ABOUT ME

STORIES

DIABLO 2

Arasiia Seberosa- The Devil Laid Before Us

Chapter 1 (Parts One-Three, Parts Four-Six, Part Seven)

The owl sat huddled on its branch, in its coat of feathers.  Its head moving swiftly side to side as its yellow beady eyes searched the forest for its dinner, looking for an unsuspecting creature.  Its eye catching a dark unmoving shape, silhouetted against a great tree, the owl called out into the night, its cry piercing the darkness.  The owl rose on its clawed feet, and spread its wings in the preparation of the hunt.  As the owl began to lift, a black shape loomed above it, and wrapped around it, like death to a sick man.  Holding the owl firmly to the branch, I followed the gaze of the beady eyes, now full of fear, to the outlined shape.  Only one thought entered my mind,

“Maialacka” I murmured to myself 

“They have come, like we knew they would. It would not befit Irasa to not send his…..pets” Sialis stated quietly

Shifting my gaze to my cloaked companion, I questioned,

“So which course shall we take?  Kill and feed on their luscious blood? Or flee into the night as we have for that last 50 years!”

Turning his head slightly, he locked his eyes with mine, and with extreme patience and wisdom, explained,

“Go then my child and feed on their blood.  But remember that they never travel alone, and by yourself you could not defeat them, for they are HIS.  It is a necessity for us to flee into the night.  It is the way of our kind.  But do not fret child, they will find us, and then you may have your battle.  Now come, we have much further to travel this night”

With that, he pulled his cloak tighter around himself, and calmly disappeared into the bushes.  Anger and hate coursed through my body.  Glaring at the shape of the Maialacka I swore in frustration.  With a quick flick of my wrist I snapped the frail neck of the owl, swept my cloak around me and disappeared into the forest, leaving the freshly dead owl, to crash to the ground.

The boulder boomed shut, cutting off the last rays of sunshine, and throwing the cave into total blackness.  Walking back down the thin corridor, I stepped into the open cavern, hidden inside the earth.

“We shall stay here for the day, and move back out at night” Sialis instructed, his voice echoing off the walls of the cavern, “we will also remain hidden, for I myself stayed here on my journey to the city”

Lazily I moved myself to the centre of the cavern, and plopped down, lifting a hazy wall of finely sifted earth.  Lifting the hem of my cloak, I peered at the stains of blood and gravel.  Dropping it in disgust, I stood up, and walked towards the back of the cave, and casually said over my shoulder,

“I need to wash myself.  I will return shortly”

With that, I disappeared into the darkness of the earth. 

Flinging my hair back, I rested in the still water, and let it cleanse me of the filth that clung to me.  Rubbing my hands over my body, I tried to remove the stickier bits of earth.  Once finished with washing myself, I slowly drifted to the ledge of the cave, to climb out.  Nearly half way there, I heard a distant rumbling, like that of a stampeding herd.  Stopping mid drift, I tried to work out the sounds, when I heart silent feet, running towards me.  As the shadow came into shape, I lay still and observed, before a brilliant flash of light lit up the entire cave, revealing Sialis, as he ran full pelt, to the other end of the cave.

“EANNA! We must leave now, or stay and die!”, he shouted at me, before ducking into the next cavern

I realized this was not the time to judge Sialis, but rather to follow his commands.  Hastily swimming to shore, I quickly threw on my cloak, and sprinted off after Sialis.  Ducking and weaving through the tight tunnels, I scraped off a few layers of skin, until I emerged once again, inside a large cavern.  Taking a quick look around me, I spotted Sialis, on the other side of the cavern, vainly looking for a way out.  Quickly catching up to him, I paused and took in our position.  Seeing no corridor, leading out of the cavern, we looked into each others eyes.  Nodding in understand, we both stood back, and at the same time, whispered each a different word, before lashing out with our feet.  The combined power of might and magic, was enough to crumble the wall in front of us, revealing a dimly lit passageway.  The sound of cascading waters reached our ears, with the ferocity of thunder in a storm.  With Sialis leading, we crashed through the remaining rock, and headed off towards a dim light.  Our eyes grew accustomed to the light, only to have it get brighter and brighter.  Squinting from the brightness, we got to a turn, and by now, the tunnel was getting misty, and sound of water was very very close.  Rounding the corner at full speed Sialis jumped and disappeared from view, before I had to shut my eyes, from a blinding light.  Back tracking around the corner, I opened my sore eyes, and gently looked around the corner.  Outside.  The tunnel, ran, and then stopped, at an opening above a waterfall.  This was the sound of the crashing water.  So this is where Sialis was heading.  Very sneaky, but he did not plan for daylight.  There must be another way out.  Turning around, I quickly made my way, back down the tunnel, running my hand over the rough edges of the wall, looking for a side passage or weakness in the wall.  Finding nothing, I reached the end of the tunnel, and back to the cavern at where it started.  Stepping into the cavern, I peered around, before quickly jumping back, and hiding around the corner.  Voices.  From the other side of the cavern, came rushing three Maialacka, clad completely in black.  Quickly eyeing the hole in the wall, they rushed towards it….and me.  Reaching back into my coat, I pulled my dagger from its resting place, and held it blade down, my hand gripping the blade so hard, my knuckles became even whiter.   About ready to leave the tunnel, and rush out into the cavern, to meet the on rushing Maialacka, I stopped dead in my tracks, as I saw a figure stride into the cavern.   Cloaked in an old grey robe, with a grizzled staff, helping to make his way across the floor, Irasa walked in.  Stopping, just inside the cavern, he raised his aging head, and looked at the gap, and spoke in a loud voice,

“Ah Eanna, you waited for us did you? How very kind, maybe you do have a touch…..”

“Silence old man. I am not here to wait for you.  I am here to deliver a message, a…”

“A message from our good friend Sialis maybe? Fleeing like the coward he is hmm? Leaving his child all alone here? How very typical of him”

Shrugging indifferently, I replied “Sialis is not of importance, only your death Isara.  Long have I waited, and soon it will be complete”

Looking one last time as Isara, and the three still Maialacka, I spun around, and bolted up the tunnel.  The walls only a blur, I soon saw the turn up ahead, the sound of stamping feet close behind me, as the Maialacka gave chase.  Speeding around the corner, without even a hesitation, I launched myself from the tunnel, into broad daylight.  The searing pain is indescribable, as the sun scorched my pale skin, and setting my cloak on fire, as the power of light, combated that of dark.  Closing my arms and legs, I flew from the cave, 20 feet above the beginning of the waterfall.  Now, appearing just like that of a fireball, I fell down the giant waterfall, until the bottom, rushing up, was cracked as my slim body impacted in a graceful dive, as my body plunged underwater.  The fire extinguished, the pain mildly submissive, as the water reflected the rays of the sun, I began a slow, yet painful stroke towards the shore, not once looking up.

.