Druid's POV:
The Rogue Encampment… A place filled with the will to survive, with life, and yet surrounded by the bitter scent of death and evil. As a Druid, I could hardly abandon the Rogues when they most needed help. I would not let them down, I would find this Den of Evil and purge it from its monsters.
Besides… I had heard the rumours. Of a Dark Wanderer spreading chaos as he went Eastward. Of the Evil that seemed to awaken at his mere presence. This matter needed to be investigated and I truly hoped to be the one to bring peace to these courageous women.
Akara had been kind enough to welcome me into her camp, and while Kashya's harsh words were not pleasant to hear, I understood them. She was a warrior, and would only recognize my valour after seeing me return victorious. Perhaps this Den of Evil would not be enough to show my worth, but I was confident that through time I would gain her respect.
My eyes narrowed as I calmly yet cautiously crossed the bridge over the tranquil river beneath me. As I entered into the Blood Moor, I could not prevent a disgusted expression run through my face at the strong, bitter and acrid scent of cadavers and supernatural beasts.
'So it begins…' I took a deep calming breath to chase the nausea, then continued my walk, my hand firmly twisted around my weapon.
'Hey, you!' a voice shouted from behind me.
I almost jumped, but managed to remain composed as I turned to face a rather young woman. While not recognizing her, the leather clothes she wore could hardly be mistaken for anything but a Rogue armour. Yet, I could see this one was from higher quality than the others. Did Kashya sent her to me? I didn't think so considering her rather cold introduction. Akara, then?
Hmm. Doubtful.
Nevertheless, I gave her a smile as pleasant as I could manage under the circumstances and asked her, 'What is it?'
'I am Elisa, and I am a Rogue. Let me accompany you, adventurer. With me, you shall be victorious.'
I inwardly sighed. I was not a man to foolishly presume a woman to be weak, though this one merely looked like a petulant teenager wishing to be brave by killing demons. She would more likely die than gift me with victory. 'I do not need your help, Elisa. You shouldn't endanger yourself for a stranger like me. Return to Kashya and to your Sisters, they need you more than I do.'
Elisa narrowed her eyes, her right hand clenching around her bow. Now that I gave it a closer look, it looked like a better bow than most of the Rogues had. Did she steal her equipment? If Akara truly had a soldier able to handle a powerful object like this one, she wouldn't ask for my help. At least I hoped not, because if it was true then I alone would probably fail at the quest of purging the Den.
'Fine, do as you please. Charsi was probably right: heroes these days are either too coward to face true Evil or arrogant to recognise it. I thought you would be different, but it is obvious that you aren't. Die in that pit alone like all my Sisters did before you, perhaps in Death you'll find the humility to admit that you were wrong to refuse help. Especially my help.'
I raised an eyebrow. I was arrogant? This was ridiculous. I didn't come here to hear the whines of a teenager with ego issues, but to help the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye to gain back their Monastery. I would go, alone, and purge this Den of Evil. It was foolish of me to even consider the possibility that a girl like her could even match my skills. She was probably even unable to use her bow and would end up in killing me if I ever chose to accept her help.
I contained my wrath to give her a small smile, and a mere 'Goodbye, then,' before starting my journey towards the Den.
'WAIT!' she screamed, effectively interrupting me from my walk. I turned to face her, a raised – and very annoyed – eyebrow greeting her.
'What?'
Elisa blinked at me, almost surprised I did indeed stop. She quickly regained her composure though, and almost snarled at me – in a way, as a Druid, that impressed even me – 'Are you truly that idiotic to go there alone?! I mean, many of my Sisters died there! Why do you think you'll do better than any of them?'
'I do not think so. But I hope I will be enough.'
I started to walk. I had better things to do than indulge her.
'You know, it's called the "Den of Evil" for a reason! It's dangerous to go there alone, you'll get killed! You're not the first adventurer to come to us, and as you see there aren't many outsiders in our camp! They all died or fled! And besides, even I, who went to Tristram along with others, think that this Den of Evil will be no easy task, all right? So tell me, how could you think that you are better than my entire Sisterhood?! We are warriors, not damsels in distress!'
She had a point there. If even a powerful order such as theirs was defenceless against this Den of Evil, how could I, a mere Druid, succeed where they failed? The answer remained mysterious to my eyes. And this Elisa… Well, arrogance could only be called so if one was exceeding the point of fact. If she truly had been at Tristram – which, as I've heard, had to face the threat of Diablo the Lord of Terror no less – then perhaps I should give her more credit than I previously did. I let my eyes narrow, thoughtful.
'If you are as powerful as you say you are, then why didn't Akara send you to this Den of Evil instead of an outsider like me?'
Elisa sighed, her shoulders falling in deceit as she whispered, her voice grim, 'When Andariel started to slaughter and corrupt our Order, she firstly attacked the Survivors of Tristram, starting with Moreina – or, as we call her these days, Blood Raven. She was one of the finest soldiers of our Sisterhood, and even Kashya could hardly win a fight against her. When we heard of what was happening in Tristram, Kashya sent her as the leader of a group – in which I was – to investigate the matter and help the townsfolk. Moreina, along with me and the others, killed Diablo. To revenge her Master, Andariel was particularly keen on murdering the members of our group. I am the last survivor, and I am saddened to admit that it is not by bravery or strength that I managed to remain so. In any case, because of that reason, Kashya is especially protective of me. She believes that Andariel would battle me more fiercely than any other hero we could send against her. So this is why Akara did not send me instead of you. But I find their worries to be futile. If nothing is done, it is only a matter of time before Andariel kills us all and we join her army. For that reason alone I found that disobedience was the only way to save my Order. You may disagree with me, stranger, but know that my determination knows no bound. Either alone or with you does not matter for I will go to that Den of Evil and vanquish the fiends lurking there. Now, let me rephrase my previous question. Will you accompany me?'
I was rendered speechless by her voice. Her eyes burned, screaming for vengeance, hurling for Andariel's head detached from her body. This spoke of a faith and a lust for blood that nothing would be able to interrupt. Not even me, and especially not reason. But… somehow, I wasn't worried for her. If she truly went to Tristram, then she was probably more qualified than me for this quest, and how could I deny her when I myself was going against better judgment to purge this Den of Evil? With her at my sides, I had better chances than without her. Now, I was sure of it. Nodding, I let her lead the way towards the cavern in which lurked the nightmares responsible for so many deaths.
Throughout our silent walk, we met some zombies and I was ashamed to admit that I had not the time to run towards them before she had already shot them with an arrow of hers. When we finally reached the dark cavern, it was with the heavy taste of death on my tongue and the acrid touch of fear in my heart that I slowly yet determinedly entered the Den. The fleeting light of a torch a few step away from me, the rotten odour of corpses and a dark, obscure buzzing greeted me.
'So, this is where Evil hides…'
My eyes fell upon the source of the sound: flies dancing around a corpse. A rogue… At least this one had not met the fate of joining Andariel, and her soul remained pure even in death. Elisa, behind me, respectfully walked towards the shape, fearlessly placing a comforting hand on the rogue's.
'You may now rest, Sister.'
I was humbled by the sight. Very few could keep their calm when facing death, the end of all lives. Elisa then took the rogue's armour – made in light leather – and then gave it to me, her eyes burning with the need for revenge as she said, 'Take it. It is not much, but I hope it will be enough to protect you down there.'
I accepted the gift and let the familiar touch and scent of leather envelop me. We then started to walk, along each other, killing zombies, fallens, gargantuan beasts and every single monster that crossed our path. During our journey I gained a few objects such as a small sword and a club. Elisa, on the other hand, found nothing to her taste. She seemed to be quite attached to her bow, and I could easily understand why as I saw her fiercely attacking the demons from the Den… I wondered if she thought of her time in Tristram as she held it.
Many times through our journey I almost died – a beast surprising me, the exhaustion preventing me to run, a fallen shaman expertly throwing a fire ball at me… It was a miracle that I made it. And now I understood what Elisa meant by the difficulty of this cavern, and I could very easily imagine how so many rogues could have died there. But through cooperation, strategy and communication, Elisa and I managed to bravely fight the demonic spawn, slaying as many as we could. The heavy scent of blood accompanied us, and my vision was often blurred by a dark, rich red coulour. The armour was uncomfortable – I had not exactly the thin body of most Rogues – and the fear of death plaguing our every thoughts did not ease our task. When we found a well though, it was with pure delight that I washed the blood from my skin, feeling lightened and better. Strengthened by the sight of the dozens of corpses around us, I raised once again from the water, helping Elisa to do so as well, before we nodded at each other and continued our quest.
In any case we made our way through that cave, barely alive at times, until we reached a zombie that reeked of power compared to the others. His blue skin spoke of danger and his empty eyes informed me of the fate that was to come if I lost this battle. Fortunately though Elisa was there along with me and as I forcefully smashed the monster's head using the club, her arrows prevented it from counter attacking immediately, thus giving me enough time to dodge his hands ready to catch me. The fight lasted for a few minutes. Any mistakes was deadly, and I painfully found that having my chest clawed by a zombie's cold hand was not a pleasant sensation. The snarl he gave at the sight of my blood made me shiver, and I started to attack him with all the strength I could manage, Elisa's arrows still rushing through the air before finally, he died in a grunt, his corpse loudly falling on the ground. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, and gave a small laugh of relief as I saw a pure light enter the cavern. It looked as if the disappearance of Evil was sufficient for bringing back the light. Our mission was done. Glancing at Elisa, I asked with a smile in my voice, 'Is that all of them?'
She nodded, 'It is. Now, we must return to the camp, and inform Akara of our victory. Knowing her, I believe she will have an interesting reward for you.'
'What about you?'
She smiled, taking a parchment in her hand before letting a pale blue oval appear next to her. 'I suspect I will meet only wrath at my disobedience. Kashya, especially, will be hard to convince of my vision of things. But I will take care of myself. Come now, your injuries should not wait.'
I glanced at her lightly scratched arm, and painfully raised my hand to point it while replying, 'Neither should yours.'
She laughed, shaking her head, and we both entered the portal.
Author's note:
Yeah, chapter II! In terms of writing, I'm already at chapter IV. I know this was close to the original game story in terms of events (aside, of course, of Elisa's presence), but rest assured that from chapter III things will start to be different.