Diablo
The Awakening of Chaos
Chapter Two
The Journey West
Rua and Jordan dove away as the Dracolich charged them. It collided with a building, and rubble flew everywhere. Rua quickly got up and readied his weapon, as did Jordan. However, their battle with the undead dragon was cut short as a flock of six succubi descended upon the two warriors.
The first of the flying demons lashed out at Rua with her talons. Rua easily dodged and struck her across the side with his sword. The demon shrieked in anger and lashed out with a red ball of energy as she flew backwards from the offending blade. It struck the green-eyed warrior square in the chest and sent him flying backward. He picked himself back up and Phase Shifted past the succubus, killing it easily.
Two succubi launched themselves at Jordan, screeching all the way. Jordan screamed back as he lunged at the two demonic women. His sword managed to split one succubus's head in half, and it dropped dead into the dusty street. The other raked her claws across his back, and he yelled out in pain and anger as he elbowed the demon in the face and then buried his massive sword into her brain.
The other demons flew up out of the way before Rua and Jordan could attack them and began launching multiple balls of energy. Back and forth, side to side, the two warriors dodged the spells, and then an unearthly roar split the air. The Dracolich had freed itself from the rubble of the building it had collided with. It shook its putrefying body to rid itself of the last of the rubble, and then roared again as it charged.
The succubi scattered at the unholy abomination's cry. Rua and Jordan glanced at each other, and nodded. As one they raised their swords, as one they screamed back defiantly, and as one they charged to meet their opponent.
As Rua charged towards the Dracolich, he slowed down a little and cast a spell. A large ball of fire leapt from his hand and exploded against the undead dragon's face, spewing fire everywhere and causing it to rear back on its hind legs and roar in anger. It was the opening he hoped for, and Rua dashed forward and struck the Dracolich's ribcage repeatedly… to no effect. The undead dragon's claw swept out and slammed him away, and it roared again.
It turned towards its dazed prey and moved forward, and then stumbled. Stupidly it gazed at the stump of its rotted forearm, and the rest of it next to Jordan. The Dracolich growled as the eye-sockets of its skull began to glow a fierce red. It opened its mouth.
Two large fireballs streaked out at the monster and collided with its face. The monster roared in anger and turned its breath weapon on Rua and the mage instead of the bandit. The two of them dashed off to the sides as the globs of acid flew at them, but the mage didn't make it. He screamed horribly as the acid melted through his flesh.
Rua readied his own sword as he quickly gazed at the body of the Dracolich. Normal weapons wouldn't hurt it, so he had to find out the weakness. The soul! The thought shot through his mind. Attack the soul and the connection would be severed. But how could he break through the ribcage of the monster? "Jordan!" he shouted, "Go for the soul! The glowing orb in its chest!" The bandit nodded his affirmative.
The undead dragon roared in fury. Suddenly, swirls of dark energy surrounded the rotted stump of its severed leg and the stump of the leg on the ground. The leg twitched, and stood upright, and soon the swirls of magic connected the limbs together, rebinding it with putrid flesh. Rua felt sick. Not good.
Rua thrust both of his arms out and chanted for a strong spell. He cried out the activation words for his Flare spell and a large cone of fire lashed out from his hands, charring the putrid flesh of the Dracolich. The beast cried out in pain, but came forward through the spell nonetheless. The monster twisted around sharply, sending its bony tail to fly out at Rua. It was what he was waiting for. The green-eyed warrior shot upward using Driver and fell down sword-first into the monster's spine, causing the elemental powers of the perfect gems to explode against the undead dragon's back. The Dracolich growled in fury and began beating its wings and thrashing about, trying to dislodge the pest on its back.
Rua held onto the sword stuck into the monster's back for dear life. Meanwhile, he tried to concentrate for another spell. He was about to cry out the chant for another Flare spell when one of the succubi that had gotten away earlier swooped down behind him and lifted him, sword and all, into the air. The demonic woman shrieked in glee as she dropped the green-eyed warrior, sending him plummeting down to the street. Rua hit the ground with a sickening thud, and his world swam out of focus.
Meanwhile, a few demons were assaulting Jordan. Two bovine-like Blood Lords came at him from different directions, their axes flashing, as a Succubus dove down from overhead. His massive sword swept out at the succubus, causing the demoness to back off, shrieking. Before it could get away, however, Jordan caught her by the talon and swung her down atop one of the charging Blood Lords. The monster toppled, and its flailing axe slashed out the succubus' throat. Jordan leaped at the remaining monster and met it blow for blow. Then, quite suddenly, the demon screamed as the Dracolich's jaws closed around its body and threw it through the air.
Jordan looked up, startled, at the monster. It loosed another one of its chilling roars and lunged at the bandit lord. Jordan flung himself to the side and swung one-handed with this sword at the undead dragon. His slash was awkward, though, and it glanced off of the Dracolich's only remaining horn. The monster growled and turned towards Jordan, readying its acid breath weapon.
A primal scream ripped through the air as Rua descended from the sky with his Driver attack on the Dracolich's head. His blade punched through the base of the monster's skull, skewering through the already rotted brain. The undead dragon screamed and reared back. Rua easily disengaged his sword and back-flipped off of the monster's head, landing and readying himself for the next attack. The monster roared, and began spraying its breath weapon around. Walls, demons, and soldiers were coated with the burning acid.
Rua and Jordan jumped out of the way of the acid before it could coat them, too. However, the Dracolich's tail shot out and struck Jordan in the chest, and sent the bandit lord flying through the air. He struck the wall of a large building that had already been damaged by the undead dragon, and his body punched through, causing the wall to collapse partially inside. Rua cursed and slashed at the tail when it came in his direction. The magical blade sliced through the tip of the tail, and it flew off to the side, leaving the green-eyed warrior unharmed.
Jordan painfully pulled himself out of the rubble to find himself in the Thieves' Guild apothecary. The room was dark. Shelves covered the walls, holding up strange mixtures, potions, and ingredients. Many of the bottles had fallen and shattered, and the stains from the potions covered the walls and floor. Several of the mixtures were burning holes into the surfaces. He stumbled around, searching for his weapon. He found his blade pinned down under some rubble, and he shifted the large chunks of rock off of his sword. One stone fell with a loud thud and a few more bottles tumbled and fell. Jordan winced at the sound. He knew some of the things in here were explosive.
Explosive! That was it! They needed something to break through the ribs, and strike the soul with something magical. Rua had the only magical weapon between them, and he himself was no good with magic. The bandit began rummaging through unharmed bottles, quickly reading the labels.
Full recovery potions… strangling gas potions… Jordan ticked off the types mentally while searching. Soon he found some explosive potions, but… Gods damn it all! None of these are strong enough to harm that blasted monster!
Suddenly, something caught his eye. It was down on a low shelf, resting on a purple cushion. It was a large glass bottle, shaped like a sphere with a fluting top. Inside of it was a strange, light blue-colored mixture. He got down and examined it closely. There was a label: Caution! Highly volatile chemical inside! Massive explosive power! Handle with care! Jordan smiled and carefully took the bottle off the cushion, and made his way back outside. He soon saw his chance.
Rua jumped back and flung a fireball at the advancing menace. It exploded against the monster's face, and it roared in anger. But it didn't stop coming. The undead dragon reached out with its claw and slashed at the green-eyed warrior. The attack left four large gouges in Rua's breastplate and sent him sprawling onto his back. Rua pushed himself up slightly and froze. The Dracolich roared and reared up on its hind legs, ready to crash down on the young hero.
Jordan threw the bottle and screamed at Rua.
"Rua! THE BOTTLE!"
Rua saw something blue-colored fly through the air, towards the undead dragon's chest and instantly understood. He raised his hands and chanted for his Lightning spell. The contents of the bottle had built up friction and were just a second away from colliding with the monster's ribcage when the lightning bolt lanced out from Rua's outstretched hands.
The bolt and the bottle touched and struck together at the breastbone. The bottle glowed for a split second, and suddenly, fire erupted in all directions. The force of the blast rocked the nearby buildings, slammed Rua back into the ground, and sent Jordan flying back into the apothecary. The ribcage of the Dracolich shattered, one of the forearms was ripped off of the main body, and the undead dragon screamed in pain. The soul was there, glowing. Rua pulled himself up and leaped at the monster. His blade sliced through the soul, and it winked out of existence. Deep in Rua's mind, a draconic voice spoke.
Thank you.
Ziatoch glared coldly at the form of Rua Dragonheart as his blade sliced through the glowing soul of the imprisoned dragon. The soul instantly winked out and the body fell apart around Dragonheart, and as it did, he instantly felt the disappearance of the beast's presence in his mind.
"You may have won this battle, Dragonheart, but you will not win this war!" he cursed quietly.
The Master of Darkness already knew that the mercenaries and the city guard were decimating his legion of monsters. The boy had been lucky. Very lucky.
Could it be that he is the prophesized one, and not Kalia Dragonheart? He wondered, and instantly dismissed it.It couldn't be! This untrained boy couldn't possibly be the one. However, the possibility would not leave his mind. The brat had spoiled many of his plans over the past four years, and he always lived through his attacks. And if Rua really was the one, he had to be destroyed. Ziatoch wouldn't dare let his counterpart walk the world. He made his decision. It's up to them for now, he thought. They are two of my best. They won't fail.
He held his right hand out and snapped his fingers. With a flash of light, the Wings of Chaos had reappeared, and with a thought, he warped instantly out of the desert jewel of Lut Gholien.
It was morning, and already the people were going about repairing the damage to the city. Men were starting to rebuild walls, clearing the streets, and disposing of the bodies of the demons. The people did not want to go near the corpse of the Dracolich, however. Rua didn't blame them.
Rua wandered the streets, looking for Jordan and a caravan trader named Warriv. He knew the man made usual trips across the Barrier to the Western Kingdoms. And if the trader was going to go, he intended to go with him. Ziatoch only came to this wasteland to take care of a problem… Rua Dragonheart. But there were demons lurking in the Barrier, and after they found this Key, it would only be a matter of time before the Master of Darkness released them onto the unwary Kingdoms. It would be a massacre. He wouldn't have any of it! He swore he would destroy Ziatoch and avenge his sister. And he would. Nothing would stop him. Nothing.
With renewed vigor, Rua forced his way through the milling townspeople. Soon enough, a large man with a large sword strapped to his back materialized at his side. "Any idea what were going to do next?" Jordan asked.
"Yes. We're going into the Barrier and finding that key. And then we're going to find Deckard Cain. Maybe he knows something about these Keys."
"I hope you're right. You're going off to find some decrepit storyteller…"
"Shut up and help me find the caravans."
After several inquires, the two warriors found themselves headed to a small square devoid of buildings. Rua smiled as he saw that the square was filled with covered wagons. Jordan smiled as he saw potential booty to plunder. Suddenly, a high-pitched, squeaky voice erupted behind them.
"Ruuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaa!"
The two warriors turned around to see something small and pink fly towards them. It slowed down and stopped before them. It looked to be a small kitten… only it was covered in pink fur, and the tail was shaped like a lizard's. A fringe of brown fur ran down from the head to the tip of the tail, and small, pink-feathered wings were flapping to keep the strange creature aloft. Around its neck was a small yellow ribbon. It gazed at Rua with bright, yellow eyes.
Rua smiled as the creature fluttered over and perched on his left shoulder. He raised one arm and gently rubbed the creature's cheek. "Welcome back, Relayia."
"You still claiming you're a baby dragon, kiddo?" Jordan asked.
"I am an infant dragon, twit!" Relayia snapped at the bandit in her squeaky voice.
Relayia looked like a small flying cat, but she claimed to be the offspring of a dragon… a creature that had not been seen in Sanctuary for centuries. The creature had some magical talent, and was capable of breathing fire. Jordan could testify to that; he'd been on the receiving end enough times. She had a snappy, fiery personality, not at all like her best friend's, Rua. The two had met shortly after Kalia's murder, and they had been constant companions ever since.
"So what did you learn, Re?" the green-eyed warrior asked.
"Not much," she replied, "Kurast is tense, there's been fighting around the city and the docks, and nothing native."
"Kurast is always tense… has been since the Master of Darkness assaulted Travincal."
"Speaking of him, rumor says he tried to fry this place as well!"
Rua's face darkened, and Relayia easily saw.
"Oh. You fought him?"
"No," Jordan said, "But we kicked the asses of his monsters. There was a Dracolich."
At that moment, they passed by the corpse of the Dracolich as they made their way to the square, and the little dragonet shivered. She did not like Dracoliches, for more than one reason. Soon, they were at the foot of the square, at the largest of the wagons. A short, wide man in dull white clothing, an open tan coat, and a red turban was digging through the stuff in one side of the wagon. Relayia took off and perched on top of the wagon. Rua kicked one of the wheels, and the man looked out.
"Ah, Rua, my good friend! We meet again."
"So we do, Warriv. I take it that you're headed for the Kingdoms?"
"Now that you've broken the assault of Ziatoch, I am indeed. I do not know if the bandits at the checkpoint will let me keep half of my wares, however."
Jordan coughed, and Relayia glared at him from her perch.
"Me and my companions wish to go with you. We can provide protection to your caravan. There are demons hiding within the Barrier."
"So I've heard. You know you are welcome to my caravan at any time. I owe you and your sister, Heaven illumine her soul, much for your protection on earlier ventures."
Rua and Jordan purchased stout horses to make the journey, as well as supplies. The Barrier Mountains were dangerous, and not because of demons. Only the Dark Wanderer had ever managed to cross it on foot and lived. No one who followed the Light wielded as much power as the Lord of Terror's host, however. Soon they were off, on their way to the Barrier. Jehryn, the young sultan of the city, saw them off with good fortune.
Rua turned in his saddle as they began the trek across the desert, and gazed solemnly at Lut Gholien. He had been lucky to live, this time. Just as he had been so many times before after his sister's death. He felt that there was something in Lut Gholien, something important. Perhaps there was, perhaps not.
With a sigh of regret, he turned his gaze forward, towards the gray, forbidding peaks of the Barrier Mountains. Somewhere in there was an object of power that Ziatoch was searching for. Keys of some sort. Keys to what, exactly? What was the Master of Darkness searching for?