Ch23: Assault on Caldeum Palace

Once we returned to town and told Megan (AKA, Maghda) the plan on what to do, our groups were then divided into the evacuation team of Lilith, mom, Tyreal and Megan, and the assault team of myself, Leah, Adria, and Serena. "Okay! Now let's destroy this gate!" I smirked as I cast Disintegrate on it and the gate actually blew open from the blast. "Hah! GOAL!" I smiled as we ventured forward and began our assault, destroying any Deceivers that Serena snuffed out as well as our group rescuing those that weren't snake people.

"Okay then. We must stay back for this one, otherwise Belial would steal the stone from our grasp. Good luck, guys. This could get rough," Leah frowned as she and Adria stayed behind on the bridge area and me and Serena ventured forward and saw tons of different Imperial Guard troops and Emperor Hakan II atop his throne. But we knew exactly who was behind that guise and would make him pay. "Praise the gods you've arrive just in time! Show me the Soulstone," he said.

"How did you know we were going after a Soulstone, Hakan?" I smirked at him, making him actually jump when I asked this. "Oh, yeah. You screwed that one up, Belial. Now that we've got you cornered, we will make you pay for killing off the Emperor and taking his empty husk for yourself! And think of this as a favor returned from me, Andariel, Maiden of Anguish," Serena growled at him as she let out her claws.

"Hmph! So it has come to this then, has it? Very well then... let the games begin," Belial growled as he lifted his guise and his subordinates did the same. "Easy out!" I smiled as I simply used Arcane Torrent all over the arena, aiming the distinct blasts at each Deceivers' faces and obliterating all of them in less than 10 seconds. "RGH! I will NOT be outdone! This world is mine!" Belial exclaimed as he appeared in front of us and I began to attack his body with swift blasts of Disintegrate, successfully chopping off his arms in the process and also getting a shot into his torso. "GRAH!" he groaned as he fell to the ground in defeat before he could change into his true form. "Rgh... you haven't... won yet... Azmodan... he knows of t-the stone... he will c-crush... you..." Belial coughed before his form melted away and only his demonic soul remained. "Okay guys! You're clear to come out," I smiled.

After I said that, Adria, Leah, and Tyreal all came in and mom held the Soulstone in her grasp. "Quickly, Leah! Seal Belial's soul within the stone!" Adria said. Leah smirked and focused her power on the stone, the result being the stone sucking up Belial's essence into the stone and it being sealed forever inside of it. "We did it! One Demon Lord down, only one more to go," I smirked as I held the stone back in my grasp and we all walked out of the city of Caldeum, the palace, and then made it to the slums, where all the citizens were happy to see us and were cheering our names. "Nephalem! Nephalem! Nephalem!" the crowd chanted as we walked past, making our group smile in terms of me, mom, Leah, Lilith, and Serena, while Megan, Tyreal, and Adria kept their stern faces.

"The day is won. We have successfully saved Caldeum and have defeated the Lord of Lies at the same time. It is a glorious day," Tyreal smiled. "But it is not yet over. Azmodan is still around and we have no idea as to where he will strike," Shen said to us from his station. "Well, if I know Azmodan well, he will attack in a place we will not expect," Tyreal frowned. "And where defeat will break our will to resist," Leah deduced. "You're learning well, daughter. But now we must continue Cain's work and record the End Days that are deciphered in Caldeum's Great Li-" Adria was about to say until Zoltun Kuelle walked over and piled down a book right in front of us.

"Um... what is this?" Leah asked as she looked at the cover and saw that it was Cain's old book. "Turn through it and you will see," Kuelle smirked. Leah did just that and began to turn the pages, finding that the book was not only updated in terms of Kuelle's own handwriting, but that the entire book of the End of Days was fully restored to its full glory! "D-Do my eyes deceive me?... D-Did you complete my uncle's work?" Leah asked with tears in her eyes. "It is my way of saying thanks for restoring my body and for helping me to fight for the greater good," Zoltun Kuelle smiled. "Leah actually smiled and began to cry tears of joy.

"Thank you... I don't know how I can ever repay you..." Leah smiled through the tears. "You already have, young one. You are using my life's work to destroy all evil forever and you restored me to my former being. It is my debt that still needs to be repaid to you all," Kuelle smiled at us. It was then that I began to hear something stir within the Black Soulstone. It felt like whispers. And before I knew it, I fell into a trance.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was certainly not at home and I wasn't in Caldeum either. I looked around and saw that there were pillars surrounding me, each with a demon on them that awakened the moment I looked at them. I was in the dream sequence that Leah would've had about Azmodan's attack!

It was then that I saw a large tub of girth and ugly begin to move in front of me, my size paling in comparison to his. It was Azmodan without a doubt. "Rghh..." he hissed as he looked at me, his foul breath actually making me cough. "Man, do you need a breath mint? Your breath smells like you ate twenty rotting chicken bones and then pooped out a rotten egg," I frowned at him, getting his attention.

"So, you think that just because you beat one Lord of Hell, means that you can beat me as well?" Azmodan asked as he swiped his spider leg against the ground, the cracking not really bothering me. "You don't scare me, Azmodan," I frowned at him. "You really think you can just snub me off without a fight? You must be joking, Nephalem," he growled lowly at my comment. "My armies will flow from the great Crater on Arreat. And once we get to your world, nothing will stop us from slaughtering all in our path. And then, I will take the Soulstone and merge with it to become the Prime Evil!" Azmodan growled at me. It was then that I felt angel hands on my back and they pulled me out of the trance.

"Lisa! Are you okay? You went into a trance of sorts," Tyreal asked me with worry on his and everyone else's faces. "I know where Azmodan is going to strike. He just told me flat out what his plan was," I frowned as I lifted myself off the ground and looked at the others. "He's going to be sending an attack from Arreat Crater, the place where the Worldstone was destroyed 20 years ago," I explained. "Arreat Crater?" Serena asked. "And from what I can see according to this map, it is about 2 days trip on foot to the closest settlement, Bastion's Keep. So I have a better idea as to how we proceed," I smiled as I looked at Leah. "Leah? Could you warp all of us to Bastion's Keep? Soulstone included?" I smirked. "I'll try, but don't blame me if it backfires," Leah frowned as she focused her powers of Diablo once more and, without even trying, she warped all of us and the Soulstone out of the area and we were immediately met with bone-chilling frigid air from Bastion's Keep.