Hello all! This is my first fan fiction on FanFiction.net so please be gentle but honest in reviews! If I get enough input I will upload more chapters (as soon as I finish them of course). So read and enjoy as much as you can.

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. ^_^;;

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For Money or Honor

ACT ONE – THE SISTER'S LAMENT

Chapter One: The Whims of Destiny

I was tired. It wasn't just a feeling; it was a fact of life. My bones ached, my muscles were sore, and even my hair seemed pained to their very roots. Nature seemed to share my foul disposition; unforgiving winds and torrential rains buffeted leafless, dying trees. Mud sucked at my heels with every step taken and spattered against the tattered cloak hanging from my back.

Pulling the thin hood closer to me, I shivered. In retrospect, this was definitely not where I expected to be when I was a child. But so many things had happened since my innocent years, and it was true that Life was a bitch. Fate had given me a bad hand of cards, but I intended to play it at its fullest. The others had always called me stubborn, and I suppose that is the only thing that had kept me alive all these years.

Just as I thought I had to stop for the night, I crested a hill and caught sight of a town. Well, town was stretching it a bit. Put bluntly, it looked like a shepherd's camp, a place for wandering shepherds to temporarily stay as they moved their herds to different pasture sites.

Squinting through the harsh rain, I stared at it a while before I was able to make out hastily erected fences and barricades made out of felled logs. The tips were hacked into fine points and probably stood a good 10 feet or so in height. The entrance was a moat, thanks to a wide stream that flowed in front of it. A crude stone bridge crossed the water, and two pinpricks of fire, probably torches on stands, saddled either side of the bridge. On second thought, the camp seemed more like a den for a warlord or bandit. No simple sheepherder would go through this much trouble to fortify their camp. Well, that is unless the area held giant wolves, but those only existed in legends.

"Well then," I whispered. "This looks promising. At least it is better than sleeping with wolves tonight." Keeping my head bowed to the howling winds, I made my way down the winding road towards the only sign of civilization for miles.

I wondered what would happen once I reached the gate guards. What story would I ply to convince them to take in this lone wanderer? I had no gold to pay for my lodgings, but that may be a good thing as well. If the camp was indeed composed of cutthroats and hooligans, then they would probably not hesitate in killing me for a few coins. If worse came to worse, I could claim to be a fellow thief running for dear life. That wasn't totally false since last week I had to escape the city of Lathe to evade being sent to prison. The local pawnshop owner had ratted me out to city guards so he could keep a nice set of pearl earrings I had stolen. There had been no time to return to the shanty tavern I had used as my temporary home and collect my meager coins and belongings. What I carried now were my sole possessions.

Halt!" an authoritative voice suddenly shouted. The memories it evoked made me stop immediately. "Who goes there?"

Through the storm I could make out three figures holding bows that were currently notched and aimed at my direction. Squaring my shoulders, I cleared my throat and replied.

"I am but a weary wanderer in search of a place to wait out this storm," I managed to say through my chattering teeth.

"A wanderer?" the voice said suspiciously. I could feel the tension mount as they cocked their strings farther.

"A traveler really, one who has lost their way," I hastily amended. Perhaps they had bad experiences with passing wanderers. "If you would let me stay for the night, I promise to be gone at the break of dawn."

There was a long silence that went unbroken for many minutes. Finally, the lead stranger turned to another figure at the back and whispered something. The second person nodded and hurriedly ran towards the camp.

"Alright, we shall allow you to spend the night at our camp," the same individual spoke. I could now identify her as female. "As for leaving in the morning, that remains to be seen."

"Thank you," I nodded, hiding my confusion. Finding a female criminal was rare since women who were down on their luck usually turned to prostitution. But even in the darkened day, it was obvious that the two barring my path were adept at wielding those bows.

"Walk in front," she said, motioning with her weapon. The arrow was still there and the string was still taut.

Wordlessly, I moved ahead of the duo and made my way to the camp. No conversation was attempted as they followed behind me, their eyes never wavering from my back.

'What have I gotten myself into now?' I thought to myself as we crossed the bridge. It seemed that Fate had dealt me another shoddy hand.

Chickens scrambled out of our way as we entered the camp. To my great surprise, more female sentries with bows stood guard. They looked at me for a few seconds before returning to vigilantly scanning the area.

Carts and tents were haphazardly strewn around the grounds. A giant fire dominated the center of the camp, and I started to make my way there.

"Not that way. Turn right," my 'guide' said in a stern voice.

Complying with the order, I made my way to a particularly small and dilapidated looking tent. Was this where the leader stayed? It didn't seem like it. The housing seemed more fit for a beggar than a warlord.

"Ah, this must be the stranger. Thank you Raizza, Helen. I will talk to our guest now in privacy," an elderly voice said.

"But Kaysha wishes us to -"

"I know that Kaysha is worried for my safety, but fear not. I shall be fine with our guest."

I could hear my two escorts reluctantly leave us and make their way towards the giant campfire in the center.

Turning expectantly towards my benefactor, I saw a tall woman whose skin had been wrinkled by both Time and sorrow. Her blue eyes were bright yet solemn. There was a feeling of power emanating from the frail woman, that and great wisdom.

"I am Akara, High Priestess of the Sightless Eye. I welcome you to our humble abode. There is not much supplies left, but what we have we will gladly share."

"Thank you," I said again. "But if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your Monastery in the Tamoe Highlands?"

"Alas, if only we could," sadness crept into her voice. "A great Evil has befallen our lands and took our Monastery away from us. Many of my fellow Sisters have already fallen in combat. Now we must stay here, praying to the Light for aid in this dark hour."

Despite the hospitality of Akara, I could not help but snort at her words.

"The Light?" I asked incredulously. "You had better just hire mercenaries to rid yourself of your problems. The Light doesn't give a rip about us mortals."

"We have no lack of brave warriors," Akara said fiercely. "The foes we face are spawned from the very depths of Hell itself. Only warriors who serve the Light will be able to defeat these monsters."

"You're right," I quickly agreed just to appease her. I didn't particularly want to be thrown into the cold night once more. "Pardon my mouth; it has been a long day for me."

"Of course," Akara's voice returned to its previous gentleness. "There is a spare tent near the entrance of the camp. Gheed keeps some of his wares inside, but I am sure that there is still plenty of space for you. It is warm and dry, and right now, that is all I can offer in the way of lodging. There is a man standing at the campfire. His name is Warriv and is the leader of a caravan. Tell him I sent you, and he will give you some food. The stream that flows nearby is pure so you may get a drink there."

"Thank you for your kindness," I repeated again. "I wish that there was something I could give you in return, but I am poor and only posses what I carry with me right now."

"The Order does not seek to be paid for their charity," Akara smiled wanly. "But I must warn you, there is a cave nearby that our scouts have discovered. We suspect that these monsters are using it as a staging ground for an attack on the camp. Being here may not be the best choice right now."

"I'll take the risk," I managed to smirk. "This wouldn't be the first time I ran for my life."

"I see that," she laughed gently. "Rest now. You seem very tired."

"I always am. Good night."

With those parting words, I left Akara's company and headed towards the campfire. On the way there, I passed a fierce looking woman in chain mail. She glared at my figure before unfolding her arms and striding over to Akara's tent. Ignoring her hostile looks, I made my way to a large man with a black beard and moustache. He wore an odd headpiece that I had only seen in books. The blue and white turban seemed to sag in the rain as he stood at the fire and blew on his hands.

"Greetings stranger!" he welcomed me loudly before I could even open my mouth. "What brings you here to the camp?"

"The whims of Destiny," I shrugged as I joined him by the fire. "Warriv I presume?"

"Indeed I am," he laughed. "And who do I have the honor of speaking to?"

"Just a nameless traveler," I responded as I looked at the fire. It was amazing that the rain and wind did not snuff it out. "Akara said that I could get some food from you."

"Yes, you can. Just wait a minute," he said as he strode over to his large wagon. Opening the wooden door, he rummaged through the contents within before emerging again with a wrapped package.

"I'm afraid it isn't much," Warriv looked embarrassed. "This is just some smoked meat and biscuits. The bread may be a little stale but still good."

"I thank you. And do not worry," I added as I saw his creased face. "This is a feast compared to what I usually have. Thank you again and good night."

Before he could pester me with idle chatter, I left Warriv and walked back to the entrance of the camp. A few cows were huddled together near a tent to protect themselves from the wind. The white material flapped wildly as another gust made me hold the package closer.

Flailing my arms against the tent's openings, I finally managed to part them and enter. A single lamp was on a stack of boxes at the far end. The tent was pegged at regular intervals so little wind entered the inside. It was more than I had hoped for and certainly more than I was used to.

Keeping the lamp at its elevated position so it threw more light, I sat down nearby on some crates. I shrugged off my soaking wet cloak and wrung it to shed the excess water. It was one Hell of a night out there, and hopefully it would clear up in the morning. Monsters or no, there was no way I was staying here.

Laying the cloak on some boxes to dry, I turned towards Warriv's package. With shaking fingers I opened it and found several large chunks of meat and three pieces of biscuit. Ravenously I tore into the food, the morsels barely staying in my mouth long enough to taste. It was good to have provisions again after living off the land for a few days. Then again, the only alternative to that were garbage and scraps so either way, this seemed like a feast to me.

However much I wanted to finish everything, I forced myself to save two pieces of meat and a biscuit. There was no telling when I would get another package such as this again, so it would be wise to ration myself.

I considered going outside again to open my mouth and swallow rainwater, but the disgruntled 'moos' of the cows changed my mind. There was always tomorrow to get a drink. Besides, I had seen enough water to last me several weeks.

Taking some rough cloth that was normally used to cover the crates, I made a small bed on the ground. This time I took the lamp down with me and set it at my head.

What a life this was. No family or friends, no gold or belongings, no home, and no hope. It might be a blessing in disguise if the monsters attacked tonight and ended all our miseries.

"Life is a bitch," I muttered as I opened the lamp and blew out the light.