Chapter 1

Midnight Sneak

A man leaned against a wooden post toward the edge of the encampment. He watched as the other members of his so called, "party" celebrated with the rogues around the fire. He could see Kianna dancing by the fire, her dark red hair spinning as she did and the firelight catching on her skin beautifully, a joyful smile on her face. Others watched the young woman as her feet seemed to kiss the ground for only a moment before moving on. Eventually, she pulled Arvis, the brave leader, up to dance with her. His face turned a light shade of pink from embarrassment and he begun to dance with the girl. Torrar and Devan in their drunken state began laughing at the man's obvious lack of rhythm. Soon enough the two of them began dancing as well, but with the alcohol in their systems they were even worse than Arvis. Nyasia sat on top of a chest, watching with an amused smile as almost everyone began to join in with the dancing.

"Aaron." The man's onyx eyes peered up into the deep brown eyes of his comrade.

"What is it Maiolaine?" He had hoped that staying out of the way would at least keep him out of everyone else's mind.

The younger woman crossed her arms. "Forgive me," she said in a joking tone, "I was just wondering why you were not with the others. Do you really enjoy being alone in the dark that much?"

Aaron sighed and stood up, "It is not that I enjoy being alone, I enjoy being out of sight and out of mind."

He began to walk away, leaving the blond to raise an eyebrow in question. "Isn't that the same as being alone, Aaron?"

She didn't get an answer as he just kept walking away. As he walked, Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and muttered, "I decided not to take a nap. That's how this whole thing started."

XOXOXOXOX

The moon looked down at the land from the night sky as a single man huddled under a tree. The long day of travel had left him exhausted and tired, not to mention all the Fallen he had come across here in the moor. Sleep would not come easily here though, with no tent and enemies lurking about, he could only wrap himself up in his dark cloak and hide in the shadows until morning.

He had just begun to drift to sleep when the sound of footsteps sent him on high alert. His hand that had been resting on his katar tightened around the handle in case it was another enemy. Slowly, he opened his eyes and spotted several women walking not too far away from where he sat.

"Lady Kashya, the demons are becoming stronger and more daring. It won't be long until even the encampment is no longer safe." It was the woman in the front who said this to the one who appeared to be their leader, Kashya.

"Yes, Flavie, I know. We tried to push them back the best we could but you know as well as I do they will only come again. We have found the cave, but their numbers are too great. We need to find a way to lure them out so that we are not overrun like the last time." There was a pause, indicating to their silent audience that they had tried once but failed miserably.

Flavie stopped walking and held her hand in a fist above her heart, "Lady Kashya, I request you let me seek out these demons and let me handle them."

"No." The tone in her leader's voice was enough to let Flavie know it was never going to happen. "I know you want to banish these hell-spawn back to the hell from once they came, but I will not let one of my finest Rogues go and die needlessly. We will find a way to vanquish them, but we must think before barging in recklessly."

The young Rogue scout just looked at the ground and nodded. Feeling ashamed for how out of place she had been. "Yes."

After that, the small group continued on their way to the encampment, leaving their unknown eavesdropper curious. On a whim, the man stood and continued after the group as a safe distance, using the shadows on the ground to blend in if one of them were to turn around. It was times like this he was grateful to have been trained in the ways of assassination.

After about twenty minutes of following them they came to the encampment. Rogues were posted all around the tall wall that had to be at least thirty feet high. Thick stones were piled up in the first ten or so feet of the wall for a sturdy base, the wood was nailed together to form the upper portion of the wall. All the young man could do was wonder what an encampment like this was doing all the way out here. It looked as if they had been there for weeks.

Curiosity getting the better of the young assassin and his nap long forgotten, he decided to get a better look inside the encampment. Not knowing who these people were or anything about them lead him to rely on his stealth once again to enter the camp. He inspected the wall, and the timing of the rouges guarding it. Once he had a good feel of when they would switch positions and pinpointed the best place to scale the wall quickly, he waited.

During the switch of the position he ran quickly and silently along the ground to the wall. With one jump, he was able to get a good foot hold on the rocks and pull himself like a spider up the rest of the way over it. Instead of climbing down, he simply dropped and rolled to soften the fall before checking his surroundings and crouching behind a short rock wall. A wall more for privacy than defense.

"And just who are you?"

The assassin nearly jumped out of his own skin before turning and drawing his katar at the owner of the voice. He was shocked that he had not noticed another person only a few meters away from him. He turned to see a young woman with long white hair brushed over her shoulder and pale skin to match. Icy blue eyes pierced his being as the two locked their gaze on one another. He couldn't make out much else about her since her long black robe hid most of her body but the skull shaped pin holding the top of the rob in place made him suspicious. Not to mention the aura around her had him on edge.

She raised a delicate white brow and asked again, "Who are you? Or can you not speak?"

Seeing that this girl was not going to attack him, he slowly put away his weapon and stood at full height. He noticed she was only a few inches shorter than him. "You give me your name and I'll give you mine."

"Oh, so Mister Claws can speak after all," she teased. "My name is Nyasia, now who might you be?"

Annoyed by her nickname for him he answered her anyway, "Aaron."

Nyasia hummed, "And why were you climbing the wall in the middle of the night, Aaron?"

"If you must know," Aaron began, seeing no reason to hide it now since he had been spotted, "I was simply curious and ended up following a group of women here. I didn't exactly know who they were and didn't want to get shot with an arrow, so I sneaked in, yes. Although, now I need a nap." He concluded that if he was not tired he wouldn't not have been caught.

The woman knew exactly who he was talking about. Kashya, Flavie and their small group of rogues had recently come back from their rounds and were not so happy. She knew that Kasha wouldn't be so happy about another out-lander joining the camp, that is if she didn't decide to get rid of him for trespassing. Though, Aarons truthfulness and ability to sneak in and climb the wall so quickly made her wonder if his skills could be used. With a little persuasion, perhaps the man before her could be used to help the rogues, and ultimately help her in the process. Nyasia nodded, "I see, well then, we should get you a bed." She turned and began walking further into the camp.

Arron looked at her, shock and confusion morphing his handsome features. He caught himself making the strange face and was thankful for the hood he wore. "You are not going to turn me into whoever is in charge?"

She stopped and turned toward him, "At the moment, no. Though, you owe me for this, remember that." She was about to turn around but stopped, "One more thing, put the hood down. It might help people not see you as a threat."

"How do you know I am not a threat?" Aaron questioned.

Nyasia snickered, "Come on, if you were here for a bad reason, you would have just attacked me the first chance you got. And, if you are lying, there are others here that I am sure could take care of you."

Aaron thought for a moment and decided to play along. Reaching up, he pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal short, messy black hair and a handsome face. His onyx eyes looked at the female with suspicion, curiosity, and a bit of annoyance.

"Now, was that so hard?" She turned and began walking again. Aaron followed her and did his best to keep his senses at high alert, at least for now.

The two walked further into the encampment. Aaron noticed tents and wagons across the camp. He spotted a few rogues along the inside walls, each with a bow and the same uniform. It appears they had indeed been here for a long while, not only were the wagons he could see unloaded, but the ground in places was worn down to dirt from just being walked on. When the two of them reached the middle of the encampment a roaring fire greeted them. Also, there to greet them was a middle-aged man. He was taller than average and wore a turban upon his head along with white and blue clothing that had obviously seen better days. He turned to the two adventurers and smiled. "Nyasia, who is your friend?"

"Aaron," he answered for himself before the woman could say it for him.

"He is new here. This is Warriv, a merchant and Caravan leader." Nyasia pointed out.

Warriv walked forward and help his hand out to the young man. Aaron took it and the two shared a firm handshake. Warriv smiled, he had a fighter's hands. Hands that knew the hilt of a weapon. "Greetings stranger, I'm not surprised to see your kind here. Many adventurers have come this was since the recent trouble began."

The two let each other go before Aaron looked at him curiously, "Troubles? Of what kind?"

The merchant gave him a surprised look, "No doubt you're heard about the tragedy that befell the town of Tristram. Some say that Diablo, the Lord of Terror, walks the world again."

Aaron's eyes widened, "What?" He had indeed been traveling for a while, but he had no idea something like this had happened. He was reluctant to believe it.

"I don't know if I believe that, but a dark wanderer did travel this route a few months ago. He was headed east to the mountain pass guarded by the Rouge Monastery. Maybe it's nothing, but evil seems to have trailed in his wake. You see, shortly after the wanderer went through, the Monastery's Gates to the pass were closed and strange creatures began ravaging the countryside."

"You mean those things out there weren't always here?" He jabbed his thumb toward the entrance of the camp, speaking about the Fallen he had come across during his time in the moor.

The older man shook his head, "not even close to this many. Once in a blue moon a demon or two can find their way into the world, but not like this. Bands of demons have driven the farmers away from their homes and even have been killed. People here, some of them are survivors, others were lucky and got out in time. I do not know of the current situation the rogues protecting the camp are in, but I am sure it is not good. There will to survive is one to be admired."

He nodded and took another look around before returning his gaze to the man before him. Warriv seemed to be a nice trustworthy man. Even though the two of them just met, first impressions go a long way.

Nyasia moved forward and looked at Warriv, "Our new friend needs a place to sleep, would you be willing to let him rest here near you?"

"Not at all," The Merchant turned and looked within his wagon before coming back out and handing Aaron an old bed roll. It wasn't much, but it was better than sleeping on the ground. "You can take this, and in case it starts to rain, feel free to go under the wagon. All the tents are full right now."

Sensing no ill will from the merchant, Aaron took the bed roll and decided to take the offer. Spreading the bed roll beneath the wagon, Aaron laid down on top of it and slept a fitful sleep.

XOXOXOXOX

The day grew into night over the small coastal city. Men, tired from their days out at sea, retire into their homes for the night to be with wives and children. Many stores close up shop, only to reopen again in the morning. Taverns stay open, always welcoming new travelers and visitors.

Unknown to most of the cities inhabitants, a young boy ran. He had no destination and no idea where he was headed, but he ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. The warm night air brushed past him as he jumped over obstacles and climbed up walls. As he just about reached the top of the wall, only a few feet away from his freedom, a knife lodged itself into the wall next to his head. The boy looked back quickly to see his pursuer looking up at him., knife poised to make the killing blow. He considered the eyes of the man he had once loved and respected like the father he never had, and silently dared him to make a move, fear still evident in his eyes.

Then the man did something the boy didn't expect. He slowly lowered the knife and placed it in the sheath on his belt before giving the boy a warning glare. Taking his chance, the boy sprang into action and hauled himself the last few feet over the wall and into the wilderness beyond. He knew at that moment he would never go home again, nor would his life be the same.


A/N (5/15/17) - HOLY SHIT ITS BEEN OVER A YEAR AND A HALF SINCE I WROTE THIS! (O_O)

A/N (9/5/15) - Hello everyone! This is a new story I am starting and I actually got this out sooner than I thought I would. This chapter is pretty simple and short. Though it did reach over 2,500 words! My goal for the next chapter is at least 5,000, but with how much I want to put into it, it could end up being closer to 10,000, possibly. Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors. I read through it, but I'm human, I'm gonna make a mistake. If you have a question, feel free to message me or leave a review!

Next chapter all the other characters mentioned at the beginning of this chapter will be introduced, plus we're gonna get into the first Quest! WHOOOOOO!

If you are a fan of D2 (I assume you are since you are here) then you should check out the story Wolfheart by AC-107. I honestly fell in love with it and read it all in less than three days. No joke. His story is better written than mine and was the inspiration to this story! If you see they are similar, sorry, but I have my own ideas and plans that are different than his. Still, go check it out if you are a D2 fan, he's got an awesome story that deserves more attention.

That's all for now! See you when I get another chapter done. Bu-bye~!

Edited - 5/15/17

Posted - 9/5/15