The Underground Passage proved to be hard going. The tunnels were tight and the vermin a-plenty. Several times Geldar had to shield Talina with his body to avoid getting hit by the energy balls the cave dwellers threw at them. Talina hardly minded, what with little sleep and a string desire to prove herself to Geldar after his lack of praise for her killing Andariel, her temper was short but she was also tired.
Geldar noticed this and asked her if she wanted to head back to camp when they were resting just before emerging from the tunnel.
"You're jesting, right?" Talina asked. "If we don't go on we've got a day wasted in this hole. We need to get to the waypoint at the very least. And I will feel failed by the rogues if I don't return with the scroll."
"You're still thinking about your mission aren't you?" Geldar asked.
"You think?" Talina replied. "It's not something I'd give up easy. They're my people, Paladin Geldar, why would I let them down."
"Perhaps because the rogues need him more," Geldar reasoned but Talina was on her feet and screaming at them.
"What would you know anyway?" Talina demanded. "It's not as if what you're fighting for is anything worthwhile. There's your nephew, fine that you want to see him. But I hear things in the East; the Church of Light has gone wrong."
"Don't," Geldar said in a quiet voice that made Talina stop. "I was approached by a minion of the renegade angel Baritone who told me the same story you are telling me."
"I'm sorry," Talina said but Geldar went on.
"I was brought up not to question my beliefs," Geldar explained to her. "And until I see facts that the Zakarum have fallen from the high postion they have in my eyes, they will remain there."
There was a long silence as Talina and Geldar stared at each other in the dim light of the cave. This was broken when Geldar finally got up and headed towards the light at the end followed at a distance by Talina.
The Dark Forest, though aptly named, was nowhere near the thickness of the Shadow Woods that Geldar and Talina had fought through a week ago. Nevertheless the trees interfered with Talina's fighting as it made obstructions for aiming and more than often her javelins would get lost in the trees.
Geldar just found that it was dark, though he knew if they kept to the road it was bound to get them to the other side as caravans used it. Whether it would get them to the tree was another matter.
"Oh no," Talina gasped, they were talking again but it was nothing more than what was necessary.
"What?" Geldar was wiping the blood off his face with a cloth that seemed to have more blood and dirt on it than was sanitary.
"I see the tree," Talina said. "It's unmistakable."
"Good," Geldar said as he wiped the blood off his sword.
"It's guarded by one of those moving walls," Talina said. "No, there are three."
"Oh," was all Geldar could offer. "What's between them and us?"
"Two packs of skeletons and a fortress of demons," Talina replied.
"Let's take this one step at a time," Geldar suggested and they were off.
"You know," Geldar said as they hewed their way towards the tree. "I used to keep count of all the vermin I slew."
"When did you stop?" Talina asked.
"In the passage," Geldar replied. "I was up to a few hundred and I had to save you."
Talina said nothing until the area was clear. The Wendigos hadn't seen them yet so there was time to talk.
"I suppose I should thank you for that," Talina said testily.
"I suppose I should applaud you for slaying Bloodraven," Geldar replied. "Look, what was said before is over. We need to work together and to do that we can't have out own private battle."
"Apology accepted," Talina said but before Geldar could reply they were interrupted by an unearthly roar from behind them.
They moved just in time to let the huge beasts crash past them and then disappear into the undergrowth. Geldar almost laughed, it reminded him of a comic play hew had once seen in the East but this was too serious.
Before either of them could speak they appeared again, this time brandishing their fists on an offensive. Talina made a sudden movement then threw her javelin and the air was filled with poison-green clouds again. When the air cleared two of the minions were dead and Geldar was making fast work on their main target. He almost felt sorry for the giant beast as he drove the last stroke home, they had reputed to be kind to travellers before the Evil came. Now driven to some sort of paranoia with anyone they came across.
"There's the tree," Geldar said. "It's getting quite dark now. We'd best be heading back."
"Don't be like that," Talina said as she walked up to the tree and examined it.
The scroll was almost grown into the bark and it seemed a shame to remove it but it had to be done. Talina carefully cut it free with her dagger then rolled it up and put it in her pack.
"There's the waypoint," she said, her voice betraying how tired she was.
"You don't get much sleep with the rogues, do you?" Geldar asked her.
"It's military discipline," Talina replied. "And they're usually not out all day like we are."
"You should come and sit by the fire one night," Geldar offered as they stepped onto the stone. "Warriv was asking me what you were like."
"Don't push it," Talina warned, so he didn't.
So it happened again that Geldar shared his meal and conversation with Warriv again, though they had to duck into his caravan and make do with a smaller fire due to the rain. Akara had thanked them for the scroll and promised she would spend most of the night translating it and give them a copy before they set out in the morning. And of course Talina had gone somewhere and couldn't be found, but Geldar didn't pursue her.
Geldar asked the merchant of the news he had heard from the East despite the fact that it was small and scanty.
"It's better than nothing," the Paladin insisted. "You've been in the south near Kingsport haven't you? The trading vessels would have come from Lut Gholein at least."
"Not much word gets through now the pass has been blocked," Warriv explained. "And it was winter when I was down there so not many vessels were trading in the rough weather. However," Warriv paused to light his pipe and drew from it before continuing. "It's clear that the East is not what it used to be, the tales remind me of the stories I was told as a child."
"What stories?" Geldar asked.
"Well for instance the Last Stand Inn past the Eastern Gate in the mountains," Warriv said. "That place did a lot of trade when it was open and the publican is a friend of mine. I've heard stories it was destroyed after the Monastery fell, word got through before Akara decided to close the gate."
"The Wanderer," Geldar replied, glancing through the rain at the other tents. "Spreading destruction in his wake, I have seen it."
"Haven't we all, my friend," Warriv said, lifting his pipe to his lips. "Haven't we all."
"So what's your name and your forte," Talina asked the rogue Kashya had sent to accompany them to Tristram.
"My name is Farron," the girl replied, she had short brown hair that was secured under a helm and wore scanty leather armour as all the rogues did. She carried a bow. "My skills are in the cold arrow, Kashya herself taught me how."
"All right, you can come with us," Talina said and she glanced at Geldar. "No objections?"
"None," Geldar replied, he was aching to get going.
"Follow us at the flank," Talina said as they walked to Akara's tent to get the scroll. "And keep up; out there you can get surrounded easy."
"I can take care of myself," Farron reminded the Amazon.
"Not in Tristram you can't," Talina said and would have continued had Geldar not prevented her.
"Don't be too hard on her," he cautioned.
She didn't say anything as the approached Akara. The purple-cloaked sorceress smiled at them as she handed them a scroll.
"Here they are," she said and Geldar noticed the dark circles under her eyes.
"What kind of magic is it?" He asked her. "We found them but I couldn't pin it down."
"Very old," Akara replied. "Older than the arts of the Great Eye, I can tell you. Legends say they were set up as a defence station by Jered Cain before they imprisoned Diablo in Tristram."
"And Deckard Cain is descended from them?" Talina asked and Akara nodded.
"Time is running short," she said, smiling again. "May the Great Eye watch over you."
Geldar pondered as they walked to the waypoint the logic of a Great Eye as the sisters worshipped not being able to see but being able to watch over them like some omnipotent god. He abandoned the thought as he said the incantation and they were in the stony field.
"Keep your wits about you," Geldar warned the women. "We cleansed this area yesterday, but there still might be more out there."
They approached the Cairn Stones with caution and Geldar wasn't satisfied until both Talina and Farron were put on watch while he activated the charm. He and Talina had discussed it at length over breakfast, but in the end it opted to Geldar as Talina could defend them at a rather long range.
"Akarat forgive me for performing these unseemly rites," Geldar whispered as he stood in the centre of the circle.
He looked carefully at the scroll and followed Akara's directions, the stones had to be touched in a certain order or they had to wait for a day and a night to cleanse the circle. Geldar read them through three times to make sure he got them right before starting to perform the spell. As he touched the stones the runes glowed blue and started to hum in a strange way. He was just about to touch the last one when Talina called out.
"What?" Geldar asked, he hadn't wanted to be disturbed.
"Your stash is in the middle of the circle," she pointed out. "If what Akara told us last night happens, the energy beams are going to unite in the centre."
"Right," Geldar said and accordingly he moved his things. "Stand back," Geldar warned and he touched the last stone.
The humming had been faint before but now it was almost deafening, Geldar even covered his ears to block out the noise. The sky darkened and there was the crack of thunder and bright flash as lightning bolts hit the ground. The air smelt strange and seemed to crackle with electricity. Suddenly string bolts of energy emerged from the five stones and united to a point in the centre. There was a loud crack and a portal appeared in the centre.
Talina started to say something but Geldar couldn't make it out due to the noise. He made sure his armour was fastened properly and his sword was out as he stepped towards the portal. The energy felt good against his legs, not hurtful at all but quite soothing.
"I'll go in first," he shouted but Talina disagreed.
"I'd better, I can find out what's there and we can plan," she shouted back. "We don't know what we're facing."
"Don't be long," Geldar yelled and she smiled and stepped through the red portal and vanished, Farron made as if to follow but Geldar waved her back.
About a minute passed and she didn't return. Five minutes after Talina had left the energy quit from the stones but the portal remained. Geldar waited another five minutes before he began to consider something bad had happened.
"I'm an idiot," he said so Farron couldn't hear. "Letting her go in by herself, we don't know what's in there."
"Master Paladin," Farron said, not smiling but keeping the respective distance between them. "Shouldn't we just go after her?"
"The more we leave it the worse it gets," Geldar said. "And I've got the feeling you're not just there to help me fight."
"When did you figure that out?" The rogue asked.
Geldar didn't answer as he stepped through the portal with Farron close behind him.
