Thaddeus (Chapter 23)

Template:Thaddeus nav Mephisto, terrible Lord of Hatred,

Bringer of sorrow after sorrow, spoke:

"Know that I determined your ruination long ago.

I planned from days of old what will come to pass.

I know your comings and goings. Rage against me,

Dismayed and confounded by what I have brought.

I will heap evils upon you. Hunger will waste you,

Icy winds and poisonous pestilence devour you.

Teeth of beasts and crawling things, flow with venom!

You will never discern to what end --

For you will not know me when I come."

-- Chronicles of Zakarum, c. 19, v. 18-28

It hurt to even enter Mephisto's Durance. The air was dry, dry as old bones, from an oven-like heat hanging in the air. This should not be; these chambers were in the middle of a large lake, water should be seeping in through every crack in the surrounding rock. But there was none, only a crackling crust of dried blood inches thick on the floor. Thaddeus stepped in, to the edge of a pit. A sludge of human blood and gore half-filled the pit, with dozens of bodies tossed in like unwanted guests. He could smell them drying out, withering; it smelled of slow death, disease, nightmares. In a way, it was fitting that all the water had been forced out of this place. Everything in Kurast flowed out from here.

The welcoming committee was a pack of Fetish skeletons, the kind that explode when they die. Gingerly, Thaddeus stepped around them, casting Blessed Hammer, watching them dart in and out among the whirling hammers. Sometimes they hit, and the skeleton went up in a burst of fire and bone fragments. Sometimes they missed, and Thaddeus had to charge the skeleton to kill it. Charging with his shield sent most of the bone fragments away, so he was rarely hurt. Behind the Fetish skeletons were Vampire Lords. Their decaying bellies bulged from gluttonous feeding, stretching the skin tight and translucent. As the hammers whirled through then, they burst like ticks, thick fluid oozing from their rotting guts.

On a return trip to the docks, Natalya stopped Thaddeus on his way to Hratli's. "Hello. How are you holding up?"

"I don't feel anything at all."

"That's good," she replied. "You're getting used to it."

"I do not want to be used to it," Thaddeus sighed. "Killing is necessary, but it should not be something we grow accustomed to. It is too easy an answer."

"It's the only answer. These aren't people you're dealing with."

Not now, Thaddeus thought. "There do not seem to be any in the Durance."

"No, Mephisto sent the Zakarumites out to die. The Iron Wolves captured some."

"Really?" Thaddeus stared at her.

Suddenly reticent, Natalya said, "But they haven't lasted long."

"What is the difficulty?"

"Um... a lot of them are killing themselves."

"Oh," Thaddeus nodded. "I understand. Many do, when their fall is clear to them."

Natalya nodded. "Well, they're... really, really contrite. But everyone here on the docks is happy and grateful for what you're doing. I just hope you can defeat Mephisto."

"I have to," he said. "If I do not, all of this will begin anew."

"Mephisto is embodied by Sankekur, maybe the most powerful mortal in the world. This is an incredibly dangerous quest. I wish I could help you somehow."

"Could you leave Ormus, with a clear conscience?"

Her eyes narrowed. "No! He's probably waiting for something like that. He'd get us right at the worst possible moment."

Frowning a bit, Thaddeus nodded. "I have seen no outward sign of corruption in Ormus."

"Unlike your Zakarumites, he's smart enough to hide it. No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I can't go with you. But maybe... if there were something I could do for you here?"

"There is nothing to be done here. Kurast will rebuild itself, I am sure, but that must wait until afterwards."

"Yeah," Natalya said. "But there must be something I can do for you... maybe take your mind off your problems for a few minutes?"

"My will is focused now, I could not encompass distraction. Were I to turn away, I might not be able to return to my duty in time."

"No, you don't understand... it wouldn't take long at all."

"Diablo and Baal have already entered Mephisto's durance. The longer they are together, the worse it will be for us. Perhaps I can catch them in their reunion, before they unleash whatever new horror they are planning. I must leave now."

"But... no, you're right. Duty comes first."

Deeper in the Durance of Hate, Thaddeus found more pits of death. It was hotter down here, and all the blood was dry. He could walk over the dead; they puffed into dust under his boots. The level was full of Vampires and giant Blunderbores. The flabby flesh of giants was less vulnerable to Blessed Hammer than the brittle bones of the Vampires -- Thaddeus often had to kill them by hand. In one large chamber, he broke up some sort of conference of the fat, smelly things: two named Blunderbores, one enchanted with lightning, the other enchanted with cold, and with a spectral hit. The battle ranged all over the room, as Thaddeus dodged behind chests, around columns, constantly casting Blessed Hammer and zealously smashing any who came too close. It was worth it in the end; one dropped a pair of plated boots, rare ones with useful enchantments.

His old pair of leather boots looked a bit odd with the plate armor, so Thaddeus was eager to trade up. Asheara happily took the old ones off his hands. "Hey, faster running and some great poison resistance. Quite a few of my Wolves would kill for something this good."

"I am sure they will go to a deserving warrior."

"Uh-huh. How's the durance?"

"Dry and still, full of fiery death."

"Sounds like a nasty place," she smiled. "Need anything for the fire?"

"Something to deal with giants would be better. They swing human bodies as weapons." After a moment's thought, he said, "During a battle with the giants, I heard something. A bellowing scream, horrible, but with no fear in it. Like a man breaking from himself."

"Gotta be one of the Three, at least. You're close."

"Very close. I can't see them... but I can feel them all."

Nodding, Asheara turned to her bodyguard. "Get lost."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and left.

"What is it?" Thaddeus asked.

"It's traditional," she said as she sidled up to him. "The conquering hero always gets the lady's favor before he goes in." Then she grabbed him behind the head, pulled his face down, and kissed him hard, tongue snaking into his mouth.

"Mmmphglff!" Thaddeus said, stumbling a bit as he tried to catch his balance and not fall over on her. Part of him crazily wished that she'd at least put her python down before she did things like this; it was poking curiously at his ear.

Breaking the kiss with a smack, Asheara grinned. "Smooth, lover-boy. Can tell you've had a lot of experience with this."

"Madam!" he sputtered, "the last thing you should call that is traditional!"

With a wicked grin, she purred, "If you really want to be traditional about it... I think the traditional favor is a piece of the lady's clothes, worn next to her knight's heart..." She reached behind her to undo her top.

Thaddeus quickly looked away. "I don't think you have enough to spare."

"Least I can do, for the man handing me a new kingdom. Come on, you know it's gonna happen. Somebody has to be in charge of this mess. Did you think it would be Ormus?"

"That is no concern of mine. And yes, I knew it would happen."

"You obviously don't object too much," she smiled. "Lady Asheara, Lord of Kurast. I like the sound of that. And I owe it all to you. So why are you getting so upset about me bestowing my 'favors' on you?"

For a moment, all Thaddeus could see was red, with Asheara in the middle of it. "Since you are so *kind* as to ask my opinion... I think you will be the worst ruler Kurast has ever had!! Ruling a country is much harder than managing a band of mercenaries, and you don't even do that very well! But... no one left alive in Kurast wants power as much as you do, so you will get it. Knowing what will happen does not mean I approve of it!"

Glaring at Thaddeus, Asheara drew herself up to her full height. "You damned Zakarumite. All you people do is stand around judging everybody! Look what that holier-than-thou crap got you: your church is a corrupt wreck, Paladins are demons' slaves, everybody in the whole fucking world hates you! I am going to run this country. When I do, no one's gonna judge me! I will do whatever I want, and no one can say jack-sh!t about it! Now go back to your damn assassin and get out of my sight!"

"I will go back to Travincal. My duty lies there."

What did Asheara know of duty? Nothing. Who could lead, without knowing the duties that fall upon a leader? In the old days in the west, there had been hordes of men and women like her. Hundreds of tin-plated dictators ruling tiny patches of land, thinking all should go according to their whim. They tried to conquer their neighbors regularly, thinking to increase their holdings. None knew how to govern what they had -- would increasing the demands on their authority improve matters? They couldn't even govern their own natures. Now that good government had collapsed in Kurast, the worst and most desperate for power would come to the fore, clawing for all they could get.

In the durance, no more cries echoed up from below. It took Thaddeus forever to find the stairs to the lowest level; why had the Horadrim made this such a maze, anyway? Vampires, Blunderbores, and a frighteningly fast Fetish skeleton pack harried his every step. Slowly, horror crept into his mind, worse horror than Mephisto's lackeys could inspire. He was too late. Whatever the Three Brothers were doing, they had already done it. Now, they were just toying with him, waiting for him to deliver himself to them so they could laugh in his face and destroy him. Then they'd destroy the world. He should turn around now, cut his losses, turn around and get out of this place. The Three together in one place was too much for any man -- even angels would fear to tread there, who was he to go in? Then, in the last place he looked, he found the stairway down into darkness.

At first, Mephisto was little more than a voice. \Come in, honorable guest./

"I hear you," Thaddeus called. "Will your brothers not speak?"

\My brothers have escaped you. But not by much. Your arrival is very punctual./

"Flattery will get you nowhere, demon." A horde of Fetish skeletons ran hissing out of the darkness. "What, more useless minions? How much more time do you need?"

A raspy chuckle echoed out of the darkness as Thaddeus let the hammers spin. \You presume too much. My business is done. All that is left is pleasure./

Rigorous application of Blessed Hammer destroyed all the skeletons but the most powerful, which ran away and hid. Thaddeus charged and smashed it. "I will not bother to ask what pleases you. Answering me would give you too much satisfaction."

\You know me, then. They did not./ As he said this, two more council members ran out of the darkness. Only seven sat on the council, Thaddeus had not expected to see more. To judge from his face, one was Bremm, famous for calling lightning down from the sky to smite his enemies. None came now, though he fought with conviction. \Tell me... what do you think of my methods?/

"I see no method at all," Thaddeus grunted as he beat the councilors to death. "Random death and pointless destruction, accomplishing nothing of lasting value."

More chuckling. \I expected someone like you. What did you expect, in this place?/

In a central chamber, a pit of boiling blood took up most of the room. It might have been lava, but for the human bodies roiling and bobbing in it. Thaddeus went to the side, where he could see an entrance. "Cease this questioning, demon. I have no more tears left to shed for your satisfaction."

\I shall tell you what you should have expected. Honesty./

"Honesty from the father of so many lies?" Thaddeus spat. Yet another council waited in the wing: Wyand Lifebringer, though he would not call her that now. "Even when you speak the truth, it is in the service of a lie."

\Who should expect honesty from the church of the Light? You train the young to spread fanaticism, destroy with lightning and holy fire. But you cannot allow yourselves to say a simple word like 'fuck' because it is obscene!/

"Fuck you," Thaddeus snarled, fighting his way through a few Vampires.

That brought a hearty laugh. \Such horrors you must have seen, to bring such anger out of someone like you. Good, honest anger. I detest the stench of hypocrisy and lies./

"You're lying, you hypocrite." Thaddeus finished Wyand off and found another entrance to the back of the chamber.

\Who is lying? Tell me... are you an assassin?/

"The assassin is sitting on the docks."

\An assassin is sent to kill. Are you an assassin?/

"I am a soldier of the light."

Mephisto appeared out of the darkness. \You're neither. You're an errand boy, sent to collect a bill centuries old. And I am the one who sent you./

Thaddeus took out his maul and charged. Straight into an icy ball Mephisto let fly. Without his shield, it chilled him to the bone instantly, and the impact stopped him dead in his tracks. He charged again, to be struck down by the laughing demon lord. This was not working; all the goading had made him too angry to fight. Rolling away as Mephisto floated forward, he got to his feet, quaffed a potion, and readied his shield. The second ball of cold shattered on it, chilling Thaddeus for but a moment. Swatting at his long, bony arms, he slowly moved in, towards Mephisto's misty body.

Clouds of venom and ice swirled around Mephisto's body, deflecting most of Thaddeus' attacks. Numbing cold, or sparks of lightning, shot from the demon's hands, but they didn't bother Thaddeus much. The greatest danger, here up close, was those long arms, which struck terrifically hard. He kept his shield up, zealously smashing away, eyes shut to slits against the sharp fragments of ice that came from every blow. When Mephisto tried to move away, Thaddeus let a few hammers fly before closing range again; some of them even hit. The ice ball seemed to be Mephisto's most dangerous attack, but he couldn't cast it as long as Thaddeus was so close, flailing away at him.

It was a grueling battle. Thaddeus cast Blessed Hammer; he called on the spirits of Paladins past to wreak vengeance on Mephisto; he even charged him when he tried to retreat. Every skill he had, he used on the demon lord, keeping the fight close and avoiding all his most powerful attacks. Slowly, Mephisto weakened, but it took such a long time... Thaddeus almost wished he'd speak again, just to relieve the tedium. Finally, after a very, very long time, Mephisto crumbled to the chamber floor. And Thaddeus' wish was granted.

\The horror... the horror you will face when I come again... I will exterminate you all./

All that remained was a broken-up human body, stretched and twisted out by that hideous strength. And a stone, a soulstone glowing with an icy illumination. Thaddeus took it. A few Vampires remained in Mephisto's durance, hiding in the corners. They guarded all the greatest treasures of Kurast; at least, the ones which survived. There was an axe, the Axe of Fechmar, a relic of legend. The legends hadn't mentioned it being ethereal.

Back on the docks, Cain and Ormus greeted Thaddeus. "This is a great day!" Cain said. "You have Mephisto's soulstone! The demon's essence is trapped there, though it will not make a permanent prison."

"You have defeated a Prime Evil in combat. Ormus is impressed beyond words. But what of his brothers, who came so far to join him?"

"They were not in the durance, so far as I could see. But there was, in the middle of a boiling pool of blood, a red gate full of the screaming insane faces of the damned."

"Not a good sign," Cain said inadequately. "Surely, the Three have opened a Hellgate into Hell itself! Diablo and Baal must have gone through."

"Of course," Thaddeus nodded. "All of their old portals were closed long ago. Why would they return there?"

"Who does not miss the sights and sounds of home?" Ormus asked, without a trace of irony. "Gates to Hell have always meant but one thing; invasion is imminent."

"Diablo and Baal were the highest commanders of Hell's armies. They bowed to Mephisto, but the eldest Brother seldom took direct command in war. I would imagine that they want to reclaim their infernal thrones, and marshal Hell's forces to invade our world again!"

Slowly, Thaddeus nodded. He felt weak. It wasn't over, it was only just beginning. The world was not ready for this. The church, intended to be the shield against invasion, was in tatters. Only a few faithful were left, in far off lands. "The gate must be closed. Can it be closed by any art we possess?"

"Ormus knows not the ways of Hell's magic."

"In the past, Hellgates were closed only after enormous efforts by many Horadrim. The source of the gate must be found and destroyed... but the magics are usually based in Hell itself, and well protected by Hell's mightiest forces."

"Then I must go through. Tell Asheara's Wolves to be on guard against anything coming through the gate. Where are all the Iron Wolves, anyway?"

It suddenly occurred to Thaddeus that the docks looked deserted. "Well..." Cain started to say, then lapsed into silence. Ormus never said a word.

"Where is everyone?" Thaddeus asked.

"Celebrating," Cain replied.

Happiness did not seem to accompany the word. "Where are they?"

"By the south docks."

Near the marketplace, Thaddeus saw fires burning. A great gathering of people clustered at the edge of the dock, cheering and shouting happily. Their noise almost covered up the screams. They had some Zakarumites. One was tied to a log, being ducked into the river until he nearly drowned. Just before his struggles ceased, they pulled him out, gave him just enough time to recover, then ducked him again. Another had been bound to a stake and covered with wet clay. He was rotating over a fire, slowly roasting to death inside his boiling prison. More were being slowly fed into a pit of Flayers, screaming for a quick death while the starving things ripped them apart and ate them from the ankles up.

Several Iron Wolves stood by, laughing and joking about having to go get some more; these ones were almost used up. The townspeople laughed and shouted, beating and kicking the Paladins of the Hand of Zakarum for dead wives, husbands, children, or friends. The scene was like something out of Hell. Thaddeus stared. When they noticed him, the shouting died away into silence.

"These were men," Thaddeus whispered. "These were men who fought with their hearts and souls. They had families and children, filled with love. Their judgment was taken away from them, and they became monsters. That is over now."

"SHUT UP!" a woman screamed, throwing mud into Thaddeus' face. "They butchered my husband, my sons, my daughters! It took days for them to die! My husband begged to die before they were through! Now THEY are going to beg ME to die!! SO SHUT YOUR PREACHING FACE!!! I will HAVE what's MINE!!"

A roar of approval went up from the dockside. Everyone started throwing mud, rotten bananas, or whatever else came to hand. The Iron Wolves started laughing, and some of them got in on the fun too. In his mind, Thaddeus could hear Mephisto laughing along with them. Defeating a Prime Evil in combat meant nothing -- a temporary setback at best. His victory in Kurast was far, far greater than his defeat.

Slowly, Thaddeus turned around and walked away. There was nothing he could say. He could not save them, nor the Zakarumites, or anyone else. There was nothing he could do. Except... try to foil Mephisto's plans, whatever they were. Back in the empty durance, the Hellgate stood waiting. Three human skulls, white and clean, lay on the ground where Mephisto died. For a moment, Thaddeus stared at them, wondering whose they were, and what their presence might mean. No answer came. He stepped into Hell.

Concluding thoughts:

1. I've never had this easy a time in the Flayer Jungle with a Paladin. Bosses are harder targets, though. I miss Fanaticism.
2. Frostburns are very good gauntlets for this build. The extra mana is very helpful, and the bonuses to damage handy. When Thaddeus got them, he almost had more mana than life.
3. With Frostburns and a Wyrm's ring of Sorcery, it seems I shouldn't have put any points into Energy at all. They give me more than enough mana for Blessed Hammer, and when I need more, unlike other spellcasters I can effectively leech it. The Hammerdin may have problems leeching enough in Hell difficulty, but I haven't had any problems yet.
4. Can't wait to see that Blessed Hammer does to Lord De Seis. And Lister.