This dream was familiar. She was running through the underground passage to the Dark Wood again. She couldn't find Thane or Martenus. They didn't answer her calls. She came around the corner into a lit cavern. Cold Crow, Blood Raven, and the Countess were all there waiting for her.
But this time she wasn't afraid.
"Silly girl," Cold Crow taunted, "think you can take us all on?"
"Yes, and I'll win, too."
The Countess confronted her now. "You never made the killing blow on any of us."
"That is true."
They began to circle round her like vultures.
"You are just a weak child." Blood Raven sneered at her.
"I know."
"You never could have killed us alone."
"But she's not alone." Thane materialized from the darkness behind them.
Suddenly all three cried out in pain and vanished.
And the dream ended.
-------------------
Meize awoke the next morning completely alone in their tent, and slightly confused about how she even got there, not to mention why she was in Thane's blankets. The whole evening was just a foggy memory. She remembered something about quill rats and then having dinner with Thane at the fire, and it just got completely fuzzy from there.
But at least she was alive and in one piece. She remembered that much about yesterday.
Thane pushed aside the flap and came in carrying enough food to feed a small army.
"Hey, sleepyhead. You're finally awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling pretty good, considering…" She paused, appearing hesitant to finish her sentence.
"…you almost died?" He ventured to finish for her.
"That, and I think I was completely wasted yesterday."
Thane gently chuckled at her as he set down the food. "Hate to tell you this, but that was a completely natural high. It was all you."
"Was I as complete a fool as I think I remember?"
"Not at all." He handed her the cheese he had just sliced.
"Where's Martenus?"
"I don't know, actually. He left the fire last night with one of the rogues, and I don't think he came back."
"Really?"
Thane simply nodded as he bit into a meat-filled bun. They shared a quiet, comfortable meal together, then helped one another into their gear. They were just about ready to go when the paladin finally returned.
"Well guys," he cheerily greeted them, "we're finally in the monastery. We're almost done this dirty business."
They finished gearing up and set out for the camp's waypoint.
They were just about to enter the waypoint when a voice called to them to wait. They turned to find the rogue Annor running towards them, bow in hand.
"I'm coming with you."
Martenus stepped off the platform to intercept her. "No, you are not. I will not have anything happen to you. I couldn't face Kashya if we lost another one of her rogues. And I couldn't face myself if it was you."
But the girl would not be gainsaid. "I will fight by your side, Paladin. I will not stay here worrying every moment you're away like a useless maiden. I've done that enough to this point already." She brushed past him and stood on the waypoint next to Meize, daring him to say anything further.
"Please don't make me responsible for your safety." He quietly begged her. "We almost lost Meize yesterday, and I will not go through that kind of torment again."
"I will be responsible for my own safety. And I'm coming to protect you, not the other way around."
"Please, don't do this…"
"I'm not going to stay behind."
"But if anything should happen to you…"
"Then I shall answer to the gods for my own foolishness."
Without another word Martenus joined them, taking Annor's hand in his, and they traveled the arcane highway to the Outer Cloister. There a group of corrupted rogues laid in wait around the exit, and they dove for their lives from the rain of arrows and lances. The ranged attacks of Thane's skeleton mages, combined with Meize's and Annor's firepower quickly eliminated the archers, while Thane, Martenus, and the golem took down the lancers.
Using the bodies around them, Thane collapsed most of his mages and resurrected regular, armed skeletons. "With Annor to assist with ranged attacks, I think we need more melee strength." He explained as he adjusted his army.
"Annor," Meize turned to the rogue, "do you know where we have to go?"
"Yes and no. I lived above and ventured only occasionally to the levels below. They are twisted and confusing, and I can only tell you how to get to certain rooms and back. Plus, Andariel resides in the lowest level where I have never been."
"But didn't you grow up here? I would think you knew every inch of this place like the notches on your bow." Thane replied.
"I spent more time ranging our lands than exploring the monastery. I had no reason or permission to be in the jail levels or the catacombs, and felt no compulsion, unlike some of the others, to sneak around there."
"Do not fret," Martenus intervened. "You can at least get us down there."
"Most certainly. We must first cross the cloister to the barracks. And while we're there we need to stop at the armory to pick up Charsi's special hammer. I promised I'd get it for her if I went with you. Then we go to the stairs and down to the first jail level."
"Well, let's go then."
And they set off at a jog, following Annor across the gardens, picking off quill rats and yetis as they went. They came up to a large set of doors on the far side, and eased them open just enough to slip through.
The barracks were absolutely crawling with Devilkin and Dark Ones, grunting and babbling in their nonsensical language. Meize took the usual lead and started hurling fire balls into their midst and the fighters began to hack and slash through the confused chaos that resulted. Annor's fire arrows picked them off rapidly as well, with one shot being all that was needed to bring the little ones down.
When the main room was cleared, they worked their way back to the armory to find Charsi's Horadric Malus.
"Oh, Lord!" Martenus came running back out from behind a hallway. "Really big, really angry guy in there!"
"That would be The Smith. Charsi mentioned something about him..." Annor began to explain.
"Run away! Run away!" Thane suddenly sprinted past them, pointing to the huge beast coming around the corner.
They ran, the beast lumbering after them, until they reached the main room again. Here, at least, they had room to stand their ground. And Thane had plenty of corpses from which to resurrect new skeletons as The Smith continued to smash them to smithereens.
As with their battle against Griswold all that time ago, they just sent everything they had at the creature. But this time, with the combined might of the four warriors and their posse, The Smith fell far more quickly, though certainly not easily.
They took a moment to rest while Annor ran back for the hammer.
"Hey, check this out." Thane called to the others. "I've discovered something interesting. When I try to resurrect new skeletons too quickly, they explode. Stand back." And he demonstrated his theory on a dead Devilkin. Blood, bone, and gore suddenly erupted everywhere. "This is too cool." And another corpse suddenly popped. "I'm surprised I didn't figure this out ages ago."
"If you get any of that on me…" Meize threatened, shaking her staff at him.
Pop!
"Thane! Stop it! That's so gross!" She ran further away from the group of corpses he was exploding.
Pop!
"Hey, you almost got me!"
Fortunately there was fodder everywhere. Pop!
"THANE!" She ran up and wrapped herself around him. "Now you'll have to get yourself, too."
Pop!
"Aah!" She opened her eyes, expecting to find herself covered in gore, but it had broken in a halo around them.
"Give me a little credit, would you?" He laughed at her. "Trust me, you can stand in the middle of the explosion and it won't touch you."
"How?"
"Trade secret." He touched his finger to her lips.
Just then Annor came back with the hammer. She stopped dead in her tracks looking at the gruesome mess. "What the hell…"
"Don't ask." Martenus chuckled and walked over to guide her back out the door.
"Wait for me!" Meize called, running after them.
Pop!
"Goddess, give me strength…"