen spear drove forward with brutal force. The tip punched through the second spearman stomach. The Kreegans armor bent inward, and flesh and blood split  from the hole. The spear blade erupted from the Kreegans back in a spray of blood. The Kreegan could only gasp as his entire body locked up. Diyu lifted him from the ground as though he weighed nothing. The impaled spearman hung trembling with his legs kicking every so weakly. Blood ran down the shaft onto Diyu’s hands and arms. Diyu turned, still holding the corpse aloft. The third man rushed him in desperation that had replaced his discipline. Diyu lowered the spear, the body slid downward still dangling from the spear shaft. The point of the spear aligned perfectly with the charging warrior’s face. Diyu let momentum do the rest, the spear entered through his mouth. The bones in his jaw shattered and teeth exploded outward. His jaw tore apart as the spear punched through the back of his skull. The impact drove both bodies downward towards Diyu’s hands. He slammed the spear into the ground, and the spear buried itself deep into the earth. The two corpses now hung together, pinned and stacked still twitching. Blood ran down the shaft in thick streams accompanied by pale intestines that slipped from the upper body slowly draping across the runed face below. Diyu seemed pleased and almost admiring the monstrosities he just committed. He felt like an artist observing his own work for the first time.

A sudden scream snapped Diyu out of it. It was the fourth spearman screaming in sheer panic. He threw himself onto Diyu’s back with his arms wrapping around his throat from behind. He was trying to choke something that no longer feared death. Diyu did not struggle. He simply reached upward, his hands locked around the spearman’s wrists. He simply peeled his arms away from his neck with ease, but he took his time. Slowly, and deliberately so that the spearman knew he was severally outmatched.

The spearman cried out. ‘God’s no.”

Diyu dragged him forward spinning him around, and now he was face-to-face. Diyu gripped him tighter, and lifted him off the ground dangling in front of him. The Kreegan tried to kick violently but his feet only clawed at empty air. Diyu’s eyes burned cold, and certain.

“You are looking into the eyes of you God,” Diyu said. He then planted one foot against the Kreegan’s chest, then pulled. Shoulders popped, ligaments tore and the Kreegan screamed. A sound so sharp it barely sounded alive.

Diyu just pulled harder, and flesh began to rip as blood spilled across his arms. Muscles stretched and bones shifted. Then, a wet tearing sound as both arms ripped free. The body collapsed backward and armless. Still twitching, trying to breathe. Blood just drained across the dirt, and across Diyu. Silence, Diyu’s eyes snapped up at the last spearman who was still farther back and closer to the capital wall at this point but frozen. His spear hung limp in his hands, he didn’t move, he couldn’t move. His mind had already fled. Diyu Stepped toward him slowly and confidently, blood still dripping from his fingers.

“Go back to your capital,” Diyu said. The spearman trembled.

“Tell your chief what you saw here.” Diyu tilted his head, his expression, calm. Almost reverent.

“Tell him his God wishes an audience.”

The other Guardsmen knowing that I was over approached Diyu’s position as the last spearman ran off back toward the capital.  Varok had a fascination with the gory scene and his excitement seemed to escalates as he got closer to the bodies.

" Did you see that? He ripped his arms clean off his body! and this guy is over here is slurping up the other guys intestines'..."

"Varok, Leave the dead alone," Emo interrupted Varok’s fascination, reminding him to respect the dead. 

Ignoring the macabre spectacle, Diyu found a spot to sit at the side of the road, preparing himself mentally for the upcoming encounter with the chief of the Anoxe Clan. Diyu remained composed and focused, knowing that he must present himself as a formidable and commanding presence to earn their respect and submission.

Minutes pass, and a group of Kreegan emerge from the capital gate, cautiously approaching the small group. Their eyes widen as they take in the scene before them. Diyu sitting calmly, Varok's curiosity, and the lifeless bodies on the ground.

The leader of Kreegan’s group steps forward, his posture and attire indicating his higher status. He had darker green skin then most and lots of scars across his face of obvious battles from the past. He had a stern look about him and commanded respect from those loyal to him. He surveyed the situation, he expressed a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Who are you, and what has happened here?" he demands, his voice tinged with both authority and wariness.

Rising to his feet, Diyu meets his stairs with an unwavering one of his own.

"I am the one they call Lord, and you will either bow before me or I will slaughter you and everyone who follows you." Diyu replied, his voice carrying a hint of power and conviction.

"As for what happened here, it is merely a demonstration of my strength and the consequences that await those who oppose me." He said confidently.

The leader narrowed his eyes, trying to assess the situation and gauge the threat Diyu posed.

"You claim to be a God, yet we have never heard of you before. Why should we believe you? And why should we submit to your rule?"

A smile plays on Diyu’s lips as he responded, radiating confidence. "Believe or doubt, the choice is yours. But know this, my power is real, and my intentions are clear. The Clans shall be united under my leadership. Resistance will only bring destruction upon yourselves. Hear my message and make your choice."

The leader's skepticism wavers, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. He recognizes the overwhelming power that Diyu represents and the potential consequences of defying him lay just at his feet. After a moment of contemplation, he nods reluctantly.

"Very well, we shall hear your words and consider our options. If I find you to be a false God my entire army will be commanded to hunt and kill you wherever you may go."

Satisfied with his response, Diyu motions for him to lead the way. "Take me to your hut," Diyu command, "for our discussion shall determine the fate of your capital. My men will be waiting outside the doors of your capital."

The chief mutters to himself “to my hut?”

Emo turns to Varok "Run back to the camp get everyone and have them move to outer wall of the Capital at once."

As Varok runs off to tell the men, Diyu looks at Emo and says "I will give them one full day and then I will begin to burn their capital down if they do not submit."

"We will be waiting my Lord, your will be done."