немного ролеплея по дьябле-2Kalindra the sorceress, the last hope of humanity, was sitting beside Harrogath's hospital place staring aimlessly at the burning fire. Baal gets finally tired of his games with heroes that try to catch him before he touches the Worldstone, but she had no care. The last time she ventured into the tunnels under Mt. Arreat in an attempt to search for Anya she returned barely alive, all trembling with the alien energies coursing through her body, and couldn't say a word. Malah was always kind to the injured, so she took the sorceress into her hut, and nearly a week passed before her patient finally was cured, but her mind got somewhat damaged. She often could not make herself to stand up and look out from the gates of the fortress, let alone step outside and fight whatever lurks in the shadows. Even Deckard Cain, the always-calm and all-knowing old wizard, started to get nervous about her, but no matter how he tried, she remained unaffected, or fled whimpering into the darkest corner and sobbed.
This day started as all those before... It was summer already, the lush grounds of southern lands were starting to bear fruit, even Harrogath's residents enjoyed several moments of warmth. The constant snowing briefly ceased, and several rays of sunlight rain down its streets. But when the clouds cover the sun again, it was no longer snowing - it was raining, and the rain was all salted. The sky was raining tears. No one seemed to care more than Kalindra, but all she did was sit against the hardest wall and cry, until one day she started ramming the wall with her head, wailing "That's because of me..." Neeraj, her hired bodyguard, who was helping the barbarians with different errands, came to her and lapped her shoulders with his long arms.
- I... I just can't!.. I can't go forth, they'll kill me, and what will be with you all? But I can't stand this any longer!
- Dear, you're not alone, there's still me.
- B-but you c-can't get there al-lone, and I'm s-so scar-red of you!..
- I'll never leave you alone. I promise.
- Y-you do?
- Yes...
There was a pause. Malah, Cain, Qual-Kehk and some of the barbarians were nearby, but no one tried to interfere.
Kalindra sniffed some more, wiped her eyes and starte walking towards the waypoint on stiff legs. Her hands were down, as if she was about to be executed, the orb and shield held clumsily below her waist, her boots getting white more and more with the salt covering the streets.
- Oh my, I have to fly over this mess, but it just won't work here!
- Maybe you should try somewhere else, where it's safe already.
- O-kay, I'll try.
Kalindra stepped over the waypoint and she and Neeraj vanished.
The Black Marsh was as it always was, black and uninviting, with no trees and some deep pools of black water hiding under the uneven grass and pressurized soil. It seems that the demons' plague had returned to these lands. It was almost two years since she walked here first time, still confident, brave and cunning, with cold and lightning shredding and ripping the demons who just shouldn't be on this land, and sending them all back to Hell. Skeletons and shades of Rogues, obviously once been in Hell, roamed the surroundings. Thick layer of salt covered this place as well, with occasional tiny streams of water zigzagging across it, painting some random pictures.
- Damn, I have forgotten how to fly! I just can jump, but I had to land still!
Neeraj, who wore a nice set of stainless steel greaves, which were made solid and impervious to salt, replied:
- You can stand in my traces, and I can walk. These boots don't stain.
A nearest group of Rogues approached, shooting arrows. One hit Kalindra in the foot, ripping the boot open.
- Oh no, my boots! NOW YOU DAMNED SHADOW, GO TO HELL!
The shrieking was so loud that Neeraj had to cover his ears. A fanatical fire, nothing close to indifference, but yet nothing too mindful, burned in her eyes. She grabbed Neeraj by the waist and teleported right on top of the closest archer, hanging on her soldier's back like a rucksack, and threw her best energized Frozen Orb at the scattering pack. The pack dissipated, leaving her and Neeraj against one at a time, which was a cakewalk for such an experienced girl as Kalindra. After the battle was over, she spoke again.
- Sorry, that arrow made me mad.
- Well, you might thank that archer, she cured you.
- Really?
- Well, as I can see, you are no longer afraid of demons.
- Thank you...
The girl hugged the pikeman, and he returned the gesture, with his spear clutched behind her back - after all, he was still a bodyguard. They stood still until the sorceress stared upwards and said:
- Well, I am too late to save the world, but I still can do something. Come on.
The only thing they have recovered was a charm... Ocher Grand charm of Storms. Just the one she needed.
The next stop was Crystalline Tunnels. The place was crowded with all of the creatures who weren't afraid of freezing. Finally, a place with no salt under the feet! Kalindra was happy to walk normally again, and was determined to fight her own fear in the depth of these caves. She wasn't a straightforward type of a witch, and has also learned the art of lightning, so they have cleaned the entire set and wandered deeper into the Frozen River. Kalindra hadn't recovered fully, but the fear had diminished. Those charms should have some magical effect not just on the body, but on the soul as well. The Gloams were there, of course, so the very first thing she did when faced the first pack was flee in panic. One of them decided to follow.
- Hey look, there's just one. Maybe try him?
- Perhaps. How?
- Let's try taking him by surprise, and leap on him, I'll hit and we'll see what happens.
- Now-w-w-w... - Kalindra shivers. - Good.. Just don't try to play dead again.
To her surprise, the single stab of Neeraj dispelled the Gloam outright. The other ones fired their lightnings, but they already were back behind the wall.
- My, that worked! Oh dear, we can get them like that! And I can throw them an orb, so they'll get weaker.
- Yep, I thought them being way stronger.
The very next threat was a set of Blood Temptresses, those that curse and like hovering over the thin ice. Kalindra went loose with Chain Lightning while Neeraj tried to engage one of them. A painful shout rang over the river, Kalindra startled and reacted mindlessly - she grabbed the potion off her belt and whacked it at Neeraj's helmet from a distance. One good thing was that she liked playing with throwing potions at her youth, and her aim hadn't deviated too far. The potion hit Neeraj in the back, and spilled over his armor, climbed under it and healed all his wounds. The next second they were standing behind the closest corner, panting.
- Now don't you scare me like that, please.
- Sure, dear.
One of the Flying Witches came to look, and suddenly found a pikeman thrusting his weapon through her left wing, and her right wing paralyzed with a massive shock from lightning strike.
- Hey, we can do them all like that, no matter how hard they are, they're weak while alone, and we are two here!
- Just land me close the next one.
Eventually, they walked through the whole river, and surprisingly have found a frozen block with a woman inside, still alive.
- I didn't know there's someone who can make a stasis field.
- What's that?
- A spell that stops time within the area, making everyone inside think no time has passed. While it can last for years, those inside will never notice. I have heard that one Vizjerei tried to do such a spell, but trapped himself and has left no instructions of how to remove it. The others tried, and shattered the spell with their fellow as well. No one tried a stasis since then. But it's me to dispel this. I need to speak to Cain and others.
Malah said that they have found Anya and gave a wise advice, though she hadn't know about any kind of stasis spell. She spoke about a Freezing Curse, and there was a potion she had made two years ago, that should lift the curse. Kalindra failed to bring herself to argue, and just took the potion and left. The curse surprisingly fell, but Anya was so badly hurt that Neeraj had to carry her in his lap back to Harrogath. Kalindra decided not to wait until Malah will do anything, but the old healer halted Neeraj with an excuse of making a soup for the last Elder, so Kalindra had to speak with her. Gracious Malah didn't say anything about her long indifference, but instead gave her a scroll of elemental shield, used to deflect magical energies of foreign origin off the caster, at the cost of Kalindra eating Neeraj's soup as a sign of recuperation.
The rest of ascension to Arreat Summit was rather uneventful, except for the fact that Neeraj's soup gave an after-effect on Kalindra's skin, causing it to glow with healthy pink, and the soldier found himself looking at her several times instead of stabbing the enemy when she did another warp-jump. Just before the summit they have returned and tried to devise a plan against the three big mindless gods at the peak, who were between them and the source of the rain, which ebbed a little. After some rummaging in the stash Kalindra emerged with Guillaume's face, once found but forgotten piece of battle gear, which was suited for Neeraj better than the mask of lightning protection. After all, the rest of lightnings were easier a bit. At the summit, cowardice found a way into Kalindra's heart once again, her knees buckled before she could even reach the altar.
- No, my fear, you have lost this fight - she whispered, stood straight back again and cast a Long-Grabbing Hand to reach the letters and press one, at the same time as the Ancients start to emerge, she jumped behind the entrance ladder shaft. The Ancients approached in their battle order - finally, the only barbarians who know about this, Neeraj thought - and as soon as Korlic jumped, Kalindra and Neeraj were ablaze over Madawc and to the other side of the peak. Sure enough, Talic and Madawc followed, but Korlic failed to see them and remained alone, watchful and useless. Unfortunately, Madawc was immune to cold and lightning, so Kalindra focused on Talic, who was fire enchanted and perceptible to Frozen Orb. The Death-Dancer fell, and Kalindra stood there with the expression of helplessness all over her face.
- Don't you worry, my dear, I'll get him.
- Oh, Neeraj... I will never leave you.
It looks like Madawc wasn't prepared for such a fierce assault of a single man, and tried to run away. - Hah, and they say Barbarians don't flee - said Kalindra, and sidestepped him, trapping the Barbarian between the ladder into the Keep and one of the stone pillars around. Madawc responded with two axes, but Kalindra was ready and they both clanged off her shield. Neeraj caught the Barb up and pummeled him into gold vapors. Madawc blew up - hey, he wasn't cold enchanted or fire immune! What kind of a trap was it, huh? Nevertheless, Kalindra stood just too far to get hurt, and Neeraj took cover behind the pillar just in time. Korlic again was CI/LI, but he wasn't trying to run away, so the simplest solution was to land on his face. Brave Neeraj took a short work of him.
The Worldstone Keep was huge, and the heroes were too tired to even try to walk through it all, and on the second level there were Gloams again, but hit-and-run tactics worked fairly well and all the opposition was finally put down. After the night's rest, Baal sent one nasty pack of Gloams to shut the waypoint tight and secure. The first landing was unsuccessful, they couldn't even see the enemies, and the Orb blew way too short to reach them.
- Dammit, they can't just split, and we have nowhere to hide! How do you think, what to do?
- I wouldn't dare just run through it, even with your abilities it will be too risky. But we have no other choice I think.
- No-o... There should be some. I know where to run, we've been there yesterday, but it's probably sealed as here, we'll be torn to pieces. I wonder, can they move? I've seen demons move at their own accord earlier. Maybe they will just decide to walk away...
- I don't believe in it, though they do move sometimes. Let's wait then, and peek again.
The pack indeed moved a bit deeper into the temple, but met the heroes with full force as soon as they reached the end of the drawbridge. The leader went forward, calling all his minions along, so Kalindra retreated again.
- Damn him, I'm not going inside with THAT around. I have noticed he's imbued with fire.
- Then let's wait some more.
The third time there was more breathing space before the heroes met their nemesis pack, but this time it was a lot easier with all those corridors already cleared. The pack got separated and defeated one by one with a lot of zapping around, flying shards of ice and lightning and yelling and potion throwing. The third level presented yet another familiar and fearede threat. This time Neeraj was under attack - it was Oblivion Knights.
- I hate them, they are worse than those Gloams! You have an advantage against them, but I have nothing more but to hit them, and I still remember that time, when I hit one of them and got blacked out just in an instant.
- Please yell me to get you out, whenever they curse you. I don't want to lose you.
- Sure.
This time his intonation was a bit warmer than usual, Kalindra smiled in response.
The fight across the level was mostly tricky than dangerous, it seemes that those OKs have forgotten that specific curse, but the heroes were retreating every so often when anything bad started whirring abover their heads. One good thing was that no OKs were a commanding type, their troops just charged mindlessly and were dispatched without having a chance to pose any threat. But within the lowest layer the third danger awaited - Undead Stygian Dolls, cursed by all the Zann Esu order for their ability to charge and blow up in your face. OKs were present as well, and more Gloams too. It took a great deal of patience, zapping and blue-quaffing-mid-battle (who said Skin of Vipermagi was blue from mana spilled, huh? I can say the same now!) to finally reduce the opposition to just OKs, who were three champions of their kind. Well, they were, I said. Kalindra heard some stories of a very angry bunch of monsters Baal keeps as his personal guard, so she cleared one of the temple wings, where the wisest OK so far resides, and one of the fastest Dolls as well, who finally managed to pepper the Sorceress' face with bits of dead bone. It hurted really bad, but Kalindra had seen worse already, so she washed her face in a red potion and continued. Finally, Baal's throne room emptied of everything but him, Kalindra and Neeraj.
- Now-now-now, who we see here... A wimpy girl of a size of a Stygian Doll. Hey you, want to taste my chicken soup? O-oh, don't you just cry... Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Shifting her voice as hard as she can to mock Baal's high pitched tone, Kalindra replied:
- O-oh, who we do see here... A spider with four legs, a hair of the octopus and 28 missing teeth. My, my, you could have taken a bath, the water today is so-o pretty. And does your octopus feed on your hair or your brains, you wimp?
Baal had nothing to reply. Kalindra thought that he's indeed a wimp. Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of Warped appeared. Too easy to notice, when there's a single Orb dropping Colenzo and Neeraj spending time at leisure running at his followers. Kalindra sneered. When Baal started laughing mockingly again, she and Neeraj took several steps backwards. Baal was a coward, but he has some aces down his sleeve. Sure, another set of enemies appeared - skeletons with the raisers, and Achmel leading them with Fanaticism. They were the hardest opponents so far, because she had to kill them no matter the cost, while even a nastiest Gloam pack could be evaded by running backwards. Luring as many skeletons away as she could, Kalindra retreated to the throne room entrance, then zapped in and over Achmel's head. The mummy was so foul that the air around became impossible to breathe, Kalindra just closed her mouth and nose shut and tried all her might at Achmel. Neeraj wasn't so aware and was pounding a skeleton who got too close. Luckily, Achmel, as well as the skeleton, got Decrepified, and after him falling, the others scattered far enough to be picked one by one. Bartuc was a breeze, his legs were just too short to catch up with Kalindra flying around and piercing him with Orbs, while Neeraj slowed him with his cursed weapon. Ventar was fairly easy as well, the same tactics worked, though the pack ran farther from Baal than did Bartuc. And then she saw Lister and his company.
- Dear me, I have yet to see these knots of hands and legs. Can't you just do better than self-entangling creature, huh Baal?
The only thing Lister and company managed to do, was pursue the heroes to the entrance of Baal's room and die trying to walk further. Bu the time they returned, Baal fled inside. Kalindra just jumped over him while he was cursing and swearing about Lister dying, Neeraj nailed him down to the floor, and the only Prime Evil left fell, puking all over what remained of the Worldstone. Can't say there was much, though.