Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, or anything else related
to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment.
Avenging Heart Chapter 6
He saw two young men fighting. One, a few years older than he, had dark skin and was wearing ring mail, and he was wielding a shield and sword, socketed with amethysts. The other, about Shadowblade's age, had pale skin, short white hair, and black clothing. He has a smaller shield and a crude dagger. There were also two skeletons. Shadowblade looked to see which was winning.
It appeared as if the white-haired man was afraid of the other and trying to flee. The dark-skinned man suddenly had a glow beneath his feet and slashed at the first skeleton's head, smashing it. He then blocked the other skeleton's sword with his shield and thrust his own into its chest, shattering it. A paladin! Thought Shadowblade.
The paladin then advanced toward the white-haired man, with his sword raised. The white-haired man raised his shield and backed away, but he tripped and fell backwards. He barely managed to block two swings from the paladin, the second of which broke his small shield. The paladin swung again and gashed the other's leg.
Shadowblade could see that the white-haired man was on the defensive and needed some assistance. As the paladin raised his sword for the death blow, Shadowblade lashed out psychically and delivered a jumping kick, which knocked the sword several yards from the paladin.
He dashed to the scene and stood between the two men. The paladin, having retrieved his sword, was already advancing toward the other man again, and did not notice Shadowblade until he received a kick in his abdomen that knocked him back several feet. "What the hell are you doing?" the paladin yelled.
Shadowblade stared him in the eyes and assumed a fighting stance. "Leave him."
"What? Are you standing up for a vile death mage, one who defiles life itself?" The paladin was shocked beyond belief.
A necromancer, thought Shadowblade. That explains the skeletons. "What has he done that you wish to kill him?" he asked.
"What has he done?" screamed the paladin. "His very existence is an abomination and a transgression. An existence I intend to end now." His eyes then narrowed. "As well as that of any who stands in my way."
"Then you will have to end MY existence to get to him!"
"So be it."
The paladin charged toward Shadowblade and swung his sword. Shadowblade crossed his daggers and caught the sword, but he staggered under the force of the blow. As he held the sword at bay, he kicked the paladin in the face. As he did so, he felt a tremendous blow to his side; both fell over stunned but quickly raised once more. The paladin came at him again, and he kicked outward in both directions with his feet-- deflecting both sword and shield, landed, and stabbed both the paladin's arms at weak points in the ring mail.
As he kicked at his opponent's chest, the paladin's aura turned blue and he was barely affected by the kick. Shadowblade tried to stab him in neck, but the paladin easily dodged the blow. Shadowblade backed away and decided he'd need to weaken the paladin's armor. He imagined the particles composing the armor and willed them to separate. When he felt the paladin's armor weaken, he approached the holy warrior.
The paladin moved to attack again, but Shadowblade dodged and slashed at the ring mail, rending it in several places and drawing blood. "That. . .that's impossible," sputtered the paladin. Before he could react, Shadowblade hit the ground and tripped him with a leg sweep before getting back up. As the paladin arose from the ground, Shadowblade kicked his helm hard, shattering it.
He started to kick the paladin in the side, but he avoided the kick and got back on his feet, with a red aura. Shadowblade moved in with his daggers ready, but the paladin knocked both from his hands with a well-aimed sword sweep.
Shadowblade tried to retrieve them but he had to focus his attention on avoiding the sword. Suddenly, the necromancer spoke up, "Here!" and he threw his own dagger to Shadowblade. "Try to just wound him with this. Trust me!"
He first used it to parry sword thrusts while avoiding shield bashes. Shadowblade then managed to hold the sword aside with the dagger and the shield with his other hand. He turned slightly and drove his foot into the paladin's knee and dislocated it. As the paladin groaned in pain and muttered, he thrust the dagger into one of the rents in the ring mail.
Shadowblade realized it was not a vital area as the paladin pulled the dagger out and was strangely walking just fine. "See what the light is capable of?" he sneered and charged Shadowblade once more. Just then, the paladin stopped and fell to his knees. "Wha. . .what's happening?" He then fell face down. Shadowblade approached cautiously and checked his pulse. Dead.
"What was that?" Shadowblade asked the necromancer.
"I poisoned the dagger," he answered, with shallow breathing.
"Nice, very nice," Shadowblade answered as he retrieved his own. He pulled out a healing potion and handed it to the necromancer, who looked at him strangely. "What?"
"Well," the necromancer began. "I'm not exactly. . .the kind of person most people would. . .care about at all. Why did you help me?"
"My purpose in life is to defend justice and the innocent, and his intentions were far from just." Shadowblade laughed. "That, and I finally had an excuse to kill a paladin."
The necromancer started laughing too, and Shadowblade noticed his face. He was shocked; from the tales he'd heard, he would have expected necromancers to be warped and ugly. This one was utterly handsome, he thought. Almost as much as. . .
Shadowblade snapped back to reality. "My name is Shadowblade, and I come from Westmarch. Who are you?"
"I'm Horsham," he said. "I. . .like all my brothers. . .come from Rathma."
"Nice to meet you, Horsham." Shadowblade noticed he was still bleeding, and looked at him.
"Oh. . .the paladin gave me a. . .few more wounds before. . .you arrived. I was just lucky you showed up. . .when you did."
"Well, I'm out of healing potions, but the Rogue priestess, Akara, is an excellent healer. I will take you to her," Shadowblade offered. "Follow me."
Horsham rose to follow Shadowblade, but he stumbled and cried out. "My leg. . .it's not completely healed yet." He tried to reach into his pack, but his arm was injured too, and it was too painful. "Shadowblade, there's a portal scroll in my pack. If our destination is uncorrupted, it can take us there."
Shadowblade took out the scroll and opened a portal to the Rogue encampment. He then stepped over to Horsham and picked him up in his arms. Shadowblade could make out the smell of sweat and leaves; it was obvious his new friend had been in the wilderness for awhile. He stepped into the portal and the Rogue encampment, then headed toward Akara's tent.
"My lady," he called out. "Someone needs your help."
Akara emerged and asked, "What is the matter?"
"He was attacked. I gave him my last healing potion, but it wasn't enough. He is still in bad shape."
Then Horsham spoke up. "Please. . .I'll help you in return. . ." And, he fainted.
"Bring him inside," Akara said. Shadowblade carried Horsham inside and laid him on the table she pointed to. "My power will be much more effective if his clothing were removed, but a Rogue is not permitted to look upon a male body. Would you. . .?"
"Of course," Shadowblade replied. Akara pulled a hood over her eyes, and he set to work. He gently pulled off Horsham's black leather vest and placed it on the floor, and he noticed that he was breathing faster. Shadowblade pulled off his gloves and caressed Horsham's pale, yet slightly muscular chest to calm him down. He then moved to the end of the table, removed his boots, and rubbed his feet for a moment to warm them up. Finally, he undid the leather ties on Horsham's pants and slowly pulled them down over his hips and legs until they were off completely. Shadowblade was then able to see all the wounds the paladin had inflicted and felt even better about dispatching him. "Now, what shall I do?" he asked Akara.
"Lead me to the other end of the table and place my hands on his head," she said. He did so and Akara began to chant under her breath. As she did so, Horsham's body began to glow with a pink light, and the wounds began to close and disappear.
The tent flap suddenly came open and Kashya stared for a second before yelping and shielding her eyes. "What happened?" she asked.
"Be patient," Akara said. "Right now, we have to attend to this young man's recovery." To Shadowblade, she said, "If only a warm bath could be provided for him, it would do him good, but I'm afraid all we have is cold river water."
"I am able to heat water mentally. It was one of the first skills I learned in my training. If there is a place to bathe, I can do the rest."
"There is, and it is near the river at the back of the encampment. It's surrounded by curtains for privacy. There's a depression in the ground that functions as a bathtub. If you can fill it with water, it will hold the water until you remove the rock from the drain."
"Very well. Thank you, my lady." Shadowblade wrapped a sheet around Horsham, took him into his arms, and headed toward the bathing area.
Avenging Heart Chapter 6
He saw two young men fighting. One, a few years older than he, had dark skin and was wearing ring mail, and he was wielding a shield and sword, socketed with amethysts. The other, about Shadowblade's age, had pale skin, short white hair, and black clothing. He has a smaller shield and a crude dagger. There were also two skeletons. Shadowblade looked to see which was winning.
It appeared as if the white-haired man was afraid of the other and trying to flee. The dark-skinned man suddenly had a glow beneath his feet and slashed at the first skeleton's head, smashing it. He then blocked the other skeleton's sword with his shield and thrust his own into its chest, shattering it. A paladin! Thought Shadowblade.
The paladin then advanced toward the white-haired man, with his sword raised. The white-haired man raised his shield and backed away, but he tripped and fell backwards. He barely managed to block two swings from the paladin, the second of which broke his small shield. The paladin swung again and gashed the other's leg.
Shadowblade could see that the white-haired man was on the defensive and needed some assistance. As the paladin raised his sword for the death blow, Shadowblade lashed out psychically and delivered a jumping kick, which knocked the sword several yards from the paladin.
He dashed to the scene and stood between the two men. The paladin, having retrieved his sword, was already advancing toward the other man again, and did not notice Shadowblade until he received a kick in his abdomen that knocked him back several feet. "What the hell are you doing?" the paladin yelled.
Shadowblade stared him in the eyes and assumed a fighting stance. "Leave him."
"What? Are you standing up for a vile death mage, one who defiles life itself?" The paladin was shocked beyond belief.
A necromancer, thought Shadowblade. That explains the skeletons. "What has he done that you wish to kill him?" he asked.
"What has he done?" screamed the paladin. "His very existence is an abomination and a transgression. An existence I intend to end now." His eyes then narrowed. "As well as that of any who stands in my way."
"Then you will have to end MY existence to get to him!"
"So be it."
The paladin charged toward Shadowblade and swung his sword. Shadowblade crossed his daggers and caught the sword, but he staggered under the force of the blow. As he held the sword at bay, he kicked the paladin in the face. As he did so, he felt a tremendous blow to his side; both fell over stunned but quickly raised once more. The paladin came at him again, and he kicked outward in both directions with his feet-- deflecting both sword and shield, landed, and stabbed both the paladin's arms at weak points in the ring mail.
As he kicked at his opponent's chest, the paladin's aura turned blue and he was barely affected by the kick. Shadowblade tried to stab him in neck, but the paladin easily dodged the blow. Shadowblade backed away and decided he'd need to weaken the paladin's armor. He imagined the particles composing the armor and willed them to separate. When he felt the paladin's armor weaken, he approached the holy warrior.
The paladin moved to attack again, but Shadowblade dodged and slashed at the ring mail, rending it in several places and drawing blood. "That. . .that's impossible," sputtered the paladin. Before he could react, Shadowblade hit the ground and tripped him with a leg sweep before getting back up. As the paladin arose from the ground, Shadowblade kicked his helm hard, shattering it.
He started to kick the paladin in the side, but he avoided the kick and got back on his feet, with a red aura. Shadowblade moved in with his daggers ready, but the paladin knocked both from his hands with a well-aimed sword sweep.
Shadowblade tried to retrieve them but he had to focus his attention on avoiding the sword. Suddenly, the necromancer spoke up, "Here!" and he threw his own dagger to Shadowblade. "Try to just wound him with this. Trust me!"
He first used it to parry sword thrusts while avoiding shield bashes. Shadowblade then managed to hold the sword aside with the dagger and the shield with his other hand. He turned slightly and drove his foot into the paladin's knee and dislocated it. As the paladin groaned in pain and muttered, he thrust the dagger into one of the rents in the ring mail.
Shadowblade realized it was not a vital area as the paladin pulled the dagger out and was strangely walking just fine. "See what the light is capable of?" he sneered and charged Shadowblade once more. Just then, the paladin stopped and fell to his knees. "Wha. . .what's happening?" He then fell face down. Shadowblade approached cautiously and checked his pulse. Dead.
"What was that?" Shadowblade asked the necromancer.
"I poisoned the dagger," he answered, with shallow breathing.
"Nice, very nice," Shadowblade answered as he retrieved his own. He pulled out a healing potion and handed it to the necromancer, who looked at him strangely. "What?"
"Well," the necromancer began. "I'm not exactly. . .the kind of person most people would. . .care about at all. Why did you help me?"
"My purpose in life is to defend justice and the innocent, and his intentions were far from just." Shadowblade laughed. "That, and I finally had an excuse to kill a paladin."
The necromancer started laughing too, and Shadowblade noticed his face. He was shocked; from the tales he'd heard, he would have expected necromancers to be warped and ugly. This one was utterly handsome, he thought. Almost as much as. . .
Shadowblade snapped back to reality. "My name is Shadowblade, and I come from Westmarch. Who are you?"
"I'm Horsham," he said. "I. . .like all my brothers. . .come from Rathma."
"Nice to meet you, Horsham." Shadowblade noticed he was still bleeding, and looked at him.
"Oh. . .the paladin gave me a. . .few more wounds before. . .you arrived. I was just lucky you showed up. . .when you did."
"Well, I'm out of healing potions, but the Rogue priestess, Akara, is an excellent healer. I will take you to her," Shadowblade offered. "Follow me."
Horsham rose to follow Shadowblade, but he stumbled and cried out. "My leg. . .it's not completely healed yet." He tried to reach into his pack, but his arm was injured too, and it was too painful. "Shadowblade, there's a portal scroll in my pack. If our destination is uncorrupted, it can take us there."
Shadowblade took out the scroll and opened a portal to the Rogue encampment. He then stepped over to Horsham and picked him up in his arms. Shadowblade could make out the smell of sweat and leaves; it was obvious his new friend had been in the wilderness for awhile. He stepped into the portal and the Rogue encampment, then headed toward Akara's tent.
"My lady," he called out. "Someone needs your help."
Akara emerged and asked, "What is the matter?"
"He was attacked. I gave him my last healing potion, but it wasn't enough. He is still in bad shape."
Then Horsham spoke up. "Please. . .I'll help you in return. . ." And, he fainted.
"Bring him inside," Akara said. Shadowblade carried Horsham inside and laid him on the table she pointed to. "My power will be much more effective if his clothing were removed, but a Rogue is not permitted to look upon a male body. Would you. . .?"
"Of course," Shadowblade replied. Akara pulled a hood over her eyes, and he set to work. He gently pulled off Horsham's black leather vest and placed it on the floor, and he noticed that he was breathing faster. Shadowblade pulled off his gloves and caressed Horsham's pale, yet slightly muscular chest to calm him down. He then moved to the end of the table, removed his boots, and rubbed his feet for a moment to warm them up. Finally, he undid the leather ties on Horsham's pants and slowly pulled them down over his hips and legs until they were off completely. Shadowblade was then able to see all the wounds the paladin had inflicted and felt even better about dispatching him. "Now, what shall I do?" he asked Akara.
"Lead me to the other end of the table and place my hands on his head," she said. He did so and Akara began to chant under her breath. As she did so, Horsham's body began to glow with a pink light, and the wounds began to close and disappear.
The tent flap suddenly came open and Kashya stared for a second before yelping and shielding her eyes. "What happened?" she asked.
"Be patient," Akara said. "Right now, we have to attend to this young man's recovery." To Shadowblade, she said, "If only a warm bath could be provided for him, it would do him good, but I'm afraid all we have is cold river water."
"I am able to heat water mentally. It was one of the first skills I learned in my training. If there is a place to bathe, I can do the rest."
"There is, and it is near the river at the back of the encampment. It's surrounded by curtains for privacy. There's a depression in the ground that functions as a bathtub. If you can fill it with water, it will hold the water until you remove the rock from the drain."
"Very well. Thank you, my lady." Shadowblade wrapped a sheet around Horsham, took him into his arms, and headed toward the bathing area.
