Raven grunted, the wall of heat as they entered hell through the gate had taken her breath away. The very stench was enough to make her gag.
"Deer lord, what is that smell?" Kormac commented trying to catch his breath. Tyrael seemed unaffected but was holding his chest.
Raven spun on her heel and glared at him. "I swear to god angel if you get in my way again I will not stop firing!" She snapped at him. "You're lucky I only nicked you, if my reflexes had been slower we'd be down a a person!" She Snarled.
Tyrael stood up straight, almost stubbornly. "Maybe if you concentrated on those around you instead of trying to take on every demon you saw I wouldn't had to get between you and the Malformed goat-man!"
Raven growled. "Stop trying to be the hero. You are not justice any more, you are not an angel your not Mr-I'm-going-to-save-the-world! You're just a human man with a stupid sword!"
"Maybe we-" Kormac started but seeing his mistake as soon as Raven turned he death glare on him he closed his mouth. "Ahem, never mind."
Raven turned on her heel again and inspected the two cross bows on her wrists. She glanced up and stared at Leah. Leah coughed nervously. I've found something of interest in uncle's book. She glanced past Raven at Tyrael who was pouring one of the elixirs on his fresh wound. "I think the reason why the demons has grown so strong is because Azmodan is using sin hearts."
Tyrael looked up. "He must have dragged those up from he deepest parts of hell." He moved forward and looked at Raven. "They empower his army, if we can destroy them the men at Bastion Keep should be able to push back the demons and Azmodan will fail to capture the black soul stone."
Raven glanced at the fallen angel then back at Leah and nodded. "Leah you get back to the keep, I don't want you straying too far from that soul stone, you have to remain safe until the last critical moment." Leah nodded and ported back to safety. Raven glanced back at Tyrael. She scoffed. "Stay out of my way..." She paused. "Please." She tried not to make It sound forced, to make it sound sincere, but she failed dramatically. For a brief second she looked past him at the the twin figure of herself, those black eyes staring back at her. She painfully tore her eyes away.
Raven had long wondered about Leila, she knew deep down she was dead, she'd curled up on her sisters grave when the other survivors found her. Yet she remained with her, tormenting her, terrorizing her mind. Even now as she moved through the dark corridors and paths of hell it's self she could here her whispers. At one point she stopped and shook her head mentally forcing the foul creature from her mind.
"Are you okay?" She wasn't sure who had asked her, or placed the hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, maybe it was to comfort her, what would she know of comfort.
"Back off!" She snapped. I'm fine, lets just keep moving
"Common little bird. Leave them come dance with me." She heard the whisper again, like a voice caught on the breeze. There was something off about it, something not quite right. Raven struggled to place it.
Then came the voice clearer this time. "Brenna, you are mine, ignore her, you are mine alone and I wont share you with that creature... " She felt arms wrap around her, ivory skin of her sister. "You are mine alone, don't listen to her."
Raven spun to look at her sister, but she wasn't there. Realisation dawned on her, Kormac wore a stupid grin, his eyes beginning to glaze over. Even Tyrael looked distracted by something. "WAKE UP!" She snapped, the sharp venomous tone of her voice was enough to bring Tyrael to attention, Kormac seemed to barely notice her, he gazed of into the distance entranced by some mysterious voice only he could hear. A few things crossed Raven's mind to wake him from his trance, and she settled on one painful one, well painful for him. She raised her fist and swing, it connected with his cheek, hard enough that he stumbled backwards and grabbed his face.
"What in the name of the high heavens did you do that for?" He said rubbing his cheek.
"Because someone was trying to get their upper hand on us." She glared at them. "And you two were grinning like love sick drunks." She rolled her eyes. She glanced at Tyrael. "I would have thought you'd be immune to something like, angel."
Tyrael coughed nervously and rubbed his head. "Being human is more complicated than being an Angel." He quickly tried to change the subject. "I have an idea of who is trying to slow us down, this is most definitely Cydeae's style. She's Azmodan's consort and his favoured general. She's also the demon of lust." Tyrael frowned, some what disturbed he was so easily sucked into the illusion. Yet at the same time his heart grew heavy that it was an illusion, how foolish of him to have believed anything else.
Raven turned her blue eyes to him, and he coughed nervously. "Tyrael? What could an angel possibly lust after?" She asked, curiosity burning in her eyes, there was a some what smug look on her face that she'd put him into this uncomfortable position.
"Home." He lied, although he did indeed miss high heavens and maybe when he first arrived home would have been a true answer, things had changed since then. He broke always from her burning gaze, did she believe him? Could she tell he was lieing? "We should get moving, she's already slowed us down."
Raven watched as Tyrael walked past her, she couldn't help but laugh a little as they picked up the pace, she would confront him after this was all over if she got a chance. No-one wears a dopey grin like that while thinking of home. For now though she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued on their journey down through hell. It seemed like they'd been here forever, fighting demons, spilling their blood on the dirt. Perhaps they had been, perhaps Azmodan had already won the war, but as Cydeae fell to Tyrael's final blow and the final heart was destroyed she knew other wise. Soon Azmodan would stand before them.
Raven hesitated in her steps. "What's wrong?" Two voices echoed around her, one of them her taunting sister's the other Tyrael's.
"Part of me is wondering what will come after this." Raven said looking and neither of them. Again both answered in unison.
"Freedom."
"Death."
Raven clasped her eyes shut. "Everyone keeps telling me this is my destiny, that this is what I was born for, but they are so very wrong." She sighed, and rubbed her temples. "It's feels so much like this was the last page written for me, my final chapter." She shrugged and walked past Tyrael. "It'd be nice to have an ending finally. Here's hoping it's a happy ending."
Tyrael grasped her arm as she passed. "After this is over.." He paused as if he'd had second thoughts about his words. "You will survive this, and when you do we will all drink to the down fall of the demons." Raven looked up at him, there was a softness to his eyes and yet at the same time a sadness.
"Wont you go home?" She asked curiously. "I'm sure your kind will welcome you back with open arms after this."
Tyrael shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure I want to go home any more. There are more important things than my place on the council."
Raven nodded as he let go of her arm. "To victory then." Tyrael could have sworn she smiled, her eyes seemed to sparkle for a brief moment as she turned away. "You hear that Kormac, drinks are on Tyrael if we all get out of this alive." She slapped the templar on the back.
"Is that so? Well we'd better make sure he at least survives then." He and the demon hunter began to chuckle.
Raven took a deep breath and slipped through the gate way into Azmodan's chambers. The great beast of the lesser evil rose up on his many legs. "Hah you've brought me the pathetic angel too, oh to be rid all of you in one fell swoop." His voice echoed around the chambers as his legs shifted and moved strained under his mass.
"I'm not afraid of you Azmodan." Raven called at him.
"You should be little Nephalim. When the soul stone is embedded in my flesh I will become the sum of all evils, I will be the glorious master of hell." He laughed maniacally. "I will be the prime evil."
Raven shifted position and held her cross bows ready. "But you will have to kill us first. Do you really think you can succeed where your bother failed?" She fired two shots at him and he let out a howl of anger. Raven saw the two men run past her, Tyrael swung his sword at the soft abdomen of the giant beast. Raven aimed much higher, she dug her heels into the ground and began firing as fast as possible at his upper body and head.
Azmodan reared up and slammed his front legs down swinging his arm. Both Kormac and Tyrael were flung to the side. Raven cursed under her breath as he began to descend on them, before Raven knew what she was doing she'd run up behind the demon lord and shot a roped bolt into his back. Azmodan swung around to grab her but raven had already started climbing up his back. "Will you guys stop laying around and give me a hand!" She shouted as Tyrael got to his feet and grabbed his sword, Kormac pulled himself to his feet balancing on his spear. Even from here Raven could see his one arm looked mangled. Azmodan took his chance at her distraction and pulled her from his back fling her harshly to the ground.
Raven felt the air forcefully leave her lungs, she whimpered a little in pain gripping her chest as she rolled onto her back, she found herself staring up at one of Azmodan's spidery limbs, poised above her, she blinked, life seemed to be moving in slow motion as the leg came down, she laughed inwardly and grabbed a handful of grenades and armed them. It was as she dropped them time seemed to suddenly catch up, something firm wrapped around her chest and pull her suddenly back. She fell back against an armoured chest, she shielded her eyes as the grenades exploded. Azmodan howled in pain. Raven took a deep breath, her eyes fluttered down to the armoured arm wrapped around her. She stiffened and pushed it off her, but it held firm for a moment.
"Are you hurt?" Tyrael said breathlessly against her ear.
She turned to look at him briefly, upon realising he was so close that their cheeks brushed, she snapped back to look at the hand. "I'm fine." She stubbornly pushed herself away from him and onto her feet before turning and offering her hand to him. "He's not dead yet." Tyrael grinned and pulled himself up. She was about to thank him, but he'd already nodded and thrown himself into the battle. Raven shook her head. She'd have to thank him later. Azmodan stumbled, unbalanced by his missing leg. This raised and idea in Raven's mind. Keep him busy boys, I'm bringing out the big guns! She shouted and grinned. She armed her arrows with Bolas shots, but began tieing her grenades to the shots as well. She took a deep breath. Only one shot at this. She ran forward past the two men fighting and beneath Azmodan, she fired four shots at two different leg and skidded out from underneath him. "Get down!" She shout and watched as Tyrael grabbed the sluggish Kormac and threw themselves back and down. Raven readied two of her knives and as each explosion happened and Azmodan started to tumble she leapt up. She dug her knives into his flesh, pulling herself up his back until she stood on his shoulders. He howled and tried to grab at her. "Say hello to your brother for me wont you." She whispered before plunging her knives into his eye socket repeatedly, each time with more force, Azmodan's hot blood burned against the skin on her face, he shuddered and gurgled in his own blood. He swung his head in pain clasping at his face throwing her off him, she rolled across the ground with a grunt. She pushed herself up and watched as the great demon threw himself around in a final fit of life.
Raven rolled onto all fours and spat the blood from her mouth, she was unsure whether it was his or hers, but either way the coppery taste sickened her. She laughed, she stared at the ground and laughed, she laughed so hard that tears mixed with the blood on her cheeks. She wasn't sure whether she was laughing or crying now. It was truly over. She could hear the faint voices of Adria and Leah, but it was as though they were some where else. She closed her eyes and sat back on her heels, still hunched over. So confused by the wave of emotions now flooding through her. A hand came down on her shoulder and she looked up at Tyrael, he leant down and helped her to her feet.
He didn't say a word to her, just silently lifted her, he knew better than to try and carry her. Instead he wrapped one of her arms around him and let her lean against him. Leah and Adria had already ported back to the keep taking the injured templar with them. He felt Raven stubbornly struggle to walk on her own at first, but after she stumbled a few times she gave in and leant against him. He smiled as they ported back to the keep together. This was a great day, the demon lords were finally sealed away, all that was left to do was destroy the black soul stone. He sat her down on her makeshift flour sack bed.
"Adria and Leah are readying to destroy the crystal." He said finally after one of the women that lived in the keep came with a bowl of water and a rag. He picked up the rag and wiped some of the blood from the demon hunters face. The cold water seemed to wake her.
"You don't have to treat me like a child." She snatched the cloth from him. And began cleaning her face. It didn't take long to wash the blood off. She leant over to drop the cloth in the bowl on the flour and winced grabbing her chest, just under her left breast. "Do me a favour and get some bandages please."
Tyrael raised an eye brow. Raven had said please, she had said it before, but never so, sincerely. He did as she said and left the room to find of clean bandages. When he returned he found the injured woman trying to undress herself. She was cursing in frustration.
Raven had been able to remove her leather corset easily enough, but she was struggling with the once white tunic, the sleeves stained reddy brown and sticking to her arms, Azmodan's blood, the blood just below her left breast was her own. Stubbornly she looked at Tyrael. "Well are you going to just stand there or help me?" Tyrael coughed nervously and knelt in front of her. "Can you get this foul thing of me, I swear the smell of his blood makes me feel sick."
Tyrael nodded. "Just let me know if I hurt you." He said before gently tugging the tunic free of her leather pants and lifting it up. He hesitated for a moment as his finger brushed over the bare skin beneath the white cloth, is was soft and as pale as snow. His mind swirled with images that he should not be seeing. He forced then away and lifted the tunic further, he kept his eyes looked on the bloody mess beneath her breast. Again he found himself hesitating, his hands brushed over her breasts.
Raven looked down at Tyrael and saw the hesitation in his eyes, even though he wouldn't look up at her, and it dawned on her. He may have had the body of a grown man, but he'd only been human a few months. She wondered if he'd ever seen a naked woman before, and if he had, was it different now that he was human. "Sorry, maybe I should get Eirena to tend my wounds." She looked away and pushed his hands away from her. "I..err." She sighed. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Tyrael shook his head. "No, it's fine." He smiled and rubbed his head and cleared his throat. "She's busy taking care of Kormac's wounds." He changed the subject. "I was just worried that if you lift your arms it's going to make the wound worse. I don't want this to be any more painful than it already is."
Raven nodded. "It's alright the tunic ruined anyway, I'll never get these stains out." She chuckled, the moment had become very awkward as she passed him one of her small knives from her thigh. She looked at the ceiling as he began to cut the cloth. "I've never really asked you before. But what is heaven like?" She smiled. "I bet it's beautiful."
Tyrael looked up at her for a moment as he peeled the remains of the tunic of her, it was an odd question. He supposed this was making her feel just as uncomfortable, he picked up the wet rag again and began to wipe the blood from around the wound, placing his other hand against her band to steady her. He was thankful for the small talk, it took his mind of the erotic images that misted his mind. "It is, the gardens of hope are beautiful as the sun rises, the light bounces of everything. Auriel takes great pride tending for her gardens." He smiled softly at the memories of walking through the gardens where music always played.
Raven winced a bit as he cleaned the wound, the rough rag scraped over her breast and grazed her nipple in a strangely pleasing way, she tried to mask that feeling by concentrating on the pain. "Do you miss it?" She asked quietly.
"Yes. It was my home, don't you miss your home?" He asked inspecting the wound. A small portion of rib bone poked through her skin.
"No." She answered bluntly. "I have no home."
"You need to lay back so I can realign the bones." Tyrael gently pushed her back when she nodded. He didn't push with questions about her past, for that she was thankful. She closed her eyes. "I'm not going to lie this is going to hurt."
Raven nodded. ''Just get it over and down with already.'' She snapped in her usual commanding tone. For a change this made Tyrael smile. Raven took a deep breath but it was quickly pushed out of her lungs as Tyrael began pushing the born back in place. She screamed and her one hand found something soft to dig into. She tried her hardest not to twist, but white hot pain brought black to the edges of her vision. Her chest heaved. I wont cry. I wont look weak. She repeated over and over in her head like a mantra. She opened her eyes as the pain began to subside to a horrid ache deep in her chest. As her mind started to clear she was aware that her nails were biting deep into Tyrael's hand. She pulled her hand away and looked away from him.
"Sorry." He said quietly as he began to rub something into the wound, something that stung as first but spread a warm feeling through her chest.
She lay her head back and relaxed a little. She disliked using salves and elixirs, not because they didn't work or she didn't believe in them, but because they had something of a strange effect on her. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as the warm feeling spread through her body, the pain faded away and gave way to the warmth. She'd never been able to describe it, but it made her mind groggy and misty, it always felt a little too nice. She placed her hand back on Tyrael's and looked at him. "Thank you." She said softly.
Tyrael raised a brow as she lay back and seemed completely relaxed. Her hand remained on his and he stared down at it. She'd never said thank you to him before. He turned his hand over and wrapped his fingers around hers. "Raven..." He paused for a moment. "You know sometimes your incredibly infuriating, gods only knows you can drive me insane, but-"
"Commander Tyrael, Lady Raven!" A guard burst in before averting his eyes. "Sorry to interrupt." He said nervously.
Raven shook her head and sat up, hold her ribs as she swung her legs around. "Don't worry man, he's only tending to my wounds." She began to wrap the bandage around her chest herself. ''Well what's so important you had to burst in?''
''Adria thought you might want to be present when the stone is shattered.'' The guarded nervously stood averting his gaze from them.
''Alright.'' Raven shook her head trying to shake off the drunken haze caused by magic.'' Tyrael you go on up, I'll finish bandaging myself up and make myself a bit more decent before I head up.''
Tyrael nodded and got to his feet. ''Don't forget you owe me a drink at the next tavern angel. She said as he was at the door.''
''I haven't forgotten.'' With that head shut the door behind him and Raven was left to break free of her haze.