Diablo Manor by School of Art, George Mason University

DIABLO MANOR

Diablo Manor Book 1

Written & Illustrated by:

Victoria Rock

DIABLO MANOR

Content AUTHORS NOTE • 7 PROLOGUE • 8 CHAPTER ONE LIMBO • 12 CHAPTER TWO HECTOR DIABLO • 18 CHAPTER THREE AVERUST • 28

Content DIABLO MANOR

CHAPTER FOUR DIABLO MANOR• 34 CHAPTER FIVE THE OTHER GUEST • 39 CHAPTER SIX AN UNEXPECTED CRIME • 44 BONUS THE WORLD of HELL • 52 BONUS CHARACTERS • 57 6

DIABLO MANOR

AUTHORS NOTE I want to start off by thanking you all for picking up this book. Diablo Manor and its characters are something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It all started years ago when I was playing around and created an offhand sketch in Microsoft paint with my friends. It was a simple character of an outwardly creepy kid, who in actuality was the nicest guy you would ever meet. (My friends and I like to joke and say he would have wound up in Hufflepuff, if he were to go to Hogwarts.) I called him Hector Diablo. At the time I just thought Hector would just be a one-off character, but that was not the case. As the years past, I kept coming back to Hector; constantly developing and redesigning him. Along with this development came the build up of the world that he lived in, and an ever-changing cast of characters that he would interact with. These stories, characters, and even Hector himself went through many changes over the years, but helped to build up to the story of Diablo Manor that you are about to read now. This is the first time that I have ever attempted to write a full-blown story like this, and it shows. As much as I love world building and character development, I will admit that I am not a very good writer. Despite this, I really wanted to try and finally put this story, and its characters into words. They have been with me for so long, and have grown with me, that I felt like I owed it to them to at least try to do this. When it comes down to the Illustrations, I had some trouble deciding on which direction to take it. At first, I was going to completely rehaul the character designs, and make them in a more realistic style, but it just did not feel right. They felt cold and lifeless, and just not them. So, I decided to go with a style very similar to some of my original sketches for Diablo Manor. I did go and redesign some characters and locations, but overall, I tried to stick close to the original style. There is just some sort of charm to it that I find really makes the world and characters who they are. I originally wanted this book to contain the story line in its entirety, but due to time restrictions I was not able to do so. I had to cut my losses and make this book the first part in an ongoing series. To make up for this I have included some more general background information of Hell, and the main characters of this book. I have probably talked your ear off enough at this point, so I’ll let you get on with the story now. Once again thank you for taking the time to pick up and read this book, it means a lot to me, and I hope you all will enjoy it.

Victoria Rock 7

DIABLO MANOR

Prologue

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR That’s all I wrote. It’s kind of funny actually. It reads like some pathetic breakups note between two middle schoolers. You know, those dumbass kids who one day are so certain that they’ve found their one true love, only to decide two days later that it’s just not working out. A far cry from what anyone would expect a suicide note to be. No drawn-out speech about how shitty the world is, or some overdramatic Lifetime sob story. Nope, just one simple word messily scratched onto a crumpled piece of paper, that just happened to be in my pocket at the time. Honestly, I really don’t know why I even bothered to write it at all. It’s not like I had much to say, or that I in some way regrated what I was about to do. Maybe that was not completely true. Maybe it was one last attempt to spark some kind of fire within me. Something that would convince me that life hadn’t become as boring and pointless as it had. I had always believed that there was no point in continuing to do something if there was no reason behind, or more importantly, an interest in doing it. As such I ended up living my life much like those young middle schoolers. Enraptured by something one day, and bored of it the next. Always longing for something new, and never satisfied once I got it. Then one day I thought to myself, “What’s the fucking point of any of this?”, and that’s when I realized it. There was no point. I realized that nothing I did would ever truly capture my interest, and so I stopped trying. From that I saw the truth. My life itself had become uninteresting. Perhaps it had been all along, I’m not sure. Whatever the case though, there was no point in continuing to live, if my life had nothing interesting to live for. I knew that it had to come to an end. There wasn’t a question or a doubt in my mind about that, and yet I still ended up writing that one word. “Goodbye” The very fact that that was all I could come up with solidified my decision. Sighing I placed the note down on my desk, got up and made my way towards the stairwell leading to the roof.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 1:

Limbo

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR You ever have one of those moments where you can’t tell if what your experiencing is a dream or not? Those moments where all of your senses are telling you that you are awake, but the situation you find yourself in is so impossible that there is no way it can be real. Well, that’s the situation that I found myself in at the moment. A million thoughts were running through my head trying to figure out what was going on, but one in particular commanded my attention the most. How the fuck was I still alive? Not even a second ago I was splattered on the roof of a parked car, after taking a nosedive off my office building like some less beautiful copy of Evelyn McHale. I could still feel the agonizing pain of every bone in my body simultaneously shattering like glass, and my lungs flooding with blood from the impact. By all means I should have been dead. Yet there I was suddenly in the middle of some shitty hotel room, seemingly alive and well. Although I was panicking, I did my best to calm myself down, and try figure out what in the hell was going on. I took a look around the room, and saw that there was not much to it. Along the right side of the room was a ratty looking bed next to a grey curtained window. To the left was a short hall with a door at the end of it, which I assumed was an exit. To any normal person the first thing you would think to do if you had found yourself in my situation, and thought there was an exit, would be to get the hell out of there. That’s not what I did however, I instead remained rooted in place. Not because I wanted to, but because I physically could not. My mind screamed for my body too move, but the most could do was turn my head from left to right. As panic stated to take hold of me once more, I noticed a glint of silver behind me from the conner of my eye. I froze. Was there someone behind me? I couldn’t hear anything, and all I could see behind me was that glint of silver. Was it a knife? A gun? Whatever, or whoever it was, I wasn’t going to take my chances and end up dead where I stood. Pretty Ironic coming from the person who had just chuck themselves off of an office building because they felt like it, but that was my choice. I wasn’t interested in going out in other way then by my terms. I had to move, had to see what or who was behind me. Focusing as hard as I could, I willed myself to move. Nothing. I tried again, and again, and again, but still nothing. My panic turned to frustration, and my frustration to rage. “ God damnit! Come on just turn the fuck around!” I screamed to myself, and as if a switch was flipped, I found myself flying around. I stumbled a bit from the suddenness of the action, but I had done it. I had managed to break whatever had been holding me in place and turn around. After a short moment of celebrating this victory, I gathered myself together and readied myself face what had been behind me. To my relief was not a person wielding a knife or a gun, so that was good.

DIABLO MANOR What I found instead however, was a mirror. It was one of those old full-length foot mirrors, its frame painted a dull silvery grey to match the rest of the room. Outside of the bed it was the only other piece of furniture in the room. While there was nothing outwardly odd about it, I could not help but get both and overwhelming sense of curiosity, and fear from it. Like it was taunting me with some dark secret, that I just had to know. Slowly, I approached the mirror. With each step I took the image of my figure became clearer and clearer in the dulled glass. The figure I saw in the mirror once I was right in front of it, however, was not me. It couldn’t be me. The figure in the mirror while human looking, was very, very off. Outwardly it had no discernable gender, and far too pale to be considered alive by any means. It wore a what looked to be a grey mashup of a prison jumpsuit and casual office attire, that hung limply over its too lanky body. The most frightening and unreal feature of this thing was its face, or lack thereof. Once again panicked, I looked down at my hands. The figure in the mirror did the same. My hands were thin and pale. Grey sleeves hung loosely from my wrist. Shakily, I raise my hands to my face. The figure does as well. I ran my fingers over where my mouth should have been. There was nothing. So, I moved on to my eyes. They had to be there. I could still see, so they had to be there, right? I can see my hand hovering in front of my eyes, but I have to be sure. I go to touch my eyes, but just like mouth, I feel nothing but smooth skin. Dread washes over me. This can’t be real, this isn’t right, this isn’t what I look like- I stop mid thought. Couldn’t remembered what I looked like. I knew it was not whatever I was seeing in the mirror, but I just could not remember. Then I realized that I couldn’t remember anything about myself. My life before I had dived off that building, just gone. Family, friends, not even if I was a boy or a girl. I couldn’t even remember by name. What was my name? It seemed like I had finally had enough of all this bullshit because I found myself running to the door like I should have the minute I could have. Of course, when I reach it, I find its locked. I remembered the window by the bed and rushed over to it. I ripped open the curtains, only to be taken aback once more. Outside the window was a city on the horizon, but just like the room I was in, everything was grey. From the sky to the buildings, everything was grey. That was not what shocked me though. What got to me was the vast gaping crater that the city rested on. It seemed endlessly deep, and a faint fiery glow could be seen from within it. This was too much. What the hell was going on here? Where in the hell was I?

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR One year later As it turns out That is exactly where I was. Hell, literal Hell. Limbo, to be more precise. The topmost level of Hell, designated for those boring folks who, in their life did nothing particularly wrong, but still weren’t good enough for Heaven. Apparently, God was a petty bitch. You could have been the kindest, and most good-hearted person in the world, but if you did not worship the guy, or treasure your oh so precious life, no matter how shitty it may have been, you were sent here. Where, while seemingly “Living” an average “life”, you were stripped of anything that had once made you, you. Reduced to a number, and the only thing left behind was the memory of the key moment that had damned you to this place. A taunting reminder from God, that you did this to yourself. Doomed to a boring and meaningless eternity. I had also learned that contrary to popular belief, Hell was in fact not some lawless pit of torment. At least to an extent. It actually functioned a lot like earth, with its own social and economic structure in place. Hell was divided into four districts: Limbo, Averust, Wrath, and Tartarus. As I mentioned before, Limbo was the topmost district in Hell, and was where all of the back-end management and accounting for the districts was taken care of. As such sinners like me were put to work as desk-jockeys. Working day in and day out, filing paperwork. I suppose it was a fitting, albeit ironic fate for someone like me to end up here. While I could not remember my life, I could remember the feeling of absolute boredom and uninterest with it that had led me to my death. I was practically the textbook definition of someone who belonged in Limbo, and spending the rest of eternity in utter boredom was the ideal form of torture for someone like me.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 2:

Hector Diablo

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR “Hey you! 21450071, stop slacking off, your next scheduled break is not for another two days! Get back to work! These files won’t deliver themselves!” My supervisor screeched, interrupting my thoughts as he slammed a large stack of papers onto my desk. He was a weaselly looking demon with a voice that sounded like nails being thrown into an industrial shredder. He acted just as weaselly as he looked, with a mightier than thou attitude. He also would not let you forget about his demon status, often overstepping and acting as though he were an elite hell born. Yet he was constantly complaining about the fact that the “Dumbass hell-born’s gave me demon status only to shove me up here to babysit these faceless pieces of shit!” one minute, and kissing the hell-born’s asses the next. It honestly made me wonder what exactly he had to do when he was a sinner in order to obtain his demon status. His personality would not impress anyone, let alone an elite hell-born that’s for sure. I loathed the guy, but there was not much I could do about him. I couldn’t call him out on his bullshit because, well, you know, no mouth anymore. I also couldn’t risk beating shit out him, and being forced back into a submissive paralysis state again. It turned out that was how they kept the feistier sinners, like me, inline. I had been forced into that state twice outside of my first night in Hell, and wasn’t asking for it to happen again anytime soon, so I kept my head down. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t bash him down a bit in my thoughts though. Sighing and shooting him an eyeless glare, I reached for the stack of papers. Just then a group of hell-born’s walked into the room. My supervisor seemed to notice them too apparently. Before I could grab the stack of papers they were smacked to the floor, my body froze. Shit, spoke too soon, I thought. “How dare you, your faceless piece of trash!” my supervisor yelled, as he lifted me by the collar of my shirt. “Not only did I just catch you slacking off, but then you go and disrespect me to my face!” he said as he threw me to the ground. I couldn’t move. Fuck you, you suck up piece of shit, I sneered back in my head. “I’m a demon! I am better than you! You’re nothing more than a lowly faceless sinning trash!” He seethed as he proceeded to stomp and kick me on the ground. I couldn’t do anything but lay there and take it, cursing him feverishly in my mind. My head lolled to the side, and I got a look at the reactions of the others in the room to my assault. As usual, they all went on with their business, ignoring what was going on. The other sinners kept their heads down, probably just glad it wasn’t them getting beat on, the hell-borns had just walked in, and gave my supervisor a look of distaste for his over dramatic performance, but made no move to stop him as they passed by. This was just a normal occurrence for everyone. Everyone, even I, found it to be a pathetic and uninteresting show. This fucking sucks. Then I noticed him. One of the hell-borns had stayed back to watch the show. I never paid much attention to the hell-borns before; sinners and hell-borns hardly interacted with one another. They just showed up every once in a while, to ensure that demons, like my supervisor, were keeping the sinners in line, provide a heavier workload, or simply to loiter around. 20

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR Hell-borns took on many shapes and forms, and sometimes you could not tell if they were actually a hell-born, or a demon. Often the only indication was their eyes. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that was truly the case, then a hellborn’s blank eyes proved that they did not have one. That was as far as my knowledge on them went. However, it was clear that something about this hell-born in particular was different. In the sea of grey that washed over everything and everyone in Limbo, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He was unnervingly tall and wore a tailored suit, paired with an extravagant red blazer. He watched on with blood red eyes, filled with mild amusement. He certainly wasn’t from Limbo, that’s for sure, and he was the most interesting thing I had seen in a long time.

DIABLO MANOR Well, I guess something somewhat interesting can actually happen in this dull hellhole every blue moon. Let’s both enjoy this while we can, you twisted bastard, because this is most likely as interesting as this interaction is going to get. I thought as I looked up at him, knowing full well that he would not be able to see my gaze or hear what I was saying to him. He seemed to then direct his attention from the act of violence that played out before him, to me instead. Was he looking at me? Was he actually looking at me? Had he actually heard me, or noticed that I was looking right at him? It wasn’t likely, but the thought that he could was exhilarating. He continued to stare at me, as though similar questions were running through his mind as well. I called out to him again, Hey you! Yes you! If you can hear me, do something, say something, anything! Just let me know that you can! He didn’t move or say a word, but I saw his soulless crimson eyes flicker with acknowledgement. He had heard me. Finally, after months of nothing but sheer boredom and repetitive work, or being completely ignored and harassed by my supervisor, I finally had found something interesting within this shitty place. I wanted to rush over to confront the hell-born, but a sharp kick to my side reminded me of the situation I was in. I still couldn’t move. I was so ecstatic that I had almost forgotten about the abuse I was receiving from my supervisor. The hell-born kept watching as I got assaulted for a few more moments before starting to turn to walk away. No, he couldn’t just walk away, I couldn’t let him do that. Hey where the hell do you think you’re going bastard! Get back here! I shouted out to him, but he seemed to ignore me and continue to walk on. I still couldn’t move, but I couldn’t let him get away. I had to move. I had to hold onto that one source of intrigue that I had found, so like my first day in hell, I pushed back against the paralysis that I was under. I swung my leg out just as my supervisor went in again for another kick, causing him to go crashing to the floor. I took this as my chance, and scrambled to my feet. Before I knew it, I was halfway across the room grasping the hell-born’s arm. I don’t know how, but I know you can hear me bastard! This is the only interesting thing that has happened to me since I arrived in this goddamn place, and I won’t let you take that away from me! I scream at him. He froze under my touch. Shit, I hadn’t thought this through. The whole room had stopped to stare at this point. Not only had I, a sinner, managed to defy the control of a demon, but I then proceeded to attack a hell-born. This couldn’t end well. Slowly, the hell-born turned to face me, but his expression did not hold any rage like I had thought it would. “Well, you are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said to me, tinted with the sound of static. It was then that my supervisor rushed over, having recovered from his shock of being kicked to the floor. He harshly shoved me aside, and began apologizing feverishly to the hell-born. 23

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR “My deepest apologies, sir. Be assured that this faceless sinner shall be severely punished for daring to not only resist an honorable demon such as myself, but for attacking an elite hell-born such as yourself.” He said , shaking as if he was a leaf. The hell-born’s expression morphed into one of distaste and uninterest as my supervisor continued to talk. “How terribly boring, you are.” The hell-born said to my supervisor. “W-What?” My supervisor tried to question, but was cut off as the hell-born shot his fist deep into his chest. A split second later my supervisor was slumped to the floor, clutching the empty cavity where his heart had once been. In the hell-born’s clawed hand was said heart dripping with fresh blood. “There are so many demons like you who have no self-respect, loitering throughout hell. It’s so common that you all have become predictable and boring. As prince of Hell, I can say that I know that no one would be disappointed if there was one less of you around. So, I am afraid it is you to be moving onto the River Styx. There is just no point in keeping you around anymore.” He said with a cruel sneer. With a snap of the hell-born’s fingers, and before my supervisor could protest, he was gone. Sent to the River Styx to become a part of the mass of formless souls that no longer had a place in Hell. The prince then tossed the dripping heart that was in his hand behind him and turned back to me. Reaching down, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to my feet. “Well now since that fool has been taken care of, where were we?” He asked me, but I was still too shocked from what happened to answer. Luckily, he didn’t seem to need me to. “Ah, right we were on the topic of just how fascinating you are.” He said, glee filling his face once again. “You know it’s been quite an awful long time since I’ve stumbled across anything, or anyone, that has managed to surprise me quite as much as you have in the past few minutes. For a mere sinner to accomplish that is quite impressive indeed.” He chuckled. I had no idea what to say to him, but once again he seemed fine with that for now. “Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Hector Diablo, son of the Devil and crown prince of Hell. Though, you probably figured that much out by now.” He said. With another snap of his fingers, the prince had conjured a cream-colored envelope into his hand. He passed it to me, and I got a better look at it. On the front of the envelope was addressed simply to “Our Honored Guest”, which scripted elegantly in a rusty pigment too thick to be ink. The back was sealed closed with a wax emblem of a similar pigment; the initials DM pressed within it. “You see, my father is once again holding a little get together at our manor, and I just so happen to have a spare invite.” The prince explained “Usually I don’t extend it out to anyone, but you, you are interesting. So, what do you say?” he casually asked. It wasn’t a question though; he knew what my answer would be. In his offer there was an unspoken second option, to not accept his invite.

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR That if I didn’t, he would do nothing to me, but that would be it. We would never meet again, and I would go back to the same old boring routine as before. If I accepted however, I was guaranteed to experience something interesting for at least one more day. Alright. That Cheshire grin made its way back onto his face, and I knew there was no backing out. I had no idea if I had just made a terrible mistake or not, but I knew that this was going to be one of the most interesting experiences I would ever have.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 3:

Averust

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR After I had accepted the prince’s invitation, he had wasted no time in excitedly dragging me out of my office building. “Well, no time to waste then! It’s a fairly long trip down to Averust, and not to mention the time it would take to get to the manor once we’re there!” he said to me cheerfully, as he dragged me down the streets of Limbo. With a slight wave of his hand, he parted the crowd before us like it was the red sea. “Also, we must do something about that appearance of yours, so that’s going to take up some time as well.” I could see where he was coming from. My attire was incredibly drab, but I still ended up feeling a bit offended by his comment. What, you got a problem with the way I look? Sorry that I do not meet the crowned princes’ standards. I snarked back to him in a mockingly polite tone laced with annoyance. He glanced back at me with a grin. “As interesting as it might be to see the reactions of the other guest if you were to show up looking like you do now, we wouldn’t want them to mistake you for an intruder, or one of the help, now would we?” he chuckled. The way it was said had a dark undertone, and I could imagine what he was implying would happen to me if that were to happen. Yeah. Some new clothes would probably be a good idea. I said, shivering at the thought of what might happen to me at the hand of the elite hell-born and demon guest at the party. He nodded in agreement. “Oh, and none of this calling me “prince” business. That’s something that all the boring and unimportant background characters call me.” He chided. “Don’t need someone as fascinating as you getting boring too fast, so feel free to call me by my name. Alright?” He stated, making it clear that there was no room of argument on this matter. Alright, Hector it is, I guess. I said with a shrug, and we continued on our way. After an hour or so of walking, we had arrived at the center of Limbo. I peered cautiously across the gapping cavern opening that made up the center of the district. A chilling draft came up from it, and a very faint greenish glow could be seen miles down; probably coming from Averust. Four long bridges protruded from the edges of the opening, connecting at a large elevator platform in its center. Hector and I made our way across one of the bridges, and boarded the elevator once we arrived at the center platform. The elevator descended at a relatively fast pace, yet it still took another two hours or so for us to reach our destination. When we finally did reach it however, I was in awe of the sight. The elevator descended at a relatively fast pace, yet it still took another two hours or so for us to reach our destination. When we finally did reach it however, I was in awe of the sight. Averust was the complete opposite of Limbo’s dull grey-washed atmosphere. The district looked like Los Vegas and Shibuya mixed into one city. Flashing neon signs hung off of every building, and the whole place showed a vibrant shade of green that would put The Oz’s Emerald City to shame. Despite its impressive appearance, there was no mistaking that this was indeed a part of Hell. 31

DIABLO MANOR The streets were littered with more demons and hell-borns than I had ever seen in Limbo, and sinners who were either engaging in, or soliciting some unsavory acts with them. It was clear that most of these sinners were not willing participants in these actions. Hector pulled my attention away from gawking at the spectacle Averust was by pointing to something off in the distance. “There is our destination over there, my lovely home.” He said as I turned to look at where he was pointing. Off in the distance, on a hill towering high above the rest of Averust, was the silhouette of Diablo manor. Despite being so far away, you were still able to feel the ominous aura that the place extruded, almost as though it was always watching and knew everything about you. There was no doubt that was the place where the Devil resided. “Before we head there though, we need to go and fix up all of this,” Hector mentioned, as he gestured up and down at my body. You just gestured to all of me. I said, while giving him a joking deadpanned look. “Exactly! Now come, I know of this place nearby that I think will have something that will make even someone as hideous as you look decent!” He said cheerly, as he led me down the street. Seriously, I knew that he had a valid point, but he still could lay off the insults just a bit. This is Hell though, so I guess I shouldn’t expect much, should I? Fuck you. I muttered halfheartedly, as I followed behind him.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 4:

Diablo Manor

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR I fidgeted with the brass buttons on my new suit, as we approached the large double door of the manor. I think the weight of my decision had finally sunken in a bit for me by this point. In my desperate need to escape my boring and monotonous role that I was forced into in Limbo, I had jumped at Hector’s invitation without much thought. As interesting as the events leading up to this point had been, when looking back they all seem a bit suspicious. I hardly knew anything about Hector, besides the fact that he was the prince of Hell, and the fact that he was somehow able to speak with me telepathically. How was he even able to do that anyway? Was it that odd of a thing to him that he would take interest in me that fast? Why hadn’t I bothered to ask any questions at the time? There I was, a sinner from Limbo, about to enter the home of the Devil himself. Not only was I about to confront him, but also a gathering of some of the most elite demons and hell-born in Hell. A mouse entering into a lion’s den. I wasn’t likely to make it out if I wasn’t careful. Hector stopped before the door, and sensing my anxiety, turned to me. “You’re right!” he said to me. Shit, I didn’t realize that he had heard me. “Just questioning my intentions now is rather stupid on your part isn’t it?” he continued with a staticky chuckle. I took a step back from him. Hector looked down on me, and his aura took on the same eerie vibe that he had when dealing with my supervisor earlier. Maybe this had been a mistake. I had no idea what was going through his mind, but knew that backing down from him wasn’t an option at that moment. We stared down at each other (as best I could with no eyes at least), and neither of us moved for a good while. Finally, in one quick movement, Hector reached out and placed his clawed hand on my shoulder, and doubled over in laughter. “Holy shit, you really are an interesting one, aren’t you? You’re not even going to flinch; you sure do have some guts there my friend,” He said through his laughter. I was left in shock at the whiplash of an attitude shift I had just seen. “Seriously though, I was just fucking with you, so you don’t need to worry about winding up like that sorry excuse of a demon, alright?” He said as he tried to reel in his laughter. I didn’t know if I believed him or not. His attitude shift just made me question his intentions even more. I still had questions about his intentions, yet at yet at the same time I could feel my suspicions towards him once again being pushed aside, in favor of the intrigue that he provided. It didn’t make sense. I knew that I had been deprived of anything interesting for a long time, but was I that desperate that I would just throw away any self-preservation I had? Yes actually, you are that suspicious. Joke about it all you want, but before I go in there, I need some questions answered. I stated to him in a calm yet firm tone. “Uhhhh, you and your questions!” he whined, intruding on my personal thoughts again. What, am I really that suspicious? Are you a detective or some shit like that?” he said mockingly, gesturing to my new suit.

DIABLO MANOR I would roll my eyes at him if I had them. Though I had to admit, it did kind of look like a detective costume. Maybe Hector had picked it out for that reason alone. No wait, I needed to focus, there were more pressing matters at hand. Just as I thought he was about to answer my question the large doors to the manor opened behind us. Another hell-born appeared on the other side of the door. Their appearance, unlike Hectors, lend towards the beastly side. While humanoid in shape, their features were that of a fish or a reptile. Their skin was layered in smooth teal-violet, and long wavy fins came out of the sides of their head like an axolotl. At first glance they might have considered them to be beautiful in a weird way. Their aura however, emanated something dangerous, similar to a poisonous dart frog. “You’re late,” they said to Hector in a blunt tone. “Ahh, Scylla! So sorry that I’m late, I was just picking up my plush one here, and getting them ready. Couldn’t have the shown up without looking the part, isn’t that right my little detective?” he said while pushing me forward in presentation. Uhhh. Sure. I replied awkwardly under Scylla’s blank stare. They looked me up and down, then back to Hector with a look that said, “really.”

DIABLO MANOR “Come on Scylla, I swear they’re not just some rando sinner I yanked off the streets. Their special, check it out!” he pouts at Scylla, then turned to me. “Go on then, say something to them,” Hector egged on. I had just said something to Hector a moment ago, and it hadn’t seemed like Scylla had heard me at all. Would they be able to hear me if I only focused hard enough? I guess it was worth a shot though. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. It seemed like Scylla was used to Hector doing odd things like plucking sinners off the streets out of the blue, and they seemed fed up with it. I doubt they would let me into the manor, even if I had been Hector’s guest. Not sure if you can hear me, but uhm... Hey? I said to them, uncertain if they could hear me or not. Apparently, it had worked because Scylla’s foggy violet eyes widened slightly in surprise, though their face remained stoic for the most part. They looked back to Hector and simply asked, “How?” “So, I was right! You can hear them as well! I told you they were interesting!” Hector said practically jumping with glee. “To answer both of your questions from earlier though, I have no idea how my dear detective is able to accomplish such a feat. However, that just makes them more interesting doesn’t it? They’re sure to make this night far more entertaining, don’t you think?” The last part was directed more at Scylla than it was to me. They paused for a moment, taking in what Hector had said, then nodded in agreement. “Alright then, come on,” Scylla bluntly stated, as they turned and began walking back into the manor. “Right, come along my dear detective, we shouldn’t keep the others waiting, should we? You see they’re not exactly the most patient bunch,” Hector said cheerfully to me, as he began to follow after Scylla. He was really not going to let this detective thing go, huh? I shook my head in slight amusement at his antics. I still had a whole lot more questions for Hector, but seems like he was not going to be answering them anytime soon. Besides, he was right. It probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to leave a bunch of demons and hell-borns, and more importantly the Devil waiting, especially when they all were probably already annoyed as is. Yeah yeah, I’m coming, wait up. I called out to him, as I made my way into Diablo Manor.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 5:

The Other Guest

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR As the three of us made our way deeper within the manor, I kept trying to get answers out of either Hector or Scylla, but with very little results. If asked a question that Hector did not like he would either cheerily dance around the question, or whine about how his “dear detective asks so many questions” and that “It would be no fun if they were given all the answers right away.” Scylla on the other hand refused to talk to me at all. They would just stare down at me, with that blank, intimidating expression as though they wanted nothing to do with me. The only time they responded at all was to Hector, and even then, their answers were short and to the point. I had managed to learn a bit more about Scylla from Hector, as well as their relationship to him. Scylla had apparently been given to Hector by his late mother, to serve as his personal servant a few millenniums back. “They were honestly more like an unwanted hand-me-down at first. I mean they really are not all that interesting,” Hector explained to me. It seemed kind of rude to say that in front of them, but Scylla didn’t seem to mind. “I was going to just get rid of them, but after my mother passed, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Guess I just keep them around as a memento of her now.” He had a hurt look in his eyes that didn’t match his carefree tone, or the wide grin on his face. Even Scylla seemed to be affected by the mention of their former mistress. I never thought hell-borns were able to die. What happened to her? I asked without really thinking about it. Scylla stiffened a bit, and it made me worried that I had royally fucked up by asking that question. Thankfully Hector didn’t seem to mind too much, and clapped a hand on their shoulder, calming them before they did anything. “Calm the fuck down Scylla, its fine. They asked a very good question, and you can’t fault them for that, now can you?” he asked. Scylla didn’t seem pleased by Hector’s response, but shook their head and continued on down the long halls of the manor. “To answer your questions, yes hell-borns are able to die, but unlike sinners and demons, we don’t have immortal souls. So, when we die, that’s it. No second life, or becoming one with the River Styx. Just game over,” He explained. “As for what happened to my mother, my father killed her. She wasn’t a hell-bound, just one of the many elite demons from Averust that my father liked to keep around for “special company,” he continued. “The only reason he kept her around at all was because he accidently got her knocked up with me, and had managed to abort me before I was born. Eventually though, I was old enough to take care of myself. He was far beyond bored of her at this point, and she had no other purpose to serve. So he sent her to become one with the River Styx.” He said all of this as if it was the most basic thing in the world. Dude. Your dad sounds like a major fucking dick. Was all I could think to say. I mean what do you say to heavy shit like that. It appeared to be good enough for Hector though, seeing as he went into a laughing fit from it. “That’s putting it lightly! What else would you expect from the Devil, though,” he chuckled.

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR “Now like I have been telling you, no more of your boring questions for now dear detective,” he chided me, as the three of us reached to what must have been the main parlor of the manor. Apparently Scylla wasn’t exaggerating when they said that we were late. There were only three guests in the room besides us. They all seem to be causally chatting with one another, while a group of sinners, who I suppose were servants of the manor, moved between the seating area and the adjacent room, cleaning up. It was what was in the adjacent room that shocked me. The sparkling gold and white elegance of the seating area was harshly contrasted by a mound of mangled bodies of various sinners spread across the floor. What the fuck happened here!? I asked as I turned to Hector and Scylla for some sort of explanation. “Awww! The fun is already over!” Hector cried, ignoring my question. Hello? I know you heard me Hector! I tried again. “I told you, you were late.” Scylla deadpanned. “Why didn’t you guys wait for me, though! So rude!” Hector responded dejectedly, a tear popping up in the corner of his eyes. Hello, don’t ignore me!? I pressed harder. From across the room one of the other guests came angrily stalking towards us. She was a rather short demon, who took on a form similar to that of saytar. She had a flawless mocha colored complexion, that was just a shade lighter than the dark fur that covered her legs. She was scantily clad in a green and gold dress, and her rose brown hair framed her face with soft curls. A single red horn protruded from the side of her four head. She honestly might have been really beautiful, if it weren’t for the fact that she was charging at us while swinging back a massive bloody ax. “Don’t give us the fucking crocodile tears! You have no right to complain you piece of shit!” she yelled as she lunged towards Hector. Scylla was quicker than her, and easily blocked the swing of her ax before it could hit Hector. “We did wait for you! For four fucking hours! That bastard you call your father was so pissed off that he cancelled the private show I had with him after the slaughter!” she screamed, as she flailed against Scylla trying to get to Hector. “Oh Franny, how good to see you again! What’s the matter, did father hold out on you again? Well at least you’re more entertaining when you’re DTF!” Hector mocked, adding a childish wave for emphasis. She didn’t seem to like that. “I didn’t get payed because of you, dumb-ass! Also, how many times have I told you not to call me Franny!” She raged even louder. Scylla was having a hard time keeping her under control. All the while I was still freaking out over the scene in front of me, and frustrated that no one was listening to me. 43

DIABLO MANOR Goddamn it! Will you stop fighting, and just explain to me what happened here! I screamed at them, absolutely done with this bullshit. That seemed to have caught their attention because everyone froze and turned to look at me. Everyone, except for Hector and Scylla, were shocked. “What the hell? Did you just talk?” the demon girl, Franny, asked me stunned. Umm... yeah, I did. Hi, I guess? I offered in reply. Whatever frustration I had felt just a moment ago was now rapidly diminishing. Damn this awkward. The other two guest who were in the room had now made their way over to join the rest of us by this point. “like… how is that even fucking possible?” questioned a tall hell-born, dressed in a dark suit, with a matching fedora. He looked like he hadn’t slept in months, and the scent of booze seemed to permeate his skin. “ Ahh, yes! Thank you for reminding me Minor. Everyone, I would like you to meet my dear detective friend!” Hector introduced me. “As you all have clearly seen, they’re not your run of the mill sinner. So interesting in fact that I made them my plus one to this party!” he cheered childishly. “Although, the funs all over now, so it seems I dragged you all the way down here with nothing detective.” He pouted to, as crocodile tears pooled into his eyes once more. That seemed to snap Franny out of her shocked state, and back to raging at Hector.“ Hey, I don’t care about your weird ass sinner! I want my goddamn pay, take some responsibility!” she screamed. She was about to attack Hector again, but was stopped by Minor. “Like…calm down Fran. Don’t waste your energy on him. If you want your pay just go steal it.” He said to her. “Like… old Dev got pretty sloshed earlier, and unlike me that old hellspawn can’t hold his liquor to save his life. He should be blacked out in his room for awhile now.” He explained. Fran calmed down a bit, as she seemed to take Minor’s words to heart. “I guess you’re right.” She sighed, before turning back to glare at Hector. “Just Know that if I can’t loot enough to cover the amount I was meant to get from my show, I’ll be wiping that shit eating grin off your face.” She hiss at him, she held her axe up to make her point. She then stalked off. “Well now that she’s like…out of the way, you guys want a drink?” Minor asked, as he gestured to the mini bar on the other side of the parlor. “ Like…the main event might be over, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t have some fun with your little sinner pal. You can join too if you’d like Scylla.” Minor said, and both Hector and Scylla seemed to agree with him. Nobody had yet to explain what had happened here. Why does no one want to listen to me, you would think that they would considering they could hear me. Yeah, I could use a fucking drink right now.

DIABLO MANOR

Chapter 6:

An Unexpected Crime

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR You would think that the Devil of all beings would have a good selection of booze on him, but all of the alcohol here was weak as shit. Even someone like me, who hadn’t been allowed to have any booze over the year I had been in Limbo, hardly felt anything from it. The most that it did was make everyone a little more loose lipped. That was enough for me though, seeing as I got a secondhand explanation as to what happened at the party. Listening in on Hector and Minor’s conversation I had picked up that this “party” was known as a culling. It was an annual event, meant to help control the overwhelming sinner population in Hell. Elite demons and hell-borns from all across Hell where in invited to Diablo Manor to torture those unfortunate sinners one last time, before they where sent off to the River Styx. What! So that’s the real reason you invited me to hear, to butcher me like a fucking animal before chucking to the River Styx! I yelped at Hector when I learned this. I should have known something like this would have happened, why hadn’t I thought this through! The other just started laughing at my panic. “Calm down detective, your fine!” Hector wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. Then why were you in Limbo in the first place? Do you really not know why I am able to speak with you, or did you actually have something to do with it? I accused him. He just continued laughing. “ The reason why I was in Limbo isn’t important, and like I already told you, I have no idea how you were able to do that.” He replied. “I have said this before as well, but you really are an interesting one detective, it would be such a shame if you were to be sent to the River Styx.” He concluded. “Besides if we like…wanted to you would already be there.” Minor chimed in, making a valid point. How is it that these fucking hell-borns were able to have me feeling all chummy with them one moment, terrified the next, and back to chummy in a second flat. It was starting to give me whiplash. Whatever. I sighed, shaking my head. Let’s just change the subject. I haven’t drunk in who knows how long, and I’m barely feeling a thing from this shit. I am surprised, never though the Devil of all beings is such a lightweight, seeing as he blacked out from this. I said with a mocking tone. The others laughed. “Well contrary to popular belief, my father, for bad as he acts, is actually rather pathetic!” Hector said light heartedly. “like…I was honestly surprised that he let me get him to that point. He usually would be running to the bathroom crying like a bitch that he was going to puke, long before getting to the point of being blackout drunk!” Minor agreed. We continued on recounting and mocking the Devil for all his shortcomings. That is until we heard Fran’s raging voice from deeper in the manor. “All of you need to get your fucking asses up here, now!” she shouted, sounding serious. “I guess we should see what she want’s now. Come along everyone.” Hector said, leading us to go find Fran. We found her waiting impatiently on the upper level of the manor, in front of what must have been the Devil’s bedroom.

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR “Anyone care to explain to me how this shit happened?” she questioned us, as she pointed annoyed at something in the room. When we all looked to see what she was talking about, we were met with the sight of who must have been the Devil. He was sprawled on the floor frothing at the mouth, and looked to have been beaten senseless. Dead “ Well that’s a shame. I wonder how that happened?” Hector questioned, not seeming the slightest bit concerned that his father was dead. “Like…I don’t know. He was fine when everyone left. It was Just the three of us here when he blacked out, and he seemed fine when we luged his ass up here.” Minor responded just as casually. “ Well whoever did this is going to pay! He was my best client, not even the most famous entertainment directors in Averust could pay me as much as he did.” Fran whined in frustration. The third guest, a spectral looking demon girl who up to this point hadn’t done much, went over and started poking at the corpse. They didn’t really seem to care about this all too much. Are you all seriously not bothered by the fact that someone managed to kill the fucking Devil? I asked. “Of course, I care! What kind of son do you think I am, that I wouldn’t care that my fathers were murdered?” he said, mockingly insulted. Just then a mischievous spark flares to life in his eyes. “You know what, Franny is absolutely right! Whoever has done this to my poor father needs to pay!” he shouted over dramatically. “As the new de facto ruler of Hell, I declare that an investigation into his death! Minor said that my father was well when the culling ended, and that you all were the only ones remaining in the manor at the time, right?” he stated. “Therefore, the culprit must be one of you!” he concluded. “With that said none of you are allowed to leave till the killer is found!” He proclaimed, with a snap of his fingers. A strange pulse of energy spread throughout the manor, and I knew he had trapped us in here. “This is so stupid. Even if one of us was the killer, do you really be dumb enough to admit it.” Fran huffed at Hector with a glare. “ Of course not!” he said suddenly, grabbing me by the shoulders “That’s why they’re going to be the one to find the culprit!” he cheered. I whipped around to face him. What! Why me? I asked in shock. “ You’re the obvious choice! You clearly couldn’t have been the killer, and you have the least reason to lie about who the true killer is. It’s the perfect role for you my little detective!” he explained. Once again, I found myself wondering what the fuck, I had got myself into. 49

DIABLO MANOR

To Be Continued...

DIABLO MANOR

Bonus: The World of Hell

DIABLO MANOR

DIABLO MANOR Hell is made up of a series of four islands floating in the River Styx. The version of Hell presented in Diablo Manor is heavily inspired by Dante’s Inferno, and the Seven Deadly Sins. I have always found the idea of sinners being receiving punishments tailored to who they were and what they did during their life to earn a place in Hell to be interesting. I see it as an opening for an interesting study of characters who are perceived as just straight up bad because they’re in Hell, but are actually much more complex than that. I also like the idea that Hell functions much like a more chaotic version of life on Earth, having its own social and economic structures. There is a system of life in place, and each island plays a vital part in keeping Hell running as smoothly(?) as it can. Below is some more in-depth descriptions of each island, and the role that they play in Hell.

Limbo

Much like in Dante’s Inferno, the Limbo seen in Diablo Manor is the upper most island in Hell, where mostly those who did not know or did not believe in God during their life wind up. However, in this story Limbo is also the place where those who some way or another ended up devaluing themselves and the lives they were given. Sinners who reside in this part of Hell are not actively torched for their punishments, but in my opinion receive one worst type. While they live out what would be a normal life on Earth, they are striped of anything that made them an individual. Everything from their names to their faces are taken from them; Leaving them to become a hive-mind of sorts.

Averust

The name of this island is a combination of avarice and lust. A fitting name seeing as this is where sinners with these traits wind up, along with gluttons. Averust is almost like the Hollywood or Los Vegas of Hell, being the producer of Hells entertainment. Sinner are punished by being work for and participate in the entertainment provided on the island. While it is Hells most lavished island, with many high-level demons and hell-borns living there, sinners are left in poverty as a result of their punishment. Diablo Manor is located on this island.

Wrath

The island of wrath is pretty self-explanatory. This is the part of Hell wrathful sinners end up. It is here where the traditional torture type punishments are given to sinners. This part of Hell is also responsible for producing Hell’s goods and resources. Think of it like a mix of a southern plantation and sweatshop.

Purgatory

The last island that makes up Hell, and it is the worst one. The worst of the worst sinners are sent to this island and are subjected to a punishment ten times worse than those of the other island combined. By the end of their punishment, they are so broken their soul is left hollow and they become one with the River Styx(see the next page for more details). It functions as the Azkaban of Hell. 54

DIABLO MANOR

Bonus: Characters

DIABLO MANOR

Hector Diablo The half-breed son of The Devil and a Demoness mother. Being Hell’s ruling prince, he is one of the most feared residents in Hell. Although he often comes as a childish, laid-back, and overall pleasant individual, his personality can switch on a dime. His true nature is actually cruel, impulsive, and he is pathological liar. Much like “The Detective”, he is also someone who finds himself constantly bored, and is looking for something that will entertain him. He finds this upon meeting “The Detective”, and the unexpected death of his father. He uses both as an excuse to act out an actual murder mystery investigation, as a way to rid himself of his boredom. He lives by the idea that the whole world is uninteresting, so if you want something to happen you have to make it happen yourself. His appearance is based on the human rubber hose cartoons that he would watch as a child. He admires them because the slapstick from those shows is one of the few things that can manage to actually keep him entertained, at least for a short time. He tends to copy these slapstick routines when he goes into a violent state.

DIABLO MANOR

The Detective

(Sinner # 21450071) In their life, they were the type of person that was deeply unsatisfied with everything. They lived a normal life, and nothing bad ever really happened to them. Despite this, nothing ever held deep meaning to them, and they were constantly bored. They lived by the idea that nothing was worth doing if it bores you. This reaches a boiling point when they find themselves bored with life. They decide that there is no point in continuing on living, and end up killing themselves. This is the main thing that guaranteed them a place in Limbo. They never would have thought however, that ending up in Hell would be the answer to the boredom they had in life. Despite losing their name and physical identity, like every other sinner from Limbo, they somehow are able to retain their memory and personality. On top of that they also manage to catch the attention of Hell’s prince, and is give the role of the detective in the Devil’s murder case. Although their boredom is now a thing of the past, they are now faced with the question of if it is really worth it.

DIABLO MANOR

Minor Minor seems to be just an average laid-back drunk, but in actuality he is one of Hells most dangerous mafia bosses. He puts on his laid-back persona to hide that he is cruel and manipulative in actuality. He seems to be good friend with the Devil, but can he be trusted? His name is based on Judge Minor from Dante’s inferno.

DIABLO MANOR

Scylla Scylla is a hell-born, that takes on the form of a monstrous sea creature. They serve as Hectors right hand man; fulfilling any task that Hector ask of them. This mainly means him take care of Hector’s princely responsibilities for him. They generally do not talk much, and tend to keep to themselves for the most part. They are also not as actively violent as some of the other character, despite their appearance. You can see a glint of joy in their eyes though when a sinner is frightened by them. Their name is based off of the sea monster Scylla from Homers the Odyssey.

DIABLO MANOR

Bea A mysterious ghostly girl that “The Detective” Meets during his investigation into The Devil’s murder. No one else seems to be able to see her, and she seems to know more than she lets on. She acts as a guide for “The Detective” throughout the story, but can she be trusted? Her name is a combination of Beatrice’s and Medusas names from Dante’s Inferno.

DIABLO MANOR

Fran Fran is a demoness, and one of Averust’s most popular actresses. She originally started as a sinner from Wrath, but managed to claw her way through the social ranks of Hell by any means necessary. She eventually caught the attention of The Devil, and was granted her demon status in exchange for her becoming one of his many wives. She is hot tempered, quick witted, and knows how to get what she wants out of others. Despite all this though, she is actually a very insecure person, and is often ashamed of the lengths that she has had to go to get by in both her life on Earth and in Hell. Her name is based on Francesca from Dante’s Inferno.

DIABLO MANOR