[Standard Disclaimer; I do not own Diablo II. If I did, I would not be
here. I'd be somewhere else. Oh, and I don't own StarCraft, so
GETOFFAMYCASE.
---------Chapter 5: Ugly Things Are Ugly.---------
"So now we have a choice. Do we go help the Rogues, or do we head for Lut Gholein to see who survived?" Allan, VonKat, Raven and Mortis looked at each other, then at Tina, whose arm was stitched back on. "Let's be honest, Tina. You're in no condition to fight, so you have no say in this." Stated Raven, looking at the others again. Mortis smiled, summoning a Fire Golem from the depths of hell, then looked again at the Assassin. "I disagree, Raven. She can come with us, protect our backs. . ." replied the Necromancer, still smiling that haunting smile he had. Despite herself, the Amazon shivered. VonKat looked at them both, then shrugged. "She can come if she wants to. When have I cared?"
Remember those fun-loving Rogues? Well.
"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU ABOUT SLEEPING WITH THOSE FORGEINERS?!" Kashya's battlecry echoed through the Barracks, much to the embarrassment of Greiz, Asheara and Egwene. They sat in the Outer Cloister, under the shade of the giant Rogue statue. "Wait. . .how many. . .I had hoped that we had destroyed them all. They were Baal's personal slaves, they should have died. . ." Mumbled Egwene, leaning her new staff across her knees. It had cost her a pretty gold necklace as well as 3000 gold pieces, but it was worth it. "And if what you say is true, they'll be backed by Minotaurs. If we're lucky." Remarked Greiz, smiling. "The thrill of battle. . .things were too easy in Lut Gholein. Here, I'll finally see some action." Egwene chuckled, much to the surprise of Asheara. A Rogue approached them, bowing her head. "Mistress Egwene. . .Master Greiz. . .Asheara. . .Kashya wishes to see you now." Egwene sighed and stood, Griez and Asheara following. "Well, this battle may be entertaining. The Clans usually have a scant 2000 at the very max, and we have. . .how many?" Egwene shrugged. "Thirty Rogues as of now, 6 Guards, 33 Knights and the 12 Iron Wolves. Add in Kashya, Greiz, you, me, Ormus and Drognan. . .fifty- seven. If VonKat and them ever arrive, maybe seventy. I wish Krow and Marlick were here. . ."
Riley, Krow and Marlick sat in the great hall of the Pandemonium Fortress, muttering amongst themselves. Finally, Krow nodded. "OK. Fine. We'll go to Harrogath, then meet up with your friends and head to the Rogue Monastery. I don't want to leave with CT out there, though. . .he could cause trouble." Riley nodded. "Yes. . .but we have to help the others as well. The damned can't enter this fortress as long as the seal is up. Now, let's be off. . ."
Time passed, and the heroes from Harrogath eventually arrived at the monastery. Kashya was not too pleased.
"You brought. . .three hundred Barbarians?! Where do they plan to sleep?! Not with my Rogues. . ." Riley blushed, looking away. "They plan to cleanse the wilderness outside the Monastery. That could take a while. . .that also gives us time to prepare for those Clans." Kashya glared again. "They'll be within attack range by tomorrow. We found out that two clans of Goatmen are coming from the desert, followed by a pack of Sabre Cats. . .that makes it 370 against close to ten thousand." Riley and Marlick looked surprised at the numbers. Egwene, however, laughed. "Remember, Mortis is here. He can simply create an army of Skeletons. . .and Allan has his Grizzly. That thing is like a beacon for anything living or dead. We'll survive, don't worry." Krow looked at Egwene with a disgusted look. "You forget, this battle will be very taxing on all of us. Should one of us fall, Egwene, you have to get us out of there. The monastery was under siege before this. . .and it still is." Kashya nodded. "We will have to leave a fair number of our Rogues here.and Jerhyn's warriors have agreed to stay behind as well. . ." Greiz stepped forward. "You mean MY mercenaries." Kashya growled and drew an arrow, shaking it at Greiz. Greiz responded by flipping her the bird. "Stop fighting, ladies." Snapped Riley, stepping between Kashya and Greiz, who were trying to vivisect each other with blunt objects. "Now, we can definitely chew through a fair chunk of this 'army' in the first attack, then lead them into the pass. That will definitely give the Rogues a better chance, as they can't pass through more than one at a time. At best. Those Minions of Destruction are big, apparantly, and with the other forces. . ." Greiz nodded, swinging his spear at Kashya one last time. "Fine, fine. If they manage to get inside, we'll tear them apart. This will be quite interesting. . ."
As morning dawned, the 'Fellowship' prepared for battle. Arrows were loaded, weapons were sharpened and the armor was handed out. VonKat and Raven both elected to stay back with the Rogues; they were the most experienced warriors, excluding the Barbarians, and besides, 300 Barbarians were more than enough. . .
How wrong they were. . .
The battle started normally, with the Barbarians teaming up to take down the larger, more vicious Minions of Destruction. The 'Paladins' of Westmarch focused more on the rest of the forces. Then, a scream of dismay.
"Lurkers!" Krow and Marlick turned to see who had screamed out, naturally in time to watch as a great stream of spikes burst from the ground, tearing a chunk out of the Barbarians, who had moved onto Minotaurs. Mortis growled even as his Skeletons were decimated, retreating to meet with the great Barbarian. "Damnit, what the hell is attacking?!" he demanded, calling up a Minion of Destruction from the corpse pile. The beast roared and charged into the Goatmen fray, bodies flying with every strike. From the dead Goatmen, Skeleton Mages rose, firing at the Sabre Cats. However, the Mages fell to the great stream of spikes. "I can't see anything. . ." Marlick stepped past Mortis, bellowing fiercely. Several giant spiders rose from the ground, scurrying away in fear. Mortis smiled and began to fire Bone Spirits. Three Lurkers dropped before the effects of Howl wore off, and the remaining Lurkers burrowed again. Krow shrugged and summoned a Valkyrie. "I've never fought anything like these. . .creatures."
VonKat and Raven sighed, watching the distance of the pass with great interest. They would know if the first line had failed. . .feral screams caught the attention of VonKat. "What the. . ." His words died off as several thousand dog-sized beasts swarmed through the pass, ravenous squeaks echoing through the field. "Oh shit!"
Allan and Riley smiled as several Dire Wolves took down a Lurker. The 'Howl' idea was working fairly well; despite their attack style, the 'spiders' still unburrowed in fear. Though quite large, they seemed defenseless above ground. Another Lurker rose to reposition itself, only to be ambushed by a great flock of Ravens, and a Carrion Vine lurked underground, stealing corpses. "I'm worried. . .this is too easy." Muttered the Druid, turning back into the giant Wolf to decimate another Lurker. Riley nodded and looked back. Of the 300 Barbarians, 200 were not injured, 35 dead, 65 injured badly. "This might have been a trap. . .to lure our. . .son of a bitch!" Riley caught on seconds later, his voice echoing across the field. "WE'VE BEEN SET UP!"
". . .you have to be kidding me." More and more of the. . .things. . .charged from the small pass, fire, ice and lightning striking them before they could get near. Rotting flesh wafted from the pile of corpses, barely affecting the Rogues. But then again, if you had to clean out several floors of corpses, blood and decay, you would be used to the stench too. Raven was glad that VonKat had stayed behind. He was continuously flashing auras, weakening the creatures while also lending strength to the archers. Another wave of the beasts fell to a single strike of lightning, launched from the javelin-toting Amazon, only to be replaced by larger versions of the beasts. Finally, VonKat stepped away from the Rogues, vaulting over the wall to land just outside the gate. The club-like scepter struck two of the beasts, tossing them into the crowd, while his shield shattered the face of a third. The numbers were overwhelming. . . The gate flew open, Greiz and his Town Guards charging into the fray. Their own auras, weaker versiosn of VonKat's, sprung to life as spears and polearms tore apart beast after beast. A sudden roar caught their attentions, and it also sent the strange monsters into the earth. From the pass, a lone beast charged, great blades gleaming in the dim light. It caught two of the Town Guards by the stomach, tossing them into the side of the cliff, then charged again. VonKat laughed. "Only one. . .let's take it out!" A spear deflected off the beasts thick, armored hide, snapping in half. The Town Guard gasped and stepped back, only to feel the great blades tear through his neck. One blow, one simple blow.two more Town Guards died in easy-to-counter strikes, leaving only four of them, as well as Greiz and VonKat. Both screamed and charged forward, Greiz's expertise in battle barely helping him dodge a decapitating shot. VonKat bludgeoned the beast upside the head, distracting it long enough for Greiz to roll underneath it, his spear finding the only weak spot; it's underbelly. The mammoth-like being screeched and fell to the ground, stiff as a board. Greiz muttered something from under the carcass before clawing his way out, wiping the creature's blood from his spear and armor. "Euch. . ." VonKat nodded in agreement and set the corpse aflame, then turned and walked back inside. Greiz and the remaining guards dragged their dead inside soon after. . .
Of course, the pillar of smoke rising from the area around the Monastery sent the Barbarian warriors into a frenzy, as they crossed the last 20 miles at a dead run, screaming vengeance. This, in turn, led to the Rogues preparing to shoot more fleshy things and make them bleed. It never happened, as at the last minute both parties realized they wouldn't be fighting again for a while. . .
--- Or at least 20 minutes. 20 Barbarians, however, did die, as they were crushed by 20 boulders.
"I think I should shut up now." Muttered the narrator as the chapter ended. "Now, the big questions; what was that big fecking creature that threatened to destroy the Rogue Monastery? How many people will realize that I've been using StarCraft stuff this entire chapter? WHO CARES? What's next for our heroes? 'Dude, where's my car?' Find out next time.same Diablo II time, same Diablo II channel."
"So now we have a choice. Do we go help the Rogues, or do we head for Lut Gholein to see who survived?" Allan, VonKat, Raven and Mortis looked at each other, then at Tina, whose arm was stitched back on. "Let's be honest, Tina. You're in no condition to fight, so you have no say in this." Stated Raven, looking at the others again. Mortis smiled, summoning a Fire Golem from the depths of hell, then looked again at the Assassin. "I disagree, Raven. She can come with us, protect our backs. . ." replied the Necromancer, still smiling that haunting smile he had. Despite herself, the Amazon shivered. VonKat looked at them both, then shrugged. "She can come if she wants to. When have I cared?"
Remember those fun-loving Rogues? Well.
"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU ABOUT SLEEPING WITH THOSE FORGEINERS?!" Kashya's battlecry echoed through the Barracks, much to the embarrassment of Greiz, Asheara and Egwene. They sat in the Outer Cloister, under the shade of the giant Rogue statue. "Wait. . .how many. . .I had hoped that we had destroyed them all. They were Baal's personal slaves, they should have died. . ." Mumbled Egwene, leaning her new staff across her knees. It had cost her a pretty gold necklace as well as 3000 gold pieces, but it was worth it. "And if what you say is true, they'll be backed by Minotaurs. If we're lucky." Remarked Greiz, smiling. "The thrill of battle. . .things were too easy in Lut Gholein. Here, I'll finally see some action." Egwene chuckled, much to the surprise of Asheara. A Rogue approached them, bowing her head. "Mistress Egwene. . .Master Greiz. . .Asheara. . .Kashya wishes to see you now." Egwene sighed and stood, Griez and Asheara following. "Well, this battle may be entertaining. The Clans usually have a scant 2000 at the very max, and we have. . .how many?" Egwene shrugged. "Thirty Rogues as of now, 6 Guards, 33 Knights and the 12 Iron Wolves. Add in Kashya, Greiz, you, me, Ormus and Drognan. . .fifty- seven. If VonKat and them ever arrive, maybe seventy. I wish Krow and Marlick were here. . ."
Riley, Krow and Marlick sat in the great hall of the Pandemonium Fortress, muttering amongst themselves. Finally, Krow nodded. "OK. Fine. We'll go to Harrogath, then meet up with your friends and head to the Rogue Monastery. I don't want to leave with CT out there, though. . .he could cause trouble." Riley nodded. "Yes. . .but we have to help the others as well. The damned can't enter this fortress as long as the seal is up. Now, let's be off. . ."
Time passed, and the heroes from Harrogath eventually arrived at the monastery. Kashya was not too pleased.
"You brought. . .three hundred Barbarians?! Where do they plan to sleep?! Not with my Rogues. . ." Riley blushed, looking away. "They plan to cleanse the wilderness outside the Monastery. That could take a while. . .that also gives us time to prepare for those Clans." Kashya glared again. "They'll be within attack range by tomorrow. We found out that two clans of Goatmen are coming from the desert, followed by a pack of Sabre Cats. . .that makes it 370 against close to ten thousand." Riley and Marlick looked surprised at the numbers. Egwene, however, laughed. "Remember, Mortis is here. He can simply create an army of Skeletons. . .and Allan has his Grizzly. That thing is like a beacon for anything living or dead. We'll survive, don't worry." Krow looked at Egwene with a disgusted look. "You forget, this battle will be very taxing on all of us. Should one of us fall, Egwene, you have to get us out of there. The monastery was under siege before this. . .and it still is." Kashya nodded. "We will have to leave a fair number of our Rogues here.and Jerhyn's warriors have agreed to stay behind as well. . ." Greiz stepped forward. "You mean MY mercenaries." Kashya growled and drew an arrow, shaking it at Greiz. Greiz responded by flipping her the bird. "Stop fighting, ladies." Snapped Riley, stepping between Kashya and Greiz, who were trying to vivisect each other with blunt objects. "Now, we can definitely chew through a fair chunk of this 'army' in the first attack, then lead them into the pass. That will definitely give the Rogues a better chance, as they can't pass through more than one at a time. At best. Those Minions of Destruction are big, apparantly, and with the other forces. . ." Greiz nodded, swinging his spear at Kashya one last time. "Fine, fine. If they manage to get inside, we'll tear them apart. This will be quite interesting. . ."
As morning dawned, the 'Fellowship' prepared for battle. Arrows were loaded, weapons were sharpened and the armor was handed out. VonKat and Raven both elected to stay back with the Rogues; they were the most experienced warriors, excluding the Barbarians, and besides, 300 Barbarians were more than enough. . .
How wrong they were. . .
The battle started normally, with the Barbarians teaming up to take down the larger, more vicious Minions of Destruction. The 'Paladins' of Westmarch focused more on the rest of the forces. Then, a scream of dismay.
"Lurkers!" Krow and Marlick turned to see who had screamed out, naturally in time to watch as a great stream of spikes burst from the ground, tearing a chunk out of the Barbarians, who had moved onto Minotaurs. Mortis growled even as his Skeletons were decimated, retreating to meet with the great Barbarian. "Damnit, what the hell is attacking?!" he demanded, calling up a Minion of Destruction from the corpse pile. The beast roared and charged into the Goatmen fray, bodies flying with every strike. From the dead Goatmen, Skeleton Mages rose, firing at the Sabre Cats. However, the Mages fell to the great stream of spikes. "I can't see anything. . ." Marlick stepped past Mortis, bellowing fiercely. Several giant spiders rose from the ground, scurrying away in fear. Mortis smiled and began to fire Bone Spirits. Three Lurkers dropped before the effects of Howl wore off, and the remaining Lurkers burrowed again. Krow shrugged and summoned a Valkyrie. "I've never fought anything like these. . .creatures."
VonKat and Raven sighed, watching the distance of the pass with great interest. They would know if the first line had failed. . .feral screams caught the attention of VonKat. "What the. . ." His words died off as several thousand dog-sized beasts swarmed through the pass, ravenous squeaks echoing through the field. "Oh shit!"
Allan and Riley smiled as several Dire Wolves took down a Lurker. The 'Howl' idea was working fairly well; despite their attack style, the 'spiders' still unburrowed in fear. Though quite large, they seemed defenseless above ground. Another Lurker rose to reposition itself, only to be ambushed by a great flock of Ravens, and a Carrion Vine lurked underground, stealing corpses. "I'm worried. . .this is too easy." Muttered the Druid, turning back into the giant Wolf to decimate another Lurker. Riley nodded and looked back. Of the 300 Barbarians, 200 were not injured, 35 dead, 65 injured badly. "This might have been a trap. . .to lure our. . .son of a bitch!" Riley caught on seconds later, his voice echoing across the field. "WE'VE BEEN SET UP!"
". . .you have to be kidding me." More and more of the. . .things. . .charged from the small pass, fire, ice and lightning striking them before they could get near. Rotting flesh wafted from the pile of corpses, barely affecting the Rogues. But then again, if you had to clean out several floors of corpses, blood and decay, you would be used to the stench too. Raven was glad that VonKat had stayed behind. He was continuously flashing auras, weakening the creatures while also lending strength to the archers. Another wave of the beasts fell to a single strike of lightning, launched from the javelin-toting Amazon, only to be replaced by larger versions of the beasts. Finally, VonKat stepped away from the Rogues, vaulting over the wall to land just outside the gate. The club-like scepter struck two of the beasts, tossing them into the crowd, while his shield shattered the face of a third. The numbers were overwhelming. . . The gate flew open, Greiz and his Town Guards charging into the fray. Their own auras, weaker versiosn of VonKat's, sprung to life as spears and polearms tore apart beast after beast. A sudden roar caught their attentions, and it also sent the strange monsters into the earth. From the pass, a lone beast charged, great blades gleaming in the dim light. It caught two of the Town Guards by the stomach, tossing them into the side of the cliff, then charged again. VonKat laughed. "Only one. . .let's take it out!" A spear deflected off the beasts thick, armored hide, snapping in half. The Town Guard gasped and stepped back, only to feel the great blades tear through his neck. One blow, one simple blow.two more Town Guards died in easy-to-counter strikes, leaving only four of them, as well as Greiz and VonKat. Both screamed and charged forward, Greiz's expertise in battle barely helping him dodge a decapitating shot. VonKat bludgeoned the beast upside the head, distracting it long enough for Greiz to roll underneath it, his spear finding the only weak spot; it's underbelly. The mammoth-like being screeched and fell to the ground, stiff as a board. Greiz muttered something from under the carcass before clawing his way out, wiping the creature's blood from his spear and armor. "Euch. . ." VonKat nodded in agreement and set the corpse aflame, then turned and walked back inside. Greiz and the remaining guards dragged their dead inside soon after. . .
Of course, the pillar of smoke rising from the area around the Monastery sent the Barbarian warriors into a frenzy, as they crossed the last 20 miles at a dead run, screaming vengeance. This, in turn, led to the Rogues preparing to shoot more fleshy things and make them bleed. It never happened, as at the last minute both parties realized they wouldn't be fighting again for a while. . .
--- Or at least 20 minutes. 20 Barbarians, however, did die, as they were crushed by 20 boulders.
"I think I should shut up now." Muttered the narrator as the chapter ended. "Now, the big questions; what was that big fecking creature that threatened to destroy the Rogue Monastery? How many people will realize that I've been using StarCraft stuff this entire chapter? WHO CARES? What's next for our heroes? 'Dude, where's my car?' Find out next time.same Diablo II time, same Diablo II channel."