Chapter XIII

"That's it up ahead," Geldar said and nodded to the Monastery in the distance. "Towards the north is the gate for the caravans, it would be closed of course now."

There were on the edge of the Tamoe Highlands, the air was very brisk and they jogged to keep warm. It was quite a large building, almost taking up the entire space between the two mountains. There were towers, minarets and in the background Talina thought she could see a stained-glass window.

They were almost at the doors when they stopped. Advancing towards them was a phalanx of corrupt rogues carrying pikes. Talina threw with all her might a javelin that turned to a bolt of lightning when it left her hand. It felled some of the rogues, scattering others and she reached for another weapon.

Geldar didn't wait for her to move, he ran straight towards the group brandishing his sword and yelling. He swung it this way and that, building up speed as he slashed his way towards the leader. The next moment the entire group was covered in a green cloud, but Geldar ignored it as he was quite used to it by now. Within a few minutes he had killed the last one and he wiped his sword on the grass.

"A welcoming committee," Talina said dryly. "Come on, we need to get these doors open."

The doors opened rather easy which was odd, but they ignored this as they glanced around the Outer Cloister. All seemed clear so they proceeded further.

"The waypoint," Talina said and together they ran towards it, killing several warped ones on the way. "At least we can get back if it comes to worse." Talina said and she carefully approached a door.

"Cain said that the Malus would be in the barracks," Geldar said.

"We need to cleanse the Monastery," Talina told him and she touched the handle. "That means killing everything in it."

"I know," Geldar said as Talina pulled the door open.

There came the familiar low roar that sent Geldar and Talina on the defensive and the Wendigos were upon them. Very slow but very strong, Geldar got a few blows before the group of four were on the ground.

"Too much carnage," Geldar said over the corpses and he had to run to keep up with Talina.

They faced foe after foe, skeletons, demons and more and more corrupt rogues. It was late afternoon when they had found the barracks. They stoped, sitting on the grass in the courtyard drinking water, the entire area had been 'cleansed' and the air was full of flies.

"Charsi said this morning there's a way to the cathedral through the barracks," Geldar said. "Normally they went through some sort of tunnel but it's blocked, we have to go through the jail."

"Jail?" Talina asked.

"Three levels of it and we're in the Inner Cloister," Geldar replied. "Not that they kept many prisoners at a time. Twenty years ago there was a war and they were almost full, the night the Monastery fell there were some still there. I guess no one had the time to free them."

"Corruption or starvation," Talina mused. "Which is a better fate?"

"Or a better death?" Geldar queried. "Give me death by the sword any day."

"I'll remember that," Talina said and they were off again.

The barracks were crawling with vermin; several times Talina had to shut the door just so the demons they were fighting could be contained. And of course there was the never ending twisting of corridors and dead ends that almost got them killed several times. Yet it made sense as they were closing in on Andariel.

"A question," Talina asked when they stopped inside a room for the moment. "What would they want with the Malus?"

"I couldn't tell you," Geldar replied.

"Well what would you want with an enchanted hammer then?" Talina demanded.

"Well to use it, I guess," Geldar replied. "Or to find someone who could…" he paused in mid-sentence and suddenly understood.

"We'll have to kill him, whoever is guarding it," Talina said.

"What's this, I thought you were against going for the Malus?" Geldar asked.

"I changed my mind," Talina said. "And a magic item doesn't sound so bad."

"You decided to be practical," Geldar said but there was no response.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they faced in the forge. The place with full of light and Geldar could tell it was once the burning heart of the order, yet that was all forgotten once the monster as upon them. A monster he called the Smith in thought.

He of course had heard about hellforges and about the demonic weapons they had made their. He had heard about their keepers, called overlords and very strong but very slow.

"Get him from behind!" Geldar called and he ran straight at the Smith with his shield in front of him, in an instant he was sprawled on the floor and the smith stood over him with a raised fist and murder in his eyes. "Please," he begged to no one in particular. "Not now."

There came a war cry and the smith turned to dodge Talina's flying javelin. She fought fiercely, yelling incomprehensible words at the overlord as she advanced with her javelin ahead of her. Geldar was on his feet before Talina began advancing back at the Smith's attack.

There was an instant when Geldar and the Smith collided, Geldar raised his sword to cut off the overlord's head but he missed. Talina was next to him, pressing hard on the attack as they back him into a corner. Geldar concentrated and send out a powerful Mind Blast that had the monster stunned for a few seconds. That was all the time he needed to sink his sword into the creature's chest.

"Thanks," Geldar said once he had gotten his breath back. "That was near."

"Don't mention it," Talina said and she walked towards the forge and came back carrying something in her hands.

"What's that?" Geldar asked.

"It's the Malus," she replied. "From the looks of this they were planning an attack on the camp. We just got here in time."

"Even so," Geldar said as they walked out. "It is good to have luck, at least once."

Charsi was beside herself when she saw that they had the Malus, she turned it over and over in her hands before asking them if they wanted anything imbued. She pointed to her wares and asking them to make a choice.

"Really, we shouldn't…" Geldar said.

"Oh, I insist," Charsi said.

"Very well," Geldar said and he chose a metal helm, if he wound a better one the one he chose here would fetch a good price.

Talina picked up a pair of chain gloves, saying shields could be improved and javelins were too numerous to imbue. They then left Charsi to do her work and walked towards Warriv's campfire. Deckard Cain approached them, he looked pleased to see them but there was something else behind his expression.

"I joy to hear of your success," Cain said. "But your final quest awaits you."

"I knew as much," Geldar replied.

"It is certain we face the demon queen Andariel who has corrupted the rogue sisterhood and defiled their ancestral Monastery," he paused and looked at both of them. "This does not bode well for us my friends. Ancient Horadric texts record that Andariel and the other Lesser Evils one over three with three Prime Evils – Diablo, Mephisto and Baal – banishing them from Hell to our world. Here they caused mankind untold anguish and suffering before they were finally bound within the Soulstones."

He paused again, Talina and Geldar had heard this story, but hearing it from the lips of a Horadric sage made it all the more terrible, and all the more true.

"Andariel's presence here could mean that the forces of Hell are once again allied behind Diablo and his brothers. If this is true," he said in a low clear voice. "Then I fear for us all. You must kill her before the Monastery becomes a permanent outpost of Hell and the way east lost forever."

"Stay a moment," Geldar said. "A place here could become an outpost of Hell?"

"That was what happened in Tristram," Cain replied. "It can easily happen again from what Akara told me."

"Once we get this through we can go east," Talina said. "There will be nothing to block the pass and I must return to Philios, and you must come with me noble sir."

"I will go to any assistance that may be required," Cain said. "But as Geldar and I were talking about last night, we may not even get there."

"There will have to be something rather big to prevent it," Talina argued. "I'm going to talk to Kashya, she's actually faced Andariel."