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After the battle, several dead bodies lay around the Castle of the Light, the main home of the Paladins of Light. The defenders were successful, because of Uther's heroic act, the forces became frightened and scared and ran with angry knights and paladins chasing them.
Counsellor Athena, one of the Council members and a friend of Divaqs searched for Divaqs and Uther, hoping to find the two. His blue eyes showed concern as he looked for the two. He then heard a coughing sound, his friend, Divaqs was just reviving from unconciousness.
"Athena." Divaqs gasped.
"My lord! Are you alright? " Athena asked.
"No, I fear I might be poisoned from the acid of one of the spitters." Divaqs coughed.
"Where is Uther?" Athena asked with equal concern for his other friend.
"Uther...is..dead," Divaqs struggled with the words out of grief and out of pain, then he slipped into darkness of unconciousness.
"Awake Uther, " a chiding voice said. Uther stirred and awoke slowly.
"Where...am I?" He asked slowly.
"You're in hell." the voice simply answered.
Uthers eyes regained their focus and before him stood a ten foot tall demon. Uther drew his blade.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Uther you must learn to keep your blade in it's scabbard more often," the demon said," aren't you even a little curious why I am I willing to assist you?"
Uther put his blade away.
"Help me...? What do you mean foul demon?" Uther asked.
"Well for starters, let's say I am no friend of Diablo's, in fact I wish to see him dead. So I can become the new Lord ot Terror." the demon answered.
"You think I would help you...?" Uther trailed off.
"Azrael, and yes, I believe you will help me, when you see how I can make you remember a certain detail..." the demon paused and suddenly Uther fell to the ground, clutching his chest, for he suffered immense pain.
"Yes...remember that you are supposed to be dead, after you and Gorash came through the portal, he died because of the fact it was a holy portal you had up. But you were already dead." The demon added with a chuckle.
"However, let's just say I layed my healing hand upon you," the demon said and snapped his fingers.
A mirror appeared and Uther looked at the hand of the demon burnt into his flesh and his wound pulsing with a life of it's own.
"Damn you..." Uther cursed.
"No, no, no, my dear Uther now you have a part of me in you, in fact, you are a fourth demon and you have the powers of one." the demon laughed.
"I will make you a deal demon, after I serve you, kill Diablo, and help you become new rulers of the demons, you take this filth from my body." Uther offered his hand.
"I accept Uther, but we have to finish your training." The demon said and took Uther's hand and shook it.
"Yes, it shall be as you command," Uther replied, resigned to his situation.
'Your training will put you through pain unimaginable, but through this pain you will learn more magic than any living mage." the demon said.
Suddenly large chains emerged from the ground and the top of the cavern-like levels of hell. They wrapped around Uther's legs, his arms and around his neck. Spikes appeared from all over, and began going in and out of his flesh, causing him immense pain. He screamed in anguish.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Divaqs yelled as another bout of painful seizures racked his body.
"My lord, you must rest." Councellor Amadeus said.
" I suppose you are right," Divaqs answered.
"Let us go to the Council meeting." Amadeus replied.
The two made their way to the Council Chambers, Athena, Calis and the other members of the Council sat around discussing the recent events and guild matters.
" I believe we should start mobilizing the regiments and clear the first five levels of the dungeon in Tristram, make a make shift fort inside, and wait." Calis suggested.
"Yes, Calis is correct, if we did that, it would be hard for the demons to overtake us." Athena agreed.
After several more minutes of the discussion, Divaqs began going through vicious seizures.
"Adjourn the meeting, Divaqs is ill again!" Amadeus shouted.
The meeting adjourned and everyone left except for Athena. Calis and Amadeus took Divaqs body out to his chambers again.
"Athena...." a voice said.
"Yes Lazarus?" Athena answered.
"Tonight is the night, you must kill Divaqs tonight." the voice of Lazarus commanded soothingly.
"As you command my lord.." Councellor Athena answered.
"Good....good," the voice answered.
Councellor Athena's eyes seemed to glaze over as he now knew what he must do for his new master.
That night,the two guards that protected the chambers of Divaqs were quickly slain by two large mudmen demons. Athena walked in with the two and commanded the demons to break Divaqs' neck.
Just as the demons were about to do so, Divaqs' eyes shot open.
"Traitor!" he yelled as he instantly unleashed a spell of fire on the demons, engulfing them in flames.
"Yes...I knew you would wake. In time for you to see who was your killer Divaqs!" Athena lunged.
Suddenly the two were teleported to the roof of the castle. Divaqs put a wall of magic around his body.
Athena struck it and bounced off.
"Divaqs!" Amadeus yelled as he appeared.
"We have a tratior Amadeus....: Divaqs said.
"Athena...you will die for this." Amadeus shouted
"You first Amadeus," Athena answered back and shot a lightning bolt from his fingertips, which crashed into the large paladin and rendered him badly injured.
But quickly after that Athena was smote down by a ball of fire, which consumed his body. He fell to the ground, slain.
"How could you have so much energy, my master told me you had weakened..." Athena managed to say as he fell dead.
" Why...Athena...Why?" Divaqs asked the corpse and bent down to look at his friend's burnt features.
" Because of me...you foolish mortal," a voice answered.
"Lazarus..." Divaqs said and slowly turned around and faced the great magician traitor of Tristram.
"Yes, tis I Divaqs...remember me? Of our days in the Vizjerei?" the large once mortal man asked.
"Yes, I remember you Lazarus...it seems you have truly given yourself over to the evil." Divaqs said.
"Ahh, that I have...you still have chance to as well my friend, Diablo's rising army could use you.." Lazarus paused his offer.
" I would rather die, Lazarus." Divaqs answered.
"That will be arranged then," Lazarus answered and quickly shot a lightning bolt at him, knocking the man on his back and unconcious.
"Now...time to die, Divaqs." Lazarus was going to finish his former classmate in a lightning blast.
"No...Lazarus, he will live." a man in dark robes said.
"Who are you?" Lazarus asked.
"Let's just say, you better listen to me...or I have it in my power to kill you." the man replied.
"HA! Who are you to be so cocky?" Lazarus asked mockingly.
" My master is another demon and if you slay him...my lord will be upset with you." the dark robed wizard answered back.
"Fine...I shall withdraw..you seem powerful, but you will have to face the wrath of my master, Diablo." Lazarus warned.
"I look forward to it." the man replied.
Lazarus disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The man pushed his hood back which concealed his face, he had long white hair, but his face was youthful. His eyes were a dark green that almost penetrated the soul.
The man then laid his hands upon Amadeus and cast a spell of healing upon him. Then he did the same to Divaqs.
Divaqs awoke quickly," Who...who are you?"
"A friend..." the man answered almost in a whisper.
"Please stay a while...I am sure my men would like to meet my benefactor." Divaqs invited
"No, I doubt I would really be welcome now...I shall return, it was good to see you again though Divaqs." the man said and cast a portal," Your health will fail again...you must rest, and wait for a cure to the poison you have. Also...the man that must rule is Amadeus, another will come after him."
The mage ran into the portal and dissappeared.
Divaqs slipped into unconcious once again.
"All hail the new Paladin Master Amadeus," Calis said in the Council meeting.
"Hail! Hail!" the council said in reply.
It had been another four months since the attack on Divaqs and there was a new council. The best healers were keeping him alive. Now Amadeus was taking over for the time being.
The man in the dark robes stood in the rafters, watching and listening to the meeting happening below.
"It has been done.." he said and dissappeared once again.
To the Next Chapter