Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo2-Lord of Destruction or Lord Of The Rings, They belong to Blizzard Entertainment and J.R.R Tolkien.
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We have been fighting since before I can remember, I met my fellow sisters at the battle of Tristram and there we cut through Diablos army like a hot knife through butter, yet we were not the one to kill the foul Lord of Terror, nay some poor fool beat us to him and was corrupted by this Prime evils powerful soul stone.
So now my sisters and I travel, seeking this dark wanderer who seems to be able to call upon the Terrors minions. First we arrived in a small encampment, which was under the protection of The Sister hood of the Sightless Eye. There we beat the hell Bitch Andariel back into the shadows that she was brought forth to this world from.
My sister Yuko, the only assassin I would travel with, took down this Minion of the greater evil with a series of blasts from one of her Traps, Wake of Fire. When the wench lit up in a pillar of fire, we raised our weapons above our head, a solute to the victorious dead who helped us get to this place under the corrupted cathedral.
Yuko, Akari and I traveled to Lut Gholein, east across the large stretch of desert called Aranoch but when we reached the only harbor town that offers safe journey across the twin seas, we noticed that it did fair a little better then the rogue encampment but the mercenaries that guarded it were either in the inn recovering from a wound or two from the saber cats or they were guarding some fool of a paladin who was trying to kill a sand maggot with his worthless scepter.
We ran quest upon quest for the dying people of Lut Gholein only to find that Tal Rasha the Mage that carried Baal, Lord of Destructions golden soul stone was already gone, disappeared with his foul brethren after battling with the Arch Angel Tyrael. The angel met us and told us of what had transpired there prior to our arrival and our defeat of the monster Duriel.
With heavy hearts we travelled east again, across the twin seas and down the river Argentek to the ruined city of Kurast. The legendary city that use to glisten with power and beauty was now using its last breath and every ounce of power to stave off the evading jungle, its there in this dying capital that we caught our first glance at the dark wanderer.
He stood still at the boarder of the city, staring into the jungle as if calling upon some unknown power. His drab tan cloak covered him from head to toe and the only piece of flesh showing was his bony marble-like hands and his distorted nails. His voice had an unearthly quality to it as he kept slowly driving the native animals and people crazed with the power he dosed each word with.
Before we could get in a single strike he disappeared in a show of fire and lightning and left in his place were half a dozen flesh eater from the Plains of Despair, my gemmed and jeweled staff quickly dispatched those loathsome beings for they could even breath a single battle cry.
We traveled through small towns that had been taken over by the small demons called Fetishes, for some odd reason Akari would laugh out loud whenever I said their name. Can't blame her after all she is a Amazon and a Bow-zon at that so maybe pulling that string back all the time messes with her head….
We traveled to the city when the dark council sat, their twisted magic sealing the entrance to the Lord of Hatreds halls. It was in that shining moment, when we were starting to get beaten down, arrows fell from the sky like the wrath of Tyrael himself and they hit their target followed by a stream of ice blasts that froze the remaining monsters in their tracks.
An Iron wolf whose name I remembered to be Lucan and two rogues I met just briefly at the encampment ran up, weapons held steady in front of them like they were charging into the Lord of Terrors domain, in a way we were.
Noki, a small rogue whose very attitude matched Akari's, held the ability to imbue her arrows with a cold spell so that on contact it froze them in their place, yet with her low ability she could only imbue a few before she grew tired. This girl intrigued me for she could be no older then 19 but since the hostile take over of her home territory her spirit seemed to have aged beyond all belief.
The other rogue Uskei, seemed to get attached to Yuko, both shy and naive in the way of the world but when forced in to the position to fight, both would attack in a way that only possessing a warrior spirit could. She was a little older then Noki, around 20, 21 give or take a few years and with her level a little higher and more experience in imbuing weapons, she cast fire upon her arrows and burnt whoever got between her and her new mistress.
When I saw Lucan I knew he was a battle-hardened soul who saw the world through jaded eyes. No longer did he see in black or white, good or evil but a shade of gray. He knew what had to be done and for the greater good, if anything got in his way they would meet the end of his sword. His cynical and sarcastic attitude made me feel at home in his presence, like an older brother who just came home from war.
We battle Mephisto, but not before his brothers disappeared. The portal to hell was open. The blood we shed only seemed to delight him and our hatred for him fueled his power to the point where we were almost backed into a wall but when both side were sensing an end, he stuck out at Yuko leaving his demonic heart open for attack. We took that opening and sliced through his rib cage like a barbarians ax through a defenseless beast.
Even with his last breath he condoned us to eternal torment at the hands of his monstrous brother Baal. "He will break your body, he will break your spirit and all that will be left when the destruction is done will be your pitiful weapons"
As we walked by his cooling body to the gate to hell, I was struck by the thought that one or more of us might die and in hell it was very possible that someone would. The portal was a reddish color but if you looked closely it was made up of millions upon millions of souls who were condemned to be the three's servants for all eternity. Poor fools. I shall weep for them.
I realized with great sadness as I thought to my home, that I would never see my forest again or help the new recruits adjust to living without their families. It was my last thought before I stepped across the thresh hold and no longer did the dead bones crunch under my boots or the sounds of wailing souls hit me like a mauls, only the ocean like sound of the swirling portal.
The Pandemonium Gate is where we landed, the last remaining out post against the dark tidal wave of evil that crashed against its steps. Few paladins littered its marble floors, either resting or preparing for another wave of attacks upon the fortress and in the corner stood the Arch Angel himself. A quest was his request; we had to save the soul of a fallen angel, so we did. He thanked us and told us that he hoped for the best, even angels could be pessimistic.
We entered the Chaos Sanctuary where Diablo laid in wait, his demonic body under the pentagram in the centre of the room, which opened up after we unlock all five of the seals and fought his three generals, the ground shook as the Lord of Terror rose into this room, his red body crackled with energy. Terror indeed.
We killed this so called Lord of Terror my Meteor smashed into his already tired body and if he was left alive after that then he burned to death from my fires. The armor that was left as his corpse burned to ash was a nice high-level mage plate and mage fist gauntlets, all which powered me up more.
When we arrived back at the Out post, Tyrael was amazed that three mortal woman had defeated Terror in his sanctuary but his amazement was short lived when he felt the need to tell us of Baal, The last of the Prime evils and Lord of Destruction. The monster had traveled to the sacred mountain of Arreat where the Barbarian Tribes of the Northern steppes took up resident. The Children of Bul-Kathos, a king of old, guarded this mountain with their very primal spirit and it is forbidden for an outsider to travel in their territory. Tyrael never knew what the Barbarian Tribes were capable of doing, if Baal wouldn't kill us then those axe swinging howler monkeys would.
Creating a portal, he whisked us off to a small fortress of Harrogath at the base of Mt. Arreat and placed us not so gently down beside a healers hut, an old barbarian woman by the name of Malah. She healed our wounds and told us of some of the people in this dead place.
Larzuk, the black smith of Harrogath seemed a few arrows short of a quiver if you catch my drift but his smith work, a sight to behold and certainly something else to use and wear. Qual-Kehk, besides Malah must have been the oldest fighter left; in essence he is the one standing between Harrogath and ultimate destruction. Then there was Nihlathak, a necromancer if I ever met one and how one so tainted lived in the shadow of the world stone without trying to corrupt it, I will never know. His name alone is like a viral infestation that is seeping through this once prideful place and if someone has to talk about him, his name is said with no more then a whisper.
We battled for the freedom for the Tribes, we shed our blood along side these primal warriors and for over 5 months they had never ceased amazing us. Once we had thought them brutes until Qual-Kehk showed us the simple act of a Battle Command, such a loud roar that rallied the remaining barbarians, seeming to strengthen them and weakened our enemies with fear.
The only way that the Barbarians would even think of allowing us to enter Mt. Arreat was to face the spirits of the Nephalem or Ancients that guarded the entrance from all those unworthy to walk the path of the world stone, at the summit of the holy mountain. The Ancients were three of the best Barbarian fighters of old, each possessing one or two of the best abilities that a barbarian could achieve.
Their dissembled voices bellowed in the hollow pits that only a barbarian could think is holy, three against my three but unlike those barbarians we have had over a 4 years fighting the prime evils and their minions. Whilst they slept until they are challenged, we had to fight in every waking hour, whither defending some hapless Amazon who had stumble into a mess of monsters who were to tough for her or building barricades around outposts and cities to keep the starving wilderness at bay.
When Akari pressed her hand against the granite Alter of Heavens, a light had engulfed the three statues. Talic the Defender, Madawc the Guardian and Korlic the Protector were awakened and shining with power, knowledge and age. Their three voices rang out in the cool crisp air
"We are the spirits of the Nephalem, the Ancient ones. We have been chosen to guard the sacred Mount Arreat, wherein the World Stone rests. Few are worth to stand in its presence; fewer still can comprehend its true purpose. Before you enter, you must defeat us"(1)
Charming eh? Yuko thought so as she laid trap after trap at the ancients' feet, slowly burning their armor and exposed skin. Akari wasn't to impressed as she flitted her bow and shot at Talic who deflected the arrow with a shrug. I wasn't fairing to well, I admit that now, in retrospect I was getting my butt handed to me on a silver platter.
The two other pounded relentlessly onto the barbarian trio while I happened to be the distraction. A broken arm, Gash on the face, sprained wrist and ankle later we had defeated the three and sadly enough, Yuko and Akari were fine.
We watched as their bodies slowly became mist and appeared on their ornate pedestals, no longer did they shine but a drab stone gray and once again their Otherworldly voice rang out.
" You are a worthy hero! We augment your skill and grant you entry to the interior of Mount Arreat, where-in lies the Worldstone. Beware. You will not be alone. Baal, the Lord of Destruction, is already inside. The Archangel Tyrael has always been our benefactor, but even he cannot help us now. For Baal blocks Tyreals spiritual presence from entering the chamber of the Worldstone. Only you, mortal, have the power to defeat Baal now. Baal threatens the Worldstone-and through it, the mortal realm, itself. You must stop him before he gains full control of the sacred stone. With it in his control, Baal could shatter the boundaries between this world and the burning hells, thus allowing the hordes of the Prime evils to pour forth into the mortal realm like an unstoppable tide! If you are weak, the world as you know it could be lost forever. You must NOT fail!"(2)
The sound of scrapping metal reached our ears as the solid bars moved from the entrance of the Worldstone keep, allowing us to venture into its foul depth. The air was stale and left an after taste of brimstone in the mouth. There only was enough light, natural light, to see no more then 5 meters ahead, luckily for us Akari had her inner sight wide open so we could see any potential threat.
We crossed monsters feasting upon some poor barbarians and other heroes who had fallen to their hordes, their corpses ripped and mutilated. We wreaked bloody revenge for the fallen that had gotten this far. When the monsters were destroyed, we would burn the carcass so the soul would be free to travel to the great beyond, no longer trapped in a shrinking shell.
We sent Greater hell spawns, Vile witches, fetid defilers, Menace worms and Death lords back to the burning hells, to suffer and rot in defeat. My Leaf staff pushed fire into the bone of the demonic bodies, slowly burning them to ash so that these once holy walls would no longer be filled by their filth. So that this once sacred place might gain back its pride.
Lucan and the others trailed behind us, ever watchful, ever guarding. Their weapons ready for a good fight but the exhaustion on their faces showed how weary of this battle they really were. The sisters' bows held small dints from when they were forced to use them as weapons to fend off a horde that ate up all their arrows and Lucan's sword was almost damaged beyond repair, cracks ran though the steel showing that beating on armor was not going to kill the monster, just piss it off. He found out that hitting a Death lord in the chest, across the solid plate mail, would only piss it off, not kill it. The stitched up cut on his cheek was proof.
When we reached the throne of destruction, we were bloodied and beaten but still ready to send any of the Prime evils minions back to hell. It was at that point when I quickly gazed at my rag tag group and realized that they had become my family. The hard ships that we had been though forged a bond greater then anything, and right now we were about to face the greatest evil this world has ever seen, and if we did not defeat it then the world was condemned to eternal suffering.
I opened a town portal, a blue scroll that I pulled from my bag, and ushered everyone through it. Once we healed at Old Malah's hut, we walked towards the swirling blue vortex and toward judgment, our hearts beat in sync and our weapons clasped in sweaty grips.
The mortal realm now rested on our shoulders, and for once, it is the mortals that are going to be the champions of the realm. We are the champions, sent forth to face destruction and stop it in its path, to save the world and preserve its innocence. We will win, or we will die trying.
TBC(1)Page 162 of the Diablo 2 Ultimate strategy guide
(2)Page 163 of the Diablo 2 Ultimate strategy guide
Bow-zon: there are two types of Amazon in Diablo2, a Javelin Amazon who primarily uses Javelins and Spears, and then there is a Bow Amazon or Bow-Zon who primarily use Bows or Crossbows.