Here is this week's installments. Our heroes have arrived in Kurast, and things are about to get interesting for them. Personalities will soon clash, decisions will have to be made, and life shattering consequences may well follow.
To the kind reviewer that mentioned necros, I considered one in here, but another character fit the story flow better. Besides, I need to leave a few character classes alone just in case I want to sequel this tale (hint hint)
Thanks everyone for the reviews, I hope my work lives up to the kind words.
XII
The trip gave Frost time to think, something she did not need to do. She was still enraptured by Keltar, but Luther's powerful display intrigued her. The only problem was that Luther could not call upon his power at will. She had seen him hurt, even nearly die, and he didn't become the slayer he did with Duriel. Even with him having such power, he could not call on it.
Then there was Fara, she had obviously fallen in love with the paladin, but he was too stupid to realize it. Frost could tell from the parting moment the pair shared that Luther was oblivious to her feelings, and seemingly did not have the same feelings for her, at least not on the same level. This amused Frost a great deal, Luther was apparently still head over heels for her.
Keltar was still in her grasp as well, though her interest in him was waning slightly. Keltar could not have defeated Duriel alone, like Luther did. She would still have her way with him, however, before casting him aside. He would have the honor of having her, if only briefly. After he would be resigned to his memories, and sentenced to wait for her, in case in the future she ever changed her mind and wanted him again.
The ship finally shuddered to a stop in the Kurast harbor, and the battle party disembarked. Keltar resumed his place by Frost's side, exactly where he was supposed to be. Though she had the comfort of being in control of Keltar, she was deeply troubled by her surroundings. She knew this moment would come for some time now, but that did not take anything from the impact of its arrival. She was close to the temple where she grew up, a place she had come to loathe.
Luther, on the other hand, was ecstatic to be back in his homeland. He too grew up here, studying and training in the temples of the Light. He had no idea Frost had spent her childhood so close to him though. The sorceresses knew of the town and paladin temples, but they had just thought the old women just had a nunnery out in the wilderness. They did not know it was a training ground for the most powerful magicians in the world.
Luther was looking forward to seeing some of his old comrades in arms, his friends, and his mentors. He knew the evil surely had spread to this land as well, as it seemed to follow the Dark Wanderer anywhere he went. He hoped that they could beat the Dark Lord to Mephisto's keep, but knew full well that the Wanderer was already in the jungle heading towards the temple.
He was prepared to accept that some of his comrades had fallen trying to stop the Wanderer, but he was not prepared for what he was to discover waiting under the dense jungle canopy.
But those surprises were not to happen at this moment. Instead he must attend to business in town. Luther made his way across the small bridge that served to connect the harbor to the main town. From the main town square, 4 bridges snaked out, not counting the one leading to the harbor. The northwest bridge led to a small hut that appeared to be an alchemist lab, the southwest one led to a sizable tavern, noises of revelry emitting loud enough to be heard on the main island.
The bridge to the southeast led to another large island, filled with homes and a smithy shop. Finally the northern center path led straight into the jungles, and the road that snaked to the temples of Light. Cain stood by the entranceway to this bridge and road beyond.
"I have some information for you." Cain said, moving towards Luther. "Mephisto has reached out with his influence and corrupted the priests that kept the compelling orb safe. They have placed wards on the orb itself, rather than sealing Mephisto in, they have sealed you out."
"I see, so we just have to get to the orb and destroy it, right?" Luther answered.
"No, it is not that easy. The wards that protect the orb are strong. The only way you will be able to break them is to create Khalim's Flail."
"Where will we discover this flail?"
"It is not found, instead created. Khalim was the only priest that was not corrupted by Mephisto's dark presence. The other priests killed him, and dismembered him. They then spread his remains all over the jungle. You must collect his brain, heart and eye. Then you must retrieve the flail, which is surely possessed by one of the corrupted priests. When these things are transmuted in the cube, you will gain the true flail, and only that may smash the orb and open the way to Mephisto's Durance of Hate." Cain explained.
"Very well, I see. I take it we aren't going to find these organs just lying about town are we?"
"No, I'm afraid not. The Eye is in the Spider Cavern, in the Spider Forest."
"That's the area right outside the gate here, right?" Luther asked.
"Correct, you remember the land well. The Heart is in the Flayer Dungeon in the Flayer Jungle."
"The section past the Spider Forest"
"Also correct. The last piece, the Heart, lies in the sewers under the old bazaar. Be careful, there are sure to be numerous guards around each piece." Cain warned.
Frost and Keltar sauntered up behind Luther. Frost looked visibly shaken, with her eyes darting to and fro, like she was searching for some hidden foe. Her whole body seemed to be tense, as though she was ready to spring on a moment's notice.
"Frost, are you okay?" Luther asked.
"Yes! Would you leave me alone already! My God!" Frost snapped.
A surprised look covered Luther's face. He had not even talked to the sorceress since they had dropped anchor, so he wasn't sure why she would say 'already'.
Keltar laughed deeply. "Don't worry about it Luther, she's been pissy every since we got here. I don't know what is bothering her, but it's really got her rattled, whatever it is."
Luther nodded. "Oh, well, okay then. We better get moving, we don't have much time if we're to try to stop the Dark Wanderer from freeing Mephisto."
"I'll catch up with you guys, I need to get a new pair of boots real quick." Frost said, turning towards the eastern bridge that led to the smith's shop.
"We won't go far" Luther said, starting out of the town gate with Keltar right behind.
Frost made her way to the smith, and purchased a nice pair of rawhide boots, a pair that looked like they would stand up to being used to cast her blazing trail spell. She turned and began back towards the main square. As her vision swept across the island block she was on, her blood turned to ice at the sight of a woman in black armor, standing a few paces from the bridge.
The woman had short cropped black hair, and creamy white skin. Her armor was as black as the night, and covered her from her boots all the way up to her neck. Somehow the armor seemed to be nearly invisible, but yet still substantial at the same time. The effect was quite unnerving. The woman was armed with dual katars, which made her hands seem like she had four metal claws jutting from each of them.
This woman was an assassin, a warrior trained in the arts of destroying mages, whether demon or human. While a sorceress like Frost would have a great deal of trouble taking on an experienced paladin, at least they weren't completely helpless. But an assassin was trained specifically to kill sorceresses, and was nearly immune to every trick one might have.
Assassins weren't inherently evil, nor did they hunt mages for sport. They were mainly trained to deal with magic casting monsters and demons, like fallen shamans and mummies. However, they also policed magic use by humans. If a human mage fell to corruption, then the assassins would eliminate them. All mages feared them, and few ever saw them. The assassins did prefer to move in the shadows. To see a woman clad in the black armor of an assassin usually meant death for the mage.
"I have done nothing wrong" Frost said tentatively approaching the bridge and therefore the assassin.
"Did I say you have, sorceress?" The woman answered.
"Then why are you here?" Frost said, truly surprised.
"Just like a sorceress, always thinking everything's about you. Well it's not, cream puff. I am Natalya, and my business here is none of your concern." The assassin snapped.
Frost was angered, but still wary. "Very well then, I will be on my way then."
"Before you go, sorceress, know this. I know of you. You are skirting a line you don't want to cross. Killing Amazons is a good way to get a visit from my Order, Frost. One more incident where you use your powers against innocent humans, and you shall taste steel." With that, Natalya threw a small ball on the ground. The object made a large pop and filled the air where the assassin stood with smoke.
Frost hacked and waved her hands, and discovered Natalya was gone. Frost was infuriated by the assassin's words, she knew they were a challenge. But Frost dared not respond, for she might have been arrogant, but she was not stupid. She didn't know how to respond, and she was very scared. These emotions served to do nothing but add to her anger. She snorted and made her way out of town to catch up with others.
The jungle battles for the trio were difficult, but not overwhelming. Dark, twisted monsters had come to inhabit the lush tropical marshes. There were fetishes, diminutive humanoid creatures who wielded razor sharp knives almost as big as they were. Following tradition for small demons and monsters, the fetishes also had shamans, who wore large tribal headdresses and were carried on the shoulders of their followers. The shamans had the dangerous ability to release a blazing inferno of fire from their mouths.
There were also mosquitoes, the size of small dogs flapping around the river that ran through the center of the jungle. These monstrosities had the ability not only to zap the life force of their victims, but to poison them as well.
Rounding out the horrific bestiary were twisted, deformed swamp frogs. These menaces stood nearly waist high, and spit a projectile of poison at their victims before charging in to bite with their sharp and jagged teeth.
There were other threats in the jungle as well. Snakes slithered about, surely some were poisonous. They were of no consequence to Luther, clad completely in his Guardian Angel armor, the only opening in the entire suit being for his face, but they were a credible problem for Frost and Keltar, whose attire had a great deal of exposed skin.
The putrid, vile river was a hazard as well. In it lurked a dark presence. While the creature, whatever it was, never surfaced, there was no mistaking it was there. One hard blow and one of the heroes could easily stumble into its depths.
Fire was a liability here as well, for a forest fire would severely dampen the quest. While some demons might perish, the party would have been blocked from the Temple which they were so desperately trying to reach. Every time Frost cast a fire spell, she would then have to douse it with a glacial spike before the burning got out of control. The magic kept the ground under from catching fire, but did not restrict the upper parts of the blaze, and with so many vines and limbs hanging down, something always started burning.
With all these perils, it would seem the odds were stacked quite against the party, but that was far from the case. With two strong melee fighters, and a sorceress well versed in ice spells, the monsters fell with little trouble.
Soon the trio found themselves standing outside a small cavern they knew to be a spider den. The Eye of Khalim was reputed to be in the depths of the cavern.
"This is going to get ugly." Keltar said, taking a deep breath.
"We must be prepared for anything." Luther added.
"Let's get this done" Frost chimed before entering the small hole.
The den was covered in sticky white spider webs, and a poisonous stench filled the air. Bones of various creatures littered the caverns, some animal, some even demon. Frost spied one that was surely human, maybe a small child. While the cavern was mostly open, there were some walls, making a maze with few turns.
Keltar and Luther entered the cavern, and were immediately repulsed by the sights and smell of the place. After a moment to adjust, they all began battle preparations, for a place as foul as this was surely infested with danger. Luther blessed his shield and brought into being an orange aura of fanaticism. Frost cast her energy shield and frozen armor. Keltar gave out a mighty cry, encasing him and the other two in a magical sheath that doubled their strength and health. Each warrior looked to the other two, and all nodded. They set forward to find the chest that contained the Eye.