Hello! I am back. I appreciate your patience and after two lengthy hiatus's with one short chapter in between, I have a pretty solid chapter for you today. I hope you all enjoy it. I did. This one is kind of special. When I write, I write to music and there are many scenes in this story that are inspired by music. But this whole chapter was inspired by one song that is less than two minutes long.

I tried my best to get this chapter out quickly when I first started it but lo and behold I get a solid 1700 words in, and my lab top decides its going to upgrade while I am at work and I didn't save any of that progress. So when I realized that 1700 words worth of work was gone, I was too disappointed to write for like two days. Life is a bitch sometimes.

Oh and I hope you all notice the new cover for the story. Its of none other than Li-Ming herself in all of her fabulous glory. The image belongs to Puroistna on Deviantart and I would very much like to thank them for allowing me to use it.

Please enjoy.

A long time ago; back when she was just a child before she met Deckard Cain; Leah had spent a great deal of her time exploring the old tunnels that sat underneath the city when she last lived in Caldeum. She remembered pretending to be an explorer looking for lost and ancient items of myth. Or, perhaps discovering some long lost, ancient, civilization that she could explore and make discoveries. She enjoyed those times because it served as a form of shallow escapism for her during those hard times of her life.

The sewers stank like something was a perpetual state of rot. The walls were covered in moss and a black, sludgy, grime hung in the crevices of the tunnel walls. The walls themselves were wet and smelled like a wet animal. Light was scarce since the sun went down so no sun shined through the grates that were above them. The only light they had now was provided by Tyraels sword. Lanterns hung on the walls but no one came to light them and they had no way to make fire. Leah wished that Li-Ming was with them and she wondered how she and the guys were getting along through the desert.

Leah and Tyrael didn't make any new discoveries in their time in the tunnels as of yet. They walked for hours down the same smelly tunnels and found nothing. Li-Ming would be furious if she was here right now. She hated not turning up any results.

Leah heard Tyrael's armor clank and it was do to his irregular movements. Leah could see that Tyrael was struggling. His eye lids were heavy they and constantly tried to force themselves closed. His vision would blur and he felt weak throughout his whole body. As well as ache. He would wobble behind Leah without any sort of grace and rubbed his eyes routinely as if that would take away his fatigue. He shook his head and rubbed his haggard face to hopefully gain some sprite but it wouldn't last.

Tyrael was in deplorable condition. His eyes were sunken in and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He looked drunk. The way he moved would give anyone that same impression. Regardless of how wrong said impression was.

"Tyrael?" Leah walked him over to the wall to sit him down on a large piece of stone. "Are you alright? You look terrible?" She said placing her hand on his cheek.

"I'm fine, Leah."

"You're a terrible liar. Something's wrong with you."

"I just – I just haven't been sleeping well. That's all." It was the nightmares that were keeping him awake at night. When he first retained his memories, is dreams were pleasant but then along their voyage across the Twin Seas, his dreams turned into nightmares and they were mostly always the same one. The one with the monster that he couldn't see and only hear along with Li-Ming's blood curdling cries of pain. In these dreams he was sure that she was dying and it was those screams that would wake him.

They weren't they only dreams. Some were different. There was one where he was standing on a scorched battle field that had been scarred by countless centuries of war. The bodies of both angels and demons laid across the fields and the sky was a blueish grey that flashed with lightning all around them.

Then there were dreams of the Burning Hells and the High Heavens. First he would be in Hell; fighting waves of demons before suddenly it was no longer hell he was standing in but the High Heavens instead; and it would be in a condition of utter destruction. The sky was red and no angels were to be seen. He was alone. The High Heavens in his dreams were unfamiliar to him that he didn't think that they were the High Heavens at all. They couldn't be.

"I just down understand it!" Tyrael said grabbing his head with both hands. "How can you people do so much when there are so many obstacles that you can't help. If you don't eat you starve. If you don't sleep, you become tired and weak. More confusing still is you're all so inconsistent about it."

"What do you mean?"

"From my observations; You and most of the others I have come to know as allies all eat and sleep around the same time. It is a routine that helps you get through your day. But then I see Li-Ming and how adverse she is. She eats less than you and sleeps less. I thought that if I followed her then it would be better but I seem to only get worse."

"Look." Leah sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. "I don't know how difficult this must all be for you. I'm not even going to pretend to understand. But I will tell you that Li-Ming is not the one you should look to. She's my friend and I love her dearly, but she's an odd duck." Tyrael chuckled and it was the first time Leah recalled seeing him do that. "She can do all those things differently because she's used to it. She has molded herself to fit that kind of routine. However, it's not the best example."

Tyrael shook his head and Leah just sighed then said, "I think we've spent enough time down here. We need to get back to camp so you can rest. It's passed dark and we've spent enough time down…"

"Shhh…!" Tyrael suddenly exclaimed and stood with urgency. He and Leah looked down the tunnel of the sewer and both could hear footsteps in the water. They were faint but became clearer as whatever was making the sounds came closer.

Leah's hand started trembling and she almost dropped the arrow she was getting ready for her bow. Whatever was down the tunnel was closer now and couldn't be more than a few yards away. It was so close that had it been daylight still they may would have seen it but whatever it was stopped just before it could be seen by the light of Tyrael's sword. But, they could see something.

They could see the iron clad feet of a man before them in the light but could not see anything more. They could feel the eyes of this person watching them and it made them both feel uneasy.

"Who's there! I demand you show yourself!" Tyrael demanded but the person did not head and only chuckled a dark laugh.

Tyrael stepped forward to reveal whoever was standing in front of them but what happened next was shocking. The man suddenly fell limp and he wore the familiar armor of an Iron Wolf. His eyes were rolled to the back of his head and his skin was a ghostly white. Tyrael knelt down and checked for a pulse. There was none and his skin was as cold as ice.

"What happened?" Leah asked. She was breathing heard and felt very anxious. She did not understand what this was or what had just happened.

"I know what this is." Tyrael admitted. "This man is the victim of demonic possession. It must have taken this man's life force with it just as it fled his body." Tyrael looked at Leah. "Something obviously knows we're here. And, I do not think this was the work of Belial."

Leah was about to say something when all of a sudden they heard a very loud, "EEEEEEEEEEEEK!" from down the tunnel. They could hear multiple unseen creatures hissing, screeching and running towards them; and they were gaining fast.

"Leah, run!" Tyrael grabbed Leah's hand and they both ran from whatever was chasing them.

Xxxxx

They moved further though the Sundered Canyon to make as much distance as they could. The berating heat of the day was over and they cool air of the night was most welcomed to the whole group. Since they met earlier that day, Eirena hadn't much time to talk to her new found friends and she wanted to very badly. She never had any friends aside from her sisters and The Prophet and she wanted to get to know them.

They made a small turn into a narrow passage along the canyon. The walls of the canyon seemed to go on forever but none were looking forward to the vast open desert that followed once they made it out. It was a dangerous venture. The desert heat could dehydrate the or the monsters that make the desert their homes could turn them into their next meal. People died every day in that desert and, there bodies were never to be discovered if they did.

"I say, how much longer until we reach the end of this forsaken canyon, Li-Ming?" Lyndon asked with irritated boredom. "I swear we should have reached the end by now." Li-Ming didn't reply to him. She was still a little upset over what he had said to her back in the bazaar before they left earlier that day.

Eirena thought for a moment and said, "He is right. We have been out here a while. Have you gotten lost?"

"No. I am not." Li-Ming assured. "I know where I am going. I have been here before. I have been through the desert many times. I've been all over Caldeum."

"I apologize." Eirena said in a hushed tone with a hint of embarrassment. She didn't want to come off as foolish in front of Li-Ming. "I did not mean to offend you."

"Don't feel bad. At least you have the curtesy to answer questions when asked." Lyndon was just trying to get on Li-Ming's nerves. Partly to get back at her for ignoring him like she had been the entire day. And, because it was fun. She made it so easy. Li-Ming was happy to be in the lead because she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of showing him that it worked.

Well, Kind of.

The comment did grind her nerves but it was also oddly refreshing. She has come to expect this behavior from Lyndon. What would the day be like if he didn't try to annoy her? Dull?

"Thank you." Eirena replied. "That is very nice of you to say. You know you are very brave for coming along despite your injuries. There are many dangers out here. Would have preferred to stay behind?"

"I would never!" Lyndon exclaimed. "My comrades need me. I would rather be beaten beyond measure by a horrible beast than sit behind and do nothing." Li-Ming sighed with a roll of her eyes. She was glad no one could see her face because if they could – they would see that she was grinning.

Eirena did bring up a good point though. Lyndon would have most likely preferred to have stayed behind while the bruising healed. But, for some reason that she couldn't quite place; she didn't want him too. It just felt…right; having him by her side. Merely, the thought of not having him around made her uncomfortable.

"Oh, you are so full of it!" Kormac spat while shoving his hand at Lyndon which almost made Lyndon fall off of his camel.

"Hmmm. Are you two siblings?" Eirena asked.

Kormac and Lyndon looked at one another with bewildered stares. Li-Ming snorted followed by a laugh. Neither of the guys thought there was a single thing about them that could give someone that ridiculous indication. Lyndon personally felt insulted by the question because he believed himself to be far more handsome and infinitely more charming.

"Ummm…no." Kormac said. "There is no relation."

"Thank god!" Lyndon thought to himself.

"Oh, I just figured because you two seem to act as such. I apologize for my assumption."

The camels came to an unexpected halt. Li-Ming tried to get her camel to move forward but it whined and tried to turn around again. Kormac's and Lyndon's camels were doing very much the same. Their eyes were wide and they bucked up again and again.

They were pacing in circles while trying to get the camels under control. They all looked around to see what could be spooking them, but none could see anything. They were all aware that the rocks hid caves from which the lacuni made their homes, but they had been walking passed them all day and had not encountered a single one.

"Here. Let's see if shining some light on the problem will reveal anything." Li-Ming held her hand up and then a tiny spec of light appeared in her hand and it grew to the size of a ball. The kind that a child would perhaps play with. Li-Ming threw the ball of light into the air and the light exploded revealing what was ahead of them.

The canyon walls were crawling with female lacuni. Like a black waterfall that flowed upward the lacuni climbed up the wall and scattered into their crevices. They howled and roared viciously whilst they wildly pounded at the ground with their fists.

It was unlike Li-Ming has ever seen before. There were so many Lacuni that they seemed to melt and flow into each other. Could Belial's presence be so terrifying to the lacuni that they have unexpectedly congregated?

Li-Ming was about to fire a spell at them until large chucks of the canyon wall collapsed. Lyndon, Kormac and Eirena braced themselves for what was to come, but when they opened their eyes they saw Li-Ming holding her hands up with the large boulders flouting in mid-air above them.

Li-Ming's arms were trembling. She was breathing like she was lifting something very heavy and sweat started to bead from her forehead. Something roared above them. Li-Ming and the others looked up and saw a large lacuni standing on the top of the cliff with several females standing around him. It was their alpha.

It was much larger and had an almost golden mane. Scars littered the creatures body, displaying its status as a protector to its women and as a warrior.

One of the boulders shot towards the male and missed when he jumped to the other canyon wall. Li-Ming lunged the rest of the boulders at a group of females. Dust and rock erupted and they all covered their eyes. Several lacuni had been smashed by the boulders that Li-Ming threw at them. Their blood smeared the wall and disjointed and awkwardly angled limbs stuck out from underneath the boulders.

The alpha gazed at the devastation that Li-Ming had caused and sneered. It raised its head, took a very deep breath and roared while it pounded its chest to rally its remaining females. Many of the female lacuni held small red jars and Li-Ming knew exactly what they were.

"Cover your ears!" Li-Ming shouted. She had a plan and it was going to be very loud.

"Why?" Lyndon asked.

Li-Ming looked back at him then shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself."

The lacuni threw their small red jars. Li-Ming shot her arms out and released a wave of force. The invisible wave shot through the canyon from her body and redirected the jars back at the lacuni. The jars exploded and a huge concussive sound erupted. The noise startled the camels and they ran. Lyndon, Kormac and Eirena had no idea where they were heading. They could not see passed the dust and sand made by the explosion. Their ears were ringing with painfully high pitched sounds and after a moment they could began to hear rubble cascading down the canyon walls.

Lyndon opened his eye and was very confused. They were running but the camels stopped and bucked as rubble landed in front of them. Lyndon saw Li-Ming doing something with her hands and a purple light shot towards the boulders; blowing them to pebbles.

Li-Ming's spell made Lyndon's camel panic some more. It bucked up high enough and Lyndon fell off. He landed on his stomach and his swollen eye was aching. He rolled around on the ground, holding onto his face. He was tired of the impairing bandage that made him half blind and pulled it off. He would be fine without it. It was just a swollen brow that would heal on its own.

When the dust cleared, the lacuni were surrounding them beating on the ground and roaring with the alpha standing on top of the canyon; watching like a great overseer.

Lyndon stood; his bow in hand. He stood in circles as he couldn't decide which lacuni to aim at. Kormac held his ax with both hands and wished he had his shield and armor with him. The ruby gem he was wearing was fine, but he felt very vulnerable as the remaining lacuni slowly began to close in on them.

Li-Ming's hands twitched involuntarily as electricity sparked and snapped in her hands. She was concentrating a lot of arcane energy into the spell. A bead of sweat went down the side of Li-Ming's head.

Xxxxx

Tyrael and Leah were still on the run from whatever was chasing them. They turned the corridor down a very narrow passage way. The light from Tyrael's sword was all they had to guide them. There was a steal door with a metal bar on their side to lock it. Leah pulled the bar up and the door burst open violently.

Terrible, humanoid creatures with spikes on their backs walking around as if they were animals tried to climb over themselves to get through the door. Their skin was grey and they had no eyes. Thick, green saliva dripped from their mouths as they gnashed and scratched at Leah.

Leah backed away and Tyrael quickly shoved his sword underneath the first of the creature's jaws and out the top of its head. He pulled his sword out then cut its head off so that he could hit the next one upside the face with it then stick his sword into its neck.

Many more were coming at him and that's when an arrow pierced the skull of the next one coming at him. Behind the mob of monsters was a hooded figure standing in the room behind the door and another arrow flew at another monster. The monsters hissed and roared at the figure. Tyrael heard something metal hit the floor and the monsters were destroyed by an explosion that came from inside of the room.

Smoke and body parts flew in all directions. Tyrael was thrown back by the impact and he landed on his back. Leah turned, laying on her stomach, and shielded her face. She could feel small pebbles hit her as they were launched.

Tyrael winced and coughed as he leaned up and settled all of his weight on one arm until he was done coughing. He got up and dusted himself off. He helped Leah to her feet but he stood in front of her to keep whatever caused the explosion at a distance from her.

Something was walking towards them. Their footsteps made distinct snapping sounds as it neared them. He kept his guard up because whoever it was could very easily be a bandit or thug. When the person stepped out, Tyrael was surprised to see it was a woman. She was dressed in black cloak with some sort of light leather underneath. Light reflected from the metal pieces that were attached to her shoulders, elbows and knees. She also wore a red scarf around her neck.

She removed her hood and shook her head to keep her black, silk like hair out of her eyes which – when she opened them – Tyrael saw they were glowing red. That was when Tyrael figured out exactly what this woman was.

"I apologize for the grenade. There were too many of them and I didn't have time to warn you." The woman had said.

"Who are you, Demon Hunter?"

Another loud screech pierced through the air and echoed down the tunnel and it was getting closer.

"My name is Valla. Now hurry up and follow me!" Valla moved aside and held the door open for them. "More of those things are coming and there is an exit not too far from here. We will talk once we're out."

Leah and Tyrael ran through the door and Valla slammed it shut. She dug around in a pouch and brought out two grenades and a string. Leah and Tyrael watched as the Demon Hunter threaded the string around a torch light handle and the door handle. She then quickly tied both ends of the string around the grenade pins. When she was done she marched over to Leah and Tyrael and told them to keep moving. They did not want to be around when the grenades were set off.

They walked in a hasteful pace with Valla pulling them along by the arms. Leah kept turning back to see what was going to happen but Valla kept tugging on her arm so as to keep her eyes straight and keep her moving.

A moment later something set the grenades off and the explosion was particularly louder this time. They could feel the shockwaves of the blast beneath their feet. Dust was shaken off from the ceiling and small but of rock fell on the floor. Leah was very curious about how big the explosion was.

"That should bye us enough time to get out of here. The explosion surely made the wall collapse. So whatever was chasing you - will have to find another way around."

"Listen – Valla." Leah said. "I'm sure we're both thankful for the help you're giving us but, why are you helping us?"

"I have my reasons. As I said. I will explain once we're out of these sewers."

Xxxxx

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Li-Ming screamed as she unleashed her powerful spell. Lightning shot from her hands and struck the nearest Lacuni. The lighting arched from target to target, striking multiple enemies at once. Some burst into flame and scratched at their bodies or squirmed on the ground to try and put themselves out.

Li-Ming held her hand out and she manipulated that flame caused by her magic to gather in her hand and she shot in a thin lined spread; hitting even more targets.

Their camels were running as fast as they could and the Lacuni were giving chase. The Lacuni were running alongside the canyon walls and jumped down to attack them but Li-Ming, Lyndon, and Eirena fired at them before they could hit the ground. Other lacuni were running straight behind them and Kormac would strike them down with his ax when they got to close and Lyndon provided backup fire to assist him.

The alpha male followed his flock with rampant haste. He roared and his pack scattered away from him as best they could before they were trampled or shoved to the side.

Eriena turned her head and saw a lacuni jump for Kormac. Its arms were reaching for him with exposed claws and its mouth was open, saliva dripping from its maw and ready to bite down on Kormac's shoulder. Eirena was about to fire her own magic at it until Lyndon shot the monster in the head before it could reach Kormac and it fell like it hit some kind of invisble wall.

"Li-Ming we need to do something! They're catching up!" Eirena shouted.

"Here! Just over here! The canyon end should just be up… a-head." Li-Ming's last word fell quiet and they were forced to stop when they realized that they had just hit a dead end.

"Oh, give us a goddamned break!" Lyndon shouted. "If there is a God – he is a true bastard!"

The lacuni slowly closed in on them from all directions. Many had their backs arched and hissed and others were readying spears and more explosives. The alpha took small deliberate, thunderous steps towards the group. His teeth were bared and he growled a low, deep and rumbling growl. Is fists were clenched tightly and his muscles were tense.

Li-Ming was running out of options.

She looked up at the canyon walls and shut her eyes tightly as she decided on what she should do. If it were just her; she would have made the canyon collapse on itself or use more of her more powerful magic. It would have been so easy if it was just her.

"Li-Ming!" Eirena shouted. "This wall – it is false!" She could see it for what it really was, the end of the Sundered Canyon that opened up to the vast, open desert. The Coven's evil magic was at work here. She could see it as one may see their reflection in water. It was wavy in her vision which showed her the truth behind the lie. "Trust me, Li-Ming! We can escape!"

"Right then! Lyndon, Kormac get back! Run now and don't stop! They'll follow you if I do not do something now!"

Lyndon turned around and looked at her. He did not like the thought of leaving Li-Ming by herself to face these monsters alone and he said, "But, Li-Ming…"

"GO NOW!" Li-Ming shouted and the guys ran. Eirena reached her arm out for Kormac. He grabbed it and Eirena jumped on his camel as they ran.

The Lacuni collectively rushed forward towards Li-Ming. There was nothing to stop her now. Nothing to hold her back. Li-Ming smirked.

The Lacuni all jumped at her with fierce hunger and bloodlust. Before they pounced her, LI-Ming fired the most powerful wave of force she had ever made. The force of the spell shook the earth beneath her and Kormac, Lyndon and Eirena all felt it. They stopped running and turned to watch what was happening.

They could not see anything. Li-Ming's spell shot sand up from the ground like a powerful wind cutting through the air.

Li-Ming held her arms out like she was reaching for something. She clenched her fingers and grunted as she could feel her magic pulling on the canyon walls. The rocks began to crack and tear. Boulders lifted and hung suspended in the air by unseen currents of magic. Li-Ming bit down hard and raised her head up when the strain on her body was becoming very obvious.

All at once, she lowered her head and slammed her hands together and the canyon wall came tumbling down on the wild lacuni. Their screams and their shouts howled in the night as they were crushed without mercy.

The alpha tried to escape by climbing up the canyon wall but it collapsed underneath his hands and he fell with it. He landed and did not get so much as a breath out when he held its hand above its face and watched as the wall tumbled on top of him.

Li-Ming's face was red and her teeth were clenched so tightly she was afraid they might break. She let herself breath and she felt all of the high tension in her body go away. Her eyes rolled in her head and her breathing was heavy. She held onto her face as her head felt very light.

It was the price for power she was feeling. The sacrifice she had made when she became a wizard. The sacrifice that made other mages laugh and point fingers at wizards to remind them of all the power they had and how limited they were to actually use it.

The body was such a fragile thing and it made Li-Ming wonder just how many wizards before her had succumbed to the price of power. She swore that when she had completed her destiny that would find a way to rid herself of this flaw. This problem was exclusive to wizards only and it wasn't fair. She hated it. One day, she will be rid of it.

The price of power was far too great a price for any wizard. As Li-Ming joined her friends who waited for her, they took notice to how pale she looked. She was sweating, even in the cold of the night. She was out of breath and was very exhausted.

"Oh, Li-Ming." Eirena gasped. "You used too much. Are you okay?"

Li-Ming wiped her forehead. She looked at her sleeve then at Eirena and said, "Yes. I am fine."

"No she's right. You look aweful." Expressed Kormac. He went to place his hand on her shoulder but she flicked her arm up and glared at him with an angry, pursed expression.

"I said, I am fine! Now come on. We should find somewhere to make camp soon before the sun dawns." She moved ahead of them without looking at any of them. Inside of her head was a different story. She was being very loud. She was screaming at the price of power. It made her feel like she was living in a world if thin glass. She always had to take care not to break something. Namely herself. It was not befitting for a wizard.

Eirena leaned over to the side of the camel so she could see Kormac's face and said, "Do not feel bad Kormac."

"I don't." His words were cold. "I just fail to understand her. Just when I think I have her all figured out she has another fit over something that we can only begin to guess. I've had just about enough of it. I don't know how much longer I can take her attitude."

"What is she mad about anyway?" Lyndon inquired. "You said that she used too much. I assume that has something to do with it."

Eirena breathed deeply through the nose then said, "Her power weighs on her. She used to much during the fight and now her body aches and she is left in fatigue." Eirena held onto Kormac tightly and rested her chin on his back. "It is the price wizards pay. She may be ashamed. That could be why she is mad." She popped her head to land on her cheek so she was facing Lyndon. "Maybe you can talk to her. Try and make her feel better."

"What?" Lyndon laughed. "What makes you think I can, or want to?"

"Well I don't know her that well and Kormac doesn't seem to want to talk to her right now. I just thought you'd be best."

"Eirena. Lyndon and I may have been with her for a little over two months but not even we know her that well." Kormac was a little embarrassed to admit it. You'd think that it would be important to know everything about the people you're adventuring with. But, Li-Ming seemed to be against letting people in.

It wasn't too long after they escaped the Sundered Canyon that they stopped to make camp. They ate a light meal, consisting of fruits and dried goods. Kormac wasn't a big fan of it, he wanted real meat.

After they ate dinner they didn't bother setting up their tents. The sun would be up soon and they wanted as much sleep as they could get. Li-Ming volunteered for the first watch. Everyone just assumed that she had a lot on her mind. No one argued with her but Lyndon insisted that someone take second watch so that she could sleep. Neither Kormac or Eirena raised their hands.

So it was up to Lyndon.

It was very fortunate for him when a spider decided to crawl on his leg otherwise he may not have woken up. He sat up right and kicked the spider off of his leg. After what happened in Tristram; he has had his fill of spiders.

He got dressed and looked for where Li-Ming was. He found her a few yards from the camp sitting on a dried tree branch facing the setting moon.

"Hey!" Lyndon called a few feet from her. "It's my turn to keep an eye out." Li-Ming didn't get up. She didn't even look at him. She simply took a deep breath and continued to stare at the moon. Lyndon stepped in front of her line of sight, bent over and waved his hand in her face. "Hello?" He snapped his fingers.

Li-Ming jolted and blinked a few times before she realized that Lyndon was standing in front of her.

"Sorry, Lyndon." Li-Ming said as she started to stretch. "I was miles away."

"I noticed." Lyndon chuckled.

"I've just been thinking a lot." Li-Ming rubbed her eyes with her finger tips and then yawned. She stretched again and finished her yawn with a bit of a squeal. "My thoughts simply caught up with me today."

"Want to talk about it?" Lyndon didn't know why he even bothered to ask. He knew what she was going to say. Why did he think that was going to change?

Li-Ming grabbed her arm and slowly rubbed it. Lyndon thought she was actually going to say yes to him. Li-Ming bit the bottom on her lip and then said, "No. No, I don't."

He knew it. But, there was something else he could do.

"Here." Lyndon reached out to her with both hands. "Stand up for a moment."

"What?"

"Stand up." Li-Ming shook her head and Lyndon pulled her up.

"Now what?" Li-Ming could see that Lyndon was up to something. She couldn't guess what as reading Lyndon was a complicated matter. He always wore the same non nonchalant expression when they weren't in danger.

Lyndon kept a hold of her hands and said, "Now. I want you to close your eyes." Li-Ming raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Just do it. Trust me, alright." She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Okay?"

"Now, I want you to imagine my face. Every detail. It should be pretty easy. It's a very handsome face after-all." Li-Ming sighed again and after a moment Lyndon asked. "Got it?"

"Yeah." Lyndon better get to the point and quick. Her patience was spread thin a it is and she was very tired.

"Good! Now I want you to imagine what I would do if my mustache were to catch fire."

Lyndon said that so quickly that Li-Ming thought he sounded alarmingly excited for this. Anyway, She did as she was asked and at first she still didn't understand. But, then she could feel a smile creep onto her face as she imagined what Lyndon had just described. She tried to hide it but Lyndon had already seen it.

"Ah, ah; there it is!" Lyndon pointed out and a small chuckle escaped from Li-Ming. She tried to stop it but she just kept laughing more and more as she imagined Lyndon running back and forth with his mustache on fire trying to find a way to put it out. She could see him dipping his whole face into a bucket of water just to put it out. It was so childish the way she was imagining this but it was to comedic not too.

Lyndon was laughing with her. She opened her eyes and looked at Lyndon as they chuckled and Li-Ming felt all the stress she was feeling disappear making her feel like a weight had been lifted from her body. There was something else too. That flutter she felt in her stomach before came back and it made her feel warm.

"Feel better now?" Lyndon asked.

She didn't reply at first and just looked at the ground with a little smile on her face. It wasn't until she noticed that he was still holding onto her hands and running a thumb over her knuckles that she remembered that she was supposed to be going to sleep. But, this – what they were doing – it felt good. She didn't want it stop. She couldn't put her finger on why she was feeling this way, but no matter how it made her feel, her gut was telling her to stop.

Li-Ming took her hands back and kept her eyes on the ground to her hide her blush as much as she could. It was hardly noticeable to begin with; what with it being nighttime and all.

"I'm going to sleep. Thank you – for uh...for the laugh. I needed it. Good night, Lyndon." She walked away and tentatively rubbed her arm. Lyndon watched her walk back to camp and he smiled.

Life was so odd sometimes.

Xxxxx

Their day had been long and Zhota was convinced that they deserved a rest. Ever since their camels were devoured by the Lacuni, he and Tilka have been walking through on foot. They were fortunate enough to pass through without anything more to complicate things further.

They came up to a house that appeared to be deserted. It sat on a dry patch of dirt that was cracked throughout a small radius. A dried and decayed wooden picket fence surrounded the premises and there was a well pump in the back. The house was made of mud brick and there were four wooden posts jutting out from the top of the door with a tattered up red and yellow tarp laying across the posts.

The wooden porch rumbled as they stepped across it and Zhota knocked on the door. In less than a minute someone cracked it open but said nothing. Neither Zhota or Tilka could see who it was and Zhota cleared his throat.

"Hello. My apprentice and I were wondering if we may spend the night here. We mean no harm and will be out by first light."

There was nothing but silence coming from the other side of the door. Zhota and Tilka looked at one another and that was when they heard breathing coming from the other side.

"I can't…get out…or I'll die!" A voice from inside said menacingly.

"Excuse me?" Zhota stepped forward slowly.

"Just let me be!" The door slammed shut. Zhota stopped where he was and sighed in defeat. He was about to walk away when that same voice spoke again. "I'll never…be…never!"

The voice sounded like it was right beside Zhota's ear and he turned around but saw that no one was there.

"Tilka. Did that door open at all while my back was turned?"

"No master. It was shut the whole time." Tilka heard the voice clear as day as it sounded itself from behind her master. For her to experience from where she was standing felt very surreal to her.

Zhota marched up to the door and pounded his fists against it. No one answered. He leaned his ear near the door and although it was faint, he thought he could hear chanting of some sort coming from within.

"Tilka."

"Yes master!" She responded attentively.

"Prepare yourself."

He checked the door to see if it was unlocked and it wasn't. Zhota had no choice. Something sinister was going on in there. And, if innocent people were involved, this would be their only chance.

He stood in a defensive stance, touching the door just barely with his fingertips. He didn't move his hand or get any sort of running start. He took one step forward, closed his hand into a fist with the only distance being from his hand to the tip of his fingers and punched the door. The door cracked and Zhota kicked it open.

He motioned for Tilka to follow him in. The hallway was dark and they could not see anything in front of them. They followed the sounds of voices and walked down a flight of stairs. A dark and deep humming like that of breathing surrounded them. Soon it turned into another voice. This was darker, deeper and much more menacing.

"Be prepared for Hell and I say, "Oh well." Just tell me when I can open my eyes and realized I've died. "

The cryptic words repeated themselves over and over again. They did not understand what it meant for there seemed to be no context. Perhaps – in Zhotas mind at least – it wasn't meant to be understood. It was clearly the voice of Hell speaking.

The voice continued until they saw red light from behind a closed door. The slowly approached it. Zhota wrapped his fingers around the handle and opened it.

The room was covered in body parts. The floor and walls were smeared with blood. Hooks hanging from the ceiling and large chunks of meat hung from them. Bodies in various states of decayed were piled in gory heaps against the walls.

There were cultists standing in a circle, seemingly unaware of the monk's intrusion. Candles were lit in circles around them and in the center of them all was a person. He was naked and sitting in the middle of the all with his eyes closed.

"Open your eyes and realize you've died!" The dark, evil voice spoke again.

The man opened his eyes and they were blankly white and Zhota was taken back to all of those years ago. When he saved that boy in the woods. The man began to laugh. It sounded like a hiccup at first but then he started laughing harder but, it sounded like a mix between laughing and crying.

Behind the man was the witch. She stood behind him with her arms stretched out. She was holding a knife with a golden hilt and a moderately curved blade and said, "Now, realize that you have died. May your sacrifice, my faithful servant, give continued life to our magic in these lands."

She dragged the knife across his throat and blood poured down his neck and over his torso. The witch looked up and spotted the monk's. She smirked and said, "Be prepared for Hell." Her cultists stopped praying and they covered the witch while she made her escape.

The cultists were no threat to the monks. One tried to stab Tilka in the stomach but she dodged, grabbed his arm and twisted it. She kicked him in the chest then hit the back of his elbow with the palm if her hand. The cultists arm snapped backwards and he screamed.

Zhota dodged a kick from one the cultists. Another tried to stab him but he grabbed his arm and pulled it down. Another cultist came up behind him and tried to stab him in the back but rolled over the other cultists, snapping his arm back as he did and the cultist with the knife ended up stabbing his comrade. Zhota then head butted the cultist then with one mighty punch, hit the cultist in the stomach. The cultists insides, churned and moved around so much from the hit that the force of the hit caused his spine to snap and his torso tore from his abdomen.

The other cultists witnessed the horror of the hit. The cultists stopped attacking. They stared at Zhota who stared back with a cold stare. They had never seen anyone who had the strength to punch a man in two. No mortal man. It was unreal and so they rest ran out the same way the witch escaped.

"Master, should we give chase?"

"Yes. Were ever they are heading; the witch will likely be there as well."

The ran out the back, completely forgetting their purpose for going to the house in the first place and chased after the cultists through the desert.

Xxxxx

Back in Caldeum, another evil was stalking the streets. None associated with Belial. He was his own demon. Ever since his master was beaten he was free to pursue his own devices. But, that wasn't really true was it. What demon or angel truly had free will? It was a joke really. Then there was the rift gate that locked his physical body in that infernal alternate iteration of a realm.

He had needs to take care of. He has gone too long without it. Every demon, in their own or similar fashions were addicts. Addicts to their nature.

After he fled his old host in the sewers he needed a new one. This new one was of the royal guard. The ones that currently controlled the city. It was so much fun fighting for dominance over this one. The demon that had inhabited this body before he, was nothing more than a simple snake demon. But, he was no snake demon. He was what the Nephalem called The Nemesis, and he was no grunt. The snake demon fought as well as it could and the host was driven to madness. Naturally in the end, he had won and the body was now his.

Nemesis watched from behind a building as he saw a man-hole cover slide open with Leah and Tyrael climbing out if it. But there was someone else. Nemesis had not seen this woman before and he wondered just who she could be. She was quite lovely looking. He thought the black cloths and red scarf were a nice touch. Nemesis already had the inkling that this woman was one just the wizard. He could smell it on her.

But, she was not his target. She would not stand a chance against him. He wanted the damned wizard. He wanted Li-Ming. With her magic, she could prove a very delicious challenge before he killed her. Aside from his freedom, that was all he wanted – a challenge.

Never mind. There was still one more thing he wanted. Or, more like needed. Which is why he was in that alley way. He needed to confide in someone. Who better to confide in than one you were going to kill to sate your ever-lasting bloodlust. It's not like they would ever tell anyone. After all, the dead keep their secrets.

His victim was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. He was tied up with a rope and gagged with a dirty wash cloth that he happened to fine.

Nemesis paced back and forth with a knife in his hand and rambled.

"I know I am not crazy. Not in the sense you're familiar with. I mean, all demons are crazy. But what I am feeling. I know what it is. I know, I know, I know, I know…" He stopped then looked at the man who looked back with wide, frightened, tear soaked eyes. "What demon wouldn't know the feeling? We are all tied to the 'them' in one way or another. So am I going crazy to have felt one who was defeated twenty years ago?"

The man just moaned in fright and Nemsis laughed. "You – you make an excellent point. But, you're still lost aren't you? Well then, allow to clarify." Nemesis leaned in, sat his hands on the man's shoulders and said, "What I keep feeling. I feel 'him.' I feel Diablo."

Nemesis went back to pacing back and forth.

"I shouldn't. He was defeated twenty years ago and his soul has remained lost. So why can I feel his presence here? And, why do I feel it around the Nephalem's friends?" If It wasn't for Tryael he would try and observe them from closer distances. He was good at masking his presence from angels and other demons, but Tryael would figure him out quickly if he remained to close for too long.

"Oh Diablo. Just what are you up too, you naughty boy?"

Nemesis strongly disliked feeling Diablo's presence. Once the Nemesis gained his freedom, Azmodan would be the only demon he would have to worry about. But if Diablo was making himself known – this could spell trouble for Nemesis and his ambitions.

"Oh well. I guess I will worry about this on a later date." He turned his attention back to the tied up man and said, "For now I should just enjoy myself." He waved the knife in front of his face then said to the man, "Be prepared for Hell."

So I don't know what kind of music you all are into but in case some of you already know I am just going to say it. This chapter was inspired by Slipknot's "Be Prepared for Hell." It's seriously less than two minutes long but it is, atmospheric, creepy and just so great to listen to.

There was a lot I originally intended to have happen in this chapter, but between everything that happened in this one and what I had intended, it would have made the chapter WAY to long. But if I do it right, in just two more chapters, I could have the fight between Li-Ming and Maghda. I am so excited for it because there is so much I want to do with it and again I hope to make it very brutal.

I would like to thank, Dirty Haribo for reviewing and I have a request for you. In your review you mention that there are some accidental repeat paragraphs. Do you think you could PM me the chapters where this has occurred. I would like to get those dirty little stains out of the laundry before anyone notices. Lol.

I will start work on chapter 27 first thing tomorrow after work. My other writing project had become a priority and I have been neglectful. But My focus is back on this because as I have said before, I am going to write this to the end.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will be back with 27 very, very soon. ;) PEACE!