Diablo II: The Epic Behind the Game
Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, I, or anything else that blizzard created. In fact, some of my dialog comes directly from the game, for accuracy purposes only. The Characters however are of my own design, directly from my chars on
Battle.net
As I sat here quickly tapping,
Suddenly there came a rapping
A rapping on my chamber door.
Twas my brother, nothing more...
Quoth my brother as he pounded upon my chamber door:
"ROBIN!! GET OFF THE #%$ LAPTOP AND MOW THE $#&$# LAWN!!"
Twas then I realized the day passed by,
and tears were draped upon my eye
I found I'd spent a day entire,
Writing things so thus inspired.
Quoth my brother as he pounded upon my chamber door:
"I KNOW YOUR STILL ALIVE! I HEAR YOUR MUSIC PLAYING! GET OUT OF THERE!!"
The joy of creation, he'll never know,
Life's greatest power I do show.
To spark the imagination like a bird in mid-soar.
And my chores shall be done, nevermore.
Quoth my brother as he pounded upon my chamber door:
"YOU BETTER NOT BE WRITING ANYTHING ABOUT ME! I'LL KICK YOUR $$ IF YOU ARE!!!"
-Based on a true story-
Truth be told, I very much doubt the last statement of by brother. He hates reading and wouldn't be able to make it past the disclaimer to see that I was writing about him (Chuckles)
Ahhh, every now and then, I enjoy trying my hand at poetry. (Looks over the last three verses) Too bad I suck at it so badly. (Shakes head)
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to stick to telling stories and coming up with quotes.... Here's one.
"Wise men say that the pen is mightier than the sword. If that is the case, then the internet is the weapon of God...or a computer geek. Now a days, they seem to be one and the same." -Robin Shirewood
No offense intended to other computer geeks like myself who spend all their free time writing or chatting or other such things on the internet.
(Everything suddenly turns into interference and picture comes back a moment later to Robin)
OKAY FINE!
It seems that some of my readers don't want the poetry which I think is a nice change of pace...
(Ramaon cocks shotgun)
How did you find me while I was typing this anyway? And would you give Elric back already? I need him so I can run him though his lines for next week's episode?
Okay, Enough fooling around. Time to get on with the show.
The Cold Plains... Later
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The corrupted rogue's severed head struck the ground with a sickening thud as the jet-black demon, oblivious to the sound, tossed the rest of the corpse aside. The battle was over...for now.
Elric breathed heavily the fumes of death around him as he stood on all fours for a moment, still as could possibly be.
He was having trouble keeping the demon under control.
'They are mine!' The demon argued, asserting as much forceful dominance as it could over the more reasonable fractions that were Elric's personality and his human instinct. Elric heard this argument every time he killed anything. But know there was another concern.... 'We should do with them as we see fit. For our reward. For our pleasure.'
"Ewww, No Way! Gross!" Elric shook his head, seriously irked by the visual images he was getting from the demonic side of his mind. He was not unused to such things, but he would not allow for himself to become desensitized to it. Becoming familiar with and accepting these images as natural would most certainly be a step in the wrong direction for him.
Elric knew that, when the need aroused, he could play the part of a killer.
But he refused to become what he hunted. What he disposed.
"No!" He refused the calling of his darker instincts and impulses. "We have a job to do and you will not put it in jeopardy for your lustings."
'We demand vengeance against those who attack us and our allies!' The demon mind shouted back silently in his head. But, as Elric had learned to understand, the demon's bid for control was over. It sulked back into his mind, drawing away from the confrontation with Elric's trained and formidable will.
'It is imperative that we find the Rogue Burial Grounds before darkness falls.' Elric's human mind chimed in, obviously understanding the sudden weakness of the recently predominant demon mind. "Even with our skills, it could become dangerous to battle undead at night. We must move on.'
"Yes." Elric agreed with himself, but then looked up and around at the scenery.
Corpse were, quite literally, scattered about all over the place. He had felt at first that having come across a band of corrupted rogues would have been a simple task. But realized his mistake the moment after he had attacked.
The once lovely young women of the Sightless Eye now reeked of demonic possession, whether voluntary or involuntary, he could to tell, but the corruption went much further than their paled, yellowish skin and their maniacal, blood-lusting attack style. The fury of Andarial bestowed a hellish strength and endurance upon these damned souls.
And what's worse, if he had no proof before that all of the monsters and creatures of the area shared a common master, he did now. The tainted rogues had risen an alarm with obviously magical horns that had brought dozens of zombies and quill rats out of nowhere. A short time later, a pack of at least six gargantuan came as well, and soon after another regiment of corrupted rogue archers who had attempted to pick him off from the hill that he now stood on. Thankfully, his color-blending skill made him an awful target to hit from a distance and he had managed to get up the hill and take the vile rangers where he was most dangerous, in close quarters combat.
The green grass dripped red with blood, as did the now black half-demon, whose scales were beginning to crust with the cold, drying fluid.
He had fought more during the random encounters in the last few hours than he had the entire night that he was in the Den of Evil and the entire month before when he was alone in the wilderness, and he was now beginning to feel that lack of sleep that had threatened him since mid-day. He had not slept since the four hour camp-out in the cave almost twenty-four hours before now. As much as he hated to admit it after his trying day, he was physically and mentally exhausted and night was quickly setting in.
"No." Elric changed his mind. His task was great, but he did not expect that he would be able to manage without at least a few hours of real rest.
'I WANT BLOOD!' His demon side shrieked at the idea. 'WE DEMAND SATISFACTION!'
"You'll get it." Elric promised out loud, to the demon as well as to himself. "Later tonight. You'll get it."
It took almost half-a-hour, a relatively long time, but Elric did manage to find the perfect spot for rest. Silently, he managed to wedge himself snuggly between two rough and unwelcoming boulders and changed his scales to match the rocks, throwing in a couple of well placed lines of darker gray here and there to keep him looking convincing.
As final part of the disguise, Elric threw a clawful of dust into the air and let it fall over him, giving him a slight sparkling look as though his scales had tiny traces of quarts embedded in them. (The not yet dry blood added wonderfully to the effect)
Convinced that this disguise, and the close proximity of the stinking corpses nearby that would mask his sent, would fool all but the most observant of monsters, Elric curled up uncomfortably between the tight fitting boulders and fell into a light sleep.
As perfectly still as he laid, no one would ever expect that the lump of gray in between the other two lumps of gray was anything but more useless, boring rocks.
------------------
"Ah... ahhh... ACHOO!!"
Five weapons: A staff, a wand, and three swords, leaped out of their protective covers as the wielders spun around in battle stances, ready to fight to the death.
"Uh..." Raid sniffled, "Sorry."
"Oh... for the love of the Ancients..." Tozam put his two swords away the tension still as heavy on him as before. "Warn us before you do something like that..."
"Quite!" Preen shushed them, looking about the landscape for any sign of danger.
"Oh, go soak your head in a vat of monster spit!" Cathim said, annoyed that they had been taking the Paladin's advice thus far. "We haven't seen hide or hair of a single creature, living or dead, for hours. It's so quite that we're all on edge. So what is the point in traveling in 'strategic silence'?"
"If we travel in silence, then we can better sneak up on the forces of evil and deal a more effective blow."
"WHAT FORCES OF EVIL!" Cathim shouted at the top of his lungs, "We haven't seen a any sign of any 'evil' since we found those six bodies out on the Blood Moor."
"And that was not reason enough to be cautious?" Preen asked, remembering all too well the gruesome horror of those six men, laid out, with some of them apparently having lost most of their flesh and organs to hungry monsters or carrion birds. "We should learn from the sacrifice of those noble warriors."
"Uh, Preen..." Tozam gave the paladin a questioning look, "You do realize that those men were bandits don't you?"
"Bandits?" Preen looked shocked. "How could you tell?"
"You learn to recognize the look of how a man lived when you travel though out the tundra of the northlands constantly." Tozam said, taking pride in his powers of deduction.
"Hey, Natalie?" Raid moved the the front of the moving band as the men continued to talk about their little things. "Do we even know where we're going to find the Tree of Inifuss?"
"Akara said that it was somewhere in the Dark Woods." Natalie told the Amazon, wondering for herself why it had been so quite.
When She, Tozam, and Cathim had been traveling, before meeting Elric, they were being attacked by quill rats, zombies, and the like almost constantly. Now, she could see, there were few things that made this expedition to find the Tree of Inifuss any different from a pleasant walk in the country side.
"What does the Tree look like anyway?" Raid asked again, looking about to see quite a few trees dotting the plains."
"I'll know it when I see it."
"Did Akara say that too?"
"How did you know?"
"I had a hunch..." Raid was about to laugh, but then noticed a slight movement over the edge of a hill of their left. "...That we might want to get ready to fight!"
In one fluid movement, Raid swung her composite bow over her shoulder, pulled an arrow out of the quiver, took aim and fired over the hill.
In the time that it took Tozam and the others to realize Raid was preparing another arrow, they heard a loud caterwaul, as if a strangled, dying sheep was crying out in pain.
A second later, well over twenty twisted abominations, half man and half goat, came charging over the hill, baa-ing in hatred with each brandishing either a sharp, gleaming poleaxe or a enormous battle-axes.
The agents of Hell's army.
Goat-Men.
"Well..." Tozam smiled at the sight, his hands going back down to the two swords that rest on each side of his hip, "It's about damn time I get to try these things out."
"For the glory of the Light!" Preen shouted, arming himself with his blade as well and easily slipped the large shield from his back to his shield arm.
"HAI AKARAT!!" The paladin shouted, raising his blade in a warrior's salute before charging forward to do battle with the foul goat men.
Cathim stood back a moment and watched Preen charge forth as he slowly and deliberately pulled out the etched wand he found in the Den of Evil.
"Awww, how cute." He commented with a chuckle. "The little pally-wally has a battle cry." Then seriously, "Maybe I should sit this one out..."
"FOR ARREAT!!" Tozam rushed forth, a blade in each hand and a ridiculous grin on his face.
"Oh! For the love of... Since when does HE have a battle-cry?" Cathim sighed, indifferent to the fact that the rest of the party had already begun to engage in battle. "Oh well, I guess I have to go and make sure none of them hurt themselves."
The goat men attacked in line, breaking off in two uneven groups: the smaller of which attacked Natalie and Raid, while the larger group rushed forward to take down the three now battle ready warriors.
"HEY!" Raid called out in frustration, letting another arrow fly and cutting down another of the beast. "YOU MORONS!! THE DANGEROUS ONES ARE OVER HERE!!" She tried shouting over the growing chaos, her pride seriously wounded by the fact that these creatures didn't take her or Natalie seriously.
None of the creatures heard her, as they were all engaged by one opponent or another.
Natalie spent a moment friening horror, allowing the goat men to believe they had cornered a helpless woman, but then raised her hands high, calling on her mana.
Just as the creature came close enough, the sorceress brought her hands down, releasing a long gout of uncontrolled flame and successfully incinerating the two goat-men effortlessly in the Inferno Spell.
Cathim, being his usual self, watched the muscular barbarian wading into battle, and began readying the one of his personal favorite curses, 'Weaken', when another of the foul smelling monsters came up behind him.
With it's great axe raised high over his head, the goat-man started to heave downward...
But suddenly rocked a moment and, with a slight bit of blood dripping out of the new hole in his skull, was overweighted and fell back wards with the weight of the axe.
"Hmmmm," Cathim wondered, curiously eying the wand while the bloody battle continued to be waged around him. "A 'Teeth' spell right between the eyes? So that's what this thing does? I didn't even have to chant. Now that is what I call craftsmanship."
His thinking was interrupted by having to dodge the charging of another goat-man, which forced him to take a slightly more concentrated role in the battle.
Preen, on the other hand, seemed to have everything under control. Even with three opponents wailing on him at every turn, swinging blades all around him, the paladin never missed a beat.
When the goat-man on the left of him slashed, Preen blocked with his shield.
When the goat-man on the right of him lunged, Preen parried with his sword.
And when the third goat-man attempted to come up behind the paladin and attack his apparently open backside, Preen spun about at the last possible moment, dodging the attack, but allowing the left goat-man to appreciated it very well. A split second later, using the momentum from his previous dodge move, Preen went down into a crouch, kicking out and effectively tripping up the attacking goat-man who had his axe stuck in his companion.
Preen stood again, just in time to face the last standing goat-man and block an incoming swipe from a pole-arm. They faced each other for only a moment longer before Preen saw a sizable hole in the goat-man's defenses and lunged forth himself, plunging his sword right into his opponents gut.
Taking no break, Preen twisted the blade slightly (making sure that his blade exited the other side of the beast and severed it's spinal cord), and ripped the blade out again, twisting it downward and ramming it straight into the ground, on the exact spot where a knocked down, but not dead, goat-man's neck just happened to be.
Preen relaxed for a moment, praising the Angels above for watching over him, before pulling his blade free from the ground (not to mention the goat-man's neck) and turning to find other foul creatures to slay in the name of righteousness.
All and all, the entire procedure took about seven seconds.
Tozam, in accordance to the ancient and traditional ways of the people of the North, simply continued to kill anything that came within five feet of him.
"HHHHAAAAAIIIIIIAAAAAAA!!!!" He shouted in a mix of rage and pleasure that could only be brought on by battle and the ever looming possibility of death. One by one, he jabbed, sliced, or straight out decapitated every hoofed monster that came near him. As an wondrous bonus, he discovered that, whenever his new swords drew blood, they did not simply "draw blood", they made it come out in rivers.
Even the most trivial injuries delivered by the twin "Blood Letter" swords became great gasping wounds that poured out great masses of blood, weakening the creatures almost instantly and slowing them, allowing for a second, more fatal stroke to come.
Between the flying arrows of death, the magic of both fire and flying bones, the skill of a paladin, and the unmatchable fury of a barbarian wielding magical swords:
The goat-men were not only heavily outclassed,
They were royally screwed.
And inside thirty seconds, every last one of them were dead or dying from immense blood loss.
"Oh, YES!" Tozam cried out in victory. "That was just what I needed! Come on everyone: GROUP HUG!"
"Uhhhhhhh," Natalie looked at the blood soaked barbarian with indignity, "How about we don't."
"SWEET!" Raid leaped up into Tozam's arms for a moment. Then, letting go almost as quickly, she went immediately to work, looting the corpses.
"Well, I'll be..." Cathim looked at the corpses on the ground around the paladin, then up to Preen, with a new earned respect. "How many did you get?"
"Seven all and all." Preen said, wiping his blade on the grass and, though Cathim couldn't hear it, muttering a prayer of thanks. "Not that it is important to keep count."
"Huh? I only got three, and one of those already had an arrow in his shoulder." Cathim shook his head, and then looked to the Zakarum warrior again.
At about this time, Tozam walked up to the others.
"Well, Father Kick-Ass, I suppose I owe you an apology." The big man said sheepishly, "You defiantly have some skill. And you just might have some idea what you are doing."
"Father Kick-Ass?" Preen wondered for a moment, unsure of what to think of this sort of title. "I am not a priest."
"Closest thing that we have to one in this group." Tozam said with a smile.
"There are times when I loathe you..." Cathim muttered half-heartedly
"Come on, BOYS!" Natalie said quickly looking over the hills again, more alert now. This battle may have been relatively easy, but that would be no reason to linger and tempt fate further. They had a mission. "We have a tree to find."
"Hey!" Raid came up to Natalie, a rather large hoop of gold in her hand. "Do you think this would look good on me?" She asked, holding the ring up to her ear.
"Where did you find that?" Tozam asked as they started marching again.
"In one of the dead goat's noses." She said shortly, holding it up to her ear again. "So, what do you think Tozam? Too much?"
--------------------------
Elric awoke with a start as the air was suddenly knocked out of him.
Surprised, he had nearly jumped up, ready to maul whatever was closest to him. But, thankfully he had managed to control himself and took a moment to access the situation.
Something, a good deal of weight, had settled on the arc of his back, right below his lungs and made it incredibly hard to breath without wheezing. So, he tried to keep his breaths shallow as he opened one eye and took a sniff of the air to attempt and determine what it was that had decided to turn him into a chair.
The scent was... human.
And, in the light of a flickering torch, which was wedged between two of the natural rocks, he easily saw the pair of nicely shaped legs that were dangling down only a few inches from his snout (one bare and the other covered with a heeled, calf-length black leather boot) were most defiantly those of a well-toned, and well muscled, woman.
'yum, nice legs...' Elric's human mind erupted for a second before he could push the though aside. Thankfully, the demon did not bother to comment.
Above him, he heard a sigh, followed by the feeling of small rocks and dirt tumbling down his flank.
"How do these stupid rocks manage to get into almost knee-high boots?" He heard the young woman sitting on him say as he felt her weight shift and watched the bare foot lifted up.
It took a good bit of control to keep from moving as he felt the young woman wiggling around on top of him, obviously pushing her boot back on. Finally, she sat still again.
'Oh, for the love of the Crystal Arch, woman...' Elric thought, closing his eye again, just in case. 'Get off of my back!'
Then, Elric heard the scraping of metal on metal.
'What the hell?' Both of Elric's eyes bolted open, rolling as high as he could get them to without moving his head. He saw small sparks, as if she were sharpening a weapon.
The surprise, however, did not hit it's height until he felt three, incredibly sharp blades scrape up against the scales of his rump.
"WARRKKK!!" Elric yelped, bucking upward and lunging forward with a snap.
He only went a few feet before stopping and turning back, looking closely to see what damage had been done.
The weapon's mark was not like any conventional weapon that he had ever seen before, and reminded him far more of three clawed monster. The fact that it had so easily penetrated his scales and drawn three dark-red lines of blood along his stone gray rump was also a cause for concern.
"OWW!" Elric cried out, holding the small, rather superficial wound for a moment, really doing it more to get over the shock of the slight injury more than anything.
"What the hell, girl! Watch where you're sharpening those things..." Elric looked up to see the young woman, pale with dark hair and a skin-tight outfit that shone a brilliant midnight-black that rivaled Elric's usual color. However, while she was quite fair to look upon, she was also fit, toned, and down in a battle-ready crouch. In each hand, she held a small, strange, distinct weapon which created the illusion that she had three long blades growing from her knuckles. Such a weapon was unique, and though he had never seen one before, he had heard of them. And as far as he knew, they were used only by one society.
"Viz-Jaq'taar. The Order of the Mage Slayers." Elric stared for a moment at the young, woman. So, this was a legendary Assassin, a hunter of demoniacally corrupted Vizjerei and wizards that his magic-using friend Vajiha had told him about. They were feared by all who practiced the art, even though their very existence was doubted by some.
If this wasn't proof, then Elric didn't know what was.
It wasn't until about now that he realized that he was a wolf-sized monster facing an assassin trained to root out and eradicate demonic possession.
"Ummmm," Elric looked up, slowly edging away from the warrior and trying to think of what he could possibly say to not get pulled into a life or death battle.
"Hi....Uhhhh, I'm here in peace.I don't want any trouble..."
"HIAAA!" The assassin lunged forth, brandishing her clawed blades as she dashed forward and attempted a powerful looking tornado-kick to Elric's head.
"WHOA!" Elric exclaimed, only barely able to pull back enough to dodge the blow, dispute his enhanced reflexes. "COME ON! I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TROUBLE!!! I DON'T WANNA HURT YOU EITHER, VIZ-JAQ'TAAR!!!"
The assassin pushed forward again with an interesting combination of swipes from her claws and kicks from both of her well formed legs which Elric had been admiring only a few moments before.
As he settled himself into a defensive position, Elric made it a point to chalk up another horrific first impression on his list of very bad first meetings.
-------------------------------------------------
The tree exploded loudly, sending shock waves though the small adventuring party as they tried in vain to ward off falling pieces of falling kindling.
"You don't think that was the one we were looking for, do you?" Tozam asked curiously, looking back down to the row of stumps that they had left in their wake.
"WOULD YOU STOP ASKING THAT ALREADY!!!" Natalie turned about, giving the barbarian a devastating glare. "I can't help it that the stupid forest is so thick we can't walk in it! I'm just clearing a path."
"I'm just concerned that the magic we came here for might end up in as many pieces as that last hunk of wood."
"Ask that question again, barbarian..." Natalie's eyes narrowed, "And YOU will end up in as many pieces as that last hunk of wood."
"We must keep moving." Preen said, bringing the two out of their debate. "The evil in this place is nearly as thick as this accursed grove."
"And how would you know?" Cathim asked, skepticism in his voice, "Do you feel a disturbance in the good of all things? Is there an Uber-evil being heading this way that must be shown the way of the light?"
"I can smell the evil!" Preen claimed, looking around and trying to look past the dense corpse of trees that made up the majority of The Dark Wood. "It is heavy in the air, lingering in a foul, sour pungency that could drive lesser men mad."
Raid, right at the Paladin's side, tilted her head up and sniffed at the air. Then, her face twisted in rage.
" 'THAT' IS 'Scent De Alriccia'!" She shouted in the paladin's ear. "IT'S MY PERFUME, YOU DOLT!!"
"REALLY!?" Preen looked shocked again. "Are you sure? It smells remarkably like evil."
"WHY I OUTTA..."
Raid's threat, which had become an almost hourly custom between her and the Paladin Preen (Usually followed by intense bleeding on the paladin's behalf), was cut short by the explosion of another tree and the continued fall of wood chips.
"Hey!" Natalie called back to the others. "I think I can see a clearing up ahead!"
"Does anybody else hear that?" Tozam jumped up, suddenly looking serious, as though he were straining his ears, trying to catch a nearly undetectable sound.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened.
Barely...just barely...above the sounds of their collective heartbeats and slightly labored breaths, they could hear the distant sound of angry shouts and growls, followed by the unmistakable sounds of battle.
"Natalie!" Cathim looked to the sorceress, "Do you have anything that can clear us a path faster than fire bolts?"
"Uhhh..." Natalie had to think for a moment, "There is a spell that I learned back at the Zann Esu College...but I'm not sure if it would be wise..."
"Use it!" Cathim shouted, "The life another warrior may be at stake! If that is not enough to warrant the use of a more dangerous spell, then what of Deckard Cain?"
Natalie made her decision only a half a second later.
"Stand back!" She warned, getting ready to focus her mana as she had been taught.
After only a few moments, flames launched out of nowhere, intertwining themselves and gathering strength until they became a unified, nearly solid wall of fire, focused straight though the many trees in the path of the adventurers and into the clearing.
"Uh-Oh..." Natalie looked around.
"Looks like that will work rather well." Tozam said, oblivious to Natalie's horrified expression. "In a few moments, the fire should clear a path. Everyone, get ready to fight!"
"I am always ready for battle, Friend Tozam." Preen heaved his shield and sword into place.
"As am I." Raid pulled her bow out and notched an arrow.
Cathim looked to Preen.
"You go first, I'm right behind you."
"Guys..." Natalie took a step back.
"Uhhh, Natalie... You're in the way. After you drop the fire wall, we need to rush in with the element of surprise.
"Have any of you ever heard of the Wild Fire of Viz-Yohar Forest in the southlands?"
"Yes," Preen answered, slightly puzzled. "Over a thousand leagues of forest were destroyed by flame because some stupid apprentice mage tried to use a fire wa..." Realization struck.
"Should we be running?" Raid asked.
"Oh... As fast as you can..." Natalie stammered, turning around.
"AGGHHH!!!" Tozam leaped forward, diving straight into the flaming woods (which had thinned out slightly) and running into the clearing.
"OH! BUGGA!!! YOU...YOU...WRONG WAY YOU IDIOT!!! AGH!" Cathim shook his head. "Can we do this whole 'restore balance to the world' thing without him?"
"I very much doubt it, Necromancer." Natalie answered, fear thrown aside in exchange for both awe and distaste for how foolishly heroic Tozam was for charging into the fire.
Raid sighed.
She hated to admit it, but that large fool was really begin to grow on her.
"Okay...Let's go get him."
----------------------
"HIYYAAA! OUAAA!!! SHIIIAAAAA!! HIIYAAAA!!"
'Upper-left chop, right-side kick, straight thrust, down-ward slash.' Elric was beginning to learn the assassin's moves rather quickly, allowing him to side step and dodge more efficiently.
She was good, this Viz-Jaq'taar, only now beginning to show any sign of strain or weariness. It was likely that she had been training her entire life to reach this level of skill, coordination, and aerobic fitness.
But, she was still, after all, only human.
Elric, though he hated to admit it, was still just half.
Even with the relatively short nap and previous exhaustion, he possessed a stamina that had been forged in the hellish home of his demonic heritage.
He hoped that he could wear this talented warrioress down and get her understand that he meant no harm.
"You know...(Dodge right slash)...This really...(Dodge lunging kick)...Isn't the best...(Dodge left swing)...Idea at a time like this. (Duck high thrust) You really should keep your voice down, otherwise..."
"STAY STILL MONSTER!" The assassin shouted, sweating due to this ongoing physical exhertion.
"Why? So that you can hit me?" Elric scoffed, "Sorry, I don't take request that involve me getting hurt."
The assassin jumped back for a moment, still breathing heavily from her attacks.
"What..." She slumped slightly, her breathing suddenly becoming louder and more labored. "What are you? You're far too intelligent to be some demon underling."
"My name is Elric." Elric watched the assassin cautiously, wondering why she had stopped so suddenly. "Elric Tasslewind. And thanks. It's not too often that anybody notices that."
"You didn't answer my question, 'Thing'." She reiterated, adding a bit of venom to her voice. "WHAT are you!?"
Elric hesitated at this question for a moment, thinking about an answer that might not start the attack over again.
Though Elric had no problem killing and eating (since he was part demon, he didn't think of it as cannibalizing) humans that deserved it, he really wasn't in the mood for human food. And on top of that, if he killed this woman, whom he felt would hold no ill against him if she understood who he was, the demon within him would have something to lord over him.
"I am that of two worlds which belongs in neither." Elric said, repeating a saying that Old Dominic had made just for referring to him. "I am a Half-Demon."
The assassin's eyes, which Elric could now distinguish as being a pale brown, went wide.
"Find the horned stone and from that place, one with the body of an enemy and the soul of a friend shall befall you most unexpectedly." She whispered, loosening up and allowing her muscles to relax.
About now, Elric's eyes fell to the assassin's left hand, which now held a small, unremarkable device that would have escaped most human observers. He, however, could feel the tingle of magic from the small device.
It was a magical trap.
She had backed up so that she could distract him by talking and use it on him... clever.
Also, dispute concentrating to hear her voice, he suddenly caught an ill-favored scent in the air.
"I'll be damned. The traveler was right..." She said, her voice only a bit above a whisper. "Then, he must have also been right about..."
A shrill whistle cut though the dank air of the early night.
"DOWN!!" Elric dived at the assassin, moving much quicker than before and taking her by surprise. In the fraction of a second between realizing the half-demon was leaping at her and actually striking the ground with the weight of the wolf-sized beast atop her, she berated herself for being wrong. She knew that this mistake would be her last. This would be the end of her story... the end of her service. She readied herself to activate the device in her hand, hoping to at least take this beast with her.
However, the moment that the three black-shafted arrows embedded themselves in the ground, stuck out at an angel that indicated they would have been lodged in her back, she realized the truth.
This...'Thing'...had just saved her life.
In an instant, the half-demon bounded off of the assassin, running on all fours and at full tilt in the direction of the arrows.
She spent a moment, marveling at the incredible grace and agility of the half-demon named Elric as it nimbly maneuvered from side to side, dodging strike after strike from the vile rangers who had made their first attack from a group of gathered boulders.
Before long, he was up the hill and behind the boulders.
Shrill screams...howls of rage and fear came from behind those large standing rocks, followed by a loud, almost lion-like, roar that would have likely deafened anyone too close. A moment later, during the gibbering that sounded similar to battle, she watched a long trail of blood jet out from a space between two rocks and splatter onto the ground. A moment later, a round, spherical object resembling a human head went flying up into the air and landed with a satisfying crack on the top of the rocks.
Then it was over.
A few more minutes passed before a human figure, tanned and wearing stone gray clothes stained in blood stepped out from behind the boulders.
"You still with me down there, Viz-Jaq'taar?" Elric asked, his now human tongue feeling sluggish and swollen between his no longer sharp teeth (A normal feeling anytime he changed his shape).
Elric looked about in surprise.
The small field, including the space where he had been sleeping only a while before, was empty. All that remained of the Viz-Jaq'tarr was the torch that she had been carrying.
"Awww, Man!" Elric pounded his fist against the boulder, unconsciously looking over and making sure that none of the broken and bloody corpse were moving. (As if there were enough pieces of them together to move.)
"I hate this stupid 'stealth ninja' stuff."
'Forget stupid girl!' His demon-mind suddenly surfaced, brought on by the scent of blood and the taste of gory victory. As usual, it began by making it's demand.
'Stupid girl useless unless served as meat! We want blood! We demand sacrifice! BATTLE! RIP! TEAR..SHRED! FEAST!!!!'
"Man... I have got to stop drinking that tea." Elric shook his head, slightly disgusted with himself. "You have been having WAYYY too much caffeine."
'It is correct about one thing.' His calculating human mind came in, 'Forget the Viz-Jaq'taar for now. We have a much bigger fish to fry.'
'Blood-Raven!' The demon reminded Elric. 'Feed us...Blood-Raven.'
"First thing's first." Elric said, getting the feeling that, as sometimes happened, his human and demonic interest were agreed upon one thing.
"We go in human. It'll distract less attention." He looked around, figuring South-West as well as he could. "Then, in the graveyard...We let loose."
'Agreed.'
'KILLLLLLLL!!! BLOOD-RAVEN DIES TONIGHT!!!'
Starting off in a jog toward the south-west, in the direction that Kashya had indicated the Burial Grounds to be, Elric muttered just one last thing before abandoning himself to this hunt once again.
"Agreed."
Elric Tasslewind continued on, too preoccupied with his quest to notice the enshrouded Assassin following him, hidden just beneath the passing shadow of the moon.
--------------------------
A large man, nearly as large as Tozam, with bright red hair bearing a single streak of white and a large, one-handed, fanged mace stood before the ancient, ugly white tree. He was breathing hard and looked nearly exhausted, as though he had been fighting for his life.
Behind him flocked more than a dozen cawing, unhappy ravens and four or five rather angry looking wolves.
Before him was a bloody scene indeed. Almost a dozen wolves lie dead, broken and bloody on the ground along with more than a few bird bodies. With these noble animals were their enemies: The Yeti that had fallen at the beginning of the fight.
Off to the side, even further away from the ugly, gnarled white tree, were nine more yeti, taking advantage of this sudden lull in the combat and an interest in the group of stupid humans that just came barreling though the magical fire wall.
"OWOWOWOWOWOW!!! HOT-HOT-HOT-HOT!!!" Tozam danced around for a moment, trying to overcome the extreme heat he had just passed though.
"OKAY! NOW THAT'S IT!" Raid came bursting though the fire wall, her outfit and face slightly blackened from the ordeal. "MY HAIR IS SINGED!!! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I GO THOUGH TO GET THIS PONY TAIL LOOKING THIS GOOD?!"
Preen and Cathim passed though along side Natalie, who walked slowly though the fire about a full minute later without a hair out of place or a single complaint of discomfort. They merely sized up the situation and took up arms, ready to fight against the yeti.
"By nature's name..." The red-headed warrior, who bore the emblem of the wolf on his studded leather armor, looked to the newcomers with confusion.
"ARRGGGGG!" The largest of the yeti, stepped forward, beating on his chest and showing it's teeth.
"Tree-Head Wood-Fist owns this wood! Mistress want me bring her this white wood! IT my wood!" It shouted in a crude, horribly rough interpretation of common mixed with grunts and groans. "Men die! No men beat Tree-Head! All men Die in Tree-Head's woods! WE KILL MEN IN MY WOOD!!! IN TREE-HEAD'S WOOD!!!"
A long, slender wooden shaft suddenly appeared between the yeti's eyes, allowing a small drop of blood to fall before the beast crumpled into a heap on the ground.
The other Yeti looked down to the ground
"I was wondering when you would get around to doing that." Cathim said sardonically. "I never thought that he would shut up."
"You see," Raid said sweetly, lowering her bow, "I just saved all of your guy's lives."
"No bonus on treasure, Raid." Tozam told her, "When he said 'men' he meant 'humans'. Not just males."
"Awwwwww..."
"HAI AKARAT!!" Preen charged forward, boldly running into the eight remaining yeti with a feverish zeal. Striking at each of them in rapid succession while fluidly moving in and out to deflect blows from the beasts' heavy fist.
"That idiot!" Raid shouted, trying to find a fixed target for her bow. "He's in the way!"
"Is that a problem?" Cathim asked.
"Tozam! Cathim! Help Preen take down the yeti! Raid and I will get the inscription!"
"Maybe we should just put him on a leash." Cathim shouted, turning to the field of dead animals and monsters and beginning another kind of magic. "It would make things soooo much easier."
Despite the fact that he hadn't done it in a while, The priest of Rathma had little trouble slipping his will into the spectral realm beyond the reach of most humans and calling forth restless spirits to aid his cause.
A moment later, with Tozam charging in to help Preen dispatch the beasts, Cathim threw his hands skyward, using his own, considerable mana to tear a hole in the veil between the worlds of the living and the realms of the dead. The corpse of the monsters and the beast swelled until they exploded outward, revealing the horrific and blood covered bones that swirled about, relocating and reforming in every why imaginable until, at last, they settled in place and were brought to un-life by the dedicated necromancer.
From the corpses of both the vile monsters and noble beast, Cathim managed to conjure out six skeletal warriors, complete with bone axes, swords, and shields.
With his part of this battle completed, Cathim gave them a single command.
"Kill the yeti only. No others."
In the short time that it took for the Necromancer to raise his skeletal host, Preen and Tozam hand managed to fell two of the yeti, but were quickly tiring under the constant and erratic movement of the remaining six. At a this point, Tozam would have normally gone into a battle fury and started wailing on anything that came within reach. Unfortunately, Preen was now covering his backside and was well within that reach limit.
The two were at first awestruck by the sudden intervention of six, bone-white human skeletons. Fearless, and without any concern for their own well being, the magically summoned warriors leaped into the fray without mercy and began their own gruesome work on the battle. What they lacked in overall organization and intelligence, these unnatural warriors made up in sheer single-minded voracity.
Preen however, did not seem to realize that the skeletons were on their side.
" SPAWN OF HELL!!!" The paladin shouted over the din, thrusting his hand toward a single skeleton that had just finished off one of the offending monsters. "RETURN FROM WHENCE YE CAME!"
A flaring white light came to life in the paladin's hand and launched itself straight on into the horrific undead. Almost an instant from the moment the light reached it, the entire skeleton fell apart. Bones became simple bones once again and all trace of life faded as they crumbled into a heap on the ground.
Preen nodded in satisfaction before turning around to realize that a much more dangerous monstrosity was upon him.
"URARRRRAAA!" The enormous, white furred yeti struck out, grabbing hold of the paladin's neck and heaving the squirming warrior into the air.
Preen had never seen anyone hanged before, but he could now imagine what it must have felt like as the brute's enormous hand continued to put pressure on one of the most important area's of his body.
The creature grinned a horrible grin as it squeezed, likely believing that, with the death of this stupid human, it would grow stronger. Strong enough to defeat these other weaklings that would dare to challenge it. The leader was dead, that meant that he, as the slayer of the human warrior, could take charge of the remainder of the pack.
The daydream was interrupted and the grin changed into an expression of pure horror as the yeti suddenly realized that a long blade had somehow found it's way into his back and had burst out of his front side. The grip released and the paladin fell to the ground as the last of the yeti's blood gushed out and stained the monster's fur.
"Ahhh.." Preen took a much need breath of air as the barbarian jerked his blood soaked blade from the corpse of the yeti. "My thanks, noble warrior.For coming to my aid." Preen heaved himself to his feet. "Now, we must continue to... OW!"
Tozam smacked the overconfident zakarum disciple in the back of the head.
"You bloody fool!" He looked down on the paladin. "You nearly got yourself killed! And for what? For attacking an ally?"
"An undead monstrosity can hardly be called an..." Preen trailed off, suddenly noticing that the three remaining skeletons were standing perfectly still. "What are they doing?"
"What I tell them to do." Cathim walked up behind Preen, making the paladin jump slightly. "Don't forget that you are traveling with a necromancer, Preen. I do far more than wave around a dagger and wand."
"They should all be destroyed!" Preen looked around, nothing short of pure loathing on his face.
"Well then," Cathim looked around, indifferent to what was likely going thought the paladin's mind. "You better get busy."
Cathim looked around to the stationary skeletons.
"Boys, I want you all to spar with our friend Preen here until none of you are left standing. Be sure not to hurt him to badly, but whatever else you do, make it difficult for him."
Three skeleton skulls turned in unison to lay their empty eyes on the paladin while Tozam (following Cathim's lead) stepped away and went to check on Natalie and Raid's progress.
"How is he?" Tozam asked when they came close enough to the white tree, taking more than a little satisfaction from the sound of bone on steel behind him.
The man they had seen guarding the tree before did not seem in the best of shape. Laying up against the gnarled tree, he looked battle-weary, exhausted, and hungry. All around him, the wolves sat and waited, ignoring Natalie, who was tending him and letting him rest while she tried to administer a healing potion. Rain, on the other hand, was trying to get the birds away.
"GO ON! SHOO!! Stupid crows! GET LOST!!!"
Needless to say, she was not doing a very good job.
"My thanks, Zann Esu." The red-haired man said, laying his head back as the healing potion took effect. Looking around at this strange group, the warrior was not sure whether to feel relived or panicked.
Then he saw something in particular that he recognized.
He looked up to Tozam in awe and surprise.
"You!" He said, struggling (and with help from Natalie) to get to his feet.
"You are of Mount Arreat. Of what tribe?"
Tozam was both surprised and curious.
Nobody south of the Entsteig River, southernmost boarder of the barbarian homeland, had ever asked him of his tribe. Of his party, only Cathim even had an idea of the social structure of the peoples of the north. And that was only because they had met though Nihlathak, a priest of Rathma who was welcome and respected in the city of Horrogoth.
However, after a few moments of awkward silence, Tozam was able to guess how this man, so similar to him in size and structure, knew of the ways of the northlands.
"I am Tozam! Son of Qual-Kehk of the Tribe of the Shadow Wolf and Morth'diad of the Tribe of the Bear. I am a son of Horrogoth and the great Mt. Arreat." Tozam brought a fist to his chest in traditional salute to a relative.
"And you, sir, are a descendant of the people of Fiacla-Gear. A follower of the ways of Caoi Dulra from the forest of Scosglen. You, cousin, are a druid."
"Aye." The druid nodded, an amused smile on his face. "It is good to know that the children of King Bul-Kathos have not lost their sense of history in the passing of the millenia."
"Our duty and our history is all that we have." Tozam shot back.
"Indeed. Then the path of Bul-Kathos is as strong now as it was in olden times when it was first put forth." The druid looked around at the others, including a sweaty and tired looking southerner wearing shining armor who had just now come up behind the other warriors.
"I am Durom, of the family of Howling Wolf. Druid of the third order of Tur Dulra, The Druid College of Glor-an-Fhaidha, the oak tree of guildance."
"well..." Raid said, getting bored with the conversation, half of which she didn't even understand. "That's great, you know. Maybe we can have a family reunion later, but first..."
"We came seeking the Tree of Inifuss." Natalie picked up where Raid ended. "This tree, I believe. We need the writings on the bark."
"I am truly sorry then..." Durom said, taking a step closer to the tree. "I am under strict orders to not allow anyone to touch this creature until I have discovered it's secrets."
" 'Creature?'" Preen looked to the druid in disgust. "It is a cold, hard, lifeless tree."
More than a few of the wolves, who had been laying by, indifferent to the humans around them, suddenly leaped to their feet, bearing teeth and growling at the paladin.
Durom's scowling expression was about the human equivalent to those snarls.
"Had you and yours not just saved the lives of myself and my companions, not to mention the life of this glorious being," He gestured to the tree, "I would strike you down where you stand."
"Hey...I like this guy." Cathim said.
"Thank you, Dubhdroiacht." Durom nodded to the necromancer.
"Your welcome." Cathim replied, then turned and asked Tozam: "What does Dubhdroiacht mean?"
" 'Magic-User outside nature'. It is the druid's way of acknowledging any other-worldly magic."
"Ohhhh..."
"I'm sorry. Why can't we get a rubbing of the tree?" Natalie asked, feeling that they were wasting valuable time. "We don't want to peel off it's bark or anything. We just need to get the inscription right behind you."
"My apologies, Mistress of Zann Esu. But I have orders from the Head of the Third Order that came directly from the orders of the Grand Order of Druids to uncover the magical powers inscribed into the Tree of Inifuss and, if necessary, protect it with my life."
"Uh-huh...." Raid was still bored. "So, your order was ordered to follow the orders of a higher order, Right?"
"Yes. Until I discover the secrets of this tree, I must guard it from anyone and everyone."
Natalie sighed. She was tired of this.
"The inscription is a handbook to activate a magical portal that is supposed to open the gateway between the Stoney Field and the township of Tristram. I don't care what your orders are and who gave them too you. The life of a very important person is in the balance and I will go though you to get to him if I have to!" She said, her tone lending a sense of finality to her words.
Durom was struck speechless.
"Oh... Is that all?" He looked to the tree, and shook his head. "Well, thank you. I've been out here for weeks trying to figure this inscription out, but I haven't had any luck whatsoever."
"If you want, Cousin Durom," Tozam ante up and decided to help this whole thing go faster. "We wish to take the inscription to a priestess who can translate it. You may come if you wish and see for yourself the purpose this fine tree serves."
Durom spent a moment considering the offer.
"I suppose my mission is now at it's end, now that I know the secret of the Tree of Inifuss. And it has been some time since I have had a decently prepared meal." He gave Tozam a pat on the shoulder.
"Lead the way, Tozam, son of Qual-Kehk."
"Finally!" Natalie rushed up to the tree, pulling out a scroll of parchment and a wax rubbing crayon. Gently, she rubbed the impression into the paper. Then, satisfied that it would be easy enough to read for a translation, she put the newly made scroll of Inifuss away and pulled out the scroll Elric had made for her.
"Well," Cathim asked, "Are we going to start heading back or not. It is a two day journey back to the rogue encampment to meet up with Elric."
"No it isn't." Natalie said, undoing the seal and unrolling the scroll.
No sooner than it had been opened. The scroll caught fire, surprising all, including Natalie who dropped the scroll. In a moment, the fire turned blue, then shot upward and spread out into a circle. Finally, the entire thing solidified into standing circle of what looked like the purest blue water.
"What in the names of..." Tozam started.
"A town portal." Natalie said simply, hurrying to step though it. "It will take us back to the Rogue Encampment. But hurry, it only last thirty seconds." She stepped though, disappearing into the swirling blue circle.
Swiftly, but cautiously, the others followed. Finding that once they stepped though the portal, they found themselves standing right in the heart of the Rogue Encampment.
"Whoa...." Tozam marveled watching as Preen, the last of them to come though, stepped though only a moment before the portal disappeared into nothingness.
"Good thing none of the merchants here know about that...whoever controlled it would control all trade."
-------------------------
Elric Tasslewind stood, as a man, before the twisted, Iron Black Gate of the Monastery Burial Grounds. The scent of foul magic, the undead, and innocent blood filled his nostrils, forcing him into a horrifying state of arousment.
'Our quarry lies within.' Elric's demon side whispered in his mind, making Elric unconsciously lick his lips. 'Vengeance is ours!'
"NOT VENGEANCE!!!" Elric said quickly, biting his tongue in the snap instant to answer the demon's claim. "Justice!"
'Do you still take seriously the words of the Arch-Bishop, Elric?' The human mind interrupted. 'Whether he was right or not is irrelevant. We have no need to justify...'
"QUITE!!!" Elric called for silence in his head, willed the two facets of his personality to remain dormant. He had already decided that this course of action was his path. He could not question the ethics of what he did now.
His task was set.
And he would stop at nothing to see it thought.
Gingerly... He stepped forward, into the monastery graveyard.
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POST!
TIME!!! (Looks at clock)
Friday May 21st, 5:50pm.
(Reloaded Wednesday May 26th to correct spelling and content errors)
Okay, the laptop crisis has officially reached a peak. Now, I have a question:
"Does anyone else have a problem with Dell that they would like to discuss?"
Let's see, The chapter is up...What else to say.
Well, The next chapter will be amazingly short by my standards and should be up before Wednesday. In the event that it is not, expect a double post on Friday of next wee
Next Chapter: Blood Raven
Elric comes face to face with the butcher of the Rogue Monastery.
Let's see...This is normally the part where I plead and beg for R&R...soooooooooo:
(gets on knees) PLZ....PLZ READ AND REVIEW!!! I HAVE TO HAVE MORE...MORE DO YOU HEAR ME!!! MOOOOOORRRREEEE BRRRAAIIINNSSS.... uhhh, I mean... REVIEWS"
Thank you for listening...er....reading my ramblings.
Signing off-Robin (Not related to the Bird or the Leader of the Teen Titans) Shirewood.
