Chapter III: Cowardice

Elisa's POV:

'Prince Aidan, he's about to strike!' Moreina shouted over the battlefield, her lean figure throwing spells and arrows at the monster before us. Aidan, as always, listened to her and dodged the trail of fire that would have killed him otherwise. The wizard accompanying us used varied enchantments in order to kill the demon responsible for this nightmare in Tristram.

I, on the other hand, found myself unable to breathe as I watched the battle. Yes, watched. When standing in front of the Lord of Terror, I could not even move a finger whilst Moreina, Aidan and all the others bravely fought. I was weak. How could this thing merely exist? Why couldn't I move? Why were my thoughts so fearful? How could I be expected to fight a thing such as this one?! I trembled when Diablo hurled throughout his prison.

I am going to die right here and now.

'Yes, we did it! We did it, Aidan!' Moreina shouted, her expression happy for the first time since we arrived at Tristram. Aidan sighed in relief, his armour appearing heavier on his shoulders, and everyone rejoiced in our victory.

Everyone, but I.

How could this be so easy…? How could we even win? This monster… this Evil… was clearly more powerful than any of us. How could he die so quickly? How could the Lord of Terror fall when facing a dozen of humans?! I was unable to believe it. We should have died, not just almost died. How could this happen?

I trembled as I faced the corpse of the monster, red spreading everywhere and I shivered as I saw it slowly transforming back into the Prince Albrecht, Aidan's brother. I felt sorrow and fear clutch at my heart whilst I stared at the bright stone on the Prince's forehead. What was the meaning of this…?

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to face Moreina's comforting smile. 'Why so thoughtful, Elisa? It's over, now. It's finally over, and we'll be able to go back to our Monastery and rejoice with our Sisters. They must be worried for us, by now.'

Didn't she feel that sensation of horror when standing near Albrecht? Was she unable to sense the demonic aura of the corpse?! What about the stone? What was the meaning of this?! How could she even think this was over?

'The essence of Diablo still remains in my brother, Moreina. It is not over, not until we destroy it,' Aidan grimly said, a mourning expression crawling on his face whilst he observed the cadaver of his younger brother and last member of his family. He walked towards it, and placed his gloved hand on Albrecht's forehead, thoughtful, before taking the stone from his brother, staring at its sharp edge.

'How will we destroy it?' I wondered, fearful of the very strong possibility that we could be unable to do so. 'We should bring it to Deckard Cain,' I eventually suggested. 'He will know what to make of it. Or Griswold, perhaps his hammer will be strong enough to shatter it. Now that I think of it, Adria may have some potion that could do the trick.'

Aidan sighed, shaking his head, a strange light in his eye as he whispered, 'No, it won't be enough… Nothing here will be. We must find a way to keep the stone protected… from any exterior influence.'

I frowned. Shouldn't we try, at the very least? We were not informed of the stone's nature, and rushing things could prove to eventually be destructive. I had a bad feeling about this, about keeping the stone "protected"… a very bad feeling. But I didn't dare to speak it, fearful of Moreina's reaction. I was just a member of her group, and while I survived unlike so many others, it was certainly not because of my strength or my bravery in battle. Aidan, on the other hand, was a Prince – almost a King, considering his Father's current situation – and he was the bravest and the strongest of us. He surely was the best to decide what to make of the stone, but still… I had a bad feeling about this.

But… it could be just the exhaustion from… the fight. From all these horrors. It could be just… an impression, something not… rational. It could be… nothing, right? After all, Moreina herself had said that it was over. I ought to keep my suspicions to myself, I needn't bother them with those, they were just… suspicions that belonged to a darker time. Nothing substantial.

During my musings, I had not seen Aidan suddenly pierce his forehead to let the stone enter him. However, I heard his scream, shattering the restored silence of the corrupted Cathedral.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAA-'

'-AAAAAAH!' I shouted, rousing from the uncomfortable mat I had. I blinked, my surroundings still blurry to me. I saw both the grim shadows of the Cathedral and the comforting tent of our camp. Suddenly, I heard the distinctive sound of steps on the ground and panicked. What would it be? A Fallen? No, the steps were too loud… A Goat Man, ready to rip me open? I saw a light moving closer and trembled as I caught my bow, ready to defend myself against whatever monster lurked out there. I could hear my heart loudly beating in my chest, pumping blood, and I inwardly thanked my body for not shaking in fear. Trembling when using a bow wasn't a good idea.

I took an arrow, gulping while the light came closer to the thin veil of tissue of the tent. I would be ready for this. I would not die, not in this nightmarish Labyrinth. I would not die.

A gloved hand sharply opened the tent, and I shook in fear when my eyes met a cold stare. Partially blinded by the light of a torch, I blinked thrice before being able to see anything aside of these eyes observing me, and a few seconds were necessary before my ears could understand anything aside of a low rumbling and my heartbeats.

'Akara and I are ready to discuss your fate, Elisa. Come with me.'

I frowned when hearing Kashya's voice. What was she doing here, in the Labyrinth, when she was supposed to be within the Monast-

Oh, right. Andariel. Moreina. The loss of our home. The heroes always failing. Kashya's refusal of letting me go out. The Druid. And, of course, my disobedience. I suddenly did not know what to feel between relief and anxiety. Could both coexist? Perhaps they could, in a situation as weird as mine.

When my new companion and I had come back, he was greeted as a hero, while I was sent to my tent, with the order to wait until someone would come for me. This someone seemed to be Kashya…

'Get up, Elisa, I would like to sleep tonight and I would already have been had it be not for your foolish bravery. Now, follow me.'

Kashya stepped back and left the tent, leaving me alone. I glanced at my bow, my hand clutching around it, before I slowly released it and went to follow the Commander of the Rogues until we reached Akara's tent.

Our leader was, as always, slowly pacing in front of it, her hands joined in a thoughtful gesture. She seemed calm, a soothing presence in this nightmare that followed me from Tristram's Cathedral. When she saw us arrive, Kashya radiating wrath and me unable to look at her directly, she opened her hands in welcome, and silently ordered us to sit inside of her tent. We did so, remaining next to each other in front of the High Priestess.

I appreciated Akara. Her words were always full of wisdom and she often had an ancient scroll of parchment, or a potion bubbling inside a fuming cauldron nearby. Besides, I could not count the number of times she saved one of our Sisters from death's grip. Without her, this battle against the Maiden of Anguish would have probably been already lost. I anxiously smiled to her.

She returned the gesture, though it was colder than usual. Akara knew to be kind but she could equally be harsh when necessary. She was our leader, and had a great burden on her shoulders. I could understand why she wouldn't be happy at the sight of my disobedience. But it had been necessary. My journey into the Den of Evil proved to me that this Druid would have died the minute he entered that dark pit had I not been there to assist him.

'So,' Akara's ancient voice calmly said, 'Kashya informed me she saw you and the outsider coming back together from the Den of Evil. Is it true?'

I appreciated Akara's attempt at giving me the chance to defend myself. Knowing Kashya, and considering her current state – her right foot repeatedly tapping the ground, her hands clenched around her thighs, her deadly gaze firing me – my Commander would not have been so kind to me.

But still, I could deny the facts, 'It is. I went to the Den with the Druid.'

'How could you?!' Kashya shouted. She stood up, ignoring Akara's request to settle down, before starting to pace in the tent. 'You could have died out there! Died! Do you remember how many of our Sisters lost their lives there?! Do you remember? And with an outsider of all people! What if he had abandoned you in the middle of a fight because he was too coward to protect you?! What if he had ended up in being another minion of Andariel coming to us in the disguise of a hero?! I had ordered you to remain at the camp, one single order from me, and of course you just had to disobey, hadn't you?!'

She looked ready to strangle me, her eyes furious, her voice filled with poison. Her armour jingled as she moved, her heavy boots continuously beating the dirt on the ground, the grass under her feat suffering the fate she undoubtedly wished to inflict upon me.

'Now, now, Kashya, you are scaring the poor child. Sit down, and let us discuss this matter in a peaceful way, there is no need to-'

'No need to what, Akara?! You may be our leader, but I am the one responsible for the lives of my soldiers! And how can I protect them when they start disobeying and taking unnecessary risks? How am I supposed to do anything when they go against my orders?! She could have died there, this is no simple matter!'

Akara sighed, shaking her head at Kashya's stubbornness before facing me, her gaze appearing more gentle when compared to my Commander's murderous stare. She lightly smiled at me before softly saying, 'Elisa, you surely had a reason for disobeying Kashya's orders. Could you explain to us your motives, perhaps?'

I nodded, clearing my throat before carefully saying, my gaze often diverting to Kashya in order to assess her reaction to my words, 'I… I am sick of letting our Sisters die in the wilderness while doing nothing here at the camp. I am not useful in anything, I only am a nuisance here. And… I am the last survivor of Tristram's heroes, as fas as I know. Among us, I am probably the best warrior, aside of Kashya of course. And because I risk Andariel's corruption I should just… stay here? But I can't stay here while my Sisters are dying, especially when I know that I am one of our most useful soldiers. So this is why I disobeyed. Because I knew that, even alone, and especially with someone as the Druid to aid me, I would be able to cleanse the Den. And look: I succeeded, alive, and barely injured. I suppose that now I can even take care of Moreina my-'

'Blood Raven. And you will not! She has corrupted all of our Sisters, and if she sees you she'll try her best to have you as well! Letting you go there means losing you to Andariel, and I cannot fathom how this could help us in any way, Elisa,' Kashya interrupted me, her proud self looking down at me with anger.

Akara sighed once again, probably annoyed by Kashya's behaviour. She crossed her legs, and smiled at the Commander of the Rogues, softly suggesting, 'Kashya, Elisa may have made a mistake in disobeying, though in the end she did help us by emptying the Den. Without her, Raik may not ha-'

'Raik?'

Akara took a deep breath in, obviously trying to remain calm at Kashya's rude behaviour, and explained, 'Raik is the Druid.'

'You call him by his name, now? By the end of the week, should I expect you to try to make him an honorary member of our Order? He is an outsider, how can you involve him in matters only regarding our Sisterhood?!'

Akara raised her hand, and sharply told Kashya, 'My dear Sister, I can understand your anger and your protectiveness regarding Elisa, but I beg of you to not let your sentiments obscure your judgment. Let me finish what I intended to say. Without our Elisa, Raik may not have succeeded in his quest. And he did come back in a worse state than her. I think this is a sign that we ought to consider. Maybe we misjudged the current situation. If Elisa is the heroine we were in so desperate need of, then it is our duty to help her achieve victory. And personal feelings mustn't get in the way of our decision. Kashya, you know I am right.'

The Rogue fell silent for a few moments, drumming her gloved fingers against her arm. During these instants, I shivered inwardly. What would she decide? I knew Akara would only defend me to a certain point. Would Kashya decide to throw me out of the Order? Would I have to leave them to this nightmare, knowing they would die without me?

The sight of my companions from Tristram bravely fighting Diablo while I had remained motionless a few steps away came back to me. I was a coward. I had always been. Terror had been my greatest enemy, even before this monstrous Cathedral. If I was still alive, most of the time it was because I had learned to hide, learned to dodge and to run away from the battlefield. How many times did I see a Sister bravely die under a demon's weapon while all I did was flee as far away as I could? Their voices screaming for revenge still haunted me every night. What if I had not ran away? What if instead I had stood there, a proud lean figure next to my Sister's shooting arrows to the relentless undead monsters of that place? Perhaps they would have survived. Perhaps I would have been the one to bravely die. Perhaps we would have both died. I would never know. Moreina, while still among us, had been quite… uneasy as to how she ought to react regarding my behaviour. Whilst she always comforted me, trying to ease my guilt with kind words, I knew she thought me coward. I knew she thought me unfit for combat. And I had also noticed the way my place in strategies never was crucial, so that if the whim of fleeing ever took me, my loss would not impact too importantly the others. In the end, I did survive, though. And while I could remain here, safely protected in the camp while it remains standing, well… how could I do this to Charsi, Kashya, Akara, and all the others who are doing their best in this quest against Evil? The answer was simple: I couldn't. Not after Tristram. Not after the proofs of my cowardice…

Like this time when I did not speak up against Aidan's opinion regarding the stone. If the rumours were accurate, then Aidan was now most probably being corrupted by Diablo, and it was because of the Lord of Terror's return that Andariel attacked us. If all of this was true, then I was the indirect cause of my Sisters' lament.

And I would not be the silent cause of their End.

Standing up, surprising both Kashya and Akara, I calmly but determinedly said, 'Kashya, I am the best of your soldiers. And we all know that our chances of winning this war against Anguish are diminishing with every Rogue that Blood Raven resurrects. Until now, all adventurers that came to us have proven themselves to be unfit for this mission. Our first and only success has been achieved today, by both me and Raik the Druid. Kashya, as Sisters of our Order, we both have sworn to protect the gateway to the East at any cost – even with our lives if necessary. I am ready to accomplish my duty and in our current situation, my life only matters if I success. If I fail, then I will only be one more meaningless soldier added to Andariel's army – and considering her current number of corrupted Rogues in her ranks, I dare say it would not change a thing in our fight. I am ready to take all the risks necessary to kill this monster who dared chase us from our ancestral home, our Monastery. And I am the only one currently fit for killing Blood Raven. None of our Sisters could be able to do so, and you know this.'

Kashya observed me carefully, her eyes judging my words. While I might have appeared confident, I was inwardly trembling in fear. Aside of Akara – who was our leader – not a single Rogue dared question Kashya's position. She was the strongest, bravest and some may even say the best member of our Order, and that statement was only made truer by Moreina's corruption. But Kashya could be wrong and I believed she currently was.

Eventually, my Commander said with a hint of a smile in her voice, 'Tristram changed you, Elisa. I had not seen to what extent until now… You speak like Moreina would have, before all of this. Perhaps Akara is right, and you are the heroine we were in need of. In any case, I'd rather know our fate was in your hands, than an outsider's. Fine, you may go out and chase Blood Raven to bring to her troubled spirit the peaceful rest of death. But you should not do so alone, so I allow you to take with you one of our Sisters.'

I shook my head, grimly smiling, 'In Tristram's dungeon, there is one thing I learned. Our diversity was a key to our success. Without Aidan, the monsters would have reached us far too easily, and without the sorcerer Jazreth we would have most assuredly died as well. This is why I won't unnecessarily endanger one of our Sisters by asking them to accompany me.'

Akara frowned, softly acquiescing in a thoughtful gesture, but Kashya immediately replied, 'I refuse to let you go out alone! Believing in your chances of success is one thing, but sending you alone means sending you to death. Of that, I remain sure. And you can only trust our fellow Sisters – and even then, Andariel proved to us that some of our closest friends could become great enemies in death.'

'What about Raik? I saw him fight in the Den of Evil, and I know he is trustworthy.'

I saw by the way Kashya took a sharp intake of breath that she would immediately refuse, though Akara seemed to have foreseen this as well, since she kindly smiled and said in her ancient voice, 'This is a great idea, Elisa. Now, we should all rest, tomorrow will be a harsh day for all of us. I bid you goodnight, my Sisters. May your sleep be restful… we will all be needing it.'

Kashya sighed, recognising Akara's point, and left the tent after giving us a sharp nod. I smiled at Akara, and thanked her for her precious help.

'You need not thank me, Elisa. I either saved us all or condemned you tonight. You are in charge of a great responsibility now, one of a kind I would not wish for anyone. May the Great Eye watch over you… I can only hope Its protection will suffice.'

Me too, I thought as I left after wishing her goodnight. When I crossed the bonfire, I saw Warriv sitting on a log of wood. However, unlike so many other nights, this time he was with Raik, whose long ginger hair reminded me for a brief instant of Moreina, and me. I smiled at the sight, and went to see them before telling Raik, 'You did well, today. Tomorrow we shall head to the Cold Plains, in which we will find the Burial Grounds. There, we will vanquish Blood Raven.'

For a moment, I thought a frightened expression would slowly gain the Druid's face. I would not have been surprised, I myself was quite scared at the idea of fighting the heroine who used to be both a mentor and a friend to me, never mind the fact that Blood Raven remained as powerful as she had been in Tristram. But the only thing that the Druid found to say was a mere, 'Planting the dead… How odd.'

Warriv and I both laughed, and Raik joined us a few moments after that. In a way, at that moment, I was happy… even though the dread of knowing it would be short-lived never quite left my heart.

Author's note:

So, in terms of chapters, I've almost finished the fourth one. It's going to mainly consist in Blood Raven and Elisa's fight! I hope you've liked this chapter, and see you next week!