Chapter Three
By Hdogg
A Run Though The Moor
Story told by Dru Berry
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'I'm the druid…But why? Why am I even here? What could I possibly do to help these people? Why would they want me?' Those thoughts ranged in my mind. I had left my friends and went looking around the camp. It wasn't very big but there weren't very many people either. I fiddled with the sword in my hand. I was still unsure of Akara's decision. I was no hero.
"Greetings Stranger!" Ranged a deep voice from behind me. I turned around and faced the man. His dark hair blew gently in the slight wind.
"Hello, sir." I replied, eyeing the man. He was wearing blue robes, as those of a merchants.
"I'm not surprised to see your kind here. Many adventurers have traveled this way since the recent troubles began.
"No doubt you've heard about the tragedy that befell the town of Tristrom. Some say that Diablo the Lord of Terror, walks the worlds again."
"Diablo? But I thought he was just a myth." I replied in an awed voice. Actually I thought it was just a game but I didn't say that. For in fear, the man may take me as crazy and call someone to haul me out of the camp.
"I don't know if I believe that he's back but a dark wanderer did travel this route a few weeks ago. He was heading east to the mountain pass guarded by the Rouge Monastery." He continued looking off towards the east. His dark eyes filled with terror and hatred. "Maybe its nothing but evil seems to have trailed in his wake." His voice was a mere harsh wisphered filled with anger. His fist clenched and unclenched.
"Really?" I said listening intently to him.
The man looked at me then to the east. "You see, shortly after the wanderer went though the Monastery's Gates to the pass, they were closed. Strange and horrible creatures began roaming the countryside." He said, now looking me over. "Until its safe outside the camp, me and my caravan shall stay here. If you're still alive by then I'll take you along with me to the east.
You should also talk to Akara. She seems to the leader of this camp. Maybe she can give you more information about this awful situation."
"Thank you, sir." I said with a slight nod of my head at him.
"May the gods be with you in your travels. So long warrior, I do hope we get to meet again. My name is Warriv by the way, remember that." Warriv said, extending his hand.
I nodded. "And I will remember that, merchant." I said, shaking his hand.
It was about noon when I had finally had stopped talking to this sinister man named, Gheed. My friends were nowhere to be seen. I went back to the place where we all met but they were gone.
"Huh, that's strange… Wonder where they may be…" I mumbled to myself. I walked around some more for some time until I met the blacksmith, Charsi. She was a bit hyper but nice. She actually reminded me of Mo which was scary in a way. Hyper and a hard worker…
"Hey there! I'm Charsi the blacksmith. It's good to see strong warriors here. Many of our sisters have been corrupted by the evil of Andirial…we're in need of a few strong warriors like you. If you need weapons or armor repaired. I'll repair it for you. I also sell armor and weapons." She said real fast. I just stood there and nodded. "Well, I got to get back to work. See you around!" She went back to hammering on her anvil.
"Yes, see you around." I said leaving as quick as possible without seeming to run. "Okay…that was interesting but now I need to find my friends. Where ever could they may be…" I mumbled to myself.
About two hours later, I finally got the idea to look outside the camp. I saw a group fighting something far off. I ran out to see who they were.
Then I noticed something walking behind me. I turned around slowly and saw a groaning zombie right behind me. "Oh, its my lucky day…" I mumbled to myself, sarcastically. I swung hard at the rotting corpse of a zombie and chopped it right in half at the waist. Green, rotting blood began oozing from the corpse. Then I noticed that a small red vial on the ground.
"I wonder if this is a health potion…" I stuffed it on my belt and looked around. The group was out of sight whoever they were. I wandered around some more, looking around carefully for my friends. "Well, this is getting me no where." I grumbled to myself. A bit mad that I had let them out of my sight.
"Graahhh!" Screamed a demented red creature waving a club and torch at me.
"Ahhh!" Was my reply as I whacked its club out of its hand. The creature glared at me. Then it smiled wickedly. It swung low with the torch and burned me in the leg.
"Owe! GOSH DANG IT! YOU STUPID BEAST!" I screamed at the creature as I chopped off its head. "Evil little demon…" Then all of sudden a whole horde of little red things charged at me! "OH FOR PETES SAKE!!" I ran like heck to the direction of the camp or what I thought was the direction of the camp. I looked behind me. The little demons were after me! I stumbled over a rock and ran straight into a forsaken building. I stumbled back for a moment holding my head. Seeing the red demons, I quickly ran inside, I grabbed the bed and propped it front of the doorway for a barrier. I made sure I had my sword out. I glanced it and cringed. Crimson blood was dripping down off my blade and onto my hand. Disgusted, I wiped my blade on the bed.
Then the little red demons attacked. "Graahhh!" Screamed the fiends as they attacked the house. Swing, chop, slice, whack! Was all I could do to stay alive but they kept coming back.
"SOMEONE HELP ME!! IS THIS NEVER GOING TO END!!" I screamed as loud as I could. Then some of the red things backed off for some reason.
"Rahhh!!" Yelled, a person that I thought was Larry. "Die!!"
"Fireball!" Yelled someone. The blazing red fireball came zooming right into the house at an amazing speed.
"Ahhh!!" I shouted dashing out of the house as fast as I could. The fireball exploded, sending the roof flying off the top of it. Burning patches of the straw roof were scattered on the demons as they tried to run off.
"Whoops. I got to work on my aim some more." Said Mo, bashing things in the head with her staff. "Teehehe! This is fun!"
"Yeah, I'd say so, Mo…You could seriously hurt someone if ya don't watch where you're aiming those fireballs…" Said Daniel chopping things in half with his short sword. Larry was buried under a lot of little demon corpses that he had tripped over.
"I'm gonna die! Get me out of here!" He yelled failing around in pile of dead bodies. Mo was cracking up at the sight and Daniel just rolled his eyes.
"Your such an idiot, Larry." I told Larry. "They're dead can't you tell?"
"They are?" Replied a baffled Larry. He picked one up and looked at it. "Oooo…"
"Uhh…yes…" Said Mo, shaking her head and laughing like a mad woman. "HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh, okay." Larry shrugging as he replied. He threw the bodies off him. "Guess I'm not thinking straight today or something. Maybe Mo's ditziness rubbed off on me…" He mumbled, routing though the corpses for treasures.
I stood there looking at him thinking, 'I'll never understand the big lump. One moment he's a ditz…the next he acts like a scholar…It's so weird…' I shook my head and looked towards the north.
"So, where are Stuart, Aly and Jen?" I asked looking around and only seeing Dan and Mo. Larry was still routing for treasures.
"Looking for you." Replied Dan. "Where have you been?" He glared at me.
"Hmm…well, first I talked to this really nice but weird man named Warriv. Then I talked to this greedy man named Gheed. Stay away from him. He sounds dangerous. Then I talked to the blacksmith, Charsi. After that I left the camp and chopped up a few things. No idea what they were. Found a red vial of something. Ran into the red demons then into you." I said probably not making any sense to them but that was my goal.
"Uh-huh, well, that's nice." Mo answered, she had somehow managed to take her CD player and headphones into this nightmarish game and was blasting Creed though them. Then I heard Sum 41. It must of have been one of the CD's she has made using her cd burner.
"Well, we best be going. We gotta find the others now." Said Daniel traveling back towards camp. He brushed some of his hair out of his eyes.
"I was going the wrong way. I thought this way was camp." I said looking back towards the house that had lost its roof. Larry was smiling happily running after us. "Looks like Larry found some useful stuff…"
"Really?" Asked Mo, looking at the large boy turned barbarian. "I wonder if we can leave him here…"
"You would want to leave him wouldn't you?" I said looking at her.
"Yes, I would." She replied grinning mischievously. "He's a menace to our society."
I added to myself, 'Just like you and your fireballs…' Larry stumbled over with a silly grin on his face.
"But you know you couldn't leave without me." Said Larry, slipping his around Mo shoulders. She growled at punched him in the jaw. "Ouch! What was that for?" He clutched his jaw.
"Drop dead, baka." Growled Mo. She whirled around and walked off.
"Gees, I was just trying to be friendly." Replied Larry, a bit hurt. Dan and I just rolled our eyes and kept on walking.
It was early evening by the time we reached camp. Stuart and the other two were there by the bonfire. Stuart was reading some odd book in a different language that he probably burrowed from Akara. Jenny was reading her book that she had brought with her from the real world and Aly was practicing with her bow and arrows. Whoosh! An arrow passed right by my head. I gulped. That was a little to close for comfort.
"Hey! Watch where you aim, girl." I yelled at Aly.
"Whoops, clumsy me." Aly said smiling evilly. "Nice to see you back, Dru."
"Sure you are." I replied. "Ya know you and Mo really need to learn how to control your missiles. You with the arrows and Mo with the fireballs, you're a dangerous duo."
Mo smiled and said, "Us? Dangerous? You got to be kidding."
"Yeah, we're perfect angels." Replied Aly. Mo and Aly exchange evil smiles then laughed evilly.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Said Jenny looking up from her book and glancing at me. "Hello, Dru. Nice to see you back." Then she went back to her book.
"Hi, to you too." I answered back. Stuart was to absorb in his book to answer.
"So, what are we gonna do tomorrow?" I asked.
"Well," Said Danny, "We need to ask Akara probably. Anyone want to or should I?"
"Oh, I will." I said, all ready heading towards Akara's tent. On the way I met a lady named, Kasha.
"Welcome, outlander to our glorious hovel. I know you're here to challenge the evil outside our camp. Let it be known to you that killing a few beasts won't earn my trust." She said to me.
"Uhh…Okay." I said hurriedly. When I arrived at Akara's tent was standing outside it, as if waiting for someone.
"Hello, noble Druid. There is a place of great evil in the wilderness. Rashya's rouge scouts have informed me that a cave nearby is filled with shadowy creatures and horrors from beyond the grave.
"I fear that these creatures are planning to make an attack against our encampment. If you and your friends are sincere about helping us, find the dark labyrinth and destroy the foul beast. May the Great Eye watch over you." She said this me and went inside her tent.
"Uhh…Okay, thanks." I left to report this all my friends. After I said all of this we decide to have a council to see if we should go or not.
"We'll sleep on this and in a few days. Lets try to make the best of this. May you all sleep well. We will have a week ahead of us. Good night my friends." Said Dan, as he lay down next to the fire and sleep instantly asleep. We all followed his example and soon I was the only a wake. I slowly drifted into a sleep thinking about my decision. My leg was still killing me. I heard Larry yelling about is stomach in his sleep before I blacked out. 'What nutty people I have ganged up with…' I fell into a dreamless sleep.
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Will our warriors make the right decision? Or will they choose foolishly? Only time will tell or the next chapter.
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Note: Wow, I wrote this chapter in four hours…cool. Well, let's see who's turn is it to tell the story. Danny and Dru are done, for now. If I do Larry (no offense to the real one) it will be a nightmare, I better save him for a battle screen. Aly…battle screen. Jenny…now she'll be good for this. So, Jenny will be next to tell the fateful story of Diablo. Well. Ja Ne! Hope you enjoyed this story!
(Four hours = Four pages, Can you do the Math? ^_~)
I forgot the disclaimer…all well, I DON'T OWN DIABLO TWO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. I DO OWN MO CAUSE THAT'S ME BUT THAT'S IT.