Act 2, Quest 2

The Horadric Staff

Mousse carefully looked over the document, working to translate through the words. It spoke of a power magician, a secret dimension and the way to get there. With a sigh, he put the scroll down and lay back on the blanket in his tent. In the near past, a scroll of this magnitude might have kept him happily busy for many weeks but he had lost interest in it. In fact, he seemed to have lost interest in several things after Cologne made it abundantly clear that he had no right to be after Shampoo.

Mousse leaned back and closed his eyes, deciding that sleep was better than moping about it. He felt his breath start to steady and felt sleep start to talk over him. But then he heard something in the distance. It was his name being called, softly, by a female voice.

His eyes flickered open and he sat up in bed. Annoyed, he realized it must have been his imagination that was just about to enter to enter the sleep stage. He lay back down to go back to sleep but he heard it again.

"Mousse…" It sounded like the wind was singing to him. "Come outside, Mousse."

Something in his mind told him that this was dangerous, that he should just ignore it. But without realizing what he was doing, Mousse was already outside of his tent.

It was the dead of night and Lut Gholein had gone to sleep. There may have been guards on the wall but with his vision as bad as it was, Mousse was not able to tell. The campfire was dwindling and the camels bayed at him as he passed. But Mousse didn't here them, he was transfixed on the voice that was calling him like a siren away from the encampment.

In the back alleys of Lut Gholein, Mousse finally met the source of the voice. A beautiful young lady waited for him there with a smile.

"I hoped you would come," her voice continued.

"I… I…" Mousse started.

"I wanted to see you," she said stepping forward and putting a hand on his chest.

"Ah, do I know you?" Mousse finally managed to ask.

"Does it matter?" she asked, walking around him, dragging her hand across his upper body as she did. "Isn't it nice to have a beautiful woman saying that she wants to see you."

Mousse swallowed. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm… I've… there's someone else."

The woman leaned up to his ear. "Then where is she?" Mousse frowned and lowered his head. The woman giggled. "If you wanted her that much, why are you here?"

"I heard… I heard my name in the wind. And…"

"So you have a habit of following strange woman's voices that call your name," she said with a smile as she walked around his side and faced him. "I'd say you weren't be true to your love."

"I am true to her," Mousse said taking a step back. "And she would be here, if… if…"

"If?" the woman questioned.

"If it weren't for her great-grandmother thinking I'm worthless."

"But, you're such a high level Necromancer! Surely you've proven yourself in battle before. Shouldn't she fear you?"

"I… I… I can't see," Mousse blurted out. "If I could then, my spells would work and I'd be able to use more higher level ones…"

"But that doesn't have to be a problem," the woman said. She stepped forward and Mousse felt his legs turn to stone. She leaned forward and his eyes snapped shut. Gingerly she placed a kiss on both eyelids.

Mousse remained frozen for a few moments more and then opened his eyes. The alley was completely dark.

"Hey! Is there a problem?"

Mousse turned around and saw a guard at the end of the alleyway. "No, no problem! Just getting some air."

The guard waved his hand and moved on. Mousse waved back and then suddenly realized what had just happened. He had seen the guard. He had seen the guard in such detail that he had seen him wave his hand. Mousse ran out of the alley way into the street. Looking to the north, he saw the wall. He saw the banners of Lut Gholein flapping in the breeze. He saw the tiny figures marching on the battlements.

Mousse sank to his knees and started to laugh. Then a moment later, he let out a victory cry to the sky.

In the alley, the woman looked at him with a smile. "You like that don't you?" she asked.

Mousse looked back at her with wonder in his eyes. "Yes but… but… how? Why?"

The woman smiled. "It's a gift," she sang. "One I hope you might be willing to return."

Mousse stood up and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She smiled. "I've lost something in the desert and I think that you have already found the first clue."

Mousse paused. "The Hordaric Staff?"

The girl smiled. "It's very important that I get that."

"But… but it's the key to…"

She pouted. "I thought that you would help me!" she cried.

"But the Hordaric staff, why do you want it?"

"It's a powerful staff," the woman said. "And I need it to defend myself against the sorcerers of this region. I am one of the few of my kind left here and they hunt me constantly. I've tried to enlist help before but… no one has been willing to help me. I thought that if I helped them first they would be willing to help me."

"I'm sorry," Mousse said. "I can't thank you enough for this and I would do anything else you asked. But the staff sounds like it is too dangerous to recover."

The woman frowned. "I should have known. You men are all alike. If that is what you want…" She turned to leave. "Oh, but there was one thing I did not tell you about my spell. In the time it takes from the full moon to fade to new, your vision will fade once more."

"What?" Mousse asked.

"Bring the staff to me and I will make the change permanent," she said. "Or else, watch you world fade from view and so will any chance of being with your true love." The woman stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Mousse ran up to the wall but there was nothing there. It was as if she had simply melted into the wall. He looked around for a few moments more before he turned away and headed back to camp.

As soon as he was gone, the woman stepped out of the shadow. She smiled slightly as her body shimmered and dissolved. A second later, Herb stood in her place with the same triumphant smile.

"That was too easy."

* * *

"Now girl, let it burn!"

Akane's staff came forward and the ground in front of her erupted into a wall of fire. It burned for several moments before it finally flickered out. The old woman next to her started to cackle.

"That a girl, I knew you could do it," she said, slapping Akane firmly on the hips.

Akane looked down at the older woman, who wore an outfit much like her own though it covered quite a bit more.

"Thank you so much!" Akane said. "I can't believe that I've already learned so much from you!"

"Ah, all girls should come out East on a pilgrimage to meet their predecessors. We have lots to teach you still," the woman said with a smile.

"We can't thank you enough," Soun said, from his seat on the side. "If there is anything we can do…"

"I've heard you are going to Travincal," the woman said. "My son, Tofu, is there. If you could please deliver some things to him, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," Soun said. "We'll be leaving shortly and arrive there within a month, Mrs. Ono."

"Kin, please," she said. "Mrs. Ono makes me feel so old!" The woman laughed, her gray hair bouncing in the bun. "Now girl, let's see you try that a couple of more times."

Akane nodded happily and went back to work. Kin watched her with a small smile. "I remember being that young," she said. "It was wonderful to be that free."

Soun chuckled from next to her. "Well, not that free I hope."

Kin smiled. "Don't you worry, they never really leave you. They just go away and come back when they need something, like food or money," she added with a laugh. "But…" she said, lowering her voice soon Akane couldn't hear her. "There is something different about her. Something in her eyes."

Soun showed no reaction to her words. "What do you mean?"

"It's as if they have seen something that they shouldn't," Kin said. "And it's left something of a taint on her innocence." Soun remained silent.

"Don't push yourself too much, Akane," he said, standing up. "You'll get too tired."

Kin watched Soun walk away with a small frown. This would have to go in her letter to Tofu.

* * *

"I can't wait to be out of this place!" Ryoga said, finishing his packing.

"Place doesn't suit, sugar?" Ukyo asked watching him pack.

"Too damn hot," Ryoga replied. "Give me snow, give me ice, not all this damn sand and heat."

Ukyo laughed and looked over her shoulder as she heard people approach. Ranma and his father walked into the camp, in deep discussion. Ukyo smiled and jumped up, happy to see he was wearing the scarf she had bought him around his head.

"Hey Ranma honey!" she said walking over to him. "I knew that scarf would look good on you." Ryoga muttered something but Ukyo ignored him.

"Yeah," Ranma said, straightening it. "Keeps my head cool." Ryoga muttered something else.

"Did you find a way to Travincial?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ranma said. "Pop and I met a sea captain who said he'd give us a lift."

"Great! When do we leave!!"

"We're leaving?" Akane said as she and Soun joined the group. "Did you find a boat!"

"Yes, Pop and I met a captain…"

"Who you meet?" Shampoo asked as she and Cologne joined the group.

Ranma threw up his hands. "Okay, that's it. I ain't saying it again until I know that everyone is here." He looked through the group. "Where's Mousse?"

Everyone looked around the immediate area but couldn't find him. Shampoo walked over to his tent and looked inside.

"Not there," she said. She was about to leave when she saw a scroll open on his blanket. She leaned forward and grabbed. "Left note," she said walking outside the tent with it in her hands.

Cologne hopped over and took the parchment in her hand. "To everyone, I'm sorry to leave you without a farewell but something has come up that I must attend to alone. I wish you the best of luck in your continued quest and hope to see you all again. Mousse."

"He left?" Akane asked.

"That's a bit odd," Ukyo added. "Even for Mousse. I mean you would have thought he would have at least said good-bye to Shampoo."

Cologne shrugged. "Perhaps he found something more important," she said. "What are doing, great-granddaughter?"

Shampoo had already donned her armor and picked up her spear. "Shampoo go find duck-boy. Make promise to take him home and guard him until do." Cologne frowned but one look from the Amazon warrior made it clear she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"I'll help, "Ranma said. He got a look from Cologne. "He was a friend after all and Ukyo's right, something is not right."

"Right sugar," Ukyo said. "Only problem is, where do we start looking."

"The Halls of the Dead." The group turned and found Hiroshi and Daisuke looking at them from the edge of camp.

"At least," Hiroshi continued, "that's where he asked us about first."

"What do you mean first?" Ranma asked.

"The Halls of the Dead, the Sand Maggot Hive and the Claw Viper temple," Daisuke said. "It seemed a bit strange, you know. Most people tend to avoid those places."

"Where Hall of Dead?" Shampoo demanded, holding onto her spear tightly. Daisuke and Hiroshi decided it wouldn't be wise to refuse her.

* * *

"Holy mother of…"

Ranma had stopped the group just short of the entrance to the second level. He could already smell the downstairs and didn't want to risk getting anyone hurt. He had taken Shampoo with him to do a quick scout of the area. But this was not what they expected.

There were bodies everywhere and the walls were covered in blood. There was a metallic burning smell in the air, worse than what it had been from upstairs. There were a few skeletons crumpled on the ground and what appeared to be a pile of cooling lava. It was the mummies, the half dog creatures and fragments of other things that couldn't be identified that accounted for most of the mess.

It didn't appear to have any effect on Shampoo. The purple-haired Amazon started to wade through the mess, looking for any familiar sign. After several moments, she turned to Ranma.

"He not here," she said, sounding a bit relieved. "But how this happen?"

Ranma was a bit puzzled himself. Sure he knew that Mousse was a high level Necromancer but by his own admission, Mousse's eyesight made all those skills almost useless. Only it appeared that all this damage was done by a high level Necromancer.

"Maybe someone got here before him," Ranma said. "Let's go up and let the others know."

* * *

Mousse sat on the back on the camel, with the Horadric cube in front of him. He spent most of his traveling time studying it, trying to decipher the lettering on the outside to see if he could understand how to make it work. Right now, all it appeared to be good for was storing equipment.

In the east, the sky began to lighten and Mousse brought the camel to a halt. That was all the traveling he would be able to do today. Crossing the desert was taking more time then he liked. Looking up at he sky, he saw that the moon had lost a quarter of its fullness. His eyesight was failing too. And if he didn't hurry, it would be gone before he reached the Temple of the Claw Viper.

He pulled out the rough map that was given to him by the two potion sellers and gave it the once over to try to estimate where he was. Without landmark, it was next to impossible to tell one dune from the next. But he had been travelling for several days now, the Maggot Hive should be nearby. He jumped off his camel and stepped onto the sand, shielding his eyes from the rising sun.

A few steps later, Mousse felt the floor crumble beneath him. In a moment of panic, he thought he stepped in quick sand. But suddenly he found himself on a hard dirt floor. Standing up, he dusted himself off and looked around the hole he had fallen into. It had several tunnels branching off in different directions. Walking up to one of them, he found slime running across the wall.

Maybe he had found the hive after all! But where were the maggots?

As if to answer him, the tunnel suddenly filled with the sound of scurrying feet. A dozen maggot appeared from each direction. Mousse smiled, grabbed his Yew wand and cast his first spell.

* * *

"OVER HERE!"

Akane pulled her camel to a halt and turned to Ranma and Shampoo. Ranma was trying to look in the direction that Ukyo was yelling from but the rising sun was blocking his sight. Shampoo didn't appear willing to wait. She sent her camel off into a gallop and ran towards where Ukyo and Ryoga were.

As she neared the area, she saw something crumpled on the ground. It wasn't moving and it must be dead. With dread, Shampoo pressed on until she reached the corpse. With a sigh of relief, she jumped off the camel.

"Is dead camel," she said.

Ukyo nodded. "But look at this," she said pulling something from the saddle. "It's one of the water skins we got from the Rouge encampment. I don't think it could be a coincidence."

"It must be Mousse," Ranma said finally reaching them.

"But where he is?" Shampoo asked. Then she saw the whole in ground. She ran over to it and looked down. Without a moment's hesitation she jumped down.

There was another slaughter waiting for her below. Corpses of maggots lay strewn across most of the tunnel walls, floor and ceiling. She heard two people jump down behind her.

"Oh my God," Akane said, looking around.

Ranma frowned. "We need to split up and see if he's here."

"No need sugar!" Ukyo called from above. "Come on up and we'll show you."

Ranma, Akane and Shampoo scrambled above ground again. A few feet away, Ryoga was crouched down on the ground with Ukyo leaning above him.

"What did you find?"

Ryoga pointed to the sand where there were two foot sized impressions. They repeated in a pattern across the sand. "The camel must have died when he was down there and he had to continue on foot. But look," he continued point to the way the left track appeared longer. "He's dragging his left foot. He must have been injured."

"That'll slow him down," Ranma said, "maybe we can catch him."

"Let go," Shampoo said, already mounted on her camel.

* * *

Mousse limped to the entrance of the temple. He didn't know what made him feel worse. Was it the fact that a stray maggot had killed his camel? Was it the fact that he had managed to get a huge gash on his left leg from his battle with the maggot queen? Or was it the fact that the moon was now in 3rd quarter and he had only a week left.

He leaned against the stone wall with a sigh. This was the last stop. The Staff of Kings was safely stored in the cube. All he needed was the amulet and he would be able to create the Horadric Staff.

The vipers would be a problem guarding it would be a problem. And his eyesight was starting to worsen more rapidly now. It was only by sheer luck that he managed to get here in time.

He tore a piece of fabric off his robe and bound his leg with it. It just needed to hold for a few more days. He would use more potions but his supply was already dwindling and he couldn't risk it.

Looking at the entrance he prepared to go in but suddenly heard his name being called. He looked up, listening to it echo in the wind. He looked towards the desert but couldn't see anything save the fuzzy shapes of sand. He shook his head and decided it was his mind playing tricks on him. Without any more hesitation he armed himself with his wand and walked into the temple.

Fifteen minutes later, the small pack of camels came to a halt in front of the temple. They jumped off their animals and strode quickly to the entrance. Ryoga leaned down and looked at the wall.

"Blood," he said, pointing to the thin red line there. "And it very fresh. Shampoo was right. It was him at the enterance."

"Waste no time, go in now," Shampoo said, drawing her spear and walking in. Ranma was about to protest but most of the group was already following her. He might have taken offense at the fact that his leadership had been usurped. But if it was Mousse in there, injured and fighting, it was more important to find him then who led the charge.

Aura flashing blue for healing, Ranma followed the group into the temple, the sounds of battle already filling the stone halls. With is hand tightly grasping his sword he leapt into the fray.

Akane moved towards the wall, remembering what Kin had taught her. With a few words, she raised her wand and let the Fire Wall loose. Several monsters were caught in it, writhing in pain. By the time the flames had subsided, they were all dead. With a smile, Akane turned to the next bunch of victims.

Ryoga let out a battle cry and landed in the middle of several mummies. He slashed them to bits in two blows of his mighty axe, working tirelessly until a dozen snakes lay at his feet. Ukyo moved next to him, her arms covered with the green blood of the vipers. With a nod, the two moved towards the next group of pray.

Shampoo's spear swung through the air as if it weighed nothing, slashing down anything in her path. If they hit her, she didn't notice. Her fighting was fueled by pure rage. How dare he! How dare he just abandon her like that, without so much as a word! They had been through so much and he knew that she had promised to take him home! And he just left!!

Shampoo paused long enough to yell at the sky. Then she felt it, like something gently running its fingers down her arms. She almost panicked but then she saw her spear. The tip of it was sparking. Zerae had finally decided she was worthy of the power.

With a smile, Shampoo turned to face the approaching vipers. Rising her spear, she waited until they were near enough and then drove it downward, sending the lightning radiating out of it and towards the snakes. They writhed in agony before collapsing into a pile, dead and smoking.

The hall was clear but there was no sign of Mousse. Ryoga found the stairs down and the group ran towards it, taking three steps in one as they rushed to get to the bottom. When they reached the next level, they were too late.

The signs of a mighty battle were there but this time, there were just as many skeletons as there were vipers. Mousse hadn't been able to hold them as before but he had managed to get them all before they could stop him.

The group found him, crumpled in the corner, clutching on an amulet, next to the body of what appeared to be the Viper high priest.

"Is he dead?" Akane said as they reached the body. Shampoo desperately tried to find a pulse.

"Can't tell," she said, her face completely contorted with worry.

Ukyo leaned forward and touched his lips, bringing her fingers back to her nose. "He's been poisoned pretty badly. But he's not dead." Akane looked at her. "Trust me, I can tell."

Ranma leaned down and motioned Ryoga over. The two of them lifted him off the ground. "We need to get him back to Lut Gholein and fast." Without another word, they ran out of the temple. With Ryoga's help, Ranma tied Mousse to the back of camel.

"Ride on this," Shampoo said giving him the reigns of her own steed. "Ride faster with only one rider."

"What about you?"

"She can ride with me," Ukyo said, stripping off the supplies from the two camels. "Go on ahead and we'll meet you back at camp."

Ranma was about to mount Shampoo's camel when he felt her grip his upper hand. He looked over and was surprised to see the Amazon looking so distraught. It looked like she was struggled with what to say.

"Please."

Ranma nodded and grabbed her hand in his as it fell off his arm. A moment later, he was off, with the camel carrying Mousse behind him. They had disappeared on the horizon before the group spoke again.

"Anyone else realize that its way too dark for the middle of the day?" Ryoga asked.

Ukyo and Akane shot him an ugly glance. He stepped back, unsure of what he had done. Akane walked forward and took Shampoo's hand in hers. A moment later, Shampoo head rested on her shoulder, small tears falling from eyes.

* * *

When Mousse woke up, he found himself back in tent. Outside it seemed like it was nighttime but he couldn't tell what time of day it was. He couldn't even tell what day it was.

Slowly, he raised himself out of the bed, noting that the wound on his leg was almost healed. The poison would be gone as well. He peeked his head up into the sky, looking for the moon but found none.

Was it too late? He wondered. He frantically searched his tent for what he needed and quickly got up, feeling a dull pain still in his leg. It didn't stop him from traversing most of Lut Gholein until he found the alley way. Walking into it, he looked around, realizing that his vision was almost back to normal. If he had missed her…

"You came." Mousse turned and saw the same woman from two weeks ago standing there. "I knew you would. Is that what I wanted?" she said, seeing the staff in Mousse's hand.

Mousse looked down, paused a moment, long enough to ensure himself that this was the right decision and cast the staff forward. It landed at the woman's feet, clattering on the ground but not settled before she picked it up.

The smile she wore was quickly replaced by a frown. "What is this?" she demanded.

"It's a staff, a plain wooden staff," he said. "And it's all you'll get from me."

Fury danced across her eyes. "Why? Why do this?"

"It was too convenient, this gift of sight. And when I thought back to Akane, I realized the circumstances were all too similar. You're the same person who gave her that spell. And knowing what it does, there was no reason not to think that you were evil and the Horadric staff would be used for evil."

The woman laughed. "You call the dead to be your servants? Who are you to lecture me about evil!"

"I am not evil!" Mousse shouted. "And maybe I'm not good, or at least good enough for her. But I would never want her like this, not with the price you would make them all pay."

Mousse turned away and began to leave when he heard the hiss behind him. "Fool," the woman said, the nails in her hand growing to full claws. "Then join your servants."

The air crackled near his ear and suddenly, Mousse saw a spear embedded in the chest of the woman. She screamed in rage as she stepped backward. She reached in and pulled it out of her chest. She took a few more steps backward and fell into the shadows, disappearing from view.

Mousse looked to the end of the alleyway. He could see Shampoo, barely, her purple hair and armor glistening in the street lamps. But then she started to fade from view. The spell had faded and his normal vision was finally restored.

He reached down and picked up her spear. When he looked up she was right next to him, her face a mixture of worry and anger. He struggled for something to say but found himself at a loss for word.

Shampoo bit her lip and grabbed the spear. Lightly she hit him on the head. "Stupid duck boy no get up until wound closed. Back to tent now."

Mousse sighed and nodded his head. And the two of them walked out of the alley in silence.