Diablo III : Discord Influence
Chapter 1
During Diablos invasion of the High Heavens, with the corruption and the fall of the Crystal Arch, all of the angels and even the Archangels, angels that were created before the another angels, primary warriors of the forces of the High Heavens, and the angels that were created by the creator god Anu, can fall helplessly.
And that what Diablo was successfully achieved. The Prime Evil was able to achieved what all of the holy beings feared of for so long. The fall of the heavens and take over of Diablo itself. It was now up to now mortal Archangel of Justice,Tyrael and the first mortal to walk in the High Heavens since the heros that defeated Diablo and his brothers in the year of 1264.
Now it was up to Ziko, the Witch Doctor and the powers that he has gained during his adventures to stop Diablo from his threats of destroying all of creation of the Sanctuary once again.
And that he did.
On top of the Crystal Arch laid waste of the damages of the battle for all of existence. The holy pinnacle itself was still standing, but the top floor showed signs of a mighty battle that many beings would have both wished to help and encourage the hero in his fight with the most villainous being of all worlds. The battle of Diablo and the Witch Doctor was a sight to be seen, the explosions of claws making contact with Zikos ceremonial knife sent shock waves of unseen energy of corruption and hatred the was oozing out of Diablo with each strike that it threw, while Ziko struck with energy from his own and from the unformed lands of the deceased souls of the dead.
Ziko was not foolish enough to fight against the Lord of Terror himself, he had summoned all three of his poisonous undead dogs, his gigantic creation called 'Gargantuan' that stood tall twice than the Doctor.
Ziko himself did not know how long he was fighting Diablo for, as he was pulled into a realm that the spirits whispered in his ear called 'The realm of Terror'. The realm was different than the Unformed Lands that he been several times throughout his life, but this realm of 'terror' was much, much colder. It took him a long amount of time of fighting for Ziko to leave that cold realm, but when he reentered to the High Heavens, he knew he had made what his friend Lynon called 'Seriously pissed off.'
At the moment that Ziko returned from the realm, he felt the floor shake as Diablo itself became angered as its plans were being foiled by the mortal being before it.
Needless to say, Diablo fell before the edge of the Crystal Arch, with the mortal standing triumphantly.
With a final slash from the Witch Doctors weapon, Diablo was thrown off the Crystal Arch and was burning into nothing but ashes.
Victory has finally been achieved. Evil itself has been successfully been destroyed, leaving just to pick up the black soulstone once it touches the world below the heavens, then the Archangels can destroy it for good.
But nothing can be ended so metaphorically easy.
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As the black soulstone soared through the heavens, a unknown creature appeared before its alined course of the falling stone, and opened a portal, and watched with a toothy grin the stone entering the portal. With a snap with his claws, it closed the portal, and said to no one particular.
"I cannot let this incredible little toy get away from me!"
And as it instantly appeared, it left the High Heavens without a trace but a small trail of chaotic magi behind.
It has been two days since Diablo was defeated and the disappearance of the blackstone. The disappearance of the stone made some of the Archangels filled with concern, while it made one certain Archangel fumed with anger. After the defeat of Diablo, Ziko was asked by the concerned Archangels to stay at Bastion's Keep Stronghold while the Archangels hold court.
During the two days of being back, Ziko immediately went to work to help Captain Haled with retrieving the injured or passed on soldiers that laid waste throughout the keep. There were few scavengers of demons left from the onslaught, which Ziko and the Captain were able to defeat, continuing their search.
After finding whoever they could, Ziko let Captain Haled and the other able soldiers to recover their fallen, Ziko was needed at the temporally medical area. There were several soldiers in makeshift beds, while the unlucky ones were forced to sleep on the cold stone floor. Thankfully for Ziko, there was a few healers that were summoned to the Stronghold after word has reached to the kinder souls that wished to help.
During the second evening of being back, Ziko was finishing healing a soldier that was injured during the last onslaught of the demons, while he(Ziko himself) was battling Azodam The Lord of Sin, to the death.
As the last of the injuries was stitching itself back together with the help of Zikos healing herbs, Ziko opened his pouch that was on his left side of his hip. He pulled out a few health potions and handed it to the soldier.
"Take theses. You are healed, but you will need to consume some of these health potions to prevent anymore injuries. I hope you know to not to drink any without waiting for thirty seconds?"
The soldier nodded. "Yes my lord. A-s I was fighting with my friends when the demons were here, one of my friends drank two at the same time, thinking it would him he'll faster... I have never seen the consequences of drinking too many before... I can still remember his screams of agony!"
Ziko placed his hand on the soldiers shoulder, and used his free hand to remove his tribal mask to reveal a smile of sadness.
"I am sorry for your lost young one, but be at peace as I tell you that he is suffering no longer. He is at peace in the Unformed Lands."
The soldier only listened and smiled as he knew that Ziko was right. All of the soldiers that have lost their lives have now at peace.
Ziko removed his hand and turned his head to his very light pouch. He looked at the soldier with a smile.
"If you may excuse me, I must replenish the lack of potions in my pouch, and you should take heed to rest as you may be healed, but you are still exhausted from the injuries still."
The soldier simply nodded and closed his eyes to rest.
Ziko placed his tribal mask back on and walked to the Barbarian merchant at the north-west of the Stronghold
As he walked, he murmured to himself.
"I will need some more potions...No doubt it'll be as expensive as when Lyndon challenged both Kormac and Eirena to a drinking game..."
Ziko had to pay for the destruction of two buildings.
At the same moment in the
Courts of Justice
"I will not allow this to happen!" Imperious shouted to the other Archangels.
"The soulstone cannot just vanish! Did you not foresaw this before before with the Talus'ar, Itherael!."
Itherael simply summoned the Talus'ar before them and said.
"The Talus'ar may let me see all of the fates in the High Heavens, and the mortals of the Sanctuary, but I must spend some time to see if there were any...unique interference." The Talus'ar started to glow as Itherael started to see the scene back in two mortal days.
As Itherael was busy with the Talus'ar, both Auriel and Tyrael were both trying to calm the Archangel of Valor.
"Calm yourself Imperious, having ones judgement clouded will only breed thoughts and ideas of anger." Auriel calmly said.
"Auriel is right Imperius, right now we must be calm before acting out." Tyrael said while looking at Imperious.
"Right now we must understand where it has gone to, since I can bet that all of us cannot feel the soulstone either here i the High Heavens nor in the Sanctuary, which begs the questions: Where has it gone to and how do we get there?" Tyrael added.
After Tyrael had spoken, the Court of Justice was dead silent as none of the Archangels knew to answer the question.
"I might have found the cause of the disappearance of the soulstone -Itherael turned to Tyrael from looking at the Talus'ar- and I insist that you bring the Nephalem here Tyrael." Itherael said with a tone of concern.
After emptying most of his funds and leaving a very a happy Barbarian merchant, Ziko closed his pouch that was now stocked with potions and walked to a empty straw bed in the barracks and that was unused for some reason and laid down after placing his ceremonial knife and mojo into his pouch and let his tiredness swept him as his pouch was close to his chest.
He was very glad that his father and teacher Ungate from the Umbrau tribe. The pouch was from his father, which his father used to tell Ziko
"Ziko my child, you are young and blinded by inexperience to the evil of this world, but there will be a time that you will have to leave the tribe, when you see the burning star, that is when you need to leave."
Ziko at the time didn't understood his father, but nevertheless made it so that he burned those words from his father into his young mind.
Ungate stood up from his spot and walked to his hut, and brought out a object that was wrapped in leather skin that had burnt markings on it. His father sat back down where he once was and handed the object to him, which he looked at the object then to his father with a face of a eagerness look.
With a smile, Ungate nodded and watch as Ziko unwrapped the object to reveal a pouch. The pouch was dark in color, but that didn't concerned him, what did concerned Ziko was that the was giving off a bluish aura from it.
Puzzled, Ziko looked up to his father, who still had his smile on his face.
"Father, what is this pouch made of? This pouch is giving an aura that is from the Unformed Lands."
Ungate once again nodded with his smile.
"Ziko, this pouch is very special as it has been created by the spirits from the Unformed Lands. This pouch will help you throughout your life as it is much different than any other kind of pouches. This pouch can not rip or can not be filled, no matter what you place in it."
Ziko looked at the pouch again, but not with a concerned look, but a look of excitement. He knew that this pouch will be very useful for whatever lied in front of him in the future.
Ungate grabbed the leather wrap from where Ziko placed it and stood up.
"It is good to this old heart that you happy with it, but come with young one, we must practice more with your spirit walking."
Ziko nodded with a big smile and threw the pouch over his small shoulder and followed his father into the thick jungle.
A bright blue portal appeared in the center of the Stronghold Keep, surprising anyone who not used to random portals appearing nowhere.
Tyrael stepped out of the portal, letting it close behind him and stopped the nearest soldier by placing his hand on his soldier.
The soldier turned around and said with a upset tone. "For the last time Zander, I didn't take your- Oh! Hello my lord I apologize, I thought you were a fried of mine." The soldier felt like a fool for yelling at an angel!
Tyrael removed his hand and grinned
"Do not worry about it mortal, I must ask you though, do you know where is the Witch Doctor is currently at?"
The placed his finger on his chin and began thinking for a moment.
"Hmmm... I believe I saw him heading to the barracks muttering something about the destruction of two buildings."
Tyrael grimaced with the memory of that time,it was right after the defeat of Belial in Caldeum, when the sun fell for the moon to take its role, Lyndon dragged the Nephalem and Kormac to a social building. Being out of place, Eirena and Tyrael followed them to see what Lyndon was dragging both men to..it was a enjoyable time that he had, but could never understood the meaning of having a drink that hurts the human body.
Tyrael thanked the soldier and headed to the barracks. As he was heading down to the barracks, he was receiving words of thank yous by passing civilians and soldiers.
Tyrael finally found Ziko, who was sleeping on the straw bed, looking like as if he was a corpse.
'The Nephalem looks like this adventure has taken its toll on him. You deserve the rest my friend, but once again, the world rests once again on your shoulders.' Tyrael thought to himself before slightly pushing Ziko to awaken.
Ziko immediately woke up slightly upset at first since he was able to rest after spending months traveling the world, but saw it was Tyrael. With a grunt, Ziko sat up from the slightly uncomfortable bed and got off from it and reached down to grab his mask.
After getting himself situated, he looked at Tyrael and said.
"It is good to see you my friend, what brings you back to the mortal world?"
"I wish I could say that I came to see you Nephalem, but it there are disturbing issues that has called for you to return to the heavens."
Ziko simply sighed and pulled out his ceremonial knife and mojo from his pouch and said.
"Lead on my friend."
As Ziko stepped out of the portal, he immediately took noticed of the Archangels in front of him. He remembered all three of them to be Auriel, Itherael, and Imperius.
As Ziko took not of the Archangels before him, Tyrael walked out of the portal and walked to Ziko and said.
"We have called you here to the Courts of Justice to discuss what Itherael has found in the Talus'ar." Tyrael explained.
Itherael stepped forward and said. "The black soulstone that have captured the essences of evil has left this plane due to a force of a being that I believe to be unstable dark magic.
Itherael looked at Ziko with a voice of dread.
"I have examined the Scrolls of fate that the being that ran off with the black soulstone to a different dimension than ours, and if we do nothing about it, that dimension will fall to peril, and then the being will come back, fused with the black soulstone and become stronger than Diablo itself."
"I think we should arm the angels of the High Heavens to charge this dimension and get the stone back from this being!" Imperious angrily shouted.
"Do not think rash Imperius. We are just getting the High Heavens back accordingly as it was before the attack of Diablo and you are still injured from the near-fatal attack from Diablo." Auriel explained.
"And if we do leave this dimension, the heavens and the Sanctuary will lose their way that we give them." Tyrael also explained.
"For that reason that I have asked for the presence of the Nephalem to be here." Itherael turned from Imperious to face Ziko, holding a hand compass and a crystal that is the size and shape of a ball of yarn. "This compass will guide you to where the soulstone is currently is at and when you obtain it, focus your mana into this crystal, it will shine a light through our dimensions and send a signal for us to open a portal for you to come back. Will you do one more quest for all living kind, in this dimension and in the other?"
Ziko looked at Itherael calmly and nodded.
"I will do this for our world and for whatever souls live in the other dimension." Itherael handed both the compass and the crystal to Ziko and opened a portal that was glowing bright white with a whisk with its hand.
Ziko placed both items int his pouch and walked towards the portal.
'As Lyndon would say...Into one storm into the next' Ziko held his breath as he stepped into the portal and his vision was overwhelmed with whiteness.
At the exact moment that Ziko stepped into the portal, a certain Princess of the Day looked up from her breakfast and turned her head towards a window that had the overview of the Everfree Forest, sensing a new living pressence in the forest.
Thinking to herself, she placed a fore-hoof on her forehead and sighed.
'Why do I have a feeling that its not going to be a normal day today?'
Celestia teleported a small parchment of a scroll from her desk with a inkwell and quill. With her magic, she dipped the quill into the ink and started writing her letter to her student.
'My Dearest student...'
