Welcome back to my little tale, glad ya could make it! This update is coming the same as the last week or so, in pairs. I've just had a lot of fun writing this story lately, even writing when I could be playing Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Needless to say, my kids are overjoyed, they usually don't even get to touch a new THPS game for like 3 weeks after we get it.
In this chapter, our heroes arrive at Lut Gholein, and a new woman comes into Luther's life. Will this new lady drive a wedge between our beloved paladin and the hottie sorceress? Only time can tell!
As always R&R please, god I'm just as tired for writing that as you are of reading it. Any input is appreciated.
VIII
"Well I'm glad that trip's over" Luther sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Tell me about it" Frost moaned "I had to ride all the way to Lut Gholein listening to Cain babble on and on."
"My words of wisdom are for your benefit, young warrior" Cain interjected, working his way off the wagon.
"Be quiet, old man!" Frost snapped.
Luther chuckled a bit to himself and took a moment to purvey the area.
Lut Gholein spread out before him, a tightly packed desert town fighting for existence in the arid region. The city was devoid of any true color, sand brown serving only to clash with the darker red of imported bricks. The buildings huddled together, in an attempt to stave off the harsh desert winds. An air of oppression hung over the area, the heat forcing the residents indoors until the late hours of the day.
The trip here had been harsh, but not unbearable. Andariel's death had cleared the way for Warriv to leave, and he had gratefully provided passage to the heroes in his caravan. Cain had tagged along for the trip, offering his wisdom for the great quest, much to Frost's chagrin. Now they had arrived in the desert town, and time had come for the hunt to begin anew.
Soon after arriving, Jerhyn, the lord of the town, came to discuss the ills that had befallen Lut Gholein.
"Welcome brave warriors, to the jewel of the desert, the port town of Lut Gholein. I am glad you are here, we have much need of your services."
Frost rolled her eyes "What makes you think we're here to help you? We're hunting the Lord of Terror himself, and don't have time for your piddling problems"
"Frost!" Luther snapped, turning to Jerhyn "Our time is indeed short, but we will aid you any way we can"
Jerhyn glanced at Frost apprehensively before continuing. "Well, some manner of evil has befallen our fair city here. Graves are giving up their dead, and natural animals of the desert are being warped, twisted, into aggressive, foul monsters."
"When did all this begin?" Luther inquired.
"Shortly after a stranger, clothed in darkness, passed through here, seeking Tal Rasha's Tomb" Jerhyn answered.
Cain gasped. "This is the fallen hero I spoke of" the old sage whispered to Luther.
"So the Dark Lord was here after all" Luther immediately became tense.
"Yes, but he has long since gone" Jerhyn assured him "about a week ago, he disappeared into the desert and hasn't been seen since. It was at this time that things started change. A few days after that, the last ship from Kurast arrived, bringing rumors of the same dark wanderer appearing in that city."
Frost sighed, "When you're ready to kill something, call me" she said, walking towards the center of the city.
Luther bit back the urge to chastise the brash woman, and instead turned to Jerhyn. "Please excuse her rudeness, she truly means no disrespect. Now, you say the wanderer has moved on, right? We need to pursue him as soon as possible. While we wait for the ship to Kurast to be prepared, we will do everything we can to solve the problems here"
"There will be no ship to Kurast leaving here any time soon. I cannot allow this plague of evil to escape the borders of this town. Until this problem is resolved, I have ordered all ships to remain docked, and all incoming vessels diverted" Jerhyn explained.
"But if what you say is true, then the darkness has already spread to Kurast!" Luther pointed out.
"That may be so, but I cannot risk being wrong. Nothing leaves until this curse is lifted"
"I suppose we have no choice but to help you then" Luther grumbled.
"I'm sorry. In the town square you will find Fara, a skilled smithy and healer. She was once a paladin herself, of the Order of Roses. Nearby is Drognan, a mage of considerable talent, and a very knowledgeable about local mystical history, Tal Rasha, and such. I must now retire to the palace, I'm afraid I cannot invite you in, the place is a bit of a….. mess right now. I await the news of your success against this fate that has befallen our city" Jerhyn said, before heading back to the palace.
"Take heart, Luther. Things are not as bad as they seem" Cain offered, placing his hand on the paladin's shoulder. "We have business here regardless. First you must retrieve the Horadric Cube from somewhere underneath the burning sands. This artifact will allow you to imbue items with magical energies, and will surely be of great use in the future."
Luther nodded. "Very well Cain, I will find the Cube. You said 'first', so I take it there is another task for us to attend to here?"
"There is, you must locate and secure Tal Rasha's tomb. Baal is imprisoned there, and we must be sure that the Lord of Destruction is not let loose."
Cain told the tale of how Tal Rasha had came to bind Baal's spirit within himself, and how he was entombed so that the demon lord would never taint the world of man again. As long as Tal Rasha was imprisoned, there was one less thing to worry about.
"Well, the hour grows late, and I'm not sure where Frost wandered to, so we'll begin our quest tomorrow morning" Luther said, before starting towards the center of town, and hopefully, an inn.
Cain nodded and hobbled along behind.
The center of town was a bit empty, four small walls enclosing what appeared to serve as a marketplace. In one corner stood a small tent, a stretch of canvas forming a roof over an anvil and other blacksmith equipment. This must be Fara's tent Luther thought to himself, excited to meet a sister-in-arms, another who knew the ways of the paladin.
Before Luther could call out for the tent's inhabitant, Fara appeared. Luther was instantly awestruck by the woman. Her long, fiery red hair swayed gently in the arid desert breeze. She had green eyes that glowed like emeralds set against the milky whiteness of her face. She wore sensible, plain clothes that flattered her striking figure in such a classy way. Fara was very attractive, in an opposite manner from Frost. The sorceress oozed lust with her ample features, whereas this woman oozed class with her very feminine features.
"Wet met, brother paladin" Fara said, bowing slightly.
"Hail, sister of Light" Luther answered.
"How goes the battle against the Darkness?"
"It goes well, with the blessings of the Heavens."
"Come, you must tell me. I haven't spoken to another warrior of the Holy Ways in ages. I have much I wish to ask you" Fara pulled up a chair, offering Luther a seat under her tent and out of the sun.
A smile spread across Luther's face "Of course, I had hoped you would say that."
Luther spent the rest of that evening talking and laughing with Fara, talking about glory days past, battles hard fought, and mutual friends of the Order. He learned that she was just about the same age as him, and they had indeed met before, while both were training in their youth, and therefore knew many of the same knights and priests. It felt so good to find someone that understood him so well, Luther prayed that time would stand still while he enjoyed the company of his fine companion.
It was the small hours of the morning before the dawn when Luther finally stood and embraced his new friend before heading towards the inn. Frost had teleported herself to the roof of the inn, and watched silently. Fury boiled in her, from where she wasn't all that sure, but she knew she could not stand Luther being close to this red headed tramp.
Nothing had changed since the near kiss incident. The trip to Lut Gholein had been quiet, Luther had not avoided her, but yet had not come on to her either. He was just himself. Frost was still baffled by it all. She thought that she didn't care what he did, or who he did it with, but as soon as she noticed that he didn't leave Fara's tent in a timely fashion, she felt a deep burning in her heart. She was jealous. She didn't think she wanted him, but she knew she wanted him to want her.
So now she has found herself crouching on top of a roof, spying on a man she swore she didn't care about. No matter how embarrassing it was, even to herself, she could not bring herself to stop. Nor could she quell the rising anger she fostered for Fara. This woman had done nothing to Frost, said nothing, committed no sin against her, yet Frost still hated her. There was no way Fara could have known about what almost happened between Luther and her, but yet Frost still held her accountable as if she did, and was brazenly ignoring it.
When Frost was satisfied that Luther had indeed entered the inn and gone to bed, she teleported herself back into her room and tried to catch a bit of sleep. As soon as she laid down her head and closed her eyes, her mind spewed forth images of what she had witnessed, Luther and Fara sitting, talking, and laughing together, which only served to enrage the sorceress. No matter how hard she tried, the images just wouldn't leave her head, and sleep fled from her the rest of the night.
"Good morning Frost, are you ready to head out?" Luther said, strolling towards her.
Frost slinked to the gate of the town, her features as dark as any thunderous storm. "Yeah, I'm ready, that is if your little girlfriend doesn't mind you traveling with me."
"Oh, no, it's not like that" Luther chuckled "Fara and I grew up and trained in the same place, nothing more. I have talked to Cain, and the Capitan of the guard here, and believe I know where we're heading. There is a tomb called the Hall of the Dead where Cain believes the Horadric cube lies."
"Fine, let's go" Frost snapped, wheeling around and marching towards the gate and the desert beyond.