Shoutouts:To Avatar of Fyre: Yes he is a pain in the ass (at least he is for me), but I guess I did make Tyrael sound a bit preachy didn't I? As for Pluckeye, I'll see what I can do, but my advice is not to rub it.
To Talyn: Thanks and you do a good job of reminding me. As for my grammatical errors, I was never exactly known for my neat writting style.
To everyone:Even though none of you asked for it (bastards), and against my better judgement I made another update. It goes as follows...
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Chapter Three: Departure
"Are you sure that they'll be here before we depart?" Decker Cain asked Tulwik, as his belongings were being loaded into the oxcart that would take them east. It was two mornings after the gathering had taken place.
"In all the years that you,ve known them, have you ever known Vash and Leera to be late?" Tulwik questioned, this gaining him an "are you serious" look from the horadric sage. "I mean when it was this important."
"If indeed the threat is real," Cain mutered under his breath. Tulwik of course heard this and gave Cain a fierce look.
"Well you have to look at it from our point of view dear," Charsi said having heard Cain's comment as well, she was coming out of the monastary, loading a few more supplies into the cart, "You, as far as we know, are the only one who knows about this.
"Then how do you explain all the transport portals closing up," Tulwik said exasperated. For it was true, all four portals in the rouge monastary and out in the fields had closed up for some reason. This had severely restricted the speed at which travel could be made. Hence they we're traveling on this particular caravan.
"True, there is no real reason for which the portals would close, but jumping to conclusions is not the answer." said Cain. Because the cold fact of nature was, that if Tulwik was right, then his chances for suurvival were slim to none if he traveled on this crusade with the barbaric battle commander.
Then, for some reason, Tulwik suddenly went frigid, he sniffed the air and a smile curved his face, "Here they come." After a minute or so Leera came barreling out of the woods riding a werewolf loaded down with two large chests, followed by ten wolves, five grizzly bears, five ravens, and a vine creature. "It's good to see you on normal terms my friends," Tulwik said, as Leera dismounted Vash.
"Normal!" exclaimed Leera, as Tulwik pulled her into a huge hug, "I'd hate to see it when things are just plain flatout weird."
"Actually I'd prefer it," Vash broke in, after returning to his human self and saying hello to Charsi and Cain, "Because then we aren't facing almost certain death. So do you still have them?" he asked Tulwik, as he made his way to the cart.
"Do you think that I'd sell them?" Tulwik asked, taking mock offense, "Who do you think I am, your wife?"
"Ha ha. Ver-ry fun-ny," Leera said annoyed, checking the cart with her husband. "Here they are," she said, handing him his gemmed ax and large sheild. The shield was gold of course, but as for the ax, the blade was green and the hilt blue. For it was socketed with a perfect sapphire and a flawless emerald, not only allowing him to chill his opponent by stricking with it, but poison as well.
"So it's true then," Cain said to no one in particular, worry and fear all too apparent on his face.
"What are you so worried about gramps?" Leera said, annoyed wiih Cain's miserable mood, "We're the ones goin' off to fight this freak."
"Leera!" Vash exclaimed jokingly, "Have you no respect for your elders?"
"I guess not."
"That's enough of this," Tulwik cut in, "Charsi, make sure these two quit picking on Cain, I need to get the oxen and hitch 'em up."
"Why are you going to wed two oxen," Leera asked jokingly
"He likes to watch the wedding night," Vash cut it in, this had gained a round of laughter from everyone, except Cain, who only meekly smilied, but quickly returned to his thick haze of thought.
When Tulwik had disappeared around the bend of the outer wall of the monastary, Charsi turned to Vash and Leera. "Would you two mind helping me get a few more supplies onto the cart?" she asked.
"Sure."
"I don't see why not."
So the three of them entered the monastary supply room, gathering up potions, water, arrows and dried-out meats. As they were heading to the cart with the last of the supplies, when Charsi stopped them all dead in their tracks and had them set the stuff down. Then Leera noticed something that she had not noticed before, that tears had begun to well up in Charsi's eyes.
"Vash? Leera?" Charsi began, "I'm going to tell you something Tulwik has no knowledge of. Instead of siring one child, he has sired two. I do not want our children to age without knowing the love of their father. I know I mustn't hope for his return to be swift, so I simply wish for it to. So can you promise me that my husband will ever return?"
The words were incredibly painful to listen to. Vash and Leera both wanted to sooth the blacksmith. They wanted to say all the things that would make her not worry every waking and subconsious moment. Worried about her husband, not knowing if her husband has laid down for the last time or if he were unfortunate enough to wake at dawn to face more and more evil which threatens to drive him mad. However much they wanted to, they could not bring themselves to say three little words: he, will, return. But instead they said in unison, "We will try."
Charsi then fought back her tears, picked up her load, the other two following suit, and continued. When they got outside they saw that the oxen were ready, many of those going with the caravan had converged at the gate, Tulwik was leaning against the cart, Cain was already the passenger seat, assuming Tulwik was driving, Leera and Vash would sit with the cargo.
After putting the last of the supplies seccurly away, Charsi went up to Tulwik, holding something behind her back. "When you said you were going with the next eastward caravan," Charsi began, "I made you this," she then showed the quilted armor she was holding behind her back. Tulwik knew that this was more for sentiment than practical use, at least it looked that way. "Now before you say anything I made it so that it's twice as strong as a regular one and it'll easily fit under your full plate."
"Speaking of which, we shouold get our armor on, incase of bandits." Vash cut in.
"Ya know, any other time if you said that, I'd say you'd be acting like a chicken, but now, bandits are startin' to sound like an actual threat," Leera said.
So after placing their armor on, Tulwik took out a hankerchif with a strange symbol on it, profusly wiped his forehead with it, walked towards his wife and said, "Charsi...if I should fall, and I'm sure Tyrael will come on swift wings to tell you if so, then I want you to head north for Mt. Arreat. There my my people will protect you as best as they can." He then handed her the hankerchif and said, "If they should doubt your authenticity as my wife, show them this. It bears the symbol that addorns my flags in battle, it also bears my scent so try to refraim from washing it." Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into a deep embrace, leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "Keep them safe, because if I return, make sure I have something worth returning to."
"How did you-"
"Shh, I'll tell you when I return home. I love you."
"I know you do and I love you with the intensity of a thousand burning suns."
He then donned his assault helm, got onto the cart, took the reigns, and started the cart off towards the already mobile caravan.
"So what cha gonna call it?" Leera asked Tulwik, an hour or so down the road.
"Call what?" Tulwik inquired.
"The armor Charsi gave ya,"
"Are you serious?" Vash asked his wife.
"Well are you Tulwik?" Leera shot back.
"No."
"Well then. Tulwik, what are you going to call it?"
"What else," Tulwik asked, "...but Charsi's Love."
"If there is anything that I would not lamment being rid of, it's the Twin Seas." Ishami told Moontear, from the deck of Meshief's ship, The Twin Sails, after once again vommiting.
"You know, if you'd let me perform a simple spell or two, I could take care of that seasickness for you." Moontear told her.
"When I was younger, I had a Zan-Esu sorceress, much like yourself, try to take care of some my alergies. Instead of not having a scratchy throat, for a week, I had growling, green hives sprout out all around my body. So with that in mind, what makes you think I'd let you or any of your quick-cure spells near me."
"Alright, all I'm sa-," whaCHINK!, "...What in the hell was that?"
Ishami then looked over the edge of the ship, saw things with the torso and upperbody of a human, but the tail of a fish, who were carring javelins. She also saw the evidence of one of their javelins imbedded into the side of the hull. It seemed to be created from rock, coral, and the greenish-yellow bladder of some kind of sea creature thinly stretched across the tip. "Merpeople," she said, "We're fighting merpeople." whaCHINK! (A/N: If your a bit confussed, you should know that mermaids are the female of the species, they're collectivly called merpeople.)
"But aren't they beings of peace?" whaCHINK!
"Yeah," whaCHINK! "So were the saber cats and remember what we saw back in the desert?" whaCHINK! whaCHINK!
"What the hell's going on up here?" said an shocked and irritated Mesheif said, comming above deck. whaCHINK! "And why are there javelins comming through my ship's hull?"
"We are, currently, being attacked," Ishami said. whaCHINK! "Can you patch up the holes the javelins are making?" whaCHINK! whaCHINK! whaCHINK!
"Yes-" whaCHINK! "-but if this keeps up-" whaCHINK! whaCHINK! "-our supplies to do so will-" whaCHINK "-quickly be used up." whaCHINK! whaCHINK!
"Alright" Moontear began, whaCHINK! "Let's get the cannons-" whaCHINK! "-into place."
whaCHINK! "No," Ishami cut in, "They'll be too quick-" whaCHINK! "-for that."
"Well-" whaCHINK! "-what do you think we should-" whaCHINK! "do?"
whaCHINK! "What I'm going to-" whaCHINK! whaCHINK! "-is go down there-" whaCHINK! "-and kill them all!" whaCHINK! "At least until you come-" whaCHINK! "-up with a better plan." whaCHINK! Ishami then donned her weapons and armor, then dived over the edge of the deck, leaving Moontear to sit and think of how to end this battle quickly, as Mesheif and his crew saw to the holes.
Ishami had to wait a few seconds, whilst under water, for the special lenses on her mask, that Khali had made for her, to adjust before she could see. When she could, she had just enough time to swim under three oncoming javelins and even less time to dodge the one coming behind her. The proof of this is from the small cut she now bore on he right shoulder . Knowing that taking the defense would only end up in her premature burial, she took the offense by using a technique called burst of speed, took a quick count of her opponents, which was fifteen, and rushed claws forward at her nearest opponet (which was below her). Her speed had surprised her attackers. So much so, that she was able to drive her catclaws into the head of a second victim before the shock subsided. They were now prepared for her speed, however Ishami had a few more tricks and she make sure that her enemies wouldn't soon forget them.
She made an obvious frontal attack on a third opponent.So much so that the merman she was attacking easwily disarmed her, pushed her back and took aim. He was about to throw his javelin when he felt a pair of catclaws go into his back, for Ishami's foolish actions were only a distraction so her enemys wouldn't see that she used the Shadow Mastery technique and made a copy of herself from her very own shadow. She then used the move Dragon Wing, to teleport herself behind the mermaid who had foolishly taken her catclaws, and broke it's neck.
After all enemys were dispatched, Ishami suddenly felt her right arm go limp. She quickly looked at the cut she got at the first of the battle, she saw that all around it her skin had turned a mixed shade of black and green, with a purple sort of foam comming out of the wound, the skin around had begun to swell horrendously. She looked at other cuts she had gotten through the course of the battle and saw that they too had begun to take on the same effect. She then saw that the first fifteen enemies were only a ploy to wear her down, for she now saw that more than forty others had been lying in wait.
Her enemies threw serveral javelins at Ishami, which her copy, fortunatly, took, by swiming in the way of them.
"Sorry to do this to you," Moontear said, as she took aim at Ishami, with her staff. Moontear's staff then released a bolt of lightning into the sea, electrafying the water.
Ishami felt the painful surge of energy and looked up to see Moontear beckoning her towards the deck. So with all she could muster up, Ishami burst through the surface of the water and went up as high as she could. As she felt herself falling towards the water again, she imbedded her left catclaw into the side of the hull, just as a small ring of fire appeared on the water's surface.
Moontear casted her tenth Comet spell just as soon as her first comet hit the water, pretty soon all of the water around the ship was boiling profusly. She waited in for a few minutes, waiting to see if her plan had worked or not. Her answer soon came when the dead body of a merman, broke the waters surface, this was soon joined by others.
It wasn't until all bodies were acounted for, when Ishami called for a ladder. Meanwhile, overhead, a vulture demon watched the entire battle play itself out. Upon seeing which side was the victor, it zoomed off, at an unnatural speed, towards some unknown destination
"What was that?" Fenrier said to Khali.
Khali then looked out towards desert to see what resembled a female angel, "It's just a false light demon. Nothing to worry about...least not for me, you however are a different matter."
shink! "Well I better go take care of it," Fenrier said, taking out his sword. (A/N: don't say shit, ya smart ass bastards). "You see, unlike your job, my job actually is important."
"Whatever... it's your ass, not mine," Khali said, heading towards Fara's smithey. "I'm going to get my splint mail redone, so please try to refraim from doing any of the stupid things you tend to do without someone watching you or holding your hand while I'm gone,"
Fenrier then set out to dispose of the demon that could easily lead wayward travelers and foolish paladins to their very enslavement or death. When he finally reached it, he realised his mistake, that it was all a trap and he was stupid enough to fall for it. Then out of the ground came several mummies, however they took on the look of his friends as well as his family figures (A/N: Fenrier and Khali are both orphans), not just the others of The Great Seven, but also of Atma, Jehryn, Akara, Hratli, and others. It was a hard enough for anyone who had gone through the horrors that he had to do this, it was only made harder by the fakes begging him to stop and their anguished screams as they tried to rip him limb-from-limb.He knocked down three enemies, by charging them with his sheild, then turned around to crush Gheed's skull with the hilt of his sword. He took out another five by muttering the sutra for the Zeal attack. However, no matter what attack, sutra induced attack and aura he used his enemies just kept rising again. And more were still coming. He would surely die because of the overwhelming amount of enemies, not to mention that they were unnaturally strong. Simply put; he couldn't do it alone. He had resorted to simple meele attacks, because he had drained all of his mana earlier in the battle, and as he was about to swing his sword downward into the shoulder of Jehryn when he suddenly shatter into a thousand small pieces of ice.
"I thought I told you not to do anything stupid, " the real Khali said, fighting alongside his minions through the hoard of the undead. "Can you cast a thorns Aura?"
"No I don't," Fenrier said exhaustedly.
"Tome of Town Portal?" Khali said, flicking his wand, cursing many enemies with the Iron Maiden.
"No, and what about yours?" said Fenrier, beheading Asheara.
"It's probably lying around in my room somewhere!" Khali criedout in annoyance, for Atma, many times over, had badgered him about the untidyness of his room, except for his case which contained all of his weapons and armor, except for his wand which he always carried with him. "Drink this," Khali ordered Fenrier, handing him a flask of mana potion.
Fenrier quickly drained the flask in one gulp and threw it aside. He then pressed the blade of his sword to his sheild and cried, "VIGOR!" Aura symbols appeared around his and Khali's feet. They, with their newfound speed then rushed away from the battle, leaving twin tails of dust in their wake. Mean while, overhead, yet another vulture demon sped off.
"My lord?" asked an unfortunate corrupted rouge, she was sent to tell Diabra, Lord of Apocalypse, about the failed assassinations.
"Yes?" Diabra inquired.
"It appears that our attemps have failed." At these words, Diabra's rather brooding personality worsend.
"As for our search for them?"
"We, as of yet, have not found any of them." the rouge said quite fearfully. Diabra then bent his head so the broad brim of his hat hid his glowing eyes, it looked as if he was in deep thought...or deep depression.
As the rouge made her way out of the room, Diabra called her back and said, "You're in great fortune, for tonight you shall get to entertain me." At this the rouge proceeded to remove her clothes. "Wait...try doing it like this," blood then began to poor profusly from the rouge's eyes, ears, mouth and other places, until she was bone dry.
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I was going to have a part where Vash, Leera and Tulwik attacked, but I decided not to write it, so please don't review too badly. So as always KEEP ON ROCKIN AND REVIEWING, CAUSE I'LL HANDLE THE ROLLING!