Daughter of Night - The weapons Faith use are like the Assassin's katars. However, the katars used by the Assassin are actually hand-held punching devices (though the claws also slash). You actually hold them by a cross-piece/handle (which is why there is always a two prong thing behind the blade and a piece of metal connecting the two prongs), sometimes braced against the back of the hand or the forearm by other sheets/strips of metal for slashing. Faith's weapons are fully retractable into the bracer and, when extended, firmly attached to the back of the hand, which means that she can theoretically use her hands for doing something else. I'd draw a picture to illustrate the difference, but I don't have a homepage to put it on. Just think of Wolverine's claws (from the X-Men comics, not the movie), crossed with an Assassin's katar. It *is* possible to create such a weapon in real life, but even modern materials are not strong enough to allow for constant usage, especially the extension mechanism.
Hopes this answers your question :)
PS. My main characters are Sorceresses and Assassins on D2:LoD
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Faith sat up, a scream still ringing in her ears.
"Are you alright?" She turned to look at the Rogue in the next bed. "You were screaming," the Rogue continued. She was a pretty girl, green-eyed, with her long red-brown hair tied back in a pony tail.
"Nothing," Faith replied. "Bad dream."
"Oh." There was an awkward silence. Then, the Rogue blurted out, "Thank you. For last night."
For the first time, Faith noticed the clean bandages on the Rogue's right shoulder, left arm and left leg. She dredged through her rather hazy memory and came up with a face. This was the Rogue that had burst into her tent. "No problem. It's my job." She tried to remember more, certain that there was something she was forgetting.
Akara and Kashya came through the tent entrance to find the Slayer staring at her hands. "Not again," Kashya muttered as Akara went over. "What happened?" she asked her soldier.
"I don't know. One minute we were talking and the next, she was like that," the Rogue replied.
"I killed another human," Faith whispered when Akara sat down on the bed next to her. "I-I-"
"You saved our lives, Faith," Akara. "If it had not been your intercession, we'd all be dead. I would be dead."
"So much blood. I killed another human, don't you see? That is not what I was Called to do! Oh, Gods. Buffy, I failed. I'm sorry. I failed." Faith wrapped herself up into a little ball and started rocking.
Kashya raised an eyebrow at the other Rogue. "I don't know. She mentioned that name in her sleep."
"Faith," Akara said.
"Just can't change. I'm sorry. Always be bad."
"What is wrong with her, Akara?" There was genuine concern in Kashya's voice. The Slayer had saved their lives and that was something she was not going to forget.
"I feel remorse, guilt. Something happened in the past that is affecting her like this. Faith," she called softly, stroking the Slayer's hair. "Faith, you did not kill a human."
Faith shook off her hand. "Don't lie to me! They were humans. Just like you and me!"
"They were NOT!" Kashya's shout startled everyone in the room. "They once were," she continued softly. "Our sisters. But when the Citadel fell, many of our sisters were corrupted by Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish. What was once a living breathing human was twisted into the husks your saw last night. That is the ultimate torment for us, to fight those we know, the very sisters we were sworn to protect. And Andariel knows this! Damn her." She stalked out of the tent, anger evident in every line of her body.
"It is true." Akara sighed. "The curse on our Sisterhood is deep and far more painful than any of us would ever admit."
"So, they weren't human?" Faith asked, hope blossoming within her.
"No. They may look human and act human, but their souls are twisted beyond recognition by Andariel's malice. Death is a release for them."
Faith was silent for a long time, trying to digest this information. "I have to go east. I have to stop Diablo," she said at last.
"And the only way east is through our Citadel." The two of them looked at each other. "I think it is time that you and Kashya have a talk. A real talk."
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"I am sorry. I cannot spare anyone right now," Kashya said. "With the attack last night, I have less than two dozen sisters capable of fighting. I know you are doing the best you can, Akara, but it is not enough. We have too many wounded. If we leave the camp undefended, they would be easy prey for Blood Raven and her undead minions."
"Wait a minute. I thought you said that the big bad is Andariel," Faith said.
"Blood Raven was once a Rogue Captain," Akara replied. "She fought against Diablo in Tristram before it was destroyed. When she returned, she was changed. We are now certain that she was corrupted then and may have been the one to help put this curse on our Sisterhood."
"She now openly fights on the side of Hell and spends her time plotting our destruction and raising the dead to add to our miseries," Kashya concluded.
"So, if we take her out, the threat to the camp is not so much, right?"
"Yes, but even our best scouts have failed to destroy her. She was once one of our best warriors and she still is."
"Where can I find her?" Faith asked.
"I am certain that she would be in the Burial Grounds," Akara replied. "It has been the resting place of generations of the Sisterhood. After last night, she would be in need of more troops."
"And where is that?"
Kashya told her but added, "I do not think it is a good idea for you to go alone, Faith. Blood Raven is most likely to be surrounded by her minions."
"And so she shall not." A man in gleaming platemail got up from his place beside the fire. He bowed to the group. "I have heard of your fighting prowess, my lady, and I would be honoured if you would allow me to join you in this quest. I am Leoric, of the Paladins of the Order of Westmarch, and am at your service." The two Rogues stared at him and he turned red. "I was named after the late King," he muttered.
Faith considered him carefully. He was a large man and surprisingly graceful in that heavy mail. That meant strength. But strength does not mean as much in a fight as more people think, particularly not this one. It was his face that swayed her. There was humour there, steadfastness and intelligence. The brown eyes looked at hers directly, neither avoiding her gaze, nor challenging it. "On one condition. Get rid of that tin can." She pointed at his armour. "It's too noisy and too visible. We can't fight them all the way there."
It was his turn to consider her. The armour was a part of him, as was his sword and shield. A paladin's armour is his strength, just as his sword fights for justice and his shield is the defender of truth. And this slip of a girl wants him to relinquish such a vital part of himself just before going into battle. She met his gaze and within them, he found his answer. She may be a slip of a girl, but there was pain in those eyes and grief and regret and loss. There was also determination and hope. *Strength is not an object to be polished and cherished.* "I accept, my lady." He extended his hand and was surprised at the strength of her grip.
"Call me Faith."
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"That must be Blood Raven," Leoric whispered as they watched the pale woman in red leathers and a spiked helm stand over the graves and started chanting in an eerie tongue.
"No kidding, Tin Can." Faith had taken up calling him that even after he had accepted a set of hard leather armour from the Rogue blacksmith.
"How do you want to do this?" the paladin asked, ignoring her jibe.
"Well, we could introduce ourselves… or we can just charge..." She said it flippantly and was totally unprepared for her companion's reaction. Leoric burst from concealment and literally charged into the graveyard. Faith rose and fired the heavy crossbow that she had borrowed from the blacksmith. Her aim was perfect, but Blood Raven's minions, alerted by Leoric's approach, got in the way. The heavy bolt shattered the skulls of three skeletons before embedding itself in Blood Raven's left arm. The Slayer dropped the crossbow and ran into the graveyard, but Leoric was far ahead of her. Unhampered now by his heavy platemail, his strength is even more apparent as he kept pace with the Slayer and leapt shield first into a large group of skeletons, bringing the whole lot down. He quickly rolled to his feet, leaving broken bones in his wake and charged another group of skeletons.
The paladin's attack had given Faith a straight opening to Blood Raven. The possessed Rogue saw her approach and brought her bow to bear. The first arrow missed the Slayer's head by scant inches. Faith skidded and dived to the side as the second arrow whistled in, fire trailing from its head. Blood Raven did not even seem to feel the crossbow bolt in her arm as she sent arrow after arrow at the Slayer, not hitting, but not letting Faith approach either. That was when the paladin's charge struck her from the back. Blood Raven's minions immediately surrounded the two, raining blows at the prone paladin. Faith leapt to the attack.
Leoric felt himself thrown to one side as the powerful form beneath him pushed herself to her knees. The landing sent eruptions of pain through him as his bruised and battered body protested at being abused that way. Groaning, he pushed himself up to a sitting position and gaped in awe. The slip of a girl was a whirlwind of destruction amidst the group of undead. Both bracer blades bared, she loped off arms, caved in skulls and removed heads in equal measure. Now and then, a skeleton was launched from the fray by a powerful kick to land, broken, amidst the defiled graves. By the time Blood Raven had gotten back to her feet and regained her bearings, there was only two skeletons left. But by the time the girl had finished off the pair, Blood Raven would have an arrow ready and at that range, she could not miss. His sword was out of reach, having fallen from his grip when he landed on Blood Raven. The paladin did the only thing he could think of. He tore the shield from his left arm and smashed it two-handed into Blood Raven's posterior with all his strength. The move sent Blood Raven crashing to the ground ten feet from where she stood, and, more importantly, it caused her to drop her bow. Seemingly unaffected by the blow, the ex-Rogue got back to her feet.
Faith was on her in a flash, the two beheaded skeletons falling to their final rest as she tackled Blood Raven. It was a battle of claw against claw, both fighters moving faster than the paladin thought was humanly possible. Still, Blood Raven was no match for the Slayer. She screamed when Faith punched her right blade right through her left kidney and out the other side in a spray of gore. Meeting the ex-Rogue's incredulous stare, Faith allowed herself to relax. But it was premature. Blood Raven gripped her by the neck and right arm and pushed her away hard. The move ripped the blade from her abdomen and sent Faith on an arc that ended with her head against a tombstone. Faith saw stars from the impact. The blades retracted back into the bracers. Rolling herself back on to her hands and knees, she shook her head to try and clear her head. Dimly, she became aware of Leoric shouting something. A booted foot caught her in the ribs and sent her against the tombstone again. Desperately, she tried to get up, only to have her intentions cut short by another vicious kick to the ribs. This time, she caught hold of the tombstone and came to rest half-leaning on it. She caught the flash of movement at the corner of her eye and heaved herself over the stone. There was a crunch of bone meeting hard unyielding stone and a scream of pain.
The Slayer glanced over the rim of the tombstone to see Blood Raven sitting on the ground with her back towards the tombstone, nursing a badly mangled foot. The pain of the latest wound was too much even for her demon possessed mind. Faith slid quietly around the stone. Grasping the helmeted head, Faith gave it a sharp twist before the ex-Rogue could react. The paladin could hear the muted sound of her neck snapping.
The effect of Blood Raven's death was immediate and spectacular. The body erupted into a blinding white light, causing Faith to drop it and back away. Bolts of lightning streaked from the body, crashing into tombstones, trees and humans alike. But unlike real lightning, these ones were harmless. As the light show faded, a white mist flowed from the body's mouth and nostrils. The mist formed a brief image of a woman before fading away. Faith could have sworn her saw a look of relief and a smile of thanks on the face.
"She is at peace at last," Leoric said. Faith noticed that he was limping and holding his right side. "Are you well?"
"Five by-" Faith winced. With the adrenalin receding, the kicks to her ribs were being to make themselves felt. The trauma pads on the flak vest may have spread the force to several times their original area of impact, but it did not stop it completely. "Well, maybe not." The paladin waited while she went to retrieve her crossbow, her ribs throbbing with every step. "I am so not looking forward to sneaking all the way back to camp."
Leoric pulled a folded piece of paper out of his belt pouch when a weary grin. "There is no need. I came prepared." He recited a few words from the paper, crushed it into a ball and tossed it into the ground. The instant it hit the ground, it burst into flames and a glowing oval of blue light appeared. "After you, my la- Faith."
Too tired and too sore to argue, Faith entered the light. A wave of nausea washed over her. She barely registered that she was back in the Rogue camp when she staggered out of the light, her knees buckling. Strong hands caught her as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. She remained there for a moment, clutching her stomach and trying not to heave. When she looked up again, there was a ring of concerned faces looking down at her. "Next time," she told Leoric through gritted teeth, "I'll walk."
Hopes this answers your question :)
PS. My main characters are Sorceresses and Assassins on D2:LoD
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Faith sat up, a scream still ringing in her ears.
"Are you alright?" She turned to look at the Rogue in the next bed. "You were screaming," the Rogue continued. She was a pretty girl, green-eyed, with her long red-brown hair tied back in a pony tail.
"Nothing," Faith replied. "Bad dream."
"Oh." There was an awkward silence. Then, the Rogue blurted out, "Thank you. For last night."
For the first time, Faith noticed the clean bandages on the Rogue's right shoulder, left arm and left leg. She dredged through her rather hazy memory and came up with a face. This was the Rogue that had burst into her tent. "No problem. It's my job." She tried to remember more, certain that there was something she was forgetting.
Akara and Kashya came through the tent entrance to find the Slayer staring at her hands. "Not again," Kashya muttered as Akara went over. "What happened?" she asked her soldier.
"I don't know. One minute we were talking and the next, she was like that," the Rogue replied.
"I killed another human," Faith whispered when Akara sat down on the bed next to her. "I-I-"
"You saved our lives, Faith," Akara. "If it had not been your intercession, we'd all be dead. I would be dead."
"So much blood. I killed another human, don't you see? That is not what I was Called to do! Oh, Gods. Buffy, I failed. I'm sorry. I failed." Faith wrapped herself up into a little ball and started rocking.
Kashya raised an eyebrow at the other Rogue. "I don't know. She mentioned that name in her sleep."
"Faith," Akara said.
"Just can't change. I'm sorry. Always be bad."
"What is wrong with her, Akara?" There was genuine concern in Kashya's voice. The Slayer had saved their lives and that was something she was not going to forget.
"I feel remorse, guilt. Something happened in the past that is affecting her like this. Faith," she called softly, stroking the Slayer's hair. "Faith, you did not kill a human."
Faith shook off her hand. "Don't lie to me! They were humans. Just like you and me!"
"They were NOT!" Kashya's shout startled everyone in the room. "They once were," she continued softly. "Our sisters. But when the Citadel fell, many of our sisters were corrupted by Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish. What was once a living breathing human was twisted into the husks your saw last night. That is the ultimate torment for us, to fight those we know, the very sisters we were sworn to protect. And Andariel knows this! Damn her." She stalked out of the tent, anger evident in every line of her body.
"It is true." Akara sighed. "The curse on our Sisterhood is deep and far more painful than any of us would ever admit."
"So, they weren't human?" Faith asked, hope blossoming within her.
"No. They may look human and act human, but their souls are twisted beyond recognition by Andariel's malice. Death is a release for them."
Faith was silent for a long time, trying to digest this information. "I have to go east. I have to stop Diablo," she said at last.
"And the only way east is through our Citadel." The two of them looked at each other. "I think it is time that you and Kashya have a talk. A real talk."
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"I am sorry. I cannot spare anyone right now," Kashya said. "With the attack last night, I have less than two dozen sisters capable of fighting. I know you are doing the best you can, Akara, but it is not enough. We have too many wounded. If we leave the camp undefended, they would be easy prey for Blood Raven and her undead minions."
"Wait a minute. I thought you said that the big bad is Andariel," Faith said.
"Blood Raven was once a Rogue Captain," Akara replied. "She fought against Diablo in Tristram before it was destroyed. When she returned, she was changed. We are now certain that she was corrupted then and may have been the one to help put this curse on our Sisterhood."
"She now openly fights on the side of Hell and spends her time plotting our destruction and raising the dead to add to our miseries," Kashya concluded.
"So, if we take her out, the threat to the camp is not so much, right?"
"Yes, but even our best scouts have failed to destroy her. She was once one of our best warriors and she still is."
"Where can I find her?" Faith asked.
"I am certain that she would be in the Burial Grounds," Akara replied. "It has been the resting place of generations of the Sisterhood. After last night, she would be in need of more troops."
"And where is that?"
Kashya told her but added, "I do not think it is a good idea for you to go alone, Faith. Blood Raven is most likely to be surrounded by her minions."
"And so she shall not." A man in gleaming platemail got up from his place beside the fire. He bowed to the group. "I have heard of your fighting prowess, my lady, and I would be honoured if you would allow me to join you in this quest. I am Leoric, of the Paladins of the Order of Westmarch, and am at your service." The two Rogues stared at him and he turned red. "I was named after the late King," he muttered.
Faith considered him carefully. He was a large man and surprisingly graceful in that heavy mail. That meant strength. But strength does not mean as much in a fight as more people think, particularly not this one. It was his face that swayed her. There was humour there, steadfastness and intelligence. The brown eyes looked at hers directly, neither avoiding her gaze, nor challenging it. "On one condition. Get rid of that tin can." She pointed at his armour. "It's too noisy and too visible. We can't fight them all the way there."
It was his turn to consider her. The armour was a part of him, as was his sword and shield. A paladin's armour is his strength, just as his sword fights for justice and his shield is the defender of truth. And this slip of a girl wants him to relinquish such a vital part of himself just before going into battle. She met his gaze and within them, he found his answer. She may be a slip of a girl, but there was pain in those eyes and grief and regret and loss. There was also determination and hope. *Strength is not an object to be polished and cherished.* "I accept, my lady." He extended his hand and was surprised at the strength of her grip.
"Call me Faith."
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"That must be Blood Raven," Leoric whispered as they watched the pale woman in red leathers and a spiked helm stand over the graves and started chanting in an eerie tongue.
"No kidding, Tin Can." Faith had taken up calling him that even after he had accepted a set of hard leather armour from the Rogue blacksmith.
"How do you want to do this?" the paladin asked, ignoring her jibe.
"Well, we could introduce ourselves… or we can just charge..." She said it flippantly and was totally unprepared for her companion's reaction. Leoric burst from concealment and literally charged into the graveyard. Faith rose and fired the heavy crossbow that she had borrowed from the blacksmith. Her aim was perfect, but Blood Raven's minions, alerted by Leoric's approach, got in the way. The heavy bolt shattered the skulls of three skeletons before embedding itself in Blood Raven's left arm. The Slayer dropped the crossbow and ran into the graveyard, but Leoric was far ahead of her. Unhampered now by his heavy platemail, his strength is even more apparent as he kept pace with the Slayer and leapt shield first into a large group of skeletons, bringing the whole lot down. He quickly rolled to his feet, leaving broken bones in his wake and charged another group of skeletons.
The paladin's attack had given Faith a straight opening to Blood Raven. The possessed Rogue saw her approach and brought her bow to bear. The first arrow missed the Slayer's head by scant inches. Faith skidded and dived to the side as the second arrow whistled in, fire trailing from its head. Blood Raven did not even seem to feel the crossbow bolt in her arm as she sent arrow after arrow at the Slayer, not hitting, but not letting Faith approach either. That was when the paladin's charge struck her from the back. Blood Raven's minions immediately surrounded the two, raining blows at the prone paladin. Faith leapt to the attack.
Leoric felt himself thrown to one side as the powerful form beneath him pushed herself to her knees. The landing sent eruptions of pain through him as his bruised and battered body protested at being abused that way. Groaning, he pushed himself up to a sitting position and gaped in awe. The slip of a girl was a whirlwind of destruction amidst the group of undead. Both bracer blades bared, she loped off arms, caved in skulls and removed heads in equal measure. Now and then, a skeleton was launched from the fray by a powerful kick to land, broken, amidst the defiled graves. By the time Blood Raven had gotten back to her feet and regained her bearings, there was only two skeletons left. But by the time the girl had finished off the pair, Blood Raven would have an arrow ready and at that range, she could not miss. His sword was out of reach, having fallen from his grip when he landed on Blood Raven. The paladin did the only thing he could think of. He tore the shield from his left arm and smashed it two-handed into Blood Raven's posterior with all his strength. The move sent Blood Raven crashing to the ground ten feet from where she stood, and, more importantly, it caused her to drop her bow. Seemingly unaffected by the blow, the ex-Rogue got back to her feet.
Faith was on her in a flash, the two beheaded skeletons falling to their final rest as she tackled Blood Raven. It was a battle of claw against claw, both fighters moving faster than the paladin thought was humanly possible. Still, Blood Raven was no match for the Slayer. She screamed when Faith punched her right blade right through her left kidney and out the other side in a spray of gore. Meeting the ex-Rogue's incredulous stare, Faith allowed herself to relax. But it was premature. Blood Raven gripped her by the neck and right arm and pushed her away hard. The move ripped the blade from her abdomen and sent Faith on an arc that ended with her head against a tombstone. Faith saw stars from the impact. The blades retracted back into the bracers. Rolling herself back on to her hands and knees, she shook her head to try and clear her head. Dimly, she became aware of Leoric shouting something. A booted foot caught her in the ribs and sent her against the tombstone again. Desperately, she tried to get up, only to have her intentions cut short by another vicious kick to the ribs. This time, she caught hold of the tombstone and came to rest half-leaning on it. She caught the flash of movement at the corner of her eye and heaved herself over the stone. There was a crunch of bone meeting hard unyielding stone and a scream of pain.
The Slayer glanced over the rim of the tombstone to see Blood Raven sitting on the ground with her back towards the tombstone, nursing a badly mangled foot. The pain of the latest wound was too much even for her demon possessed mind. Faith slid quietly around the stone. Grasping the helmeted head, Faith gave it a sharp twist before the ex-Rogue could react. The paladin could hear the muted sound of her neck snapping.
The effect of Blood Raven's death was immediate and spectacular. The body erupted into a blinding white light, causing Faith to drop it and back away. Bolts of lightning streaked from the body, crashing into tombstones, trees and humans alike. But unlike real lightning, these ones were harmless. As the light show faded, a white mist flowed from the body's mouth and nostrils. The mist formed a brief image of a woman before fading away. Faith could have sworn her saw a look of relief and a smile of thanks on the face.
"She is at peace at last," Leoric said. Faith noticed that he was limping and holding his right side. "Are you well?"
"Five by-" Faith winced. With the adrenalin receding, the kicks to her ribs were being to make themselves felt. The trauma pads on the flak vest may have spread the force to several times their original area of impact, but it did not stop it completely. "Well, maybe not." The paladin waited while she went to retrieve her crossbow, her ribs throbbing with every step. "I am so not looking forward to sneaking all the way back to camp."
Leoric pulled a folded piece of paper out of his belt pouch when a weary grin. "There is no need. I came prepared." He recited a few words from the paper, crushed it into a ball and tossed it into the ground. The instant it hit the ground, it burst into flames and a glowing oval of blue light appeared. "After you, my la- Faith."
Too tired and too sore to argue, Faith entered the light. A wave of nausea washed over her. She barely registered that she was back in the Rogue camp when she staggered out of the light, her knees buckling. Strong hands caught her as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. She remained there for a moment, clutching her stomach and trying not to heave. When she looked up again, there was a ring of concerned faces looking down at her. "Next time," she told Leoric through gritted teeth, "I'll walk."