Act V
"Well, I'm on the surface. The angel didn't mention where I'd come out." The earth begins to shake. "Lile." Slater walks on through the town she's in. She finds a druid who looks strangely familiar. "Outcast!" "The Druid pays no attention and walks on. "DON'T IGNORE ME DRUID!" The druid turns to look at Slater. "Do I know you?" "You led me into the desert and left me for dead!" "I don't understand what you're talking about. Who are you?" "YOU KNOW WHO I AM DRUID! I'M SLATER!" "The one Baal has been speaking of? Slater, the chosen one?" Slater sighs and clenches her fists. "Druid, you're…BUGGING ME!" Slater gets ready to punch the druid. However, the ground suddenly begins to shake violently. "Whoa! What's going on?" "Lile." "Lile, my master?" "Don't try that again druid! You're not really Lile's apprentice. You're the Outcast!" The druid looks at Slater. "No, you're wrong. I was her apprentice until she disappeared years ago. Why would you call me the Outcast?" Slater sighs, deciding to believe him for the time being. "The Outcast claimed to be Lile's apprentice. He looked exactly like you." "So, you meant the fourth prime evil?" "Yes. Wait, how do you know about that?" "What do you mean?" "Only me, Lile and the evils know what the chosen one is. Never mind who it is. Plus, how do you know about the evils?" "SLATER, THE DRUID WILL BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR QUEST'S FAILURE." Slater gets ready to answer but the druid beats her to it. "Baal, I'm not Slater!" Slater stares blankly at the druid. "Y-you heard that?" "Of course, but he keeps talking to someone named Slater. So, since your name is Slater, appeared out of a portal in the middle of town and know whom the evils are. I'm assuming you're the Slater he means?" "Yes, as I said before, I'm the Chosen One." Well, if that's true, perhaps you can help me?" "With what?" "I'm going to defeat a warlord at the other side of the foothills." "I'm just trying to defeat the evils. Four still live." "What if I told you the final four are nearby?" "What! Where?" The druid smiles happily. "Help me defeat this warlord, and I'll bring you to them." Slater thinks for a moment. "Wait, how do you know where they are?" "Since Baal was released from his seal in Al Kharid, him and the others have been attacking the town constantly. Our boundaries have nearly fallen entirely." Slater finally believes the druid entirely. "Ok then, let's go." The druid and Slater leave the town and cut through the armies of Hell until they reach the warlord the druid had been speaking of, Shenk the Overseer. The druid makes quick work of him. Slater watches from behind. "He seems as strong as the Outcast, but- could he be fooling me a second time? No! The Outcast wasn't able to hear Baal speaking to me." The druid turns from Shenk's corpse to look at Slater. "Slater, what's wrong?" "Oh! Um, nothing druid. Let's go back to town." The druid stares at Slater for a moment. "Ok, sure." They go back to town and the druid wanders off to a shop. He runs up to Slater a few minutes later. "We need to go!" Slater gets a confused look. "Huh? Wh-?" The druid grabs Slater and drags her along as he runs to the sacred mountain and into a deep cave. "Druid! What are you doing? Where are we going?" "There's no time Slater! We must hurry! Anya, my love, she is trapped down here!" "You have a girlfriend druid?" "Yes, but if we take too long, she'll be a dead one!" Slater is silent until they find Anya, half frozen in a block of ice. "Anya!" "D-druid. Ask Malah. For help." "Slater! Get help!" The druid rips a portal open from nowhere. "Wow druid. That's amazing!" "SHUT UP AND GO!" Slater looks a bit offended but understands. She jumps into the portal and appears back in town. "Malah! The druid needs help!" Malah walks over and gives Slater a vial of potion. "I know. Give this to Anya." Slater thanks her and goes back into the portal. After arriving back in the cave, she gives the potion to Anya. The ice melts and she seems warmer. "Thank you!" "You scared me Anya!" "Nihlathak, the lesser evil, did this to me. I'll open a portal to his lair when we get back to town." The druid gives a sigh of relief but looks angered about the new information. "Ok Anya, let's go." Anya disappears through the portal. "So, dru-" The ground begins to shake rapidly and the frozen rivers begin to crack. Water doesn't leak from them however, magma does. "Lile! She's escaping Hell!" "Through the portal Slater! Hurry!" Slater jumps inside of the portal. The town is in panic. Magma is everywhere. "Lile, why won't you just stay in Hell?" It's been ten minutes since the druid had been left alone. Slater begins to get worried. She jumps into the portal once more. The cave has calmed down. However, rivers of lava are flowing throughout it. "Druid?" Slater walks around, searching for the druid. Soon after, she finds him lying on the ground. He seems to give off a slightly red aura. "Druid! Are you alright?" The druid sits up. "Lile, she appeared from beneath the magma." "What? Where'd she go!" The druid shrugs. "She ran at me and I blacked out. I was unconscious until you woke me a moment ago." Seeing she isn't going to learn anything else, she helps the druid up. The two of them take the portal back to town. "So druid, shall we kill the lesser evil Anya spoke of?" The druid shrugs. "Sounds like a plan to me." The two find Anya and take the portal she's opened. They arrive at a temple with skeletons carrying large swords. The druid is able to keep them away. They make their way to the bottom floor quickly. There, they find Nihlathak. "The third lesser evil? A necromancer?" "Yes, I hope you can run fast, Slater." They run at Nihlathak. "Your hopeless quest ends here, sorceress!" Nihlathak summons continuous skeletons. If they're killed, their bodies explode. "A never ending defense?" The druid looks at Slater. "Remember how I asked if you were a fast runner?" "Um, yeah?" "See ya!" The druid disappears. "Betrayal? Again?" The skeletons close in and Slater runs for her life. However, less than a minute later, the druid shows up and kills them. "Nihlathak can't make them explode from here, and as long as the corpses remain, he's unable to resummon them." "I thought that you betrayed me druid." "I wouldn't do that Slater, don't worry." They return to Nihlathak and have no trouble killing him without his minions. "Only one lesser evil remains, and two prime. My quest is nearing its end." "Congratulations Slater. Are you ready for Baal?" "Yes." "SLATER, THE OUTCAST WILL BE YOUR DOOM, LILE NOW CONTROLS HIM. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU!" "What?" Did you say something Slater?" "You didn't hear that druid?" "Huh?" "N-nothing." "POSSESSION, WITH LILE FINALLY IN TOUCH WITH HER EVIL SIDE, SHE'LL BE ABLE TO LEARN MANY ABILITES LIKE THAT." "SHUT UP BAAL!" The area is quiet and the druid stares at Slater. "Slater, what's wrong?" "Nothing druid, I'm fine." Slater gets a sharp pain in her head. "NO YOUR NOT SLATER, YOU'LL FACE YOUR DOOM IMMEDIATELY AFTER I'M KILLED." Slater holds her head and winces with pain. "BAAL…JUST…SHUT…UP!" "Slater, I don't hear Baal, what are you talking about?" "Nothing druid! Let's just go!" The druid looks at Slater for a moment and then agrees. The two of them return to the top of the building and leave through the portal. They then climb the sacred mountain and meet the guardians. "They're frozen in stone?" The druid walks to the pedestal and reads the tome upon it. The three guardians come to life and attack. "Druid, I learned a new spell from a book I found back in Nihlathak's chamber. May I try it out?" "Sure?" Slater casts a frozen orb at the three guardians. They die, disappear and reappear back upon the pedestals as golden statues. "You are worthy…" "Wow Slater, very nice spell." "Thanks." The two of them get to the bottom floor where they meet Baal. "This is almost the end druid, after this, only a single prime and lesser evil will remain." The druid smirks. "It's time for my final revenge against my brothers and sisters. They sold me to the fallen. They made me…Outcast." "Druid?" "Slater, wait a moment, you will be next." "Huh?" The druid walks up to Baal, dodging his attacks with ease. "And here brother, your life ends." The druid slits Baal's throat and he drops to the ground, dead. "Druid? What's going on? You're confusing me." "Slater, it's time to face your doom!"