Amanita (Chapter 5)
Template:Amanita nav Back at the Rogue camp, I got the whole story. The old guy turned out to be Deckard Cain, a noncombatant Horadrim, probably the last person they ever recruited, now one of the most famous sages in the post-Horadrim world. Even I'd heard of him. He didn't bother to explain what he was doing in a cow town in the middle of nowhere, and I didn't ask. His story about Diablo was more interesting.
Back in the Sin War, the Three Brothers were hunted down by the Horadrim and imprisoned in crystals called Soulstones. In a mysterious coincidence, each Soulstone was damaged during combat with the demon it was meant for, but the Horadrim used them anyway. Burying the damaged stones seemed like the best way to keep them safe. Mephisto was caught first and buried in Kurast. Baal was somewhere in Aranoch. Diablo made it furthest west, and wound up under Tristram.
Lately, things had been going wrong for the people of Tristram. Their king went mad. His knights killed him. The knights charged into the cathedral and disappeared. The new young prince disappeared. The bishop acting as regent disappeared. A lot more people disappeared. The king rose as a super-zombie. Other dead people started rising. Demons appeared, and the slaughter began. Cain began to suspect that something might be amiss.
Since the local army was gone, the call to arms went out. Local mercenaries heard; there hadn't been a serious war in the area for months, so most of them were pretty strapped and willing to work for loot. The Rogues heard, and sent a contingent of archers. I remember that my order heard too, but this didn't seem to involve corrupted sorcerers, and unlike the Rogues, we're not interested in charity work.
A lot of fighters went down into Tristram's catacombs. Some came back up and ran away as fast as they could. One made it all the way down to Diablo and apparently took on the big red cheese single-handed. Took more guts than I have, but he did it, and every surviving citizen got together for the celebration. All 6 of them. Afterwards, their hero started acting funny, packed his bags, and shuffled off to the east. Right at sunset the evening before I got there, demons came out of the cathedral and destroyed the town. Only the blacksmith put up a fight; everyone else was dinner. Cain was last because he looked stringiest; they decided he would be better as soup than a roast, and were putting on the kettle when I came along.
There was more: wondering about what happened to the hero, ideas about possession, dire warnings for the future. I didn't listen much. Diablo, a demon prince. No way could I handle something like that on my own. Before I begged off and went to bed, Akara gave me a ring to thank me for saving Cain. Does this mean we're engaged? I've never been into May-December relationships.
Once I was alone, I disconnected and
went out to the world
I need help! We're here We hear
I've found trouble in the west
I've found trouble in the east
The madness fits We hear
The madness comes from Diablo! Baal! Mephisto!
No! Listen! You listen! You listen! You listen!
The desert has a shadow creeping
From
the slaughtered towns
west
evil fouled water
rises
evil is terror
everywhere and nowhere
somewhere
we Kurast is
don't all darkness
know
where I'm in Lut Gholein
something has come
I'm in Kingsport Is anyone
there's nothing here in Kurast?
Kurast is
all darkness
I'm in the Rogue Pass
Diablo came through here
He is going east
He'll come here! I'll go to Kurast
Is he already there? Someone has to
He must be here. I'm
undercover in a harem Sounds fun
Shut up!
More fun than I'm having
Stop laughing! This is serious
What are we
going to do?
The Rogue Pass is blocked
I can't get through What's blocking it?
Can't be Diablo
He left demons behind We have to
Maybe I can clear them get together
I'm going to Aranoch
I'm sitting on my ass here What about Kurast?
The Three are in Kurast, Aranoch, and Westmarch
Check off Westmarch
Kurast too
Stop them in Aranoch I'll bet anything
Get together and stop them in Aranoch
I can't get there in time! I can't get there in time!
If we can't stop Diablo in Aranoch,
He will go to Kurast. I'm going!
I'll get through I'll go to Aranoch
I'm going Don't try anything by yourself!
I'll watch him
until you get here I'll go to Kurast
I'm already packing
I need to sleep Me too Me too Me too Me too Me too Me too
Kashya woke me. The sun was already up. "Who were you talking to?"
"What?" I croaked. Mornings aren't my best time anyway.
"You were muttering all night."
"Oh. I talk in my sleep. I hope I'm not possessed."
Kashya didn't smile. "If you are, I'll have to kill you."
"Sorry, bad joke. It's been on my mind. I mean... how could I tell?"
"We can't. It's been on my mind a long time. You and Cain were both in Tristram. But I can't kill you just for that."
"That's sweet of you, Kashya. If you start acting weird, do I have your permission to kill you too?"
"Yes."
The response was so abrupt, I looked her in the face. Her eyes were hard as granite. "What? You're the one who kills people for a living. You'd know it has to be done."
"I kill bad people, Kashya. There's a difference."
She shrugged. "I don't think you'd have a hard time doing it. I know you don't like me."
"No. You don't like me. I'm just responding to that. If you stop not liking me, I'll stop responding."
"You know why I don't like you?"
"Because you think I'm a whore and a slut and I degrade women just by existing."
"No. I don't like you because you're a parasite. That outfit you had explained everything I need to know about you. You use your body to manipulate men and get what you want out of them. I hate women who do that!" Words started coming faster, a well-rehearsed torrent of righteousness. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be part of a group, dedicated to a great cause? We Rogues build things, make our own destiny! We can stand on our own feet and look men in the eye! Women get more respect because of us! The world is a better place because of us! What do you do? Show cleavage to get what you want! Hell yes, it degrades women! Men look at you and think women are toys! Is that what you want?"
I took my time mulling over that. It gave Kashya time to catch her breath. When she was ready, I replied, "You know, I think you may be half right."
Good thing she wasn't possessed. That glare might've lit me on fire. "What, have you suddenly lost your taste for leather?"
"No. In the first place, most men aren't that stupid. I know, I've talked to some recently. In the second place, men aren't the enemy. This may sound strange, but most men only want to get along, and maybe get away with some stuff they shouldn't. But you're right, I use my body to get what I want. You know what?"
Kashya frowned. "What?"
"The skimpy outfit is easier to move in. Most of the time, that's the only difference. Even some guys are offended by it, or at least act that way in front of their wives. Other times, it does make a difference. My targets are sorcerers who made bargains with demons. These guys are proud enough to think demons aren't dangerous to them. A dumb girl showing lots of skin can't possibly be a threat; they always underestimate me. So, yes... I use my body and act like a dumb toy to get what I want. Most guys won't fall for it. The ones that do... the world's a better place without them anyway."
Kashya chewed on that for a while. I got my armor on. "You've met men who think your outfit is insulting to women?"
"Some of them, yeah."
Her look reminded me of a cat who'd finally caught an exasperatingly quick mouse. "Then why do you wear it?"
I grinned. "To see who gets offended. I'm not wearing it anymore. The present enemy doesn't care about my body, except how it might taste. You know, I'm kind of surprised you were so offended. I can see your order doesn't exactly mind less than full coverage."
"We are archers. We need freedom of movement. Not easy access."
"If you knew me," I said as I got my helmet buckled, "'easy access' is not the phrase you'd think of. Just accept that you don't know me. Now: I have to get through your pass to the other side. Which way do I go?"
A slow burn rippled the air around Kashya, but she responded in a business-like way. "The only way is through the monastery. You can try to climb the mountains, but they're a lot harder and as full of demons as the pass."
"Then that's where I'm going. Be seeing you."