Saber Commotion
Charon started the day like any other saber cat. She bent down tentatively and carefully scooped a vase of water out of the closest oasis. She purred to herself, "Imagine; lead huntresses in training never have to do this kind of stuff. Well, it's all for the best. I would've liked to have Nai- Nai teach me though."
Nai-Nai was Charon's grandmother. She was the leader of her pride, and she did an excellent job of leading at that. They always had enough food, water, and clothing; and they were never troubled by hunters or (shudder) Sand Maggots.
Charon gripped the vase like a human child would his favorite teddy bear and trotted back to Nai-Nai. Nai-Nai was pale and gray haired, and her dulled and scuffed with age. But she had a way with weapons, and had been raising Charon ever since her mother had left with another male to start a new pride. One thing she and Charond didn't have in common with other saber cats, though, is that they knew how to use scythes.
"Hello, my little cactus flower!" hollered Nai-Nai as the little 10-year- old Charon bounced into sight.
Charon smiled cheerily, taking time to look at her reflection in the water vase she was holding. Her skin was orange, not the usual gray or red of most desert dwelling sabercats (this she inherited from her father, whoever he was). Her feet were too small to support her weight properly on the sands, and her hands were extremely paw-like, with stubby fingers and hardly any thumb. Her tail was too long, and her eyes where green instead of blue. Charon never really minded this, though; Nai-Nai had taught her well, telling her that looks can be deceiving. It's what's inside of you that counts. What this meant, Charon never knew, but she did get the point that appearance is not the most important thing in the world.
Nai-Nai stroked Charon's hair and took the water vase from her arms. Charon pricked her ears and smiled again, showing tiny fangs. Nai-Nai laughed and ran her claws through Charon's tangled mane of red locks, reminded of the days of when her hair was blonde underneath her Lead Huntress headdress.
They walked back to the pride's area together, talking of the early day and future hunts. The pride area was simply a section of the desert made of little stone dwellings stacked upon another, like an apartment building. There were three fire pits, one main one and two smaller ones. The main one was for the adults and Lead Huntress, which was Nai-Nai. One small fire pit was for children. The other was for the eldest ones, and little babies. Many of the shelters were stone, but some were cloth, for the mothers-to- be. This was so the babies born would have a soft outlook on life. A large caldron sat in the center of the pride area, where most of the water was kept. They shared this area with a few desert scavengers, which helped them hunt for food.
A large female came up to Charon and Nai-Nai. Charon recognized her as a Lead Huntress in training by her age, wardrobe, and tone of voice. Her name was Jdo-Jdo. She stood taller than both Charon and Nai-Nai by a few inches. Her dark gray skin was amplified by her leather-strap armor, and her sharp blues eyes could cut a person down faster than Charon or Nai-Nai's scythe. Her long, blonde hair was currently housing a dying cactus flower.
"Did you get the water, Mother?" asked Jdo-Jdo in an arrogant tone of voice. She was Charon's aunt.
"No need to trouble yourself," said Nai-Nai with a smirk. "I have it, Jody."
"I told you NEVER to call me Jody! That name is too human for anyone's taste!" roared Jdo-Jdo.
"Not Nai-Nai's. She can say it," answered Charon. "I can say it too, Aunt Jody!"
Jdo-Jdo growled as she took the water vase from Nai-Nai.
"May the gods forbid you have any children, Charon," whispered Jdo-Jdo.
"May the gods forbid you have another kid who has my name!" answered Charon.
"Now, little cactus flower, don't make fun of Jharon like that," giggled Nai-Nai.
"Well, he did steal my nam-" started Charon, but the ground started to rumble. Nai-Nai braced herself while Charon got her scythe ready.
Suddenly, the ground opened a small ways away from the main fire pit. A huge blast of yellow, swirling energy exploded from its depths. Another blast of energy exploded from the ground beside them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEE!!!!!!"
Charon screamed as Nai-Nai grabbed her and ran. All of the other saber cats started running towards them, screaming and howling and crying for mercy. A few desert scavengers, startled by the uproar, where flying overhead.
Nai-Nai screamed over the uproar, "EVERYONE, INTO THE CANYON AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"
A desert scavenger swooped down to Nai-Nai's face. The aged cat ordered the clawed vulture, "Get Charon out of here!"
Two scavengers picked Charon up by her shoulders and lifted her off of the ground. Charon looked back to Nai-Nai, teary eyed and confused.
"Find me after the storm!" Nai-Nai yelled to her granddaughter.
"OKAY!" Charon answered, still not understanding, before the scavengers carried her out of earshot.
The scavengers carried Charon for a long ways, communicating to eachother through chirps and moans. Charon fell asleep despite the strained feeling in her shoulders, and at some point in time-
The scavengers gave up on her and dropped her.
*****
Charon landed with a thud miles away from her pride area. Shaking her head, she looked around and saw a large, stone archway was above her. Lut Gholen was inscribed on it. It must've been one of those human areas that Jdo-Jdo had tried to warn her about. Charon, having never seen a human (or much else besides sabercats and desert scavengers), didn't know whether they were dangerous or not. But, she had a family to find, so she decided to try to find her way back to her pride area.
She stumbled backwards and bumped into a scarab beetle. Raw electricity ran through her body; she screamed and ran unwittingly into the town. She heard thousands gasp and some scream as she fell to her side, knocked off balance, numb and tingling. Some old lady screaming "Vile Beast!" hit Charon above the head. The frightened sabercat yelped and ran in the opposite direction and straight out of town. As she ran and ran and ran, her fatigue eventually caught up with her; it was as if something was weighing her down, like someone had strapped a boulder to her back.
Charon collasped to her knees, breathing deeply through her mouth. Something tickled her neck, and she lept onto her four paws and turned a 180 to see-
A little girl, no more than three, sitting on the derset sands as peaceful as a rock. Her robes were a dirty brown and in tatters, the name Veronica sewn into the right patch of chest. Her eyes were impossibly big and blue. Her hair was blonde, and she was impossibly big and pale. Charon gasped.
The girl replied, "Lookit the kitty!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Charon jumped higher than she had ever jumped before, scaring both herself and Veronica.
"Ah! Humans can talk!" she yelped. "I didn't know humans can talk! This's freaky! Nai-Nai!"
Charon tried to run, only to be grabbed around her ankles by little Veronica. She fell over.
"KITTY! Play with kitty!" squealed Veronica, "Kitty, kitty, pretty kitty! Kitty!"
Charon rolled her eyes and stared at Veronica.
"Is 'Kitty' all you can say?" she asked.
"Kitty pretty kitty!"
Charon felt her stomach twist into a knot. If Veronica was here with her, she would have to bring her back home. She couldn't go back to her pride with a human with her. Aunt Jody'd kill her!
"And this kid didn't do anything wrong!" she told herself, surprised at her last remark.
"La la la la kitty. Ah, bug!" screamed Veronica.
Charon jumped as a Sand Maggot crawled from the ground. She readied her scythe. The Sand Maggot wheezed and gasped, "Snrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeelrrraaaaaaaa lyraaaaalllllllllleeeeeeeeee squeeeeeeeeelltthhhhhhhh estttthhhhhhhhrew!!!!!!"
"YIPE!" yelled Charon. Veronica squealed and grabbed a stick. They both beat the Sand Maggot until it exploded. They shared an, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWW!!!"
Charon looked at Veronica blankly and Veronica laughed.
"Well, I guess I gotta take you home now," sighed Charon.
"Kitty want?" asked Veronica, giving her the stick.
"NO! It's got bug gots on it! Ew!" snapped Charon, throwing the stick away. Veronica went and fetched it.
"Quish mo' buggies!" she screamed as she ran back to Charon.
*_%*_%*_%*_%*_%*_%*
"Hey, watsur name?" asked Charon after a while. Veronica was riding on her back.
Veronica pointed to her name embroidered on her robes.
"I can't read your language," sighed Charon, slightly growling.
"Momma say 'point'. I point," recited Veronica, pointing at her name.
"You need a name, then!" Charon giggled. She sketched a pretty, swirly design into the sand with her paw. "How about this name? This name is called 'Piozu', it means 'still learning'."
"Kitty, funny!" squealed Veronica.
"THAT'S IT!" laughed Charon, "I'm callin' you 'Kitty'!"
"KITTY!" yelled Veronica, throwing her arms in the air. Her robes nearly fell off, and Charon sighed.
"Looks like you need knew clothes," she said.
They explored, and finally found a leather breastplate that covered Kitty to her thighs. They also found her crown, and an amulet to wear just because it was pretty. They reached Lut Gholen by some miracle, and they heard two women talking.
"I heard them say it was too much for her. Veronica's mother moved to a place called 'The Rogue Encampment'. She even said she would go and fight some local demon."
"I know, you heard correctly. Poor thing, Veronica was barely even dressed when she was kidnapped by that dreadful abomination of a creature."
"Hey, are you that 'Veronica' thingy?" Charon asked.
"My name Kitty," squealed Kitty, crossing her arms.
"Well, I gotta give you back to your Momma, so I guess we're going to the Rogue's place."
"Momma," sighed Kitty.
Charon lowered her tail and sighed. She knew how Kitty felt. Nai-Nai must've been having a heart attack. Charon missed her grandmother terribly. But, she had to keep going. She was responsible for making sure that Kitty got back to her mother. She sneaked into the town, and slipped through the waypoint, not seen by anyone (expect for maybe a chicken, who Charon chased into the waypoint with her).
The Rogues, never seeing a saber cat, greeted Charon with a small bit of welcome. Even Kashya, who couldn't stand most people, was a cat lover. They gave Charon food and water, and Kitty some decent clothes (she insisted on keeping her breastplate, though). The thought of Kitty's mother nearly went from Charon's mind, but Kitty had to ask.
"Where's Momma?" she pleaded.
"Oh dear," moaned Akara. "Do you mean the woman who came from Jut Gholen?"
"Uh, I think so," Charon nodded.
Many of the Rogues bowed their heads, and Charon knew what was wrong. Kitty didn't.
"She was slain, by Andariel. Warric told us of you and Veronica-"
"KITTY!" they both screamed, simultaneously.
"Kitty, then." Akara straightened her robe. "He told us of you stumbling into town; only pure hearted creatures can enter Lut Gholien."
"Is that how it's pronounced?" asked Charon, her eyes wide.
"No, but I like saying it that way," laughed Akara.
A town portal opened in the middle of town, and Charon jumped in shock.
"Have you never seen a town portal?" Akara asked.
"Nuh-uh!" Charon trotted towards the portal, dragging Kitty behind her with her tail.
Out of the portal stepped Deckard Cain. Although at first his body gave a slight, fearful jerk, he smiled when he saw Charon and Kitty.
"You are not tainted by Diablo. Good. You truly are an inspiration to others of your kind."
"What's a 'Diablo'?" wondered Charon. Kashya explained Charon's story to Cain, and he smiled.
"My friend, you are brave to return Vero- Kitty to her mother before you venture back to your family. The other's will not harm you, I believe."
Another town portal opened, scaring Charon again. Kitty ran and hugged Charon around one ankle. One paladin, a sorceress, a barbarian, a necromancer, and his minions (two skeletons) came through the portal. They looked at Charon with hatred, angered that they could not kill her while within the camp. Except for the paladin.
"HALT, all of you!" he said to his party members. They stopped staring at Charon and started staring at him. The paladin kneeled before the sabercat, causing her to feel... strange. She took a step backward. Kitty hit the paladin with her stick (which she had carried through the whole ordeal), but his armor was so thick he didn't notice. "I am Dakum, the paladin. You are within the encampment, monster of the desert. What brings you here?"
Charon blinked. "I'm helping Kitty find her Momma."
"Kitty!" squealed the toddler.
"I sense not the presence of Diablo in you, monster. Give me your hand for just a moment."
Charon reluctantly gave Dakum her paw, and he closed his eyes and began to chant.
"Oh, great lord of Zakarum, release any bounds of evil that might be holding this girl. Heal, evil monster, Return to peace!"
Dakum gave the bridge of Charon's flat nose a hard jab with his fingers. She recoiled and held her face in pain. "Owee!"
"You are cleansed!" Dakum rejoiced, throwing his hands in the air.
The sorceress behind Dakum rolled her eyes, and the necromancer whispered into her ear, "I think our paladin friend's gone a little nutty."
The barbarian whispered into her other ear. "Been throwin' back a bit too much Holy Water."
"Undoubtedly," mumbled the sorceress.
"I ask you, cleansed cat!" Dakum held out a strong, burly hand. "Will you join us in our quest to fight Diablo?"
Charon blinked again and turned to Kitty. "Do you know who Diablo is?"
"Uh uh," Kitty shook her head.
"If you help us, we'll help you find Kitty's mother's soul!" Dakum coaxed.
She shook his hand in allegiance.
Charon started the day like any other saber cat. She bent down tentatively and carefully scooped a vase of water out of the closest oasis. She purred to herself, "Imagine; lead huntresses in training never have to do this kind of stuff. Well, it's all for the best. I would've liked to have Nai- Nai teach me though."
Nai-Nai was Charon's grandmother. She was the leader of her pride, and she did an excellent job of leading at that. They always had enough food, water, and clothing; and they were never troubled by hunters or (shudder) Sand Maggots.
Charon gripped the vase like a human child would his favorite teddy bear and trotted back to Nai-Nai. Nai-Nai was pale and gray haired, and her dulled and scuffed with age. But she had a way with weapons, and had been raising Charon ever since her mother had left with another male to start a new pride. One thing she and Charond didn't have in common with other saber cats, though, is that they knew how to use scythes.
"Hello, my little cactus flower!" hollered Nai-Nai as the little 10-year- old Charon bounced into sight.
Charon smiled cheerily, taking time to look at her reflection in the water vase she was holding. Her skin was orange, not the usual gray or red of most desert dwelling sabercats (this she inherited from her father, whoever he was). Her feet were too small to support her weight properly on the sands, and her hands were extremely paw-like, with stubby fingers and hardly any thumb. Her tail was too long, and her eyes where green instead of blue. Charon never really minded this, though; Nai-Nai had taught her well, telling her that looks can be deceiving. It's what's inside of you that counts. What this meant, Charon never knew, but she did get the point that appearance is not the most important thing in the world.
Nai-Nai stroked Charon's hair and took the water vase from her arms. Charon pricked her ears and smiled again, showing tiny fangs. Nai-Nai laughed and ran her claws through Charon's tangled mane of red locks, reminded of the days of when her hair was blonde underneath her Lead Huntress headdress.
They walked back to the pride's area together, talking of the early day and future hunts. The pride area was simply a section of the desert made of little stone dwellings stacked upon another, like an apartment building. There were three fire pits, one main one and two smaller ones. The main one was for the adults and Lead Huntress, which was Nai-Nai. One small fire pit was for children. The other was for the eldest ones, and little babies. Many of the shelters were stone, but some were cloth, for the mothers-to- be. This was so the babies born would have a soft outlook on life. A large caldron sat in the center of the pride area, where most of the water was kept. They shared this area with a few desert scavengers, which helped them hunt for food.
A large female came up to Charon and Nai-Nai. Charon recognized her as a Lead Huntress in training by her age, wardrobe, and tone of voice. Her name was Jdo-Jdo. She stood taller than both Charon and Nai-Nai by a few inches. Her dark gray skin was amplified by her leather-strap armor, and her sharp blues eyes could cut a person down faster than Charon or Nai-Nai's scythe. Her long, blonde hair was currently housing a dying cactus flower.
"Did you get the water, Mother?" asked Jdo-Jdo in an arrogant tone of voice. She was Charon's aunt.
"No need to trouble yourself," said Nai-Nai with a smirk. "I have it, Jody."
"I told you NEVER to call me Jody! That name is too human for anyone's taste!" roared Jdo-Jdo.
"Not Nai-Nai's. She can say it," answered Charon. "I can say it too, Aunt Jody!"
Jdo-Jdo growled as she took the water vase from Nai-Nai.
"May the gods forbid you have any children, Charon," whispered Jdo-Jdo.
"May the gods forbid you have another kid who has my name!" answered Charon.
"Now, little cactus flower, don't make fun of Jharon like that," giggled Nai-Nai.
"Well, he did steal my nam-" started Charon, but the ground started to rumble. Nai-Nai braced herself while Charon got her scythe ready.
Suddenly, the ground opened a small ways away from the main fire pit. A huge blast of yellow, swirling energy exploded from its depths. Another blast of energy exploded from the ground beside them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEE!!!!!!"
Charon screamed as Nai-Nai grabbed her and ran. All of the other saber cats started running towards them, screaming and howling and crying for mercy. A few desert scavengers, startled by the uproar, where flying overhead.
Nai-Nai screamed over the uproar, "EVERYONE, INTO THE CANYON AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"
A desert scavenger swooped down to Nai-Nai's face. The aged cat ordered the clawed vulture, "Get Charon out of here!"
Two scavengers picked Charon up by her shoulders and lifted her off of the ground. Charon looked back to Nai-Nai, teary eyed and confused.
"Find me after the storm!" Nai-Nai yelled to her granddaughter.
"OKAY!" Charon answered, still not understanding, before the scavengers carried her out of earshot.
The scavengers carried Charon for a long ways, communicating to eachother through chirps and moans. Charon fell asleep despite the strained feeling in her shoulders, and at some point in time-
The scavengers gave up on her and dropped her.
*****
Charon landed with a thud miles away from her pride area. Shaking her head, she looked around and saw a large, stone archway was above her. Lut Gholen was inscribed on it. It must've been one of those human areas that Jdo-Jdo had tried to warn her about. Charon, having never seen a human (or much else besides sabercats and desert scavengers), didn't know whether they were dangerous or not. But, she had a family to find, so she decided to try to find her way back to her pride area.
She stumbled backwards and bumped into a scarab beetle. Raw electricity ran through her body; she screamed and ran unwittingly into the town. She heard thousands gasp and some scream as she fell to her side, knocked off balance, numb and tingling. Some old lady screaming "Vile Beast!" hit Charon above the head. The frightened sabercat yelped and ran in the opposite direction and straight out of town. As she ran and ran and ran, her fatigue eventually caught up with her; it was as if something was weighing her down, like someone had strapped a boulder to her back.
Charon collasped to her knees, breathing deeply through her mouth. Something tickled her neck, and she lept onto her four paws and turned a 180 to see-
A little girl, no more than three, sitting on the derset sands as peaceful as a rock. Her robes were a dirty brown and in tatters, the name Veronica sewn into the right patch of chest. Her eyes were impossibly big and blue. Her hair was blonde, and she was impossibly big and pale. Charon gasped.
The girl replied, "Lookit the kitty!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Charon jumped higher than she had ever jumped before, scaring both herself and Veronica.
"Ah! Humans can talk!" she yelped. "I didn't know humans can talk! This's freaky! Nai-Nai!"
Charon tried to run, only to be grabbed around her ankles by little Veronica. She fell over.
"KITTY! Play with kitty!" squealed Veronica, "Kitty, kitty, pretty kitty! Kitty!"
Charon rolled her eyes and stared at Veronica.
"Is 'Kitty' all you can say?" she asked.
"Kitty pretty kitty!"
Charon felt her stomach twist into a knot. If Veronica was here with her, she would have to bring her back home. She couldn't go back to her pride with a human with her. Aunt Jody'd kill her!
"And this kid didn't do anything wrong!" she told herself, surprised at her last remark.
"La la la la kitty. Ah, bug!" screamed Veronica.
Charon jumped as a Sand Maggot crawled from the ground. She readied her scythe. The Sand Maggot wheezed and gasped, "Snrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeelrrraaaaaaaa lyraaaaalllllllllleeeeeeeeee squeeeeeeeeelltthhhhhhhh estttthhhhhhhhrew!!!!!!"
"YIPE!" yelled Charon. Veronica squealed and grabbed a stick. They both beat the Sand Maggot until it exploded. They shared an, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWW!!!"
Charon looked at Veronica blankly and Veronica laughed.
"Well, I guess I gotta take you home now," sighed Charon.
"Kitty want?" asked Veronica, giving her the stick.
"NO! It's got bug gots on it! Ew!" snapped Charon, throwing the stick away. Veronica went and fetched it.
"Quish mo' buggies!" she screamed as she ran back to Charon.
*_%*_%*_%*_%*_%*_%*
"Hey, watsur name?" asked Charon after a while. Veronica was riding on her back.
Veronica pointed to her name embroidered on her robes.
"I can't read your language," sighed Charon, slightly growling.
"Momma say 'point'. I point," recited Veronica, pointing at her name.
"You need a name, then!" Charon giggled. She sketched a pretty, swirly design into the sand with her paw. "How about this name? This name is called 'Piozu', it means 'still learning'."
"Kitty, funny!" squealed Veronica.
"THAT'S IT!" laughed Charon, "I'm callin' you 'Kitty'!"
"KITTY!" yelled Veronica, throwing her arms in the air. Her robes nearly fell off, and Charon sighed.
"Looks like you need knew clothes," she said.
They explored, and finally found a leather breastplate that covered Kitty to her thighs. They also found her crown, and an amulet to wear just because it was pretty. They reached Lut Gholen by some miracle, and they heard two women talking.
"I heard them say it was too much for her. Veronica's mother moved to a place called 'The Rogue Encampment'. She even said she would go and fight some local demon."
"I know, you heard correctly. Poor thing, Veronica was barely even dressed when she was kidnapped by that dreadful abomination of a creature."
"Hey, are you that 'Veronica' thingy?" Charon asked.
"My name Kitty," squealed Kitty, crossing her arms.
"Well, I gotta give you back to your Momma, so I guess we're going to the Rogue's place."
"Momma," sighed Kitty.
Charon lowered her tail and sighed. She knew how Kitty felt. Nai-Nai must've been having a heart attack. Charon missed her grandmother terribly. But, she had to keep going. She was responsible for making sure that Kitty got back to her mother. She sneaked into the town, and slipped through the waypoint, not seen by anyone (expect for maybe a chicken, who Charon chased into the waypoint with her).
The Rogues, never seeing a saber cat, greeted Charon with a small bit of welcome. Even Kashya, who couldn't stand most people, was a cat lover. They gave Charon food and water, and Kitty some decent clothes (she insisted on keeping her breastplate, though). The thought of Kitty's mother nearly went from Charon's mind, but Kitty had to ask.
"Where's Momma?" she pleaded.
"Oh dear," moaned Akara. "Do you mean the woman who came from Jut Gholen?"
"Uh, I think so," Charon nodded.
Many of the Rogues bowed their heads, and Charon knew what was wrong. Kitty didn't.
"She was slain, by Andariel. Warric told us of you and Veronica-"
"KITTY!" they both screamed, simultaneously.
"Kitty, then." Akara straightened her robe. "He told us of you stumbling into town; only pure hearted creatures can enter Lut Gholien."
"Is that how it's pronounced?" asked Charon, her eyes wide.
"No, but I like saying it that way," laughed Akara.
A town portal opened in the middle of town, and Charon jumped in shock.
"Have you never seen a town portal?" Akara asked.
"Nuh-uh!" Charon trotted towards the portal, dragging Kitty behind her with her tail.
Out of the portal stepped Deckard Cain. Although at first his body gave a slight, fearful jerk, he smiled when he saw Charon and Kitty.
"You are not tainted by Diablo. Good. You truly are an inspiration to others of your kind."
"What's a 'Diablo'?" wondered Charon. Kashya explained Charon's story to Cain, and he smiled.
"My friend, you are brave to return Vero- Kitty to her mother before you venture back to your family. The other's will not harm you, I believe."
Another town portal opened, scaring Charon again. Kitty ran and hugged Charon around one ankle. One paladin, a sorceress, a barbarian, a necromancer, and his minions (two skeletons) came through the portal. They looked at Charon with hatred, angered that they could not kill her while within the camp. Except for the paladin.
"HALT, all of you!" he said to his party members. They stopped staring at Charon and started staring at him. The paladin kneeled before the sabercat, causing her to feel... strange. She took a step backward. Kitty hit the paladin with her stick (which she had carried through the whole ordeal), but his armor was so thick he didn't notice. "I am Dakum, the paladin. You are within the encampment, monster of the desert. What brings you here?"
Charon blinked. "I'm helping Kitty find her Momma."
"Kitty!" squealed the toddler.
"I sense not the presence of Diablo in you, monster. Give me your hand for just a moment."
Charon reluctantly gave Dakum her paw, and he closed his eyes and began to chant.
"Oh, great lord of Zakarum, release any bounds of evil that might be holding this girl. Heal, evil monster, Return to peace!"
Dakum gave the bridge of Charon's flat nose a hard jab with his fingers. She recoiled and held her face in pain. "Owee!"
"You are cleansed!" Dakum rejoiced, throwing his hands in the air.
The sorceress behind Dakum rolled her eyes, and the necromancer whispered into her ear, "I think our paladin friend's gone a little nutty."
The barbarian whispered into her other ear. "Been throwin' back a bit too much Holy Water."
"Undoubtedly," mumbled the sorceress.
"I ask you, cleansed cat!" Dakum held out a strong, burly hand. "Will you join us in our quest to fight Diablo?"
Charon blinked again and turned to Kitty. "Do you know who Diablo is?"
"Uh uh," Kitty shook her head.
"If you help us, we'll help you find Kitty's mother's soul!" Dakum coaxed.
She shook his hand in allegiance.