The search for the Uraj and Khalis Crystals was a short one with the time frame they were faced with, but the Nerazim had taken those same crystals and hidden them away, in a place that was within the old Tower of the Twilight Council as Vorazun spoke of the same. "In order for the temple to destroy the planet, we will need the Uraj and the Khalis. They now reside within the Twilight Council Tower and that is deep behind the enemy lines..." Artanis grimaced as he spoke, once the place where he tried to bring unity to the Protoss, but it was a hard task within those halls.
"The Twilight Council Tower. Once, it was a place where we would gather to discuss the newfound growth of the Daelaam, now it is a place where the Zerg and now Hybrid have taken up to coordinate their assault across the planet."
"Yes... Even as we speak, they are tearing the tower apart, solely for the crystals. And where my mother now lays, they would dare desecrate her resting place for the whim of their master."
"An all-out assault will not aid help us as we must secure the Xel'Naga temple, a small strike team will have to go inside to retrieve them." Artanis though on it before he chose a champion to lead the force in and handle the matter for them as they readied the temple. "Val'Lorna's hatred for the hybrid may be dangerous, but it can be useful in handling this matter swiftly, as much as I wish Tenorai to join, he will have the easier task of aiding our warriors at the temple." Both paused and turned as the shadows warped and Zeratul emerged as he spoke.
"I wish to be a part of the strike force as well."
"Zeratul, it is dangerous, and with Raszagal's grave there..."
"You would volunteer to be a part of this strike force to destroy my mother's remains?" Vorazun accused Zeratul as the Prelate shook his head in answering the Matriarch's question.
"No. For far too long, I have ran away from my own guilt, trying to figure out the prophecy in atonement." He peered out to where the Tower was, as if he knew it by memory. "For years I have wandered the stars, soul sicken by the part I played in Razsagal's death, for far too long I have in what Terrans quote 'Running away from my troubles'." He turned back to him as he made his cause clear. "I will not run any longer. Once the Crystals were used to repeal the Zerg from Shakuras, removing the brood under the Cerebrates and their endeavor to remake an Overmind. Now we must destroy a home where Raszagal and the founders of the Nerazim have created. It pains me more than any of you could ever know, but I must see it done, in atoning for what I have done and what I have left behind." Artanis hummed before he gave a sigh, it was a hard choice and he would not risk Zeratul to fight Amon again, but the Dark Prelate had his mind set and so, Artanis allowed him to go.
"Very well, but be careful. There are a great deal of Zerg down there and their Hybrid masters, and even with our champion and a few warriors, I fear you will not survive for long." Zeratul rested a hand on Artanis' shoulder as he spoke.
"We are Dark Templar, Artanis. The shadows shall hide us from their sight..." He released to join the force, the shadows shifting to warp him to that position...
On the outskirts, Karax used a few intact Warp Prisms, until he could create them free from Amon's power, and deployed them there as he spoke. "Warping Zeratul, Val'Lorna, and the warriors now." They warped in with the Zealots taking up the Aiur weaponry, Stalkers joining the fray for this action and selected Avengers to join the cause as Val'Lorna readied her kama and Zeratul ignited his warp blade as Vorazun spoke next on the chances of getting in.
"Be careful, this section of the Tower has been densely populated as of late. A direct attack will be difficult to execute."
"There is an entrance to the back of this tower, we can enter the tower from there." Val'Lorna blinked to the sound of it before she spoke.
"This is the same route that Kerrigan, years ago, used to kidnap our former Matriarch."
"Indeed. Her capture and death... still haunts me to this day, along with Aiur." Zeratul breathed as Artanis bid the force farewell for now as the Warp Prism headed back to the Spear of Adun carefully.
"En Taro Tassadar, old friend." With that, the force was left alone to move in, wary of anything that could come to strike at them.
"Be careful, warriors, even though the back entrance is a secret to many, the Zerg and Hybrid will, with little doubt, have patrols in the area, in case of any intruders." It was fairly easy to handle as mere Zerglings and Hydralisks barred the way before they arrived to the back entrance of the Tower as Zeratul spoke. "This is where we must enter..." He paused with a close of the eyes, something... else was here as he reopened them and what appeared before him was... a vision, a memory prehaps as he beheld Raszagal and himself before the same entrance as she spoke of the entrance.
"This entrance, young Zeratul, is created, should the Conclave ever find us here..." Yet she paused as she spoke again, addressing a young Zeratul's diverted gaze. "Is something wrong, young one?" And the young Zeratul answered.
"Matriarch. I do not wish to sound arrogant, but why do we need a back entrance to a tower when we dark templar have our powers?"
"We are not invisible, Zeratul, if that is what you ask." She turned to the entrance once more as she spoke. "There will be a day when our power cannot outmatch the Conclave forever. We are Dark templar, but we are warriors of the night that uses everything to our advantage. And even though we have separated ourselves from the Khala and are hunted down, we use our knowledge to survive. Remember that, Zeratul..." The voice started to echo and change as the vision started to fade. "Zeratul... Zeratul..."
Zeratul blinked and turned to the face of Val'Lorna who was speaking to him, a clear sense of concern on her brow. "Zeratul? Are you alright?"
"I am fine. Let us proceed inside." They soon entered the torn and ruined remains, the twoer still standing as its purpose has yet to be exhausted to Amon's forces as Val'Lorna spoke on the location of the crystals where, they hoped, they still were.
"The crystals should be in the main chamber of this tower. Let us proceed." They headed on through the crumbling structure to more of the Zerg trying to destroy them, but they were not alone, it would appear to be, when they encountered survivors fending off the Zerg as a Centurion Zealot exclaimed to them.
"Zeratul! Over here!" He nodded as they went on the attack, clearing out the Zerg attack and its reinforcing power before the Nerazim Zealot thanked them with aiding Dark Templar and Stalker at their side. "Thank Adun you arrived. There are more of us trapped in this tower, two of those groups are holding shrines that were reported radiating with solarite essence before the Zerg invaded."
"If I recall, Karax said that the solarite could be used to help power the Spear of Adun some more." Zeratul nodded to Val'Lorna's statement as he spoke as well.
"Then it is wise that we reclaim those shrines and deliver our brothers and sisters from the Zerg and they Hybrid." They nodded as the force joined them in pushing in further, their battle nearly doing them in as a pack of Roaches made to attack them as a Spore Crawler somehow rooted itself into the foundation before Zeratul sumbitted it to a Void Prison and they creatures were laid low as they discovered another force, they holding out to an Hybrid Revear trying to get them before Zeratul and Val'Lorna stopped it short with slashed through its hide and torso as the force joined them in their journey through as a untampered Zealot spoke, his nerve cords cut to the relief of Zeratul and the others, knowing that they had learned the same and were spared from Amon's touch.
"Thank Adun you are here. Take this Shrine. The Zerg and Hybrid seem to value it greatly." The Shrine opened and unleashed its solarite essence for the Spear to obtain as they pushed further in.
Zeratul could sense their progress was close to halfway complete in locating the Crystals. "We are close to the Crystals. I can feel their essence strongly now." But those thoughts went to rest as the Hybrid attacked with a small horde of Zerg as a Hybrid Destroyer lead the attack as it whispered its hiss.
"Our master will not let you take the Crystals..."
"Your Master will die the same way you did!" Val'Lorna exclaimed as the force fought the horde and came out the victor, their losses still none, but the more wounded were pulled back to keep them alive and ensure they got onto the Spear first once the Crystals were obtained. But it seemed that the Tower was still active in some ways as they were barely even a quarter to the Crystals before a force field erupted out, baarring their way in as Zeratul spoke, resting a hand on the field and slightly pushing against it, their blink abilities will be rendered useless if they attempted it.
"The Fighting must of trigger the force field. We must find the Generator supplying this field and bring it down to obtain the Uraj and Khalis." But Zeratul lingered too long in musing it when his eyes took in another vision, a vision of his younger form before Raszagal as she questioned him on a change in his behavior.
"Tell me, you don't seem as enraged at the Templar as the others, Zeratul. Why is that?"
"Matriarch." Zeratul breathed as he started to explain things that he had come to understand. "I have thought about many things while studying the Xel'naga artifacts, some having before obtained to the Templar." He lightly trailed about in looking at the walls that surrounded them, recounting their struggle and their change in life. "Even though we were hunted down by them, for rejecting the Khala, can we truly blame them for fearing us? There may have been a time when anger may have been within me, spurring me to lash out and wish for their defeat, but I cannot permit myself to that anger any longer, least I become no better than them who have looked down on us for choosing a new path among the stars."
"Truly, you are as wise as some of us..." Her voice started to echo again after the nod as Zeratul swayed. "Us... Us..."
"Zeratul?" Zeratul recovered to the sound of Val'Lorna looking at him again as he looked forward and answered in apology.
"Forgive me for the moment of pause... We must keep moving." They pressed on to find the generator and bring it down, but they also set out to save the final group, pinned behind some fallen rubble as an Ultralisk tried to smash its way in as a Stalker exclaimed to their arrival.
"Zeratul! We require aid!" They rendered that service quickly and saved them as the second shrine was delivered to the Spear of Adun as the Stalker spoke, several members using the glaives that the Adept often uses for their techniques. "Thank the shadows you found us in time. This Shrine is yours and with it, our support in departing this ancient relic." They soon found the Generator as Val'Lorna exclaimed for its end.
"Quick, destroy the generator before those Accursed Hybrid attack us again." They moved in, the process long and tough as the Zerg moved to do the same, but the Generator would be destroyed on their terms, overloading its matrix and allowing only the Protoss to pass through, a time limit to get to the Crystals and retreat in time as Zeratul voiced the need.
"Quick! Head to the Crystals." They made treks for the main chamber and found the Uraj and Khalis in there, but they were set in the stone before them as Zeratul knelt before it and wiped around some of the grime that caked the stone, the warriors confused with Val'Lorna before Zeratul spoke in a low tone. "... The crystals are in here. I must pay my respects." Val'Lorna hummed before she nodded.
"Very well, make it quick. I fear the hybrid will come for us in full force now." They moved away to where the extraction point would be before Zeratul cleared away some more and revealed the name of 'Raszagal', Vorazun never knew that the stone that Zeratul had set in the Tower was, in fact, where he had buried the old Matriarch when he fled from Char, it was a secret ceremony before he set out to find the clues, the last memory of their beloved Matriarch and none were the wiser to it before he activated a sequence in the stone and the continued Crystals were released from their holdings as he took them in hand and stored them before he stood up and spoke with joining the warriors once more.
"It is done. Let us make for the exit in the council chambers." They made for a secondary exit to the chamber as Zeratul contacted Artanis. "Artanis, we now possess both the Uraj and Khalis crystals and are now on our way towards the exit."
"Understood, Zeratul, but hurry. Karax has discovered a large amount of Zerg and Hybrid making their way towards the Tower as we speak." Zeratul nodded as they pushed outwards, fighting through more of the Zerg and Hybrid before they made it to the exit and they were soon warped away to the Spear, but Zeratul lingered in looking back as he closed his eyes and opened them to another vision, his entry into the Dark Templar through the sacred rite.
"Dark templar, my people, my friends, my family." Raszagal called to all present as she continued. "Today, we honor a new Dark Templar who has completed the shadow walk. His name is Zeratul." Cheers and praise rang out throughout as Raszagal continued with raising her hands. "Alone. It is said from that those of our kind suffer. Separated from the Glory of the Khala... But none of us are ever truly alone. For our warrior hearts are bound by Honor, Tradition! Battle is waged in the name of the many! the Brave who, Generation after Generation, and those beyond our lives choose the Mantle of Dark Templar! Adun toridas!"
"Adun Tordias!" Voices chanted out as the vision started to fade again, a memory of a happier time, long before Terrans, centuries ago.
Zeratul remained quiet in honor of those memories before he rested a hand to his chest in turning to the tower. "Adun Tordias... Matriarch Raszagal." With that, he was warped aboard as the Zerg swarmed to take it all, but were left to an empty tomb and a hollow hall as the Hybrid, once certain to take a powerful tool and use it, wailed in rage as the presence that once hummed there was no more...
Artanis turned as the shadows flowed once more to Zeratul standing up and drawing the Crystals from his cloak. "Zeratul, you made it with the crystals." Vorazun also put in her own piece of the matter.
"I always thought you were a coward when you killed my mother, and left her body here with me and took off. For you to come back..."
"You were right." Zeratul answered with a sad tone to his voice. "I was a coward, but when I was in the tower, I encountered visions of my own past those times when I was both young to the ways of the Nerazim and naive to those same teachings." He opened his eyes with strength now flowing in them, like he had somehow gathered the energies of a Dark Archon and wielded them with resolve. "Now after all these years, I understand why Raszagal forgave me. She saw me as not only a Dark Templar to our home, but as a warrior for my people. I have abandoned you all to search for the prophecy, now I must answer for that, by fighting with you all again. This I swear by Adun, Tassadar, and Raszagal themselves." Artanis nodded as a few probes took the crystals and headed out to get ready for the final stand of Shakuras.
"Then together, we will avenge our people on Shakuras and show Amon our combined will against his given pain."
"Together." Vorazun agreed as Artanis now found Zeratul in the Arena among with the other two, the Uraj and Khalis will be a great boon, but Vorazun was correct, Amon had plagued Shakuras and now, they must put it to rest among the stars.
"When you were down there, you said you encountered visions of your past self. What was it you saw?"
"Conversations between Raszagal and I, the lessons she imparted onyo me, and the reasons I do not hate your kind."
"After what we did to you..."
"Yes, then there was the Celebration of me completing the Shadow Walk."
"I heard about the Shadow Walk. Is that sacred among your people?"
"As the Khala was to you, Artanis. But now with it gone, you must find a new path, one that is different than ours." Artanis nodded as he soon addressed Karax on something that the Phasesmith found interesting.
"It is strange about the solarite in the tower."
"Of how it was in what the Terrans called 'Furniture'?"
"Yes, it is strange the Nerazim were able to have solarite in that furiture, knowing full well how powerful it is."
"Do not forget, Karax, that their customs is much different from our own. We may be the same people, but we have different beliefs and ways of showing it." Next, he met with Vorazun again as she took in the temple grounds where them must hold out against the Swarm of Amon's, even reviewing previous battles of the Hybrid that attacked a number of Broodmothers and suddenly, the Swarm changed sides as if the Broodmothers' death allowed the Hybrid to control them now.
"I still find it hard to forgive Zeratul for what he did to my mother." She spoke first as Artanis answered back.
"I think he feels the same way with himself. The way he spoke of her when I was just a praetor those years ago, he looked up to her, and to see her under the influence of a dark being, and with himself being forced to kill her to save her. I don't think after this war with Amon, he'll ever truly heal from that."
"You speak with wisdom like my mother... If only she was here to see what a wise leader you are. I just pray that I was able to do the same." It was a injury that needed to heal and they had time to do so while speaking with Val'Lorna had showed that she didn't ferry the same spite for Zeratul, she came to terms that, even if Kerrigan was the culprit, she too was a pawn to Amon and for that, he will suffer while Tenorai addressed a change in Zeratul, no longer carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders, he became resolved to fight the battles before them and see the dawn to come, showing the mentor that Artanis had known those few years ago, but a real interest was Rohanna as she inquired to the Hierarch in the Star Forge.
"Hierarch, I need an answer that even I cannot find one to." Artanis gave her his attention as he nodded.
"Speak your thoughts.'
"When I heard about what Zeratul had done to Raszagal, the former Matriarch of the Nerazim. I thought for a minute that this is what happens when they turned away from the Khala, but then I notice something in him... Regret. Does he regret turning away from the Khala, or Killing Raszagal?"
"He regrets killing Raszagal. After what happened to her from what survivors went with Zeratul to rescue her years ago, I know now it was killing her that made Zeratul not wish to return to Shakuras."
"Why did he not seek judgment or punishment after what he had done?" That was a question that Artanis asked himself around that time too, but he had come to the conclusion of how Kerrigan, corrupted she must have been back then, took a sick pleasure in letting Zeratul go, burdened with the death of Raszagal on his hands.
"To him, exile was the only choice to him."
"Just as how the Dark templar were exiled centuries ago."
"There is a difference between him and the exile of the Nerazim. Zeratul did this out of his own choice, he regrets what he had done and he thought exile was the only suitable punishment fir for such a deed. Whereas the Dark templar, all those years ago, were exiled by the Conclave after Adun refused to kill them."
"I apologize if I have offended you Hierarch." Artanis left it be, in truth, it had got him thinking of recent events and how related they might have been, it sparked once more to Vorazun's observing as it was a given that the Protoss were corrupted through the Khala, making them Amon's puppets, but the Swarm...
No, something else was bothering him about it and, while they readied for the siege, he would since have questions of what exactly was wrong now...