DIABLO II: THE LORD OF DESTRUCTION

The Lord of Destruction

by PJ

 

Zara was startled when the Altar of the Heavens shivered underneath her. The rogue quickly finished tugging on her furry boots, then snatched her bow from the veined marble and jumped off the vibrating platform.

The sacrificial table melted into the platform, the golden runes etched upon the ring of pillars burned brightly, where the table had once stood an orifice irised open, revealing an apparently bottomless shaft.

When the platform stilled and the pillars' glow faded, Zara tentatively re-approached the Altar. Peering down into the dark shaft, Zara could faintly hear the cries of demons, Baal had already penetrated Mount Arreat, he may already have tainted the Worldstone.

"You can come down now!" shouted Zara towards the lip of the bowl depression.

Gorm's bearded face appeared. Finding no sign of the ghostly Ancient Ones, the druid rose and jogged to the Altar.

"There are already demons inside the mountain," said Zara with a frown.

"Baal used the Relic of the Ancients to open the way to the Worldstone," nodded Gorm. "We must hurry before the demon corrupts the Worldstone's magic."

Zara slung her bow and drew her sword. Stepping lightly, the rogue followed a spiraling staircase. As darkness closed around them, Gorm summoned a handful of orange flame, enough to light their progress down the plunging mountain shaft.

***

Baal reclined upon his throne, crimson eyes narrowed with pleasure as he watched images from around Sanctuary, scenes of slaughter and rapine as the legions of Hell poured across the open border between worlds.

The Lord of Destruction sat in a nearly empty cavern. All of the demons who had cheered Baal's victory had left to attack Harrogath and the other barbarian cities, only three succubi from Baal's harem remained to serve his every whim. The trio of sensual demon women lay outstretched upon the steps leading to Baal's throne, they watched the images sustained by their lord's magic, they shared Baal's excitement, reveling in their victory over the humans.

One of the red-maned succubi sniffed suddenly. She hissed a warning and rose onto her palms and knees, leathery wings twitching.

Baal dismissed the illusionary images floating in the cold, cavern air with a wave of one scarlet claw. "So, Tyrael sends a servant against me at last. You are too late, Zara, the Worldstone is dead, and Sanctuary now belongs to Hell."

"The damage you've done can be healed, Hellspawn!" snarled Zara, brandishing her sword with both hands. Gorm stood a little ways behind Zara, growling ferally.

"Kill them both," ordered Baal with a dismissive flick of a claw.

The succubi lunged from the stairs, two taking to the air while the third crouched low with claws extended before her. Zara raced forward, slashing with her blade. Gorm squatted and snarled, his face started to lengthen, dark gray fur sprouted across his face and limbs. The succubi reached Gorm before he completely transformed, they pounced on top of him, but instead of clawing and biting, they stroked and kissed the druid, purring huskily. Gorm was surprised with the change in tactics, his face lost its coat of fur, his growing muzzle retracted. Gorm allowed the succubi to press him to the rock floor. One succubus kissed Gorm hungrily, her lips moist and sweet. A second demon lightly scratched the druid's bare chest with her sharp nails, licking his dark nipples with a small, pink tongue. The third succubus stretched her lithe, blue body across Gorm's muscled legs, she licked the druid's taut thighs, then nuzzled Gorm's crotch, kissing and licking the length of his manhood.

"Your ally is defeated, you cannot stand against me alone, woman," sneered Baal, rising slowly from his throne, throwing back the long hems of his black surcoat.

Zara charged up the steps to the waiting demon lord. Baal opened his long arms, goading her to strike. Raising her sword, Zara slashed across Baal's scarlet chest. The blade deflected off of Baal's scales, the demon lord snorted and slapped Zara hard across the face with the back of one claw. Baal kicked the fallen rogue in the stomach, he buried his left claw in Zara's thick hair and yanked her face up so he could slap her again, the crack of claw against flesh echoing through the massive cavern.

"You shall share the barbarian girl's fate, bitch," grinned Baal, dragging Zara by her golden hair after him down the short stair of the throne.

Baal dragged Zara through the dark portal to the Worldstone chamber. The circular room was pitch black, the Worldstone a coal-black lump in the room's center.

The Lord of Destruction grasped Zara's shoulders and tore away her chainmail vest as if it were made of wool. Baal smashed Zara stomach first into the cold Worldstone, he grunted with excitement while he jerked down Zara's leather leggings, then her white loincloth. Baal enfolded Zara's hands with his massive claws and pressed her palms above her head against the obsidian Worldstone. Zara moaned when Baal impaled her from behind, his huge member barely fitting inside her gaping cunt. Tears welled in Zara's eyes as she slammed into the Worldstone, soft whimpers escaped from her trembling lips. Baal licked Zara's bare shoulders with his sinuous, black tongue, he clutched the naked woman's small hands, thrusting into her violently, stabbing his swollen, crimson prick into the weak rogue's belly.

"Tyrael picked the wrong human to be his champion. He is impotent, pathetic, so he sends a little girl to fight for him, and now she is mine, to fuck for all eternity, a plaything to add to my harem," whispered Baal into Zara's ear before he bit her earlobe, his fangs piercing flesh.

Zara bit her lower lip till it bled. She bucked between Baal and the Worldstone, honey spilling down her bare thighs, her skin hot and gleaming. Part of Zara wanted to surrender, to simply yield to the overwhelming strength of the Lord of Destruction. The rogue pressed her right cheek onto the cold, ebony surface of the Worldstone, she let her eyes slowly close, her body becoming limp while her buttocks rose and fell to the motion of the demon lord's slapping crotch.

Zara noticed a naked body lying crumpled like a doll against the wall of the chamber. Zara's blue eyes snapped open, it was Anya, her flesh scratched and torn by demon claws, an ugly, gaping wound in the right side of her ivory neck. Fresh tears escaped Zara's eyes, then something happened, anger flooded into Zara, it set her heart roaring, her muscles clenched with raw fury.

The rogue smashed the back of her head into Baal's face. The Lord of Destruction's beaked nose crunched and spewed black blood, Baal staggered back, clutching at his blood-soaked face.

Zara dove to the obsidian floor, she snatched the hilt of her sword, raising it defiantly before her.

Anya's body exploded with white radiance, the light poured like water from the dead girl's body, enfolding Zara's sword.

Baal blinked from the sword's blinding glare, he snarled and unfurled a cluster of tentacles from his shoulders, the tendrils dripped with acid, droplets sizzled and smoked around the demon lord's clawed feet.

Zara and Baal lunged at each other. Zara's white-hot blade opened Baal's right thigh to the bone, tendrils raked across Zara's shoulders and arms, searing her flesh, leaving it ruined and blackened. Zara dove low, cutting horizontally, separating Baal's right foot from his thick ankle. Baal screamed and crashed to the floor, he glared at Zara, tentacles snapped out like lashes, snapping across Zara's bare back, melting long, bleeding lines over her spine. Zara stumbled onto one knee, agony made her shudder, her legs buckled under the incredible pain. Gritting her teeth, Zara rose and spun on one heel, she dove at the prone demon lord, blazing white sword angled downward over her fluttering, gold hair.

Baal raised his right claw in a fending gesture, green flames licked across his scaled palm. The Lord of Destruction's crimson eyes grew huge when Zara impaled his black heart with the white-hot blade, white light exploded from Baal's gaping mouth and eyes, a gurgling wheeze made it past his lips before he rolled onto his back, tendrils dropping wetly to the marble floor.

Zara gasped painfully, her left palm resting on her knee. She watched Baal's body collapse into black ash, when the demon lord was completely consumed, Zara withdrew her sword from the ashes, the blade still glowed pale white.

Rising with a grimace, Zara raised her sword again with both hands and rammed it to the hilt within the Worldstone. The stone orb hummed as it re-awakened, blossoming with white fire, then returning to shimmering gold. Zara yanked out her sword, it no longer glowed, Anya's soul was free.

Across the breadth of Sanctuary, rampaging demons halted their murderous orgy. They watched in growing horror as a wall of gold flame rolled towards them. The demons turned and fled, desperate to return to their hellish homeland. Many did not make it back to Hell, the rising barriers consumed millions, a mighty pyre of howling demonspawn.

Stumbling back to Baal's throne room, the rogue found Gorm in wolf form, disemboweling the last struggling succubus, the stone floor drenched in black blood and gore.

Zara smiled weakly, and dropped to the floor, the agony of her seared flesh too much to endure any longer.

***

Zara awoke to find herself wrapped in warm, thick furs. She looked to her left, a small fire crackled, its smoke rose and escaped through a small hole in the ceiling of the domed, pelt-draped tent.

Gorm sat between Zara and the small fire, he dipped a wooden cup into a small pot over the fire and held the steaming cup to Zara's dry lips.

"It's not drugged, is it? I'm really not feeling well enough for any of your games," frowned Zara.

"It's just broth, Zara," smiled Gorm.

Eyeing the druid distrustfully, Zara sipped from the warm cup. The broth was very good, Zara emptied the cup quickly, then drank more when Gorm refilled it for her. Lying back on the piled furs, Zara examined the druid, his skin was pale and waxy, his cheeks were drawn, taut over the bone.

"Are you alright?"

Gorm nodded. "Those bitches drained me good, I won't need female company for awhile."

Zara laughed softly, and Gorm smiled ruefully. After scratching his wild, blonde hair, Gorm's smile faded. "Will Tyrael come for you?"

"I thought he would after the Worldstone was restored," said Zara after a few moments.

"So you're stuck here, huh?"

"I guess so," sighed Zara. "If you promise to behave, I think I'd like to stay and take a long nap."

"I need to rest too," nodded Gorm.

Zara watched the tall druid build up the fire before he crossed the tent and buried himself in his own pile of sleeping furs. Zara rolled onto her right side and let her heavy eyelids close. She snuggled deeper into the musky furs and allowed exhaustion to overtake her.

The End