The Rebirth Of Evil
Chapter 3
A Bad Feeling
The large Kragouri let out a bloodthirsty roar as it swatted the wimpy human aside into a pile of crates, which collapsed on top of her. It grunted in satisfaction as it turned all its attention back toward the other puny mortal. It took a menacing step forward as it roared again at the defiant human, who was simply standing with its sword drawn. It let out a deep, throaty growl and suddenly shot forward, it's clawed feet tearing up stone and dust as it bolted toward the tiny youth.
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He stared at the approaching Kragouri as it stalked toward him with a grim smirk on his face and a determined set of his jaw and stance. He had an angry fire burning with contempt in his eyes at this creature who could have killed his sister. He didn't know yet, but the dust cloud settling over her crash site led to grim thoughts. Suddenly the Kragouri growled angrily and leapt forward at him.He began chanting a spell with as much speed as he could muster, as the monster was getting dangerously close to him.
"Locke, watch out!" Marija screamed.
Locke threw a fireball at the brutish creature and threw himself into a roll, pulling him out of the path of the charging monstrosity. The beast yelped in anger as the fireball slammed into its' already injured shoulder, singeing the flesh and cauterizing the wound. He realized a second before the beast slammed into the wall that this monster was going to be quite hard to kill. The oversized Kragouri growled in anger and frustration as he whipped around and threw a chunk of wall it clutched in his right hand at Locke. The huge Kragouri fist-sized chunk of rock caught him on his left shoulder before he could react, or even think for that matter. Locke screamed in pain as he violently spun around and collapsed to the stony dock. His Moonblade flew from his hand right after impact, and the blow caused his head to sharply ache, along with his right arm.
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Marija stared in horror as the massive brute flung a huge rock that impacted Locke, sending him sprawling and weaponless. She felt a cold chill run down her spine as she began to sweat; that monster is going to eat him alive! she thought, I must protect him, he's too... wonderful, and caring, and handsome, and… Oh shit! As Marija was standing there gazing at him admiringly, the Kragouri had stared running on two legs, and then dropped down onto all fours, causing a loud thud. She quickly began chanting, raising her arms perpendicular to her body, palms facing outward. Her palms began glowing a bright red, and as she mumbled the last few words of the incantation a cone of flame shot from them toward the rushing Kragouri. The brutish creature roared in pain as the wave of fire hit its right side, immediately charring the flesh of it's right arm, and burning off most of the fur around it. The creature immediately stopped itsmad dash, saving itself from further injuries, and stared at the puny sorceress in confusion as though noticing her for the first time.
"Why do you attack me, sorceress? You serve the Dark Lord, such as I do," the huge monster growled in flawless human tongue.
"You... you can talk?" Marija asked in amazement and disgust.
"What is the matter, puny mortal? We have spoken occasionally, or have you forgotten?" It growled suspiciously.
"What Dark Lord do you speak of?" she asked apprehensively.
"You puny human! You deny your... our Master?"
"No, I just..."
"Traitor! I will tear off your limbs and feast on your entrails!"
The large Kragouri, which seemed massive to Marija now that it was menacingly stalking toward her, let out a deep growl. All she could do was just stare in horror as it bared its fangs in a feral grin and raised its claw in what was going to be the end of her life. Oddly enough she wasn't scared, only sad, I'm sorry Locke... I will miss you.
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Locke lifted his head, half-conscious, and noticed the huge beast with it's right arm badly burnt barking and growling at Marija, while she stood there and talked back to it, as though they understood each other. He grimaced as he tried to stand, putting pressure on his badly swelling shoulder. He grunted as he lifted himself off of the ground, carefully brushing off small chunks of boulder that clung to his shirt and stared at the strange phenomena. The creature ahead of him growled in clear anger and began to deliberately walk toward Marija. Great, Locke thought as he glanced about for his Moonblade and spotted it fairly easily. He ran over to it, quickly snatching it up as he ran by, and sprinted toward the menacing Kragouri. He raced up its back and plunged his blade into its left shoulder, causing it's raised arm to fall limp and leaving it with no feasible way to attack. It roared in pain as it quickly turned its head, biting off Locke's left pant leg. He quickly grabbed the Moonblade's handle and vaulted off the brute as soon as he heard Marija muttering under her breath. Two swirling fireballs slammed into the monster's chest, lighting it on fire and sending it stumbling backward nearly knocking over Locke in the process. Locke flourished his blade and jammed it into the creature's ribcage. It howled in protest and agonizing pain as its lung's began quickly filling with blood.
"If I go down, your coming with me, you puny mortal!" the brute uttered as it's hand shot out and grasped Locke's head, easily fitting it in the palm of it's hand. He stumbled back a few steps as the pressure began to cause his brain to scream in protest. Suddenly the ground began shaking, accompanied by a huge cracking sound as the earth began to split. The mortally wounded creature roared in anger and protest as the ground shifted away from him, leaving it lying on an ever-widening crack. It released its grip in suprise and terror, causing Locke to fall to the ground, slightly dazed. It pitifully wailed as it began falling down the massive fissure that ran the length of the city. The creature barked something just before it lost its grip and began falling down the massive gap running into the ground.Locke ran forward to try and see what the gap held and was astonished and horrified beyond words.
The grand fissure that had opened up ran twice the span of the city at least, or so Locke thought as he gazed into the gap. It must run deep enough to hold the world in and still have room left over. For the gap ran down as far as the eye could tell, and what was there frankly scared the shit out of him. There were humans, or souls of humans, for they wailed and moaned as they scaled the walls of the crack, trying to return to the land of the living. He saw a few slip or were pulled down by human-sized winged creatures, the souls screaming in some horrible unknown tongue as they were cast back down into the very depths of the Underworld. Suddenly one of the horrible winged creatures flew over the edge of the lip and landed on top of him.
The creature was undoubtedly a Succubus, judging from what his sister had seen of them and had told him of. She was actually quite beautiful, and despite the creature being absolutely, horribly evil, she was quite gorgeous. She wore a gray, short sleeved, form fitting shirt that barely covered below her ample breasts covered by a scant leather jerkin cut to enhance the effect. She wore a very small pair of shorts, along with knee high plated boots. She had two leather pauldrons and a wingspan of about 4 feet, all of which were spread out, blocking out the sun. Her breath was acrid, such as sulfur and brimstone would be, and she smiled as she licked her lips and leaned forward to enjoy her meal. Suddenly the creature jerked and began shrieking as it was pulled off of Locke, leaving several deep gashes where it tried to hold on with it's long, curved talons. He sat up and saw Marianna pulling on a rope that was attached to the arrow that had embedded itself in the evil wench's spine. It screamed in horror as she forcefully yanked the rope and sent it tumbling over the edge of the cliff just as the gap began to close. He looked up at Marianna surprised, she looked like hell though, with a makeshift bandage around her right thigh and a cut on her forehead, and yet she still saved his life. He suddenly stiffened, raised his right hand and banged it on the armor over his heart.
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Just as the dust was settling over her still form, she slowly regained consciousness. What the hell? She silently wondered as she opened her eyes and saw she was in a half-broken in box. She tried to move and instantly regretted it, for the horrible pain from her head pulsing, and her right leg felt as though it was on fire. She glanced down as her leg and noticed it had a large chunk of wood going through most of it, that and along with the fact it was pinned in place just made her day. Damnable dog thing... shit. She suddenly heard the large Kragouri roar in what seemed to be pain. Speak of the devil, that's the bastard now, she thought grimly. "Oh shit!" she moaned as she realized her little brother and that sorceress, oh what's her face... Marija! She struggled to a sitting position and looked around for a loose piece of wood to bite on, and did so, and carefully wrenched the chunk of wood from her upper thigh. She silently screamed around the broken chunkin her mouth as tears began to stream down her dust caked face. She quickly spat the wood out of her mouth, tore off half of her right pant leg, and quickly tied it around her leg in a makeshift tourniquet. She heard the huge beast outside gurgle something as she prepared to kick the box open.
Suddenly the ground began to shake, and she feared that the boxes would collapse upon her at any moment. She heard a horrendous crack, followed by the sound of rushing water, and shrill, unearthly cries. With a grim determination she kicked at the collapsed boxes with her left until they gave way, and she quickly rolled out of her prison moments before it totally collapsed. With horror she looked around and saw undead everywhere, clawing their way out of a huge split in the ground. She saw Locke run toward the edge, saw the large Kragouri tumble with his Moonblade in its chest, the same blade she had almost lost her life to get. The undead were almost at the top of the crevice, eager to once again step foot in the land of the living, and her little brother's horrified expression only reassured her own fears of what was happening.
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The stairway was entirely constructed of stone outlined with bones, a horrible sight to see; yet this group had seen much worse. There were five of them, including herself, were standing around, drinking bittersweet healing potions or spelling wounds shut. The air was hot, and grimy with an overpowering scent of sulfur permeating the air, and the sky was black with dark gray clouds spotting the sky. Small, wormlike creatures, along with bigger four legged monsters lay slain everywhere, causing the air to, consequently, reek of death as well. There were piles of ash scattered around the battlefield, testifying to the horrible specter's that had been laid to waste. Huge crumpled forms in armor adorned the battlefield heavily, most having fallen due to huge gashes that cut through their armor as easily as a farmer's scythe to grain during harvest.
"How could Tyrael have sent us on this damned fools errand?" grumbled Ter'Attha Gaenor. He was easily a head taller than all his traveling companions, about seven feet tall, with a massive greatsword strapped to his back, which was dripping with purple blood. Wearing armor customary of the barbarians of Harrogoth, which was also covered in blood, but the blood staining it was his own. His many wounds could easily be seen through the rent cloth, and they numbered many.
"You know as well as I do that we are sent down into this wretched wasteland to stop Diablo," calmly stated Garrod Liakatos, dressed in shining steel armor embroidered with gold. He held his arm out, cut it with his sword and quickly turned it blade down so the blood would run along it. When the blood reached the tip, he spun it and lodged it into the chest of the imprisoned soul shackled to a stone column along with three others. A blue light emanated from the creatures' hollow eyes and drifted away as the creature's head slumped forward. He had been repeating this action for every tortured soul he found chained, his arm being healed by the talented sorceress traveling with them.
"Well, we aren't making any progress standing around here waiting for him to finish," said Mierin Kareena, glancing at the paladin in boredom as he freed another trapped soul. She hefted a rock and blasted it away with her Psychic Hammer ability, then disappeared for a moment before reappearing in front of the rock and kicking it into oblivion. Her black leather clothes glinted in the feeble light provided by a nearby lava river as she glanced at the bodies around her, Cestus covered in purple blood, she smiled to herself as she slowly walked back towards her companions.
"Hey, Garrod is doing a service to these creatures... if you were trapped, wouldn't you want to be set free?" angrily inquired Cagalli Athrun. Her long green and gold robes flowing as she, once again, began magically sewing up Garrod's arm, moments before he cut it again. She twirled her staff in the air, then struck the ground with the butt of it, and the orb on the top of the staff began to glow ever so slightly.
"Yes, Mierin. I couldn't imagine being trapped in this... this place, for eternity!"
"Yeah, but it's so boring waiting... can't we do something?" Mierin said as she nudged another rock with her toe as she stepped into the ever-widening circle of light emanating from the top of Cagalli's staff. Suddenly the ground began to violently shake, and the Stairway to Hell began spewing fire. Dozens upon dozens of pairs of eyes began to pop up from the darkness, surrounding them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a horrible howl sounded and the horde of monsters began running towards them, showing themselves in the circle of light to be hundreds of Finger Mages and Oblivion Knights.
"Well now we have something to do, happy Mierin?" Ter'Attha roared as he unstrapped his greatsword and swung it in a horizontal arc, effectively cleaving three Oblivion Knights in half and causing a Finger Mage to fizzle into dust.
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The shriek of an unearthly, tortured soul startled Marianna back into reality. She rolled to the left as a twisted and broken creature leaped at her, landing on all four feet where she was just moments before. Shit! Where's my bow! She screamed to herself as she glanced at the pitiful soul as it unhinged its jaw, and flicked it's extremely long tongue at her. Thinking quickly, she pulled an arrow out of her quiver and readied herself against it. She noticed a sudden flicker of movement to her left, and as she turned she gasped as she saw a Succubus pin her little brother Locke to the ground. She began to cry out, but as she was about to shout, the creature leaped upon her back and dug its claws into her back. She screamed in pain as she grabbed its neck and plunged the arrow through its eye and out the back of its skull. As the creature fell off her back, she spotted her bow and ran toward it, as she pulled out her dagger, she began slashing her way toward it.
She rolled under a Succubus's dive as she grabbed her bow, quickly fit an arrow, and launched it into the back of its head. It made a sickening thud as it hit the ground and was pulled over the cliff by a twisted, vengeful soul. She glanced around and found what she was looking for, quickly snatched up a coil of rope and tied it around the shaft of her arrow. She fitted her modified arrow and shot it into the back of the Succubus that still pinned her little brother. She grasped the rope and yanked back on it, causing the vile creature to be sent screaming into the fissure to be torn apart by the pitiful souls she once tortured.
As she stood, she saw Locke stand and gaze at her. I must look like hell, she thought as she studied his facial expressions as they changed from worried to amazed and back. She was startled as he stiffened and suddenly put his clenched fist over his heart. That's exactly what... her thoughts trailed off as she remembered. The look on his face as the druid, Kalaleq, smiled at her... Her head suddenly became light as she slowly collapsed to the ground.
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Locke yelled to Marianna as he saw her slowly collapse to the ground.
"Shit! Marija, help me!" he yelled as he sprinted forward, dodging Succubi still swooping from the sky, and swipes from the tortured souls that were racing to find a mortal to feast on. He could already tell that this was going to end badly. He turned to reach for his sword, then realized with horror that it had plunged into the abyss in the chest of that huge beast.
"You get Marianna, I'll keep them off of you!" Marija shouted as she flung a chain lightning spell at a group of twisted creatures running at Marianna's still form. She looked up began chanting as a Succubus began it's dive toward her, screaming as it descended, only to be turned into screams of pain as a glacial spike impaled it through the chest, causing it to nearly hit her. She twirled her staff and brought it around smacking a screaming soul on the right side of it's head, then reversed it and incinerated a group of souls charging toward her. They screamed in horror as they were burned to ashes by Marija's inferno spell, causing them to remember their eternal torment of fire and brimstone moments before they were sent back there, to endure that same pain all over again.
Locke reached Marianna just as a group of nine pitiful wretched souls did. He leapt over his sister and bowled over the two creatures in the lead, causing the others to immediately turn and begin tearing at him. He screamed as he shot out his hand, catching one under his nose, causing the bone to plunge into what was left of it's brain, also causing it to tip over backwards as it died, again. Locke kicked out, catching two others square in the chest, sending them flying backwards. He rolled and spun his legs, causing three more to fall or be kicked away. He rose to one knee as he took the knife from his left boot, and plunged it into a downed creature's chest, then quickly extracting it and whipping it across another's throat. He rolled through a momentary opening, flung his arm right, and slammed another into the side of its head, causing the blade to protrude from it's right eye socket. He turned and kicked the creature off his blade and was rewarded by a slash across the back and a bite on his right upper arm.
As he screamed in pain, the amulet around his neck began to glow, in turn causing him to glow, and the creatures to scream and shy away from him. He noticed this and glanced down at it, Hey, it's Marija's gift, he thought happily. He rose with new confidence and vigor, snatched his dagger from where it had fallen, and stood glowing a soft blue. He opened his eyes, and they too seemed to be glowing sockets of this holy, bluish light. As he turned toward a large group of souls, reinforced by Succubi, rushing at him, he raised his left hand, which was suddenly encompassed in a holy blue and silvery light, and began chanting.
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Y'gorl fell for what seemed as an eternity, roaring as he descended through never ending blackness. The unearthly silence broken only by the shrill cries of tormented creatures, being devoured by twisted masters. As he silently spun through the darkness, a faint red glow caught his attention, and as he stared at it, it slowly grew. The glow suddenly flared, and he found himself falling through the depths of Hell, and he roared in fear, for he knew what awaited him.
As he continued to descend, he spotted a huge throne, made entirely of bones, and felt his fur stand on end. He roared as his feet finally touched the ground, none too gently, causing him to go down on one knee. He winced in pain as the ground instantly began burning his feet, but he knew better than to cry out.
"How proper of you to show respect, Y'gorl," spoke a voice that echoed through the very depths of Hell. Its voice sounded of a twisted, holy grandeur, causing the Kragouri's brain to scream in unbearable agony upon hearing it.
"No, do not rise... you must pay in blood for failing me again," The creature murmured in its echoing voice as it suddenly stood from its throne. Y'gorl screamed in terror as he watched it's master stand to it's full height, nearly eight feet, and extend it's large, black wings, that pulsed with an eerie purple glow. It raised its gauntleted hand toward Y'gorl as the creature suddenly went rigid and was flung into the air, only to be sent careening toward the ground a moment later.
Suddenly, a bright blue light emanated from Y'gorl's chest, nearly blinding his master, who shrieked in horror at the offending object. Y'gorl looked down and saw the blade that was shoved in his chest was glowing. He roared a defiant challenge at his master as his body began to bulge, becoming larger every second. Y'gorl's roar shook the deepest abyss as his transformation completed, leaving him standing over nine feet tall when he was hunched over, with hulking limbs and huge tusks. His fangs had elongated to the length of a foot and a half, causing them to protrude from his mouth. His eyes swirled to a blood red color, as he let loose another roar, causing his master to begin laughing.
Y'gorl looked at his master with contempt as the ground slowly stopped rumbling, and took a menacing step toward him, only to be met by an invisible barrier. Y'gorl snarled and drew back his fist to strike at it, when he noticed a blood red and purple glow eminating from his chest, and as he peered down, he smiled. Slowly grasping the hilt of the blade from his chest, he tore it out, drew it over his head, and brought it down with all his newfound strength upon the magical barrier. Y'gorl's master drew it's sword and yelled in its twisted, echoing voice, "What manner of being bestowed that upon you, Y'gorl?"
Y'gorl glanced down at the blade that infernal human had driven into his chest, and was surprised by it. The appearance had changed from that of an ordinary blade, to that of a blade seeming to encompass Hell within it. The blade of the weapon had shot out three feet, giving it a six-foot reddish-black blade. The hilt had been replaced by a demon, it's bat-like wings spread, creating the crossguard. The arms of the demon were pointing up, holding a blood red ruby above it's head, seeming to glow with an unholy bloody light.
The Infernal Moonblade pierced the magical shield with ease, sending a red shockwave over it as the sword slowly absorbed the energy the shield required to sustain it, storing the energy in the ruby. The blood red light of the ruby spilled throughout the cavernous hall, revealing millions of piles of bones miles high, with creatures gnawing on them, scrabbling over the mounds. Y'gorl's master drew it's own blade as Y'gorl turned it's stare back toward it. Startled, the Kragouri held the blade higher, causing the light to spill over its master and onto its skeletal throne, and Y'gorl was sickened and amazed by what he saw.
The massive throne was constructed out of a monster that was on all fours, it's massive jaws opened as though in mid-roar, frozen for eternity. The head of the beast had two massive horns that curled around to the front of his head from the sides, and three that curled slightly up from his chin. Its ribcage had been reconstructed, having the ribs lowered, taking them and interweaving them to form a seat. It's pose bespoke of a lion, preparing to pounce, with its razor sharp claws dug in, the spines running the length of its back, its huge tail slightly bent, as though frozen while swaying. Y'gorl's eyes widened as he realized who the massive creature was.
"You, how did... THAT get here!" Y'gorl yelped as he swallowed hard, looking from the hideous monument, then back to his master. He found new respect within the being, and kneeled before him, laying his blade flat on his palms.
"I took his bones after he fell, and made him part of this place," The creature intoned as it spread its hands, indicating the whole of hell and all that was encompassed within. For the first time, Y'gorl got a good look at his master, although it did not reveal much. The creature's head was completely covered by its black hood, its red, glowing eyes was the only testament that the creature had a face. It wore twisted black and purple armor that glowed with an eerie light, over flowing black robes, and it seemed to have a glowing red shard sticking out of its chest. Y'gorl dismissed it as a trick of the light from his demonic blade. With black wings extended, its wingspan was huge, easily seven feet, and they pulsed with an eerie purple glow.
"Then... you must be…!" Y'gorl roared in fear as the creature eyed him, and slowly pulled back its hood, and the only sound that could be heard was a deep, fearful roar that shook the very foundation of Hell.
