Chapter VII: The Rescue

Raik's POV:

We had fled. After Elisa's capture, we had escaped and abandoned the camp, by using the town portal. When arriving in the Stony Field, Akara led us to the portal that Elisa and I had opened to save Cain. The ruins of Tristram, for now cleansed of Evil, provided the best shelter we could have. There, while the Sun slowly rose, I was helping the Rogues to make this devastated village a decent living place. That meant giving a roof to the few houses and bringing the stones that had fallen due to the fire to another place where they wouldn't burden us. It also meant burying the corpses of the few townsfolk that had perished. Even though as a Druid I was not accustomed to this burying thing, I still felt uneasy as I dug a boy's grave that could not be over thirteen.

Then, when what was necessary had been done, I ignored Gheed's protests at his lost caravan and the survivors' fearful comments to walk to Akara's new home which used to be, according to Cain, the Healer's place. There, I also found Kashya and the Horadrim, all sitting on a table not entirely burnt.

'We need to rescue Elisa!' I immediately said, my voice sharp with determination.

They all looked at me, a sad look in their eyes. Kashya was the first one to answer, 'No, we won't. I am not sending my soldiers to their death. Besides, let us hope she is already dead. Because if she's not, then… the next time we'll see her, we'll probably have to fight her.'

Akara's shoulders fell, and her calm voice filled the empty home, 'Even I agree with her, Raik. I understand why you would like to save her, but it is not something we can afford in our current situation. I fear that Elisa is on her own, for now… However, I will contact a few people who may decide to help us. I'll send letters to Lut Gholein, the Barbarians from Mount Arreat and the Kingdom of Westmarch. We will need all the help we can get if we want to vanquish Andariel… Raik, if you know anyone from your homeland who would agree to help us, now is the time to call them.'

'But by the time they reach Tristram, Elisa will be dead!'

The two Rogues nodded. Kashya even added, 'It is a necessary sacrifice. And even if I sent all my scouts to save her… well, you saw the outcome of our combat against a part of Andariel's army. We are powerless against her. However, for now we have the advantage. Andariel probably thinks we are already vanquished, since we lost our champion. She won't expect a retaliation from a bigger army made of my Rogues and anyone else who will agree to help us. Also, if Lut Gholein decides to join us, then Andariel will have to battle us on two sides, which will weaken her. Finally, she does not know where we're hiding, and this place's only access is the portal, thanks to the walls and the river. It will be easier to defend.'

I frowned. 'And harder to escape.'

Akara calmly said, 'An outcome that will hopefully never come to pass. In any case, you should see Charsi, Raik. I believe she has already found Griswold's tools and intends to continue to repair your equipment. May the Great Eye watch over you, my friend.'

Recognising the dismissal for what it was, I left the home, wrath swelling in my heart. Sitting near the dry fountain, I saw Cain join me. He did not join me in my sulking, however he did speak to me. 'If you truly want to rescue Elisa, and do so at any cost, then I believe I may have a plan.'

I frowned. What kind of plans could he have? Still… 'Tell me more about it.'

He kindly smiled, and nodded, 'All right. Even though you are now too weak to vanquish Andariel or her most powerful minions directly, I believe you may be powerful enough to make it safely to Elisa. Or, at least, if you have a guide.'

'And who would be willing to help me? No one here would.'

Cain chuckled, 'No one, except me. I have seen many times the Monastery, and even though my memory of it is not perfect, I believe it will be enough for our purpose.'

'You? No. Cain, I do not wish to upset you, though let me remind you that this quest will be dangerous, and-'

'I know. But I think that, while Akara and Kashya's efforts are great, they won't be enough to vanquish Andariel. To capture a Prime Evil alone, it required the best efforts of the entire Order of the Horadrim. And they had knowledge, and skills, that are now long forgotten to mankind. No army will be enough against her. Adding to that, she has powerful minions, and intelligent ones as well, like Blood Raven who understands human strategies. No, I think… I think that only a true hero can save us. And I saw that hero in Elisa. We need to rescue her, or all hope will be lost.'

I nodded. I could understand his point. I, too, had felt… something when facing Elisa. She was not a common warrior, or your usual rogue. No, she was greater than that. But "saving the world" was not why I wanted to rescue her. I wanted to do so because she was my friend, and letting her die under Andariel's grip was not a fate I wanted for her. And, even though it wasn't the justification Cain brought to me, I suspected that he, too, had similar motives.

'All right. And I suppose that you have a plan to make us quickly escape?'

Cain nodded, and took from his tunic a scroll of town portal. I frowned. These would lead us to the Rogue encampment, which was now…

Oh. Unless he had these before being rescued, which thus means they would lead us back here.

'Now, go to see Charsi in order to repair your equipment… I'll wait here.'

I quickly went to see the blacksmith, who greeted me with her usual happy face, even though it was quite tainted by grief. From what I had seen, Elisa and Charsi were rather close… But Charsi would not mourn much longer: I would bring Elisa back!

When she gave me back my equipment, I went to see Cain. Together, after checking that nobody was seeing us, we went inside the red portal that led us to the Cairn Stones. A small walk, barely interrupted by a group of Fallens, brought us to the portal. The Horadrim stood upon it, and teleported us to a dark place. I could barely see in front of me, even though a small torch stood a few feet away from me.

The elder started to speak in a conversational tone, 'These are the Catacombs, at the heart of the Monastery. It used to be a place of peace, where one could seek refuge. Now… I fear that corruption may have tainted its walls forever.'

I slowly nodded. I, too, could smell the scent of death. And I knew its trail would bring me to Andariel and, hopefully, Elisa. Turning to face the Horadrim, I whispered, 'Where shall we go first?'

Cain sighed, thoughtful. 'Andariel is most probably… enthusiastic at the perspective of being able to play with Tristram's heroine. This will mean that our friend will logically be kept near the Maiden of Anguish, which can thus only lead us to one place… the Monastery's lowest level.'

I sighed, understanding slowly coming to me. If I failed this rescue, it would logically lead to Cain and Elisa's death. Mine too, when I thought about it. I glanced at Cain, wondering if I ought to let the man travel with me. He was old, and clearly unfit for combat. Perhaps I should just ask him to give me a map of some sorts.

Cain seemed to misunderstood my silence for doubt since he said, 'If you have any second thoughts, now is the time to voice them, Raik.'

'I have been ready to give up my life for the Light the moment I came to the Rogues. Saving Elisa is the only way I can contribute to this conflict. And you?'

The Horadrim smiled, 'I have spent many years studying the old tales, speaking of heroes long forgotten. I also met a few in Tristram… And even though I myself will never be like them, I know that wisdom alone will never be quite enough to save lives. I am old, and of little use aside of the knowledge that I acquired throughout the years. Rescuing an old friend is only one way of using it. Let me lead the way, Druid.'

I was truly amazed. I had not expected the old Horadrim, who had to use a staff to merely walk, would be so determined to save Elisa. Cain was not only a man of wisdom, he also was a man of faith. Though he may not worship any deities, his beliefs were rather regarding concepts and the people representing them. The combination between the rational side of Deckard Cain and his almost naïve faith in good made him a rather interesting person that I was honoured to meet.

While he slowly walked towards our goal, I went besides him, already transforming into a werewolf in case we saw an enemy. I dared not summon my beasts though, since we needed to be as discreet as possible.

Surprisingly enough, thanks to Cain's knowledge of the Monastery, we met very few monsters. Slaying them proved to be almost impossible, especially without Elisa, but I eventually managed by summoning as many companions as I could. Cain also helped me by casting a few Horadric enchantments over me, even though he was of little help when facing a fiend himself: he only seemed to be able to use his staff to push away the enemies.

We arrived soon enough in front of the last level's entry, covered in blood and sweat. Staring at the dark stairs, I gulped. I wondered if I would see Elisa alive. And if when I did so she would still be herself.

'Let's do it,' I told Cain.

We entered the Catacombs' fifth level, a feeling of dread clenching our hearts. When we arrived, I saw the same darkness than in the fourth level, the same stony walls, the same rotten air. However, something was different. Something that was shaking my entire body.

Anguish was near.

We walked even more carefully than before, each step we made feeling like a bet of some sorts. A bet on life and death in which each win only served to cruelly remind us that the next step we made could very well be our last. I glanced at Cain, and whispered, 'You should ready the town portal scroll.'

The Horadrim nodded, and took from his tunic a parchment. We walked together, silent. There, we met very few demons, and my heart was pounding in my chest as I attacked them, each sound seeming even louder than the last. I feared that Andariel would be informed of our arrival, I feared that this was a trap, I feared that if there were so few monsters it just meant that Elisa was dead.

When we eventually arrived in front of the largest door that I had ever seen, Cain and I exchanged a look. This room would be the room in which remained Andariel.

Doubt suddenly entered me, 'What if Elisa is kept somewhere else?' I asked.

The Horadrim looked saddened whilst he replied, 'Then our mission will have failed. But we cannot afford to explore the Catacombs. You haven't the required strength and I do not think that Elisa will survive long enough. Again, Raik, if you have any second thou-'

'No. Let's do it.'

We both took a deep breath in as I slowly opened the door, the creaking sound produced ruining any intention we had of being unnoticed. Entering, alongside with the old Horadrim, seeking any monster left in the room, I trembled when seeing the throne made of bones.

The empty throne.

Fear and anger battled in me as I ran throughout the room, finding nothing but dust, a pool of blood, and a few objects left here by the demons that were in this room.

'Why…?' I cried when I finally accepted the mere fact that Elisa was not here. 'Why?!' Glancing at the throne, which undoubtedly belonged to Andariel, I shouted once more, 'Why?!'

Cain, behind me, seemed startled too. The scroll still in his hands, he slowly walked towards the pool of blood. 'Andariel seems to have… left.'

I snarled, and transformed into a werewolf to forcefully smash the throne, reducing it into a pile of bones. I was angry, I was blind with rage and I was even more scared for Elisa. Where was she? And why did the Maiden of Anguish leave just after capturing her?!

I howled in desperation, unable to stand still as I ran throughout the room, ignoring the gold coins remaining on the ground to rather pitifully search for my friend. This could not be happening. It was impossible. She had to be there, somewhere!

'Raik, you should calm down. Anger will not help Elisa.'

It took me a few seconds to understand what Cain meant. I eventually stopped snarling and growling and let my animal instincts fade away as I transformed back into my human form. Glancing at the Horadrim, feeling my eyes becoming more humid with each passing second, I eventually cried, 'What are we going to do, Cain? Where is she? Where?!'

Cain deeply sighed, and calmly observed the place. 'I can only think of one place, Raik. If Andariel left with Elisa, then I can only think of one place she would go to. Or rather, only one person.'

I trembled, fearing the worst, 'Who?'

Grieving eyes met mine. 'Diablo himself.'

I shivered, unable to do anything else as I understood that all hope was lost. Rescuing Elisa by quickly opening a portal to avoid Andariel's attacks seemed dangerous but doable. However, saving her from the threat of the Lord of Terror seemed… impossible.

'What can we do?'

Cain sighed, 'If we are lucky, then Diablo did not inform Andariel of his plan's details which would mean that Andariel would have no more idea than us as to where the Lord of Terror is or goes. This would mean that we still have a chance of finding her, and finding Elisa.'

'But will we find her alive?'

The Horadrim determinedly nodded, a convinced glint appearing in his eyes as he confidently said, 'Were we to succeed, we would find her alive and untouched. If Andariel has decided to offer Elisa as a gift to Diablo, then she won't damage her. Giving a broken toy to the Lord of Terror would be seen as a mockery Andariel cannot afford to display. If we find Andariel before she finds Diablo, then we still have a chance of saving Elisa.'

I nodded. 'All right. But what about the Rogues? We cannot abandon them.'

'We can and unfortunately we have to if saving Elisa remains our primary objective. Akara has good connections with many other nations, such as Westmarch or the Barbarians and Kashya will be able to manage the situation until they arrive. Without Andariel on these grounds, they will be able to gain back their home.'

I sighed, understanding Cain's point. Still, though. Abandoning the Rogues in Tristram's ruins seemed quite unfair… But on the other hand, I could not even imagine letting Elisa die. Glancing at Cain, I eventually said, 'Let's say you are right. I cannot abandon my private stash – which is still in the Rogue Encampment – and without Warriv's caravan I can hardly see us travel through the desert.'

'Travelling won't be an issue. I can easily transport us with a portal to nearly any place you can think of. Regarding your stash, however… I fear that you will have to abandon it. The Rogue Encampment has probably become a dangerous place.'

'No, I can't. And besides, I also need to go back to Tristram at least once: when Elisa was captured, she'd dropped her bow and I took it to Tristram with us. If we find her alive, I want to be able to give her back her precious weapon.'

Cain sighed, but still agreed. When we arrived in the small village, I took Elisa's bow and explained the new situation to Kashya and Akara. While they both looked sad to see that our rescue attempt failed, they were still happy to learn that their Monastery was freed of Andariel's dark presence.

When I informed them that Cain and I were going to the East in order to find Elisa, Akara asked me to come with her. Following her into what used to be the Healer's home, I saw her point several potions for me. However, they were not usual potions. They were…

'Rejuvenation potions… I found them here, untouched by the fire. I was intending to use them for my Sisters, but… I sense that you may need them more than our Order. Your quest will not be easy, Raik, and on the behalf of the entire Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, I thank you for your determination to save one of our members. You will always be a friend to us, even if you end up failing. Take these potions, and do not hesitate to come back for anything you might need.'

I nodded, thankful. Akara patted my shoulder in a warm gesture before letting me take the dozen of rejuvenation potions. I left the Healer's home and was going to see Cain in order to leave when I heard a sharp voice interrupt me, 'Stranger, wait!'

I stopped moving, turning to face Kashya who was walking with her usual proud stance. When she arrived in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest, I saw her eyes glare at me. 'When I saw you arrive, thinking yourself to be a hero that would save us, I truly despised you. And when Elisa asked to have you as a partner for her adventures, I only saw it as an addition to her numerous acts of rebellions.'

She paused, her glare keeping me motionless. What was she expecting of me? Not knowing what to say, I eventually tried, 'I… am sorry if I caused you any trouble?'

She scoffed, shaking her head, 'No, you are not. But…' Kashya sighed, and her eyes softened, 'Your determination to save my Sister is admirable. I… may have misjudged you, stranger. You have the spirit of a true hero. I sincerely hope that you will find Elisa, and in order to help you, Charsi has agreed to accompany you.'

I frowned, 'Won't you need her?'

Kashya softly smiled, a rare sight, 'Akara and I have decided to wait for Westmarch's soldiers to arrive in order to fight back for our Monastery. We won't need her talents right now. And as soon as we get the Horadric Malus, we will ask Warriv to give it to her. Charsi has always dreamed to see the outside world, and she is truly happy to help you in order to find Elisa.'

I nodded. 'All right… And thank you, Kashya.'

The Rogue Commander raised a surprised eyebrow before going back to her duties. Walking towards what used to be the blacksmith's shop, I saw Charsi take her hammers and tools with her. She greeted me with a grin, and said, 'I hope that wherever we're going I'll find good tools, since most of my equipment was lost when we fled the camp.'

'I am sure you will find something.'

She nodded, obviously happy, and finished packing before going to see Cain. I was going to join them when I saw a lean figure stand next to me. Covered in rich clothes, the man gave me a small smile before saying, pointing at the blacksmith, 'So… I've heard you, the Horadrim and Charsi are going… to the East?'

I nodded, 'Yes, we are. We're going to find Elisa, and kill Andariel and possibly even Diablo.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, good for you, go to these ridiculously dangerous quests on your own, all right? But… would it be possible to travel with you?'

I frowned. 'And who are you, exactly?'

The man grinned, revealing shining teeth, 'I am Gheed, young hero, the best merchant you will ever find in this forsaken place. And… I think we could become great friends, you and I. After all, I was a friend to… Lyra as well!'

My eyes narrowed. 'Her name is Elisa.'

Gheed scoffed, 'If you say so. Anyway, I have been dreaming to leave this place to go to Lut Gholein. And I think it might be just the place you are seeking, am I right? Also, I know Lut Gholein better than anyone else and let me tell you this: without an ally inside the Jewel of the Desert, they'll make a beggar out of you within an hour.'

'And why would you want to help me, exactly?'

The greedy merchant chuckled, 'Because I think we could become great friends, you and I!'

I raised a doubtful eyebrow, 'Hmm. I think it is more likely that you would be the one to "make a beggar out of me within an hour". But still, I allow you to accompany us. After all, why would I forbid you leaving a village where you are safe in order to go to a city where at least two Great Evils are hiding?'

I sweetly smiled when I saw the man's face suddenly pale. He gulped, and nervously laughed, 'Yes… my thoughts exactly!'

Author's note:

Ah, Gheed. I love this character. In any case, I hoped you like this chapter. In the next one, you're going to see Elisa and Andariel ;)

Also, thanks to anyone who put this story in their favourite and/or followed list ^^