Not yet dried puddles trembled in the wind on the stone of the Monastery, starlight glimmering in them and on the metal bits on the guards' armor. Four of them were posted at the gate, waiting for the last scouts to come home from their missions, trying to peer into the darkness behind the light of the torches.

There was silence for hours. Only the sound of the wind rattling leaves and whispering through the grass. Sometimes a rogue sniffed, or absent-mindedly scratched her elbow.

It was very late. But finally, there was a flickering light coming towards them from the mist. They all braced themselves, but from the noise they knew it was a patrol. Thank the Heavens.

Flavie appeared first, then the rest of her group. Olena, Blaise, Aliza and Diane.

'Oh, it's so good to see you,' Blaise sighed as they stopped on the dirt patch before the stone steps of the gate. Their exhausted eyes flickered in the torchlight.

'Flavie,' said one of the guards, a short-haired girl, barely twenty years old. The captain looked at her and waited for what she wanted to say. But she didn't continue.

'Yes?' Flavie nudged her on.

The rogue nodded and swallowed, embarrassed.

'Akara said that I should tell anyone who comes back to go and see her.'

'Even in the middle of the night,' another guard added. Flavie nodded.

'All right. We'll go see her,' she said, then ran her gaze over at each of the guards. 'Are we the last party?'

'Kashya's group is still out,' answered the nervous rogue biting her lip.

'Kashya's group?' asked Olena. 'They went to the village, right?'

'Yes,' Diane said. 'Amplisa is with her too.'

'And Klaudia,' said Blaise. Aliza was nodding absent-mindedly. She seemed the most tired of them all.

'It's a big party,' said Flavie, turning her head back to the others. 'They might not come home till tomorrow. Maybe Kashya decided they should stay with the villagers for the night.'

'Who knows what happened in the village,' said Blaise quietly. The nervous guard bit her lip.

'Don't worry,' Flavie said to her. 'They'll come back soon. Just keep watching.'

She made a reassuring smile, and that seemed to calm the girl a bit. As they opened the gate and the scouting group entered the monastery though, the captain's smile faded from her face.

Akara was standing alone in the cathedral, in front of the altar, looking at the candlelight. She couldn't get herself to sleep, so she got up an hour ago, and she was here, waiting. She figured this was another sign, a gift of the Sightless Eye. Trusting it, she waited.

So when Flavie opened the heavy door, she wasn't surprised. She turned and to meet the group of scouts and walked toward them, pulling the purple hood from her white hair. They met among the seats. She was tired, but it was nothing to their exhaustion.

'You returned,' the High Priestess said, her eyes forming the question. What happened?

Flavie nodded. She stood in front of Akara with her hands behind her back. The others were looking around or down at their feet. Akara sat down on a bench, showing them they could sit too. They gladly did just that.

'We buried her,' said Flavie, sitting next to Akara. Blaise, Olena and Aliza sat down on the seat behind them, and Diane remained standing. She looked at Aliza and saw her face was distant. Worried, she pushed her lips together into a line as Flavie continued.

'We went to check on the farm as you said. They weren't home. We waited for them, since the door was open, and there were candles burning inside. But they didn't come home. Something's wrong, Akara. Something's wrong.'

'The coat was there, too,' added Olena quietly.

'Yes. Master Vama's coat.'

Akara slowly nodded, for a moment as distant as Aliza. She sighed, but only Flavie could hear.

'I understand,' she said, looking into Flavie's eyes, trying to ease her nervousness. But Akara herself was getting nervous. Finally, she touched the captain's thigh. 'Go to sleep, all of you. It was a long night, I can see. We will talk in the morning.'

All of them stayed where they were, and there was a moment of silence. Akara looked around, and then continued:

'Try to get some sleep. I'd like to speak to all of you at once.' She meant the scouts. 'Everyone will tell their story.'

'What about Kashya's party?' Diane asked. 'Do you think they'll come back tonight?'

'I don't know, Diane,' Akara admitted. 'Frankly, I think it's unlikely.'

'So they stayed at the village. There's something afoot there.'

It was a long way from the monastery to the village. If anything was going on there, Kashya's group wouldn't have the time to come back the same day. So it wasn't the delay that was troubling – it was the question of why did they have to stay.

'It can be anything, until they come back and tell us,' she said. 'Do not worry yourselves tonight. It might be just the villagers throwing a feast to them. And if it's something else, we all know they can manage.'

Everyone was looking at her. As High Priestess, it was her duty to calm them, to support them, even if she herself wasn't entirely solemn inside.

'It is only a matter of time. They will be home tomorrow. They are fine. Now, get some rest, please.'

Finally, the tired rogues complied and left. Akara, taking a last look to the altar, got back to her bedchamber too.

The sound of metal on metal clinging filled the crisp morning of the monastery as Charsi was shaping an arrowhead on her anvil. The forge was hot, so many rogues came in for a moment when they had free time, and Charsi was good company. The cheerful blonde always had a smile to give, a joke to say, a laugh to share.

This time, she was a bit more thoughtful. The arrowheads she was making were to replace some the scouts shot away yesterday. One of the groups had to run and couldn't retrieve theirs. Chased by a swarm of blood hawks into a cave where they had to wait for hours until it was safe to come out. A swarm of blood hawks. They never attacked people. Neither did wendigos or quill rats. Something was up, and now everyone knew it.

They didn't really tell the refugees. Akara didn't want panic, and she wanted to wait for Kashya's return. Who knew what was going on there in that village.

The High Priestess was standing near Charsi, near enough that she could hear her speak between hammer strikes. She tucked away a lock of white hair under her hood, and said, continuing their conversation:

'I don't want to seem grim, but these events are similar to what happened in Tristram. This might be some kind of aftermath. So be vigilant.'

'Can't you feel anything?' Charsi asked and hit the shaping metal with the hammer. 'If you can't neither of us will.'

'Oh, I feel something sinister,' said Akara. 'I just don't know what it means yet.'

'So we prepare,' the blacksmith asked, but it was more like a statement than a question.

'Yes,' Akara said, composing herself. She sounded reassured again. 'It doesn't hurt to be on the safe side.'

'As always, I agree,' said Charsi, then asked: 'Will we send out more parties? If so, they need to be better prepared.'

'Of course,' Akara said to the last statement. 'And we should wait for Kashya and the others to come home before we can talk about other parties.'

'Oh. Yes. I'm sorry.'

'No need to be sorry, child. Everyone's worried.'

'Even you?'

'Can't you see?' Akara replied and couldn't help but smile a bit. Charsi only nodded and finished shaping the arrowhead. She grabbed it with calipers and cooled it in water, making it hiss with a gush of steam.

'Akara?' asked a rogue who suddenly appeared in the door. She was a bit short of breath from running. She scratched her head, ruffling her blonde locks even more.

'Yes?' the High Priestess raised her head.

'There's, there is a man here. He is…'

Then she jumped, because the man was behind her, stepping into view and introducing himself:

'My name is Aidan. And I'd like to stay a while before I move on, if possible.'

He was a tall, handsome brown-haired man, although looking older than his actual age. He wore a simple brown robe over his armored leather vest and pants. There was also a sword on his belt and a small wooden shield on his back. Aidan. The warrior who killed Diablo under Tristram cathedral. Charsi was smitten.

Akara's face, on the other hand was suspicious before she hid it with a solemn face and turned to the man. The young rogue who brought the news and was apparently followed quickly stepped next to Charsi, trying her best not to appear very startled.

'The hero of Tristram,' Akara said. Aidan shrugged. The scar on his forehead was obscured by his hair, but large enough to be visible.

'What brings you here? Are you heading to the east?' Akara asked.

Aidan stepped inside.

'Yes. I felt I overstayed my welcome in Tristram, so it's time for me to go back to the east. I'm meeting an old friend there.'

He raised his brows, almost as if he was asking if Akara was satisfied with his answer. She crossed her arms gently, and nodded. Meanwhile Charsi set down her hammer and marveled at the rarely heard deep male voice. The guard girl looked at her excitement without understanding in her frown.

'You are free to stay,' Akara said. 'The midday meal is in a few hours.'

'I wouldn't stay for that long, if that's possible,' Aidan held out his hand. 'A simple meal of some bread and cheese would be enough. Then I'll be on my way.'

'In a hurry, I see,' Akara said. 'Fair enough. Come.'

She walked out the door and the warrior followed her. Charsi was following too, without a word. Aidan didn't look at her.

'Say,' Akara said on the way, 'Have you seen anything unusual in your travel here?'

'You mean the refugees? The animal attacks?' Aidan asked back, catching up a bit to the priestess.

'So you know about them.'

'Of course. I've seen them. There are refugees coming to Tristram from the surrounding farms.'

'Do you know anything about the reason for this?' Akara asked. 'Did Deckard Cain say anything about it?'

'He didn't. He's as clueless as us.'

They reached the dining hall. It was empty at this hour, but the kitchen fires were burning all day, and Visala the cook was always around. She was sweeping with an old broom when they came in. She too seemed a bit startled from the man's presence. It's not like the rogues rarely met men, it was Aidan himself who was intimidating with his towering figure and harsh voice.

'It started a few weeks ago,' he was saying. 'Then I left. I thought maybe I can find out something.'

'In the east?' Akara asked. Visala stopped sweeping and looked at them with a curious frown.

'There are scholars who could know more,' he said. 'And I'm sure to get through, I can take care of myself. Anyone else who can fight stayed to guard Tristram, or whatever village they were in.'

Akara could see Aidan was getting uncomfortable from her questions, although she didn't feel the questions were inappropriate. Maybe he picked something up from her tone that made him annoyed.

'Here we are,' she said to ease the tention. 'Visala, would you give the hero of Tristram something to eat?'

Aidan also seemed to dislike that title. Akara saw what Blood Raven said – despite being this well-spoken, the hero was not a man of words. Charsi tried to ignore this when the cook brought a wooden plate with some bread, cheese and ham on it.

Aidan sat at the table closest to the kitchen.

'I have a companion too, a man coming with me to the east,' he said. 'Could I have something to give to him too?'

'O- of course,' Visala said and went back to the kitchen to pack a meal in a cloth.

'Why is your companion not with you?' Akara asked.

'He's weary of the monastery,' Aidan said and he started eating. 'Or he just likes your guards and stayed behind to talk with them.'

Akara knitted her brows but could not resist a smile. She stepped to the kitchen door, watching Visala as she turned round and round the kitchen searching for something. Charsi sat opposite to Aidan and leaned forward. With big eyes she said:

'I admire tales from heroes like you. You see, I can't go around adventuring like you, so I rely on others to entertain me with stories. Oh, I'm Charsi, the blacksmith.'

Aidan chewed on a bit of bread and looked up at the excited blonde. Then he looked back to his plate and had a piece of ham.

'I'm sorry, but…' he started, and Charsi's brows went up, but then came another voice from the door.

'Aidan?'

Everyone looked up to see Blood Raven standing there, her mouth left open, staring at the warrior. She was wearing her dark red hair down, a rare sight. Maybe she just woke up.

'Raven,' Aidan said with a hint of a smile on his face. Charsi frowned, then broke into a broad smile.

'Raven!' she called out. 'Come, sit down, and help me hear a story or two!'

Aidan hung his head over his plate again. Raven passed Akara and sat next to Charsi, folding her hands on the table.

'What are you doing here?' she asked. The warrior swallowed a bit of cheese and looked up at her. His glanced over to Charsi too, who was getting discouraged.

'I'm going east, to visit a friend,' he said. 'I stopped for a meal to rest my legs a bit. I was hoping for some peace and quiet, but…'

Charsi blushed. Akara almost smiled. And Raven started nodding.

'Charsi,' she turned to the blacksmith. 'Why don't you wait outside for a bit, while Aidan has his meal? He's tired.'

It was Charsi's turn to nod.

'All right. I understand. Maybe some other time.'

With that, she stood up and walked out. As she passed Akara, she made a frown to the priestess. Akara shook her head a bit and left with her. Visala felt unwelcome too, so she followed them.

Outside, Charsi suddenly turned around to peek inside once more, and she could see Blood Raven touching the warrior's hand as she talked, leaning forward, looking into his eyes.

A small but loud bell was sounded, its sound around the monastery walls, letting everyone know that the midday meal was almost ready. All rogues began to finish what they were doing and make their way to the dining hall.

Aliza and Diane were walking down the cloisters when Flavie appeared in a doorway, alone. She seemed deep in thought, massaging her neck under her hair which was she washed and combed after last night's weather. Diane took a couple of longer steps to catch up to her.

'Flavie!'

The captain stopped and turned with her brows lifted. Diane motioned her to keep going, so they started walking towards the scents of cooking together, Aliza following them.

'Is it true what they say?' Diane asked, and looked back for a moment to encourage Aliza to come closer.

'About Aidan?' Flavie asked back.

'Yes. Is he really here? Or did he leave? Everyone says it differently.'

'He left a while ago,' Flavie said. 'But I don't know the details either. Charsi seems to know a lot, she couldn't shut her mouth about the man.

'So she actually met him?' Aliza asked. Her voice was quiet nowadays, but at least she was starting to talk again. Diane shot a relieved, loving glance at her when she wasn't looking.

'Yes. Although apparently he wasn't as she expected.'

They entered the dining hall which was already bustling with activity. Sisters sat down to eat, everyone talking while others were bringing the hot bowls of soup to the tables. The noise of constant chit-chat filled the hall. At the farthest tables, startled refugees were given seats, some of them were already eating, no doubt burning their tongues with the hot broth.

'There's Charsi,' Diane pointed to the blacksmith in the middle of telling a funny story to some of the Sisters - five rogues and a young priestess in her brown robe.

'Let's ask her then?' said - or asked - Aliza shyly.

'I'll come with you,' said Flavie.

They let a group of girls excitedly debating something pass, and made their way to Charsi's table.

'So this other boy came up to her too and asked if she could fire two bows at once,' the blonde blacksmith was saying with a big grin. 'She just stood there, making this face.'

She made a kind of scared and surprised face and made the others smile.

'Can we sit with you?' Diane asked. Charsi looked up.

'Of course! Diane! Oh, hi there, Aliza! Captain Flavie!'

The others at the benches scooted closer to each other so the three newcomers could sit next to them. Flavie pulled an empty plate lying around in front of herself and grabbed the ladle sticking out of the big bowl of soup, having some for herself.

'You want to hear the story, right?' Charsi leaned closer to Diane and Aliza sitting in front of her. She had a mischievous smile on her full face. 'The story of Aidan the warrior?'

'Oh, that,' said Flavie, smiling as she sat back down with her bowl of soup.

'What if we do?' asked Diane with a small smile of her own.

'I'll tell you because it's a great big secret,' said Charsi.

'It's not a secret, you gossip,' laughed one of the rogues. 'He was here. What's so secret about that?'

'Oh, I don't know, the part with Captain Raven, maybe?'

'That's could be anything,' said the priestess, looking up from her spoon under her mouth.

'What about Captain Raven?' asked Aliza, her eyed darting around the Sisters sitting around her.

'Charsi thinks Captain Raven and Aidan like each other,' the rogue said. 'Only because she saw…'

'Hey, hey, it's my story!' Charsi called out, hitting the table.

'All right, I won't steal it,' said the girl, lifting her hands. 'I'll just eat my soup.'

'What did you see?' asked Diane.

'Where is Raven anyway?' Flavie asked after swallowing some of the delicious broth.

'She's back at her quarters ever since. That's what I'm trying to tell you,' Charsi said. 'Now everyone just hold off and listen to the story from the beginning.'

Akara stood in front of Raven's door which she closed behind herself a while ago. The rogue captain was sitting on her bed with an unmistakably sad expression on her face.

'I would leave you alone with this,' the High Priestess said, 'but I can see something's very wrong. And you haven't talked about what happened back there ever since you came back. Everyone is worried about you. I'm just trying to help you Raven.'

'I know,' Raven said and nodded. 'But I can take care of it myself. You know I'm strong.'

'It's not about that. You are home, you don't have to be strong. Especially not for me. We've known each other for a long time, have we not?'

'Akara…' Raven started, but did not finish. Akara looked at her for a minute, then stepped to the bed and sat down next to her.

'What worries you so much, my child? Something you've seen? Something Aidan said to you today?'

'He… he wasn't like I remembered him. That's all.'

'What do you mean? Was he not friendly with you?'

'It's not that,' Raven shook her head. 'Just… give me time, to think this over. I cannot talk about it right now.'

'Fine. But whenever you feel the need, you can talk to me, as always.'

Raven nodded and looked away. A frown swept over Akara's face. Once again, she couldn't quite place the feel that poked at her mind from the shadows.

After a while, she asked:

'Will you come with me and eat something? You must be hungry.'

'I'm not, to be honest,' Raven said and looked at the priestess. 'But I'll come with you. I can't sit around here all day.'

They both smiled.

'Come, then,' Akara said standing up. Raven stood too, but before following Akara outside, she stepped to her desk and took a plain ribbon from it. She tied her hair back in a few well-practiced seconds, and went outside to the corridor, closing the door behind herself.

'Ah. Your hair,' said Akara who didn't understand the reason for the slight delay.

That is when the surge of feeling hit her. And apparently, Raven too.

'Did you just…' she said, looking at Akara with a puzzled look.

Then the screaming started.

'What is that?'

From the direction of the dining hall, everyone seemed to erupt in screams. Something was very wrong.

Akara and Raven both ran towards the noises. The dining hall wasn't far - they had to pass the open cloisters, go past the smithy…

But as they stepped out of the corridor to the gloomy sunlight they found themselves almost barging into an evil army.

They both stopped in their tracks, their hearts stopping a beat as they saw the demons on the courtyard moving towards the screams where the rogues were. Those screams, it was a battle!

Small but vicious-looking, red-skinned, horned Fallen were talking in their infernal tongue, crude, sharp sabers and maces in their small hands. Among them, even scarier sights, tall, hairy goatmen marched brandishing halberds and spears, towering over the numerous small demons, their hoofed feet clacking on the ground. None of these were a new sight to Raven.

But where did they come from?

A fallen spotted Akara and Raven, calling out to its kin on its guttural voice, shaking its head, sending its black hair flying around. Raven did not have her bow, but didn't hesitate to take her knee up and draw a dagger from her right boot swiftly. As the monsters turned to attack them, she met them head-on.

'Oh no!' Akara screamed. Fires were already burning as the torches of the Fallen flailed around the trees and the grass. Blood Raven was a blur.

She collided with the first fallen, burying the dagger's blade in its left eye. Its cry was cut short. She ripped the blade out with a line of blood in the air and twirled, holding her hand out. The motion crossed paths with another monster's neck and tore it open. A third on was slain too, stabbed in the throat, before the demons could even react.

There were thirty or so of them on the yard, and more than half of them turned to deal with Raven and Akara. The rest ran on to join the attack on the dining hall where the screams got louder – fortunately, a good part of it was the fallen's voices crying out. Most of the rogues carried knives around like Raven, although not for self-defense but for practical reasons.

Raven stabbed another demon, then danced back from the slash of a saber. She lashed out with her foot, catching the monster in the face with her boot. She did not hesitate to cut down the staggered foe who was grabbing its nose, crying out. Another one came, and Raven kicked the mace out of its hand, leaving it defenseless. In the next second it fell to the ground, clutching at its throat and kicking with its short legs.

One of them reached Akara, two others running close behind. The High Priestess held up her hands.

'Back, fiends!' she yelled and released a blinding flash of light from her palms. The monsters staggered. Akara shouted again, and there was another, more focused ray of light which burned the demons. They flailed around, backing up, their faces and bodies bursting into foul-smelling flames.

'Akara!' cried Raven and moved to the side to get in front of the priestess. There, she got face to face with a goatman. It bleated loudly and raised its battleaxe over its head. Raven was faster and cut at its stomach. The axe came down though, but she stepped out of its way, and it clung on the stone ground. She finished the abomination off with the blade wedged in the skull right through its ear.

As she jumped forward and buried the dagger into another fallen's skull the demons started getting scared and backed away from her, letting the goatmen between them and the rogue captain. She ducked for a moment, picked up a demonic saber and jumped into the fray now with weapons in each hand.

Akara stepped closer to help. Holding her hands out again, she blinded the closest goatmen who bleated in pain in unison. Raven ran them through, cutting one's head off with the razor-sharp fallen blade, stabbing one under the chin with her dagger, tackling one to the ground with her shoulder and ducking from a spear's blind flailing, stabbing it in the process. She kicked the legs out of another, which was easy because of their hooves slipping on the stone.

The fallen were running now, abandoning Raven and Akara to join their kin instead. Raven lost the sword when she thrust it into another goatman's stomach and it wrenched itself away to fall to the ground. She slashed at the eyes of one with the dagger, blinding it in its own dark blood, then slashed at another. It was lucky though, as it parried the attack with its horns. Raven rolled away from another one, running at her at full speed, only to get caught by Akara's burning ray of light, its legs running out from under it.

'We have to get to the others!' Akara yelled, enveloping the goatman on the ground in light and burning its wicked life away from it. Raven agreed. She stabbed another goatman in the stomach three times in a blur, took the spear out of its hands and hit it in the nose with the pommel. Another hit in the temple under its left horn sent it down on the ground.

She threw away the dagger, killing another monster by getting it right in the eye. The spear was heavier than the ones the rogues used, but it was still deadlier than a simple knife. With a fierce battle cry, she turned back a bit and ran at the second to last abomination blinded by Akara's magic. Holding the spear in front of her she impaled the monster and pushed it down. She ripped the tip out and parried the blow of another spear with the pole. There was a flashing ray of light and it burned out the eyes of the last goatman. It dropped its spear, clutching at its head. Raven sent its soul back to the Burning Hells.

Without answering Akara, she held the bloody spear ahead of her and turned to chase after the retreating fallen. Akara followed behind her, her purple cowl slipping down from her head.

Raven was faster than the child-height red demons. One heard her cry and turned back while running, in time to see the rogue impale a comrade who was falling behind. Raven twirled and swung the spear wit all her strength, bashing in the skull of another demon, then held the weapon over her head and came down jumping on the next one, skewering it downwards from its shoulder.

That is when she saw the shaman. It was taller than the others and had greater horns on it head, and it wore jewellery made of bones of which many seemed to be human. With a staff in its hand, he pointed at Raven and Akara and called out to its soldiers with a lower, louder voice than what the others had. And out of the gaps what the retreating ones left came a wave of frenzied reinforcements, some of them with shields.

'Look out!' Akara cried. Raven ran at the charging demons and felt the heat of an infernal fireball passing over the fallen's head. She ducked her head just in time not to get burned. It was the shaman, wielding evil magic.

Raven was sliding on her bottom now, holding the spear out. One unfortunate fallen ran right into the tip and got impaled. The rogue pulled back the weapon with the body and kicked it off, sitting on the ground. Rising to one knee, not standing up, she met the incoming demons. She hit the shield out of the closest one's hand and stabbed it in the heart - demons had their hearts just the same place as people. It fell on the ground, and another one vaulted over the body, getting a stab in the neck for its effort.

Raven shifted her balance and stepped forward while still remaining ducked on her knees. Another fireball passed her, but that was not intended for her. Akara dissipated it with her holy light. Raven fought on, felling two demons at once with one swing of the spear's tip, following the motion with a sweep at the next one's legs, sending it flat down on its stomach. One reached him and slashed at her with its sword. She parried, then the monster tried to bash her with its small shield. It was a strong hit, but she hit back with the pole of the spear, sending her foe falling on its behind. She skewered it with the tip, then pushed it off, right into another charging fallen.

Then, to her dismay, one of the dead sparkled and started getting back up, its neck wound closing rapidly. Another one sparkled and that one stood up too to rejoin the fight, right as Raven killed the demon closest to her. The resurrected ones attacked her slightly from the behind, forcing her to stand up and jump away. As soon as she was on the open again, the shaman sent off another glowing ball of fire.

Akara stepped closer and shielded Raven from the fire with a surge of light. The rogue could hear her wheezing breaths. The High Priestess was powerful, but she was getting tired.

'Hold them!' Raven shouted to Akara who was standing right next to her now. She had to get to the shaman. As a light erupted from Akara, burning every fallen around her, Raven ran one down and pushed forward.

She didn't look back to see how Akara was faring. She needed to be swift. She didn't attack the next wave of demons, but dodged their attacks and stepped through their ragged ranks. Some of them turned to follow her, but she paid them no heed. She dodged to the right from a fireball which wasn't even close to her this time. Running in full speed now, she jumped over a shorter fallen, then dodged another ball of fire to the left.

The shaman was yelling something on the top of its guttural voice. The fallen around it were trying to form a protective barrier, but they were disorganized. Ducking from the next fireball which went off to the sky, she impaled a demon, ran it through with the spear, and caught another one behind it. Viciously, she pulled it out of both of them, and twirled to the right past one which was trying to hit her with all its might with its black mace. The shaman was pointing at the rogue, shouting even louder, panic in its primitive voice. Raven dodged between two sword strikes, getting even closer.

When she was no more than five steps away, the shaman started backing up, but almost stumbled when it stepped on another demon's foot. It wasn't shouting orders now - what came out of its sharp-teethed mouth was a long, angry and fearful cry as it pointed with the staff and let off another fireball. Raven saw it coming even before it was cast, and stepped to the side. Kneeing a fallen in its sharp, hooked nose to send it out of the way, she raised the spear with one hand, adding her battle cry to the shaman's, and with the motion of throwing it - only still holding on to it - she brought the spear's edge down, running the foul leader's skull through its mouth, coming out with a crunch at the back of its head.

Then did she turn and look at Akara who was surrounded by tumbling, staggering, flailing, screaming demons sizzling and fuming from the holy fire.

'Back! Back!' Akara cried. The fallen were in panic now. Only twenty or so of them were left on the battlefield, and with their shaman dead, they lost their confidence. Blood Raven did not show mercy. One demon ran past her, and she grabbed it by one of its horns. Its legs ran out from under it, and it was lying of its back. Raven brought the spear down to its heart, twisting the edge with a growl. She stepped in front of another fleeing one who screamed in terror as she skewered it and left it to bleed out, turning away from it.

She could feel herself tiring a bit as she went after the fleeing fallen. Akara stood among the burned corpses leaning on her knees with her hands to catch her breath, then followed, getting closer to the dining hall where the sounds of the battle were still raging on.

'No! No!'

Raven tried to ignore the High Priestess' horrified cries and steeled herself for what was to come, while moving swiftly from enemy to enemy, delivering the finishing blows to the attacking fallen host. Only two of them had the courage to fight back, but one-on-one against the rogue captain they didn't stand a chance, and went down as fast as the others.

Finally they ran to the dining hall. What they saw was horrific, but still better than what they expected.

The rogues inside pushed the monsters out to the courtyard, shedding their blood at the stone floor and columns. Only twenty or so fallen and four goatmen remained. A middle-aged rogue was holding one of the bleating goatmen down as a girl with her dagger stabbed it repeatedly in the chest. A wounded Sister was coming out the hall to see the battle, keeping her hand on a seeping wound on her side.

Raven jumped into the fray, entering the fight by tackling a goatman into a group of fallen. She stabbed with her spear, into a demon's gut, wrenching the edge out. The rogues were glad to see their captain. She could see Aliza among the fighters, wielding two daggers, burying both blades into a charging goatman's shoulders and kicking the abomination back. Another girl brought it down on the ground and kicked at its face.

In less than a minute, the battle was over. Diane struck the last blow, grabbing a fallen from the back and slashing its throat. It died coughing blood, kicking on the ground until it was over. Only the cries of the wounded remained.

'Where did they come from?' asked someone. It was a good question.

Akara, sweat running down her forehead grimy from the smoke around her, stepped forward. A tree was burning, the hungry flames howling at the silence of the aftermath.

'Is everyone all right?' the High Priestess said, a teardrop mixing with the sweat on her cheeks.

The rogues were silent. From inside, a crying woman could be heard. Everyone stood unmoving, looking around, afraid to look anyone in the eye. Finally, Flavie spoke:

'They snuck up on us. Most of us could fight back, but the refugees, the panicked… Not all of them could make it.'

'Most of us?' asked Raven, getting stuck at the first half of the account. 'Did everyone make it? From us!'

She stepped in front of Flavie who bit her lip and looked at her boots for a while before looking up again.

'Visala didn't make it. She tried helping the refugees. Heather and Debi were injured. Debi is.'

'Let me see them,' Akara said.

'I'm here,' said the injured Heather with the wound on her side. 'Debi is worse, go to her first.'

Akara nodded and passed her, stepping into the dining hall. Her hand went up to cover her mouth.

Bodies of demons and people were lying among the tipped-over tables and benches. Blood was splattered on surfaces, weapons were lying around. The crying woman was a refugee, grieving for her husband lying face up. The woman was trying to touch the sword sticking out of the man's chest, but always flinched away and wailed on. Visala was lying face down, the corpse of a goatman under her, her hand on a dagger protruding from a fallen's ear. She bled out from five stabs and cuts on her legs and stomach, and two large wounds on her back.

Debi, a thirty-year-old rogue with tousled light brown hair was lying on a table, surrounded by five Sisters. One of them was holding her hands on a rag covering the gaping wound in her stomach. She coughed. Akara stepped closer, passing five dead fallen and a young refugee boy's corpse, trying not to look into his open, frightened eyes.

'Akara, please!' one of the rogues said. The refugee woman was still crying in the corner. The High Priestess touched the hands of the girl holding the rag on the wound.

'Let me see,' she said.

'I helped as I could,' a young blonde priestess said. 'She's not in danger anymore, but it still hurts.'

'Thank you, child. Good work,' Akara said and removed the rag. She put her hands on the wound and closed her eyes. The light which burned the demons came out of her palms again, and it slowly healed Debi, who had tears in her eyes from the pain.

'Thank you,' she moaned.

'You will be fine. Don't get up yet,' said Akara, then she went back outside to see Heather. Some rogues were coming back to the dining hall, unsure of what to do, not daring to touch anything. Two of them were standing close to the wailing woman, watching her with their mouths trembling.

Akara found Heather leaning to a column while Diane was leaning to the side, looking at the cut on her side.

'It's just a flesh wound,' Heather said.

'I agree, fortunately,' Diane said, then she saw Akara and stepped back. Akara healed the rogue without a word. As she was done, Blood Raven stepped in front of them.

'They came from the inside,' she said. 'The gate wasn't attacked'

'From the inside?' Diane asked. 'But…'

'There is only one place they could come from,' Raven said, her voice steely and cold. 'The catacombs, Akara.'

Akara shook her head.

'The catacombs and the jail were sealed long ago,' she said. 'But I'm afraid the gates down there weren't built to keep demons in.'

She wiped a tear from under her eye.

'There is a portal of Hell down there, Akara,' Raven continued. 'I talked to the others. We're going down there.'

'Let me go too,' Diane said immediately.

'No. My team from Tristram will come with me. The rest of you will stay here and seal the entrance to the jail.'

The five rogues who were at Tristram stood behind Raven, determination in their faces. They were veterans. Diane nodded and didn't argue. Blood Raven's words were orders now, not suggestions.

Akara looked Raven in the eye for what seemed like an eternity. Then she nodded.

'Be careful. We will be waiting for you.'

'We will find out what's going on,' Raven said. 'Guard the stairs, seal them with magic. We'll call out when we come back.'

Everyone understood. Everyone was still in shock from the attack, and no one argued with what Raven said. The followed the group of veterans and went through the cathedral defiled by the feet of demons. At the back of the church Akara opened the door downwards with her key.

The Sisters watched as Blood Raven and the five rogues disappeared into the darkness. After that, they all stood in the church with their heads bowed, shrouded in silence.

Akara was lying on her bed, looking at the ceiling. Outside the rogues were still working: the dead refugees were laid out respectfully in the dining hall with sheets covering them, Visala was put onto a cart in a coffin to take to the burial grounds, and the demons' corpses were burning outside the monastery walls, guarded by twenty rogues. It was their idea for Akara to lay down for a bit. They were concerned for her as she was exhausted.

She could not sleep of course. It didn't even particularly feel like resting either.

She swallowed. She knew that she should have been a leader for the Sisterhood, a point they can trust on being there. But in reality, she was worried sick.

Diablo was defeated. Hell's assault failed. Why then did demons undoubtedly from the Burning Hells attack the monastery? What was going on? Why wasn't the dread of Hell gone from Sanctuary?

All answers she came up with were dire. Every possible reason was terrible. There was no chance of peace. People were dying. And somehow, she was supposed to stay on top of it all, and safeguard the way to the East with the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye.

'Where is she?'

The voice came from outside the room. Akara sat up with a start and went outside to see Kashya barge in, followed by a guard trying to slow her down.

'Where's Raven?' the red-haired captain stopped in front of Akara. She was desperate and angry. She smelled of sweat and her nails were black. As she stood before the High Priestess, three more rogues entered the cathedral to stand behind her with concern on their faces.

'The monastery was attacked, Kashya,' Akara said, but Kashya interrupted her.

'I heard. I saw the bodies! Where is Raven? When did she go down?'

'Please, Kashya, control yourself.'

But Kashya just got louder. The whole church was echoing with her demanding words.

'When did she leave? When did they leave?'

'A little more than an hour ago.'

'I'm going after them,' Kashya said and started for the stairs. Akara grabbed her hand and was almost pulled to the ground.

'The entrance is already sealed.'

'I can catch up to them! I won't let her go there alone!'

'She isn't alone.'

'She isn't with me! I'm not there! I'm going down there!'

'Kashya!'

Akara's yell echoed through everyone's mind. Kashya stopped, looking at the High Priestess fighting her tears back.

'You will not go after them,' Akara said, her voice reverting back to the usual quietness. 'They will come back. Your place is here now. You are the Captain in Raven's absence. Everyone needs you here.'

'Akara, I… I should have come sooner, I…'

'I know that you came as fast as you could, child,' said Akara, stepping closer and placing a hand on Kashya's shoulder. The captain put her neck on the old woman's shoulder and hugged her.

Blood Raven and the Tristram veterans spent a whole day down at the catacombs.