Amanita (Chapter 24)
Template:Amanita nav A gateway was at the end of the bridge. Two half-skinned bodies the flies liked were tied to fluted marble columns. No one else. Stone walkways branched right and left. The biggest tower was right up the middle. I went straight, not my usual choice. Past roofed pavilions, the center of the island was a high dais. Two altars covered with blood, next to two pits. Something saw me: two Vampires. Plink one, dodge the meteors, get the other. Zealots come fast from the other side. They're quick, not much shining armor to slow them down. Hard to lose, or confuse, so I finally put them down. At the tower: a covered walkway around the base, ponds on either side of the door. Bubbles in the ponds, so some tentacle monsters. Ah, here comes something.
Damn, those guys are ugly. I thought the Rogues had it bad. At least they have clothes, cardinal red robes that can't fit them anymore. Three of them, charging fast. Shoot and fade back to the dais. The levels and stairways on the dais confuse these guys a lot more than they should. Makes you wonder why anyone would think demonic gifts are good things. Maybe the first thing they take away is your judgment, if you ever had any.
Something scorched my leg. A hydra had sprouted behind me. I ran around to a lower level, dodging firebolts. Two demon-priests came after me. I kept running, and almost tripped over the third. Wow, he made a colorful splat. Who knew anyone could have so much blood in him? The second died doing laps. The third was tougher. I shot him again and kept him running. He was the one summoning hydras. He also threw sparks of pink lightning, and was taking damn near forever to die. Finally, I just carved him up.
At the tower, the tentacles were up and waiting. Four more priest-demons raced out of the gate. No point taking them all on at once. I faded back, opened my mind a tiny bit to give them the once-over, then slapped one until he thought one of those tentacles was his worst enemy in the world. Poor bastard tried to strangle it. The others hopped over to stop the sacrilege. He didn't last long, but it gave me time to put a bolt in each of them. I gave them some exercise around the dais, and another died. Then the survivors started casting spells on each other. Crap. They're healing each other. You'd think priests couldn't do that anymore once they turned into demons.
I mentally slapped one, and shot the other. They both came after me. Crap. I ran them around the dais, and finally got them separated. If I stayed near the base, the one on the far side didn't chase me. Maybe if he couldn't see me, he didn't remember I was there. The other closed, so I got the katar and minced him. The other died during the fight. Except for the tentacles, nobody else was in the tower. Scratch one council. Easier than I thought it'd be, charging in the front door like a moron.
The tower had plenty of stuff, mostly religious icons and candles and crap. Off to one side, a crystal ball was sitting on a bloody pedestal. In the ball was an eye, blue as a corpse's, set in the translucent flesh of a face I was glad I couldn't see. It was looking straight into me. I grabbed everything I could carry and ran through a portal.
"It's official," I said, dropping my stuff in a pile at Cain's feet. "It's a compelling orb."
You have found it.
Huh?
That is my flail. You have found it.
Can you please not
jump in like that?
Cain's eyebrows rose. "Is something wrong?"
"Uh, no. Just having another conversation. 'scuse me."
This flail, with the
spiky skull balls? Yes.
I thought you couldn't see
And why would you have such
a nasty looking weapon?
I thought you were supposed
to be kind of, you know, saintly
Saints aren't supposed to have
flails with skulls for balls
Perhaps it has been changed
since I was able to see.
But it is mine.
Cain took a couple of steps back. "Ormus? I fear something has happened to Amy."
"Then tragedy has overcome us all. My other watchdog may be forced to bestir herself. Deckard Cain, see what is here! She stands before you, whole and unmarred in flesh or spirit."
"Physically, I agree..." Cain mumbled, waving a hand in front of my face. "But physical harm is the least of what can happen to those confronting the forces of Hell."
"Hmm..." Ormus peered into my face. "Has she spoken to you?"
"Before she became unresponsive, she said something about being in a conversation. Then she picked up that flail. Its appearance worries me."
How do you know the
flail is yours?
It is mine.
If I had some idea what
criteria you're using
Nothing that is rational.
Nonetheless, I am certain.
Ok, can't argue with that
What do I do with it?
Bring it to me.
I will make use of it.
And the "hands" issue?
Faith guides me. I know now
why I am bound to the earth.
I see your path for you.
I don't need help
from saints
As vexing as you may find it,
I fear that you do.
Why? Enlighten me
That might take more
patience than any saint has.
"This mighty flail once belonged to Khalim, Que-Hegan of the church of Zakarum," Ormus pronounced. Not many people really know how to pronounce things. "The council has tried to alter its form, but their efforts could not taint the spirit within."
"Ah!" Cain smiled, looking relieved. "The Light still shines upon us! Now I wonder, what does this mean? What must we do?"
"None know, save Khalim himself. Quiet your fears, Deckard Cain. The saint speaks to the sinner, who may yet carry out his will."
So, Mephisto's using the
compelling orb to get that
fanatical loyalty from them
Yes.
He also hid the tower key
in the pedestal after
his brothers went in
Yes.
The pedestal's solid granite
Yes.
How do you know all this?
I have seen it.
Not much of an answer
I want more information
I have nothing for you.
Why should I believe
anything you say?
Trusting another is
difficult for you.
With good reason
That could be disputed.
Would you be more at ease if you
felt I acted from self-interest?
Well, sure
Very well. I have told you I am bound here until
I destroy Mephisto's hold over this land.
Ok so far
I have no desire to remain on this earth.
Sounds logical
Smashing the orb will accomplish my goal.
If I break the pedestal as well, you will have
access to Mephisto's Durance of Hate.
How do I know you will?
Because it is the right thing to do.
...
I am with you for a reason. Trust me.
Cain and Ormus were staring me in the face when I noticed them. I think anyone would have pitched over backwards if that was the first thing they saw. After I picked myself up and told Cain I wasn't in any trouble, I put the flail in the box with Khalim's bits. Couldn't think of anything else to do with it. A flash blinded me, and when I could see again, the flail was gold and glistened like oil on water. The balls were still skulls, though. Inside the tower, the eye was still there, staring into me. I took the flail and smashed it in.
The orb didn't really shatter... more like evaporated in a glassy mist. The pedestal split in half right down the middle, and an iron key fell on the floor. The flail disappeared. Outside, the humidity had dropped by at least half. I could see trees dying, and vines falling off of buildings. I decided to look around. There were about 30 or 40 more people on the island, and a dozen priests and Vampires. They wouldn't attack me, or anything else. I'd have thought they'd jump at the chance.
Mephisto's "durance" (whatever a durance is) was a maze of pits and catwalks. Everything that could have spikes did, and what didn't was on fire. Everywhere, there were bones, all of them human. A few were fresh and bloody, but they probably went back decades. A lot of chests and stashes were laid out among the bodies. All were locked. Some were laid out in keyhole patterns, why I didn't know.
It's hard to sneak through a room full of bones. I thought dead leaves were bad, but a floor covered with dry bones is worse. Every time I tried to move, something would clatter and they'd come shrieking out of the dark: Flayer skeletons. I was so sick of dodging those little scuttling bombs of bone I wish the Three would just come out here and get it over with. There were others, mostly undead: Vampires who'd eaten so much they could barely move, some preserved corpses, and a few giants.
One room on the second level was worse than the others. I'd managed to creep in without being noticed when I saw the giants, eating. A few lights were moving around the floor. Only the strongest glow. I hit the giants mentally. One stumbled to its feet and stepped on a Flayer. It went up beautifully, and the rest of the Flayers attacked the giants. A crowd of walking corpses I hadn't seen came over. Meteors started falling. I kept them going for a while, taking the time to put a bolt in every Flayer -- I did not want them to survive. When it was over, all that was left was one giant, staggering around half dead even before I put a bolt between his eyes.
The lowest level was the grossest: all the blood and gore drained down, into a pit in the middle of the floor. It must have taken decades to fill. There was still no sign of the Three. There were demon-priests, one with the same green aura I'd seen in Kurast. The cold nova when he died was incredibly painful. I haven't been that frigid in... well, ever. A red gate, screaming like the damned, was out in the middle of the pit. This didn't look good.
"Ok, Cain, here's the description: big pit of gore, red portal that gives me the quivering willies out in the middle. What's it mean?"
"Our worst fears have been realized!" the old man wailed. I hate it when he talks like that. "This can only mean the Three have succeeded in opening a portal to Hell itself! Legions of their followers will issue forth to overrun the world!"
"There wasn't any issuing going on down there. How do we close the gate?"
"The only..." Cain stopped in mid-thought, blinking. "Nothing was coming through?"
"Nothing. C'mon, speed it up, we don't know how long it'll last!"
"Hmm... based on Andarial's cooperation with Diablo, I was sure the Lesser Evils had fallen behind the Greater once more. If that is not the case... the Three would need to go to Hell and rally the fallen to them. We may yet have the time we need!"
"Yeah, so don't waste it! How do I close the gate!?"
"Portals may be closed by destroying those who created them, most simply..."
"Right," I muttered. "It's what I do best anyway."
"It's what we do best," Natalya interrupted. "Let's go. I'm sick of standing around."
"What about Ormus?" I asked.
"What about Ormus? Screw Ormus. He's not doing anything."
I grinned. "You can screw Ormus, he doesn't do anything for me either."
"Shut up. What's the situation?"
"We've got a wide open room with a big pit of gore. Hell gate in the middle of the pit, no obvious way to get there."
"Then we find a way. You go left, I'll go right, meet you on the other side."
This was more like it. I don't mind being alone, but being alone here was really giving me the shivers. All the dangerous enemies were probably dead anyway, we just had to find a way through the gate. Of course, this wasn't the first time I was wrong: my side of the pool had another demon-priest and some Vampires. They slowed me down enough. I was dodging the dying priest when a laugh like nails on slate shook the floor under my feet and sent ghosts up my spine. Then came a scream, just one, and a noise like breaking glass.
I ran in, two Vampires still on my tail. They died about the time I saw Mephisto. He looked like a ghost on a huge scale, the biggest spirit ever, floating in a cloud of poison mist. When he looked at me, I knew that eye. I ducked my head and jumped to the side, firing blind in the direction of the icy ball that hissed past me. The bolt might have hit, I didn't look, and don't know if it would have done anything anyway. I dove in with the katar, my mind shut tight and my eyes barely open. Good thing he was a big target.
It wasn't the cleanest kill I've ever made. There was a lot of indiscriminate hacking, kicking, and screaming for no good reason at all, and I'm the one who lived through it. The cold ball was probably the worst thing Mephisto had, and he didn't use it up close. I think he made some sparks, and the frozen venom evaporating off his body wasn't too bad. Duriel was worse. After a long time of hacking, he fell to pieces, leaving nothing but three clean, white, human skulls, and a blue crystal.
Natalya was gone. All I found was a puddle of blood, bone, and shattered metal. I picked up the crystal. Could I break it? Should I try? There was no sign of Diablo or Baal. Why didn't the Three stay together? They must not need to, once they opened the gate -- that was their goal. Mission accomplished, the other two went on to phase two of their little project. Their gate was still open, waiting for them.
Near the back of the room was an iron box, about the size of a child's coffin. I hauled it to the pit and tossed it in. With me in it, it barely floated. Using one of the Vampire's staves, I poled my way out to the gate, stood, and just before my little tugboat went down, jumped through.
Concluding thoughts:
- Mind Blast is turning out to be an Assassin's greatest friend. I'm wondering why I never used this skill before.
- Heavy poison on a missile weapon + Cleglaw's Claws + Rattlecage = Gawdly. My only objection is that it's so slow on high hit-point monsters. Monsters with poison resistance that can resurrect are also a serious problem.
- Using a heavy crossbow without Burst of Speed is sloooooow. I might be better off using BoS instead of Venom, and making up the damage with charms.