The Unlikely Ally
(Act III: The Infernal Gate)
One week later, the ship finally arrived at the mouth of the river Argentek. The thick tropical jungle covered Kehjistan, make the surrounding looks darker from distance. Beside, it looks gloomy for everybody. Caldash stood stoically at the deck, watching the river. Myrrick was not far from him. In his right side, Aliza and Zylene stared the riverside. Or'bal was standing behind him. Then Meshif came,
"Well, this is Kurast now," he sighed, "I didn't remember it would be like this before." The druid turned to him, "How long you have not been here, Meshif?" Scratching his turban, the burly captain answered, "Almost four years, not mention about stranded at Lut Gholein for 5 months." Myrrick realized that something had happened here. Whatever it was, it was more powerful and evil than what he had faced before. Meanwhile, Zylene felt the same, her expression turned serious.
"I don't like this," she said warily, "I can feel something evil emanated from the jungle." Then Aliza asked her,
"Was it like when we encountered Andariel and Duriel?" The sorceress shook her head gently. Suddenly, Caldash answered her question,
"No, it is far stronger and darker than anyone can imagine.a pure hatred!" As the paladin spoke, Aliza felt the shiver on her neck. Out from the cabin, Akivsha appeared. Nobody took her seriously. The assassin kept silent, knowing that they would face something bigger.perhaps deadly,
The ship arrived at Kurast Harbor and anchored there. It was a large village with some ruins surrounding them. Not far from the pier, the tall, gaunt man watched the anchored ship. Dressed in a bone armor and dark cloak, he held a pipe and smoked a bit. The wrinkled, shrunken head was hanging at his waist along with some fetishes and paraphernalia. His face looked pale, yet it was clear that he is younger than his looks. The wiry, white hair spread unevenly, while the ice blue eyes followed Myrrick and others as they walked down to the harbor.
"Hmm, want to challenge Lord of Hatred?" he nodded slowly, smiling to himself, "Perhaps, it would be interesting."
While the others walked, Akivsha looked around the village. She has heard that the Order of Viz'jaqtaar had sent an agent to gather the information. However, they didn't told her who. If she could find the agent, it might yield invaluable information. Suddenly a mysterious voice spoke inside her head,
"If you wanted me, come and get me!" When she turned around, a faint shadow appeared at the nearest hut. She ran as fast she could to get it. Myrrick and others were surprised, but they did nothing to stop her.
Aliza complained, "What are she doing now?" Nobody answered.
Meanwhile, Akivsha still chased the shadow. It was faster than her, but she could overtake it within a minute. With a flash, the assassin leaped and struck the shadow very hard. So hard the strike, both was knocked to the ground. She quickly unsheathed her weapons and turned it to.a red-haired woman. She couldn't believe her eyes to what she saw,
"Not bad," the woman complimented, "You're so tough now, weren't you?" Then Akivsha said,
"Natalya? Was it you?" The woman raised herself from the ground and shook the dust from her.
"Of course, who else?" Natalya turned on her, "By the way, why were you here?" After put her katars back, the assassin answered,
"A long story.so you were the agent that the Order sent here," Natalya nodded slowly, before she watched her 'sister' carefully,
"The Order sent me here to assassinate Sankekur, the Que-Hegan of Zakarum. We were sure that Mephisto had controlled the Zakarumites; then he has to be eliminated silently.before he could gather his minions from hell to the mortal plane." she explained. Then Akivsha began to spoke,
"Natalya, there is something you should know."
"Welcome to the Kurast Harbor!" The long, raven-haired woman with a skimpy clothing greeted Myrrick and others as they entered the inn. There were several people around the inn, some of them wore armors and watched them warily. Not far from the woman, two people were playing cards. The woman introduced herself,
"I'm Asheara, the leader of the Iron Wolf mercenaries," she began to notice the druid closely.
"Hmm, you must be a warrior; judging from your appearance." Then the man who was playing cards interjected,
"Were they able to help our problems? Perhaps they were not different from others who had comes here." His companion who held a crooked staff, quickly rebuked him,
"Come on, Hratli! Don't be so pessimistic.perhaps you said so because you were going to lose again in this game," The man rose from his chair and walked toward them,
"Welcome, strangers!" he offered his hand to Myrrick, "I'm Alkor, the best and only alchemist in Kurast! If you need something, come to my hut!" When Alkor left them, Myrrick asked the mercenary woman,
"Excuse me, miss! Could you explain what had happened here?" In his surprise, Asheara answered with such a loud tone, which made Aliza and Zylene jumped,
"Asheara! Don't forget that!" After calmed herself, she began to speak,
"Many strange things happened since Sankekur became Que-Heqan three years ago! Demons came out from nowhere and started to attack people. It won't stop there as the beasts in the jungle began to run amok. My band was hired to protect the village, since it was the only way to contact the outside world."
Hratli added, "The Zakarumites were changed too! They seemed indifferent to our plight, and worse, drove the people out from the Travincal. Many warriors came, but nobody ever returned after they went to the city!" Caldash listened the story intensely, sometimes his forehead wrinkled deeper.
"Along with Ormus, I had placed a magical ward to protect us. However, it was getting weaker.I don't know how long we could hold the village,
As they were taking a rest, Myrrick watched the surrounding. He noticed someone was watching them not far from the square, beside Ormus' place exactly. It was the tall, white-haired man who had noticed them from the pier. Caldash and Orb'al watched him warily, while Zylene and Aliza was curious.
"Asheara," the druid called her, "Did you know him? The man with bone armor?" The mercenary woman nodded,
"Ah, he's a necromancer! Follower of the Rathma cult," Zylene surprised when she heard that,
"I have heard about them! The Rathmas claimed that they could control the dead to do their bidding." Myrrick heard Caldash spitting the word with some disgust,
"Undead." He growled as he realized the truth,
"Corruption of the nature! The dead were supposedly rested on the ground, not wander aimlessly or doing any biddings." The reason why he annoyed is those creatures were responsible for Joanna's death.
The paladin continued, "Our feelings were mutual! The Rathmas didn't consider what they were doing evil, but preserve the harmony of life. How could he come here?" Hratli quickly explained,
"He had been here for two month! I think he has been a part of the band like you, however he returned here alone."
Asheara added, "However, the Zakarumites were fled in terror whenever he was around! Since then, we have allowed him to stay here as long as he won't practice his arts! I didn't know whether keeping him around was a blessing or a curse; nobody were coming to this village again."
"Perhaps, he was casting a 'Terror' spell!" The druid snorted. However, the Zann-Esu quickly protested him,
"Myrrick, the Zakarumites were not fled with such a minor spell! It must be something powerful enough to scare them." He turned to her with some disapproving looks, yet Caldash stated,
"I'm afraid that she was right; I knew the Zakarumites well! They won't flee only with a minor spell!" Hard to accept such explanation, the druid turned to the direction where the necromancer watched them. The man was still there and.smirked to him. Myrrick began to dislike him.
"So, what are we going to do now?" the rogue tried to break the silence. Everyone stared on her. For a while, they were thinking what is the best step before entered Mephisto's lair.
Zylene suggested, "I just met Alkor a while ago, he asked our help to find the Golden Bird of Ku Y'leh. He said that the bird might keep the secret of immortality!" The sorceress turned to Aliza, who nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, the paladin stated,
"Orb'al and me are going to the Flayer Jungle. Hratli told us that the savage pygmies might have the Gidbinn; it would strengthen his ward!" Then Deckard Cain came to their presence,
"Don't forget our mission," he reminded them, "Diablo, Baal and Mephisto might planned something. Perhaps, it might be dangerous for the mortal plane," Everyone nodded, before left the inn to their respective quests. Myrrick decided to stay, at least to keep an eye on the mysterious necromancer.
"I hate the cavern! Especially if there were the insects inside!" Aliza screeched as she shot several fire and ice bolts to a horde of spiders in every size. For her disgust, they almost everywhere! Zylene sent her Nova spell to sweeping those creatures into ashes. Meanwhile, Sszark the Burning was refused to give up. The spider quickly charged the girls, yet they avoided the attack. The Zann-Esu countered it by casting Blaze to trap the creature. The rogue didn't waste any time; she quickly shot several arrows until Sszark flopped dead. Aliza walked over to check it.
"This was the last one!" Aliza swore, "I hope there would be no more spider and no more cavern!!" While her friend kept talking, Zylene turned her attention to something beside the carcass. She kneeled and took it. The object was a statue. Then she showed it to Aliza,
"What is it?" she asked. The rogue shook her head when she saw the figure.
"I don't know," Aliza answered, "By the way, why didn't we ask Meshif? I heard that he likes collecting such things!" Before she had an answer, her partner had already taken something else from the ground. She was surprised as she saw the object, which had been taken by Zylene. The human eyeball!!
"Gross! Why did you take it?" Zylene hesitated for a while, before she gave her reply,
"I.I feel something strange with the eyeball, perhaps Cain could identify what is this." Without any comments, both girls left the Spider Cavern.
Not far from the Pygmy Village at Flayer Jungle, the savage pygmies were scurrying in panic as Caldash and Orb'al attacked them. Frantically, Witchdoctor Endungu sent his ilk to defend him from the intruders. The pygmies quickly screamed, swarming those warriors. The barbarian quickly howled to his lungs, in fact, it sent their foes scattered to the four winds. At the same time, Caldash quickly summoned the Fist of the Heavens. The bright bolts fell from the sky and plummeted those who were not quick enough to run. Realizing his chance was slim, Endungu ran along with his attendant who had carried him. Before he had escaped, Orb'al leaped from afar and cut them together with his axes. After the carnage ended, the paladin silently prayed for them and the slain foes. The barbarian meticulously scavenges whatever remained from the corpses around them. He picked a small blade and brought it to Caldash.
The paladin remarked, "It must be the Gidbinn, which Hratli told us," Orb'al nodded in agreement, while he continued his work. Caldash sighed; he was not expecting his companion to reply. Orb'al always like that, since they met for the first time. He never talked to him, even a single word. However, the barbarian was neither mute nor deaf. He always can rely on him during the battle like now. That was enough for him. Caldash turned on the east where the Travincal located. His face turned grim like stone.
Meanwhile, Akivsha was busy battling a swarm of bats at the Flayer Dungeon. She quickly protect herself by swirl her katars around her body. After charging herself with mana, she shouted,
"Claws of Thunder!!" Instantly, the powerful electric bolts were unleashed from her weapons, frying some bats into crisp. The rest withdrew into the darkness. Sighed, the assassin continued her search around a pile of skulls and bricks. Then she found something, her hand took the human brain out from the pile. She smiled lightly upon her findings,
"Not bad, Natalya!" she mused, "As usual, your information always reliable,"
Back to Kurast Harbor, everyone but Akivsha had returned. They found Myrrick and Cain was talking with Ormus. Then Aliza and Zylene came closer to them.
"Ah, girls! Did you find anything?" Myrrick greeted them. The rogue gestured toward the sorceress who started to speak,
"Well, we have found the Golden Bird! It was with Meshif for long time," Aliza tried hard to hide her disappointment, but no avail,
"Then he gave the bird to us, in exchange of the statue that we've found at Spider Cavern. Alkor had made us the potion, however I felt that it was not worth the fight with spiders," The druid smiled only, as he tried to ease their feelings. Now, it was Caldash's turn to speak,
"We have recovered the Gidbinn, for now the village would have another chance to survive." Deckard Cain nodded only after listened to their stories. The druid noticed that Akivsha was not around, yet he decided to ask about her later,
Cain said, "Warriors! Just before you came, Ormus told us something important! Five years ago, the Zakarumites led by Khalim, a good and wise Que-Hegan. He was the first who had foreseen the corruption among his brethren. He tried to stem it, but failed. Instead, he was betrayed and murdered by those who were close to him. To hide their evil deeds, the murderers cut his body into several parts: the eye, brain and heart. Before he died, Khalim prophesied that he would bring the downfall of Mephisto through his death."
"Ormus explained that Khalim's relics was imbued with incorruptible spirit, therefore we have to find it and transmute it together with his flail! Only with that, we could gain access to The Guardian Tower!"
Caldash commented, "It won't be easy! The Tower was guarded by an accursed relic named Compelling Orb," Aliza quickly asked,
"What's the Compelling Orb?" Then the paladin began to explain,
"The relic was filled with hate, and Mephisto used it to corrupt the Zakarumites within! To destroy it, you need something pure and uncorrupted," Realizing something, the sorceress showed the eyeball, which she found at Spider Cavern to Cain. The Horadrim smiled when he saw the relic,
"Good job, Zylene! Now we have to found the brain and the heart."
Suddenly, Akivsha appeared from nowhere. The rogue almost jumped in panic, while the others were surprised upon her arrival,
The assassin didn't wait to speak her mind, "We have to hurry! I found out that Diablo and Baal have arrived here four hours ago! If we were acted fast, we might caught them unprepared," Myrrick nodded only, as the others agreed. Before they left the village, the necromancer suddenly appeared in their way! Myrrick was irritated, yet he decided to against his instinct,
"What do you want?" he inquired the man before him. The pale-looking man didn't say anything, but kept staring them. Aliza felt uncomfortable for being stared. Then the man spoke,
"May I join you? I know why you were here.to challenge the Lord of Hatred! Am I right?" The druid didn't answered. Instead, Akivsha shoved him slightly, while facing the necromancer in disdain,
"I'm sorry! There was no vacancy here," Then she left him, followed by others. The necromancer tried to called them back,
"Think again, warriors! You might need someone who was familiar with the environment," Nobody replied, as they had already gone from his sight. He threw his hands in a mock exasperation,
"Suit yourself then, we'll meet again sooner than you had expected,"
The journey was not difficult. Sometimes, they were encountered Gloams, Giant Mosquitoes or Fetish tribes; yet they were not threatening and the heroes easily dealt with them. Akivsha still kept her eyes upon Caldash. There was nothing until now. She remembered her previous conversation with Natalya,
"Was there anything you want to ask?" the red-haired woman inquired. Her comrade quickly asked,
"Did you know anything about the paladin who traveled with us?"
Natalya frowned only, "Not much, except he was nicknamed 'Black Paladin' in the Westmarch. He was the least of your concern for now.you should be careful with the necromancer,"
"Rathma cult? Were they here?" Natalya circled her, while giving her explanations,
"Only one of them, nobody knew his name. As far I know, he was the sole survivor of the expedition to challenge Mephisto at Travincal. After his escape, the Zakarumites was rumored to be afraid with him! Even they had avoided this village, whenever he was around! I didn't know what power he had, but you must exercise the extreme prejudice and caution whenever you met him! It was not clear which side he was!"
For a few hours, the heroes stopped at the nearest Refill Shrine to rejuvenate their body. The druid watched Caldash was staring to the east. Then he walked toward him,
"Thinking something, Paladin?" he asked gently. Caldash didn't turned, instead he replied,
"Before, Kurast was the beautiful and prosperous city when I was here 5 years ago!" He sighed, while turning back to the shrine. Myrrick asked him again,
"Did you have a family before?" Surprised, the paladin turned to him and smiled weakly,
"Yes, now they were in the safer hands than mine. I wish I could join them with my master." The last sentence puzzled Myrrick. However, before he had a chance to ask Caldash, the dark-hooded figure appeared in front of them. Instantly, the situation became so tense. Myrrick, Caldash, Akivsha and Zylene felt something strange in the hooded stranger. A pure terror.and sorrow? The stranger began to speak,
"Not bad for those who had defeated Andariel and Duriel," he chuckled, "Too bad, your journey is going to end here!" The druid inquired with a loud voice,
"Who the hell are you? Did we know you?" The question was answered with a hideous laugh.
"I'm the one whom you had been looking for.the Dark Wanderer!" Everyone shocked beyond their belief, it was never passed in their minds that the Lord of Terror would show himself here! After controlled his surge of rage, Myrrick hissed,
"So, you were ready to meet your death then?"
Diablo laughed again, "Fool! This won't be my death, instead it will be yours!!" Without any warning, a swarm of vulture demons descended from the forest canopy. Then a horde of baboon demons came out from the jungle, followed by a group of the hulking beasts. Their body was covered with thick thorns and brambles. The blue-colored one took its place beside Diablo,
Caldash's face instantly darkened by rage, as he saw the beasts, Thorned Hulks! I can't believe this! Once, the people considered those gentle creatures as the protector of the jungle.now they were turned against those whom they had protected! Now they faced the odds as they found themselves outnumbered. Diablo sneered only,
"I'm sorry I couldn't watch your death by now! There was some business I should attend! If you were still alive, meet me at Travincal!" Then he turned to the blue Thorned Hulk,
"They were yours now, Stormtree!" The beast nodded, while Diablo left them and instantly vanished. Watching his enemy gone, Myrrick was furious and quickly summoned his beasts, including a grizzly bear. Not satisfied with that, he had morphed into the werebear and charged forward toward the foes. Meanwhile Zylene began to unleash her spell,
"Glacier Spike!" The row of ice spike appeared around them, blocking the demons. The Baboon Demon charged toward Caldash, but the paladin quickly whacked the demon with his shield. Before the demon had time to recover, the sword had cleaved his head into two. Realizing their situation, Caldash quickly summoned Defiance aura for his groupmates. Not far ahead, he saw Orb'al cut his way through the enemy with Whirlwind. The barbarian had already held his axes and swung it with ease. Whenever he passed, heads and limbs flew like twigs. At the same time, a Thorned Hulk crumbled into dust when Akivsha attacked from nowhere. She quickly vanished into darkness, before the enemy realized her presence. Then she summoned the Shadow Master to aid him. The clone was faster and more skilled than the previous one. Together, they were casting Cloak of Darkness that threw the demons into confusion. Though not strong like others, Aliza kept her eyes watchful. Catching several demons climbed the tree; she shot her arrows, sending a baboon demon fell to his death.
Yet, the odds were still innumerable. The situation went from bad to worst as Stormtree moves. The furious bolts of lightning were unleashed, as the hulking beast walked toward them. The werebear and the beasts hurled themselves to Stormtree. Instantly, the lightning bolt hit them squarely. The Dire Wolves howled in pain, while the grizzly bear roared full with agony. The shock was as such, even Myrrick were forced to return to his human form. His trembling lips managed to utter a curse,
"Damn, what kind of the beast is that?" Caldash shouted to him, while slicing a frog demon clean.
"I'm afraid that you had to tell them!" They watched that Orb'al was trying hard to open the way, however the demons still spilled over; completely blocking the only way out. No matter Zylene, Akivsha and Aliza furiously fought, the enemy won't budge. Suddenly, Stormtree charged the druid. Myrrick lifted the Isenhart's Lightbrand to defend himself. When they collided, he was jolted with electrical bolts and landed close to Orb'al. Before he caught his breath, the rogue called him frantically,
"Myrrick, we're got a company!" Behind those demons, a dozen of Undead appeared. Some of them were skeletal mages. Tried to lighten the situation, Caldash said with a light joke,
"Well, it was an honor to fight with all of you." Myrrick hissed in anger, while the barbarian smug only,
"We were not going to dead yet! Not until I got Diablo in my hand!!" Nothing had prepared them to what happened later. A skeletal mage launched a firebolt to the nearest Thorned Hulk, while the others charged the demons. Within minutes, they had cleared the enemies, and then turned to Stormtree. Nobody could believe what they saw,
"Huh? Was I dreaming yet?" Aliza snapped. The blue Thorned Hulk roared and swung his heavy arms toward the Undead, crushing some of them to the dust. The remaining Undead quickly moved to defensive position. The skeletal mages shot their bolts from a safe distance. Then the screeching voice came, as a furious-looking scepter flew to Stormtree. There was an explosion as they hit each other. The Undead regrouped again and began to attack the beast again. Akivsha moved forward, but stopped by Myrrick. Without any warning, a multiple bone spear struck the Thorned Hulk Champion. Though cornered, Stormtree fought fiercely for its life. Myrrick felt the pain and sorrow inside the creature. He realized that the poor creature was twisted by Mephisto only to serve his dark purpose. Perhaps I could help him like I helped Griswold! Before he had a time, something powerful struck Stormtree's chest. The beast cried in agony, and then his body exploded into a powerful electric surge. The jolt reverberated the entire jungle. The druid was shocked beyond his belief, after he saw what happened. The large crater was what remained from the Thorned Hulk.
After Stormtree gone, the skeletons turned on them. Myrrick and the others quickly prepared for the worst. Instead attacking them, the undead opened the way for someone.
"You!!" they shouted when the necromancer appeared in front of them. He grinned only, after watching their expression,
"Well, it seems we have crossed paths again," Caldash and Orb'al frowned only, while Zylene and Aliza looked at him suspiciously. At the same time, the undead were crumbled into a pile of bones.
The druid inquired, "How did you know us here? Were you the one who commanded those undead to help us?" The necromancer nodded, while Akivsha began to take her stance,
"As I said, the Rathmas cared only for the cycle," he explained, "Allow me to join you, and I would help you in your quest," The assassin countered, "For what? The least thing we could do is to trust the necromancer, especially you!" However, the Rathma was not angry, as he continued,
"May I introduce my name? People called me 'Tha'el' " he walked closer to them, "It was a simple name, isn't? " Aliza quickly remarked,
"I didn't see anything simple with you," Tha'el frowned only, slightly offended by the rogue's remarks. Then Caldash asked him with some curiosity,
"What do you offer to help us if we allowed you to join?" The necromancer's face beamed as he heard the question,
"Ah, I heard that you want to go to Travincal, and it won't be easy as the Zakarumites guarded the city tightly. However, I was offering you the quick solution for the problem," Quickly, the assassin intervened,
"Like what?" Tha'el grinned again; it was enough to annoy Myrrick. From the beginning they saw each other, he didn't like him very much,
"Have you heard about Lam-Esen Tome?" The sorceress could not hold her surprise as she heard the name. The necromancer nodded in satisfaction, when he noticed that the druid turned on her,
"Zylene, did you know it?" The girl nodded only, before she began to explain,
"Alkor told us before that there was a tome, which had been written by Lam-Esen. He was studying the Skatsimi magic and predicts the effect of the Prime Evils on the mortal plane. Not only that, it was believed that the tome gave a special ward against Mephisto's minions," Then Myrrick turned again to Tha'el and told him,
"I'm afraid you can't convince us to take you as an ally," Once again, the necromancer didn't show any response to Myrrick's words.
"Ah, I see," he replied slowly, "In that case, I still have something that will make you to change your mind," Irritated with his arrogance, Akivsha asked impatiently,
"Which is?" Tha'el took something out from his satchel; it was a fresh human heart. Everyone surprised when they saw it. The assassin was shocked as she realized what it was,
"Khalim's heart." she hissed in anger. Then the necromancer laughed victoriously when he saw their drooped face,
"So, you know what is this?" he gloated, "You already have the eye and brain, but I have the heart." He walked closer to Myrrick, and said,
"Think again, druid! If you won't let me join you, then say goodbye to Diablo and Mephisto! There is no way you could destroy the Compelling Orb without Khalim's Flail!" Myrrick tried his best to hold his temper. He didn't like this braggart, but the necromancer was right. They badly needed his assistance; especially he had Khalim's heart already. Before he could said anything, Akivsha strode toward the necromancer with her katars unsheathed,
"I have another way to take the heart," she said with a cold voice, the usual expression she wore before killing someone, ".from your dead, cold hand," Taken aback with the assassin's words, Tha'el quickly lifted his hands, ready to cast curse on her. However, Akivsha felt the huge hand blocked her moves,
"Stop it, Akivsha!" Myrrick warned her with hoarse voice, and then turned to the necromancer, "You could join us.for now!" The assassin looked him with disbelief, like Aliza and Zylene. Caldash and Orb'al didn't show anything. In other side, Tha'el began to lowered his hand and joked,
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I'm positive that I didn't heard anything." The druid growled only as his response to the joke.
"Don't force your luck, Rathma!" the paladin warned, "You were lucky that Myrrick didn't killed you on the spot," Akivsha went with a disgusted look toward the necromancer. As they started to continue their journey, Tha'el called them,
"By the way, may I raised some minions in order to help us later?" he inquired, "It was a pity to let these corpses wasted," The druid stopped, turning to his direction, and then make some gesture. In a blink of eye, Carrion and Solar Creepers appeared and consumed the corpses at their surrounding. Watching that, the necromancer's face was drained from his blood, make it paler than usual. His face was turned into a mask of rage. Myrrick chose to ignore it,
"I would rather make the fertilizer out of those corpses than handing them over to you," The assassin smiled slyly upon his response. Then they left the necromancer alone. Slowly, Tha'el's lips turned into a cold, thin smile.
"We'll see who will laugh later."
Note: Phew! What do you think with my new character? I was busy with my study; that's why the story takes a longer time to finish. Our heroes had faced Diablo already; now were they ready to enter the Travincal? What was Caldash and Tha'el's secrets? Soon, you'll learn more about them as the others learned about their deepest hate in 'Hatred Within'
One week later, the ship finally arrived at the mouth of the river Argentek. The thick tropical jungle covered Kehjistan, make the surrounding looks darker from distance. Beside, it looks gloomy for everybody. Caldash stood stoically at the deck, watching the river. Myrrick was not far from him. In his right side, Aliza and Zylene stared the riverside. Or'bal was standing behind him. Then Meshif came,
"Well, this is Kurast now," he sighed, "I didn't remember it would be like this before." The druid turned to him, "How long you have not been here, Meshif?" Scratching his turban, the burly captain answered, "Almost four years, not mention about stranded at Lut Gholein for 5 months." Myrrick realized that something had happened here. Whatever it was, it was more powerful and evil than what he had faced before. Meanwhile, Zylene felt the same, her expression turned serious.
"I don't like this," she said warily, "I can feel something evil emanated from the jungle." Then Aliza asked her,
"Was it like when we encountered Andariel and Duriel?" The sorceress shook her head gently. Suddenly, Caldash answered her question,
"No, it is far stronger and darker than anyone can imagine.a pure hatred!" As the paladin spoke, Aliza felt the shiver on her neck. Out from the cabin, Akivsha appeared. Nobody took her seriously. The assassin kept silent, knowing that they would face something bigger.perhaps deadly,
The ship arrived at Kurast Harbor and anchored there. It was a large village with some ruins surrounding them. Not far from the pier, the tall, gaunt man watched the anchored ship. Dressed in a bone armor and dark cloak, he held a pipe and smoked a bit. The wrinkled, shrunken head was hanging at his waist along with some fetishes and paraphernalia. His face looked pale, yet it was clear that he is younger than his looks. The wiry, white hair spread unevenly, while the ice blue eyes followed Myrrick and others as they walked down to the harbor.
"Hmm, want to challenge Lord of Hatred?" he nodded slowly, smiling to himself, "Perhaps, it would be interesting."
While the others walked, Akivsha looked around the village. She has heard that the Order of Viz'jaqtaar had sent an agent to gather the information. However, they didn't told her who. If she could find the agent, it might yield invaluable information. Suddenly a mysterious voice spoke inside her head,
"If you wanted me, come and get me!" When she turned around, a faint shadow appeared at the nearest hut. She ran as fast she could to get it. Myrrick and others were surprised, but they did nothing to stop her.
Aliza complained, "What are she doing now?" Nobody answered.
Meanwhile, Akivsha still chased the shadow. It was faster than her, but she could overtake it within a minute. With a flash, the assassin leaped and struck the shadow very hard. So hard the strike, both was knocked to the ground. She quickly unsheathed her weapons and turned it to.a red-haired woman. She couldn't believe her eyes to what she saw,
"Not bad," the woman complimented, "You're so tough now, weren't you?" Then Akivsha said,
"Natalya? Was it you?" The woman raised herself from the ground and shook the dust from her.
"Of course, who else?" Natalya turned on her, "By the way, why were you here?" After put her katars back, the assassin answered,
"A long story.so you were the agent that the Order sent here," Natalya nodded slowly, before she watched her 'sister' carefully,
"The Order sent me here to assassinate Sankekur, the Que-Hegan of Zakarum. We were sure that Mephisto had controlled the Zakarumites; then he has to be eliminated silently.before he could gather his minions from hell to the mortal plane." she explained. Then Akivsha began to spoke,
"Natalya, there is something you should know."
"Welcome to the Kurast Harbor!" The long, raven-haired woman with a skimpy clothing greeted Myrrick and others as they entered the inn. There were several people around the inn, some of them wore armors and watched them warily. Not far from the woman, two people were playing cards. The woman introduced herself,
"I'm Asheara, the leader of the Iron Wolf mercenaries," she began to notice the druid closely.
"Hmm, you must be a warrior; judging from your appearance." Then the man who was playing cards interjected,
"Were they able to help our problems? Perhaps they were not different from others who had comes here." His companion who held a crooked staff, quickly rebuked him,
"Come on, Hratli! Don't be so pessimistic.perhaps you said so because you were going to lose again in this game," The man rose from his chair and walked toward them,
"Welcome, strangers!" he offered his hand to Myrrick, "I'm Alkor, the best and only alchemist in Kurast! If you need something, come to my hut!" When Alkor left them, Myrrick asked the mercenary woman,
"Excuse me, miss! Could you explain what had happened here?" In his surprise, Asheara answered with such a loud tone, which made Aliza and Zylene jumped,
"Asheara! Don't forget that!" After calmed herself, she began to speak,
"Many strange things happened since Sankekur became Que-Heqan three years ago! Demons came out from nowhere and started to attack people. It won't stop there as the beasts in the jungle began to run amok. My band was hired to protect the village, since it was the only way to contact the outside world."
Hratli added, "The Zakarumites were changed too! They seemed indifferent to our plight, and worse, drove the people out from the Travincal. Many warriors came, but nobody ever returned after they went to the city!" Caldash listened the story intensely, sometimes his forehead wrinkled deeper.
"Along with Ormus, I had placed a magical ward to protect us. However, it was getting weaker.I don't know how long we could hold the village,
As they were taking a rest, Myrrick watched the surrounding. He noticed someone was watching them not far from the square, beside Ormus' place exactly. It was the tall, white-haired man who had noticed them from the pier. Caldash and Orb'al watched him warily, while Zylene and Aliza was curious.
"Asheara," the druid called her, "Did you know him? The man with bone armor?" The mercenary woman nodded,
"Ah, he's a necromancer! Follower of the Rathma cult," Zylene surprised when she heard that,
"I have heard about them! The Rathmas claimed that they could control the dead to do their bidding." Myrrick heard Caldash spitting the word with some disgust,
"Undead." He growled as he realized the truth,
"Corruption of the nature! The dead were supposedly rested on the ground, not wander aimlessly or doing any biddings." The reason why he annoyed is those creatures were responsible for Joanna's death.
The paladin continued, "Our feelings were mutual! The Rathmas didn't consider what they were doing evil, but preserve the harmony of life. How could he come here?" Hratli quickly explained,
"He had been here for two month! I think he has been a part of the band like you, however he returned here alone."
Asheara added, "However, the Zakarumites were fled in terror whenever he was around! Since then, we have allowed him to stay here as long as he won't practice his arts! I didn't know whether keeping him around was a blessing or a curse; nobody were coming to this village again."
"Perhaps, he was casting a 'Terror' spell!" The druid snorted. However, the Zann-Esu quickly protested him,
"Myrrick, the Zakarumites were not fled with such a minor spell! It must be something powerful enough to scare them." He turned to her with some disapproving looks, yet Caldash stated,
"I'm afraid that she was right; I knew the Zakarumites well! They won't flee only with a minor spell!" Hard to accept such explanation, the druid turned to the direction where the necromancer watched them. The man was still there and.smirked to him. Myrrick began to dislike him.
"So, what are we going to do now?" the rogue tried to break the silence. Everyone stared on her. For a while, they were thinking what is the best step before entered Mephisto's lair.
Zylene suggested, "I just met Alkor a while ago, he asked our help to find the Golden Bird of Ku Y'leh. He said that the bird might keep the secret of immortality!" The sorceress turned to Aliza, who nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, the paladin stated,
"Orb'al and me are going to the Flayer Jungle. Hratli told us that the savage pygmies might have the Gidbinn; it would strengthen his ward!" Then Deckard Cain came to their presence,
"Don't forget our mission," he reminded them, "Diablo, Baal and Mephisto might planned something. Perhaps, it might be dangerous for the mortal plane," Everyone nodded, before left the inn to their respective quests. Myrrick decided to stay, at least to keep an eye on the mysterious necromancer.
"I hate the cavern! Especially if there were the insects inside!" Aliza screeched as she shot several fire and ice bolts to a horde of spiders in every size. For her disgust, they almost everywhere! Zylene sent her Nova spell to sweeping those creatures into ashes. Meanwhile, Sszark the Burning was refused to give up. The spider quickly charged the girls, yet they avoided the attack. The Zann-Esu countered it by casting Blaze to trap the creature. The rogue didn't waste any time; she quickly shot several arrows until Sszark flopped dead. Aliza walked over to check it.
"This was the last one!" Aliza swore, "I hope there would be no more spider and no more cavern!!" While her friend kept talking, Zylene turned her attention to something beside the carcass. She kneeled and took it. The object was a statue. Then she showed it to Aliza,
"What is it?" she asked. The rogue shook her head when she saw the figure.
"I don't know," Aliza answered, "By the way, why didn't we ask Meshif? I heard that he likes collecting such things!" Before she had an answer, her partner had already taken something else from the ground. She was surprised as she saw the object, which had been taken by Zylene. The human eyeball!!
"Gross! Why did you take it?" Zylene hesitated for a while, before she gave her reply,
"I.I feel something strange with the eyeball, perhaps Cain could identify what is this." Without any comments, both girls left the Spider Cavern.
Not far from the Pygmy Village at Flayer Jungle, the savage pygmies were scurrying in panic as Caldash and Orb'al attacked them. Frantically, Witchdoctor Endungu sent his ilk to defend him from the intruders. The pygmies quickly screamed, swarming those warriors. The barbarian quickly howled to his lungs, in fact, it sent their foes scattered to the four winds. At the same time, Caldash quickly summoned the Fist of the Heavens. The bright bolts fell from the sky and plummeted those who were not quick enough to run. Realizing his chance was slim, Endungu ran along with his attendant who had carried him. Before he had escaped, Orb'al leaped from afar and cut them together with his axes. After the carnage ended, the paladin silently prayed for them and the slain foes. The barbarian meticulously scavenges whatever remained from the corpses around them. He picked a small blade and brought it to Caldash.
The paladin remarked, "It must be the Gidbinn, which Hratli told us," Orb'al nodded in agreement, while he continued his work. Caldash sighed; he was not expecting his companion to reply. Orb'al always like that, since they met for the first time. He never talked to him, even a single word. However, the barbarian was neither mute nor deaf. He always can rely on him during the battle like now. That was enough for him. Caldash turned on the east where the Travincal located. His face turned grim like stone.
Meanwhile, Akivsha was busy battling a swarm of bats at the Flayer Dungeon. She quickly protect herself by swirl her katars around her body. After charging herself with mana, she shouted,
"Claws of Thunder!!" Instantly, the powerful electric bolts were unleashed from her weapons, frying some bats into crisp. The rest withdrew into the darkness. Sighed, the assassin continued her search around a pile of skulls and bricks. Then she found something, her hand took the human brain out from the pile. She smiled lightly upon her findings,
"Not bad, Natalya!" she mused, "As usual, your information always reliable,"
Back to Kurast Harbor, everyone but Akivsha had returned. They found Myrrick and Cain was talking with Ormus. Then Aliza and Zylene came closer to them.
"Ah, girls! Did you find anything?" Myrrick greeted them. The rogue gestured toward the sorceress who started to speak,
"Well, we have found the Golden Bird! It was with Meshif for long time," Aliza tried hard to hide her disappointment, but no avail,
"Then he gave the bird to us, in exchange of the statue that we've found at Spider Cavern. Alkor had made us the potion, however I felt that it was not worth the fight with spiders," The druid smiled only, as he tried to ease their feelings. Now, it was Caldash's turn to speak,
"We have recovered the Gidbinn, for now the village would have another chance to survive." Deckard Cain nodded only after listened to their stories. The druid noticed that Akivsha was not around, yet he decided to ask about her later,
Cain said, "Warriors! Just before you came, Ormus told us something important! Five years ago, the Zakarumites led by Khalim, a good and wise Que-Hegan. He was the first who had foreseen the corruption among his brethren. He tried to stem it, but failed. Instead, he was betrayed and murdered by those who were close to him. To hide their evil deeds, the murderers cut his body into several parts: the eye, brain and heart. Before he died, Khalim prophesied that he would bring the downfall of Mephisto through his death."
"Ormus explained that Khalim's relics was imbued with incorruptible spirit, therefore we have to find it and transmute it together with his flail! Only with that, we could gain access to The Guardian Tower!"
Caldash commented, "It won't be easy! The Tower was guarded by an accursed relic named Compelling Orb," Aliza quickly asked,
"What's the Compelling Orb?" Then the paladin began to explain,
"The relic was filled with hate, and Mephisto used it to corrupt the Zakarumites within! To destroy it, you need something pure and uncorrupted," Realizing something, the sorceress showed the eyeball, which she found at Spider Cavern to Cain. The Horadrim smiled when he saw the relic,
"Good job, Zylene! Now we have to found the brain and the heart."
Suddenly, Akivsha appeared from nowhere. The rogue almost jumped in panic, while the others were surprised upon her arrival,
The assassin didn't wait to speak her mind, "We have to hurry! I found out that Diablo and Baal have arrived here four hours ago! If we were acted fast, we might caught them unprepared," Myrrick nodded only, as the others agreed. Before they left the village, the necromancer suddenly appeared in their way! Myrrick was irritated, yet he decided to against his instinct,
"What do you want?" he inquired the man before him. The pale-looking man didn't say anything, but kept staring them. Aliza felt uncomfortable for being stared. Then the man spoke,
"May I join you? I know why you were here.to challenge the Lord of Hatred! Am I right?" The druid didn't answered. Instead, Akivsha shoved him slightly, while facing the necromancer in disdain,
"I'm sorry! There was no vacancy here," Then she left him, followed by others. The necromancer tried to called them back,
"Think again, warriors! You might need someone who was familiar with the environment," Nobody replied, as they had already gone from his sight. He threw his hands in a mock exasperation,
"Suit yourself then, we'll meet again sooner than you had expected,"
The journey was not difficult. Sometimes, they were encountered Gloams, Giant Mosquitoes or Fetish tribes; yet they were not threatening and the heroes easily dealt with them. Akivsha still kept her eyes upon Caldash. There was nothing until now. She remembered her previous conversation with Natalya,
"Was there anything you want to ask?" the red-haired woman inquired. Her comrade quickly asked,
"Did you know anything about the paladin who traveled with us?"
Natalya frowned only, "Not much, except he was nicknamed 'Black Paladin' in the Westmarch. He was the least of your concern for now.you should be careful with the necromancer,"
"Rathma cult? Were they here?" Natalya circled her, while giving her explanations,
"Only one of them, nobody knew his name. As far I know, he was the sole survivor of the expedition to challenge Mephisto at Travincal. After his escape, the Zakarumites was rumored to be afraid with him! Even they had avoided this village, whenever he was around! I didn't know what power he had, but you must exercise the extreme prejudice and caution whenever you met him! It was not clear which side he was!"
For a few hours, the heroes stopped at the nearest Refill Shrine to rejuvenate their body. The druid watched Caldash was staring to the east. Then he walked toward him,
"Thinking something, Paladin?" he asked gently. Caldash didn't turned, instead he replied,
"Before, Kurast was the beautiful and prosperous city when I was here 5 years ago!" He sighed, while turning back to the shrine. Myrrick asked him again,
"Did you have a family before?" Surprised, the paladin turned to him and smiled weakly,
"Yes, now they were in the safer hands than mine. I wish I could join them with my master." The last sentence puzzled Myrrick. However, before he had a chance to ask Caldash, the dark-hooded figure appeared in front of them. Instantly, the situation became so tense. Myrrick, Caldash, Akivsha and Zylene felt something strange in the hooded stranger. A pure terror.and sorrow? The stranger began to speak,
"Not bad for those who had defeated Andariel and Duriel," he chuckled, "Too bad, your journey is going to end here!" The druid inquired with a loud voice,
"Who the hell are you? Did we know you?" The question was answered with a hideous laugh.
"I'm the one whom you had been looking for.the Dark Wanderer!" Everyone shocked beyond their belief, it was never passed in their minds that the Lord of Terror would show himself here! After controlled his surge of rage, Myrrick hissed,
"So, you were ready to meet your death then?"
Diablo laughed again, "Fool! This won't be my death, instead it will be yours!!" Without any warning, a swarm of vulture demons descended from the forest canopy. Then a horde of baboon demons came out from the jungle, followed by a group of the hulking beasts. Their body was covered with thick thorns and brambles. The blue-colored one took its place beside Diablo,
Caldash's face instantly darkened by rage, as he saw the beasts, Thorned Hulks! I can't believe this! Once, the people considered those gentle creatures as the protector of the jungle.now they were turned against those whom they had protected! Now they faced the odds as they found themselves outnumbered. Diablo sneered only,
"I'm sorry I couldn't watch your death by now! There was some business I should attend! If you were still alive, meet me at Travincal!" Then he turned to the blue Thorned Hulk,
"They were yours now, Stormtree!" The beast nodded, while Diablo left them and instantly vanished. Watching his enemy gone, Myrrick was furious and quickly summoned his beasts, including a grizzly bear. Not satisfied with that, he had morphed into the werebear and charged forward toward the foes. Meanwhile Zylene began to unleash her spell,
"Glacier Spike!" The row of ice spike appeared around them, blocking the demons. The Baboon Demon charged toward Caldash, but the paladin quickly whacked the demon with his shield. Before the demon had time to recover, the sword had cleaved his head into two. Realizing their situation, Caldash quickly summoned Defiance aura for his groupmates. Not far ahead, he saw Orb'al cut his way through the enemy with Whirlwind. The barbarian had already held his axes and swung it with ease. Whenever he passed, heads and limbs flew like twigs. At the same time, a Thorned Hulk crumbled into dust when Akivsha attacked from nowhere. She quickly vanished into darkness, before the enemy realized her presence. Then she summoned the Shadow Master to aid him. The clone was faster and more skilled than the previous one. Together, they were casting Cloak of Darkness that threw the demons into confusion. Though not strong like others, Aliza kept her eyes watchful. Catching several demons climbed the tree; she shot her arrows, sending a baboon demon fell to his death.
Yet, the odds were still innumerable. The situation went from bad to worst as Stormtree moves. The furious bolts of lightning were unleashed, as the hulking beast walked toward them. The werebear and the beasts hurled themselves to Stormtree. Instantly, the lightning bolt hit them squarely. The Dire Wolves howled in pain, while the grizzly bear roared full with agony. The shock was as such, even Myrrick were forced to return to his human form. His trembling lips managed to utter a curse,
"Damn, what kind of the beast is that?" Caldash shouted to him, while slicing a frog demon clean.
"I'm afraid that you had to tell them!" They watched that Orb'al was trying hard to open the way, however the demons still spilled over; completely blocking the only way out. No matter Zylene, Akivsha and Aliza furiously fought, the enemy won't budge. Suddenly, Stormtree charged the druid. Myrrick lifted the Isenhart's Lightbrand to defend himself. When they collided, he was jolted with electrical bolts and landed close to Orb'al. Before he caught his breath, the rogue called him frantically,
"Myrrick, we're got a company!" Behind those demons, a dozen of Undead appeared. Some of them were skeletal mages. Tried to lighten the situation, Caldash said with a light joke,
"Well, it was an honor to fight with all of you." Myrrick hissed in anger, while the barbarian smug only,
"We were not going to dead yet! Not until I got Diablo in my hand!!" Nothing had prepared them to what happened later. A skeletal mage launched a firebolt to the nearest Thorned Hulk, while the others charged the demons. Within minutes, they had cleared the enemies, and then turned to Stormtree. Nobody could believe what they saw,
"Huh? Was I dreaming yet?" Aliza snapped. The blue Thorned Hulk roared and swung his heavy arms toward the Undead, crushing some of them to the dust. The remaining Undead quickly moved to defensive position. The skeletal mages shot their bolts from a safe distance. Then the screeching voice came, as a furious-looking scepter flew to Stormtree. There was an explosion as they hit each other. The Undead regrouped again and began to attack the beast again. Akivsha moved forward, but stopped by Myrrick. Without any warning, a multiple bone spear struck the Thorned Hulk Champion. Though cornered, Stormtree fought fiercely for its life. Myrrick felt the pain and sorrow inside the creature. He realized that the poor creature was twisted by Mephisto only to serve his dark purpose. Perhaps I could help him like I helped Griswold! Before he had a time, something powerful struck Stormtree's chest. The beast cried in agony, and then his body exploded into a powerful electric surge. The jolt reverberated the entire jungle. The druid was shocked beyond his belief, after he saw what happened. The large crater was what remained from the Thorned Hulk.
After Stormtree gone, the skeletons turned on them. Myrrick and the others quickly prepared for the worst. Instead attacking them, the undead opened the way for someone.
"You!!" they shouted when the necromancer appeared in front of them. He grinned only, after watching their expression,
"Well, it seems we have crossed paths again," Caldash and Orb'al frowned only, while Zylene and Aliza looked at him suspiciously. At the same time, the undead were crumbled into a pile of bones.
The druid inquired, "How did you know us here? Were you the one who commanded those undead to help us?" The necromancer nodded, while Akivsha began to take her stance,
"As I said, the Rathmas cared only for the cycle," he explained, "Allow me to join you, and I would help you in your quest," The assassin countered, "For what? The least thing we could do is to trust the necromancer, especially you!" However, the Rathma was not angry, as he continued,
"May I introduce my name? People called me 'Tha'el' " he walked closer to them, "It was a simple name, isn't? " Aliza quickly remarked,
"I didn't see anything simple with you," Tha'el frowned only, slightly offended by the rogue's remarks. Then Caldash asked him with some curiosity,
"What do you offer to help us if we allowed you to join?" The necromancer's face beamed as he heard the question,
"Ah, I heard that you want to go to Travincal, and it won't be easy as the Zakarumites guarded the city tightly. However, I was offering you the quick solution for the problem," Quickly, the assassin intervened,
"Like what?" Tha'el grinned again; it was enough to annoy Myrrick. From the beginning they saw each other, he didn't like him very much,
"Have you heard about Lam-Esen Tome?" The sorceress could not hold her surprise as she heard the name. The necromancer nodded in satisfaction, when he noticed that the druid turned on her,
"Zylene, did you know it?" The girl nodded only, before she began to explain,
"Alkor told us before that there was a tome, which had been written by Lam-Esen. He was studying the Skatsimi magic and predicts the effect of the Prime Evils on the mortal plane. Not only that, it was believed that the tome gave a special ward against Mephisto's minions," Then Myrrick turned again to Tha'el and told him,
"I'm afraid you can't convince us to take you as an ally," Once again, the necromancer didn't show any response to Myrrick's words.
"Ah, I see," he replied slowly, "In that case, I still have something that will make you to change your mind," Irritated with his arrogance, Akivsha asked impatiently,
"Which is?" Tha'el took something out from his satchel; it was a fresh human heart. Everyone surprised when they saw it. The assassin was shocked as she realized what it was,
"Khalim's heart." she hissed in anger. Then the necromancer laughed victoriously when he saw their drooped face,
"So, you know what is this?" he gloated, "You already have the eye and brain, but I have the heart." He walked closer to Myrrick, and said,
"Think again, druid! If you won't let me join you, then say goodbye to Diablo and Mephisto! There is no way you could destroy the Compelling Orb without Khalim's Flail!" Myrrick tried his best to hold his temper. He didn't like this braggart, but the necromancer was right. They badly needed his assistance; especially he had Khalim's heart already. Before he could said anything, Akivsha strode toward the necromancer with her katars unsheathed,
"I have another way to take the heart," she said with a cold voice, the usual expression she wore before killing someone, ".from your dead, cold hand," Taken aback with the assassin's words, Tha'el quickly lifted his hands, ready to cast curse on her. However, Akivsha felt the huge hand blocked her moves,
"Stop it, Akivsha!" Myrrick warned her with hoarse voice, and then turned to the necromancer, "You could join us.for now!" The assassin looked him with disbelief, like Aliza and Zylene. Caldash and Orb'al didn't show anything. In other side, Tha'el began to lowered his hand and joked,
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I'm positive that I didn't heard anything." The druid growled only as his response to the joke.
"Don't force your luck, Rathma!" the paladin warned, "You were lucky that Myrrick didn't killed you on the spot," Akivsha went with a disgusted look toward the necromancer. As they started to continue their journey, Tha'el called them,
"By the way, may I raised some minions in order to help us later?" he inquired, "It was a pity to let these corpses wasted," The druid stopped, turning to his direction, and then make some gesture. In a blink of eye, Carrion and Solar Creepers appeared and consumed the corpses at their surrounding. Watching that, the necromancer's face was drained from his blood, make it paler than usual. His face was turned into a mask of rage. Myrrick chose to ignore it,
"I would rather make the fertilizer out of those corpses than handing them over to you," The assassin smiled slyly upon his response. Then they left the necromancer alone. Slowly, Tha'el's lips turned into a cold, thin smile.
"We'll see who will laugh later."
Note: Phew! What do you think with my new character? I was busy with my study; that's why the story takes a longer time to finish. Our heroes had faced Diablo already; now were they ready to enter the Travincal? What was Caldash and Tha'el's secrets? Soon, you'll learn more about them as the others learned about their deepest hate in 'Hatred Within'