Thaddeus (Chapter 21)

Template:Thaddeus nav Menesemi did not do what was righteous;

He walked with darkness on the paths of sin.

Images were made for the great Abominations.

His sons, and others, were slaughtered as offerings,

Amid burning incense on the high temples.

Smoke of incense covered every high altar,

Burning under every good green tree to cover

The stench of the blood of many, many children.

-- Chronicles of Zakarum, c. 14, v. 23-30

Slaughter them all, in morbid excess, Thaddeus thought as he left Alkor. By all that's still holy, if there is anything left, he would never speak to Alkor again. Everyone on the docks says, kill them all, just kill them all. It would be so much simpler if he could do that. It's not that he couldn't... the hammers could spin them all away. Most of them weren't even here, in their minds. They'd long since escaped into the comforting womb of madness, so beyond this place they wouldn't even know they were dead. Thaddeus wasn't afraid, not of them, of the giant skulls with blood between their teeth, or the altars draped with human intestines. If they died in this evil place, would their souls be trapped here? Would they sink under the weight of sin imposed upon them? It occurred to Thaddeus that he might die here. If he did, he'd rather go to Hell than stay trapped in the jungle.

As Thaddeus vanished through the waypoint, Cain heard a voice next to him say, "Damn. He's not going to make it."

"I am sure he will be fine," Cain told Natalya.

"No, he's gone. Did you see his face? He keeps trying to judge this."

"How should that be a problem?"

She tsked, and crossed her arms. "Never try to judge the people you're killing. You have a right to kill them, you don't have a right to judge them. Judgment is trying to do the right thing, and you can't judge anything in war."

Cain shook his head. "Any anger must be directed. Without a moral compass --"

"Did I say anything about morality? I didn't. You gotta be a moral person, yeah; then you have to have the strength to put that aside and kill without feeling. You're not a warrior, I don't expect you to understand. But judgment will kill you."

For a while, Cain was a loss for an answer. Carefully considering his words, he replied, "Perhaps he is trying to do something more than simply eliminate the enemy."

"If he's trying to restore the local's faith in the church, he can forget it. Everything he's brought back to aid the cause has been Skatsimi. The Gidbinn, the Black Book; everyone thinks the old religion is gonna save them. The church is a lost cause."

Cain decided to change the subject; this was too depressing. "Your concern for him is touching. Thought it is not something I would have expected."

From her shadow, Natalya frowned. "What, you think I like him?"

"That is not what I said."

"No, you just thought it. He and me are both police, but he's a rookie, earning his stripes in the worst possible place. It's painful to watch. Why'd you think I like him?"

Cain considered his words for a moment. "Earlier, you said you thought he was interested in Asheara."

"Yeah."

"Well, Asheara is sure that he is interested in you."

"What?!" Natalya's shadows dropped. "What does she know about it?"

"Careful," Cain smiled, "Ormus will see you."

As she raised her cloak again, Cain continued. "You speak to him so frequently, and show such concern for his well-being. Besides... if there really is any attraction for the 'bad girl'... you could fill the bill just as well."

"Cain, quit talking stupid. As the last survivor of the Horadrim, I must show you respect, but you're pushing it. I'm gonna go straighten that witch out right now."

As the shadow whisked off to Asheara's hut, Ormus came over. "Hail, Deckard Cain. My shadow has left me; does this mean I have risen from the dead, to feast upon the living?"

"No," Cain chuckled. "It means the ways of women's hearts are as confused as ever. It seems to me that men should never chase after women. If they are polite, well-spoken, but feign disinterest, they will soon find the women are doing the chasing."

"There is a poem called 'Woman,' which Ormus cannot read. There are no words. Asheara is self-conscious of her womanhood. Natalya is ignorant of hers. Combine the two, and true sisterhood will flourish."

Raising an eyebrow, Cain said, "They call each other a lot of things, but not 'sister'. This is something I've seen many times. Any man who approached either of them directly would be rebuffed. But take the same man, and have him express an interest in the other woman, and suddenly a competition arises. I wonder what will come of it."

"Not the noble Paladin," Ormus remarked.

Cain laughed! "Everyone seems to think he has taken a vow of chastity. But I think any romantic inclinations are far from his mind. A pity, it might do him a world of good."

The Kurast Bazaar was beautifully, gloriously empty of life. Except for a Tentacle Beast, poking its head out of a sewer entrance. As Thaddeus approached, it made a borborygmic rumbling noise, and ducked down into the sewers. Thaddeus followed. The sewers under Kurast were huge, almost a single large chamber underlying the upper part of the city. Permanent enchantments slowly cleansed the water, and forced it down to the river. The system was sophisticated and did a marvelous job of keeping Kurast dry; perhaps this was why cellars didn't flood here.

One blessing of the sewers was that while they were full of all kinds of monsters, there were no living humans to be found. Lightning bats and Tentacle Beasts were plentiful, as were the undead, in the form of mummies. As far as Thaddeus knew, the people of Kehjistan never mummified their dead; the warm, wet climate prevented it. These were imports, and did not take to the damp of the sewers well. They stank of decay and mold, and their touch was virulent with disease. Thaddeus was sure they would all fall apart within a week or two, as even their preservative-laden flesh succumbed to rot. Hastening their departure from this world was actually a pleasure, one he could partake of without guilt.

Exploring the sewers was a relief. A few nodes had entrances leading back to the surface, but Thaddeus went through every corner before he had to go back up. One large node had an entrance to a lower level, perhaps some sort of maintenance cell. Down below, a Greater Mummy guarded a small chamber. His pack of skeletons looked odd; perhaps they were the remains of lesser mummies who had lost their flesh. Blessed Hammer sent them to their rest as efficiently as ever. Several chests of treasure were stored in the cell; was this a demonic armory? Or did people, now probably dead, hide precious things down here?

The last chest, near the back of the cell, held the answer: a human heart, miraculously preserved in this most inauspicious place. All the alchemical arts known to man could not keep soft flesh so intact in Kurast, especially under Mephisto's influence. Though he couldn't feel it through the cold of his gauntlets, this heart was alive, alive with the courage and spirit of a saint. Thaddeus sat with the heart, cradling it in his hands. Quietly, almost too faint to be heard, the words of the song came to his lips.

"Lords of Light, hear my prayer,

Give your ears to my supplications.

Enter not into judgment with thy servant,

For no man living is righteous before thee.

The enemy has pursued me,

Has crushed my life to the ground,

Made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

My spirit faints within me.

The heart within me is appalled.

My soul is parched and dry.

Let thy will come to the righteous,

Bring me out of my trouble!

For the love of humanity that is mine,

Let me strike down my adversaries

For I am the servant of mankind,

And thy servant as well!"

Sitting in the silence, darkness all around him, Thaddeus thought he heard a heart beating. Maybe it was his own, thumping against his breastplate. He got up, and walked back up, out of the sewers and into upper Kurast. A crowd of moldy vulture demons attacked him; the hammers spun and destroyed them. Thorned Hulks came from behind them, and fell the same way. There was the waypoint; Thaddeus took it back to the docks.

"Hello, Cain," Thaddeus smiled. "We must take heart."

Cain looked quizzically at Thaddeus. "Hello. Something has happened?"

"Yes, how could you tell?" Laughing, Thaddeus showed Cain the heart. "I've a song in my heart, a heart in my hand, and I am sure Heaven's blessing is upon me."

"You have found Khalim's heart! Perhaps it has given you the courage to face Mephisto. Surely, this is a sign from Heaven!"

"That was never in question. But yes, the sign is heartening. So to speak."

With a chuckle, Cain replied, "I haven't the heart to tell you how awful your jokes are. Put that away now, before someone tries to cook and eat it. Where was it?"

"In a dark pit, deep with filth and rot. My boots were a disgrace."

"I am surprised you're still wearing the leather ones."

"They don't go well with the plate, do they? Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a better pair. Boots seem to be my Achilles heel."

Cain blinked. "Young lad, are you trying to be funny?"

"And failing, apparently." Thaddeus looked up at the night sky, smiling. "Though I know I should, I do not feel tired at all. Instead, I shall go back into Kurast, and hopefully reach Travincal by dawn. The Guardian Tower is there, where I am sure Mephisto awaits."

"Are you sure? Meeting a Prime Evil is dangerous enough even with a full night's rest, and Mephisto may not be alone."

"Time is precious, and I do not think sleep would come to me anyway. But before I go, there are a few things I ought to do."

First, Thaddeus visited Asheara. "Hello, Asheara!"

"Hey there," Asheara smirked. "You look happy. Been 'gossiping' with Natty?"

"No, I came to see you. I just wanted to tell you, you were right, and I was wrong. There is nothing to be alarmed about with you!"

"I wouldn't say that," Asheara said, looking a bit displeased. "What do you mean?"

"When I met you, I judged you by your appearance. Of course, I'm supposed to; you're working very hard to project a certain image."

"Uh... yeah?" she said suspiciously.

"Whenever someone tries so hard to be impressive, they are probably covering up their own vulnerability with a display of bravado. So you see, there is no need to be alarmed by you. I should be trying to reassure you that you should not be alarmed by me!"

"Hey, that's not --"

"There is nothing wrong with letting others see your softer side! It would be good for all of us to be more forgiving with each other. The pillars of humanity are faith, hope, and love; intolerance for each other's foibles is not included!"

"Don't you get any funny ideas about love," Asheara snapped.

"Why not?" He picked Asheara up under the arms and gave her a big, wet, sloppy kiss. "We all should love each other a little more. Now excuse me, I'm off to see the non-wizard. And remember: lighten up a little! It'll do you good."

Next, Thaddeus went to see Meshif. "Meshif, you need not remain here. Your services are not needed, there is no further need for you to stay."

"That's very kind of you! But why would I go now? From what I've heard, you've almost reached Travincal. The High Council of Zakarum is there!"

"And this gives you what reason to stay?"

"Hratli tells me the High Council is responsible for the jungle. They fell to Mephisto's evil ways a long time ago, and once you get rid of them, the jungle will stop growing and go back to what it was before! Why would I want to miss that?"

Though still terrifically happy, Thaddeus realized he'd forgotten the council. They were great priests, all well known to him. If Mephisto possessed Sankekur, head of the council, those men and women would be deep in his service. The cantors and rectors he'd met in Kurast were certainly tainted; the council would be even worse. "Oh, yes... yes, there will be more killing before I am done. Restoring balance to this land will require it. Do you know who sits on the council now?"

"No one outside Travincal has seen the council for years. Rumor has it they've lost much of their humanity, and look like horrible monsters."

"Hmm. Not a good sign, when they remain in hiding. Speaking of hiding, let me speak with Natalya. She's something of an authority on that."

Down in the marketplace, Natalya was waiting for Thaddeus. "Hi there. Heard you went to visit Asheara."

"Yes, I thought I should let her know I no longer think ill of her."

"You can say that again."

"Of course I could, but there wouldn't be much point. I just wanted to reassure her that she could relax around me."

"Why would she want to?" Natalya snidely asked.

"It is her own choice. But she is trying so hard to be impressive. There must be a great vulnerability underneath that prickly exterior she cultivates so assiduously."

"So, when did you become interested in her soft girly bits?"

"When I realized why she is behaving the way she is. Someone must have hurt her, a long time ago, and she's never recovered her trust of humanity."

"And you have just the thing to save her from herself, right?"

"I don't know about that," Thaddeus lowered his head. "I just hope I can bring some good to the people of this land. Some time ago, a very wise woman told me that my actions helped restore her faith in humanity. That's really all I want."

Natalya raised an eyebrow. "For a guy like you, you seem to know a lot of women."

"A whole sisterhood of them," Thaddeus said, chuckling. "I'd also like to thank you. As horrible as Kurast has been, you have helped me see and learn many new things."

She seemed surprised. "Like what?"

"Not to judge by appearances and first impressions. The soul is far more important, deep within and sometimes hard to reach. Knowing why someone does as they do, reaching some understanding of them, I need to look past the skin into the heart." Natalya almost jumped away when Thaddeus gently kissed her. "You have a good soul, Natalya, though your means and methods are unfamiliar to me. But they're not what matters."

"Uh..." Natalya murmured intelligently.

"Now, I must get back into Kurast. A world of time may pass in a moment, but even a moment is precious to us. I hope to return soon."