An update, an update at last!!! I don't own Diablo, mores the pity, as I'd love something that splashes pink lightening as a guard dog.
Lugging out heavy packs, we headed for the mouth of the cave. The sun was setting in a blaze of glory as we stepped out - we'd spent far longer than I'd thought in the darkness. Kyleea gave a massive yawn. "I don't know about you, Necrum, but I'm ready to call it a night." She rummaged in her pack and came up with a blue-edged scroll. "My turn," she added, and cast the spell. "See you on the other side," she said cheerfully, then stepped through the burning blue oval.
Waving one hand, I withdrew my power from my skeletal minions. They crumpled to the earth, and I sighed. Once again, I thought wistfully of how good it would be to be accepted for myself, for all my magics. I allowed myself one last triumphant look at the cave, then stepped through the portal, bracing myself for the disorientation.
To my surprise, Kyleea was waiting for me in the encampment when I stepped out. She caught my arm and gestured excitedly. "They know!" she exclaimed. "They said there was a light in the sky, and a sound. Akara wants to see us." She began to tug me in the direction of the old priestess' tent.
Frowning, I managed to shake her off. "I should feel privileged, should I not?" I asked in a sneering voice. Kyleea looked shocked.
"But... Akara wants to see us," she repeated.
I bit down on a sigh. I was tired and a little dizzy. "Very well," I said wearily, "I can see I'll get no reprieve from you until I visit with her." I heard Kyleea sigh. Then, very softly and swiftly, she spoke near my ear.
"I understand the need for one such as yourself to have a barrier in place among the public. But if you act this way with me tomorrow, gods help you." She stalked away, tossing her blonde pony tail and heading for Akara's tent. I stood, blinking in surprise for a moment, shocked at her insight. But perhaps she knew about public personae as well. I shrugged it off, and followed after, golem clanking at my heel.
Akara stood to greet us, a smile on her face. "You bring me hope," she said in her soft voice, "and no words are enough to thank you for that." She gave a little frown, obviously thinking. "So your reward shall be this. I shall use my arts to train you further in a skill of your choice."
Kyleea's jaw dropped at the offer, and even I found myself impressed. Skills were hard won, after much suffering, yet she offered to drop knowledge into our minds and bodies with no effort.
"I'd like to sleep on my choice, if I may," Kyleea said in a subdued voice. Akara nodded.
"As you wish. Priest?"
There was nothing to weigh up. "I use too much of my magical energy when casting Bone Spear. If I am to gain a skill, let me increase my prowess at that."
"Very well," she replied, and held out one hand. There was a moment of confusion as I just looked at her. There was laughter in her voice when she spoke again. "To cast the spell I have to touch you," she said. I nodded, again biting down a sigh, and stripped off a gauntlet, hesitantly extending my own hand. She grabbed me in a surprisingly strong grip and made a sign with her other hand. "Thy will be done," she intoned. All of a sudden, my ears rang and my vision swam. I staggered, and ended up sitting on the wall that separated her from the rest of the camp to prevent myself crashing to the ground. My breathing was ragged, and I looked at the old woman with something akin to terror.
The new knowledge finally settled into my mind, but not without a great deal of discomfort on my part. I drew a deep, shuddering breath once I felt as if I wouldn't shame myself and either pass out or throw up, and managed speech. "My thanks," I croaked.
"Oh, and we've got some stuff to sell, too," Kyleea chipped in, unslinging her pack. With the way I was feeling, it was a relief to unburden myself. I let Kyleea do the bargaining, and simply took my half of the gold when she was done. With the considerable amount of gold clanking at the bottom of the pack, my tent seemed half a world away, but somehow I managed to reach it. I peeled off my armor and under padding, but I had not the energy to stow it. My last thought was a sincere wish to never, ever, learn a skill through that method again.
---------------------------------------------------
I was awakened in the morning by shouts and the sound of running feet, and by Kyleea shouting, "Priest, wake up!" with urgency and fear in her voice. Bleary eyed, stumbling, I dragged on the first item my hands encountered from my clothing pile and staggered into the dawn light.
The Amazonian warrior stood stock-still, staring at me. "What is so important?" I yawned. Kyleea continued to stare. "What?" I demanded.
"You're a girl!" she blurted. I looked down. I was wearing a white linen shift that covered me to mid-thigh, and under it's draping fabric, my small breasts and the slight swell of my hips were clearly defined. I scrubbed a hand over my face. I wasn't awake enough to care.
"So?" I demanded with another yawn.
"But I thought they were all men!"
"It's better for people to think that way. It makes our lives easier." I shifted, feeling the earth between my bare toes. "Now are you going to tell me why you woke me, or am I going back to bed?"
"Oh. Yes." She gave herself a shake. "There was an attack on the gates early this morning. Kashya wants everyone to meet by the fire." Kyleea paused. "She thinks someone called the monsters here."
I sighed. "No prizes for guessing whom she's picked as a scapegoat." As I turned back to my tent to dress, I spoke over my shoulder. "Thank you for telling me. No one else would have dared."
After splashing my face with water, I felt a lot more awake. Grateful for the plate that was lighter than my mail, I dressed, but still shivered at the steels' cold touch. On this morning, I did pull on my gauntlets and tucked the strap of my helm into my belt. Girded for war, I stepped out into the camp.
The Sisters glared at me with increased hostility, some of them making a point of fingering their weapons as I strode by. White hair gleaming in the early morning sun, I was easily visible from a distance as I stepped towards the fire. I stopped beside Warriv, my golem shifting around to clank gently behind me as I nodded to him in greeting. Akara and Kyleea arrived at the same time, and I made eye contact with the Amazon as she stepped up beside me. Then Kashya walked into the circle, and stood opposite me on the other side of the fire.
She looked around loftily, assessing those of her troops that were taking up positions. After a few moments of noting that all were present, she abandoned pretense and locked eyes with me. "There was an attack on the gate this morning," she announced, her voice strident. "We fought them off, but it was easy to see they were being called here by someone. That someone told them where to attack."
I arched an eyebrow and broke in, sick of the woman's ranting. "Aye, this Blood Raven you've been talking about." She blinked, and her weathered face creased into the blackest scowl I'd yet seen. People began to talk and murmur to each other, her hold over them broken. I allowed a cold, derisive smile to curl my lips as I looked her over, but this woman was far from finished.
Kashya raised her voice over the talk. "Even corrupted," she snapped, "Blood Raven would have nothing to do with attacking this place. She isn't stupid." I watched her shoulders and chest swell with her arrogance. "Someone led the monsters here." My hand tightened around the wand in my belt as my own anger grew. I opened my mouth to speak again, but Akara beat me to it.
"It is a simple matter to find the traitor, if there is one, Sister," she said, coming forward with a smile on her face. Her fingers twitched, and her lips moved soundlessly for a moment. A brilliant beam of bright white light speared the clouds above her hands, then disintegrated into a shower of sparks, which tumbled down to land on the people gathered around the fire pit. The taste of tin filled my mouth as her power touched me, and I fought back a shudder as I forced my magics back down. I might not trust Akara or her people, but I knew she'd not be as stupid as to attack an enemy mage with nothing more than firefly sparks.
Akara paced around the fire, asking the same question again and again. "Did you cause or orchestrate the attack upon this camp this morning?" With every answer, a white aura blazed into being around the questioned, showing they spoke the truth. When she came to me, I could have sworn she winked as she spoke.
"Did you cause or orchestrate the attack upon this camp this morning?" My eyes were locked with Kashya's as I spoke.
"No, I did not." The light flashed into being, white and pure, leaving me blinking. Aksar asked the same question of Kyleea, and received the same answer, before moving further around the fire. Kashya's face was pinched and angry, as, as the older woman passed her once more, her hand shot out, grabbing the priestess' arm. Fast, furious, and almost silent words were exchanged, and Kyleea and I shared a glance..I gave her both a shrug and a slight, wicked smile. What did I care that they were fighting?
Kyleea stomped forwards, her voice ringing out. "Enough of this! Aren't we in enough demon dung as it is without fighting amongst ourselves?" She turned a slow circle, daring the Rogues to meet her eyes. One by one, they looked away. "I understand the pressure you're under, to regain the Citadel and protect those who look to you, but..." She paused, then glanced at me. "We are your best hope. Remember this. Today we go to face Blood Raven, and begin to root out this infection that seeks to kill us all." There was a rumble of approval that turned into a roar as the people cheered her. The only silent ones in the crowd were Kashya and myself. In that moment, we shared a look. Her eyes spoke of her hate and fear, so in return I gave her my contempt and anger. She spun on her heel and yelled the order for the Sisters to fall in, and marched away from the fire with her nose in the air.
I turned my regard back to Kyleea, to see her grinning at me in an impish manner. "Fine words," I drawled, "but I do not think these people can look at me and see hope." Her grin widened.
"You never know, my fine Priest," she replied, slipping her arm through mine. "I've found hope in some surprising places." I blinked at her for a moment, and that was when Akara stepped close to us and raised a hand.
"Be cautious today, my children," she said, moving her hand and making the ritual blessing for the Sightless Eye over us. "May the Eye guide your steps and watch your path." With that, she moved away, speaking with Warriv as if it were a normal day.
I looked after Akara, then at Kyleea, my puzzlement clear to see. Kyleea laughed. "You're not used to it, are you?" I blinked.
"What?" I asked, even more confused. Her general saw me as a threat, but the old woman had blessed me with the most powerful sign her religion had. "Used to what?"
The grin was back. "People caring. Akara backed you up - she believes in you." We walked back through the camp to our tents. "She believes in me, too," the warrior added.
"Did she tell you this?" I spoke with my head in my tent as I rummaged for my pack.
"Not in so many words," she replied, her voice muffled by the canvas of her own tent, "but I can tell." Kyleea straightened, slipping her pack onto her back. "Trust me in this."
I gave a little shrug, swinging my own pack up and dismissing the whole issue. "I care not for the opinions of the Sisters." I paused. "But I admit it will make my time here more easy." With that, we headed for the portal she'd called up yesterday evening.
---------------------------------------------------
I stopped, finally catching my breath. We'd just been engaged in a running fight, after stumbling across not one but two groups of Fallen Ones, each with a guiding, intelligent demon providing them more strength and cleverness. I spread my fingers, staring at them in surprise as I watched them shake, and watching with fascination as a single, scarlet drop traced its way down the back of my gauntlet and fell from my left forefinger.
"Necrum?" It sounded like Kyleea's voice was coming from leagues away, but when I turned, she was standing beside me. I looked at her and blinked slowly. She shoved a small blue bottle into my hand. "Drink it. Now."
After consuming the mana potion, my shakes subsided, and I gave the Amazon a slight smile. "I am not at my best when my magic runs low," I admitted. She returned a saucy smile.
"So I noticed. Tell me, mage, is there ever a time when you are completely at ease?" she bantered.
"When I speak to Rathma," I returned absently, then winced and pulled a healing potion from my pack. Kyleea opened her mouth, then closed it again, finally shaking her head.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Priest?" She looked around, a frown on her face. "It was never like this as Tristram."
"Tristram?" I asked, distracted as I picked up items from the ground.
"How much do you know about..." she stopped, looked around again, then lowered her voice. "Diablo. The Lord of Terror." I lifted my head at the tone in her voice, a mixture of fear and pain. Diablo. It rang in my mind, a name of power. The dry voice of my theology lecturer came to me, a dim, childhood memory.
"He is one of the Prime Evils, imprisoned within a Soul Stone after a great war between good and evil." I gave a little shrug. "I must confess, I spent a lot of time sleeping during my foreign theology lessons."
"Diablo, Mephisto and Ba'al make up the Three Prime Evils." The Amazon gave a shiver, then licked dry lips. "I was in a town called Tristram. I..." Kyleea stopped, shook her head. "I cannot speak of it, even now, and I wasn't even there when... When the real danger started. But I was lost within the earth for days." She waved a javelin at the sky, and gave a laugh that was close to a sob. "At least here I can see the sky." She turned a pair of anguished eyes to me. "I ran away, Priest. I ran in terror from the power that was beneath Tristram. And I can feel it again. Towards the east." She shuddered convulsively, reaching up to grip her own arms as she turned away from the sun, staring off into the distance towards the east.
Hesitant, I took a step towards her. I knew I had to find the right words. "I do not know what you have suffered, but I, too, have felt this pull towards..." I stopped, shifted. "But now I am here, and doing this... I was having nightmares, and I heard voices speaking my name. Calling to me. This is something I must do, and this is the place where I must be." I took another step in her direction.
The blonde woman turned, and I was shocked to see tears sparkling in her eyes. Suddenly she was on me, her arms about my neck, sobbing into my armored shoulder. Awkwardly, I raised my hand to pat her hair. " 'twill be alright. You will see." I gave a wry smile. "Trust me in this." That won me a teary laugh.
Kyleea stepped back, scrubbed twice at her eyes, and another grin crossed her face. "I knew you would stay with me to the end. I knew it."
We spoke little more that day, but moved in tandem, stalking with precision. We had to make frequent trips back to the encampment, and cast dark looks at each other at every turn. We saw the signs of Blood Raven's handiwork everywhere, from corrupted Rogues, to the bodies of dead Sisters. Others, too, had lost their lives in the wilderness, leaving plentiful sign behind them. Some had unfortunately been eaten, their bones and possessions spilling from the corpses of the monsters the Amazon and I killed.
The sun was falling behind the hills to the west when we caught sight of the burial grounds. Kyleea paused, then grinned. "I'm almost glad. It wouldn't seem right, doing this in sunlight." She pulled a pair of potions, tossing one to me. The contents were a glowing powder that she shook over herself, and then she too began to glow. I followed suit, more for Kyleea's sake than mine. I'd always been able to see very well in the dark.
I looked about, then stepped through my minions to enter the wide area that contained the fenced off burial grounds. I paused for a moment. Something was not right. Something moved to my left. A corrupted Rogue stepped out calmly, drawing her bow and aiming at me. I threw myself backwards as the arrow whined past my face. "Fall back! Ambush!" I yelled, moving backwards at a half crouch, getting back into the passage that separated the burial grounds from the other territory. Kyleea's voice called to me.
"They're behind us!" Ducking and weaving through the sudden hail storm of arrows, I made my way to her. We stood back to back, fending off what came at us as my minions attacked.
"Set up," I snarled. "They knew we were coming." She cast, sending a javelin through another corrupted Rogue as I sent out a spread of Trang-Oul's Teeth.
"We have to kill Blood Raven," she said, knocking an arrow out of the air with lightning speed. "It will leave them leaderless." I snapped a nod, casting Bone Spear at a Fallen One.
"We have to get them all in one place. If we stay here, we'll be slaughtered." My voice was grim.
"You have to run into the Burial Grounds. Your guys will follow you. I'll protect the rear." I glanced at her, then nodded. It was the logical thing to do. We would still be trapped, but we'd still have more room to move than in this narrow corridor of stone. Taking a deep breath, I ran back towards the Burial Grounds, keeping to the wall. A few of the minions ran ahead, chopping at the enemy as the dead shambled towards them, out of the fenced grounds and into the gap. I took a few precious seconds, closing my eyes and focusing my energies. I felt the magic build to a roaring crescendo in my head as I opened my eyes and stepped forwards. The 'guys' had given me a choice of targets. Excellent.
Lifting one arm, I sent a prayer hurtling into the sky. A bolt of light answered as a deep bell tone sounded in my head. "My Lord," I whispered, my knees growing weak as the surge of power swept through me.
The rotting zombie on the ground shivered, then stirred, staggered to its feet and turned. It began to mindlessly attack its former comrades. I felt my ties to my other creatures weaken, then shift as they balanced out. I looked beyond the fight for the corridor, and for a moment, saw a woman on the other side of the graveyard.
She smiled when she saw me, and tipped her head in salute, one corpse raiser to another. Rage bubbled in my blood as I deliberately raised my hand and called again, Reviving another of the enemy without even looking. I began to move forwards, shooting out the magical spears that did no harm to my allies, but smashed into my foes. The woman moved out of sight, and I felt her power surge, different, but still as strong and perhaps even stronger than mine. I darted forwards as my minions surged, breaking through the line.
I moved to put my back to the wall once more, at the very end of the corridor. The Burial Grounds were crawling with the living dead, enough to call to my power and make a shiver run down my spine. My armor grated against the stone as I slid along and peered out. I noted Kyleea in position, fending off Fallen Ones. I cast a spear in her direction for luck, then lunged past the break in the wall. I stepped to my left, behind a skeletal minion, spraying spears about myself to clear my path. The corrupted Rogues fell back in good order as the rest of my minions came boiling through the gap, but the zombies continued to attack, moaning and clawing. My own creatures, darker in color than their former allies, had suffered even more terrible wounds as they dug a path through the line, but still they continued to fight, my will and the will of my Lord Rathma filling them.
My skeletal minions went berserk, attacking anything in their paths. I saw one take a swing at a rock with its axe before it's magical senses woke and told it that the the rock was not a threat. Bolts of lightening, globs of glowing green poison and balls of fire were hurled by my skeletal magi, to good effect, as they caused the Rogue archers to take cover behind the head stones. Again I felt Blood Raven's power surge as she called the body of another Rogue back from her deserved rest. I bared my teeth, drew a mana potion and downed it, refilling my reserves. "For Rathma!" I screamed, then hurled myself towards the fight.
---------------------------------------------------
Kyleea found me sitting with my back to a head stone when the fighting was done. I was dancing a coin across the knuckles of my right hand, watching it glitter in the moonlight. My helm was sitting on the stones by my side, as was my shield and wand.
"Necrum!" Her voice was exuberant, and why not? We had prevailed. Blood Raven was dead, the Burial Ground cleansed of her evil. "I've got everything I can carry. We should head back to the encampment and give everyone the good news." As she got closer, she slowed down. "Necrum?" She stopped a little distance from me, and cocked her head. "Are you alright?" I nodded slightly. Kyleea dropped to a crouch, then to one knee. "Do you want to talk about it?" I raised my eyes to meet hers, dark pools in the moonlight glowing on the stones.
"Every Rogue that Blood Raven brought back was an abomination in the eyes of my Lord Rathma. She was evil to the core. She corrupted the balance eternal." I lowered my eyes to the coin, passing it under my hand as I struggled to find the words. "Yet I find myself feeling... pity for her. I do not regret that we destroyed her, and yet... It is so wasteful..." I shook my head, putting the coin in my pouch and rising to my feet. A grimace twisted my mouth. "I am not so worldly that I can shrug off the slaughter we did today. We have gained much in the way of treasure, and it will supply us for quite some time, but I am not easy with it." I shook my head again. "Perhaps I am not cut out for this adventuring. We are restoring my Lord's balance, but at a bloody cost." Kyleea remained on one knee, looking up at me. Finally she spoke.
"You are feeling guilty because of the blood on your hands. It is understandable." Then her tone changed. "But it is not acceptable." Shooting to her feet, she grabbed the shoulder plates of my armor and shook me with each word. "We. Kill. Monsters. We do it to keep people, real, live people, safe. Feel pity for the woman Blood Raven was before she was corrupted. But not for the thing that lies on the ground over there. That thing was evil, and would have killed you, me, all the Sisters, everyone it could get its hands on." She released me so suddenly that I staggered. "But if you want to wallow in self pity because you killed a few monsters, go right ahead. Just don't expect me to join you." My eyes narrowed.
"I am not wallowing." It came out as a growl. "And it was more than a few." My eyes roved over the Grounds once more, taking in the corpses scattered around. Kyleea snorted, then hitched her pack up once more. An idea struck me, and I reached out to gently move her aside. I walked to the corpse of Blood Raven, and stood for a moment, looking down at it.
The woman she had been was clear to my eyes, beneath the blood and mangled flesh. She was stocky, yet strong, with short brown hair and a broad mouth, laugh lines at the corners of her open, glazed eyes. I knelt beside her, and, after a moment of tugging and a muttered apology, I managed to remove the signet from her hand. Placing it in my pouch, I composed myself, then reached beneath my armor and pressed my fingers to the markings above my heart that named me as one of Rathma's own.
I closed my eyes and reached out. For a moment, nothing happened, and I trembled on the verge of panic. Then the warmth of Rathma's Presence filled me. I felt His love, and His compassion, surround me and comfort me, like the arms of a mother. Images tumbled from my mind, the slaughter of the day, my pity and sorrow for Blood Raven, even Kashya's aborted accusation of that morning. Finally I stopped, and for a heartbeat there was nothing but the feel of Rathma's Presence.
- Be at peace, child of My heart, - the awesome Voice said softly. - You would do well to listen to the Amazon. Her counsel is sound. You attach no sin to yourself in killing these creatures that upset My balance in the world. Spend your treasures with an easy heart and a good will, knowing that you earned them. -
- A favor, my Lord? - I asked after a moment of considering his words. - I do not like to leave this holy place as it is. It seems to me a desecration of the peace that it should symbolize. - The sound of Rathma's laughter and His assent filled my heart with joy, and I opened my eyes to see the corpses melt into the ground, leaving not even a splash of blood behind.
- Kindly asked and gladly given, - the Voice said. - Remember that I love you, child of My heart, and be at peace. - With that, the Presence faded to the normal background level that I always carried with me, and I felt a smile come to my face as peace swept through me.
"What was that?" Kyleea demanded. "One minute there were bodies were everywhere, the next..." She shook her head in wonder. I rose, my smile still in place.
"That was the kindness of Rathma," I said simply. Kyleea peered at my face, then grunted.
"I guess you weren't kidding when you spoke about talking to your god." I nodded to her.
"He has set my mind and my heart at ease," I responded. "I feel at peace." My smile changed a little. "And I'm sure it will remain with me at least until I lay eyes on Kashya again." Kyleea gave a startled bark of laughter.
"Kindness and Rathma... Sorry, but I don't normally associate the two." I looked at her with genuine surprise.
"Why ever not?"
Kyleea shrugged uncomfortably. "He's a god of death. Death just never seemed very kind to me." I nodded in understanding.
"Rathma is Death, this is true. But for someone suffering a long, slow illness that is killing them, is not Death a kindness? When one has grown old and feeble, is not Death welcome?" I blinked, then gave a sheepish smile. "My apologies. I did not mean to preach. It's… An occupational hazard." I let it rest there, and, after a beat, spoke again. "Did you not say that your pack was full? I still have room in mine."
---------------------------------------------------
I cast the portal spell, and Kyleea followed me through this time. I caught her elbow when she would have broken for the tents, and murmured to her to stay put and watch. Then I threw my shoulders back, lifted my chin, and stalked to Kashya. I threw the ring at her from perhaps three meters away, and she almost fumbled the catch in the torchlight. Her fingers, calloused as they were, felt the raised device on the face of the ring, and her mouth opened, her teeth gleaming oddly white.
"Blood Raven is destroyed." I forced my voice flat, ignoring the urge to gloat, and feeling a little of my serenity peel away. "Kyleea and I have made your Burial Grounds secure." The general's eyes shifted past me as her mouth clamped shut. All she did was nod, then she turned away. Triumph surged in me, a childish thing, and I could not stop myself calling out to her as she walked away, holding Blood Raven's ring. "Don't bother thanking me. But I will be most upset if you do not thank Kyleea for risking her life to end your problem." Kashya's back grew even more stiff as she stalked into her tent, and I just knew she wished she had a door she could slam. My grin was vicious.
"Petty, Priest, really petty." I smirked at the Amazon as she frowned at me.
"What goes around comes around, Kyleea." My tone was as innocent as I could make it, but I spoiled the impression by adding, "I've wanted to do that since I got here." Kyleea shook her head.
"From what I've heard, Kashya and the woman who became Blood Raven were... close. She may have been a threat to the Sisters here, but I don't think Kashya's going to want to thank me for destroying what was left of her... friend." I looked at the blonde woman and the expression on her face, and shook my own head.
"Lover, Kyleea. You can say the word. It won't burn me." I returned my regard to Kashya's tent, my smile falling. "I didn't know about the two of them." I paused. "But, with the way that woman has treated me since I arrived here, I find myself hard pressed to care." Turning towards the tents, I rubbed my hands in anticipation, and added, "Now to find Charsi, empty my pack, have a bath, and eat a meal. In that order." Leaving Kyleea to stare after me, I headed for the forge.