Chapter 5
Another Step Closer
The portal closed behind them. They had landed on a rock path, which lie nearly twenty feet over burning magma. It seemed as if they'd landed in the middle of a giant volcano! Just ahead of them was a huge Fortress. Now it wasn't just huge it was gigantic, colossus, titanic. Built with stone walls and a huge iron portcullis the Pandemonium Fortress was nearly as large as two castles. Glacian and Kayasha walked (more like stumbled) down the path to the portcullis.
"Hello?" Glacian yelled, trying to attract the attention of someone inside. No response. "Is anyone there? Helloo-oo?"
Suddenly the portcullis began to lift and Glacian, followed by Kayasha, walked through. They began searching for some sign of life, but no one was there. Just as they sat down to rest a voice came.
"You must be Glacian," it sounded like whoever it belonged to had a very bad cold. "Yes, and you, Kayasha, leader of the rogues."
Glacian and Kayasha both jumped to their feet, Glacian pulled his sword from its sheath, eyes searching the area. No one was there.
Then a dark figure walked out from behind a dark corner. Dressed in a robe, which covered its face except for its eyes all the way down to its knees. The figure wore a belt of leather, chained boots and blacksmith's gloves.
"Identify yourself!" Glacian demanded.
"I am Jamella, to only mortal resident of this place, I am also a blacksmith and potions maker, if that's what you mean."
"What do you mean the only mortal, aren't there others in this place?" asked Kayasha.
"All the other left in fear, there are only two of us here, Tyreal the Archangel and myself. We've been here by ourselves for years, waiting, waiting for you, Glacian. A being whose power may yet just equal Diablo's himself."
"You knew I was coming?"
"Yes, we knew, I saw it many, many years ago, in the stars above Tristram, my hometown. "
"You used to live Tristram?" asked Glacian, curiously.
"Yes, I fled when it became corrupted. I believe it is Tyreal who you really should speak to." said Jamella, waving her arm, showing where he was. "He's in the next room."
"Ok, thank you."
Glacian walked over to the next room, it was outlined in stone and the body of it was brass. As soon as Glacian stepped inside a blinding light burned his eyes. It did not hurt though; he didn't even have to squint.
"My light does not affect you." said a heavy voice. "You are the one."
"The one what?"
"The one sent to destroy Diablo. I was told by my liege to wait here until you came. Then to brief you for your journey into the Chaos Sanctuary."
"Chaos Sanctuary? I've heard of this place, but Izual told me to ask you more about it."
"Izual? My brother? But he, he was cursed!"
"Yes, my aura lifted the curse."
"Yes, yes you are most definitely the one. Hear now and listen closely. Just south, in the Maze of Ith, there is a hammer. It is the Hammer of Rage, the only hammer which can destroy a soulstone. A soulstone rests inside the forehead of each of the three evil brothers, Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo. Long ago Mephisto and Baal's stones were destroyed, banishing their souls. But the last brother, Diablo escaped and took shelter in the Chaos Sanctuary, guarding it to make sure no one gets his soulstone, or the hammer. The only forge on which the hammer works rests also inside the Chaos Sanctuary."
"I have a map, it shows where the forge and hammer are located." said Glacian, trying to help.
"Good, does it show the five seals of Terror?"
"The what? No, no it doesn't."
"You will have to find them yourself then, they are large pads resting in the corners and middle of the sanctuary. You will know when you find them. Step on each of them, for only when all five are activated will Diablo rise and you will have your chance. But beware, traps lie in protection of these seals."
"I will, but I have one question first."
"Yes?"
"What is the fire which surrounds the Maze of Ith?"
"It is the eternal River of Flame. We are deep inside the Earth's crust, above us is dirt, and below us is magma. Rest now, for you will need your strength. You can sleep in one of the rooms around the main quad."
Two days passed after Glacian talked to Tyreal. He'd explained the situation to Kayasha, she immediately begged him to let her go with him. She though that she might be of some assistance like the last time he'd faced evil. He had agreed, but made her get a better bow and armor. During these past few weeks they had become good friends and Glacian began to worry for Kayasha's safety. Kayasha felt likewise. On the morning of the third day he suited up quickly and went to get breakfast but, as always Kayasha had beaten him to it.
"Good morning." Jamella greeted him, handing him a goblet, from which he began to drink.
"Thanks, good morning Jamella, Kayasha." he nodded his head slightly as he named them. "Kayasha," he repeated, "are you ready for today?"
"As ready as I ever will be." she said, forcing a smile.
"I figure after breakfast we'll look around the Outter Steppes and find our way into the Maze of Ith. Then we'll find the hammer and bring it back here. We'll go back, search the Chaos Sanctuary for the seals and Diablo."
"Sounds ok." replied Kayasha in a dull manner.
Nearly a half-hour later the two set out to find the Maze of Ith. Walking down the stone staircase connecting the Pandemonium Fortress with the Outter Steppes. When they reach the Outter Steppes everything began to get colder. Their armor froze until it looked like it would shatter and Glacian's scepter began to crack.
"Uhh-oh, hurry!" Glacian said, looking at his scepter.
They ran to the opposite side of the Steppes, which was only about fifty feet from the staircase. Their armor and weapons began to thaw and the Rive of Flame raged up about ten feet.
"It must've been a trap, for the weak."
"Yes." said Kayasha, who was still shivering.
They marched down the first aisle of the great maze until they came to a fork. Glacian looked down at his map and signaled Kayasha to turn left. After walking the thin stone aisles for only a few minutes they came to a dead end. At the end, however was a huge mallet. It was a gemmed handle with a large steel head on it, which shinned brilliantly in the light.
"This must be it, the Hammer of Rage Tyreal was talking about. Funny..."
"What?" asked Kayasha, growing nervous.
"We had no trouble getting to it."
"Well, maybe Diablo is afraid of you." Kayasha said, seemingly joking. She bent down and picked it up. Eyeing it closely. "It's beautiful, I wonder if-" her words were cut off when the ground began to shake. Lava bounced up to where they were standing. The stone they were standing on began to crumble from beneath them, panicking; they ran down the aisle they had come down, the same thing was happening there. Suddenly Glacian remembered that he had a scroll of portal, which when read aloud created a portal leading to anywhere. He though 'Chaos Sanctuary, no, we couldn't get back', 'Pandemonium Fortress, yes, YES'. He real it loudly, screaming the words in a dull panic. A portal opened and Kayasha jumped through, dragging Glacian with her.
When they got back Tyreal took the Hammer.
"This is it." he remarked after looking it over. "This is definitely it."
"All right, now we need a portal to the Chaos Sanctuary."
"Why?" asked Tyreal.
"The Maze crumbled beneath us."
"Ah, a trap, figures. Here you go." Tyreal opened a portal.
Glacian and Kayasha both walked through together, planning to cover each other's back.
When they got to the Sanctuary, they let their eyes adjust to the dark for a few minutes then set off to find the seals. Almost immediately they saw a giant metal table, it was the Forge of Rage, the forge where the Hammer of Rage had to be used. Nearly five minutes later they found a giant stone pad with engravings at the bottom and three 'fingers' reaching up from the sides of it. When Glacian stepped on it a bright red light poured through the engravings and the pad began to hum. Seconds later an arrow whizzed through the air and glanced off Glacian's shoulder pad.
"Ahh! What was that, where did it come from?!" yelled Glacian, suddenly ripping his sword from his sheath.
"I think it was a trap like the ones Tyreal talked about, although I'm not sure where it came from."
They searched the surrounding area and found a small slit in the wall where a pressurized projectile could be placed.
"I'd bet the seal activated it, come on, lets find another one and get this over with." said Glacian, trying to be brave in front of Kayasha.
After they had found three more seals and had been hit by the three elementals (fire, ice, and lightning), they came to the fifth and final seal. Each of them rested before activating it. Finally Glacian stepped on it.
The ground began to rumble as if something below was trying to break out and reach the surface. A hole appeared in the middle of the ground and a bright light shone on the roof above the hole. A giant blaze began to burn above the hole and through it walked a monster. It was huge, larger than any Glacian or Kayasha had seen before. It stood nearly fifteen feet high with a ten-foot dinosaur tail covered in spikes and feet with huge talons like that of an eagle, its wrists and ankles all bared spikes. But the really outstanding part of this monster was its head. A tusk stuck out from its chin like a beard, its eyes were a bright red-yellow, as is they were burning flames. In the middle of its forehead was a bright red stone.
Another Step Closer
The portal closed behind them. They had landed on a rock path, which lie nearly twenty feet over burning magma. It seemed as if they'd landed in the middle of a giant volcano! Just ahead of them was a huge Fortress. Now it wasn't just huge it was gigantic, colossus, titanic. Built with stone walls and a huge iron portcullis the Pandemonium Fortress was nearly as large as two castles. Glacian and Kayasha walked (more like stumbled) down the path to the portcullis.
"Hello?" Glacian yelled, trying to attract the attention of someone inside. No response. "Is anyone there? Helloo-oo?"
Suddenly the portcullis began to lift and Glacian, followed by Kayasha, walked through. They began searching for some sign of life, but no one was there. Just as they sat down to rest a voice came.
"You must be Glacian," it sounded like whoever it belonged to had a very bad cold. "Yes, and you, Kayasha, leader of the rogues."
Glacian and Kayasha both jumped to their feet, Glacian pulled his sword from its sheath, eyes searching the area. No one was there.
Then a dark figure walked out from behind a dark corner. Dressed in a robe, which covered its face except for its eyes all the way down to its knees. The figure wore a belt of leather, chained boots and blacksmith's gloves.
"Identify yourself!" Glacian demanded.
"I am Jamella, to only mortal resident of this place, I am also a blacksmith and potions maker, if that's what you mean."
"What do you mean the only mortal, aren't there others in this place?" asked Kayasha.
"All the other left in fear, there are only two of us here, Tyreal the Archangel and myself. We've been here by ourselves for years, waiting, waiting for you, Glacian. A being whose power may yet just equal Diablo's himself."
"You knew I was coming?"
"Yes, we knew, I saw it many, many years ago, in the stars above Tristram, my hometown. "
"You used to live Tristram?" asked Glacian, curiously.
"Yes, I fled when it became corrupted. I believe it is Tyreal who you really should speak to." said Jamella, waving her arm, showing where he was. "He's in the next room."
"Ok, thank you."
Glacian walked over to the next room, it was outlined in stone and the body of it was brass. As soon as Glacian stepped inside a blinding light burned his eyes. It did not hurt though; he didn't even have to squint.
"My light does not affect you." said a heavy voice. "You are the one."
"The one what?"
"The one sent to destroy Diablo. I was told by my liege to wait here until you came. Then to brief you for your journey into the Chaos Sanctuary."
"Chaos Sanctuary? I've heard of this place, but Izual told me to ask you more about it."
"Izual? My brother? But he, he was cursed!"
"Yes, my aura lifted the curse."
"Yes, yes you are most definitely the one. Hear now and listen closely. Just south, in the Maze of Ith, there is a hammer. It is the Hammer of Rage, the only hammer which can destroy a soulstone. A soulstone rests inside the forehead of each of the three evil brothers, Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo. Long ago Mephisto and Baal's stones were destroyed, banishing their souls. But the last brother, Diablo escaped and took shelter in the Chaos Sanctuary, guarding it to make sure no one gets his soulstone, or the hammer. The only forge on which the hammer works rests also inside the Chaos Sanctuary."
"I have a map, it shows where the forge and hammer are located." said Glacian, trying to help.
"Good, does it show the five seals of Terror?"
"The what? No, no it doesn't."
"You will have to find them yourself then, they are large pads resting in the corners and middle of the sanctuary. You will know when you find them. Step on each of them, for only when all five are activated will Diablo rise and you will have your chance. But beware, traps lie in protection of these seals."
"I will, but I have one question first."
"Yes?"
"What is the fire which surrounds the Maze of Ith?"
"It is the eternal River of Flame. We are deep inside the Earth's crust, above us is dirt, and below us is magma. Rest now, for you will need your strength. You can sleep in one of the rooms around the main quad."
Two days passed after Glacian talked to Tyreal. He'd explained the situation to Kayasha, she immediately begged him to let her go with him. She though that she might be of some assistance like the last time he'd faced evil. He had agreed, but made her get a better bow and armor. During these past few weeks they had become good friends and Glacian began to worry for Kayasha's safety. Kayasha felt likewise. On the morning of the third day he suited up quickly and went to get breakfast but, as always Kayasha had beaten him to it.
"Good morning." Jamella greeted him, handing him a goblet, from which he began to drink.
"Thanks, good morning Jamella, Kayasha." he nodded his head slightly as he named them. "Kayasha," he repeated, "are you ready for today?"
"As ready as I ever will be." she said, forcing a smile.
"I figure after breakfast we'll look around the Outter Steppes and find our way into the Maze of Ith. Then we'll find the hammer and bring it back here. We'll go back, search the Chaos Sanctuary for the seals and Diablo."
"Sounds ok." replied Kayasha in a dull manner.
Nearly a half-hour later the two set out to find the Maze of Ith. Walking down the stone staircase connecting the Pandemonium Fortress with the Outter Steppes. When they reach the Outter Steppes everything began to get colder. Their armor froze until it looked like it would shatter and Glacian's scepter began to crack.
"Uhh-oh, hurry!" Glacian said, looking at his scepter.
They ran to the opposite side of the Steppes, which was only about fifty feet from the staircase. Their armor and weapons began to thaw and the Rive of Flame raged up about ten feet.
"It must've been a trap, for the weak."
"Yes." said Kayasha, who was still shivering.
They marched down the first aisle of the great maze until they came to a fork. Glacian looked down at his map and signaled Kayasha to turn left. After walking the thin stone aisles for only a few minutes they came to a dead end. At the end, however was a huge mallet. It was a gemmed handle with a large steel head on it, which shinned brilliantly in the light.
"This must be it, the Hammer of Rage Tyreal was talking about. Funny..."
"What?" asked Kayasha, growing nervous.
"We had no trouble getting to it."
"Well, maybe Diablo is afraid of you." Kayasha said, seemingly joking. She bent down and picked it up. Eyeing it closely. "It's beautiful, I wonder if-" her words were cut off when the ground began to shake. Lava bounced up to where they were standing. The stone they were standing on began to crumble from beneath them, panicking; they ran down the aisle they had come down, the same thing was happening there. Suddenly Glacian remembered that he had a scroll of portal, which when read aloud created a portal leading to anywhere. He though 'Chaos Sanctuary, no, we couldn't get back', 'Pandemonium Fortress, yes, YES'. He real it loudly, screaming the words in a dull panic. A portal opened and Kayasha jumped through, dragging Glacian with her.
When they got back Tyreal took the Hammer.
"This is it." he remarked after looking it over. "This is definitely it."
"All right, now we need a portal to the Chaos Sanctuary."
"Why?" asked Tyreal.
"The Maze crumbled beneath us."
"Ah, a trap, figures. Here you go." Tyreal opened a portal.
Glacian and Kayasha both walked through together, planning to cover each other's back.
When they got to the Sanctuary, they let their eyes adjust to the dark for a few minutes then set off to find the seals. Almost immediately they saw a giant metal table, it was the Forge of Rage, the forge where the Hammer of Rage had to be used. Nearly five minutes later they found a giant stone pad with engravings at the bottom and three 'fingers' reaching up from the sides of it. When Glacian stepped on it a bright red light poured through the engravings and the pad began to hum. Seconds later an arrow whizzed through the air and glanced off Glacian's shoulder pad.
"Ahh! What was that, where did it come from?!" yelled Glacian, suddenly ripping his sword from his sheath.
"I think it was a trap like the ones Tyreal talked about, although I'm not sure where it came from."
They searched the surrounding area and found a small slit in the wall where a pressurized projectile could be placed.
"I'd bet the seal activated it, come on, lets find another one and get this over with." said Glacian, trying to be brave in front of Kayasha.
After they had found three more seals and had been hit by the three elementals (fire, ice, and lightning), they came to the fifth and final seal. Each of them rested before activating it. Finally Glacian stepped on it.
The ground began to rumble as if something below was trying to break out and reach the surface. A hole appeared in the middle of the ground and a bright light shone on the roof above the hole. A giant blaze began to burn above the hole and through it walked a monster. It was huge, larger than any Glacian or Kayasha had seen before. It stood nearly fifteen feet high with a ten-foot dinosaur tail covered in spikes and feet with huge talons like that of an eagle, its wrists and ankles all bared spikes. But the really outstanding part of this monster was its head. A tusk stuck out from its chin like a beard, its eyes were a bright red-yellow, as is they were burning flames. In the middle of its forehead was a bright red stone.