As suggested by Dromiceius, I'm naming the chapters… eh, it's fun!

Please excuse me if you like Cain, because my annoyance at him might somehow manifest itself in this story… hmm.

I'm going onto a 6-day trip, to celebrate the finishing of High School! So I won't be updating during this period. However, it's to the country with my good friend and best friend, so I might get some decent inspiration… the inspiration of the last chapter came from ice crackling in Ribena; reminded me of bones shattering in a pool of blood, somehow… So damn hot yesterday.

Anyways, enough rambling. Onwards!

Disclaimer: I own this Amazon, Celadon, a bit of characterisation and the story. That's all. Blizzard owns everything else.

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Chapter 3: Revisiting Tristram

Tristram was nothing as I have remembered, and everything plus more than I have imagined it to be now.

The first thing I noticed was the smell, the toxic fumes of smoke, blood, sweat, carrion and poison combined. Tristram burned with an unceasing fire, its once-majestic building burnt to charcoal-like ruins; once-green earth is now charred and littered with mangled corpses. This town, Tristram had become reminiscent of hell. I tried my best to hold my tears back. The stench of death was so thick, it was almost as if the air could kill.

But I had to focus on what really killed. I looked around and saw many Shamans and their minions. I brought an arrow to my bow and took them down one by one. I felt a lot stronger now, and killing seemed to have come more natural to me. It was amazing how much the Amazon had already done to me; it had only been a day and she had already changed me.

"You're doing good, Celadon." Said my master. "Now, you take care of these little ones while I take Griswold down."

I was shocked; Griswold, the blacksmith of Tristram?

"You stay right back." The Amazon ordered. Unslinging her bow, she aimed at the advancing corrupted blacksmith, and after a few seconds, as if taking her time to focus, she let fly an Ice Arrow.

I then understood why she took her time, because, despite being chilled slightly, Griswold grew enraged, and sped up towards us. My master stood her ground, placing herself directly in between Griswold and me, and fired several Ice Arrows in a row. Griswold slowed down even further, yet he was more infuriated than ever. Within the small hallows of his eyes, anger shone as blood-red sparks.

He must have smelt my fear, for he overcame his frozen state in an instant and ran straight for us, his eyes boring into mine. I looked away and uttered a moan.

Then I heard his growl; I looked up, and saw my Amazonian master sank her spear into his tough chest again. She charged her spear, at the same time, shouted at me, "Celadon! What are you doing? Fire your Ice Arrows at him now!" She jabbed at him again. Griswold flung a fist at her, and with unbelievable grace and agility, the Amazon dodged it, leaning backwards just in time. I was shocked, but quickly regained my concentration and did as she told me, taking care not to hit her in the process.

My master jabbed at Griswold furiously, while trying her best to avoid the blows he delivered. She was trying to retreat, but Griswold was too fast. His fist finally caught her in the stomach, his other fist followed, smashing her into the ground. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and, her face finally taking on some expression, she looked slightly enraged as she spat onto the ground. She got up quickly, wincing softly, but never stopped attacking.

Her will affected me, as I overcame my fears. I cast Inner Sight and fired Ice Arrow after Ice Arrow, straining my threshold of spiritual energy. My master charged her spear with lightning, and jabbed it straight through Griswold's head.

As soon as Griswold stopped, so did the charge on the spear. My master and Griswold hit the ground together.

"Help!" I heard an old man's voice. I reached into my sash and pulled out the blue potion my master had left inside it when she gave me the sash. Draining the tiny bottle, I cast Inner Sight again, and sensed nothing but the fading energy of my master, and a weak, familiar one. Deckard Cain.

"Cain!" I called out. "I'll come for you in a moment!" I reached inside my sash again, and found two tiny bottles of red potions. I held my master's head and she stirred; I poured the potion into her mouth. She swallowed and opened her eyes. I breathed out in relief.

"Thank you." She said.

"No, you wouldn't have had to go up to him if I hadn't… if I… " Shameful for my weakness, I could not continue. My sister had told me that no-one should ever take on Griswold close-range. She would not have done that if I had not cowered and had kept up my attacks.

"Don't worry about it. He's finished." She sat up, wincing in the process. Those potions probably had not been enough. "Where's Cain?"

"I'm here." Cain said from around the corner. "I've been calling –"

"Well, excuse us, but we couldn't hear you with all these monsters war-crying." She stood up, using her spear as support. We walked up to where Cain was imprisoned, suspended in a cage held up by a pulley system.

"Get me out of here!" Cain cried.

"Yes sir," my master replied breathlessly. With a swing of her spear, she cut the rope on the pulley system. Cain came crashing down, and the cage broke apart as it landed. Cain shakily stood up. "Why… thank you." He eyed the Amazon.

My master took a scroll out from her backpack, fastened by a blue ribbon, and read out the incantations. A blue portal appeared. "Deckard Cain, go to the Rogue Encampment immediately!" Cain walked up to the portal, and then looked back. My master sighed impatiently. "Do you really need to be around while we go around and loot stuff?" Cain shook his head with a smile, thanked us again, and stepped through the portal, which disappeared after him.

Despite my master not being of full health, she went around Tristram, searching the corpses and taking what she deemed useful. She found me a better bow, and swapped her armour for a better one, before handing her old armour to me. We also found a large sum of money from a body which was recognisably Wirt's. So the rumour about him being a little thief was true.

I felt a little stronger yet again, yet neither of us felt us walking any further. So we opened another town portal, and returned to the Rogue Encampment.

My master went straight to Akara for healing, while I took our weapons and armour to Charsi for repairs. She was pleased about what we were able to do, and asked that if we ever got as far as the Monastery and come across the Horadric Malus, to retrieve it for her, since she had left it when she fled. I half-agreed, wondering if we would ever make it that far, back to the place which once marked the triumph and glory of the Rogues.

I met up with my master, who looked a lot more alive now, and went onto meeting Deckard Cain. "So… may I have the privilege of knowing the names of my rescuers?" He asked.

"I'm Celadon, a Rogue mercenary, as you can tell." I then nodded at my master. "And this is…" I stopped. I still did not know her name, which was quite a surprise, both to myself and Cain.

"Oread." She finally introduced herself, running her hand back, brushing her bangs off her face. "Of the Amazons."

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Oread is a kind of mountain-nymph in Greek mythology, pronounced "ORE-ree-ahd".

I'm assuming that Oread's level at this stage is between 6 and 12.

I know there is more than one person reading this. PLEASE REVIEW! I can't improve if you don't give me feedback.