Act III: The Infernal Gate
I. The Golden Bird
I had never seen Kurast in its heyday, but even in the faraway Mediterranean compound where I grew up, I had heard of it. It was the Jewel of the East, the Golden City, and numerous other flattering epithets. I hadn't traveled far outside the compound before I'd taken up the hunt for Diablo, and later the other Prime Evils, but from what travelers had told me, this was not the Kurast they knew. Meshif visibly wilted as we drew closer to the dockside, and expressed his sorrow for his devastated homeland after my introductions with Hratli, the local blacksmith. I felt bad for him and for the other people I met who knew what Kurast had been and had seen it brought to its knees this way, but how better to help than by hunting Mephisto?
I made it a point to get acquainted with the townsfolk in Kurast, in case I should need any of their services later. I liked Alkor instantly; badgering the witless was also a pastime of mine. Asheara was clearly full of shit, but had the types of goods Hratli did not- spears, javelins, and armor I could actually use. Hratli seemed to cater more to a Paladin or Barbarian clientele, but was much more enjoyable company, and the only one in town who could repair broken items. He was easily the most intelligent person in Kurast except for Cain, but who could compare to Cain in that arena? Ormus was another I suspected of being full of it and self-pitying to boot, but again, he had wares I could not do without, and his magical skills were more powerful than Hratli's and broader than Alkor's. I avoided conversation with him as much as I could, but he had a habit of trying to regale me with lectures about how many adventurers like me he had met, how powerful he had once been, or any of a hundred other topics I had no wish to know any more about.
There was one denizen of Kurast that stood out from the rest, however: the Assassin, Natalya. She spoke with a suggestive drawl and let her eyes wander in ways I was pleasantly shocked to see on a public street. This appeared not to be reserved for me, rather simply her way of relating to people in general, but I was intrigued by her comfort letting the world see her speak to me, another woman, this way. Her boldness impressed me, but was not even the most impressive thing about her.
She was the only person I'd met in my travels who could have actually done what I did. Not only that, but done it as well or better than I did. We would have made an unstoppable team. I generally shunned working with others, but I would have made an exception for her. Unlike Kashya, Greiz, Asheara, and all of the mercenaries they commanded, she didn't speak of my quest with a false pretense at sounding like a seasoned veteran and didn't have a chip on her shoulder the size of all outdoors. She didn't have anything to prove, didn't make half-assed attempts at impressing me… and that was precisely what impressed me. She didn't dismiss the demons she spoke of fighting as if to sound tough like Asheara or Greiz, and didn't command me to do battle with the undead in a fit of righteous indignation like Kashya, but expressed interest in joining me with genuine longing. I too wished she could have joined me in my quest.
Oddly enough, after speaking with everyone who would answer me, I hadn't been accosted for help by a single townsperson. Usually, my reputation preceded me and I was sent on one quest or another the minute I arrived in a new place, but here, no one seemed to think I, who had already bested Duriel, would be much use against Mephisto. They made speeches about how I would help them, yes, but they believed none of it. Even Hratli sounded resigned when he spoke of my battles against the darkness. They would learn soon enough, but for the meantime, I was without direction. Not really knowing what to do except slay demons, I headed out from the protected dockside in hopes that clues as to Mephisto's whereabouts would be forthcoming. The first thing I saw was a cloaked figure, slowly plodding ahead of me. I caught up to it easily, but found that no matter what I said, how loudly I shouted, or how I threatened to attack, there was no response, and then the creature disappeared. It could have been a Sorceress, since I knew they could teleport, but I had never seen one don a misty gray habit that so thoroughly concealed them like this one did. It was curious.
I continued on my way, however, forgetting quickly about the strange dark wanderer. I crossed yet another rickety bridge and found plenty of things to distract me from my frustration. Undead birds succumbed to my bow, and annoyingly small tribal demons were impaled upon my spear. Hulking creatures most definitely not found in nature traveled in packs, always trying and failing to surround me. I wasn't so sure what packs of demons found so alluring about a single human, since surely they didn't yet know that I would wipe out their entire population. It never bothered me, though, because they provided endless amounts of practice and items, both of which would be useful against the Prime Evils.
I couldn't or didn't use most of the items I recovered from my prey, but it was for that reason that the hunt for the Prime Evils was much more… lucrative… than I'd ever expected. I encountered suits of full plate that must have come off Barbarians eaten alive, claw weapons that reminded me strangely of Natalya, who I barely knew, and even enough potions and scrolls to keep me from having to return to Ormus as often. I sold most of it to Hratli and a little to Ormus, since even though Hratli would have accepted the staves and wands I found and paid full price for them, I knew they would find their way to Ormus eventually. One thing I couldn't place, however. I rarely found something that appeared to be of no use to anyone, but this time I did. It was a dirty little jade statue that might have been pretty once washed, but I certainly wasn't the type to haul it around with me just on the strength of that. I couldn't think of anyone who'd pay a good price for it, either, since merchants generally fell into one of two categories: those who sold battle gear and those who sold magic in the form of potions, scrolls, charms, and other miscellaneous trinkets. The jade figurine was definitely a miscellaneous trinket, but I took it to Cain and he didn't sense any magic about it whatsoever. I was just about to throw it out when he suggested that I give it to Meshif. Glad to have found a way to be rid of it, I obliged.
Meshif apparently collected these things. Go figure. A weird thing to pack around, no practical use whatsoever, but if it cheered him up a little after seeing Kurast devastated the way it was, it was the least I could do. I tried to give it to him outright, but he would hear none of it. He insisted on a trade, granting me a little gold statue of a bird. I had no use for it, and certainly couldn't give it back to Meshif, even though he still needed all the cheering up he could get in my book, so I took it to Cain, as I did every strange thing I encountered. It was pretty enough, dainty in its own way despite being hard, glinting gold. I found myself wondering if Natalya might want it, since it was a shame to throw it away and I had to do something with it. I felt myself desiring her approval as if I needed it for some reason, thinking back on the way she had looked at me and spoken in that maddening pur that stuck in my head so. How often did I want to give people gifts for no reason? Meshif had been a different matter; he was depressed and needed a lift. Natalya, though, needed nothing from me, or I from her. I just thought she might enjoy it, and that pleased me.
Cain had other ideas, though. He did sense a magical aura about this useless but pretty artifact. Damn. Just when I had a use for it, too. He told me it contained some mage or other's ashes and that I should take it to Alkor to see if it could be harnessed. I did, and even though all Alkor needed was the ashes inside, I thought it would be rude to ask for the bird back. I certainly didn't want to explain to him that I wanted it as a gift for a woman I'd just met, for what would he think then? I was starting to become acquainted with the reputation we Amazons had outside our compound, and I didn't need all of Kurast knowing that I fit it that well. Lusting after another woman was, after all, not considered quite as normal out here as it was in my home. Thus, the hollow bird would stay in Alkor's hut, and I would find other ways of determining whether Natalya's advances were genuine.
Of course, though, now that that whole matter was somewhat settled, the townsfolk decided to start asking for my help. Why discovering the use in a relatively meaningless statue seemed to recommend my abilities so well when battling Duriel seemed to count for nothing, I'll never know, but no sooner had I dropped that bird off at Alkor's hut than Hratli had a request. Finally, something to do other than wait for Alkor to finish with those ashes.
AN: I am aware that there is no dialogue in this chapter. It's possible, likely even, that there won't be any in the story at all. I did it on purpose; it is an aesthetic choice that I think works in this story. If it disturbs you, you are welcome to ask me why and I will explain it to you, or you can always stop reading if you really hate it.