Amor Vincit Omnia

(Love Conquers All)

Scattered Memories

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ! If you are thinking of diving into this story, but have not read my suuuper-long Diablo epic Amor Vincit Omnia (AVO for short) then this will make very little sense. Indulge at your own risk. For all my AVO fans, welcome! This requires some explanation. I've been wanting to post this for ages, but have never gotten around to it. Basically, this is Baal's perspective on how he and Saiya met and got to know each other. I intended to cover only the important scenes, but I quickly realized that pretty much all the scenes in the story are "important", so I kinda stopped. BUT ... by way of an apology for taking so long to produce new chapters for Book III, I thought that I would give you something to mull over in the meantime.

I don't intend to write any more on this on my own initiative, but I'm perfectly willing to update with requested scenes! So, if there's something you're dying to see from another character's POV (doesn't even have to be Baal, I'll do it for anyone...) then just say the word! My goal is to create sort of an anthology with this spin-off, so just send me reviews or messages with your requests, and I'll make it happen. :D

Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for checking this out! Dr. Kitten

A volcano was erupting in Baal's skull. Lava flowed behind his eyelids, sending up showers of dancing sparks that seared into his brain. He could not for the life of him understand the source of this profound discomfort, which was all the more worrying because it was accompanied by a loss of immediate memory. The last thing he was sure of was cresting a hill to see a lush forest sprawling ahead of him, with the lapis waters of a river snaking through the trees.

Everything after that was shrouded in fog. He thought he recalled starting the descent into the valley – nearly running in his eagerness to reach fresh water – and once he had gotten there, tossing his pack aside and shucking off his clothes. And then? He had no idea.

Well, he could probably piece it together, based on what his senses could tell him about his current whereabouts. He was lying on his back, with a large piece of slightly scratchy cloth over him. He was still naked. And there was a source of heat near his head.

Baal rolled onto his side with some difficulty and opened his eyes, blinking as firelight seared his vision. He could see someone's personal belongings out of the corner of his eye: a bedroll, a small cooking pot hung over the flames, and a worn rucksack. He could hear water, so he wasn't far from the river.

It was all starting to come together now. After undressing, he had chosen a pleasant spot on the river and jumped in, intending to freshen up with a swim. And when he had surfaced, someone had been waiting for him and had bashed him over the head with a rock. Obviously the blow had knocked him unconscious, and presumably, the mystery assailant had then dragged him from the water. But for what purpose?

There was a small sound from the space behind him, and he knew without having to look that his attacker was sitting there, trying not to be heard. Baal's eyes narrowed as his aggressive instincts kicked into gear. He was not armed, and assuming his opponent was, he would stand no chance if he tried to get a weapon. He would have to make do with his bare hands and use speed to his advantage.

Gathering his strength, he rolled over and lurched from beneath the blanket, tackling his enemy bodily. Surprised, the other fell back with little resistance, and Baal lost no time in getting a hand around his throat. His keen gaze took in details in rapid-fire succession: skinny, very young, short white-blonde hair, pale blue eyes wide with alarm. A pretty lad. The very picture of innocence, in fact, but the Hunter would not let that sway him.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled.

The boy fought for air, pale skin beginning to turn purple. He managed to gasp out, "Not - your - enemy!" Baal's steely grip faltered slightly.

The voice was unmistakably feminine.

"A woman?" he murmured. Then her words registered, and he said, "If you're not an enemy, why did you attack me?"

"You - startled - me … I was medi - tating under - the waterfall … could you - let me go - please? Can't - breathe …"

Baal frowned, resisting his initial impulse to release her. It could be the truth, but it could just as easily be a deception to get him to drop his guard. Although for the life of him he couldn't imagine a plan that would require his opponent to knock him out, drag him from the water, and generously wait for him to awaken before attacking him.

He unclenched his hand, noting the relief that flooded her features, and withdrew a few feet, still crouched tensely in case she tried anything. The girl's eyes flashed to his nakedness and color suffused her cheeks. She lowered her gaze.

"So I startled you," Baal said after a moment of awkward silence. "You were swimming in the river and I jumped down on you out of nowhere. I can see how knocking me out was a reasonable reaction, but still … you could have killed me."

"I didn't know what you were," the girl protested. "Once I realized you were human, I pulled you out."

"Oh, I see!" he said mockingly. "So you're both my attempted murderer and my savior."

She scowled at him, and he couldn't contain a chuckle. A stray thought drifted through his mind: she was cute when she was indignant, like a kitten with its fur fluffed up.

"I think we may have started off on the wrong foot," he said. "I scared you, and you clocked me on the head with a boulder, judging by the ache in my skull."

"You should be glad that I was only holding a rock," she shot back. "Normally I prefer brass knuckles."

He flinched involuntarily and touched the sore spot on his scalp. There was a sizeable knot, but he couldn't feel any blood.

"My name is Saiya," the girl continued. "I am a stranger in these parts. I come from the mountains to the west, in Ivgorod."

"They call me Baal," the Hunter replied. "Short for Baalzibal. I don't belong here either, but I hail from the opposite direction." He extended his hand, but the girl did not reach out to take it. At first he thought her reluctance stemmed from mere discomfort, but then he saw the flicker of suspicion in her long-lashed eyes.

"Baal," she said. "Isn't that the name of a-"

He cut her off. "Demon, yes. It's a long story. You needn't look at me like I'm going to sprout wings and bite your head off. I'm as human as you are." Suddenly impatient, he got to his feet. The girl's hands flew to cover her eyes.

"Is that so?" she said in a choked voice. "Is it your habit to run around the woods in the middle of the night without any, ah, clothes? Because no self-respecting humans that I know behave so indecently."

Baal snickered at her naiveté. "What, girl, were you raised in a monastery?"

"Actually, yes, I was."

He blinked. "Really?"

Her fingers parted to revealed a glaring eye, then snapped closed again.

"Would you please wrap yourself in a blanket or something?" she pleaded. Baal rolled his eyes and grabbed the quilt that he had been covered with, wrapping it around his shoulders. It was long enough to reach his knees.

"There," he said. "It's alright, you can look now. I won't offend your sensitive eyes."

She dropped her hands cautiously, as though she expected him to be lying just so he could expose himself to her. When she saw that he was modest again, her shoulders heaved in a sigh of relief. Silly girl, it's like she's never seen a man before.

He could not resist needling her by remarking, "You are just a child, albeit a lanky, overgrown one."

"I'm twenty-one!" she snapped, red-faced.

Baal grinned. "Oh! A real grown-up lady!"

After a moment, the anger faded from her face, to be replaced with a cunning smile. Her teeth were small and slightly crooked, the left incisor overlapping the right by a tiny margin.

"And I suppose you're in your middle years already, good sir," the girl said, a teasing quality in her tone. "You seem so very learned in the ways of the world. You must be at least forty."

"I'm a good deal more learned than you, anyway," he retorted without heat. "I'm not the one hiding my eyes like a proper little maiden."

"It's called 'modesty'," she growled. "You might want to learn some … unless you find it a thrill to flaunt your masculinity to maidens."

The Hunter nearly burst into a full laugh, but restrained himself just in time. It would be unkind to make fun of her innocence. He said, "You might be surprised to learn that most of the time I am extremely modest and polite, especially in the company of the fairer sex. You happened to catch me at a bad moment. You see, I've been on the road all day and when I saw the river, I thought I would take the chance to bathe a bit, privately, in my own company. I was not expecting any maidens, let alone one with fists so fierce."

The girl blushed again. She seemed prone to doing that. "Well," she mumbled, "I was trained by warrior monks. But I suppose I'll forgive you for your rude behavior if you'll forgive me for almost drowning you."

"It's a deal," he agreed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to borrow your blanket for a few minutes while ford the river again. I left all my belongings on the other side … among them the clothes that I would normally be wearing right now. I'll bring your blanket back when I am 'decent'."

She nodded. "Alright."

Baal scrutinized her for a few seconds to make sure that she was genuinely okay with it – after all, he could easily walk off with her valuable source of warmth and keep it for himself, if he was so minded – but there was nothing in her eyes but a trust that he found unexpectedly charming. It was rare these days, he thought, to meet someone whose expectations of common goodness were not ruined by knowledge of the world.

It's a good thing I'm the one who ran across her, whispered the darker part of his mind, and not some rapist bandit – or worse, a demon. A girl like this is easy prey.

She was beginning to look at him oddly now, and Baal realized that he was staring. He turned on his heel and marched off into the darkened woods.

Fortunately, he had no difficulty in finding the place where he had left his gear, although that necessitated fording the river again. He dressed hurriedly, shivering in the chill air, and paused for a moment to deliberate before grabbing his pack and crossbows. The girl had a camp set up already; provided she was willing to let him stay, it would be foolish to make another one here … not to mention that it would mean wading through that frigid water twice more instead of once.

She jumped when he stepped out of the bushes and into the glow cast by her fire. Baal couldn't hold back a smug grin as he tossed her blanket on top of her bedroll. Despite her air of confidence, she did not have much experience with the wilds.

"Why have you come here, to this land?" she asked. It seemed more like polite conversation than real prying, and Baal impulsively decided to answer with the truth.

"I hunt the one I am named for, along with all of his brethren."

The girl looked thoughtful. "You fight against evil?"

"Yes."

She murmured something under her breath that he doubted she meant for him to hear, but his keen ears picked the words out perfectly: "Dwell in the darkness to fight the darkness."

Perceptive, he thought. Keeping his voice light, he asked, "What of you, then? What is the quest of the Warrior Maiden?"

"I have no quest," she answered. "My teachers would have me learn the realities of life and hone my skill on enemies in the outside world, instead of the practice dummies in the monastery."

Baal hummed with mild interest. "So you really were raised by monks? I thought you were joking."

"I never knew my parents," she said. "I was abandoned at the doors of the monastery when I was a wee babe just hours old."

How can she say that so calmly? he wondered. As if it doesn't matter to her at all!

"Doesn't that make you angry?" he asked.

She looked surprised. "What?"

"Your parents. Abandoning you. What kind of people would leave an infant to fend for itself?"

"They didn't leave to me fend for myself," the girl retorted angrily, her cheeks flushing pink. "They left me at the monastery, where they knew I would be reared well and loved dearly. I'm sure that if they had been able to they would have raised me themselves."

Baal snorted in disbelief. "Sounds like an excuse to me."

She was silent for a moment, and he felt a twinge of regret for having antagonized her, the first human he'd encountered in over a month that hadn't been trying to kill him. He was on the verge of apologizing when she let out a long breath and said, "Believe what you will; I have chosen to make my peace with my parents' decision. I hope that someday I will meet them … and when I do, I will greet them joyfully."

Baal nodded. It was foolish idealism, of course, but somehow more tolerable coming from her.

"Where are you headed?" the girl asked after another awkward pause.

Once again, the Hunter saw no need to lie. "New Tristram. A town further up the river. There are rumors of demon attacks in the area after a falling star destroyed a cathedral and woke the dead."

"Is New Tristram the nearest settlement?" she said. "I need to restock my supplies and do some repairs."

"There's Wortham this side of the river," he replied, "but it's only a fishing village. If you have any serious business, you'll need to press on to New Tristram. The ferry can take you across."

She pursed her full lips into an appealing pucker. "Then it looks like we'll be traveling in the same direction. Perhaps we should stick together until we reach the town. If there truly are demons in the area, we'll be safer in each other's company."

"I can handle myself," Baal said automatically. Then his mind drifted back to his earlier thoughts of the girl's vulnerability. He had never been to New Tristram before, and couldn't speak for the morality of the locals. If it was anything like some of the other rural towns he'd visited, a naïve girl like her would be ill advised to travel alone.

"You might have some problems, though," he said. "I suppose we can join forces, for now. Just don't slow me down. I break camp at dawn and travel until dark. And if we encounter any demons along the way, even if they're off the beaten path, I'll take my time to exterminate them. Leave even one of those bastards alive and they'll breed more."

"That suits me," she agreed. "How far to New Tristram?"

"Three days, at my pace." Will she be able to keep up? She's tall for a girl. Long legs. I bet she can walk quickly if she needs to … but what if she gets tired out? If she lags behind, do I leave her, or waste time dawdling so she can keep up?

The girl appeared to have no such reservations, however. Clapping her hands together in a businesslike gesture, she said, "Well then, if we're to start early I want to get some sleep. There's leftovers from my dinner in the pot over the fire. It's simple food, but nourishing. You might as well eat."

Caught off guard by her guileless generosity, Baal was momentarily stunned. He pulled himself together in time to say, "Thank you. I will." As his new companion headed down to the water's edge to prepare for bed, he settled himself beside the crackling fire and dug in with enthusiasm – although the first bite had him wondering whether her motivation was kind or malicious.

"'Simple' is an understatement," he muttered, shoving another tasteless spoonful in his mouth. "I might as well be eating sand. One thing's for sure: if we are going to travel together, I'll be doing the cooking."

She had been gone too long. Baal wasn't worried, certainly not, but he was beginning to get … concerned. Most probably the girl was off washing her hair or some other feminine thing, but all the same he couldn't ignore the warning voice at the back of his mind that screeched, "Danger! Danger!" in a discordant tone.

At last, praying that he would not catch her nude and embarrass them both, he got up, grabbed his favorite crossbow, and trudged off in the direction of the river. As he drew closer, a rancid smell reached his nose and he quickened his pace, suddenly on the alert.

Saiya was in the shallows, crouched defensively with her eyes fixed on a hulking shape on the bank. Baal had no time to appraise the situation, however, for the shape gathered itself and sprang, teeth snapping at her throat. The Hunter was forced to fire without sighting first (fortunately, he had the weapon cocked already) but his aim was true and his bolt pierced the creature's chest mid-flight and sent it spinning to the side. It landed clumsily in the water, generating a spray of water that further drenched Saiya's already sopping clothes and hair.

Baal was prepared to shoot again and finish the deed, but it proved unnecessary. His companion pried a gnarled branch from the mud of the bank and clubbed the beast over the head until it ceased to move. A wavering white shape – the malignant spirit that had corrupted the poor animal – streamed from the corpse and flew at Saiya, screaming vengeance, but was stymied by the remnants of the mantra that clung about her like a tattered cloak of sunlight. It fled into the night to seek another victim.

The Hunter held out a hand to help the girl up on the bank, and then waded into the shallows and lifted the beast's head by the scruff under its chin.

"Definitely a demonic influence," he said. "This was once a wolf, but it was possessed by an evil spirit and became this."

"Thank you," said Saiya. "You probably saved my life just now."

"This was why we're traveling together, right?" Baal said, with a casual shrug. "I was only doing my job."

"I'm going to pretend you just said, 'you're welcome'," she replied saucily.

Baal rolled his eyes. He had to admit that he was impressed by her courage and willingness to get her hands dirty, but that didn't change the fact that her carelessness had nearly cost her her life. "Would you please do me a favor, and bring your weapons along next time you wander away from camp in the middle of the night?" he said gruffly. "I might not always be around to come to your rescue, and this is a dangerous part of the world. Clearly the rumors were true."

The girl ignored the disapproval in his tone. "Do you think this was caused by the falling star?" she asked.

"It's possible," he said. "Who knows what the thing really was. A star, a meteor … perhaps even some being."

Her eyes widened. "But what could survive a fall like that?"

"No idea. Here, help me pull this corpse out of the river. No sense in tainting the water."

Together, they hauled the wolf's carcass up onto the bank, where they covered it with leaves and rocks, trusting nature to handle the process of decomposition. Saiya climbed into her bedroll as soon as they reached their camp, her movements slow and stiff. Baal eyed her surreptitiously to see if she'd been wounded, but she merely seemed worn out.

"Night, Baal," she mumbled, face turned into her pillow.

He smiled, feeling his heart light up a bit with simple pleasure. It had been a long time – years, in fact – since anyone had bid him 'good night'. Vera certainly wasn't one for such pleasantries, even when she was sharing his bed.

The thought of her soured the air in his lungs. Even when she's nowhere near me, her mere existence is a thorn in my heart. His skin crawled with the memory of her red-painted talons raking across his back while she hissed hatred into his ear.

Then he glanced down at the sleeping girl only a few feet away. Her face was almost luminous in the darkness, her lips slightly parted and a thin trickle of drool starting to run from the corner of her mouth. His smile returned. There was a tender element in it that took him by surprise. It was then that he realized that he liked his new traveling companion.

"Good night, Saiya," he said, and closed his eyes.

The streets were poorly lit, and the shadows of New Tristram's ramshackle houses swallowed Baal up until only his eyes were visible, glowing like disembodied coals. They floated along, unblinking, as he followed Saiya with stealthy footsteps. He was confident that she hadn't noticed him, so intent was she on reaching Captain Rumford's house.

He intercepted her just as she was reaching for the door knocker, enjoying the startled look in her eyes – but not the swift, unspoken accusation that followed. He wasn't sure what he'd done to make her so angry, but he intended to see it right.

"I want to speak with you," he said.

"What is it?" Her tone was brusque, and Baal knew at once that this might take some time.

"Not here," he murmured. "Walk with me."

"If I must," she said grudgingly. But when they reached the town gates, she stopped and would go no farther.

"There is no danger," Baal assured her. "Trust me – my nose is very keen. There are no demons within miles of this place. We chased them all away."

Saiya groaned. "Fine. But if we run into trouble, I'm leaving you behind. I've had enough fighting for one day."

His mind instantly flashed back to how she had looked when he'd found her in the mist: blood on her robe and in her hair, exhausted beyond human comprehension yet still triumphant. He said, "Fair enough."

As they strolled down the dappled path between the trees, Baal debated how to start the conversation. He received no help from Saiya, who seemed determined to hold her tongue and keep her thoughts to herself. He thought of asking straight out what he had done wrong, but decided that a more subtle approach was warranted.

"You seem to have found a niche for yourself here in New Tristram," he remarked after a while.

Saiya shrugged. "It's just temporary work. I don't intend to stay."

Baal furrowed his brow, considering his next move, but she beat him to it.

"What about you? You're setting yourself up to be the new hero of the town. Better watch out … keep going the way you are, and they'll promote you to mayor." She was mocking him, but there was no cruelty behind it.

Baal said, "Well, I'd be an upgrade from Old Lardbelly, I think," and was rewarded by a brief giggle.

"But I don't intend to stay long either," he added thoughtfully. "Let someone else be the Hero of New Tristram. I'm no champion. I'll stay until the demon uprising is quelled, and then I'm off again. As long as the minions of hell survive on this earth, I will never be able to rest."

He felt rather than saw something change in her demeanor. A relaxation, an easing of tension. After a quiet interlude, she said, "Did you find the star?"

Baal shook his head. "The pit it smashed was deep, far deeper than I ventured. I stopped when I found the old man. I would have liked to keep going, but I promised Leah that I would bring him back."

"You like her, don't you?" Saiya asked, taking him by surprise.

"Who, Leah? I suppose. She's a likeable girl, isn't she? Very pretty."

Saiya's face was only partially visible in the dim light, but Baal did not miss the odd expression that passed across it, as though she had bitten down on a slice of lemon. "Yes," she replied indistinctly. "She is."

What's this? Baal wondered. It seems that the virtuous little monk is as susceptible to jealousy as any proper girl. It was amusing, somehow, to know that she was only human. Rather endearing as well, if he was honest.

"She smells strange, though," he said.

"What?" Saiya mumbled. Clearly her thoughts were elsewhere.

"There's a strange smell about her," said Baal. "She's not a normal human, I would stake my reputation on it."

"Do you mean Leah?"

"No, I mean Mary Belle, the grocer's wife. Of course I mean Leah. What other person are we talking about?"

Saiya scowled at him. "What does she smell like?"

"She smells … old." She laughed, and he said, "No, not like that. Not like an old person. She smells like old paper, or a house that's been abandoned for many years. Ugh, I'm not putting this into words very well. It's old magic, alright? It smells like musty corpses and dried blood and tombs that have been buried under the desert sands for millennia. Ancient and not of this world."

She looked even more baffled than before. "I'm not following you at all. Are you saying that Leah is an ancient being or something?"

"No, she's a young girl. But there's something else there too, an old power, older than a bones of the world, and it makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I must be on my guard around her always."

Saiya nodded slowly. The sourness was gone now, though Baal was unsure if he had caused it to dissipate, or if she had simply worked through whatever was bothering her. "So what is the next thing for you?" she asked. "Are you going to go back and search for the star again?"

He nodded. "Yes, I intend to, but I fear it will not be as simple as I first imagined. There is a strong demonic presence lurking in the bowels of the cathedral, far stronger than anything I have ever encountered. I saw it for a moment – just one brief glimpse! – but that was enough to make my blood run cold." He suppressed a shiver at the memory of a skeletal face wreathed in blue fire. "I shall have to ask around New Tristram to see if anyone knows the nature of this demon, and how I might be able to defeat it."

"I'll help you," Saiya said without hesitation.

"It'll be dangerous," Baal warned.

She snorted derisively. "Do you think I've spent the last few days playing with children? You've seen me fight. Besides, if this demon is as strong as you say, you'll need my help."

"Alright, then," he said. "Suit yourself." And if you get yourself killed, it won't be my fault.

Saiya wheeled around to face him, drawing herself up to her maximum height and looking him right in the eye. "I have some conditions if we're going to be working together," she said.

Baal waited silently for her to state them.

"First-" She held up her forefinger. "-you won't go running off on your own again without even a word of notice."

"Ah!" he said, thinking, at last we come to the root of the problem. "That's why you treated me so frostily when I returned. I knew you were angry about something."

She managed to frown and look vaguely embarrassed simultaneously. "Well, I was a little taken aback. I mean, we'd been traveling together for days and we'd come to rely on each other to some degree, plus we were sharing a room … and also, we had the added bond of being previously acquainted in a town where we were both complete strangers. It was kind of rude of you to just ditch me."

Rude? He fought the urge to smile, as he always did when she scolded him. Instead he spread his hands and said, "I had business."

"Was it so important that you couldn't have waited even an hour for me to wake up?" she snapped. "Or at the very least, leave me a note? I had no idea where you'd gone, or when you'd be back! I was actually worried about you, Baal!"

Her tone was rising, startling a bird in the bushes. Baal took a step away, too shocked to reply. She had been worried? About him? A man she hardly knew, and couldn't possibly have formed any attachment to in so short a time. His first instinct was to make a snide remark, perhaps mock her a little to alleviate the tension, but the glint of tears in her eyes caused the words to fail on his tongue. She was crying, or trying not to, and he was the one who had made her cry. Shit.

The sound of his own voice made him realize that he'd sworn aloud. He said, "I never thought that you'd care one way or the other where I was."

Saiya blinked. "You … didn't think … I cared?"

"No; why would you?"

"I just do," she said, sounding small and unsure of herself. "I think of you as a friend. I mean, I don't know you very well, but I certainly don't want you to die!"

"Oh," was all that he could think of to say. After a moment, he added, "Sorry." It was a lame apology, he knew, but it seemed like the only thing to do. It seemed to be what she'd wanted as well, for she said, "It's … alright. It's fine. Not really your fault at all. I know you're not used to having to account for yourself to anyone. Just … please, next time, let me know? Okay?"

"Sure," he agreed, relieved that she was letting him off so easy. "What are your other conditions?"

"You won't try to coddle me or protect me from danger."

Well, that was unacceptable. He'd had to rescue her once already. "I reserve the right to save your life if I can."

"Provided that the act of doing so doesn't endanger your own," she insisted.

"Agreed."

"Good."

"What else?"

"Um … we'll get equal share of any profits gained from our adventure."

"Fine."

"Aaaand … oh, you have to tell me what's going on in your mind."

Baal raised an eyebrow. That had sounded almost … suggestive. Had she intended to imply …? No, by the color staining her cheeks, she had meant it innocently.

"What?" he said, just to clarify.

"What I mean is," Saiya spluttered, "if you think a we're walking into a trap or someone can't be trusted, then you have to tell me so. Even if I don't agree with you, I want your opinion. I'll also share mine with you. It's part of what having a good partnership means."

"Is that what this is?" he asked, pointing to the empty space between them.

"Yep," she said brightly. "If we're working together, then we're partners. So do you agree to give me your honest opinion on anything pertaining to our shared work?"

"I do."

"Good. Um … I think that's all, unless you can think of anything."

"Nope."

She held out her hand, and he took it in his own. It was larger than he had expected, the fingers long and agile, the palms heavily callused. A fighter's hands. She gave him a firm squeeze and let him go again, and his palm felt suddenly cold in her absence.

Partner, he thought, trying out the unfamiliar concept in his mind, turning it over and examining every facet for flaws. For better or worse, I'm not alone anymore.