Anaurael was in her chamber when the goblin sentry guarding her mirror appeared to escort her and Izarius into it. He had been waiting on the opposite side to ensure that none could try to get through. It worked far more effectively. If any tried to get through an unguarded mirror, they would be quickly running back from the large, hulking figure ready to stick a large spear into them.
"Is her room ready?" Greed asked.
"Yes! Lots of sparklies and soft stuff," a goblin beamed.
"Good. Food stuff, too?" he asked. At the stern nod, he seemed to grunt and moved down the spindly path from his main treasure vault room. Several portals were here for him to move through, and each one could lead to other locations to safeguard Anaurael in full. The portals could even drop someone back onto Sanctuary in a fully random location. Only he, and other goblins, would know where to go. As long as they played out as being the guides, then all would be well. However, only Greed and Gurzick had direct portal access to Anaurael's new chamber. They didn't need the portal maze.
Her room here was what he now considered the heart of his realm. Any important artifacts, other than the Soulstones, were placed here. There were weapons and armors that he was finding that were far more ancient than the ones he knew. That meant they held more power. He was planning on letting her decide on something that would work best for her.
He did have a few unique dresses set aside for her, though. It would give her something to do, and they would work quite well for her pregnancies. Once he knew that everything was good, he sent the signal to let Anaurael appear in his realm.
"I am still able to sense all from your mind," Malthael said gently. "The moment all is clear, I shall let Izarius know when to bring you back."
"Okay," she nodded. Imperius was incredibly tense. Anything about Diablo always put him on edge. She had clung to him before he let her go with Izarius.
"I will not slip," he vowed to her. "If I do..."
"Just...do not doubt me..." she frowned.
"I could never doubt you!" he grounded out and kissed her hard. "Stay safe with Izarius. We'll have this done as quickly as we can."
"I will," she nodded. "And...if I do feel you slipping...I may be able to let my mind reach yours. I'll do all I can to help you."
"You do that," he nodded, squeezed her again and gave her over carefully to Izarius. He watched her walk through the mirror in her bedroom, and he trembled with complete worry.
"DON'T WORRY, SIRE. SHE WILL BE FINE," Anarius said confidently.
"I know she will be. Anyways, I need to see this through," he said and teleported to the Angiris Council chamber to wait with the others. Anarius followed shortly after.
"Child! So good to see you," Greed greeted her with a small chuckle. "Come this way."
"I'm not leaving your side," Izarius vowed and picked her up to carry her. She only nodded and pressed into him. "We should have brought Mal with us. I hope he'll be all right."
"You're right. We need him with us in case I need to feed him," Anaurael said. They both looked down at Gurzick. He was able to get Mal for them, and Anaurael soon had him cradled in her arms with relief. "Thank you, Gurzick."
"I have a cradle installed for him. Come now," Greed gestured to them. As they walked through his vault, Izarius noticed that Anaurael was pressing more and more into him. She could sense the other Soulstones. It was disturbing her greatly.
"Greed, we need to speed this up!" Izarius growled. "She can sense the stones!"
At this, Greed snapped his fingers to make a portal for them. Once they walked through and found themselves in a well-lighted room, she showed a lot of relief on her face. She was set down in a gilded gold rocking chair, and Mal was gently settled in a nearby cradle. There were tables heaped with various foods and drink. A plush bed was settled along one side, and Izarius was already straightening out the sheets and organizing the pillows. The goblin sentry that was guarding her mirror was also in the room, but he stepped out to give them some privacy. The little Fetish warrior was waiting in her chamber in Heaven. It would defend her area diligently.
"He sleeps?" she asked Izarius. He moved to check on Mal.
"Yes. He's sleeping," he said. He looked over at her to see her ready to burst into tears. Within seconds, she was rocked in his arms. "Hey. It's all right. Everything will be fine."
"I worry so much over him..." she trembled. "I know how he gets now..."
"Hush," he soothed and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "I am with you now. I'm protecting you. Nothing will touch you while I'm here. I vow."
She looked at him and seemed to hesitate. Now he paused at her with surprise. He gasped when he realized she wanted to say something. And it was something she only told Imperius. She was instinctively fighting herself. When she seemed to be frozen, he said, "No. Don't say it. Keep your vow to Imperius. I love you, too, Anaurael. You know I do. I would always lay down my life for you to keep you safe. If you lose your vow to Imperius, you know your mind would only shatter once again from the guilt. And, if it does...I don't think I'd be able to save you in time. If that happened...I just..."
"Izarius..." she whispered, and he pulled her close to kiss her deeply. He wasn't sure what happened after that, but he easily guessed when he came back around to find himself on the plush bed with her. She was sleeping contentedly on top of him. He gave out a heavy sigh and let her sleep.
In the Angiris Council chamber, Imperius was glaring at the small, ornate wooden box that was shown to him. The purple velvet lining showed where the stone would have sat within it from the indentations. It stank of Diablo. He was definitely not thrilled.
"Lorath, who was escorting the caravan?" Tyrael asked. Both Lorath and Xavian were there to assist with this intense matter. Auriel and Itherael were hovering silently to see what they could do.
"You won't like it," Lorath grimaced. "Mitherael was escorting it."
"No..." Itherael seemed to whisper.
"Do we know where he is now?!" Imperius demanded. His age old bitterness began to return. A form of rage began to consume his mind. Then he paused when he felt Anaurael's mind press into his. He shivered and regained control. His focus came back to him with a sense of complete relief.
:I love you. Don't worry. I'm here...:
He heard the words as clearly as though she whispered them in his invisible ear. She truly did gain more Light from me. On a whim, he thought back. :My ward, Mitherael may have the stone.:
:This bodes ill.:
:I know it does. We are working on it. Are you safe?:
:Yes. Mal is with Izarius and I.:
:Good. Stay safe. I'll be with you soon. I love you, too.: He mentally sighed. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her again. He couldn't risk a third time. Then he went still at the loving, mental kiss she gave him. If he was in his sanctum, he would have staggered. He caught himself just in time.
"Imperius?" Imperael asked from where he stood.
"I'll explain later," he muttered. He felt her all around him now. Since he shared his missing Light with her now in full, it made her that much more of a part of him. I can easily train my troops without her, but I will always want her physical presence with me. This new talent they shared would keep him in check for a while, but he preferred to have her directly in contact with him.
He was so lost in thought over everything that it was easy to tell that he was distracted.
"Imperius, what do you think we should do?" Tyrael asked him directly. It jolted him back to reality to address the issue. Itherael noticed the odd change. Even Auriel sensed that something was off.
"Hmm? Oh. Track down Mitherael. Find his location," Imperius said. His tone wasn't as stern as it should have been. He was still mildly lost in thought over his new discovery with Anaurael.
"Imperius...?" Malthael asked.
"She can...talk to me now. Anaurael, that is. In my mind..." he muttered. Anarius looked at him with a sense of pleasant surprise. Everyone seemed to glance at him with a silent form of shock. "I cannot focus without her anymore. I need her here."
"With the box here giving out this aura? Are you sure?" Tyrael frowned.
"I have no choice," Imperius said. Darius was standing nearby, and he called for Greed. When Gurzick appeared, Imperius turned to him. "I need Anaurael to come back here for me to regain full focus over my thoughts. After what happened...I cannot focus for long."
"You think this is wise?" Greed asked. He wasn't going to complain about it. He was genuinely concerned for her health. At Imperius's nod, Gurzick went back into his portal. He found Greed waiting for him with an air of intense concern.
"I do not like this, My Greatness of Greats," Gurzick admitted.
"I know. I agree with you. But, I have noticed that the golden one seems...different now. I had heard how the child was almost lost. That her mind damaged itself. I think...I may be wrong...but I think the same thing happened to him, too. When he healed her, he gave more than he should have. It could be damaging all around. What do you think?" Greed asked.
"We should make new guards for her," Gurzick said thoughtfully. "Stronger guards! Better guards! Think we can?"
"Hmm. We could!" Greed nodded. "Let us see to her getting back to her soul-half. Then I shall speak with them about this."
Gurzick nodded and made the portal for them. Izarius had just helped Anaurael dress when they appeared. Mal was in her arms, and Izarius nodded to regard them. "What's going on?"
"Imperius needs her. I was asked to bring her to him," Greed said.
"Was that box removed?" he asked.
"No. He needs her for...ah! Focus," Greed said.
"I don't know. She sensed the stones here. I don't know about that empty box," Izarius said.
"I should be fine," she smiled. "If he needs me for focus, then I need to be with him. I know I'll be safe with him. He vowed to me."
"That was before..." he said.
"No. He told me so just now. He and I...our Light is truly one. We can speak our thoughts to each other. I can assist in keeping him calm from afar, but for only so long," she said.
"Wait. Did he talk to you in your mind?" Izarius asked.
"No. He talks to me as though he is here standing next to me," she said with a small blush.
"Very interesting! If that is the case, I should take you back to his side," Greed said. Izarius was stunned. Mal seemed to whimper and got picked up by Anaurael. Then she saw it was Malthael.
"Ma?" he managed to say. She beamed and kissed his forehead.
"Amazing that you can get him to talk," Izarius chuckled.
"Some. Hard now," he sighed.
"You'll get better at it," she soothed and kissed his cheek to make him blush. "Normal babies wouldn't be talking this much."
"Well, it is Malthael. He used to be so quiet!" Izarius mused. Malthael gave him a dirty look and gave out a sudden laugh at the tickling poke to his side.
"No!" he scowled and pushed his large finger away. Izarius found himself laughing. He pulled Anaurael to him and seemed to pause at how he was hugging her, as she was holding Mal. It sent an odd sensation that she would be doing this with his possible offspring.
"Izarius?" she asked.
"I'll tell you later. We need to get you to Imperius," he said. She nodded and walked through Greed's portal. It led directly to Imperius, and he was quick to scoop her up into his arms. Mal gave a happy laugh at the swinging motion.
"We may need to invest in a playpen," Anaurael smiled softly. She moved her hand to caress his invisible cheek within his helm, and he sighed with complete relief at her touch.
"I have to assess that box again. Keep your face as close as you can to mine. I will protect you. Izarius, can you have Mithus take Mal? I want my son nowhere near this filth!" Imperius growled protectively. Izarius nodded and Mithus was quick to appear to take the small child.
"No!" Malthael pouted in his body.
"You could always come out of this body," Mithus said.
"No. Stay," he said adamantly. He appeared briefly outside of the small body to explain himself.
"I need to see how my flesh reacts to the presence of filth. I need to work with it. I must know what happens. If it gets to be too much, then I shall need to leave. This is important," Malthael said.
"Hmm. Fine. Mithus will hold you, though. To leave quickly," Imperius nodded. Malthael nodded and vanished back into his body. He clung to Mithus and nodded to show he was ready. He had a lot more control over his body, but he knew it may get difficult when the mind began to become aware. He was trying to prove that he was an equal now to make it more acceptable later.
When Imperius walked into the Angiris Council chamber with her, she pressed her face as close as she could into the opening of his armor along his neck. She could sense the demonic aura emanating from the box from so far away. He stopped at fifty feet away from it. Any closer would have caused her to get incredibly ill. Itherael was quick to move to her side to help shield her. Even Auriel assisted with this to add her powerful presence. When Malthael slapped down on Mithus's shoulder pauldrons, it signaled that he needed to leave the room. Once his flesh was taken away, he reappeared to assist. It proved that his body was too young to tolerate such a thing right now.
"It's him. Isn't it?" Tyrael asked.
"Yes. We need to track down Mitherael. We need to discover his whereabouts. Tell me. Usually, the Soulstone needs to be embedded into flesh for corruption to occur. How is that not the case here? Do we know?" Imperius asked and moved away from the box to ease Anaurael.
"The stones are flawed. That is how. They only need to be carried for partial corruption," Malthael said. "Think on this. When Diablo was first found, the mortal King Leoric was plagued with nightmares. He did not have the Soulstone. Diablo was able to try and break his mind from afar. Such is the way it seems to be here. Even when the Black Soulstone happened...I did not have to embed it directly to my skull. I merely absorbed it. These new stones are not perfect.
"Just by being held, they cause corruption. The demons are always at risk of breaking free. I am still quite concerned with the ones in Greed's domain. The stones may wear down after a time. I would say, as much as it disgusts me, to make empty stones to place them with the ones in Greed's possession."
"So that, if one fails, another is waiting nearby to absorb what tries to escape?" Izarius asked. Tyrael was letting Lorath and Xavian know what was being discussed. As humans, they still couldn't see or hear Malthael.
"Yes," Malthael nodded.
"Then, how did the head of the Monks get controlled?" Tyrael asked. "The stone was empty. Wasn't it? Or am I mistaken?"
"Ah. When I placed my scythe on the stone, I noticed odd chip marks. As though Mephisto had tried to get his stone to be eaten. Just by it attempting to be consumed was enough to have him come forth. The mortal was also starving. He could have given in to the promise that it was a form of edible nourishment. When the lie was seen through, it was too late for him. But, he did not eat the stone, so his body was saved. The possession still happened.
"As I have stated, these new stones are flawed. Anything could have allowed the demonic filth a chance to escape. What more can be expected with stones that are not up to par? Even the Black Soulstone was flawed, but it was stronger than these new ones combined. Kulle was able to perfect it. These were made out of complete haste to keep from getting caught," Malthael seemed to shrug. Itherael could only sigh at this news.
"Well," Tyrael seemed to grimace. "we still do have a few scribes that made the stones. They were being held for questioning."
"Would it be wise to have them make new stones?" Xavian asked.
"We would have to test this carefully. Maybe with a stone with an angel locked in it. Have it broken open with an empty stone nearby. Or a very weak demon soul," Tyrael said.
"I would prefer not to have angels used," Imperius grumbled. "Let it be a form of filth."
"I can agree to that," Tyrael nodded quickly with full agreement. Anaurael would have been hurt by it. It was safer to use a demon soul and not an angel soul.
"There was something that I would like to ask," Greed said from Gurzick's crown. "It was suggested, by Gurzick, to try and make powerful guards. A touch more advanced than the usual goblins I have. What do you all think of this? I would, likely, have them guard over the girl. I may even have them collect things for her to store up."
"And where would this take place?" Imperius asked.
"Well, it can only be done in my realm. I can bring you all to her chamber there," he said.
"Very well," Imperius nodded. Gurzick took up the offending box to set back in his home realm first. Then he reappeared to escort them all to Anaurael's chamber. Imperius gave a criticizing glance around, but he seemed to nod. He did eye the dresses hanging along a wall with interest. He'd want her to try them on for him in time.
He lifted Anaurael up to let her press her face into his invisible neck. He knew she was still affected by the aura from the box. Because it affected him deeply, it was also affecting her just as much. When he calmed himself down on being away from the foul object, she was able to recover faster. This was what he had to do with her.
"You are the only one for me," she whispered to him. He chuckled softly and kissed her.
"I know," he whispered back. "And you are the same for me."
At the sight of several goblins appearing, all attention was directed to them. Greed focused his power on one of them, and it seemed to grow slightly. It turned stark white and chittered with complete excitement. Greed seemed to muse at this. "You get gems for the girl. That's all you need to focus on."
"Yes! I get sparklies! For her!" the goblin giggled and bounded off.
"So, what does that one do now?" Lorath asked. He was rather impressed with where he was. Even Xavian was, too. It was the first time they were able to see Greed's lair, even if it was a single chamber. The wealth that littered the wall edges, and what few nooks and crannies the walls held, made the entire room appear to be made of gold. Lyndon would have been too speechless with joy, if he saw the place.
"This one will only focus on getting gems for me and the child. If it works well, I'll make others like that one," Greed said. He focused on another goblin for it to grow and turn a dark, emerald green in color. "You get stuff to make more stuff. Okay?"
"Yes!" the new goblin said and bounded off.
"He will focus on getting things that one can use to make more things. Like the one that fixed my Bopping Stick," Greed said. They were confused, but Tyrael caught on with his Wisdom.
"Oh! He would collect materials," Tyrael said.
"That is correct," Greed nodded. The next goblin was looked at and quickly changed to appear to be made of solid gold. "You get only gold. Go and find gold for me."
The goblin seemed to beam at him before leaping off into another portal. Xavian said, "I guess that one just needs to collect gold, right?"
"Of course!" Greed nodded to him to show he was right. Another goblin seemed to shiver with a form of genuine delight, as he got looked at to get shifted around. The upper part of him appeared to be a bright yellow and his legs were a dark, blood red. "You can call for help if attacked. Okay?"
"Yes! I get help!" he seemed to cackle darkly and disappeared in a portal.
"What does that one do?" Lorath asked.
"Oh, just gathers odds and ends like a normal goblin. But, he can call for help if he gets attacked by anything. He can summon guards from my domain here," Greed snickered.
"I would request for that one to help guard Anaurael's chambers. If he can call out for assistance, it would be a better way to protect her," Imperius said. Greed couldn't argue with that logic. Gurzick was quick to find the new goblin to bring him back. On being told of a special request, the goblin looked at Greed with rapt attention.
"Guard this girl. Very important!" Greed told the new goblin. He nodded and quickly teleported away. With a sentry on one side, the smaller goblin would be on the other. And, to make matters worse for any would-be intruders, he was already making friends with the Fetish warrior. The small warrior actually liked how he could summon more allies. It wanted to be able to do the same.
"How many more do you plan to upgrade?" Tyrael asked.
"A few more," Greed chuckled and pointed at another waiting goblin. This one turned into a jelly-like blue consistency and hopped about with surprise. "If you get attacked, you do not die. You split! If you live, you can rejoin later."
"Oooh!" he actively said. As a test, the waiting sentinel quickly attacked him. When he split into two, Xavian coughed with shock and laughter.
"You know that Lyndon needs to try and hit him now, right?" Lorath snickered. That got them all chuckling and laughing softly.
"Have him carry the gold crossbow," Anaurael grinned. Imperius gave a rather pleased sound. Greed was going to have to consider that in the future. Another goblin was looked at and transformed. It became the color of dull brown with a slight yellowish glow.
"Only find special items. Not regular. Must be special," Greed commanded. The goblin nodded and left to start searching right away. "That one will only find items of exceptional quality."
"Just don't let him find things in Heaven," Itherael said.
"I vowed I wouldn't touch Heaven anymore," Greed snorted. "If you do see others that are finding things, then they belong to that Baroness. Feel free to kill them."
"Good to know," Imperael nodded.
"IF THEY DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE US, THAT WOULD BE THE TRUE WAY TO TELL," Anarius mused. Imperius nodded to him in full on that notice.
"Hmm..." Greed thought. Then he snapped his fingers at an idea. He pointed at a goblin for it turn a solid blood red. "Those odd red sparklies. You get them for me."
"I get red sparklies!" the goblin agreed and teleported away.
"One of the females likes certain red things, right?" Greed asked. "In exchange for things?"
"Kadala and her blood shards," Lorath muttered.
"Yes. That one will only get those for me. And, I do believe that I am done for now," Greed said. "I will monitor my new goblins closely."
"Good. Just have the one that can call for assistance guard my ward," Imperius said.
"Already done!" Greed chuckled.
"I don't want any to get into my room," Anaurael frowned.
"I highly doubt that anything would get through, unless they roll down the steps from our sanctum in pieces," Imperius snorted. That got her smiling softly. "Although, these dresses have caught my interest. Let's take a few of them with us."
"Oh?" she asked.
"You need to try them on in our sanctum," he growled lightly in her ear. That got her to blush hard, and the others could only laugh. "And, as you do that, Mitherael needs to be tracked down."
"Remind me of what this one looks like," Greed said.
"I can do that," Tyrael nodded. Now that plans were being made to track this one down, Imperius was able to take a few of the elaborate gowns with him to make good on his word. Of course, she wasn't wearing them for very long after one was placed on. It was only a given.