And The Heavens Shall Tremble…

Labeled as the most anticipated game of the year, here you’ll find short stories of the 5 characters behind the game. Launched almost a month ago and being played by millions of players worldwide, these stories would serve as a great addition to the gameplay, getting deeper into the details on how your favorite character(s) grow into the universe of Diablo. Happy reading and happy gaming!

Hatred and Discipline (Demon Hunter)

by Micky Neilson

Valla smelled the rotting dead from a mile away.

The air was warm despite the clouds that blanketed Khanduras as the demon hunter arrived in what was left of Holbrook-once a tiny, struggling farm community, now a deserted ghost town. Or so it seemed; the heavy stench of putrification suggested that the residents were still present, just not among the living…

Click on the link below to start read this free short story online or download the PDF version (PDF link is right at the bottom of the page):-
Hatred and Discipline – 11 pages (HTML), 32 pages, 477 KB (PDF)

Wayfarer (Barbarian)

by Cameron Dayton

His dead sister came at sundown. Always at sundown.

As the sky bruised and the shadows grew long into night, he stood to watch the sun disappear behind the mountains. This was when the whispered sound of the evening breeze would crumble into the slow, shuffling rasp of feet. Her feet… cold and white, frayed tendon and cracked bone worn bare over countless miles of frost-rimmed rock. It did not matter how far Kehr had traveled that day, how many rivers he had forded or cliffs he had scaled. She came at sundown…

Click on the link below to start read this free short story online or download the PDF version (PDF link is right at the bottom of the page):-
Wayfarer – 7 pages (HTML), 30 pages, 561 KB (PDF)

Unyielding (Monk)

by Matt Burns

“When the ill wind blows, the tree that bends will break.”

Zhota could not silence Akyev’s parting words. They had dogged his every step for the past weeks. By day, the memory of his master’s voice was only a whisper, but when night came, it reached a fever pitch.

Tonight was the same… Tonight he knew he would be tested again…

Click on the link below to start read this free short story online or download the PDF version (PDF link is right at the bottom of the page):-
Unyielding – 8 pages (HTML), 22 pages, 531 KB (PDF)

Doubtwalker (Witch Doctor)

by Jason Bischoff

The war began at sunrise, as it always did.

Benu and ten other witch doctors from the Clan of the Seven Stones stalked into the heart of the Teganze as swift and silent as panthers. Only the faint rattle of bone and iron charms dangling from their tribal masks warned of their presence. Striped in white, yellow, and red paint and decorated in bright bokai feathers, their bodies blended with the vibrant jungle around them…

Click on the link below to start read this free short story online or download the PDF version (PDF link is right at the bottom of the page):-
Doubtwalker – 7 pages (HTML), 33 pages, 494 KB (PDF)

Firefly (Wizard)

by Michael Chu

I ask your forgiveness, for there is much to speak of the wizard, and I am the only one who can tell all there is of her story. This is my burden, as is what awaits after. The ending is no great mystery. It is written in the shattered stones and broken walls that surround us, and whispered in the rumors that tumble from every mouth.

But on the subject of magic, nothing is so simple, and be certain that what you may have seen and heard is not the whole tale…

Click on the link below to start read this free short story online or download the PDF version (PDF link is right at the bottom of the page):-
Firefly – 10 pages (HTML), 31 pages, 434 KB (PDF)

World Of Ryyah: Birth Of The Half Elves

by H. L. Watson

‘Birth of the Half Elves’ is the first of six books in the ‘Elven Age Saga.’ It takes place on the planet Ryyah. The tale begins when the human youth Donovan’s quiet village is overtaken by barbarians. Catching the people off guard the barbarians attack the town while the men are out on a salmon fishing expedition. These barbarians are slavers looking for women and young men to capture. After they initiate their attack on these peaceful people, the only remaining survivors are the women and the young men deemed fit enough to sell into slavery. Twelve-year-old Donovan and his best friend Akenji are both captured. While they are being led off, they are spotted by Elven Rangers. The leader of these Elven warriors is a female named Alayna. Alayna takes pity on the captives and orders her men to rescue them. She knows that this goes against her Elven Lord Aden’s wishes, because he wants all human trespassers to be destroyed. In her heart she knows that these young men are innocent.

Alayna decides to convince Lord Aden to allow her to train the youth as spies so that they can prove useful in helping protect his forest. He agrees, but always does everything in his power to send them into battle before they are ready. This pains Alayna greatly. When Lord Aden’s daughter Princess Brandela is sent to Eldergate to find eligible servants, she is captured when the town is attacked. Once again barbarians are seeking slaves. They are also hoping to capture the princess because they know that she will bring in a huge bounty from the dangerous Shadow Elves. As the fighting commences, lives are lost and the princess is taken captive. When Donovan discovers who he has lost to the barbarians, he vows revenge and seeks to free the princess so that the Shadow Elves will take their fury of her loss out on the leader of the Barbarians.

Once Donovan gets to Brandela, the adventure really begins. They discover a connection that they did not know was possible between humans and elves. As they journey back to Brandela’s forest they have to remain vigilant to avoid the barbarians. This is much easier said than done. They also try to understand what is happening between them. Their connection to each other is incredible, and Brandela’s father will not be happy when he discovers the truth.

‘Birth of the Half Elves’ is a wonderfully written Elven fantasy. I read it in one sitting. As a matter of fact, as soon as I started reading, I was hooked and I wished that I had all six of the books that are in the series. The story is unique in that humans are trained in the Elven ways. Having a romance between a human and an elf also leads to some interesting dilemmas. The background descriptions of the places where the tale takes place are colorfully written and easy to picture. The characters are also all very complex and add a great deal of reality to the story. I highly recommend this novel to fans of fantasy fiction.

Click on the link below to start downloading this free ebook:-
World Of Ryyah: Birth Of The Half Elves – 192 pages, 2.41 MB (PDF)

Items posted here are free at the time of posting. If you find they are no longer free, kindly notify us immediately through our contact form.

Deeper Than Blood

by Antony Bennett

In one brief moment, a golden childhood summer turns into a nightmare. A story of true friendship, and of how, years later, one man finds his loyalty tested to its dark and gruesome limit.

Click on the link below to start downloading this free ebook:-
Deeper Than Blood – 24 pages, 700 KB (EPUB, MOBI (Kindle), PDF)

Items posted here are free at the time of posting. If you find they are no longer free, kindly notify us immediately through our contact form.

Salvation

by Mike Bennett

Geoffrey Leech burns in the fires of Hell. When he makes a deal with the Devil, Geoffrey sees more than a chance to ease his suffering – he sees a chance to save his soul. Will the Devil get his due, or can Geoffrey escape the horrors of Hell to find his own salvation?

A novelette from Mike Bennett, author of ‘Underwood and Flinch’ and ‘One Among the Sleepless’.

Click on the link below to start downloading this free ebook:-
Salvation – 57 pages, 0.13 MB (EPUB, Kindle, MOBI, PDF, HTML, LRF, PDB, TXT)

Items posted here are free at the time of posting. If you find they are no longer free, kindly notify us immediately through our contact form.