Since so many of you liked this story. I guess I'll continue. But I'm walking on thin ice here because even I, as the author, does not know how this story will turn out. That is something very dangerous! So please no flames or I'll fall through the ice and be very, very cold. OK enough of my blabbering and just read the story. Don't own anything. (Does that count as a disclaimer?)
I was ending my quest in the West. The monsters were becoming harder and harder, but Annor and I were improving in our skills and strength. All the monsters around the encampment had vanished and the rogues were more pleasant to be around, as they didn't have to worry as much. I became respected by all the sister rogues even though I never could remember their names. Annor seemed to take part in the fame and smiled proudly whenever someone mentioned her and me.
Unfortunately Annor wasn't much help in the small halls of the Forgotten Tower. I swept through them quickly. I would surprise my enemies and then retreat to regain mana and strength and then attack again. Annor who used the bow had to shoot from close ranged and couldn't help from getting hit herself. Sometimes I felt bad when I took all the booty for myself. Once I asked her if she wanted to pick out something from a ton of booty left by the dead monsters and she said no.
"I have no use for anything." She said.
"Everything I need is with me now." She continued pointing to her poison arrow bow.
I didn't argue and took everything I could carry, but there were still many more stuff laying on the ground that I could sell to Charsi. Annor refused to help me carry anything, so I used a portal and transported to the Rogue encampment. Annor and I got healed. I got my armor repaired. I looked through my stash and then sold some weapons and armor to Charsi. And then I went back through the portal to get the rest of the stuff because Annor refused to help me carry it. I guess I don't blame her. I was really greedy back then. I never left something on the ground if it could be useful and gain me more money.
Once, we were ambushed by monsters and demons in the forgotten tower. I had planned on rushing into on of the rooms, strike quickly and then retreat. But the monsters quickly surounded us and we were killed.
I went back and finished off the monsters with my magic after taking many mana potions. Then I regrettably went back to Kashya to resurrect Annor. She seemed to know Annor had died before I had even come up to her and she chewed me out, lecturing me on safety before she let me actually raise Annor from the dead.
Annor was back yet confused. I never told her she had died, but I knew she guessed as much. Then we had to fight Andarieal. I gulped as we got closer and closer to her lair. I could sense her evil and suffering and it gave me a nasea feeling in the pit of my stomach. The nausea grew and grew and eventually turned to a small pinch of pain in my stomach.
Once I had to sit down after a fight. Annor sensed something was wrong and helped me sit next to a pile of bones in the catacombs.
"What is wrong Anuck?" She asked as she rubbed her hand on my back.
"You should be glad you do not wield magic like me." I muttered clutching my stomach. The mixture of dread and nervousness as well as sensing Andariel gave me more pains in the stomach.
I clutched my stomach in pain. I needed to calm down! A calm mind would cure anything. So I closed my eyes and blocked out everything thinking of empty fields and open rooms, instead of monster infested wildernesses and closed in caves and catacombs around me.
"Give it up!" An evil voice told me. No I would not give up. I had to go on. All I had to do was get up and continue. But I couldn't open my eyes. I panicked. I was paralyzed in my own body. I tried to call out to Annor but I couldn't move. I was trapped in my own mind! But something else was here to, something evil.
"Just give up sorceress." It said. "Life would be so much easier if you just give up now."
Give up? The voice was right. No. No. No. I had to clear my mind of everything. I couldn't think. I simply imagined myself in an empty field. Emptiness. Clarity. I thought with all my might.
"Do not push me away." The voice ordered angrily.
Do not listen to it. I screamed at myself and again only focused on emptiness and clarity.
I woke up from my trance a couple minutes later. Annor was looking at me curious. "Are you all right now, sorceress." She said respectably.
"The evil consumes those without a pure mind." I said quoting one of the older Sorceresses.
"Your sister's must have been taken because they could not clear their minds of evil thoughts and anxiety." I said not sure if it made sense to Annor.
She looked down. "Kashya told me evil corrupted their hearts and made them think they were living a dream, but in truth they were being yeilded by Diablo."
"She told you that." I questioned wondering where Kashya had learned this.
"I always wondered why so many of our sisters went to the other side. Kashya believed they were all brainwashed. She was friend with Blood Raven. She would never believe her friend would join forces with evil willingly." Annor said.
"I know. I too never understood how anyone could be turned from the light to the darkness. My own instinct tells me to stay in the light, but my flesh tells me I will find more glory and magic and less suffering in the dark."
"What are you saying." Annor said. "You sound like Warriv." she said jokingly.
"But it all makes sense to me now. The elder sorceress, Akara, Warriv . . . I now know what they are talking about."
"What!" she yelled obviously frustrated that she didn't understand me.
"I have been tempted." I stated.
She looked at me with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"By Andariel or Diablo or some other evil thing."
"What do you mean?" She said sitting next to me.
"Something evil had cast some sort of power over me. I could sense their strength. And . . . whether out of frustration or fear I couldn't get rid of the spell or power they had cast over me."
"You magic users have beliefs I do not understand." she said still confused.
"A sorceress's number one priority isn't to kill." I said trying to clarify for her. "It isn't even to learn more magic. It is to have a clear mind where nothing can distract you and you are totally in control of your own thoughts. I have taught you how to use this simple power."
"I see." Annor said understanding a little more.
"I have taught you a couple of techniques to do so but ignored my own mind so that evil could creep in without me even knowing it till it was almost too late."
"So you were tempted to join their side?" She asked afraid.
I nodded tears of relief flooding my eyes.
"Just now." She said a little skeptical. "You were only unconscious for a couple minutes, but I never imagined you were fighting some evil inside yourself."
"They almost defeated me." I said looking down to the dusty floor.
"But it will not happen again." I reassured.
"They can not use the same trick twice. The Elder Sorceresses obviously picked me, not because I am strong or because I knew the most magic, but because I had a clear mind."
"I am glad you came to our encampment." Annor said. "You have taught me to fight well."
We sat there in silence for a second. Then Annor patted me on the back. "Are you ready to continue on our journey and kill Andariel?" She asked hesitantly.
I smiled at her to assure her I was all right. "Yes. I am ready."
I was ending my quest in the West. The monsters were becoming harder and harder, but Annor and I were improving in our skills and strength. All the monsters around the encampment had vanished and the rogues were more pleasant to be around, as they didn't have to worry as much. I became respected by all the sister rogues even though I never could remember their names. Annor seemed to take part in the fame and smiled proudly whenever someone mentioned her and me.
Unfortunately Annor wasn't much help in the small halls of the Forgotten Tower. I swept through them quickly. I would surprise my enemies and then retreat to regain mana and strength and then attack again. Annor who used the bow had to shoot from close ranged and couldn't help from getting hit herself. Sometimes I felt bad when I took all the booty for myself. Once I asked her if she wanted to pick out something from a ton of booty left by the dead monsters and she said no.
"I have no use for anything." She said.
"Everything I need is with me now." She continued pointing to her poison arrow bow.
I didn't argue and took everything I could carry, but there were still many more stuff laying on the ground that I could sell to Charsi. Annor refused to help me carry anything, so I used a portal and transported to the Rogue encampment. Annor and I got healed. I got my armor repaired. I looked through my stash and then sold some weapons and armor to Charsi. And then I went back through the portal to get the rest of the stuff because Annor refused to help me carry it. I guess I don't blame her. I was really greedy back then. I never left something on the ground if it could be useful and gain me more money.
Once, we were ambushed by monsters and demons in the forgotten tower. I had planned on rushing into on of the rooms, strike quickly and then retreat. But the monsters quickly surounded us and we were killed.
I went back and finished off the monsters with my magic after taking many mana potions. Then I regrettably went back to Kashya to resurrect Annor. She seemed to know Annor had died before I had even come up to her and she chewed me out, lecturing me on safety before she let me actually raise Annor from the dead.
Annor was back yet confused. I never told her she had died, but I knew she guessed as much. Then we had to fight Andarieal. I gulped as we got closer and closer to her lair. I could sense her evil and suffering and it gave me a nasea feeling in the pit of my stomach. The nausea grew and grew and eventually turned to a small pinch of pain in my stomach.
Once I had to sit down after a fight. Annor sensed something was wrong and helped me sit next to a pile of bones in the catacombs.
"What is wrong Anuck?" She asked as she rubbed her hand on my back.
"You should be glad you do not wield magic like me." I muttered clutching my stomach. The mixture of dread and nervousness as well as sensing Andariel gave me more pains in the stomach.
I clutched my stomach in pain. I needed to calm down! A calm mind would cure anything. So I closed my eyes and blocked out everything thinking of empty fields and open rooms, instead of monster infested wildernesses and closed in caves and catacombs around me.
"Give it up!" An evil voice told me. No I would not give up. I had to go on. All I had to do was get up and continue. But I couldn't open my eyes. I panicked. I was paralyzed in my own body. I tried to call out to Annor but I couldn't move. I was trapped in my own mind! But something else was here to, something evil.
"Just give up sorceress." It said. "Life would be so much easier if you just give up now."
Give up? The voice was right. No. No. No. I had to clear my mind of everything. I couldn't think. I simply imagined myself in an empty field. Emptiness. Clarity. I thought with all my might.
"Do not push me away." The voice ordered angrily.
Do not listen to it. I screamed at myself and again only focused on emptiness and clarity.
I woke up from my trance a couple minutes later. Annor was looking at me curious. "Are you all right now, sorceress." She said respectably.
"The evil consumes those without a pure mind." I said quoting one of the older Sorceresses.
"Your sister's must have been taken because they could not clear their minds of evil thoughts and anxiety." I said not sure if it made sense to Annor.
She looked down. "Kashya told me evil corrupted their hearts and made them think they were living a dream, but in truth they were being yeilded by Diablo."
"She told you that." I questioned wondering where Kashya had learned this.
"I always wondered why so many of our sisters went to the other side. Kashya believed they were all brainwashed. She was friend with Blood Raven. She would never believe her friend would join forces with evil willingly." Annor said.
"I know. I too never understood how anyone could be turned from the light to the darkness. My own instinct tells me to stay in the light, but my flesh tells me I will find more glory and magic and less suffering in the dark."
"What are you saying." Annor said. "You sound like Warriv." she said jokingly.
"But it all makes sense to me now. The elder sorceress, Akara, Warriv . . . I now know what they are talking about."
"What!" she yelled obviously frustrated that she didn't understand me.
"I have been tempted." I stated.
She looked at me with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"By Andariel or Diablo or some other evil thing."
"What do you mean?" She said sitting next to me.
"Something evil had cast some sort of power over me. I could sense their strength. And . . . whether out of frustration or fear I couldn't get rid of the spell or power they had cast over me."
"You magic users have beliefs I do not understand." she said still confused.
"A sorceress's number one priority isn't to kill." I said trying to clarify for her. "It isn't even to learn more magic. It is to have a clear mind where nothing can distract you and you are totally in control of your own thoughts. I have taught you how to use this simple power."
"I see." Annor said understanding a little more.
"I have taught you a couple of techniques to do so but ignored my own mind so that evil could creep in without me even knowing it till it was almost too late."
"So you were tempted to join their side?" She asked afraid.
I nodded tears of relief flooding my eyes.
"Just now." She said a little skeptical. "You were only unconscious for a couple minutes, but I never imagined you were fighting some evil inside yourself."
"They almost defeated me." I said looking down to the dusty floor.
"But it will not happen again." I reassured.
"They can not use the same trick twice. The Elder Sorceresses obviously picked me, not because I am strong or because I knew the most magic, but because I had a clear mind."
"I am glad you came to our encampment." Annor said. "You have taught me to fight well."
We sat there in silence for a second. Then Annor patted me on the back. "Are you ready to continue on our journey and kill Andariel?" She asked hesitantly.
I smiled at her to assure her I was all right. "Yes. I am ready."