Oops. So I wasn't here for most of the summer anyway _ Argh, the only reason would be the King and Queen of the castle (my mom and dad) decided to enlarge our house and they're tearing the walls down and I couldn't concentrate on anything except for allowing myself to slip into the dark world of books and manga while listening to the bang – bang, rumble - rumble. School opens on the 13th…anyway, here's chapter 18, and enjoy it. Chapter 19 and 20 will be the final works for Time Blood. And then, I can work on my next ambitious project…the sequel, which involves Baal. Now, I'm off to go to bed so bear with me… yawn.
Chapter 18: Hell's Edge
Moran took Kail's hand and looked at him with creased eyebrows. Even in sleep on the white sheets and pillows, he looked troubled. "Is he going to be all right?"
"You young people worry too much," Alkor said, offering her a steaming up. "Drink this. It'll help with removing the tainted blood in your body."
"What?"
"The tainted blood that you've probably drank while wading through Mephisto's pool of blood," he said. "Old, decaying blood is not good for the stomach, even the slightest bit."
"Thank you," she said and sipped the warm liquid, finding it to be sweet and for some reason…milky. She set it down and looked at Kail again. She released his somewhat cold hand and walked to Ollan's bed.
"That one's in deeper trouble than Master Kail," Alkor took sheets of white bandage and set them close to Ollan. "But he'll be fine. Are you going to be all right with these two?"
"Of course, I'll change the bandages and all," she grinned. "And what can they do? They're unconscious."
Alkor grunted. "I'll be around if you need me. Just run shouting for my name."
"Thanks," she watched his stooped figure leave the room and the bamboo door shut with a creak.
"Don't die on me, Ollan, we're rootin' for you," she gave Ollan's head an affectionate pat and went back to sit on the small pillow, next to Kail's low bed. She laid her head down on the bed and shut her eyes.
After a while, she felt a hand on her back and her eyelids fluttered open.
"Kail! Finally!" She threw her arms around him and he started coughing violently.
"Oh, sorry," she said and he gave her a sheepish grin.
"Despite the circumstances I'm in, I appreciated that." He said.
"Water?" She asked.
"How long was I unconscious?" He asked as she filled a clay mug with water.
"A day and a few hours," she said, handing him the water. "We've spent that time helping the Iron Wolves clear out Kurast. It's amazing how many of the creatures died when Mephisto was killed."
"How did the Iron Wolves and Natalya manage to get through the High Council? And how did they manage to get in without Kahlim's Flail?"
Moran grinned. "Good thing they explained it all to me before. They didn't need a Flail to find the true temple. Natalya used her shadow disciplines to track us down as the Flayers took us to the temple. With Ollan, Thorn, and Nikan that recovered from Diablo's poison – "
"How on earth did they get rid of the poison?" Kail rubbed his head.
"Many theories behind this one," Moran shrugged. "All they knew is that…they recovered enough to go with Natayla and the Iron Wovles to the Temple…and save us."
Kail looked at Ollan. "I owe him."
"Lots," Moran took his hand and squeezed it. "You owe him your life and I'm not joking. And maybe it's about time you start acting friendly to him."
Kail smirked and eyed Ollan. "Hey…do I actually owe him that much?"
"More."
"Moran?"
"What?" She hardly had time to react before he reached up and pulled her down into an embrace.
"When you were saying that if…I die, you'll die as well…did you mean that or was that something to throw Mephisto off?" He breathed against her neck.
She shut her eyes and curled an arm around his head. "What do you think you idiot!?" A feeling of disbelief curled in her body as he said those words.
"Why? He whispered.
"That's because you're my friend, you bastard," she said, feeling hot, unwilling tears flooding her eyes. "That's because I fucking care about you." Her hand clutched the thin fabric of his shirt.
She felt something wet running down the side of her neck, and she prayed with all her heart that it wasn't a tear from Kail's eye.
A soft moan came from the other bed.
She pulled away from Kail and rushed to Ollan's bed.
"Ollan? Ollan?" She whispered and saw Kail struggling to get up.
He opened an eye and moaned. "Do you have…anything sweet to eat?"
Moran laughed as Kail bent down and gave Ollan's head a playful rub. "You damned dog, you nearly got yourself killed," he said.
"So did you," he said. "Anyway, my stomach desires a healthy dose of Kurastian iced fruit juice."
Moran covered her mouth from exploding with laughter. Despite the situation with Diablo escaping and the injuries…she felt at serenity for once.
For once…
"No, seriously, that's all right," Moran brushed off an offer as an Iron Wolf asked for her to accompany him to Asheara's bath houses. She gulped and quickly walked away, running into Kail.
"Ah…" he clutched his shoulder the moment her head banged against his wound.
"I keep forgetting you're a weakling," she grinned.
"And maybe you need eyes in your head so you can see where you're going," he frowned. "Was that Iron Wolf giving you any trouble?"
"I just told him I'd accompany his bath – " she ducked and laughed before Kail could grab her arm in alarm. "Just kidding – "
"Come on," he grabbed her arm. "You started packing yet?"
"We're leaving already?" She blinked as he led her pass the townsfolk.
"Of course we're leaving already," he said. "With Diablo…we couldn't linger. We're only staying here for an extra day because Ollan's still too weak to move around."
"Here, help me haul stuff out to the docks," he kicked open the door of his room and they walked in. "Make yourself useful."
"Sure, why not?" She grumbled and followed him in. She took a deep whiff of the citronella candles burning on the walls and looked around. He had a bigger room than hers, and was built very securely so hardly any light seeped in through the bamboo walls. A mattress probably built of dried grass had a clean white sheet covering it and tossed with white pillows. A rather elegant mosquito net was held up and gave the room a look of pure inviting comfort.
"You always get the better rooms," she grumbled, grabbing a heavy sack and hoisting it up on her shoulder. "Is it because people think you're leader?"
"It's because they think I'm more delicate than the rest of my team," he made a show of his biceps as he bent down to grab another sack and grinned.
Moran rolled her eyes. "Sure. What's this?" She picked up what felt like a heavy bottle about the size of her fists placed together and wrapped in leather.
"Just something I thought I'd give to Ollan. In repayment of what he gave me," Kail pulled a wooden chest and dragged it outside the door.
She pulled off the leather and it was a vial, a large one with a heavy stopper made from tightly wrapped reeds. But the liquid inside was the strangest she had ever seen. The bottom was a clear jade green, layering on top was a pale coral, like rose quartz, and on the very top was a gold liquid. She shook it a few times but the potion remained in its layered state.
"What's this?" She asked.
"Alkor mixed up a potion with a golden statue Meshif gave me after I traded him with that jade figurine you found in the jungle," he said. "It's the very essence of life itself."
"Blood?" Moran tipped it again.
"No, not blood," he said. "Life. Not the power of everlasting life, but the power to enhance life's vulnerability. I was thinking about splitting it with us…but I want to give it to Ollan."
"You know…it's not that I want this or anything, but you do know Kail…" she held up the vial against the light and watched the colors sparkle. "He did it because he wanted to, not because he wanted you to be in his debt."
"I know that," Kail said quietly, his back towards her. "But what he did for me would be a sin if I didn't somehow find a way to do something for him in return. Give it to him for me?"
She nodded and walked past his towering frame.
Life itself? She tipped the vial again and watched the fluid dance.
She didn't like coming back to Mephisto's temple, with the pool of blood. The air was freezing cold, even though she had a thick fur cloak over her shoulders. She grabbed the closest source of warmth – Thorn's arm.
"Hey, I don't think Kail wants to see you like this with me," he joked, gesturing to the tall figure about a hundred feet away from them, leading the way with a large torch.
"Yes, I'm sure Kail wants to see me use your arm as a warming device," she grumbled. "It's so cold."
"Cold, yes, but wait till we arrive at the Pandemonium Fortress," he said. "That place is closest thing to Hell if it's not Hell already."
Thorn suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" She released his arm.
"Shhh," Thorn held up an arm so she could keep quiet.
They were right at the pool with the bridge of human bones that led to the portal-like device. Looking down at the bridge, Moran could make out large behemoth-like footprints. Only a very large creature could have done that.
She swallowed, hard.
Kail waved the torch in front of him as he crossed the bridge by himself. He threw the torch down into the pool of blood and everything turned black. She grabbed Thorn's arm again.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness after a few seconds and she saw Kail, only his hair standing out in the complete darkness. She saw him reach up to the portal and touched something.
An unholy scream ripped through the silence and a burst of red flashed from the portal. Moran covered her ears, her body shaking. Never had she heard a thing like that before in her life. She clamped her teeth down on her lips before she would start screaming as well.
She forced herself to look at the portal and gasped.
It was as if someone had a poured blood – no, blood that glowed as if it was fire down the portal, creating a film of glowing redness. Human faces, beveled through the blood screamed and shouted as if being tortured. They tried to break free from the film of glowing blood and reach out to the humans. Moran saw a small hand that looked like it belonged to a child reach out towards Kail with a sharp cry of horror.
Moran was shaking – violently as well. She heard herself whimper and back away, right into Ollan. The crashing of his armor against hers made her regain her senses, but terror and fear pumped with burning adrenaline still caused her to shake.
"Calm down," Ollan's voice was soft and gentle, as if he was calming a frightened horse. "It's all right."
"I'm not going into that thing!" She cried, her voice rising to a shriek. "I'm not! I'm – "
Ollan took off his black cloak that he wore loosely wrapped around his shoulder plated and covered her face and body with it before she could say another word. She fought for a second but stopped. She felt him wrap an arm around her and made her walk. She clenched her fists together, her teeth shaking. Heat brushed over her body and she felt like a thousand hands was grabbing at her clothes.
"NO!" She cried. "No! Let me go – Ah!"
She tripped over something hard and she went sprawling down. This is it…they're going to get me, she thought. But her face fell against warm stone and she heard the crash of armor against hard surface next to her.
She pulled Ollan's cloak off her face and looked up.
"Are you all right?" Nikan took her hand and pulled her up.
"The faces – the heat," Moran tried to control her shaking buy wrapping her arms around her body. "I'm sorry, Ollan." She said to the paladin. "I didn't mean to – "
"It's all right," he said, picking up his cloak.
Moran looked around, and took in a deep breath. The Pandemonium Fortress loomed in front of her, a stone structure constructed as a fortress. There wasn't a roof, but Gothic cathedral arches loomed over their heads. Around them a few tents – not really tents but more like sheets of ragged cloth and wood tied up firmly to the walls to make square-like dwelling places.
She stumbled and clutched at her chest.
"Ah – " She gasped. Pain ripped through her heart and she fell down on her knees.
"Are you all right?" Someone asked but she couldn't tell who it was. She wanted to get rid of the extreme pain in her chest and nothing else.
"Aftershock," she heard someone say, probably Kail. "That portal doesn't treat resisting people very well. I'll take her in."
She felt someone gently pick her up and carried her into a complete darkness where she was laid on something soft, but she could feel the hard ground underneath her body.
And suddenly, the snapping pain deep inside her lungs was suddenly gone.
She felt her body snap to an upright position and she clutched at the sheets around her. She was in one of the makeshift tents and it was completely empty except for the thin sheets and mattress she was lying on, her trunk of weapons and armor, and four candles burning.
She pushed back the cloth and stuck her head outside.
Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and she looked out. It was still dark, but it was a brighter kind of dark – the red, grayish sky was covered with somewhat brighter clouds.
"What the hell?" She said. "It can't be – "
She saw a looming shadow over her and looked up to see Kail leaning on the tent and looking down at her. "Morning. You were out cold for the entire night."
"But – " she blinked. "It felt like only a few seconds."
"Aftershock from the portal," he said.
Kail extended a hand covered in fingerless chain mail gauntlet the color of gold to her. She took it and he pulled her up. "The others?" She asked.
"Procrastinating," he grinned. "No, we're just waiting for you. We don't want to…" he nodded towards the outside. "Go outside without everyone."
She swallowed hard and looked at him in the eye. "Does this mean you've actually excepted me into the group?" She tried hard not to crack a smile. "After all I've done?"
"Moran," Kail bent down and looked at her in the eye. "What on earth, or Hell did you even have an idea that you weren't excepted?"
She looked down. "Bratty kid with no experience. Getting everyone in trouble…"
"No."
Before she could react, before she could even think, Kail suddenly grabbed her and roughly kissed her without warning. Fire burned through her and she clutched at the nape of his neck, tangling her fingers into his thick hair and returning the fiery passion back with both her lips and tongue. She stumbled, losing her balance and he shoved her up against the wall inside of the tent, holding her up with one arm behind her neck, and the other held her left thigh against his hip. She turned her head away to gasp for a breath of air before returning to him. She broke a hand free away from his neck to run it down his hard chest, clutching at the thin fabric of his shirt.
And then, the old fear of Kail not wanting her, but his old lover returned.
"No! Stop!" She cried, shoving him away. He fell back and she slid back on the ground, panting hard and clutching her chest. Hot tears ran down from her eyes, matching the burning hatred in her heart.
"Moran?" Kail's eyebrows were knotted in confusion, his lips bloodshot from the kiss. "What is it?"
"Go!" She half screamed, half sobbed. "Just get out of here – I don't want to see you! Just get out! Go!" She turned away from him. "Go…please."
She didn't dare look at him as she heard him pull back the tent flaps and leave. She slid down on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to control her breathing.
What's wrong with me? She numbly pulled a thin quilt around her shoulder and shut her eyes.
She avoided Kail.
It was hard though, as they walked single file down the crumbling stone staircase that led from the fortress down to the barren, hell-like wasteland that lay below them. Kail was directly behind her, and she could almost feel his eyes boring deep.
She looked down and saw the bubbling lava and beneath her feet and watch a few loose stones break free and hit the molten rock. She quickly followed Nikan and landed gently on the hard ground.
"Keep watch," was all Kail said to her as he walked away.
Holding her staff in her hands, she followed the others. The air was burning hot and sweat dribbled down her face, and all was quiet except for the sound of her own heavy breathing. She looked out. It was a barren wasteland all right…the sky was a cloudy gray that stretched on forever, and here and there were strange gothic-like structures looming from the ground like skeletons. Far away, she could make out something that looked like a very twisted and black castle.
"That's out destination," Thorn said, pointing. "Diablo awaits."
Moran nodded, her throat dry. She walked pass a looming, blackened stone arch covered in chains.
"Argh!" She gasped. "Humans!"
Looking closer, she realized that the arch wasn't black – it was covered with probably hundreds of decaying, blackened corpses of humans. She swallowed the bile that was forcing itself up her throat. Blood dribbled down the arches and formed clotting pools on the infertile ground.
"Moran, come on! Stay close!" She heard Ollan call.
She forced herself to look away from the mass of corpses and started to follow him.
Something grabbed at the back of her neck.
She screamed, whirling around to find that the hundred corpses had turned alive – animated from death. They were howling, screaming into the air and trying to reach for her. The corpse that was holding onto the back of her head had half of its face mashed to pulp, yet still had long, flowing black hair. It gave off a wail and tried to reach for her with its other hand.
"No! Help!" She whirled her staff, bringing the bladed end down on the arm. She heard a sickening crack and the severed arm fell down on the ground.
"Moran!" Kail yelled. "Get out of there!"
"Ah!" More hands grabbed at her arms and legs. Someone grabbed both her wrists before she could runaway and squeezed hard.
I can't drop the staff; I can't drop the staff…she chanted to herself. Pain shot up her wrists and they turned everything numb. The staff dropped from her hands and she screamed in pain as she felt the nails digging into her skin. She tried to kick, but her legs too, were held on firmly.
"Oh, god, no!" She cried. They were dragging her into their death – they were dragging her inside with them!
"NOOO!"
Shoots of icicle and streaming cold water shot from her fingers, catalyzing the corpses into ice.
"Moran! Oh no! DON'T!"
Suddenly, without warning, the ice exploded. She turned her face away, feeling the sharp ice bullets strike her neck and shoulders and the side of her cheek. She hit the ground, only to find herself sliding down.
She had landed on the edge of the land.
And down beneath her, the lava boiled and twisted.
She gripped at the rock, but she still slid down until her legs caught a ledge poking out from the side. She gasped as some of the fiery hot liquid spurted and exploded, nearly hitting her boots.
"Moran, hold on! AH – "
"KAIL!" She screamed as she heard his yell. She pulled herself up a few inches.
"No! Moran, stay down there – "
She looked up above the head, her arms shaking to hold her body up. She looked and bit down a cry of fear.
Ten – or more looming figures in tall armor had surrounded her companions. They were taller than normal men – ten feet or more at most, and about ten times as wide. The tallest one dwarfed Thorn down to a small dog against a horse.
"Oblivion Knights," she heard Kail hiss.
Moran grabbed a rock jutting out in front of her and pressed hard on the ledge, trying to drag her body up.
The ledge underneath her heel gave away.