AN: I used Blood Raven because she is the only Rogue I know went down into the Monastery, and Ormus is the only Vizjerei name I know. I also use some adult themes later on in the story, if you aren't prepared to cope with them then don't read. Also I call the Dark Wanderer, Natas. If you can tell me why, then I will give you a prize.
Screams
by Hsi Chan
I knew something was wrong. The second that our hero, Natas, stepped from the Monastery, the Rogue Blood Raven holding up oneside, and Ormus the Vizjerei holding the other, I could tell something was wrong. He looked tired, although not a drop of sweat poured down his temples, he looked cold, but it was rather warm and he was in leather armor, but most importantly of all were his eyes.
When he came out of the Monastery his eyes held a haunted look, and all through the celebration we had for him his eyes held indifference. But it was weeks later, when I went to check on him, that I saw it. Where he eyes once held calmness there was only chaos, and when he looked at me his eyes held no affection only a towering hatred for me. In a hallow voice he said to me, "The time has come to leave this place. My brothers await me in the East. Their chains will bind no longer." His eyes burned will eternal hatred and for a split second, in the firelight he looked almost completely different, scaly and red, with what looked like horns.
But the moment passed, and I saw that the horns were just stray locks of hair, and he looked red from the firelight. I apologized for interupting and quickly left, I practically ran down the trail to my house, and I bolted the door. That night I had a vision, at first I thought it was a nightmare, but now I am convinced that it was a vision. I woke up in a cold sweat and I wanted very much to scream out, although what I wanted to yell I can't remember.
I beheld several men, some middle aged, some very young, and one who was ancient, he had blue tattoos on his face and a long white beard. Each man had his hands raised and white lightning was flowing from his hands, they were holding a great evil. It was monsterous! Twice as tall as a man, horns protruding from the back of his head, and instead of legs, he had only a cloud of smoke and his spine hung in the air. The old man then raised his hands and what looked like red smoke in the shapes of chains sprang from his hands and hit the demon.
The chains wrapped themselves around the beast, who I now know to be Mephisto, and slowly they pulled him to the earth, toward a blue stone that glowed and pulsed as he drew nearer. Than in a flash of light, Mephisto was pulled into the stone and was forever bound. But his voice, like a wind in the night, rang through the air, "BROTHER!"
I got out of my bed and walked to my table, cluttered with scrolls and books and although what not. I poured myself a glass of water from the pitcher and poured in some powder from a pouch on my table. It would keep me asleep a good three hours. I trudged back to my bed but this time another vision awoke me. This was far more horrible then the first.
I saw many young mages battling another demon, only this one was almost man-like, except he was almost skin and bone thin, and instead of hair he had tentacles, nearly twenty feet long, trailing behind him. He was calling forth fire from the earth, which swallowed many of the mages, and the mages were casting spells of immense magnitude. Destrustion spiraled around them in every conceivable form, and the demon let loose a horrific series of strikes against one mage in particular, the mage Tal Rasha.
He failed and quickly subdued by the mages, if only temporarily, but the golden Soulstone, which Tal Rasha carried was shattered! Tal Rasha, quickly picked up the largest shard he could find and ran to the demon-beast. He slit the monster's throat and as the spirit of Baal started to flee Tal Rasha jammed the shard into the wound. The spirit of Baal was sucked into the stone and the stone pulsed as if unable to contain Baal.
The Tal Rasha led us to a great tomb and deep in its recesses he instructed his brethren to construct a huge stone and place binding spells on it. When they were done something entered the tomb, a bright light and Tyrael suddenly entered, and with speed faster than anything I had ever seen he ran towards Tal Rasha, picked him up and slammed him against the binding stone. Before any of the mages could stop him Tyrael grabbed the shard of the Soulstone and buried it in Tal Rasha's chest.As Tyrael closed the doors to the tomb Baal, who had taken control of Tal Rasha, screamed in a horrific voice, "BROTHER!"
This time a did let out a scream as I woke up, and before I knew what I was doing I was running down the path to the Natas' house. The sun was just starting to rise, and I could only make out a shadow, but that was all I need I saw a cloaked man run out the front door and into the wilderness to the northeast of Tristram. I felt a cold shiver go up my spine and I feared the worst, well, not the worst, but I had feared that one of Diablo's denizens had killed Natas in his sleep. But when I reached the house there was no one in there.
That day I could help but feel as if everything had an air of doom around it. I went to see Adria, she had always seemed to be able to take care of herself, but she had that air of doom around her, as did her little daughter Celia. I went to see Pepin, Gillian, Ogden, and Farnham, but each had that same air. I went to see Griswold, and as I entered the shop Wirt the Peg-legged boy was leaving. When I entered I knew Griswold was doomed, his whole shop permeated that feeling of death. One table in particular reeked of evil, I had a good idea of why Wirt was always around Griswold shop, why Griswold always bought Wirt's dinner at the inn, and why this table had nail marks in it. Griswold was doomed.
Finally I went home and sat down by my fire. It was dusk when I had first heard the screams.
I opened my door and I saw Fallen rushing through the streets stabbing people with their spears. I saw poor little Wirt stabbed in his good leg and pulled down the street into God-Knows-Where. Griswold was in front of his shop with a huge hammer in his hands, but he was quickly shot down by arrows. Gillian was being raped by a pair of Goatmen, and I knew that they would kill her after having their fun. Pepin and Ogden both fell with spears from the Fallen, and Farnham was killed by a zombie. I saw the Fallen also raping Adria, and I saw several skeletons pull little Celia from her hiding place in a barrel, and slice her throat.
The Goatmen surrounded me, each holding a scythe in their hands. They didn't want to kill me for some reason, it might have been that they had been forbidden by Diablo. He would probably want to skin the last Horadrim alive himself, but whatever the reason the Goatmen beat me, and threw me in that cage.
I don't know how long I was in there but I do know that one day I heard a man yell out! "Deckard Cain, if you value you life leave this place!" And then the cage fell from its height into the mud, the door opened and I scrambled out, I quickly pulled a scroll out of my pocket and transported myself to the nearest settlement.
I followed that hero. Everyday of the journey I followed the hero. I assumed that by aiding the one who help me that I could somehow redeem myself, yet I still wake up at nights and remember the screams.