Kalgor was very correct in his worry. The first thing the group saw was the ruined entrance to the once sacred stronghold of the Barbarians. Even more saddening to him was the spot that still held old traces from where the last guard was before he was slaughtered by Baal. Crows were pecking at dried remains before flying off at the disturbance. There was no other sign of life. But, that was outside the old stronghold.
When they walked into the mangled chamber of the main hall, they seemed to pause at the sight of a lost Barbarian ghost walking aimlessly past them. Kalgor shivered and shook his head.
"If this is too painful for you, you could go back," the Nephalem said softly.
"No. I need to see this through. For the honor of my people," Kalgor said and steeled himself. "If there is anything left here that is desecrating this place, then it will be killed!"
"Then let us go!" Jozin nodded and readied himself. As they walked through the chamber, Tyrael was paying close attention to the viewing pool. Mai was there with Tobirael. She looked very worried.
"I do hope that everything will be all right," she said.
"I'm sure it will be," Tyrael said. "I told them I'd watch over them. I have to keep my word about it. I'd go down there, too, but I have no idea if Baal's old influence still lingers."
"We can only hope that it won't be that way," Tobirael said. Then he paused and chuckled. "Looks like Kartha and Xypherael just showed up to help."
"Good! Hmm. I wonder if Imperael wants to go down there," Tyrael mused.
"If he does, nothing will be able to survive!" Zynaurael chuckled. "I could ask him."
"Please do," Tyrael grinned. She nodded and teleported away to find Imperael in Anaurael's chamber. Anaurael was also there in Imperius's lap and eating a meal.
"Imperael, do you think you could help with the expedition to find the cube?" she asked.
"Cube?" Anaurael frowned.
"Ah! You don't know yet," Zynaurael chuckled softly and explained the issue. Now Anaurael's necklace shimmered with excitement. "What was that about?"
"My necklace! It...wants to see the cube!" Anaurael gasped.
"What is this?" Imperius asked.
"Let me fetch Tyrael," Zynaurael said and vanished away. When she came back, Tyrael looked very worried about this.
"I was afraid of this," he admitted. "Kanai's cube is a very ancient artifact. The necklace that Anaurael wears may be as old as the cube. I had a fleeting hope that it would not know of the cube. But, since it does, there is no choice in it. The cube will need to be brought here for her to see."
"That's if it is found," Imperael said. "I will join them in the fight to find it."
"Do be careful," Anaurael said softly.
"If you wanted to watch with me, you can," Tyrael smiled.
"Do you think we can watch?" Anaurael asked Imperius.
"Hmm," Imperius thought aloud. "It has been some time since you last ate and watched what happened below. And you do not need to be around much death now. Very well. Let us watch."
"Tyrael, if my parents worked with you, they should watch, too. They may be able to help find the right paths," she said. Tyrael could only agree with that. Izarius went to fetch them and brought them to the viewing pool where the others gathered.
"Kanai's cube," Ilerael sighed and sat down to get served a meal with Lilaurael. "I can't believe it. We hid that thing from...well...all of us!"
"And it was Kulle that found it?!" Lilaurael seemed to shiver. "That alone makes me worry."
"He may have finally found it in death," Tyrael said. "Most answers are revealed by then."
"You would think so," Imperius nodded. "As much as I am curious about this cube, I will likely know more as time goes on. If it can truly create new items and weapons, it does make me wonder."
"About what?" Tyrael asked.
"If it can do the same for our weapons and armors here," Imperius said. Now Tyrael found himself a bit speechless at the thought. The cube simply had to be found now. As Imperius sent small orders to various angels to check over the armory and weaponry sections, the Nephalem was fighting off a stronger Khazra group that seemed to give off an icy aura. Even worse were the massive monsters that resembled large, hairy, lumbering beasts that threw massive snowballs at them.
"We're getting overwhelmed!" Lou-yu snarled and threw an arcane ball at one of them.
"Just keep fighting!" Kartha said and aimed true at several Khazra warriors. Xypherael's Light bolts were making holes in a large monster that barreled towards them, and it surprised them all when it simply reverted back to ice and shattered when it fell.
"What the Hell was that?!" Lyndon grimaced and fired his Manticore at more oncoming Khazra. "It was an...ice thing?!"
"I have no idea," the Nephalem grunted and dodged a swipe from another beast. Then there was a pause when the attacking monster got thrown back by a massive fist to the face. The attacking monsters paused at the sight of Imperael standing tall with the group. Within several minutes, the area was clear.
"Need some help?" Imperael snorted and kept his massive sword ready.
"Why not?" Byden smirked. Xypherael nodded with approval and chuckled at Zynaurael when she appeared to help out. Vincent narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'll remain in the center," she said. Vincent sighed, but he mildly slumped with a touch of relief at her touch to his shoulders. "I missed you, too. If the others had a way to be here, they would be here fighting. Mai is already throwing fits that she can't be here!"
"She's too heavy with her child," Jozin said. Moolara gave an odd look at Mirdael when she sensed him looking at her.
"I do not yet show," she said.
"But you will," Mirdael said. "And, when you do..."
"We shall see," Moolara said.
"You did get ill not long ago," Sohar said.
"Do not change the subject!" Moolara scowled lightly at him. Mirdael was only in full agreement with Sohar. Kalgor cracked a grin. He would refuse to see his angelic partner come down. She was a fighter, and he didn't want her to charge into the enemy in her condition.
"Perhaps, when we find the cube, we can have them come down," Byden mused.
"You know," Imperael chuckled. "Anaurael is watching over us now. She just agreed to your suggestion. I hope you understand."
"What?!" Byden blinked. Then he sighed when Nikauriel came down.
"I am a spell castor. I will stay with Zynaurael in the center," she said and chuckled at his look. Taylauriel and Kylariel came down next. They were also casters, so they were safe to fight with them.
"I can already hear Salauriel sulking," Kalgor sighed. He actually felt a touch lost when she couldn't come down. It was hard to focus on fighting.
"You are not the only one," Jozin sighed. Sylauriel was also upset that she couldn't be there. "They will see us again soon."
"I know it," Byden chuckled. As they began to move again, Kalgor suddenly turned to see Salauriel appearing to walk up to him. She knew his thoughts were in turmoil.
"You shouldn't..." he started, but she rose up her armored hand.
"I know. I am here to do only one thing," she said in a reassuring tone to him. She closed the gap between them and hugged him tight. "Do what you can. Fight well. I'll be watching over you."
"I just...never expected this place to be so..." he swallowed and hugged her back. Everyone remained silent. Usually, Kalgor didn't show any form of emotion. This was a part of his homeland. Such a thing was inevitable.
"Do you want me to fight with you? To be a part of your strength?" she asked softly.
"You're...with my child...I..." he sighed.
"You need me here. I do have supportive techniques. Do not worry. All I will do is back you up," she vowed. At this, he nodded. He really did need her with him. They shared a kiss, and she regarded him. "Good. Now regain yourself. We need to continue fighting to cleanse your birthright."
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he turned and charged forward with her on his heels. The others were quick to follow. When they heard the sounds of calls for help, the group paused. Kalgor narrowed his eyes in a small rage.
"Who's shouting?" Humbert asked, as Zayl held him ready.
"I have comrades that are locked up!" Kalgor seethed.
"Then let's free them," Imperael said and charged forward with him. The guarding Khazra warriors had no chance at all. The cage was ripped free from its hinges, and the freed warrior was quick to help fight. They found several others that were caught, and after all were freed, they were quick to disperse to help clear the ancient grounds. When the slaver that caught them appeared after that, Imperael was the one to punch it in the face to bring it down.
"Hail..." a rough man said in the distance. He had orange hair, a rather trimmed beard and was bound down in armor of Barbarian quality. "Thank you for helping my men. I will help you fight for a time. My name is Skular."
"I have heard of you! You were there when the attacks happened!" Kalgor said with surprise. "I am Kalgor. I am the new chief of the Double Blade tribe. My leader he was...corrupted."
"I have heard of your tribe. And a corruption?! Impossible!" Skular grimaced. "Your tribe was one of the most honorable of us all!"
"It's true," the Nephalem said. "There are stones out there. Black ones. They can hold powerful demons within them. We've been tracking them down. We are searching for Kanai's cube to help us. We have information that the cube may be here."
"I see. I have had speculation of the cube also being here," Skular frowned. Then he paused at the sight of Imperael. "And I have yet to have realized that you were with them..."
"It happens," Imperael chuckled. "I am Imperael. An Archangel of the High Heavens. I have come to help them fight."
"The situation must be dire, if angels are working with us at long last," Skular said.
"Not just working with us," Byden chuckled. Nikauriel chuckled with him and nodded.
"Am I missing something?" he asked.
"I am his partner," Nikauriel said. "That is what he means. I am bearing his child."
Skular's jaw actually dropped. He tried to find the words, but Kalgor only shook his head. It was something that simply couldn't be explained. Skular cleared his throat and nodded. He was sure such things would come to him in time. As he turned to walk, he said, "As much as I need to be here to guard this place, I need you to tell me what is going on."
"I can do that," Kalgor nodded. They gave him a complete rundown of what was going on with the Greed Goblins, the Soulstones, and what was going on with Heaven's forces. Skular was in shock that several attacks had already happened in various parts of Sanctuary. At the happy sound of Gurzick finding something just off the path, Skular narrowed his eyes.
"That goblin is a friend," the Nephalem said. "He helped us get here."
"You said the goblins were corrupted," Skular said.
"Not all of them. This one is from a completely different faction. It's...complicated to explain," Lou-yu said and hurled a fireball at an approaching Khazra.
"What did you find?" the Nephalem asked Gurzick.
"This!" the goblin said and held out a ring. It displayed the Horadric symbol.
"Tyrael should see that," Byden said, and the Nephalem took the ring.
"Tyrael? The Archangel of Justice?" Skular frowned.
"He's mortal now," the Nephalem said. "He is the leader of the Horadrim, and he's the new Aspect of Wisdom for the High Heavens. I'm sure you will meet him in time."
"I may have to," Skular said. "There is much that I appear to be missing. But, my duty must come first here. Before I do anything else."
"Of course," Kalgor nodded. Salauriel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he patted her hand gently. Skular paused at that. "Yes, Skular. She and I are equals."
"I'm finding this harder and harder to believe," he muttered.
"It's hard to grasp," Xypherael chuckled. "But, it works out. At least, I hope it does."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kartha scowled at him and got rewarded with a chuckle.
"Quiet..." Vincent muttered to Zynaurael's softly laughing form.
"Don't you start," Byden said with a half-smile to Nikauriel.
"Why should I do that?" she replied with a tickling whisper to his ear.
"No," he said with a slight glare at her. She laughed at him now. "If you keep it up, I'll send you back to Heaven. Where you should be, anyways."
"And miss out on traveling with you?" she seemed to pout.
"He has the right idea," Vincent grinned. Then his eyes went round at the slight touch he felt to his back. Zynaurael acted innocent when the glared at her. "Quit that!"
"You're not complaining," she murmured to him. He gave her a look that had her laughing at him now. The Nephalem just shook a head and gestured that they had to keep moving.
"Hah! Feeling left out, Lyndon?" Humbert jibed.
"Oh, shut up!" the scoundrel grumbled. Kormac pursed his lips together and hid his blush from how Eirena beamed at him. Skular found himself sighing, but he was quick to help in the charge against a new onslaught of monsters. At the sight of some kind of maggot feasting on a corpse, Kalgor leapt onto it and squashed it flat. Then more showed up.
"It's an ambush!" Jozin growled and began to do his lightning-fast moves to knock several of them back. Skular and Kalgor were quick to jump into the mass of them to hack them apart. The moment the path was clear, they headed down it.
"Help me!" a voice shouted. The group paused at this.
"It was over here!" Eirena said and jumped to the sound.
"Wait!" Kormac said and went after her. The Nephalem sighed, and the others trudged after them. Who they found was something they clearly weren't expecting. And they couldn't get close until the Khazra around the man were neatly removed. After it was done, and the cage lock was broken open, the man stumbled out with a slight cough. He appeared to be a citizen of Kurast and wore the traditional turban and cloth garments. A slightly torn pack filled with papers and writing supplies in various stages of use was the next thing noticed, while it slung along his side. And, with how worn his shoes were, it was quite clear that he was a bit more than the usual adventuring type.
"Ah! So good it is to be out of that dreadful cage! I thank you all for assisting me..." the man sighed and now found himself gaping at the sight of Imperael. The Archangel simply snorted at him and shifted his weight. He was clearly not impressed.
"How much further do we have?" the Nephalem asked Skular.
"I'm not sure. I've never found the artifact you're looking for. Your guess is as good as mine," Skular seemed to shrug. Imperael moved to trudge past the stunned human. Then the human was in even more shock at seeing the other angels there.
"Did he piss his pants yet?" Humbert asked. "Ouch!"
"Shut up," Zayl muttered. "Unfortunately, I know who he is."
"Who is he?" Byden asked.
"You may have heard of a scholar by the name of Abd al-Hazir," Zayl continued to mutter under his breath. "He records any and all animal life on Sanctuary. Including places of interest."
"I don't think we want him to record Heaven..." Xypherael grunted.
"My thoughts exactly," Byden agreed and rolled his eyes when the historian now tried to pry for answers. And he was asking Imperael his questions while jotting things down expertly on a pad of paper. They all knew it was not a good idea.
"Can we put him back in the cage?" Imperael now asked the Nephalem. That got the champion choking back a hard laugh. "Half of the questions he asks are redundant! Angels do not bathe! Nor do we need mortal comforts like nourishment and sleep! It is getting annoying."
"I am only asking things for the benefits of recording!" the thin man said. "And another question I have, ah, how do you reproduce?"
"Quiet, mortal!" Imperael warned with a heavy growl. "I'm half-tempted to bring you before Imperius! Maybe he will know how to quiet you!"
"Do not dirty Heaven with him!" Xypherael scowled. "And Imperius wouldn't be happy with us, even if we did send him up. Think about it."
"How old are you?" al-Hazir pressed on now.
"Well, I'm only a few months old," Zynaurael chuckled. She had to help out Imperael to get some of the strain off of him. He clearly appreciated it.
"I could be as old as Tyrael," Xypherael said. "What, Kartha?"
"So, you're telling me," Kartha mused. "that I now belong to an aging old man..."
"And I belong to an infant?" Vincent picked right up.
"Well, as they say," Xypherael now moved to mutter in her ear. "Aged old men do know how to get certain jobs done..."
"And infants are always there to learn new things," Zynaurael murmured in Vincent's ear. Now that both Demon Hunters found themselves coughing and blushing, the angels snickered.
"I think we win," Xypherael nodded.
"As always," Zynaurael chuckled and paused at the slight-of-hand grab that Vincent did to her. He made sure to aim for a particular spot that always got her. "That is cheating..."
"No. That's called playing my card," Vincent smirked at her.
"Oh, this is fascinating! Am I going to witness a form of reproduction?!" al-Hazir asked.
"And you all thought that I was annoying?" Lyndon mused.
"You have a birthright trait," the Nephalem said to him. Then the historian was nodded to. "I'm very sorry, but we have pressing business..."
"Oh, no! I will stay with you until we reach a place where I can recollect my thoughts," the man said. "This place is too dangerous for me to wander about with no escort."
"So, you just need a place of safety? Like a town?" Byden asked. At al-Hazir's nod, he suddenly shouted with alarm at Imperael grabbing him by the scruff and teleporting away with him. When he came back, they all started laughing freely.
"I took him to the town of Westmarch. They may appreciate him more there," Imperael smirked. He didn't mention that he dropped him off at the nude bathing section, either. That was sure to get things quite riled up with a bit of an aftermath.
"I doubt we've seen the last of him," Kalgor grunted. "Anyways, let's keep going."
"Agreed," Skular nodded. The group was able to recollect themselves and press on. When they reached a large chamber with various seating arrangements, they saw that the path before them led up to a throne. On the throne sat a large, skeletal figure of a Barbarian. Kalgor instantly dropped to one knee to swear fealty to the figure. Skular did the same.
"This...is Kanai. Our king. No other will ever replace him. Tales of his bravery are legendary, and his fighting prowess is...was...unheard of. So was his leadership. To pay homage to him like this...it's a very deep honor for me," Kalgor muttered with a heavy sigh.
"I need to remain here," Skular said. "There is a chamber not far from here. I never ventured into it, but you may be able to."
"We will. Thank you," the Nephalem nodded. Skular nodded back and kept his head bowed in respect. Right after they left, though, a ghostly visage of his king appeared. Skular's jaw dropped. The image of Kunai pointed at him. Then the ghost pointed to where the group left. I am being ordered to help them further. Even he knew what was at stake now.
"I shall return when I am no longer needed at their side," Skular said reverently. The ghost nodded and vanished. When he managed to trace their steps, he saw his former king granting them access to the powerful cube. It was the first time he had ever seen the device. He was amazed.
"Good. Now we'll have to see if Kulle upholds his end," the Nephalem sighed. "Skular?"
"I was ordered by my king, Kunai, to aid you all. So, I shall until this is over," the Barbarian said and nodded. "The need must be great, if I am told to assist."
"It is. We told you what was going on. I look forward to fighting longer at your side," Kalgor grinned and clasped hands with him.
"He should come up to Heaven," Imperael nodded.
"What?" Skular blinked.
"We do need to bring the cube. Now would be the time," the Nephalem agreed.
"I'll inform them of our new guest," Imperael chuckled and teleported away. When they prepared to leave, Kulle only watched silently from where he was. He was impressed. But, even he saw Kanai glare at him from where he was. He was being watched closely. The cube belonged to him. He was transferring guardianship over it, but he would continue to guard over it and follow it while it was out of its resting place. He would definitely ensure that it wouldn't ever be abused.