Hello all! Forgive me if you find any mistakes here. It is midnight right
now, and my eyes are hurting like crazy! If you would be kind enough to
point out any mistakes, I would be most appreciative! Oh, sorry but no name
for my character yet, but you should know the class by the end of this
chapter. ;)
Disclaimer: Diablo 2 and Lord of Destruction are the property of Blizzard. Please don't sue since I am not making any money from this, and I am a poor poor university student. ^_^;;
----------------------------------------
For Money or Honor
Chapter Three: Where Evil Gathers
The people all looked identical to each other, red skinned with their black hair kept in high ponytails. Their skin was painted over with odd symbols.
"Rakanishu!" the first one shouted, and the rest gave out a battle cry. As a disorganized band, they charged towards me.
"Damnation!" I shouted and I started to run again. I realized that I was still tired from my last 'escape' and wouldn't be able to run so far. And these little midget men seemed capable of keeping up with me for some time. There was only one option left.
I dashed away from the house and slowed down a little to save energy and to let them catch up. They seemed to be infused with vigor at the chance of killing me, and they chased faster. However they weren't prepared when I suddenly stopped and charged through their ranks. I swung my blade as I went, and I felt some resistance as I cut something.
Without turning to look back, I ran towards the house. It was the only place I could go and barricade myself in until those things left me alone.
I dashed through the entrance and turned to shut the door. But to my great dismay, there was NO door.
"How can this possibly get worse?" I moaned.
"Uuuuugh."
I whipped around and came face to face with the original possessors of the house. However I didn't think they'd need the cabin anymore.
The smell was horrid. I backed away from the rotting corpses, their flesh hanging in tatters around their bones. Old vestiges of clothing clung to their body, and that was the only way I could tell that the two undead in front of me were a man and a woman. Their heads held no hair at all, and one was missing an eye. But they seemed capable enough in seeing me as I backpedaled out the door.
"Charka rah!"
"Oh no," I gasped. The red midget men were coming back towards the house, their weapons glinting in the afternoon sun. I was caught in the proverbial rock and a hard place.
The air became more putrid as the zombies shambled towards me.
"Okay, they don't look so tough," I tried to breathe through my mouth. "I can take them down."
Collecting my wits, I grabbed a tighter hold of my blade and charged. I raised my buckler as well, just like I was taught.
I shouted fiercely as I slammed my blade into the closest zombie. It shuddered at my assault and folded, much to my surprise and pleasure.
"Ha, you're next!" I shouted at the remaining monster. It clumsily raised a fist that I easily deflected with the buckler. The blade sang as it sliced through the air and dead flesh. Its head was cleanly taken off as it too crumpled to the ground. Now they were corpses in every sense of the word.
I smiled proudly at myself. That wasn't so bad.
"Rakanishu!"
'Huh, I almost forgot about them,' I thought as I went into a battle stance. The demons recklessly entered the house, one after the other. This time I didn't run away. I attacked with a passion I had long thought forgotten. Even in battle, I was amazed at how I still remembered the old moves and techniques taught to me by my masters long ago.
For their puny size and ridiculous looks, I had to admit that these things knew how to run. When I managed to strike one, the rest scattered like birds. But then they regrouped and came at me again. It took me longer to deal with them than with the zombies, but in the end I was alive and they weren't.
Breathing in the cool air, I looked at the blood stained ground. The things had managed to get a few cuts on me, but it was nothing too bad. It didn't even hurt enough for me to use one of Akara's potions. Best of all though was that some of them had dropped coins, additional potions, and a pair of gloves. My palms were a bit raw from handling my weapon again, and I thought that wearing the gloves would be a good idea.
Tugging the gloves on tighter, I re-entered the cabin and stepped over the bodies. They still stank to high Hell, and were making the surrounding air almost unbearable. In a second room I found a robe lying on the table. A quick search led me to a skullcap and short sword. Perhaps the man had been a soldier from a nearby city. Anyway he didn't need it where he was, so I plunked the metal cap on my head and placed the sword in a sack I found nearby.
A more thorough inspection of the facility uncovered a chest. My fingers were practically itching as I thought of what was inside. I tugged at the lid . and it was locked.
"One thing after another," I sighed as I jiggled the lock. From my old belt I extracted my ever-present set of skeleton keys. I knew how to disarm locks since I was a child, but I had perfected the art as my life as a thief.
The simple mechanism of the chest was easily defeated and I opened it up. Inside were some gold, a chipped ruby, and leather armor. Those were swiftly added into my loot bag, but as I touched the armor I felt a small shock go through my spine. Dumbfounded, I scrutinized it again. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for that insistent trill of power I felt when I touched it.
As a hunch, I slowly took out the red scroll Akara had given to me. Was this what she described as a 'mysterious' item? Well there was only one way to find out.
Breaking the seal, I looked at the paper. In spidery handwriting were odd words that took me a while to discern.
"Vahl Erk Nosh?"
The scroll disintegrated in my hands as the pieces of paper morphed into bright sparkles of blue light. They landed on my arm and traveled to the armor. Instantly I knew what it was as if I had made the item myself.
"Ocher Leather Armor," I mumbled its name as I put it on. It would higher my resistance to lightning attacks if one should happen to befall me.
Rising from my crouch, I started to walk out of the dwelling. Again I encountered the dead corpses of the couple who lived here. Uncomfortably, I said a few words of prayer to their spirits. I didn't really believe in the Light, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I didn't want their souls to go to Hell because I didn't give them their last rites.
In a contemplative mood, I walked outside and continued my journey. I had used the skills I had forsworn since I was a child. They had indeed saved my life, but they hadn't protected the innocent, as was my old master's intent.
"Forget it," I told myself. "The world is a dangerous place. Everyone must look out for themselves."
I continued on a little more until I encountered an odd looking cave. There was a pole beside it with a flag on top. It was red in colour with an Evil Eye at the center. At the summit of the pole, several skulls, human skulls, where driven through.
"A cave being used as a staging ground . to attack the camp," I whispered to myself. "A den of evil."
This certainly fit the description. On the sides of the cave, sloppy yet obviously demonic paintings were drawn on it. No light seemed to penetrate into the cave, and odd footprints were in the surrounding mud.
I stood at its yawning mouth, doubt filling my mind. Should I go? Surely many monsters were already gathered there, waiting to attack the Sisters. If I did go inside, I could die a grisly death and risk losing my soul to the Burning Hells. But if I defeated them, I would be a hero to the Sisters and to the caravan children.
"Hez," I said softly. I recalled his laughing mouth and bright, cheerful eyes. Could I stand to never see that again? The answer was simple and obvious.
I walked away from the cave, humming to myself. I had some weapons and potions to sell in the nearest town after all. I was sure the Rogues could protect the caravan well.
A growl caught my attention. Before I knew it, the sack I was carrying suddenly lightened in weight. I could hear the gold and items falling out onto the soggy ground.
"Hey!" I snapped as I dropped the bag. I saw more of those quill-rats I encountered earlier. There was a group of four, and none hesitated in throwing more barbed quills at me. They had ripped the bag open with them already.
"Ow! That hurts!" I shouted as one caught me on the thigh. They ignored my outburst and continued attacking me.
"All right, that's it!" With a growl of my own, I ran towards them, my blade gleaming in the sun. It whizzed in the air as it found its targets. The tiny fight was more annoying than difficult since there were so many of them throwing quills. But with persistence, I managed to slay all four.
"Humph, that teaches you to steal my loot!" I smirked at their dead bodies. Turning back to my treasure, I was astonished to see another one of those red midgets. In its hand was my ruby.
Grinning madly at me, it quickly ran away, straight into the Den of Evil.
"Will I ever catch a break?" I screamed to the sky. It answered me with rain. "Oh I give up," I sighed as I used my old cloak as a makeshift sack. Scooping my left over plunder into the cloak, I noticed something .
"Argh! He took my gold too!"
Now I was mad. No one stole from me!
Shouldering the load, I marched right back to the cave and entered without hesitation.
"It's so dark. Perfect," I said sarcastically as I stopped and let my eyes get used to the gloom. In the distance there was dripping water. I felt the musty air move above me and heard the flapping of bat wings. This kept getting better all the time.
"There he is!" I hissed as I caught the puny form of the demon thief. He scampered down a natural hallway. I followed him, determined to get my money back.
"Okay you little bag of puss," I shouted as I rounded a corner. "Give back my gold and ruby or else!"
Several feral eyes looked at me.
"On second thought, keep it!"
"Rawr!" a tall red man shouted. He held a staff of some sort and wore a headdress made out of human ribs. The funny looking thing flailed its arms wildly before pointing its staff at me. A fireball emerged from the air and sailed towards my position.
"Oh for the Light's sake!" I yelled as I ducked out of harms way. It exploded against the rock wall and showered embers upon my head.
What ensued was a frenzied battle between them and me. On later recollection, the exact events are unclear. I was so afraid for my life then that I only remember killing and running away from those demons. But in the end, they were all dead, and I had my gold and jewel back. Nevertheless another problem presented itself to me. I had run in such a blind panic that I was thoroughly lost within the cave.
"The things I do for greed," I huffed as I carefully made my way through the den. In the darkness I could hear the moans of more zombies, the shuffling of the red men's feet, and the grunts of 'something' else.
While I was hidden within the shadows, I took the opportunity to kill any monsters along the way. They rarely saw my blade when I stabbed them in the back. It wasn't exactly honorable, but I wasn't a knight either.
There was no telling how long I stayed in there, but as with being able to tell when the sun rose, I could also sense when it was setting. I felt without a doubt that as I went deeper into the cave, night had fallen.
"Why am I even here? Is this some sort of cosmic joke the angels or demons are playing on me?" I asked myself as I slit the throat of a red man. "All I asked for was safe passage from Lathe to another city. What do I get instead? Monster hunting."
Sliding down a shallow slope, I suddenly came upon that 'something' that liked to grunt.
It was huge. It was hairy. It was looking right at me with blood shot eyes.
"I hate my life," I said as it bellowed an ear splitting roar. The walls shook as it started to lumber towards me, its well-muscled arms swinging wildly at my head.
Dropping my loot bag (which had grown since I entered the cave), I ducked under its arm. The gargantuan beast may have strength, but it was useless if you couldn't even hit your target.
"Die!" I shouted as I jabbed with my blade. It penetrated through the creature's hide and drew blood.
Snarling in pain and anger, it brought its hands together and slammed me atop my head. The blow stunned me and I drew away instinctively, the blade's extraction causing a large hole inside the beast. I stumbled backwards as fast as I could, my head spinning from the powerful strike. I felt the ground shaking as it came towards me, but then there was a final loud thump. Opening my eyes, I saw the gargantuan beast only a few feet away from me, blood gushing out of its wound. Its hands twitched a few times before it lay still.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply. It smelled metallic with so much blood on the ground and was a horrible mix with the stale air. But I was so tired and out of breathe that I didn't care. The room was still spinning on me and made me feel nauseous.
Reaching to my belt, I unhooked a minor healing potion and downed its contents. Some of it spilled down my cheeks, but most of it went in. The liquid tasted bitter, but it did its job well. The dizziness stopped in a few minutes, and I was able to stand again.
'All this for a few pieces of gold and a ruby,' I thought as I walked over to my sack. 'Is this even worth it?'
I grabbed the sack and felt how heavy it was.
'Why yes, yes it is.'
"Braaaains," something called out. I stiffened at the sound and dropped the bag again. There was a loud shuffling sound not far away, and it was getting closer. Peering into the murky distance, I suddenly felt something hit me in the chest. It sent me sprawling back on the ground.
Alarmed at my mysterious assailant, I stood back up, my weapons at the ready. Six shady figures were approaching slowly. I soon saw them to be more zombies, but the one in the center seemed different. His skin had a green tinge to it, and it glowed, almost as if he was on fire. The undead raised his fist and punched the air in front of him.
My head snapped back from its blow. I didn't know how that Hell spawn did it, but somehow he was able to strike me from a distance.
Wiping blood away from my face, I screamed in rage and charged. My weapon unerringly found its mark as I quickly yet brutally hacked away at the surrounding zombies. The buckler shielded me from slow but mighty punches from the zombies. The dents from the blows bit into my hand, bruising my skin. But at last, I was one to one with the glowing undead.
"Damn you!" I snarled at it as I attacked. "This is for that first punch!" My blade sank deep into its infernal skin, and I could feel my blood singing with a familiar power.
"This was for that second punch!"
Again my blow hit home, and I felt even more invigorated.
"This is for all the trouble you've caused!"
The next attack opened a wide gash in his chest. I had never felt this resilient in my entire life.
"And this is for all leather balls! Tiger Strike!"
All the power and pent up emotions in me were conducted through my weapon and into the zombie. It exploded at the influx of energy, painting the nearby walls and me with gore and rotten flesh. The air was momentarily filled with red sparks as my ki dissipated into the environment.
Gold and several items dropped from its now lifeless form, but I didn't care.
I suppose that I did mind whether I saw Hez smile again or not. I suppose that there was still some good left in me. But dammit, no one hits me and gets away with it.
Disclaimer: Diablo 2 and Lord of Destruction are the property of Blizzard. Please don't sue since I am not making any money from this, and I am a poor poor university student. ^_^;;
----------------------------------------
For Money or Honor
Chapter Three: Where Evil Gathers
The people all looked identical to each other, red skinned with their black hair kept in high ponytails. Their skin was painted over with odd symbols.
"Rakanishu!" the first one shouted, and the rest gave out a battle cry. As a disorganized band, they charged towards me.
"Damnation!" I shouted and I started to run again. I realized that I was still tired from my last 'escape' and wouldn't be able to run so far. And these little midget men seemed capable of keeping up with me for some time. There was only one option left.
I dashed away from the house and slowed down a little to save energy and to let them catch up. They seemed to be infused with vigor at the chance of killing me, and they chased faster. However they weren't prepared when I suddenly stopped and charged through their ranks. I swung my blade as I went, and I felt some resistance as I cut something.
Without turning to look back, I ran towards the house. It was the only place I could go and barricade myself in until those things left me alone.
I dashed through the entrance and turned to shut the door. But to my great dismay, there was NO door.
"How can this possibly get worse?" I moaned.
"Uuuuugh."
I whipped around and came face to face with the original possessors of the house. However I didn't think they'd need the cabin anymore.
The smell was horrid. I backed away from the rotting corpses, their flesh hanging in tatters around their bones. Old vestiges of clothing clung to their body, and that was the only way I could tell that the two undead in front of me were a man and a woman. Their heads held no hair at all, and one was missing an eye. But they seemed capable enough in seeing me as I backpedaled out the door.
"Charka rah!"
"Oh no," I gasped. The red midget men were coming back towards the house, their weapons glinting in the afternoon sun. I was caught in the proverbial rock and a hard place.
The air became more putrid as the zombies shambled towards me.
"Okay, they don't look so tough," I tried to breathe through my mouth. "I can take them down."
Collecting my wits, I grabbed a tighter hold of my blade and charged. I raised my buckler as well, just like I was taught.
I shouted fiercely as I slammed my blade into the closest zombie. It shuddered at my assault and folded, much to my surprise and pleasure.
"Ha, you're next!" I shouted at the remaining monster. It clumsily raised a fist that I easily deflected with the buckler. The blade sang as it sliced through the air and dead flesh. Its head was cleanly taken off as it too crumpled to the ground. Now they were corpses in every sense of the word.
I smiled proudly at myself. That wasn't so bad.
"Rakanishu!"
'Huh, I almost forgot about them,' I thought as I went into a battle stance. The demons recklessly entered the house, one after the other. This time I didn't run away. I attacked with a passion I had long thought forgotten. Even in battle, I was amazed at how I still remembered the old moves and techniques taught to me by my masters long ago.
For their puny size and ridiculous looks, I had to admit that these things knew how to run. When I managed to strike one, the rest scattered like birds. But then they regrouped and came at me again. It took me longer to deal with them than with the zombies, but in the end I was alive and they weren't.
Breathing in the cool air, I looked at the blood stained ground. The things had managed to get a few cuts on me, but it was nothing too bad. It didn't even hurt enough for me to use one of Akara's potions. Best of all though was that some of them had dropped coins, additional potions, and a pair of gloves. My palms were a bit raw from handling my weapon again, and I thought that wearing the gloves would be a good idea.
Tugging the gloves on tighter, I re-entered the cabin and stepped over the bodies. They still stank to high Hell, and were making the surrounding air almost unbearable. In a second room I found a robe lying on the table. A quick search led me to a skullcap and short sword. Perhaps the man had been a soldier from a nearby city. Anyway he didn't need it where he was, so I plunked the metal cap on my head and placed the sword in a sack I found nearby.
A more thorough inspection of the facility uncovered a chest. My fingers were practically itching as I thought of what was inside. I tugged at the lid . and it was locked.
"One thing after another," I sighed as I jiggled the lock. From my old belt I extracted my ever-present set of skeleton keys. I knew how to disarm locks since I was a child, but I had perfected the art as my life as a thief.
The simple mechanism of the chest was easily defeated and I opened it up. Inside were some gold, a chipped ruby, and leather armor. Those were swiftly added into my loot bag, but as I touched the armor I felt a small shock go through my spine. Dumbfounded, I scrutinized it again. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for that insistent trill of power I felt when I touched it.
As a hunch, I slowly took out the red scroll Akara had given to me. Was this what she described as a 'mysterious' item? Well there was only one way to find out.
Breaking the seal, I looked at the paper. In spidery handwriting were odd words that took me a while to discern.
"Vahl Erk Nosh?"
The scroll disintegrated in my hands as the pieces of paper morphed into bright sparkles of blue light. They landed on my arm and traveled to the armor. Instantly I knew what it was as if I had made the item myself.
"Ocher Leather Armor," I mumbled its name as I put it on. It would higher my resistance to lightning attacks if one should happen to befall me.
Rising from my crouch, I started to walk out of the dwelling. Again I encountered the dead corpses of the couple who lived here. Uncomfortably, I said a few words of prayer to their spirits. I didn't really believe in the Light, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I didn't want their souls to go to Hell because I didn't give them their last rites.
In a contemplative mood, I walked outside and continued my journey. I had used the skills I had forsworn since I was a child. They had indeed saved my life, but they hadn't protected the innocent, as was my old master's intent.
"Forget it," I told myself. "The world is a dangerous place. Everyone must look out for themselves."
I continued on a little more until I encountered an odd looking cave. There was a pole beside it with a flag on top. It was red in colour with an Evil Eye at the center. At the summit of the pole, several skulls, human skulls, where driven through.
"A cave being used as a staging ground . to attack the camp," I whispered to myself. "A den of evil."
This certainly fit the description. On the sides of the cave, sloppy yet obviously demonic paintings were drawn on it. No light seemed to penetrate into the cave, and odd footprints were in the surrounding mud.
I stood at its yawning mouth, doubt filling my mind. Should I go? Surely many monsters were already gathered there, waiting to attack the Sisters. If I did go inside, I could die a grisly death and risk losing my soul to the Burning Hells. But if I defeated them, I would be a hero to the Sisters and to the caravan children.
"Hez," I said softly. I recalled his laughing mouth and bright, cheerful eyes. Could I stand to never see that again? The answer was simple and obvious.
I walked away from the cave, humming to myself. I had some weapons and potions to sell in the nearest town after all. I was sure the Rogues could protect the caravan well.
A growl caught my attention. Before I knew it, the sack I was carrying suddenly lightened in weight. I could hear the gold and items falling out onto the soggy ground.
"Hey!" I snapped as I dropped the bag. I saw more of those quill-rats I encountered earlier. There was a group of four, and none hesitated in throwing more barbed quills at me. They had ripped the bag open with them already.
"Ow! That hurts!" I shouted as one caught me on the thigh. They ignored my outburst and continued attacking me.
"All right, that's it!" With a growl of my own, I ran towards them, my blade gleaming in the sun. It whizzed in the air as it found its targets. The tiny fight was more annoying than difficult since there were so many of them throwing quills. But with persistence, I managed to slay all four.
"Humph, that teaches you to steal my loot!" I smirked at their dead bodies. Turning back to my treasure, I was astonished to see another one of those red midgets. In its hand was my ruby.
Grinning madly at me, it quickly ran away, straight into the Den of Evil.
"Will I ever catch a break?" I screamed to the sky. It answered me with rain. "Oh I give up," I sighed as I used my old cloak as a makeshift sack. Scooping my left over plunder into the cloak, I noticed something .
"Argh! He took my gold too!"
Now I was mad. No one stole from me!
Shouldering the load, I marched right back to the cave and entered without hesitation.
"It's so dark. Perfect," I said sarcastically as I stopped and let my eyes get used to the gloom. In the distance there was dripping water. I felt the musty air move above me and heard the flapping of bat wings. This kept getting better all the time.
"There he is!" I hissed as I caught the puny form of the demon thief. He scampered down a natural hallway. I followed him, determined to get my money back.
"Okay you little bag of puss," I shouted as I rounded a corner. "Give back my gold and ruby or else!"
Several feral eyes looked at me.
"On second thought, keep it!"
"Rawr!" a tall red man shouted. He held a staff of some sort and wore a headdress made out of human ribs. The funny looking thing flailed its arms wildly before pointing its staff at me. A fireball emerged from the air and sailed towards my position.
"Oh for the Light's sake!" I yelled as I ducked out of harms way. It exploded against the rock wall and showered embers upon my head.
What ensued was a frenzied battle between them and me. On later recollection, the exact events are unclear. I was so afraid for my life then that I only remember killing and running away from those demons. But in the end, they were all dead, and I had my gold and jewel back. Nevertheless another problem presented itself to me. I had run in such a blind panic that I was thoroughly lost within the cave.
"The things I do for greed," I huffed as I carefully made my way through the den. In the darkness I could hear the moans of more zombies, the shuffling of the red men's feet, and the grunts of 'something' else.
While I was hidden within the shadows, I took the opportunity to kill any monsters along the way. They rarely saw my blade when I stabbed them in the back. It wasn't exactly honorable, but I wasn't a knight either.
There was no telling how long I stayed in there, but as with being able to tell when the sun rose, I could also sense when it was setting. I felt without a doubt that as I went deeper into the cave, night had fallen.
"Why am I even here? Is this some sort of cosmic joke the angels or demons are playing on me?" I asked myself as I slit the throat of a red man. "All I asked for was safe passage from Lathe to another city. What do I get instead? Monster hunting."
Sliding down a shallow slope, I suddenly came upon that 'something' that liked to grunt.
It was huge. It was hairy. It was looking right at me with blood shot eyes.
"I hate my life," I said as it bellowed an ear splitting roar. The walls shook as it started to lumber towards me, its well-muscled arms swinging wildly at my head.
Dropping my loot bag (which had grown since I entered the cave), I ducked under its arm. The gargantuan beast may have strength, but it was useless if you couldn't even hit your target.
"Die!" I shouted as I jabbed with my blade. It penetrated through the creature's hide and drew blood.
Snarling in pain and anger, it brought its hands together and slammed me atop my head. The blow stunned me and I drew away instinctively, the blade's extraction causing a large hole inside the beast. I stumbled backwards as fast as I could, my head spinning from the powerful strike. I felt the ground shaking as it came towards me, but then there was a final loud thump. Opening my eyes, I saw the gargantuan beast only a few feet away from me, blood gushing out of its wound. Its hands twitched a few times before it lay still.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply. It smelled metallic with so much blood on the ground and was a horrible mix with the stale air. But I was so tired and out of breathe that I didn't care. The room was still spinning on me and made me feel nauseous.
Reaching to my belt, I unhooked a minor healing potion and downed its contents. Some of it spilled down my cheeks, but most of it went in. The liquid tasted bitter, but it did its job well. The dizziness stopped in a few minutes, and I was able to stand again.
'All this for a few pieces of gold and a ruby,' I thought as I walked over to my sack. 'Is this even worth it?'
I grabbed the sack and felt how heavy it was.
'Why yes, yes it is.'
"Braaaains," something called out. I stiffened at the sound and dropped the bag again. There was a loud shuffling sound not far away, and it was getting closer. Peering into the murky distance, I suddenly felt something hit me in the chest. It sent me sprawling back on the ground.
Alarmed at my mysterious assailant, I stood back up, my weapons at the ready. Six shady figures were approaching slowly. I soon saw them to be more zombies, but the one in the center seemed different. His skin had a green tinge to it, and it glowed, almost as if he was on fire. The undead raised his fist and punched the air in front of him.
My head snapped back from its blow. I didn't know how that Hell spawn did it, but somehow he was able to strike me from a distance.
Wiping blood away from my face, I screamed in rage and charged. My weapon unerringly found its mark as I quickly yet brutally hacked away at the surrounding zombies. The buckler shielded me from slow but mighty punches from the zombies. The dents from the blows bit into my hand, bruising my skin. But at last, I was one to one with the glowing undead.
"Damn you!" I snarled at it as I attacked. "This is for that first punch!" My blade sank deep into its infernal skin, and I could feel my blood singing with a familiar power.
"This was for that second punch!"
Again my blow hit home, and I felt even more invigorated.
"This is for all the trouble you've caused!"
The next attack opened a wide gash in his chest. I had never felt this resilient in my entire life.
"And this is for all leather balls! Tiger Strike!"
All the power and pent up emotions in me were conducted through my weapon and into the zombie. It exploded at the influx of energy, painting the nearby walls and me with gore and rotten flesh. The air was momentarily filled with red sparks as my ki dissipated into the environment.
Gold and several items dropped from its now lifeless form, but I didn't care.
I suppose that I did mind whether I saw Hez smile again or not. I suppose that there was still some good left in me. But dammit, no one hits me and gets away with it.