The Holy Wars: Chapter 1: Prisoner 666

This is the first chapter of the Holy Wars, telling the story of how the second Holy Wars came to be. It's only a first draft and I know that it needs a lot of work, but I thought it would be better to get everyone's ideas before redrafting. Long and nitpicky reviews will be appreciated. Thanks.

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It was a day that no-one could ever forget. The day that heaven lost control. The day that the beast broke out of his cage…

* * *

‘Alright people, listen up! I want everybody on full alert today; Prisoner 666 is being moved to a more secure location, but unfortunately there is no secure way of transporting him. As you all know, this information has been kept as secure as possible, so no prisoner should know that this day is any different than any other day, and if everything goes smoothly they never will. But, if this information has somehow gotten out, or gets out during the operation itself, then we can predict several violent escape attempts and probably a full scale riot, which is why anyone who is not directly involved must not talk about it, even if there are no prisoners nearby; the moment that clock strikes nine, you didn’t hear anything, understood?’

‘Sir, yes sir!’

The clock struck nine and the sound of nine low drones echoed throughout the prison, signalling the beginning of the day shift.

‘You are dismissed.’ Said Commander Lexon, and the guards left the hall, leaving only the commander himself, and the other nineteen soldiers chosen to be a part of the mission.

‘Take a seat, Gentlemen.’ The commander said, gesturing at the long table in front of him. ‘I am correct in saying that you have all already been briefed on the details of this mission?’ The men nodded their heads and or grunted in agreement. ‘Good, then this will be a short re-brief.

‘As you know, Prisoner 666 is being held at the highest point of hell, frozen in Holy Ice being kept cool by Holy Magic engraved within the tower. The prison he is being transferred to has a similar tower, at the same height with the same Holy enchantments. To be honest, I don’t see how it’s any more secure than this prison, but we gotta follow orders.

‘Anyway, this is where it gets tricky. Being that high up in hell limits Satan’s powers, as does it limit the powers that prevent our flight: flight is possible, but it’s damn hard, and it’s a lot harder when you’re carrying Hell’s most powerful demon across fifteen kilometres. Which is why there are so many of you here today; this mission requires a minimum of fifteen: ten carrying the demon’s cage at any given time and five resting. The extra five men are for any absences that may occur for whatever reason. So with that in mind, anyone who doesn’t feel up to it today is hereby ordered to excuse themself from the mission. Please do not stay out of sheer pride; this is a dangerous mission for anyone who isn’t up to the task and nobody wants to see a man drop. No-one will hold it against you if you leave.’ Two men walked out.

‘Good, that’s three more than we need. On your way out, you’ll see several rucksacks, these are full of Holy water that will regularly be injected into the coffin. Everybody grab one, then make your way to the top of the tower. We’ll set off at the sound of ten bell chimes. Let’s go.’

He had a bad feeling about this, already. Then again, moving the Devil’s coffin wasn’t just another day at the office, but it didn’t help that he had been given the dumbest, most aggressive Angels that Hell had to offer. And that really was saying something. If an Angel chooses to work in Hell, it was usually because he wanted to prove that he was brave and hard-core and tougher than all the demons. It was essentially a dumping ground for the strong idiots of Heaven. And this mission required strong men, a trait that often goes hand in hand with an inability to follow orders. Hopefully they would remember that he was wearing the Golden Halo, not them.

After close to around forty minutes of climbing, they finally reached the top of the stairs, where they stood outside the Devil’s Lair. Commander Lexon took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was about ten feet squared, but the large coffin in the centre made it look much smaller, and the room was cramped when all eighteen men entered. They then proceeded to break a hole in the wall of the chamber and then waited at the positions allocated to them by the commander. And then the bells chimed, signalling ten O’Clock.

‘Okay, on three. One, two three!’ The coffin came off the ground and halfway out of the chamber, followed by a series of orders barked by Commander Lexon.

And then they heard a chanting.

‘What in God’s name is that?’ asked one of the angels.

‘Regnum sempiternum est diaboli! Regnum sempiternum est diaboli!’

The sound became clearer, and the men stopped in their tracks and listened, until the Commander realized what was happening.

‘Get the coffin back in the chamber! Quickly! Move!’

The men carried out their orders with speed, but they had already dropped a few feet and they couldn’t lift the coffin back into the chamber in their panicked state.

Growls could be heard from the coffin, growing steadily louder. And then a hand broke through one of the sides.

‘Get inside! Just drop the coffin!’

The coffin fell from their hands, and could be seen breaking into thousands of splinters as a massive, horned beast with blood-red skin broke through.

‘Will the fall kill him?’ One of the soldiers asked.

‘No. It will only make him stronger. We cannot let that beast escape, alert the guards below, get this place on full lockdown, and get archers out on the hills, we need to take him down!’ The commander spoke quickly now, and continued bark orders at the small group of soldiers, trying desperately to prevent the escape of the King of Hell.

‘Where has he gone! I can’t see him anywhere!’ He exclaimed looking over the edge. ‘I suppose he could be anywhere in Hell by now. Send word to the other prisons, tell them-’ The Commander was cut off by a great force shaking the tower, sending the strongest Angels in Hell crashing into walls.

‘What in God’s name was that!’ A soldier exclaimed, with an expression of rage on his face and clenched fists.

‘Calm yourself, soldier!’ Said the Commander, fearing that the soldiers’ lack of discipline was beginning to show through. ‘I don’t know what it was, but I’m quite sure it had something to do with our newly resurrected friend. We better head down the-‘ The same great force shook the tower again, this time resulting in an obvious slant appearing in the floor, and one that the Commander noticed when he picked himself back up. He had a theory about the cause of the quakes and, fearing he was right, ducked out of the hole in the wall and looked down to see the Demon Lord ripping apart the tower that use to hold him prisoner.

‘It’s the demon! He’s bringing the tower down! Get outside, use the glide manoeuvre, don’t even try to fly or he’ll knock you out of the sky. Let’s move!’ The Commander ushered his men out of the break in the wall before jumping out himself, just as the top half of the tower detached from its base and dropped from the sky.

The Commander tumbled wildly through the air as he fell towards the ground. His vision was blurred, but he could still make out the sight of the demon and the endless stream of fire jetting from the tips of its oversized claws. The fire could not yet reach him and his soldiers but it was coming closer with every passing second and he knew that if nothing was done soon then they would all burn as they fall. So he pulled in his wings and dived towards the Devil, pulling his knife out of his boot as he fell. The beast was blinded by his bloodlust and couldn’t see the raised arm of the soldier as the knife was pushed into his throat.

The beast roared in pain and grabbed the commander’s arm, attempting to pull it away from him, but the commander held firm. Now that he was up this close he could see, for the first time, the beast in full detail; pure black talons for feet leading up to powerful, blood red calves and thighs, tall and powerful like the legs of an ostrich; an absurdly toned and muscular upper body, staying true to the deep red colour of his legs, completed with claws at least the size of the monster’s hand, and a huge set of pure black bats wings spanning almost twenty five feet, tattered and ripped, no use for flying; his head consisted of a totally square jawline, a wide nose, two yellow eyes and oversized canines falling just short of jutting out of his mouth. Two yellow stained massive twisted horns erupted from his short jet black hair, one broken off around halfway up. He must have been over ten feet tall.

The commander was stunned by the up close look at the greatest terror in all the realms, and the Devil took his chance and pushed the knife out of his neck, nearly sending the commander off of the narrow ledge. The Demon King lunged at Commander Lexon, who barely managed to steady himself in time to push back against the hulking force. He knew he had to knock Satan back into the tower; he couldn’t afford to let him get too close to the ground. A red claw swiped at the Commander’s head, which he ducked under whilst executing an outer sweep to the beast’s left leg. The monster fell, weakened by his wound, and then sent a powerful kick into the commander left side. He stumbled, but rose to his feet to block the next series of kicks and punches that came his way, returning with a right hook which the beast blocked. Satan threw a right hook, Lexon blocked, Satan swept with his left foot, Lexon jumped it, Satan fore-arm-smashed with his right, but Lexon grabbed his arm and rolled in for an elbow to the face. The Beast recovered quicker than Lexon anticipated and grabbed him by the neck and smashed him into the ground. He then threw a punch at Lexon’s face, with the whole weight of his body behind it, but Lexon pulled his knees into his chest caught the beast on his feet, rolling him back and into the tower. Lexon picked up the knife that he dropped at some point during the fight and prepared to jump into the tower and finish the beast off, when he saw a blood red hand grip the ledge leading into the tower. He quickly pulled his knife up to his chest and wielded it in a back hand grip, just as the Devil threw himself over the ledge and at Lexon. His knife broke the demon’s skin and cut into his flesh at the v of his ribcage, but the demon pressed on. Lexon pushed back against him, knowing all would be lost if he couldn’t get him back in the tower, but he was no match for the King of Hell, and with one big push, the Beast sent them both flying off the edge, connected by the knife lodged in the demon’s torso.

The fell for what must have been around a minute, Satan capitalizing on his advantage and holding grip of Lexon, who was struggling to free himself. The demon raised his arm to strike, but Lexon caught his arm and shifted his weight to the side, putting himself on top. The Beast threw a killer blow to the left side of the commmander’s face and Lexon’s world grew blurry. Numbness encompassed his body and his head fell to the side, his kneck offering no support. He lost all sense of where he was until he heard his armour clink as it was ripped off and the pain of twelve inch claws ripping through his right shoulder. He instinctively gripped the monsters arm and tried to push it away, but he didn’t have the strength, and all he could do was watch as the Beast aimed his left palm at his head and an enraged fire grew within it.

An armoured fist came down on the left side of the demon’s jaw, throwing his fist into the air and the burning flame off into the distance. Lexon felt the hit in his ribs as the angel brought his weight down on the struggling pair. Whoever this soldier was, he had risked his life to save him.

Another hard punch landed square in the centre of the Beast’s face, before his arm was pulled from the commander and a kick to the chest sent him falling below the angels, as Lexon’s rescuer snapped his wings out and carried him to a ledge on the tower wall.

“Are you okay, sir?” Asked the other angel. Lexon never thought he would hear the word ‘sir’ from that platoon.

“I’m fine, just a flesh wound.” The commander said, unconvincingly, “Where’s your badge, Lieutenant?”

“Private, sir. Private Kutcher. I must have lost it in the fight.”

“Yes, probably. How in God’s name are you not on the ground yet?”

“I know you told us not to fly, sir, but I felt that someone had to warn the other prisons. I don’t think any of our transmissions got through in time.” Kutcher said, bowing his head slightly.

“There are only two kinds of men who disobey orders; future Generals and dead men walking. So be careful, son. But keep in mind, if I make it out of here alive, that act just earned you the title of Lieutenant Kutcher.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“But that’s a pretty big if. And right now the survival of all of us depends on us catching that beast. Just me and you, No-one else understands his power, no-one else will do what we must do. We must kill the Beast.”

“I’m sorry sir, I must have misheard you-”

“No, you didn’t. I understand the law perfectly well, Lieutenant, and I know that there could be very serious repercussions for our actions. But we are soldiers, and soldiers must do their duty, no matter the personal consequence. Heaven will not understand our actions, and they will hold them against us, but what we are about to do will save the Heavens and the Earth from a terrible war, a war that we may well lose. Are you with me, soldier?”

Lieutenant Kutcher paused. He didn’t know what to say. Killing was strictly forbidden under Holy Law, and was considered to be a huge part of what made Angels superior to demons. It was the base that supported their moral high ground, the very core of their philosophy. Breaking such a law would land them both in prison for a long time, and they would certainly never be allowed to fight again. But this was not Heaven, this was Hell, the exact opposite, so why should he abide to Holy Law? And if what the Commander said was true, and it was, then this was simply the only option. They didn’t have the manpower or the weaponry required to recapture the Devil, and if they let him live long enough to regain his full power then he would be unstoppable and Hell would surely fall into his hands, as would the fates of every angel in it.

The Lieutenant nodded his head. “A soldier must do his duty. I am with you, sir.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, look at the cliffs on either side of the walkway, see those archers? Either something of our message got through to command, or somebody else around here has some sense. Anyway, now look down at the path, see that big red dot?”

“The Devil.” The Lieutenant spat the word out as though ti were poison.

“That’s right. So the plan is that we go down there and distract him, make him stand still so that the archers can get a good shot of him. Once they take it, he’ll be weak, so then the two of us go in for a kill. Let’s go.”

“Well that’s hardly a plan. More of a sentence if you ask me.” Remarked Kutcher as they ran and jumped from the ledge, gliding quickly towards their target.

“There’s only to kinds of men that make jokes in these kinds of situations; future Generals and dead men walking.”

By taking the journey ‘as the crow flies’ the soldiers managed to reach their target in under two minutes. The fact that their enemy was not yet flying himself was an encouraging sign, and something that Lexon felt extremely grateful for. Dropping from the sky and landing just feet away from the Demon master, he put his plan into action:

“Demon! Stop in your tracks! I demand that you fight me with honour!’

The Devil came to an immediate standstill, and turned to face the two angels. A disturbing grin grew on his monstrous face as he walked boldly towards them and stopped about ten feet away from the commander. He lifted his right hand towards his throat in an exaggerated gesture and traced the claw of his index finger along his open neck wound, sealing it immediately. He coughed a few times (although Lexon was almost positive that that was only for effect) and then began to speak:

“Commander Lexon.” When he spoke, two voices could be heard, one incredibly deep, the other far deeper, both booming. It sent a shiver down both Angel’s spines. “I must say that I am impressed. To face the King of Hell himself is very brave of you. Brave but foolish. And perhaps I could respect you as a worthy foe were it not for the fact that I can smell your fear. And your young companion, well, I can taste his.”

Lexon looked up at the archers. Why weren’t they firing any shots? He didn’t know how much longer he could stall him. And he knew that the Devil really could smell his fear. Could he really taste Lieutenant Kutcher’s?

“You, boy, were especially foolish to come here. Commander Lexon is a respectable fighter, with luck he may just escape with his life. You, on the other hand, have made a habit of counting on luck to fix your mistakes, and I can feel your luck running out. But since it was your Commander who brought you here, I will be merciful and allow you to leave. And before you make your choice, remember this: you owe no loyalty to this man. He brought you here knowing you would almost certainly die. So why don’t you just save yourself?”

“He’s only saying that because he knows he can’t take the two of us.” Said Commander Lexon. “You know what has to be done, Lieutenant. Don’t be a coward.”

Lieutenant Kutcher raised his head to meet the Devil’s eyes. “A soldier must do his duty.”

The Devil snarled and said: “So be it.” He then opened his arms out wide,lifted his wings high and leaned forward in a terrifying gesture and roared. The sound carried far out across the land and even knocked the Angels back a few steps through physical force alone. But Commander Lexon didn’t feel intimidated, not even when flames erupted from his mouth and hands, and ran straight towards the demon, landing a kick in the centre of his chest. The Beast took a small step back before throwing punches back at the commander, Lexon opting to dodge rather than block this time. The Devil continued on the offense, pushing the commander back whilst he dodged all of his attacks without managing to land a blow himself. Soon, they were back next to Lieutenant Kutcher, who was too fearful to have joined the battle, and instead stood hesitantly with his knife in his hand.

“The back of the kneck! Do it now!” The Commander yelled as his dodges became increasing close calls.

The Lieutenant saw through his fear and realised his purpose. This was his destiny. Surely this was what he was born to do, for what could be more important? It all rested on this moment. So he lifted the knife over his head and ran in at the right side of the Devil and jumped…

In one impossibly fast motion, the Beast smashed the Commander with his arm, sending him flying through the air and into the wall of the cliff, and simultaneously lifting the Lieutenant by the throat.

The commander was stunned by the force of the blow, but he knew he didn’t have any time to recover, so he hazily stumbled away from the cliff face and looked at the ground above to see an archer with a loaded and drawn bow. He was clearly hesitant to fire on such an unclean shot, but Commander Lexon could see that the Devil had Lieutenant Kutcher in a death grip and that arrow was the only thing that could save him.

“Take the shot! Take the shot! This is your Commander ordering you to fire on the Devil!”

The archer continued to hesitate for a moment before finally sending his arrow racing towards the Devil’s head. The shot was accurate, and it was only a tenth of a second away from the downfall of the Beast, when, in another astoundingly fast movement, he held the Lieutenant up as a shield.

The arrow went straight through his heart, killing him instantly. The Beast laughed as he discarded his lifeless body. The archer watched in disbelief. The Commander screamed “NOOOOOOOO!!!” and ran at the Devil with everything he had left. He knew that he could kill him now. In his fury he could destroy him with a single punch. Even that wouldn’t compensate for what he had done.

Lexon reached the Devil within seconds and threw his body at him, aiming a punch in between his eyes. The Beast caught him in one hand and held by the throat, not unlike he did to Kutcher, and an evil smile formed on his face.

“I told you before, Lexon, you were a fool.” He said in his terrifying bombing voice. But Lexon was so enraged that it no longer had any effect on him. He didn’t want to hear his speech, he wanted to scream death threats at this monster, but the grip on his throat was so tight that he couldn’t even speak. “But you are a brave warrior,” the demon said, holding the arrow in his hand like a dart, “and since you have brought me such a great gift to welcome my return,” he said, gesturing to the lifeless body of Lieutenant Kutcher, “then I shall spare you. Be sure to tell Jesus I was asking for him. And of course,” he said, looking up at the cliff where the archer stood, “tell him of how powerful I have become.”

With that he threw Lexon away back down the path towards the prison, where he opened his eyes just in time to see the arrow collide with the cliff, and the blinding light of the explosion as the cliff was obliterated and the rubble fell along the path, separating him from the Devil and burying Lieutenant Kutcher in Hell.

* * *

At a prison in the Western side of Hell, everything was going by as normal. That was until Commander Lexon burst through the door.

“Have you the heard the news?!” He shouted to everyone in the room, still panting in the doorway. He had discarded most of his armour in the ten hours that it had taken him to get there.

“That communications are down?” A guard asked him. Obviously they had not.

“At Ten O’clock this morning prisoner 666 escaped from prison. He is most likely liberating prisoners across the realm and building his army to reclaim his place as King of Hell. At this point he is unstoppable, so to prepare to evacuate. And send word to Heaven. We are at war…”