Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Blizzard Entertainment, Diablo, or any of the characters from the original game series I may use in this. I'm most definitely NOT going to profit from this, unless sentimental value at a project (hopefully) well done is now part of the definition of profit.
The Nightmare Eye
Merec woke to a strange noise in the town; he thought he'd heard a noise on his shutters like a dog scratching to get in from the cold.
"Odd," thought Merec, "I don't own a dog, but it might be one of the local whelps… If they're keeping me up, I'm going to have dog for dinner…"
With a grumble for the trouble so early in the morning, he arose and dressed. Tristram was home to many a family, several of which had dogs that they let wander about freely. Yet when he opened the door, he saw something that made him pale in terror – several demons running about, chasing down any small living thing and butchering them.
"Oh, Gods," Merec groaned, "please not again…!" He ran inside and barred the doors, shutters, windows, any small crevice he could find, then grabbed a buckler and a falchion he had put away for just such an occasion.
Newly armed, Merec ran outside, screaming a cry of defiance as he rushed into a pack of the foul brutes. "Chew on this, bastards!" He screamed as he cleaved a demon in two, grabbing a child it was attacking in the process.
"Lad, are there any others out and about? No? Good. Run and get the blacksmith, the healer, anybody. Tell them the church's been breached again. Run, all our lives depend on it!"
The scared boy ran as if the fallen had arose and started chasing him again.
"Those bastards won't get away with this…" Merec began to growl in inarticulate rage at the gall of the little demons; he then howled at the nearby fallen and began to rush at them, hacking and slashing through any of them he found, repaying them for their foul feast where ever he found them.
Soon the blacksmith wandered up to Merec, calling out his name;
"Merec, young lad! Over here! That's enough, they're running off now; let them go."
"How many did we lose to those foul little bastards?"
"About five children, seventeen dogs, fifteen chickens, and any number of livestock. At least they didn't steal anything important, just some bauble from the witch across the island."
Merec grunted; he felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach – five young children who would never get to lead their own lives – never get out of this hell hole. At that moment, he could hear the elder, Deckard Cain running up to the blacksmith, obviously distressed over something grievous;
"Kierev, I heard that Agrela lost something from her hut; what was it?"
"Just some stone, it looked kind of a disembodied eye; it was made out of obsidian and had sapphires and opals all over it. It was her only jewelry, why?"
Cain was unable to respond; at the description, he began to swear sulfurously under his breath, almost at a histerical rate.
"Calm down, old man, what's wrong?"
"That stone was a powerful artifact given to her for safe-keeping when the Hero from the far east destroyed Baal, the Lord of Destruction and the last of the Prime Evils. It has great powers, most of which are a mystery, even to my lore."
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone for good. We're short on seasoned warriors, and that's exactly what it takes to traverse the catacombs of that decrepit old church."
"Then there's only one hope – we have to send news to the Rogues and hope that they can help us. For all I know, that talisman could have to power to resurrect the Prime Evils."
Merec decided he would be the one to deliver the message when it was written, even though the town council was meeting to debate just such a thing. He returned to his house, cleaned his weapon, grabbed the small amount of gold he had to his name, locked the door, and left his home for what he felt was going to be forever.
So, what do you think? Did I make the scene end too soon? Please send me your thoughts about the story. Thanks!
