Ch30: Death's Shadow
After Leah successfully warped me to Westmarch, I saw for myself how destructive the Reapers really were. A duo of them simply breathed on a couple of people that ran from them and their bodies immediately dissipated, their clothes now being occupied by tortured soldiers summoned by Malthael's magic. And when they tried to do the same to me, I smiled when the magic simply bounced off of me altogether. I may have absorbed demon powers before, but I was not part demon. "Get ready to die, bozos," I growled as I rushed forward and sliced each one's head off, the result being their souls returning to Malthael altogether.
After this happened, I rushed forward further into the city, witnessing people getting turned left and right and even a Death Maiden turning an innocent woman and her child into Reapers. Before that evil bitch could think of escaping, I rushed at her and blasted her with Disintegrate, her armor falling off and, to my surprise, the two people she turned into Reapers being turned back into their old selves!
"W-What the hell... what just happened? I remember a bright light... then darkness... then I'm here again..." the woman asked as her child began to cry silently as she hugged her mother. "You two need to stay with me. I'll keep you safe," I told them. "We trust you. Lead the way," the kid gulped as she and her mother ran alongside me and, for every breath of dark magic that tried to infect them, I took the blunt of it and shielded them with my body.
When we finally reached the center of Westmarch and into the front of the Cathedral, I activated a spell around the mother and daughter that would protect them while I killed off the onslaught of Reapers to the Cathedral. It was an upgraded version of Diamond Skin that I had learned prior to fighting Azmodan. I could project it on my allies as well as myself and it would deflect any and all damage done to the person for a good half hour after I activated it. They were safe without a doubt.
"And that's the last of 'em!" I smirked as I ended the life of the final Reaper, making the duo behind me look on in sheer amazement. "You're so quick and nimble with those sword slashes and you are completely impervious to their foul magic... who are you?" asked the mother. "My name is Lisa. And I am a Nephalem in the flesh," I smirked to them. "Thank you Miss Li-" the little girl was about to say before some large wall of dark, monstrous energy seeped underneath us and entered the cathedral!
"The Cathedral's been breached! The refugees are in there!" exclaimed the captain of the Westmarch guard as I rushed in and activated Diamond Skin on every single person in the place. But since I had used it on all of them, my stores of Archaic energy needed for magic was quite low. "You will pay for killing my sister, Nephalem!" growled the Death Maiden in front of me, not a one of the people in front of her being affected by the magic barriers. "And you will pay for trying to turn innocent humans into literal soul fuel, Death Maiden!" I exclaimed as I rushed forward with my sword in hand. I slashed her face at least thrice before finally slicing off her head.
The result was threefold when I did this. Firstly, the Death Maiden exploded in a big gust of wind. Second, the Soul Crucible behind her completely disintegrated into nothingness. And finally, the most shocking of all, the Death Maiden then reformed herself in front of me... but she didn't look like a Death Maiden anymore. She was clad in Angel garments, sure, but her face was definitely not one of an angel or a Death Maiden. It was one that looked... mortal!
"W-Where am I?... And why do I feel a massive pain in my head?..." she spoke, her voice no longer having an echo to it like before. It sounded like one of pure worry and shock. "Be on your guard, men. She may still be a threat," said the Captain of the guard. I simply stood my ground and looked at her fully before speaking. "Do you remember anything? I just sliced your head off because you made a Soul Crucible to try and turn innocent people into soldiers for Malthael's army of death," I told her.
But when I said this, the woman didn't look at me with malice in her eyes. She looked at me with a face of confusion. "Malthael? The Angel of Wisdom? Why would he be wanting to kill innocent people? I know I'd never do anything t-" she was about to finish before she suddenly got another migraine and she rubbed her head from it. When it finished, she simply gasped deeply and fell to the ground, her body looking like it had taken a beating on the inside. It was then that I realized what had happened. She had accidentally touched her foot against her staff.
"I... I remember it all.. the darkness of the world... Malthael was lost to us... when I... when my sisters and I went to find him... we felt his presence overtaking us... and then I was mind-jacked... I could see all the destruction... how many humans had died by my hands... only to add on to Malthael's power over death... I... I need to rectify this!" she exclaimed as tears rolled down her cheeks and she let down the robe over her head, revealing that her hair looked like a sheet of music.
"Tell me, Nephalem. How did you save me from the spell?" she asked me with a serious tone. "I chopped your head off," I said. "Then come with me so that we may rescue my sisters from Malthael's wrath!" she frowned as she led the way past the guards, all of them loosening their grips on their weapons when I gave them the at ease signal. "So what's your name, miss?" I asked her. "My name is Celeste. And your's?" the angel smirked. "Lisa. Lisa Farthing," I giggled. We were then off to the Westmarch Commons to find and destroy the Soul Crucibles and rescue Celeste's sisters.