It was a week later that the reports of the library finally became available. Various heroes were able to go in and fully clean out what was there with the powerful Nephalem taking out the strongest demons that inhabited it. Willis was finally able to start showing his promising talent by taking on the daunting restoration in front of him. His father even optioned to help, if it was truly needed. Even Xavian's father offered to help with any glass restoration, too. Tyrael was grateful for all the help he could get. There was a lot of work to be done.
All of the mortal angels were still alive, too. As much as Mitherael was untrusted at the time, his strength was needed to help lift and pull things when needed. The new men had no idea of how much work it was. And how tiring it quickly became. When one wanted to complain, Ilerael was quick to glare at the complainer to silently remind him of whose decision it was to remove their precious wings. They learned quickly to cope and work with their fates.
Anaurael was allowed very short visits to see Tyrael. Most of the time, he was either too busy or too exhausted to do anything with her. He did have her help him with mild things, but he couldn't give her the support she needed. Even Imperius was busy bringing in new angels into the fold with the Lightsong. They needed to restore their angelic ranks. By the time he was done, he only had the strength to hold her to his core. His Song wasn't as intense as it needed to be for her, but he did what he could. When she started to feel a touch neglected, Malthael and Izarius were able to help her cope.
"They all have duties," Izarius would remind her.
"Enjoy your relaxation while you can..." Malthael would chuckle softly.
"Relaxation to me is being able to train and fight," she growled. "I can do neither now."
"Your mind isn't focused on training," Izarius sighed, as he hugged her. "But, the Horadric library is being restored. I'm sure that Tyrael will call for you."
"Only to send me back here to keep me away from the angels that want me for naught," she muttered. Her mood was starting to get bitter. She was getting moodier from the pregnancy her soul was bearing. On thinking about it, Malthael realized what it was. He went to Imperius.
"Hmm?" the powerful Archangel asked at his invisible presence to the others. He was overseeing the troops again. New angels were born and needed to be trained. It was something he couldn't ignore.
"Anaurael is getting...bitter. Resentful. She is restless. Tyrael has been busy in Sanctuary. You are busy here. She is...feeling slighted..." Malthael sighed.
"I cannot leave my troops unattended for too long," Imperius muttered.
"Should she seek the comfort of Itherael?" he now asked. At that, Imperius turned to glare hard at him. "She is not allowed to be on Sanctuary. Her mother can only be here for so long, too. Izarius can only do so much. As her other brothers do the same. I try to assist her...but she really needs you again."
"The troops lack in their training. She was fine with this before."
"She is bearing Anu's champion. Or have you forgotten?" Malthael cautioned. "Her body is changing. Your offspring within her soul is growing at a staggering rate. It is taxing her. She needs your company. You tell me when she is to expect you, and I will inform her to keep her sated."
"How bad is she?"
"She is withdrawing into herself," Malthael said. Imperius paused at this. That was alarming.
"Titherius! I have a matter to attend to! Keep them training!" Imperius ordered. His lieutenant nodded, and Imperius teleported away swiftly. When he appeared in her chamber, he saw her staring out an open window at the vast expanse of the city. At the way she was hugging herself in her sleek gown of gold silk, she seemed to be shivering with a slight form of pain. That disturbed him even more. Izarius seemed to give a glance of relief at him when he saw him move to her side.
She felt him move up behind her and rest his warm hands on her shoulders. She seemed to slump a bit, and she swallowed as she kept shivering. When he looked down, he saw why she was shivering. She had gotten severely ill just a moment ago from the stress of the pregnancy. There were traces of it on the ledge from where she had just barely made it. It had weakened her.
"I was going to get you," Izarius said. "Who told you to come here?"
"Malthael did. When did she purge?" he asked and lifted her into his arms.
"A moment before you appeared. I was able to let her rinse her mouth, but she refused me to help her any further. She really did miss you," Izarius said lightly.
"You have troops to train..." she mumbled.
"They are fine. You are not," Imperius said, as he held her. "Quite a few new angels were born. I had to train them. They are doing well enough. I will go back to training them when Tyrael is able to see you again. Our ranks are stable for now. Have you eaten?"
"I did...but I lost it..." she winced. She wanted to be bitter, but it was hard for her to be just that with him. Just as she did for him, such moods never appeared when they were together. He pressed his thumb to her mark and thought. He felt her suffering. It was time to end all of that. Squeezing her gently, he looked over at Izarius.
"Set up a table of nourishment in my sanctum. While I am with her, see what Tyrael is planning. I need to know what he intends to do soon. Contact me through her, if needed," he ordered. "And have Darius, or another, clean up around that ledge."
"Yes, Imperius," Izarius nodded. A table was set up and carefully stocked with what she needed. Imperius had her resting easily on one of his larger shoulder pauldrons. Right after they were alone, and his sanctum was sealed up, Imperius had her remove her gown. Then he was quick to pull her close.
"I have been lacking to you," he muttered softly, as his core came forth to hover with her.
"You had duties..." she shivered. Then she cried out when his Song fully assaulted her.
"You are now my primary duty," he said gently. Now that she was getting the attention she desperately needed, Izarius was free to go to Sanctuary to check on Tyrael.
"Pull that statue back up! Don't let go of the rope!" Tyrael instructed the men working on the lift. He was trying to get a massive hand-carved pillar to stand tall again. Willis was able to fix the base to let it stand upright after so much neglect. When Izarius appeared, he got on one side of the statue and lifted it easily to help them. It cut down their work in half. Tyrael chuckled and nodded to him. "Thank you."
"Of course. Imperius wanted me to see how you were. Anaurael is with him. Finally," he sighed. "He had been training the troops so much lately..."
"As I have been busy here," Tyrael said with understanding.
"She was feeling slighted..." Malthael said when he appeared for Tyrael to see. "She had gotten severely ill before he could comfort her."
"Is she fine now?" Tyrael asked with concern.
"She is with him. She will recover quickly," Malthael nodded. "I stressed to him to get back to her. She...gets lonely now. She needs the physical comfort. As much as I assist with the mental...it no longer has much effect if the physical is denied for so long. I think it was when I suggest for Itherael to help her that she was seen to. Imperius...didn't like that..."
"That was not something you should have done," Tyrael glowered. "That was foolish."
"It was either irk him back to her side, or watch her continue to suffer. What would you have done?" Malthael countered easily. "He will be sending her to you when he is able."
"Good. There is something that I did want to show her. I remembered it after cleaning up one of the rooms. I know she will like it," he said. "It was another reason why I was so busy, too. I had to clear the paths to it in order to find it. Even then, I still forget exactly where it is. I've been searching for this particular room."
"Oh? What place is this?" Izarius asked. Tyrael chuckled and gestured for him to follow. He didn't want to reveal what he remembered to just anyone for now. Malthael was also quite curious. At the sight of the Nephalem walking through the library to ensure everything was dead, he purposely let his energy brush against the powerful champion.
"The Hell was that?!" the Nephalem growled at the chills felt.
"Malthael, that was uncalled for!" Tyrael scowled out.
"Malthael?! He's here?!" the Nephalem tensed.
"As a ghost. He is able to reveal himself to me, but he's still linked to Anaurael's mind. Just ignore him. He was only letting me know of her health. She had gotten incredibly ill from the pregnancy that Imperius gave her. She's recovering with him," he explained.
"I can see him, as my energy is locked within my sister's mind, too. He's standing behind you," Izarius said. "Malthael, do not upset Anaurael. If she learns what you did..."
"I shall relent..." Malthael muttered. He stalked around the Nephalem carefully and smirked. Since he wasn't an invisible manifestation, he couldn't be seen by those with the sight, or with Horadric spectacles. He was considered a true ghost. Tyrael shook his head.
"I apologize for his actions. He still feels resentment towards you for killing his physical form. Those thoughts shall be curbed as of now. Right?" Tyrael warned his meddling spirit brother.
"Agreed..." Malthael sighed.
"Remember, Malthael. You are not the only one that can contact Anaurael in her mind," Tyrael warned once more. "Control yourself."
"And, he doesn't have to tell her, either," Izarius added his warning. Malthael seemed to scowl, but he nodded all the same. When Lyndon was seen chasing Gurzick, the Greed Goblin moved to stand behind Tyrael and flip him off.
"That was mine! I found it first!" Lyndon said.
"No! I find first!" Gurzick said back.
"What was found?" Tyrael asked.
"This," Gurzick said and handed over a gold Horadric necklace of diamonds and rubies. The large symbol of the Horadrim was plainly seen at the base in the form of its familiar figure eight. It was set with an impressive amber sliver in the top part, too. The rest of the necklace appeared to be set with beaded diamonds and rubies in a single strand, from what he could tell. Tyrael recognized it easily.
"This is a ritual necklace. It's needed to open certain doors. In fact, I think it's needed to open the place I remember, too. Thank you for bringing it back to me, Gurzick," Tyrael nodded. Lyndon only gaped. "And, what would you have done if you found this?"
"I would have...shown you what I found!" Lyndon smiled.
"Lies!" Gurzick snapped and flipped him off again.
"I saw the symbol on the pendant. As much as I would have kept it, I figured it was too important to keep," Greed said from the crown. "I am having my goblins scour through my treasures to see if any other symbols are found. What I do find, I shall give to you."
"You are willingly giving back what you took?" Tyrael blinked.
"What I found," Greed corrected. "It is for the girl. That is why."
"We did have a treasure chamber here. It would be nice to find it again. I would be willing to do an item swap, too. For each item you give back, you can take an item of equal value from the chamber. As long as it is not important, of course," Tyrael nodded. "That would be fair."
"I accept your offer," Greed nodded. Lyndon was pouting over everything. "Oh, look. The poor human feels left out. But, to be fair, he did spot the treasure. I saw the symbol. So, in a sense, he found it, but Gurzick got to it first to keep his filthy hands off it."
"I told you I found it first!" Lyndon grumbled.
"You saw it first," Greed chuckled. Tyrael called for Lorath and explained the situation. His Horadric brother was relieved that the necklace was found, but now he was concerned.
"Tyrael, if this necklace opens various places here, I don't think I want it lying around," Lorath said with complete concern. "It should be guarded."
"I know exactly who will guard this," Tyrael smiled. "I think it will make her feel important that she will be helping me and aiding me in exploring this place."
"Ah! Yes. That will work," Malthael agreed. "But...remember. New doors may hide new secrets. And new secrets may have new guardians."
"I know," Tyrael nodded. "Malthael made a point. Anaurael can hold the necklace, but, for each new place that opens, she can't fight whatever appears. Her pregnancy would be at stake. Anyways, Lyndon, follow Lorath. You will be given an item to compensate for the necklace."
"I'll take what I can get," Lyndon nodded. "And...Malthael?!"
"He's a ghost. He can't hurt you. He just offers advice," Izarius said.
"And causes trouble," Tyrael seemed to grunt. Lorath could only agree, but he walked up to Izarius to whisper for the powerful angel's help in the removal of some heavy debris. Izarius quickly agreed to see what he could do. It was mainly for the safety of his sister, so he wanted to ensure that any issues were resolved. Malthael would easily keep Izarius informed of what was going on, and he played the silent sentry for the time being. Now that that was over with, Tyrael studied the necklace in his large hand. It was delicate, but covered with grime. It needed to be cleaned. Shen had just set up his wares from his wagon when he walked over. "Shen, I need you to clean something for me."
"Oh?" the aged man asked and studied the necklace. "Such fascinating jewels! And such delicate beadwork! This is definitely, ah, a form of master craftsmanship. Yes...hmm...oh! One is cracked! The poor thing! See the ruby there? It's chipped. I, ah, can fix it, though!"
"Please do. The necklace is important. And powerful," Tyrael nodded.
"Ah...eh, heh, it won't be cheap, though..." Shen said with a small smile. "Such things are..."
"Not a problem," Greed snickered from Gurzick's crown. At the sight of a whole roasted suckling pig complete with garnishes and side dishes with a bottle of spiced wine, the deal was sealed.
"I wonder if Anaurael had something like that," Tyrael mused. "The wine may not be good for her, but the rest may do wonders for her."
"When she comes here, I will have the same meal ready with a different drink," Greed promised. Tyrael chuckled and nodded with understanding. The one thing that Tyrael appreciated about the food trades with Shen was that it kept the meddling merchant out of their food stores.
"I do have a main concern. I'm not sure if you can help me," Tyrael sighed and sat down in a chair to wait for the necklace. Greed had Gurzick hop over with rapt attention. "With so many recruits, our food stocks are going to be cut short. I'm not sure what we can do about it. Granted, we do get supplies and provisions. Even donations. But, with all the traveling that needs to be done..."
"Show me what you already have. If you trade me items for this, I will see what I can do," Greed said calmly. "I can go with, oh, a pound of food for one item. Deal?"
"I can do that," Tyrael nodded. "I wouldn't request anything for free."
"Unlike that nosy thief!" Greed grumbled. "Can you do a favor for me? I'll even owe you a favor in return. It would help me out and provide me with mild entertainment."
"What would that be?" Tyrael asked with a small smile. When Gurzick vanished and reappeared with a gold crossbow, Tyrael coughed down the laugh that tried to escape him.
"Put this in a trap somewhere. Somewhere that the nosy human can't ever reach! And, should he reach it, then, yes, he will have earned it. But, I want that one to work for it," Greed said.
"I do have a place in mind. However, the necklace needs to unlock the place first," he said. "Anaurael can help me with that. She may even agree to what you want to do."
"Hmm..." Greed thought and got Shen's attention. "How much longer on that?"
"Oh, not much longer..." Shen said casually. He was actually eating instead of cleaning the important jewelry. Greed didn't like that at all.
"I need that fixed. If you don't fix it, you will find yourself eating dirt," Greed growled. "That treasure is needed! Now!"
"Oh? What's so important about it?" Shen asked smugly.
"Fix it now, and I'll include a dessert..." Greed seemed to chuckle. He knew the true way to get Shen's complete attention.
"What kind?!" Shen asked with delight.
"Depends on how fast you fix it," Greed said with a giggle. Tyrael found himself laughing. Izarius was back after some mild construction work and filled in on what he missed. Malthael was still playing the silent sentry, but he was mildly amused with Greed. Then he had an idea.
"Greed...can he cast illusions?" Malthael asked.
"I'll ask. Greed, can you set up illusions?" Tyrael asked.
"Hmm? I could. Why? Who asks?" Greed asked now.
"Malthael. He has an idea," Tyrael said.
"That I do. For the golden weapon. Have an illusion of it in plain sight. But...make the weapon ordinary. And malfunctioning if picked up..." the ghostly apparition snickered softly.
"Ah..." Tyrael blinked and started laughing. "Greed. He says to make an illusion of that crossbow to cover a broken one."
"That's even better!" Greed gasped with complete, wicked delight. "Oh! I can leave them all over! It may give him doubts when he sees the real one, too..."
"I think that's the idea," Izarius chuckled. Several minutes later, Shen produced a fixed, cleaned up, and sparkling necklace. Greed made good on his promise with a thick chocolate cake with rich frosting set down next to the half-eaten dinner. Now that Shen was able to concentrate on his meal, Tyrael rose up to test the necklace, and he paused in thought. It had to be charged first. The symbol needed to glow. There was some power in it to open a few doors, but nowhere near the full charge it had in the past.
"There is an altar here that I need to find. It's also in the same area that I want Anaurael to see. The moment she gets here, she can help me charge the necklace. Until then, I will keep this with me," Tyrael said. A felt pouch was acquired, and he put the necklace in it carefully. Now with his goal in mind, he would be giving Anaurael his undivided attention the moment she appeared.