© Diablo is copyrighted by Blizzard. All rights reserved. All I own are the plot and these names: Kail, Moranah, Ollan, Thorn, and Nikan. J
Chapter Four: Falling in the Tower
Moran woke up a few hours later and rubbed her aching muscles. Working with Charsi had drained her of more energy than fighting with demons had.
She swung her legs of the bed and stretched. Red haze was coming through the tent, telling her that sundown was approaching. She stretched and rubbed her body, finding it to be sticky with old sweat. She sighed. It would be a wonder if they had a shower in this place. No harm asking though, she thought, grabbing thick cloths that she assumed were towels at the bottom of her chest.
She walked out, and there were still no signs of the others. She stopped by the men's tent and peeked in. Kail was there on his bed, shirtless, his hair askew over his face, and breathing softly. She grinned for no reason and quietly shut the flap. She trotted over to Kashya who was sitting alone next to a cow.
"Um…Kashya?"
"What-oh, it's you," she said. Moran hesitated. The slap was definitely still in her mind.
"Hey-uh, is there a shower around here-" At Kashya's blank look, she sighed. "You know, a place to bathe?"
"Yes," the Rogue looked relieved. "There's one behind Charsi's tent. No hot water though, it's a spring. If you want hot water you have to heat it up yourself in a bucket. There's a washtub-"
"No, cold water's fine," Moran shifted her towels over her shoulder.
"If only we were at the Monastery," Kashya sighed. "We had deep baths carved into the stone floors with fire spells underneath to heat the water."
"Well, I guess I'll have to come back and experience it after we've cleaned out the place and kick Andariel's ass out of it," Moran grinned. "Heard she's pretty venomous."
"Let's hope you can do it," Kashya said.
"We will, we did once," Moran left before Kashya could ask her more questions. She found the "bathing place" behind Charsi's tent-it wasn't much at all. Just a couple of long pieces of cloth tied around stakes of wood to create a screen. Behind it was a couple of large stones surrounding a pool of spring water. Someone had left a bar of squashy pine soap on one of the rocks.
She placed the towels on the rock and stuck a foot into the water. She nearly yelped because of the cold, but slowly, her body became used to it. She sank into the cold water and reached for the bar of soap.
Scrubbing herself, she heard the tent open.
"AH!" She threw the closest thing she could find, which was the soap at the intruder. She gasped and reached for the towels, throwing it over her body. The next thing she grabbed to throw was a fist-sized rock she found in the water.
"Stop…" someone moaned from outside.
"Kail?" Holding the towel securely, she peeked outside. There he was on the floor, with the remains of the soap over his left eye.
"You hit me on the eye-hurts," he winced. "And soap stings too."
"Well you shouldn't have walked in!" She said.
"I didn't know you were inside! Honestly…" he said. "I was still groggy from sleep-"
"Hold on out there, I'm nearly done," she stuck her head inside and rinsed off a bit more soapsuds before she slipped on her clothes. "Okay-"
She walked out, drying her hair. Scowling, she looked at Kail who was hunting for the remains of the soap. "You didn't see much of anything did you?"
"How could I?" He recovered a large hunk underneath some grass. It was covered with dirt. "You were in the water and you threw the soap at my eye. Good reflex."
"Luck," she laughed. "Well, enjoy your bath. Sorry about the soap."
"Do you know how hard it is to find soap around here?" He grumbled and walked inside. "Damn…"
Still laughing, Moran noticed that the others were back. They all looked tired and worn out. Thorn was lugging a couple of large things in his backpack that was bulging to the point of bursting.
"How was…Blood Sparrow?"
"Raven," Nikan said and glanced at Ollan.
"Hey! It wasn't ALL my fault," Ollan said.
"What happened?" Moran asked.
"He was using his Sacrifice spell a little too many times than he should be…" Nikan said. "He was really low in lifeblood-"
"I SAID IT"S NOT ALL MY FAULT"
"I started to drag him out before another one of Blood Raven's arrows struck him-" Nikan stuck her tongue through her cheek. "He thought I was one of her minion or something and damn him-he struck me clear across the head with his scepter."
"You didn't!" Moran said.
"At least I managed to dodge but it stilled grazed by forehead," Nikan grumbled.
"Sorry, I-I was…"
"Next time, look," Nikan growled underneath her breath.
Moran shrugged and looked at Thorn. "You need help with…all that?"
"Nah, Charsi's gonna be happy when she get these," he grinned and heaved the pack down to the ground. "Unless you want something?"
"No thanks," Moran stretched.
"Where's Kail?"
"Taking a bath," she started to walk away to get a drink. While she was shoveling handfuls of water into her mouth from the spring, she noticed Kail walking towards the others, his hair dripping wet, making small rivers across his broad shoulders and down to his chest.
Actually, Moran wiped her mouth. He doesn't have a bad body. Not bad at all. The broad, strong muscles…that six-pack on his stomach-
Shut up! She turned away. What was wrong with her? She suddenly felt guilty for acting like a ditz. Literally.
She shook her head angrily and turned her eyes and body away from the Necromancer.
"Moran?"
"Yeah?"
Ollan poked his head into the tent. "Hey-do you want to come watch Thorn in a drinking match with Charsi?"
"What-WHAT THE?" Moran dropped her gold stash. "Charsi?"
"We won't get a change to celebrate like this…for a long time," Ollan said. "Tomorrow we have to rescue Deckard Cain from Tristram, and clear out the Blood Baroness's Tower. We'll get Charsi's mallet and kill Andariel sometimes later."
"What?" Moran only got half of it.
"Never mind," Ollan sighed. "Are you coming or not?"
"Thorn wouldn't be able to fight with a hangover tomorrow," Moran threw her gold into her stash.
"Oh, he will," Ollan said.
She finished getting her things together and followed the paladin to the heart of the encampment. Everybody in the camp including Kashya's rogues, were all in a circle surrounding Charsi and Thorn.
"MORE!" Thorn bellowed, throwing his bottle high in the air. A few rogues scattered as the bottle came back down to earth. It bounced a few times on the grass instead of breaking. Gheed handed the barbarian another bottle of ale and he swig in down in one gulp.
"For a barbarian, you're as weak as a weakling-" Charsi said, her voice wavering a little. She downed two more bottles of ale and staggered a bit.
"Where did they get all this ale from?" Moran whispered to Ollan.
"Ale's easy to make here, and I bet the rogues manage to smuggle a lot from the monastery," he shrugged. "And Gheed always has a lot of ale too."
"WAAAAAH!" The barbarian cried, swinging his bottle. "Watch me swallow-"
He fell down on his face and gurgled.
Roars erupted as they kicked Thorn and tried to wake him up but no such luck, he lay still and snored.
"Yeaaaaaaa!" Charsi screamed. "I win-I win-I-"
She dropped down beside Thorn, breathing softly.
Moran saw Kashya clucked her tongue in disgust, at both of them.
"I can't believe Charsi's a drinker," Moran smiled.
"Oh, she's not," Ollan grinned back. "It's just that she can't resist it when she meets her ancient descendents. Most barbarians are drinkers, you know?"
"Someone help me get this pig into the tent," Nikan panted, trying to drag a snoring Thorn over to them. Ollan and Moran each grabbed a bulging arm of muscle and sinew and with effort, the grunting three heaved Thorn into his tent and rolled him into his bed.
"Sleep tight," Moran rolled her eyes and rubbed her arms.
"Where's Kail? I haven't seen him at all after we came back," Nikan asked.
"He's probably out, letting the wind stream through that silky hair of his," Ollan joked. "Ah, you know Kail. That boy likes to stay out by himself, enjoying the feel of nature at its most."
"Sentimental Necromancer," Nikan laughed. "Sentimental Necromancer."
Moran let the early morning wind stream through her hair and face. She breathed in the fresh air, mixed with the scent of fire, roasted meat, but very, very faint-blood. She stretched and walked out to the small cleared meadow.
Kail was there, standing in the wind. His hands folded across his chest, one foot on a rock. He looked out in the distance, as if he was the only one living in the world and time didn't matter.
Moran couldn't help but stare. It looked so beautiful, like carved stone. A piece of pure art.
Art…
"Kail! Don't move-"
The Necromancer flinched. "What?"
"Kail! Don't move! Hold that pose-" Moran looked around frantically. She needed paper…and a pencil-no, no pencil. This is going to be hard…
"Nikan!" She yelled to the Amazon. "I need paper-um, a blank scroll. A-ah, parchment! Can you get me any?"
Nikan looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well…Akara might have some."
"Yes, and charcoal…a long piece would be good? Please?"
Nikan ran off. "Alright!"
Moran quickly ran back, pleased to see that Kail had remained in his same pose, although he looked a bit stiff.
"Good, just stay there," she said.
"Why?" He turned his head.
"No!"
"Sorry," he laughed and resumed his pose.
"Here," Nikan shoved an empty scroll and a piece of charcoal into her hands.
Moran ran the charcoal several times on a rock to thin it out a bit and smoothed out the parchment. This was going to be messy, without an eraser but she could managed.
She sketched out his frame first with circles and lines, and then slowly added details. The rough oval of his face turned soft and the eyes gleamed with light. She managed to draw in the small details of his shirt and boots even with the hunk of charcoal. Finally, she was done.
"Okay, you can move now."
Kail's shoulders nearly slumped from exhaustion. "What-can I see it?"
She gave him the scroll and his eyes widened. "Wow, Moran. That's-that's incredible."
"I've always liked art," she grinned. "This one's kind of rough, the charcoal was a little big."
"Wow…" he continued to look at it. "Thanks."
Nikan was awestruck too. "That is amazing."
"Hey, I'll do you, Ollan, and Thorn next if you want," Moran said.
"Can't," Nikan said. "Duty awaits."
"Here's the deal," Thorn said. "Nikan and I are going to clear out the Bloody Baroness's Tower, Ollan-"
"Tristram's easier to handle than the tower," Kail said. "Why don't Nikan and Ollan go out to Tristram and the rest of us go to the Tower?"
"And then we meet at the Monastery?" Ollan asked.
"Right," Thorn nodded. "But if we don't see each other…"
"We'll just meet in town, all right?" Kail said. "One of you can alert the Waypoint at the Monastery then we can all go."
Moran didn't get any of it.
"All right, so…good luck," Nikan said. "Watch out for the creaky stairs in the Tower."
"Ah…Tower…Bloody Baroness? Someone explain?" Moran asked as Nikan and Ollan left.
"Well, actually she's the Countess," Thorn grinned. "But we like to go by Baroness. It's a better name for someone who bathes in virgin blood, eh?"
"Huh?" Moran turned to Kail.
"Well, long ago, there was a Countess who lived in a tower in the Black Marsh," Kail said. "We don't know the whole story, but she killed a hundred virgins-or more-and bathed in the rejuvenating blood. I think her fellow workers murdered her and they split her money among themselves, but the tale goes on that there are more gold left in the Tower-and the Countess of Blood still lives there, guarding what was left of her gold."
"And it's worth risking our necks to get some crappy gold pieces?" Moran rubbed her throat.
"Oh, it's worth it," Thorn grinned. "Just watch where you're stepping."
"Oh man, this place is creepy," Moran said as she wiped a drop of Yeti blood off her staff. She immediately cast a Frozen Armor charm over her body. Kail cast a Bone Armor charm, and Thorn did nothing. His muscles and danger was armor enough.
They moved as quietly as they can over the moldy wood of the Tower. No light managed to make it's way inside. Her armor charm supplied most of the light for them.
Two Night Clan members came bellowing, running up to them with scythes in their hands. Thorn brought them down with his two axes.
"Mind the stairs," Kail said.
Moran placed a foot down on the wood.
"No! Not there!" Thorn yelped and made a grab for her.
She shouted as the wood gave away underneath her. Parts of her shirt that was protruding from her armor ripped as she went down. She fell faster and faster, not slowing down at all even with the pieces of protruding wood that crunched and gave away when she fell on them.
"SHIT!" She gasped and made a grab for something, anything! She could almost hear her muscles shriek with agony as she managed to grab something and hand on more than a mere second. But it slowed her fall down a great deal. The wood cracked and she fell down into the blackness.
"Ah!" She gasped with pain as her body hit something solid. Ground. Good, solid ground.
She rubbed her arms, moaning. She was on stone, a stone ground. If she weren't inside, she would have thought it was raining. Very cold, fresh water was pouring down on her, soothing the burning cuts.
She wiggled every part of her body, glad to know that she was very sore, but nothing was broken.
"Are you hurt my child?"
She screamed and looked around for her staff. It was gone.
"No, no," the voice came again. "Don't be afraid."
Moran turned and nearly shouted again. There was some sort of…tub? Bath? All she knew was that there was a woman lying in it. Her skin was pale, and her hair was a deep rich reddish brown. Her lips were so red it looked like she had used up a whole tube of tomato lipstick.
"Who-what are you?"
The woman laughed. "Join my bath?"
Moran narrowed her eyes. "What?"
The woman stood up and the sound of whooshing liquid came from the bath. A single beam of light fell from nowhere and landed on her.
Moran choked and gagged.
The woman had been bathing in blood. Streams of blood ran down her shoulders and body that was reddened by the liquid. She tilted her head back with a loud ah.
Moran heard herself whimper and covered her mouth to silence it.
"Even better," the woman said. "You'll be my bath!"
"You're-you're the Countess!" Moran gasped.
"Your blood will boil."
The blood ran down from the Countess's body, leaving it clear as if she had just took a bath. The smooth body suddenly bulged muscle, and the flawless white skin turned the color of rotten azure. The beautiful hair turned straight, and limp and darkened down to an inky black. Armor grew from her flesh and covered the naked body. A flaming mace appeared in her right hand.
"Die!"
"KAIL! THORN! HEEELP!"
"Shh…" Kail held up a finger to silence Thorn. "You hear that?"
"Damn, she's alive!"
"She doesn't have her staff-I think that's the BARONESS!" Kail gasped. "Damn, damn, damn, damn-"
"Well, if she survived the fall-"
"We can probably do it…"
"KAIL! THORN! AHHH-"
Her words were cut short.
"Oh no!" Kail said and jumped through the hole.
"Ah!" Moran gasped as she was thrown backwards. She skidded across the wet floor and aimed a bolt of ice at the Countess. Her aim was off as she heard it hit the wall.
She heard a splash somewhere across the room, and a few moments later, she heard Thorn gave an almighty Barbaric shout that improved defense.
"HERE!"
He tossed her staff and she caught it. Filled with new determination, she rushed at the Countess of Blood and swung the staff at her legs.
She flipped down with a groaning thud.
"Allow me!" Thorn yelled and swung his axe down.
Moran turned her head away as blood squirted from her neck.
"Job done," Thorn said happily and whistled. "What have we here?"
Moran turned around and saw a humongous chest opened, and a shower of gold fell from it.
"Wow," she gasped as a grinning Thorn shoveled it into his pocket.
"We'll split later," he smiled. "Hey, where's Kail?"
Moran looked around, but no sign of the Necromancer. "I don't know…"
The splash.
Oh my god…
"NO!" She screamed and ran towards the bath. She gripped the edge with her hands and swung her body into it. The blood was so hot compared to the rest of the tower. She plunged her hands into it, searching.
"Moran! What the hell are you doing?" Thorn said.
She ignored him. The bath was deeper than she thought, the blood nearly reaching her neck. She took a deep breath and went under.
Her hands gripped on something soft.
She came up, gasping and blinking away the blood. She pulled out an unconscious Kail.
"Help me!" She cried.
Thorn came to her side and pulled the Necromancer up.
"Oh my god, don't let him be dead," she whimpered as she looked at him. "He's not breathing!"
"Oh, damn!" Thorn dropped his axe and kneeled down besides Kail. "Oh damn!"
She had to think fast…
"CPR!" She gasped. "Thorn, get back!"
She tore off his armor and parts of his shirt, and then placed her hands on his chest. She pressed down, "One, two three, four…"
"What are you doing?" Thorn's voice was shaking.
"Shut up!" Her voice cracked as she bent down, holding Kail's nose shut with her fingers and placing her lips over his cold ones. She breathed out.
It seemed to go on forever, the breathing and the pumping of his heart, but finally, he coughed into her mouth.
Moran choked and spit out the blood. Thorn came and rubbed Kail's back as he vomited blood and choked.
"Get him to the water," Moran's voice was shaking. Nodding, Thorn dragged him to where water poured down. The blood was away from his body and he drank the water greedily.
"Hey, calm down," Moran said. "Kail, what happened?"
"My head," he moaned.
She parted away some of the hair and saw a wound. "Ah…you must've been knocked unconscious and sank in that blood," she shook her head. "It's a miracle you didn't die."
"What did you do, Moran?" Thorn said, his eyes still wide.
"I'll teach it to you all later," Moran sighed. A tear slid down her cheek and she sniffed hard.
"Touched by me almost dying?" Kail grinned weakly.
"Touched by what she did to you, more like it!" Thorn's eyes were still very wide.
"What?" Kail said, sounding weaker this time.
"Thorn, cast a town portal," Moran said sternly, sliding her hands underneath Kail's arms.
Thorn threw the scroll down and grabbed Kail's legs. "You ready partner?"
"Just mind that-ow!"
"Is his leg broken?" Moran asked urgently.
"Broken? Lady-" He howled in pain again. "THORN!"
Laughing, he pulled them through the portal.
They thumped back to the Rogue Encampent and Moran was already panting from Kail's weight. She set him down as gently as she could once they reached his bed.
"I'll go see if Akara has a sleeping dote," Thorn said and left.
"Are you all right?" Moran asked.
"I'm fine, except for my head," he said.
An awkward silence followed.
"Hey! Cain's here!" Thorn shouted from outside.
Kail jumped and groaned. He grabbed his head.
"You need help?" Moran offered him a hand and bit her lip from laughing.
Surprised, he took it.