Chapter 13

Fan-Huang's eyes fluttered open as a throbbing pain bothered the back of his head. He recalled being assaulted and dragged. What he didn't really understand was how he got to wherever he was. He looked around the room. It was well-cared for and quite quaint. He assumed it was one of the upper rooms of the Slaughtered Calf Inn.

The window was dark and covered in cascading raindrops. It was still raining. The fireplace opposite the bed he was lying in was burning comfortably and his clothing was all drying out in front of it. It caused him a bit of concern, so he quickly looked underneath the sheets and found he was wearing some trousers that he was unfamiliar with. Someone must have loaned him a pair while his dried.

Sitting in a cushy chair by the fire was Fan-Min. She was reading a book. It looked like an old tome of some sort. She was also in new garb while hers dried. She looked like a typical villager. He assumed he looked like that too, except he didn't have any shoes or a shirt. "What are you reading?"

She looked up at her older brother. He expected some snarky comment about how he was defeated by villagers or some complaint that he slowed her down, but he didn't receive anything like that. She looked back down at the old tome in her lap. "Nothing of importance." She began. "Just the writings of that man, Deckard Cain, that they're so upset over." She shrugged with a humorless giggle. "It's about Carrion Bats. Apparently he was some sort of demonologist or zoologist. I'm not sure if I should be impressed by the level of detail or disturbed by the obvious obsession."

"Sounds like he must have been a smart man."

"Or just old."

"You can be both."

"You can be just old." She stood up and walked over to her brother. "Let me take a look." He sat up and she placed gentle hands on the back of his head. "You'll be fine, but it was definitely a heavy hit. A bit surprising from a villager, huh?" She laughed a bit.

"I guess." Fan-Huang shrugged as she let his head fall back carefully against the pillows. "He was pretty big."

"I guess." She smiled a sympathetic smile. "You know I wasn't going to let them kill you." She said with her eyes locked onto his. "I was watching."

"Then why'd you let them take me?"

"I was going to follow them to the source of the brainwashing. I assume there's another demon with his or her eyes on this town. You're not just an ordinary villager. You're a Renegade Wizard, though of meager power, still a wizard." She sat on the bed by her brother. "I figured the demon in charge would have wanted to see you. Maybe try to control you too. I'd just follow you to him and take care of it all in one day."

"Smart." Fan-Huang heard himself say, though he was a bit hurt that she would use him as bait.

"I know your feelings are probably hurt. You're a pathetically emotional man and don't always think rationally." She said straight-faced. "So, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. And I am sorry for the injury to your head." He could tell she was being sincere and that it was difficult for her. "But I'll do it again if the opportunity arises."

"I don't doubt that."

"Then you know me well." She laughed quietly. "If only that Demon Hunter had stayed out of things." She complained. "We'd be fighting a demon right now and saving a town."

"Can't be helped, I guess."

"At least we can assume she's not our enemy." Fan-Min gestured with her hands carelessly in the air. "Otherwise she would have just let you die."

"She?" Fan-Huang asked. "That person carried me like I was nothing. It had to have been a man."

"You are like nothing." She explained. "It was a woman. Trust me." She sat back down. "Anyway, you're head's gonna' hurt today and your mind will probably be groggy. Try to get some rest." She started reading her book again. "I'll be right here to protect you."

"You just don't want to get wet in the rain." Fan-Huang said through a grin.

"Then you know me well."

The day went by drearily as the rain pattered against the roof and window and the sun was cut off by the clouds. Fan-Huang rested in bed the entirety of the day at the order of his sister. She read and brought food to him before the night came.

"Get some sleep." She instructed him. "Tomorrow we're back out there."

"That's fine." He agreed. "These people need us."

"We need to get Li-Ming's attention." Fan-Min insisted. "That's not going to happen sleeping in some grungy inn."

Fan-Huang scooted over in the bed. "You should get some sleep too."

"You better not snore." She insisted before sharing the bed with her brother. "Don't worry." She joked. "If any other villagers come to get you tonight, I'll protect you."

"Funny…"

As the night went on, Fan-Huang tossed and turned as nightmares haunted his slumber. In his nightmare, a very large and intimidating man stood before him. He must have been nearly nine feet tall and stronger looking than Kazur. His eyes were a terrifying yellow and his voice a deep rumble. He had nothing clothing him and a small fairy-like creature sitting upon his broad shoulder. Despite his human appearance, Fan-Huang knew this was no human. He was a demon.

The man spoke to him in his dream. "Wizard." The one word seemed to echo within Fan-Huang's very body. "Consider this mercy." In his dream, Huang stood motionless as this large man addressed him. They stood atop the peak of a mountain that was resting just above an opaque wall of mist just below them. He had no idea where he was, but he didn't worry over it. His attention was locked on the demon before him.

"Mercy?" The wizard asked.

The large man laughed deeply. "I am Avator." He spoke with pride. "I am the terror that will be the undoing of this village. I shall decimate that which Diablo himself could not. I will wipe the name Tristram from the map, a feat not even the Prime Evils could accomplish." He spoke with bitterness in his voice. "I'm a practical man." He admitted. "I know you and your company hold great arcane power." He chuckled a bit to himself. "Nothing that I can't handle, but it would be an unneeded inconvenience to have to deal with you." He looked Fan-Huang in the eyes and the gaze was so intense, Fan-Huang had to look away. "If you don't wish to die, leave in the morning and cause me no trouble. If you stay, you will either fall under my domination or you will die. Either way, you will be lost."

"Why do you despise Tristram so?" Fan-Huang's voice was trembling. This was the first time he'd faced real evil. All other creatures he had encountered, as limited as that number was, were nothing more than demonic beasts that acted as nothing more than dangerous animals. Avator was different. He was more like the Lords of Hell. He had intelligence. He had purpose. He was truly dangerous and entirely evil. Fan-Huang could feel that.

"I despise all humans." Avator started. "But this town has unfortunately tasted the presence of Diablo and lived to tell about it. Yet, even in his repeated failures, he remains a Prime Evil, and I, in my repeated victories and accomplishments, remain unmentioned within the Chaos Sanctuary." He explained. "I cannot stand for this. By accomplishing that which Diablo himself could not, I will earn my title as a Lord of Hell."

"Why do-" The wizard was suddenly cut off.

"Enough!" Avator yelled, his voice shaking the mountain peak. "I have no need to explain anything more to you. Be grateful for the mercy I've shown you and leave." He said threateningly. "The next time we see each other will be your death."

Fan-Huang and Fan-Min both shot up in bed. Huang was soaked from head to toe in sweat. "Gross!" Fan-Min complained as she climbed out of bed, a flare of anger and eagerness in her eyes. "I just had an interesting dream." She stated casually.

Fan-Huang got out of bed, holding his trousers up with his hand since they were clearly from someone of a larger stature than him. "Me too." He explained. "I saw a man, a demon, by the name of Avator." Fan-Min listened, but seemed unsurprised. "He spoke to me on top of a mountain. He said he was going to destroy this town and we should leave to avoid death." Fan-Huang sighed deeply. "He was pretty strong looking. I was scared. To think that the forces of Hell have as powerful demons as him."

Fan-Min laughed. "He scared you?" She asked mockingly. "There was nothing scary about him." She spoke proudly. "I had the same dream, a vision really, and we also were on the mountain. He told me to leave and I told him to flee back to whatever slime-filled hole he crawled out of or he'd suffer my wrath." She spoke as if this was typical conversation. Fan-Huang figured, for her, such haughty threats were pretty typical. "He tried to make a move on me to make a point, so I killed him."

"You killed him?"

"Of course. He was a demon. He deserved it."

"So he's dead?"

"No, idiot." She explained. "I killed him in a dream. He's still out there for real."

"So what do we do?"

"I think we should pursue Li-Ming. We should catch up with her and help her fight against the Lords of Hell." Fan-Min suggested eagerly.

"Avator said he'd destroy the town!" Fan-Huang argued. "We need to stay and protect them."

"Why?"

"So they don't die!"

"They're not our responsibility!" She complained "We don't owe them anything more than the payment we already gave them for this room."

"You really don't care if they die?"

"I don't want them to die, but no, it won't hurt me if this town is wiped off the map."

"That's cruel."

"It's realistic." She countered. "We can't be everywhere to protect everyone. It's unrealistic to make the lives of every human our responsibility."

Fan-Huang knew he was getting no where with this. "Why don't we stay and defeat Avator. He seemed like a pretty powerful demon." He explained. "Don't you think that we could go through with my plan and catch her attention?"

"I'm not sure." Fan-Min admitted. "Who knows if she even knows that Avator exists."

"If he's as big a deal as he says he is, then she'll know."

Fan-Min sighed. "This better work, brother." She warned. "Or I'm going to be mad."

"I can't guarantee anything." Huang told her. "But I do know that we have no idea where Li-Ming is or where she is going. We have better luck drawing her attention."

"I know, I know." Fan-Min brushed his long spiel off. "You already said this once."

"And I thought we were on the same page."

"A girl can change her mind."

"Are we together on this?"

A few seconds went by as she clearly thought to herself. Finally she nodded and spoke. "Yes. We're together. Even though I know I'll be doing all the work."