New Years resolution - there will not be more than one month between updates. Promise. :) And what is it with this demand for hot lesbian action? She's a priest, for goodness sake - and, as commented by one astute reader, she's really not what you would call a 'looker', being easily confused as a man and all. :D Although, I will make this promise - if I get 10 individual reviews asking for a tryst between Kyleea and Necrum, I'll do my best to make it happen. What the fans want, the fans do get. :D - LN.
The positions of the moon and stars told me it was nearing midnight when I came back to the camp from the river. My white hair was soaked and heavy, but clean for the first time in what felt like forever. I had even washed some of my garments, as Charsi had given me permission to hang them about the forge to dry them. I couldn't wash my under-armor padding however, as that would take about three days to dry, even with the assistance of the heat from the forge.
Clean, well fed and content, I moved back to my tent to find Kyleea waiting for me. I smiled at her. "Welcome to my... tent." I pulled back the flaps to let the cool night air in, and sank cross legged to the mat just inside. "What can I do for you?" Kyleea hunkered down beside me.
"I thought you'd want to know that Kashya has formally thanked me for my efforts in destroying Blood Raven." My smile grew a nasty edge as I nodded. "And she has offered to let us hire out Rogues to take with us." I sucked in my breath.
"No," I said instantly. "They'll be killed." Kyleea shook her head.
"They've seen war, Necrum, and they've seen the Demoness Andariel," she answered. "They're tougher than you think. And we can make them tougher." I blinked, surprised. "If we take them with us, in pairs, how much better do you think they'll get? How much more able will they be to defend themselves and their people?" She shifted, appeal in her eyes. "How can we turn them down?" I sighed, then delved through my travel pack, finally coming up with my hair brush. As I began to pull it through my white hair, Kyleea shifted again. "Well? I don't want to bring them along if they'll be a point of contention," she said, an edge of irritation in her voice.
"I can see that you've set yourself upon this course and cannot be dissuaded. Very well. But these Sisters will be your responsibility, understand?" Surprisingly, she laughed.
"As I thought." She patted my shoulder and rose, then paused. "Just... If they die, don't..." It was then that I laughed, gathering the gist of her thoughts.
"I won't turn them into minions. Satisfied?" Kyleea smiled down at me, and nodded. "Then get yourself some sleep, Amazon. Your baby sitting duties start at sunrise." With another laugh and a wave, she took off, wandering over to her own tent. I shook my head again, then crawled further into my tent, pulling the flaps down and granting myself a modicum of privacy. Babysitting. I gave a snort. My Lord, please don't let me be the one who gets them killed. With that I fell asleep.
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The two who joined us that first morning were Oriel and Tara, actual blood related sisters, as well as being Sisters of the Sightless Eye. They were almost identical, with short reddish hair bound back in pony tails, slender yet strong bodies, red leather armor and bows that were as individual as the sisters themselves. Tara had a set of intricately dyed leather strips wrapping around the stave of her bow, and Oriel had tassels of blue, red, yellow and green hanging from the horn tips of hers.
The sisters differed in other ways too; Tara was quiet and intense, Oriel was outgoing and curious. Yet they both could shoot, that I had to admit. And another mark in their favor was that Tara knew the spells to bind fire to her arrows, and Oriel could do the same with ice. I found this out on our first foray for the day. Oriel had hit the mark, a lone Fallen One, for the second time, and to the surprise of Kyleea and myself, it exploded into shards of ice that quickly melted into the ground, leaving no trace of the small demon.
Kyleea let loose a laugh. "There goes your first minion for the day," she joked, leaning on her javelin. The Sisters looked confused. "Just... hold off on the magics for a little while until the Priest here can summon h... his minions."
"Minions?" Oriel asked, looking at the golem, then at me. I threw a slight glare at Kyleea from the shadows of my helm, then turned my eyes to Oriel.
"With the grace of Lord Rathma I summon skeletal minions from the corpses of my enemies to fight at my side. Surely you have seen them when we have returned to the encampment during the past few days."
"Oh, right," the Rogue replied. "Oops. No corpse, no minion, right?" I gravely nodded. "So I'll hold off on the ice until you've got what you need." She gave a sunny smile, at odds with her war-like clothing and demeanor. "Minions. This is going to be a lot more fun than I thought."
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The day fell into a pattern as we worked out an efficient strategy. My minions would be the first wave of attack, with Kyleea and the Rogues picking off enemies at their leisure. Sometimes I had to run through a pack of monsters to get the 'boys' to fight, and so picked up a few cuts and bruises. A bad moment befell our party when Oriel was hit by a Fallen Shaman, causing her to stumble, and be swarmed by a group of the devilkin. Tara shot arrow after arrow into the pack as she raced forward to aid her sister, joined by Kyleea. I stood to the rear of the battle, and sent Bone Spears as fast as I could cast them into the air around the Rogues. Oriel clawed her way to her feet and was fighting with the long knife that every Sister carried; she didn't seem to care that she was surrounded and outnumbered, and she fought with the pure light of joyous battle in her eyes. Eventually the Fallen Ones were destroyed, and Oriel drank four healing potions before she was recovered.
"I know that the armor you wear is kind of a uniform for your Sisterhood, but do you think it would be all that bad if you put something more... protective on?" Kyleea asked as we cleaned up the fallen gold and items. Oriel and Tara shared a look, then Oriel spoke.
"I think... Kashya might protest, but I think that's a good idea." Going through the other items we had gathered that day, and using scrolls Akara had given us to identify the magical items, we managed to outfit the sisters with better armor and head gear. Neither of them would give up their bows for other weapons, though.
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The sun had set some time ago in the west when we decided to call an end to the day's campaign. Tara was the one who summoned the portal, but it was Oriel who asked a question. "Why don't you bring the boys with you at night?" Caught off guard I stood in silence for a moment.
"I do not wish to cause alarm in the camp with my minions running about of a night. They are ceaseless in their motion, even when I sleep."
"But doesn't it wear you out to cast them again and again?" she persisted. "Isn't it kind of a waste of magic?" Tara dusted the ashy remains of the used scroll from her palms and spoke for the third time that day; after introducing herself, and asking Oriel if she was all right after the fight with the Fallen Ones. Her voice was quiet and gentle.
"Don't worry about causing alarm. Oriel and I will spread the word that the boys won't not harm anyone." She gave a sweet smile. "They've proven their worth more than once today." She gestured to Oriel, and the pair stepped through the blue vortex, leaving me blinking in their wake.
"From pariah to asset - you've come a long way, Priest," Kyleea murmured, moving to stand beside me.
"Have I?" I returned. "Or am I just welcomed so long as I continue to kill monsters?" Kyleea swung her hand and slapped the back of it lightly against my shoulder.
"You have the trust of their High Priestess. These are religious women, Priest, which is something I think you know a little about. If Akara trusts you, so do they." She gave that saucy grin. "And you stopping the Fallen from killing Oriel did a little more to inspire it, I think." I shook my head.
"It was more your javelins and Tara's arrows that saved her, not I." Kyleea gave an exasperated sigh.
"Why are all priests so damn modest? You can shoot blind, fool, we had to make sure we didn't hit Oriel." Again she gave me that light backhand. "C'mon, there should be fresh stew up in the food tent." With that she stepped through the portal, leaving me a brief moment alone with my thoughts. Had I changed from pariah to asset? The Sisters had not seemed worried at all about my abilities over the course of the day. Indeed, they had cheered on the 'boys', as they were now named, in every situation where they could save arrows. Well, Oriel had cheered. But that was not to say that the Rogues had just hung back; indeed, they had killed as many if not more of the enemy than I and Kyleea. I had done them a disservice in underestimating their talents for war. And perhaps I was underestimating their ability to see beyond the mythos and the stories of the Priests of Rathma, and see me as a companion and fellow fighter, not just a 'corpse botherer'. With that thought in mind, I passed through the portal.
Once again, I was notified that Akara wished to see me; this time I took it with better grace, stripping off helm and gloves as we crossed the encampment. Following the Amazon, and followed in turn by my minions, we arrived at the small peaked tent in the space set aside for the High Priestess. She greeted us serenely, but the topic of conversation was anything but.
"I have meditated long and hard upon it, and there is only one person in the world that can provide us with the knowledge we need, that you need, to face the heart of darkness and succeed. The Horadrim Elder, Deckard Cain." I saw Kyleea shudder out of the corner of my eye, and I turned my head to see that she was a ghastly shade of white. "You know him, or of him, yes?" the High Priestess murmured, also looking at the Amazon. Kyleea nodded.
"He... he lives in... Tristram." Akara nodded.
"Tristram has fallen, and Cain is in grave peril. You must save him, else his knowledge will be lost to us, and you will fail, for knowledge is a pivotal part of your armaments in the fight against this evil."
"I have to go back there?" Kyleea's voice was an awful whisper, full of torment and fear. "I have to go back?" I spoke to her, pitching my voice to soothe.
"But not alone." She turned her terror-wide eyes on me, and I found myself reaching out to grasp her arm. "I will be with you, I swear it." I turned back to Akara. "As I understand it, Tristram is many weeks travel to the west by foot. Would you loan to us horses to make the journey faster if we really must rescue this man?" Akara shook her head, and a smile curved her ancient mouth.
"I can do better than that. It may take you a few days of searching, but if you find the sacred Tree of Inifus and bring the symbols upon the bark to me, I can show you how to open the Portal Stones that stand within the Stony Field and create a portal to Tristram. You will travel there in moments, not weeks."
"I know of the Horadric Magi from my studies, but it was my understanding that they all perished. Are you certain that this man is truly Horadrim, and not just some charlatan pretending to the title?" Akara's smile widened and changed subtly.
"Deckard Cain is truly Horadrim. I... know him of old, and we have been friends for more decades than I care to count." Surprisingly, a slight blush crept up the woman's wrinkled cheeks, and I decided it was better not to ask.
"Very well. At your request, we shall attempt to rescue this man. But if this town has fallen, as you say, it may be that he is already dead." Akara shook her head.
"No, he is not." Her hand lifted and brushed the symbol of her faith that hung from her neck. "I know it."
I inclined my head in a gesture of respect. "As you will." I slung my pack down from my shoulders. "Whilst I am here..."
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Again, Kyleea visited my tent when the rest of the encampment was abed. She sat down on the cold earth, still and quiet for a while. I waited, knowing that when she wanted to speak, she would. I put the time to use, rubbing oil into the joints of my armor after scouring out the rust that had crept in during the frequent rains. Finally, Kyleea spoke.
"I don't know if I can do this." I let the silence stretch for a moment, before I spoke. I pitched my voice to be low and gentle.
"Perhaps you could see this as an opportunity." She swung her face to look at me, her eyes too wide and her lips parted. "Not many get the chance to face what they fear in company." Kyleea blinked rapidly, her throat working. "I will take the Sisters with me when I go through the portal. Your javelin would be most welcome, but if you cannot do this thing, I do not wish you to suffer any further harm."
"You... You wouldn't think me a coward?" Her voice was husky in the darkness. I shook my head.
"You have faced this town once, why must you again?" I gave the last joint a final polish and set down the oily rag. "Besides, what matter what I think of you? The only opinion that should count is your own." I lifted my gaze to meet hers. "You still have a few days to decide, as we must still find the tree and the stones themselves." I leaned across and pressed my fingertips to the back of her hand. "What you must decide is if you can let this opportunity pass you by. But you do have time."
As she rose and walked away, I sent up a heartfelt prayer. Oh my Lord, let me have done the right thing. If I had simply asked it of her, Kyleea would have agreed to come to Tristram, as that was the kind of companion and party member she was. But she had to find the courage in herself to face this demon of hers, else she would feel less of a warrior for the rest of her days. I scrubbed my hands over my face, only then realizing that they still had oil on them. As I wiped the gleaming substance from my skin, I forced myself to think of other things. The choice was Kyleea's, and Kyleea's alone. I just hoped she would make the right one.