Diablo 2: Visions of You (Chapter 4)
By Amethyst Haze (amethyst_haze@hotmail.com)
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Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.
Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. Also, you might want to have read through "Longing to be with you" first since Visions of You is the second in that series. :P
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Ferrum's eye shut quickly as he heard the door push open. His heart was racing and the adrenaline raged in time to the pulses. Running down the stairs and back into the room as silently as possible was difficult.... twould have been impossible had Spikey been there to eavesdrop on Krysta and Rune.
His jaw felt tense as he listened to Rune's heavy steps lead to his pallet. He struggled greatly, trying to stop his breaths from displaying the labour his lungs took on in his escape. His eyelids also had a hard time lying still... they so badly wanted to flutter open and glance at the druid.
I can't believe Rune went through all of that, he thought. A sudden grunt from Rune nearly startled him out of his sleeping act. More rustling... then silence.
Hesitantly, Ferrum opened one eye and turned it to he druid. He lay on his side and, luckily, facing away from the necromancer. A weight was lifted from Ferrum's mind. Another sound was heard and his eyes shut tightly before easing itself into the image of a sleeping man. The door pushed open again and lighter footsteps were heard until---PAIN, right on his left knee. He could feel the imprint of a heeled-boot.
Wincing in pain, he mustered up all the acting skills he possessed and opened his eyes. He squinted at the assassin, cursed incoherently then dropped back to the pillow to return to his fake slumber.
He heard Krysta's voice apologize before she settled herself on her own pallet.
Safe... Ferrum thought, feeling half-triumphant at getting away scot-free.
"Ferrum?"
"Yeah?" he croaked, swallowing a hard lump in his throat.
A faint trace of a grim smile was heard in the female assassin's voice. "If you ever eavesdrop on me again, I'll make sure you never have next of kin."
Heavy as a stone block from the Kurast temples, the horrid feeling of failure fell upon him. How the hell did she know??
***
Stone all around....
What's going on? His blonde hair swished madly, a few strands lashing at his cheeks as his blue eyes scanned the large stone temples that encircled him. An eerie chill whispered against his skin, dotting it with goosebumps. It was all unsettling.
His nerves were all on edge for his natural intuition had abandoned him in this helpless state. He drew in a shaky breath, feeling his palms dampen. The muscles of his legs twitched nervously, ready to bolt at moments notice.
Then he noticed it....
Blood was spilling from those temples, skimming down the intricate carvings like crimson streams. Each and every one of them calling out to him in an agonizing cry. The blood spoke the same words over and over:
...Save me...
***
What seemed like ages later, those glorious words that the entire crew longed to hear were finally uttered: "Land! Land!!!"
Bayard's rich singing voice was heard after Ferrum let out a glorious whoop. "Twas upon one starry eve that the amazon Celesta was given life."
The blonde necromancer smiled, recognizing the ditty. He merrily joined in, feeling high in spirits. "And twas upon a dark day she announced to never be anyone's wife."
The two of them were silenced with a squinty glare from the moody druid as he shielded his eyes from the burning sun. They stopped short in the word wife' before continuing in a hushed voice so Rune could not tell the difference between the rushing wind and their voices.
Rune could tell the difference, and it offended him that they believed his intelligence could not grasp the contrast. For the past few days, he felt as though everyone was walking on eggshells around him. It was because of Krysta! It must to be! He sighed, remembering his drunken moment of weakness that he bared the scars his soul carried to her. Why had done something so foolish? Ferrum seemed to be especially different. He wasn't his usual arrogant and quirky self.
At least not in my presence.... Rune corrected himself before he scowled and turned on his heel to descend down the stairs. He might as well find Krysta and share the news of Kurast.
On the last step, Krysta showed up, closing the door to the main area behind her. There were heavy and dark bags beneath her eyes and she regarded the druid with undiluted annoyance.
"Krysta," he started. "Kurast is—"
"—in sight." She finished for him. "I know..." She sighed and followed him up the stairs, "I could hear Ferrum chanting it."
Light shone in Krysta's eyes, forcing her eyelids to drop half way. The sound of the waters and the winds flew to her ears but was unsuccessful in drowning out the very loud, very cheerful, and very vulgar, song that Ferrum, Reikarh, Andreas and Bayard were merrily singing as though already drunk.
"Perhaps she fears not pleasing a man!" Ferrum barked loudly, tossing Spikey playfully in the air. "Or fears being tossed aside?"
"And that man shall take up another woman, because we know whores allow em inside!" sang Bayard, gripping the wooden railing tightly, his eyes narrowly glued to the welcome sight of Kurast. "But if Celesta's virginity were sold, she'd earn a fortune, maybe more!"
"Being chaste will never earn you money, my dear, so t'would be best you be a glorified whore." Reikarh and Andreas sang in unison. "And earn some more-more-more!!!"
Rune sighed. He was grateful that land was only a few minutes away. He was tempted to reach his hand out and grab the image of the village... if only that action would bring the ship to it faster. The ship dipped slightly again, making his stomach churn uncomfortably.
He closed his eyes, imagining his boots on solid ground instead of the uneasy toss of the willful waters. A strange smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he imagined Bayard and his back-up singers to be tossed overboard by the restless waters.
A strange click-chunk' sound roused Rune out of his private musings. The source of the sound was Spikey, skittering across the wooden boards to stay close to the center. The thought of the metal golem falling overboard struck a humorous chord with the druid. Poor bastard would sink right to the bottom. A low chuckle escaped him as he turned his eyes back to the docks of their destination.
"First thing I do when I get to land is find some bloody food," Krysta muttered, wrinkling her nose in disdain as she rubbed her forehead. "If I'm forced to eat another piece of salted beef, I'm gonna lose my freakin mind."
Rune answered with a curt nod and a grimace before Ferrum sidestepped closer to them with a cheerful grin. "How was your sleep, Krys?"
The assassin shrugged non-chalantly, tugging on the ends of Rune's borrowed cloak to hide her harem costume under the soft pelts. "Was alright except for the fact that I could hear you, Bayard and Andreas talking the whole time." She gritted her teeth and slipped an icy stare towards him.
Defensively, Ferrum lifted his hands in the air and took a step back with a charming, and disarming, smile. "Whoa... sorry. Didn't know we were that loud." He paused thoughtfully and glanced back at the others as they continued their song. "It's amazing you can pick up the sounds of our voices over your snoring."
She bit the bait. "I do not snore," she clipped at him with her voice, her lips twisting into a thin frown.
Ferrum's smile widened. "I know. That was actually Rune." The druid in question didn't even turn to deny the accusation. He grunted and pushed himself off the railing as he walked towards the starboard side to be alone. When the druid was out of earshot, Krysta punched Ferrum's arm then grabbed at the cloak to stop it from slipping down her shoulders.
"What's with you?!" she hissed, her narrowed gaze rising to pierce into his blue eyes. "Leave the guy alone."
"If we treat him any different, do you honestly think he'll be happy with that?"
"Different?" Krysta repeated. "What the hell you talking about?"
Ferrum sighed. "You're treating him like a woman so fragile that—"
"—You dare suggest that women are all fragile?" she spat, her nostrils flaring.
He rolled his eyes. "Would you listen first before jumping at my throat, woman?" He exhaled sharply with an air of irritation. "Geez... Do you honestly believe treating Rune gently' doesn't make him uncomfortable?" He continued on, listing off every kind deed Krysta had done and every bit of courtesy she had treated the druid.
"He sees it as pity," Ferrum's nose crinkled. "Pity to a man is like ripping off our balls, dressing it up in pink silk and calling it Yolanda.'"
Krysta stared at him. "What?" She shuddered briefly. "I'd never touch that, let alone give it a name."
"My point is that it's emasculating!"
"Ah...." she frowned. "Why the hell didn't you just say so?" She paused a moment. "Are you sure this applies to ALL men?"
Ferrum shrugged, "Applies to me."
Krysta sighed, shaking her head. "You are not like all men, Ferrum."
The necromancer paused briefly before a grin split his face. "Why Krysta, that has to be the first compliment you've given me."
She sighed and glanced down at her outfit. "Well... this trip has a first for everything."
***
Ferrum pushed the errant strands away from his face as he stepped onto the rotted wood of cursed Kurast's foreign docks. Even the air here smelled just as he remembered it; tropically thick like the wild rain and warm like the spices that were peddled at the far corner of the village. He inhaled the thick air through his nostrils and exhaled with a warm and welcoming feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach.
Home, he thought to himself, a small smile playing upon his lips.
His eyes darted around, surveying the sight before him; the docks were practically bare. He glanced back at the rowboat that all of them took from the main ship to bring to dock in Kurast and was met by a glare from the druid, filled with annoyance because he did all the rowing.
Ferrum tossed a grin to him and shrugged apologetically.
That did nothing for Rune. He looked down at the metal golem—its weight being the reason for his physical wariness—and the obvious desire to toss that scrap heap into the dark waters slapped his face. Spikey skittered quickly off the boat and towards its master, foiling the druid's plan.
"Ferrruuuuum!" a female voice cried over the quickly set light steps upon the rotting wooden boards.
His grin seemingly tugged by his ears, Ferrum whirled around and felt the air leave his chest. "Alys," he murmured, half-walking half-running towards her, mirroring her open-arms action.
Bayard, Krysta and Reikarh looked at the two running at each other curiously while Andreas stopped mid-stride from getting off the rowboat. They stared at the young woman, who looked almost twenty summers of age.
The slender and delicate looking woman's feet were bare as they appeared and reappeared behind the old and ragged looking scarlet sarong between running steps upon the docks. Dressed in a skimpy beige blouse much like the ones of Lut Gholein and the scarlet sarong, she appeared to obviously be one of mixed cultures.
This waif had skin that was tropically dark, but lighter than those around her, and her hair a shade of light brown that was deemed unusual in all of Kurast. It was obvious she turned heads wherever she went, and her skimpy attire, which provided no barrier against the imaginations of men added to it.
Automatically, all the men in the rowboat turned their gazes quickly to her bust and found themselves unimpressed. Her breasts were not voluptuously large or curvy much to the standards of a man's preference... but still, they were breasts.
Krysta glanced at them and made a face. "Men... like em' big, like em' small, like em' all..." She looked over at Andreas, who's eyes were on breasts, but not of Alys; he was staring at hers, which had came into plain sight with the slipping of Rune's cloak. "Hey!" she muttered, her nose crinkling in disgust as she scoldingly cracked the side of the man's head. Reikarh and Rune immediately turned their eyes from Alys lest they wish to suffer a bit of the assassin's wrath in turn. Bayard however kept on staring.
Andreas grinned sheepishly then stepped onto the docks.
Ferrum was oblivious to that little event. His mind was centered on one person only: the woman before him, only two feet away. She leaped at him, a brilliant smile on her face as her arms wrapped around him and Ferrum felt the familiar and warm feeling of her soft body pressing against his.
Just the feel of her skin and scent of her hair made all the masculinity in him burn to life with a groan. His lips brushed reverently against the woman's forehead before he crushed her to him in a more passionate kiss placed on her lips. He felt Alys' smile upon his own as his hand snaked around her waist and into the perfection of her lower back that seemed to be made for his hand to rest and press her more into his body.
Alys could feel the energy draining from her body as she softly let a moan into his mouth. Upon the sudden sound, Ferrum's tongue slipped into her mouth to greet hers. Her following sigh never left her throat as her love's hand found it's way to the swell of her right breast where her nipple had already tightened into a firm knot. A moan left her as she broke the kiss momentarily for a quick breath break before resuming.
A low guttural sound reverberated from the necromancer as he pulled Alys body up and against him tighter, to feel every hard inch of his body and relish the contrast of each others.'
Krysta shifted uncomfortably on her other foot and glanced at the rest of the crew already on the docks. That was a mistake. Rune was staring at the ground, his face reddened and his mouth tightly clenched into a thin line. Reikarh was grinning like a madman, Andreas was staring longingly at the scene before him and from behind her, Bayard... well, Bayard was staring at someone's ass, but it wasn't Alys'....
The assassin frowned and smacked the musically-inclined man back to his senses. "Dumbass."
The sound of being struck snapped Ferrum back to his senses as he painfully broke away from Alys, keeping her body in front of his to hide the bulge in his breeches. "Uh.... this is Alys." He cleared his throat nervously and forced a smile as he pointed to everyone. "That's Rune, Bayard, Reikarh, Andreas and... Krysta."
Alys smiled sweetly and bowed her head politely. "How do you do..." Her eyes darted assessingly over to Krysta and the harem outfit that was barely hidden under the animal-pelted cloak. Questioningly and accusingly, she glanced over at Ferrum.
He shook his head, "It's not what you think."
"...All right..." she replied, unsure with the confidence in her voice. Teasingly, she pressed her body back against him, feeling warmed when her body came in contact with Ferrum's erection still trapped in the hindering pants.
He closed his eyes, rested his chin against the top of her head and hugged her tightly.
"Do you enjoy torturing me this way, my sweet minx?" he whispered in a low voice, tempted to growl just to feel her body shiver against his.
She nodded rapidly, a smile returning as his arms raised to wrap around her delicate shoulders. His nose pressed into her head, inhaling the soft and feminine fragrance of her hair before he opened his eyes and turned to everyone else.
"Uh... we gotta go do something," he said tactlessly as Alys stepped back to press against him once more. His words were clipped off immediately.
Andreas rolled his eyes. "'Do each other you' mean...ow." He sucked in his breath and rubbed his sore ribs where Krysta elbowed him not-too-gently.
Ferrum nodded with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. "Yeah well, so, you guys just go around, explore this village a bit. I'll find you all later, okay?"
Everyone agreed and then Bayard stepped forward with an announcement. "I'm afraid I will be leaving you all soon," he paused and glanced around, not the least bit surprised to see the relief light up Rune's face. "I will be taking the next boat out of here, so... thank you all for allowing me passage with you. It has been a great honour to meet you all and entertain you these past few nights. Perhaps one day we shall cross paths again, but until then, I wish all of you well."
By the time Bayard had finished his little speech, Alys and Ferrum were already gone. They had taken off sometime during the little heartfelt goodbye.
Krysta sighed and glanced down, "Shit..." she slid Rune a hopeful glance. "I think they expect all of us to baby-sit HIM."
By him, they meant Spikey, who was contentedly leaning from the docks to stare into the deep dark waters. Rune once again had to fight off the urge to kick it in.
***
"I've never had a recurring dream before," Alys softly commented, setting the small clay jug of water down on the table.
In the small rickety shack-like house, Ferrum nodded and continued on as his love turned to fetch the dinner she had prepared for the two of them. "It's always the same. But, the blood seems to increase with every repetition." He sighed and slumped back on his wobbly chair as he watched her gracefully move around the small room.
Holding two plates of steaming food, she turned around and graciously handed him one with an smile. "I hope you like it."
"Oh, I'm sure I will," he accepted the dinner and, without skipping a beat, dug in.
Alys sat down across from him at the table and giggled as he ravenously consumed his food. At this moment, it seemed that eating came before breathing. "Do you do everything that fast?"
Ferrum held his hand out to signal a wait as he chewed and swallowed the portion in his mouth. He smiled and winked as he lowered his hand. "I can do things slowly, my love," he said silkily, his voice sending shivers up Alys spine.
She smiled sheepishly. "You'll have to show me..."
He paused, glanced down at his food and then at Alys, trying to figure out what to do with this dilemma."
Alys laughed. "It's okay, you can eat first, Ferrum."
"Thanks."
***
"No no no... I need a stronger one," Krysta insisted, shaking her head and clucking her tongue. She pushed the open bottle away from her and narrowed her gaze at the old and spindly looking man. "This couldn't even kill a swarm of gnats."
The old chemist twisted his already-curling beard and glared at the hostile assassin. "I beg to differ, young lady," he replied hotly, his accent making his voice sound uneven as well as angrier. "But my work is the best we have to offer." He snatched the bottle off the table and added, "Many great warriors have come to me begging for my creations as well as my sage advice!"
Krysta took a deep breath. Well, I'm not here for your advice now, am I? she thought, tempted to speak her mind. "Are you sure you don't have a stronger poison?"
Alkor frowned before his upper lip raised like a wolf does when snarling. "We might," he clipped his words and threw a scathing look.
Unimpressed and not the least bit intimidated, she returned the glare instantly.
Turning with the slow and jarring motions of a man his age, he headed to the back door and muttered to himself. "Now where could that stupid girl be?" His voice raised to a loud and irritating bellow. "Damn girl! Get yourself here now! You are needed! Alys!!!!"
Krysta froze with a sardonic smile. Shit... Ferrum's gonna be pissed for me interrupting his fun time.
***
His tongue slipped into her mouth and she sighed longingly as hers darted to greet it. Her blood quickened at the feel of his body crushing hers into the soft pallet and her scarlet skirt already unknotted beneath her. The feel was so sinfully enjoyable, she could not help but try to return his actions or return the pleasure by letting her hands explore his hard body though his clothes.
He groaned, the bulge of his pants pressing more insistently at the junction of her legs. The warmth of her legs at his sides produced a comforting feel. It made him feel as though that he belonged there.
Breaking the kiss, a funny smile came to Ferrum that when Alys questioned him, he bit back a laugh.
"What?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
He shook his head, his lips brushing her left temple. "I wanted to say something romantic... but it wouldn't be honest."
Strangely vulnerable by that statement, Alys was feeling regretful as she asked him to explain. Her heart feared the worst that the words "I don't love you anymore" would be spoken.
"I was going to say, You taste sweet.' But that's not true."
She stared at him blankly.
"You taste like chicken," he said simply.
She laughed and swatted him playfully. "Oh really, genius? You think it might have something to do with the dinner?"
He nodded and held her close as he lowered his mouth to hers. "If it makes you feel better... sugary sweet chicken...""
Smiling in a "you're hopeless" way, she placed her arms loosely around his torso. "You're weird."
"Love me anyway?"
She grinned idiotically and daringly lowered one hand to squeeze a muscular buttock. He groaned huskily and ground his pelvis against hers more desperately. "In all ways, Ferrum."
The hazy look in her eyes nigh drove the necromancer wild. He pressed his mouth roughly against hers, drinking in the kiss as one hand explored the luxuriously soft skin right beneath her blouse. She gasped into his mouth at the contact and he only deepened their kiss.
"ALYS!!!!!!!!" an irritated, harsh and nasal voice yelled, the words seeping in like a well aimed arrow to poison their moment.
Ferrum groaned disappointingly, resting his head against Alys' breasts with an irritated expression. He could recognize Alkor's voice anywhere. "Shit..."
Alys' eyes widened as she pushed Ferrum off of her and retied her skirt with ease and set herself to smoothing out her blouse and her mussed hair.
Ferrum watched her and frowned. "You wouldn't mind if one of these days I tied and gagged your uncle, would you?" She didn't answer him. In the next second, she was out the door with her face seeming to be devoid of expression. His Alys changed into an emotionless doll by a frail old man's voice.
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C+C appreciated.