For a few moments Geldar could feel every hair on his head prickle, he felt cold, hot, wet and parched all at once. It wasn't until he felt himself step onto the ground once more that he was confident his head was on his shoulders. He paused, noticing they were in the burnt out remains of Tristram, and advancing towards them were skeletons with bows and arrows.
He wasn't one minute on the other side when there came the sound of an arrow near his ear and he had to dive to avoid it. Farron wasn't so lucky, it landed in her throat and she died instantly.
"No time for her," Geldar told himself as he ran at the skeleton archer. "Talina!" She was nowhere in sight and this was a bad sign. Could she have gone somewhere else? "Talina?"
The skeletons he was against made him step this way and that while trying to land a blow somewhere. In frustration he summoned Holy Bolt and they were nothing but a pile of bones. He stopped; he need time to centre himself.
He was just outside a burnt-out house and by the stench surrounding the area the entire village was on fire, and infested with demons. He kept to the wall of the house, hoping it wouldn't collapse on him, as he fought his way to the corner of the building. Free of aggressors he poked his head around the corner, then wished he didn't.
Talina was standing below a cage surrounded by hoards of vermin fighting for her life. In the cage above her was an old man, much emaciated by lack of food, yet he was alive. He could call out to her but the demons would be upon him and he would have as much of a chance as she did. He needed to do something subtler.
Reaching into his pack he pulled out a set of throwing axes, these had cost him dear when he was in Khanduras but there wasn't a better time than now to use them. Quickly he jumped out from behind the corner and started throwing them; he purposely aimed low so not to accidentally hit Talina or Deckard Cain.
Some of them turned to follow him and he darted back and around the house to the other side of the village square. On the way he passed more corpses but he ignored them. He attacked again, felling some and wounding others. It wasn't much but it gave Talina breathing space to attack. He was about to run and join her when he heard the most unearthly groan.
Turning around he saw a man approaching him, quite short and stout and dressed in rust-coloured tunic and breaches with a blacksmith's apron. At first Geldar thought it was a survivor, but by the sluggish way the man approached him it was clear he was mistaken.
It took one seconds to clip the remaining axes to his belt and another to draw his sword and aim a slash at the man's throat. Geldar fought on and on, the tortured man had nothing but his fists but when he struck the Paladin there was more than pain behind the blow. Geldar could feel himself slowing in combat and the blows came quicker and quicker. Gritting his teeth he cleansed himself and went on the offensive.
He had the man against a wall and was about to attack again when his aggressor suddenly fell to the ground with a javelin in his chest. Geldar turned around slowly and noticed Talina was standing there, next to her was Deckard Cain.
"We all clear?" Geldar asked Talina and he nodded to the sage, introductions could wait until it was safe.
"There's nothing left," Talina replied. "You want to stay around?"
"No," Geldar said. "Farron's dead." He then turned his full attention to Deckard Cain. "Has Talina explained to you who sent us?" He asked.
"Not that it matters," the man said, he leaned on his stick heavily and he carried a wallet slung on a strap. "I merely thank you both for coming to my aid."
"My name is Geldar, I am a Paladin of Zakarum the Church of Light," Geldar said. "And I am honoured to meet you, noble sir."
"The honour is mine," Cain said and they started to make their way towards the portal. "Wait," he said. "Check in there," he indicated the burnt out smithy and Geldar ducked in quickly.
"Empty," Geldar replied.
"I was afraid of that," he said sadly. "They've taken the Anvil of Fury; that could have helped after what has happened."
"But what has happened?" Talina asked. "That's what we're trying to find out. Even at the camp we don't have details."
"Well saved stories once we get to safety," Geldar said as they neared the portal. "Are you right to walk, sir? I need to take the rogue's body back for burial."
"I am weakened only in body," the sage replied with a wry grin.
While Cain was sitting by the fire having something to eat Geldar washed his face and applied oil to his cuts. He noticed Cain was looking curiously at him and stopped. There was a few seconds of silence before the sage continued eating and Geldar poured the water from the bowl onto the ground. He then dried himself and sat down on another log.
"Can you help us?" Geldar asked.
"What's there to do?" Cain put the plate near the stack of dirties and looked straight at the Paladin. "I can tell you no more about what goes on here than what you already know."
"Then tell me what you know," Geldar asked, his head was in his hands. "You saw the Wanderer, tell me if you can."
Cain's dark-skinned face looked older than it was as he paused and looked for the best way the story could begin. Even Warriv had taken interest and Talina happened to stop by at this opportune moment.
"You know of how The Lord of Terror was imprisoned," the sage said finally. "I can tell you again how he destroyed King Leoric, how he corrupted the Archbishop Lazarus and took hold of Prince Albrecht. But you know all this, but Diablo was slain in the form that he chose to take on, yet his spirit remained in the soulstone which I believe the Wanderer took with him east. He mistakenly thought that he could contain one of the Prime Evils, that mistake has led to all the destruction in these lands."
"But why East?" Geldar asked. "Surely what is guarded above Mount Arreat is surely greater."
"He is not strong enough to make that lofty goal Master Paladin," Cain reminded him. "He seeks to free his brothers. Baal, the Lord of Destruction imprisoned in the Tomb of Tal Rasha in Aranoch and Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred kept secret in the Temple of the Zakarum. That is until now."
"What?" Geldar asked but Cain continued his narrative.
"From what Akara and Kashya have told me," the sage said. "Our Wanderer has managed to keep the Lord of Terror under some control, he has only had limited success. To stop the Terror in his wake we must head East."
Geldar hung his head and wondered what Cain meant about the Lord of Hatred. Wouldn't he have known about something like that? Nothing made sense anymore.
"Might I have a word?" He asked Cain early the next morning.
They were sitting near the fire with plates of some sort of porridge Warriv had cooked up. It smelled bad and tasted worse but it was better than raw hunger.
"I thought you might try to put a few words in my ear," Cain said. "Your face is…somewhat familiar."
"You must have met my brother Lemnar," Geldar said. "He was one of the ones who fought below Tristram, yet he came as a free agent not in the name of the Zakarum. Do you remember him?"
"Something of the sort," Cain said distractedly. "There were many who came to fight, rogues, warriors, even Vizjerei. Too many to remember in any great detail." Geldar hung his head in disappointment, though Cain added something to make him look up again. "Now I think of it, I seem to remember the one you mention as your brother, I never got his name of course. Very quiet, I only had a handful of words to him at a time. Are you searching for him?"
"No, I know he is dead," Geldar replied. "I'm searching for his son Sinclair, I was training him as my squire and he was kidnapped the night I met a very strange personage."
"What kind of personage?" Cain asked and Geldar gave him brief particulars. "Yes, sounds like one of those who have sold their souls to the forces of evil."
"That was my impression," Geldar admitted. "He was last seen headed east, and I can't get through until the pass is opened."
"Have patience, my friend," Cain reassured. "And don't give up on your brother."
"I am not so optimistic about Lemnar," Geldar said glumly.
"Try to be," Cain said with a smile.
