Chapter XVI

"She will live," Akara announced with a smile. "I was studying poisons just before we were overrun. It was a near thing I did."

"She'll be able to fight?" Geldar asked anxiously.

"Yes, but you won't if you don't let me attend to that wound," Akara said.

"I can heal myself," the Paladin said stubbornly. "Have you told Deckard Cain?"

"The whole camp knows," said the Horadric sage as he entered the tent. "Gheed is praising your exploits to the skies; Kashya says she had found trust in some outlanders; Warriv is more than pleased to be packing for the journey."

"And you?" Geldar asked.

"I'm telling you to get some rest," Cain said. "You needn't worry and you'll know the instant when she wakes."

"I can't leave her," Geldar said but he obligingly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, within seconds he was snoring.

The next afternoon Talina was awake and wanted to get going. According to her they had wasted enough time as it was. But she willingly accepted to be a part of the grand procession back to the Monastery. Akara was in the lead followed by Kashya and several rogue warriors. Behind them rode Geldar, Talina and Deckard Cain. Other caravans aside from Warriv's and Gheed's were on the road with them, the word having got out that the passage east was open again.

When they finally got there they camped outside, Akara resolving not to let outsiders in until the place was properly cleansed. She supervised the operation herself and it was a day and a night before they doors were opened again and the gate was opened for caravans.

Gheed made his goodbyes, taking letters and merchandise with him but no one was disappointed to se that back of him, with the exception of Charsi. Cain convinced Warriv to stay an extra night as the rogues wanted to honour Geldar and Talina specially.

With his armour cleaned and sparkling, Geldar walked beside Talina along the long red carpet of the Cathedral. It wasn't quite as full as it used to be but Akara was confident that within time there would be new recruits. The sensations of what had been before were still there, the evil mixed with the pain and of course anguish. Yet it added to the atmosphere rather than detracted from it, it was as if the rogues had earned their right to have their ancestral home back after so much had happened.

Akara stood at the top of a dais; she wore a long purple gown embroidered with stars. At her side was Kashya who wore her ceremonial armour. Looking behind, Geldar could see Cain in a front pew, he wore a new blue robe but his wallet and stick were still the same.

"We owe you a debt we can never repay," Akara said and the gathering rumbled to silence. "Though as tokens of our gratitude we present you with these. They are small compared to what you have done for us but we do hope you find them useful in the adventures yet to come."

Talina was given a bow they named Blastbark which she was sure Kashya had tested herself. Geldar was gifted with heavy belt that was named Goldwrap.

As was customary following the ceremony there was a feast, but Geldar didn't feel part of it. He took a goblet of wine and sat outside and watched the stars.

"Geldar!" Someone called and he turned to notice Talina approach him. "I was just told by Warriv, none to pleasantly might I add, that he wanted an early start tomorrow."

"I figured that," Geldar said, tipping his goblet and letting the wine spill on the ground. "I was thinking of turning in, besides," he looked around as if he expected there to be more vermin. "I still don't feel entirely safe here."

"You've been fighting too long," Talina said. "Thank you."

"For what?" Geldar asked, he noticed with surprise that Talina was standing quite near me.

"You saved my life," she said. "Akara told me as such, if you hadn't gotten me out of there…"

"You're the one who actually slew Andariel," Geldar reminded her.

"But if you weren't there…" Talina said and she smiled.

"I'd best be off," Geldar said and he made a quick retreat.

As Geldar lay in his bed and reflected on what had happened he wondered what could have occurred had he not left Talina in such a hurry. He pondered this, could it have happened? He shook his head and put the thought from his mind as he closed his eyes, it wouldn't do to think on things like that.

The next morning they set off with quite a ceremony, Geldar was still thinking of it as he sat next to Warriv in the caravan. Generally there was only room for two but the merchant had traded some items with the rogues in order to have room for his two other passengers.

They were silent as the horses pulled them up through the pass, he had insisted Geldar sit up front for protection but it was actually quite beneficial. He remembered travelling west from along this road nearly a year ago, he had received word that his brother had officially left the Order of the Zakarum but he wished his son Sinclair to be instructed in their ways. The pair had gone west when the threat of Diablo loomed and Geldar was journeying to meet his brother.

They never met, he had encountered Sinclair at an inn who told him that Lemnar had left for Tristram and it was no use trying to find him. After finishing business in Kingsport they were to return to the east until that fateful night in Duncraig. So he was returning east again, and without Sinclair.

"We'll stop soon to water the horses but they'll have to be changed soon enough," Warriv said, the merchant's frank tones brought him back to the present.

"Didn't you say there was an inn up here?" Geldar asked.

"The Last Stand Inn," Warriv replied. "Burnt to the ground I heard, we should be there before dark."

"And then it's a good month on to Lut Gholein," Geldar replied, remembering again his journey.

"Before that we'll have to get camels," Warriv answered as the entered a valley. "Here we are, this will do for now." He slapped the reins, the horses stopped and he pulled a lever next to him so the caravan wouldn't roll. "All out, stretch your legs," Warriv announced, sliding down from his seat and leading the horses to the stream.

Talina looked rather stiff as she emerged from the back of the caravan; she smiled at Geldar though and flung herself on the grass. He walked up to her and poked her with the toe of his boot.

"There's still evil out there," Geldar warned her.

And as if in response they heard the low moan of Wendigo that sent him running onto the road and looking in both directions. Talina soon followed him, her javelin was out. Geldar turned around again and drew his sword.

There was a rumbling in the bushes and two of them were on him, he cut them down the best as he could but he waved Talina back, she needed to defend the caravan. Sure enough on the other side of road two more of them emerged. Talina threw her javelin and one of them fell, as he did she planted a dagger firmly in the chest of the other and gave it a twist. Geldar walked up to her with a smile on his face.

"They've gone," he announced. "But there's bound to be more out there."

Within a few minutes he was once again seated beside Warriv in the rocking caravan. But this time he had his sword within easy reach.

As promised they arrived at the burnt-out in at sunset. Talina stayed with the caravan while Geldar looked over the wreckage. He saw among the corpses the remains of skeletons as well as some carcasses of some demonic slug-like thing.

Disgusted he was about to go back when he noticed something, he wasn't sure what it was but it made him lift up a few pieces of wood and poke his hand around in the ash. He had hold of something hard rather long and pulled it out. It was a sword. He was amazed; as he went back to the caravan he spat on his hand and tried to rub the ash off the hilt it was unmistakeable. With a smile he offered it to Deckard Cain.

"This is a very good sign," the old man said after having cleaned off some of the ash and dirt and examined it. "You find the scabbard, you find the sword. Good forces are clearly at work."

"So it's unmistakable?" Geldar asked and the sage nodded.

"The slayer of Diablo first wielded this sword even though what he slew corrupted him," Cain said as he handed it back. "Use it for the forces of good again, there is no higher calling."

Geldar smiled as he turned the sword over and over in his hands. An ordinary broad sword was worth quite a bit of sword, but this one was forged to kill demons and would be worth much more. But that wasn't what excited him.

"By Akarat," he said as he polished the sword with the pumice stone "This blade was made to slay the forces of darkness and so it shall again."

In the dying light of the day the blade shone like solid silver in Geldar's hands. He smiled, even if he failed in his duty in the Church of Light he would have done something right.