***Author Note***
Hey! The main reason for this author note is to inform all of my readers of a recent technical error in my chaps.
You may have noticed the publishing hours recently have been all over the place. This is not because of a shortage of Chapters, so I’d like to clarify that firstly.
The reason why is because an informant told me that some Chapters may be published under a specific word count. After their immense verification and trust in their words, I decided to try it out.
But I have discovered that this "new rule" is not in place and that the word count for Chapters are still the normal amount.
Moving forward, all Chapters will be the same length as before (unless extra long).
Sorry for the delay and miscommunication. This disclaimer will be in all of the shortened Chapters.
To make up for it, there will be an extra Chapter release tommorow!
—-
The morning sun rose over Demadur, its long rays casting patterns all across the island.
Within the Karak-O mountain range, a group of three young orcs kicked a ball made of weeds back and forth.
One stood in front of a large gate, his hands stretched out to the sides and his knees slightly bent. He assumed the role of a goal-keeper, as if he were playing soccer.
His two friends battled it out on the field in front of him, rushing to steal and keep possession of the ball.
The taller one out of the two managed to steal it, hurriedly running toward the goalie.
The goalie huddled left and right, defending the space within the gate as if it were a goal post.
"I got it!" The taller orc kid shouted with a grin, stomping his left foot on the ground before swinging his right foot forward and slamming it against the ball as hard as he could.
"No you dont!" The shorter kid yelled at the same moment, sliding in from the side and kicking the other kid’s left foot out from under him.
The taller orc kid fell. His right foot slipped and the ball was launched into the air.
The ball flew over the gate, landing on the other side before bouncing a few times and rolling to a stop.
The faces of the three kids went pale.
"What did you just do!?" The goalie yelled, "It’s over the gate! We can’t ever get it now!" He was clearly frustrated.
"I-Im sorry!" The taller orc kid retorted, attempting to ease the tone.
"No... It’s over. Let’s just go home." The other orc kid said, his hands in his pockets. "That gate belongs to the king. His domain atop the tallest mountain lies past it. If we try to sneak in there, it will be a death sentence." He seemed uninterested and upset.
The tall orc kid glanced back and forth between his two friends as they walked away from the scene, abandoning him.
"Tsk..." He clicked his tongue, angry with himself. "Damn it... I’ll get that ball and make it all right. As long as I don’t get caught, I’ll surely be fine." He said to himself.
He picked himself up, walking over to the gate before beginning to climb over it.
His eyes constantly scanned left and right, making sure the area was clear of any wandering eyes.
Finally, he hopped into the inside of the gate, his heart pumping out of his chest with fear.
He saw the ball, and also a long series of stone steps that led to the top of the mountain.
Although hesitant, he slowly made his way over to the ball.
Upon arriving at the ball, he smiled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
’I got it.’ He said to himself, relieved.
Without another lost second, he bent down to retrieve the ball.
When his hands reached the ball, he noticed the ground beneath it suddenly begin to shake. Tremors reverberated through the ground, causing the young orc to be thrown off by fear.
He quickly grabbed the ball, turning on his heel and taking a step toward the exit.
But then, a hole opened up in the ground right below him and swallowed him whole.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, letting go of the ball and attempting to grab onto land. It wasn’t an ordinary hole, but one with large, serrated teeth that led to an abyss of darkness.
His scream slowly faded into oblivion as he slipped and fell, the ball bouncing a few times before resting a few feet away.
The other two orc kids had arrived at the more busy parts of the city.
"You think we pissed him off too much? He probably went home." One said.
"Yeah... he hasn’t turned up yet, so that’s all I can imagine." The other replied. His eyes were staring at the ground nonchalantly.
Just then, tremors began shaking the floor beneath him.
His eyes widened with shock as a reddish, orange shadow began growing across the floor. It was less of a shadow and more of a reflection of light.
’That means...’ He thought, ’It must be coming from--!’ He cut his own thought off as he jerked his neck back to look upward.
A massive explosion of flame lit up the sky like a miniature sun.
An enormous boom echoed across the mountains, shuddering hundreds of eardrums.
Just then, dozens of the same blasts scattered through the sky like Dippin’ Dots.
Hellfire rained down from the skies, scorching the entire city within seconds.
"RUN! It’s an attack!" Orcs began to panic.
"Help! My house is on fire! I have a newborn!"
"Don’t focus on that! We must escape!"
"Get to safety!"
"Where is Commander Dorhal!?"
The two young orcs ran away, attempting to avoid the fire that was falling down almost everywhere. No matter where they stepped, it seemed they were bound to be scorched sooner or later as more and more explosions went off.
A mosquito abruptly swooped down across their vision, slamming its body against the ground for a split second before continuing its flight back up to the sky.
Looking down, a mark had been torn into the ground.
The Mark Of Midas.