Worlds Apart: A New Arrival

LoreÕs broken ribs were aching and the humid heat of the Kurast jungle was only making her very uncomfortable. Pariah had been kind enough to ÔmanipulateÕ her shoulder back into place once they had left the catacombs and had light enough to be able to see. The blood from LoreÕs shoulder wound had run down her back and dried, leaving a great stain down her green shirt. The injuries Lore had sustained were healing fast because of some of the magical attributes of her amulet. The wound on her shoulder had scabbed and was itchy, a good sign, one that was driving Lore crazy. Lore was doing all she could to keep from picking and scratching at the scabs on her shoulder. Pariah was faring a little better than Lore, his injuries healed with the exception of the bruise on his chest from AndarielÕs foot. Lore knew there was nothing wrong with Pariah, as he had said nothing since leaving the catacombs. ÔPariah is being his usual, charming selfÕ Lore thought to herself as they walked through the entrance to Kurast Docks.

"I need to find a sage or someone who can make this stop itching. If there is nothing you wish to do, I will meet you back here shortly." Lore told Pariah.

"I am going to enquire about getting my wand repaired. I shall not be long." With that Pariah walked off and left Lore to search for a healer.

It did not take long for Lore to find the local healer, Ormus. At once Ormus recognised Lore, much to her displeasure.

"What do you mean you know me?" Lore looked at Ormus like he was insane.

"Word of your deeds have spread throughout Sanctuary. Now sit still, this could hurt a little. Deckard Cain is here also and has told of your achievements, saving him from Tristram after it had succumbed to the brothers of Destruction." Ormus dabbed some of the ointment he had made especially for Lore onto her shoulder wound. She squirmed as he did.

"Oww, my shoulder feels like its on fire! What the hell is that stuff!? It reeks." Lore glared at Ormus.

"At least your shoulder is no longer itching and there will be fewer monsters attracted to you, it negates the scent of blood," Ormus explained. LoreÕs eyes were watering and she looked at Ormus from underneath her eyebrows. She was quite pleased to notice the stench of the ointment had Ormus trying not to gag, if she had to suffer, everyone else did to.

"This ointment is made from the sap of a ÔNight LightÕ plant. The plant gets its name because it literally glows in the dark. Did I mention one of the side effects of this ointment is that it will make you glow in the dark?" Ormus continued.

"WHAT?!" Lore looked horrified.

Pariah was over the other side of the docks and he heard Lore yell. He shook his head and made his way Ormus, thanks to some directions from Hratli the blacksmith.

Lore looked as Pariah joined them and laughed when a sour look came over his face. Pariah said nothing until Ormus handed him a small jar that was filled with a thick, orange paste-like substance.

"You need to apply that to LoreÕs wound twice a day, once at sunrise and again at mid afternoon." Pariah gave Ormus a "youÕve got to be joking" look and handed it back.

"I think not." He turned to Lore. "What is the problem?"

"Ormus neglected to inform me that I am going to glow in the dark when I use that stupid ointment!" Pariah smirked and the expression on LoreÕs face told of homicidal tendencies. Pariah quickly removed the smirk and turned to Ormus.

"It is not a permanent side effect I take it? She is most difficult to live with currently without you giving her another reason to complain constantly." Pariah asked. Lore smacked Pariah across the back of his head.

"Liar." Lore said flatly. Ormus handed the jar back to Pariah and smiled slightly.

"The effect is not permanent and only the ointment glows." Lore breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Lord. I didnÕt want to look like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve." Ormus and Pariah turned to Lore.

"What is a Christmas tree?" Both men asked simultaneously.

"ItÕs a religious symbol, part of the religion I celebrate, from my home. You probably haven't heard of it." Lore shrugged. "ItÕs a little different from the religions here in Sanctuary." Ormus and Pariah nodded. Lore looked at Ormus.

"How much do I owe you?"

"For those crusading against the brothers, any and all treatments you may require have no charge." Pariah looked at Lore, confused.

"He said itÕs free." Pariah nodded as understanding dawned.

For the first time, Ormus noticed the item adorning LoreÕs head.

"May I?" Ormus put out his hand and Lore passed the tiara over to him. Ormus inspected it and handed it back.

"If you are going to continue wearing that, perhaps you should see Hratli and enquire about getting the evil magic removed," Ormus shrugged "but that is up to you. The evil is minimal and may in fact help improve your current abilities or with training you may develop new abilities. It may be wise to monitor the amounts of evil magic and remove it if it grows, or you may be the next unfortunate soul to become an Andariel-like demoness." Ormus clasped his hands.

"If that is all, I must confer with the Books of NerÕaya." Ormus waited for Lore to nod before turning around and disappearing into a small shack.

"What's a Book of NerÕaya?" Lore looked over at Pariah.

"I believe it is a book in which the Gods of the NerÕay can communicate with a select few mortals. The Gods of NerÕay are not always clear and the mortals must interpret the prophecies." Pariah raised and eyebrow. "That is about the limit of my knowledge when it comes to the NerÕayan religion." Lore nodded.

"Ok, sweet. I need to see the blacksmith and then we can go, what do you say?" Lore looked at PariahÕs wand as it began whimpering and Pariah removed a small item from the pack he carried.

"I have spoken to Hratli, there is little information he can supply, other than Mephisto was left here by his brothers after we destroyed Andariel. He is here to ensure we do not find Diablo and Baal." Pariah held his wand carefully and tickled its chin. The skull on the end of the wand opened its mouth and Lore heard a little "Ahh" as Pariah dropped the item into its mouth and then some loud crunching as the item was devoured.

"Which way to Hratli then, I'm not after information." Pariah pointed in the direction from which he came and Lore walked towards the central marketplace.

"IÕm sick of getting hurt, I need to invest in some armour." Hratli looked up as Lore walked into his shop.

"Ok, so its not the getting hurt I mind so much but the foul-smelling cures for the injuries." Lore mumbled to herself, a little to loud. Hratli heard this last line and smiled to himself.

"And how may I help you this fine day?" Hratli asked Lore. Lore looked at him, not impressed.

"I would like to purchase some armour. Preferably light weight that allows full movement." Lore stated. Hratli nodded and looked her up and down.

"What?" Lore was getting tired and a little grouchy.

"I can custom make armour for you however it becomes expensive," Hratli leaned on his anvil. "I doubt an adventurer like yourself could afford it."

"Try me." Lore stated dropping a pouch of gold and several large, perfect gemstones onto the table next to her. HratliÕs eyes lit up and he walked over to inspect the method of payment.

"Would that be enough to get some decent armour?" Lore asked.

"Yes, yes, thatÕs plenty." Hratli motioned for Lore to stand up straight and he pulled out a tape measure.

Pariah stood in the doorway and watched as Lore was measured, smiling to himself.

"What's so damn funny." Lore snapped. Hratli looked over at Pariah.

"Do not mind him. He is perverse." Hratli grinned and measured LoreÕs arms. With the measuring complete, Lore picked up her staff.

"How long will you need before I can collect the armour?" Lore asked, a little more politely.

"Tomorrow afternoon. You may collect it then." Hratli had already begun to get his tools out and was throwing more logs into the fire.

"See you then," Lore turned to Pariah. "I am going to the tavern for a drink or two and to see if I can get a room for the night." Lore walked away, leaving Pariah to catch up.

Talis awoke early the next morning to the sounds of someone sneaking around the campsite. Talis lifted his head of TygraÕs stomach and growled softly. Tygra, still asleep swatted at Talis and rolled over, leaving Talis to deal with the intruder. He stood up and quietly padded around the other side of the fire, which had died down substantially but had not gone out. By this time, the intruder had picked up VixenÕs bag and was sorting through the contents. Talis settled low to the ground and leapt through the fire snarling as he did so, startling the intruder. The intruder fell to the ground with Talis standing on the breastplate of the armour they wore, his lips curled back in a snarl, bearing his huge white teeth. The commotion was enough to wake Mongrelle and she opened her eyes and sat up. Mongrelle leaned over and woke Vixen and together the two picked up their weapons and walked around opposite sides of the campfire to surround the intruder. Mongrelle and Vixen, having approached the intruder from different sides, each pointed their weapon at the intruderÕs head.

"Do you reckon the bolts will go through the helm?" Vixen asked Mongrelle.

"Now is as good a time as any to find out, unless there is a good explanation on offer." Mongrelle said, drawing the string of her bow back past her ear, ensuring the arrow passage through the helm, the skull and the ground on the other side of the remains of the intruders head, if it came to using force.

"Ah shit." The intruder mumbled, loud enough for Mongrelle to hear.

"Is there a forthcoming excuse, or do I have to put a hole through your head and waste an arrow." Mongrelle was not big on small talk and went straight to the point.

"Call your damn dog off!" The intruder called, still flat on their back. Talis growled ferociously at this remark, causing the intruder to flinch and squeal.

"Talis, be a good dog and help our guest up." Vixen smiled and Talis grabbed a mouthful of material and pulled backwards, pulling the intruder to their feet as he got off their chest.

"ThatÕs a big dog, where did you get it?" The intruder asked, removing their helm. The short black hair was ear length, the nose and eyebrows thin. Her eyes were as black as her hair and she had an olive complexion. The woman standing in front of the Amazons was approximately 5Õ6", short compared to them, but not short in her own right.

"IÕm NiVidia. IÕm an Assassin." The woman outstretched her black-gloved hand towards Vixen, who lowered her crossbow and shook hands.

"Vixen, but everyone calls me Vee. This is Mongrelle, Tygra is the one still asleep and youÕve met Talis. Oh yeah, and donÕt call Talis a dog, he doesnÕt like that, he's a wolf." Talis wagged his tail as Vixen said this and extended his paw towards the assassin. NiVidia looked at TalisÕ paw and bent down and shook hands. Talis, now satisfied the intruder was not a danger, walked back to Tygra and promptly went to sleep on her stomach.

Mongrelle nudged Vixen in the ribs and raised an eyebrow in TalisÕ direction. Vixen smiled and motioned NiVidia to sit down by the fire and join them.

"What were you looking for?" Mongrelle was blunt and straight to the point. NiVidia looked around uncomfortably.

"Umm, well, I was looking forÉ" NiVidia trailed off. Mongrelle glared at her and the assassin shifted in her seat.

"Maps, scrolls and magic. You wont find any of those in our bags." Mongrelle stated and NiVidiaÕs jaw dropped.

"How did youÉ?" NiVidia could not finish her sentence before Mongrelle interrupted.

"IÕm psychic." Mongrelle said, turning to Vixen and smiling so NiVidia couldnÕt see.

"Um, yeah right." NiVidia said, still a little stunned at being so transparent.

"Look, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so you can stay here or go, but donÕt go searching through our stuff again or I wont stop Talis next time." With that, Vixen stood up and walked back to her blanket and went to sleep. Mongrelle followed, but remained semi-awake to keep an eye on the new arrival.

Lore walked into the local tavern and every drink was put down onto the tables and every head followed Lore as she calmly walked over to the man behind the bar. Pariah walked into the tavern and stood behind Lore.

"I would like a room for the night and a bottle of anything alcoholic." Lore said tiredly to the keeper. The keeper just looked at her and at Pariah.

"We donÕt serve the likes of him in here." The keeper indicated Pariah.

"ThatÕs fine, you see, he did not ask for anything. I did." Lore told the keeper.

"We donÕt serve anyone accompanying them either, so the two of youse can go somewhere else." The keeper snapped. Lore rolled her eyes.

"Look. IÕm tired and I had hoped it wouldnÕt come to this. If you do not give us what I ask, a very large meteor will come crashing through this pathetic excuse you call a tavern and slam into the spot you are standing on." To back up her threat, Lore encouraged the stone in her staff to shine brightly. The keeper took a few steps backwards and shakily produced a jug of wine from beneath the bar.

"What sort of room would you like?" The keeper said as calmly as he could whilst placing as best he could the _ full jug on the bar.

"One with four walls, a door and a roof that doesnÕt leak." Lore took the jug of wine and the stone in her staff dulled. The keeper nodded and waved a waitress over.

"Please show our guests upstairs." The keeper told the waitress. The waitress nodded and started up the stairs. Lore and Pariah followed and the keeper sighed in relief.

The waitress showed Lore and Pariah to the room they were to share for the night.

"Its got two beds right?" Lore looked at the waitress and she shook her head.

"No, only one. ItÕs a large one though." The waitress threw open the door and stood aside. Lore could see there were many torches on the walls and she used her magic to light each of them. The small fires lit up the room nicely and Lore could see a very plain room with sparse furniture. There was a king-size bed at the back of the room and a changing curtain off to the side of the room, behind which Lore assumed there was a tub of hot water for a bath and for laundry.

"Great. Thankyou. See you in the morning." Lore walked into the room and Pariah followed.

"Is that a promise or a threat?" The waitress mumbled a little too loud.

"Its whatever you want it to be." Lore called as Pariah closed the door. Lore could tell the waitressÕ face had gone a nice shade of red.

"I call first bath." Lore said, dropping her staff on the bed and walking behind the curtain. The water in the tub was still steaming and the bubbles were fluffy and white. Lore pulled her clothes off and sunk into the hot water.

"What time do you want to leave tomorrow?" Pariah called from the middle of the room where he was removing his armour.

"Mmm Hmm." Pariah heard Lore mumble and he shook his head. He carefully arranged his armour, boots, gloves, wand and bone helm in the cupboard next to one side of the bed. Pariah heard the wand yawn and begin snoring softly and smiled to himself. He lay down on one side of the bed and began dozing, wondering how long it would take to get to Diablo and Baal and what he would do after defeating them.

"Hey, Pariah. Toss my bag over would you?" Pariah opened his eyes and looked around for the satchel. It was on the bed next to LoreÕs staff, which was odd because Pariah had not seen Lore drop it when she dropped her staff. He picked it up and walked over to the curtain where he stuck his hand with the bag around the side.

"Thanks." Lore took the bag and Pariah returned to the bed.

"Hey Pariah? What happened to the bag of gold I had in here?" Lore called.

"You gave it to Hratli." Pariah called back.

"No, not that one. I had three pouches in here. Two with gold and one with gemstones. The gemstones one is still here, but the one that had gold in it, the one I didnÕt give to Hratli is gone." Lore heard Pariah groan.

"I believe that means you were robbed." Pariah said a little quieter. Lore swore and quite suddenly emerged from the other side of the curtain. PariahÕs jaw dropped. She was wearing her sorceress skirt, an odd shirt he had never seen before and knee high black boots, again of a type he had never seen before. The black boots had buckled all the way up the front and were high heels.

"Where are you going? Why are you dressed like that?" Pariah watched as Lore stalked over to the door.

"IÕm going to get my stuff back." Lore said as she walked out the door.

Lore looked down the stairs at all of the patrons. Everyone was drinking and laughing, having totally forgotten about her and Pariah. Lore walked down the stairs and everyone went silent. All eyes followed as Lore walked into the middle of the room and jumped onto the middle of the nearest table.

"Someone took some stuff out of my bag. I am giving whoever it was one chance to return it without punishment." Lore looked around at the faces that were staring at her. As far as Lore could tell, no one was missing, meaning that the culprit was sitting somewhere in the room. No one stepped forward.

"Ok, fine. You have to the count of three before I fill this room with snow and lightning. One. Two. Three." Still no one stepped forward.

"Well, you asked for it." Lore raised her hands.

"Hey! Wait! You donÕt have your staff. Sorceresses canÕt do anything without their staffs so we donÕt have anything to worry about." Lore looked in the direction the voice came from.

"Thankyou for enlightening everyone genius." Lore said sarcastically. She smiled as a huge clap of thunder rang through the tavern. Everyone looked up at the huge black clouds filling all available space in the roof. The first snowflake fell and landed in the drink next to LoreÕs foot.

"Now, if whoever has my stuff would like to reconsider, I understand." Lore paused and looked around. Still, no one stepped forward. Lore shook her head.

"Fine then. We will do this the hard way." Lore looked at the door and it exploded off its hinges. The wind behind the door carried it to the other side of the room and dropped it in front of the stairs. The wind howled through the tavern and the snow became heavier, forming a blizzard. The clouds opened up and lightning slammed into an empty chair, sending sparks flying everywhere. LoreÕs eyes had clouded over and suddenly a hydra appeared in the doorway, preventing anyone from a premature departure.

"These are becoming difficult to control. This is you last chance to come forward before I completely destroy this tavern!" Lore yelled above the chaos. Lore paused, giving anyone on the far side of the room the opportunity to walk over to Lore. Still, no one owned up. Very suddenly LoreÕs eyes cleared and all hell broke loose. Thunder, lightning, snow and wind filled the air of the tavern and Lore jumped off the table. She began walking up the stairs, leaving the elements to do their damage. Lore stopped at the top of the stairs and turned when she heard some yell.

"Stop this, please! You are destroying everything!" The keeper yelled at Lore. Lore raised an eyebrow and waved her hand. Immediately everything she had summoned disappeared, exposing all the patrons huddled in a corner.

"Here is the deal. You will find who took my gold and it will be your payment. If you can not find the gold, then you will know that at least one of your patrons is a thief and a liar." With that, Lore walked along the corridor to the room she was sharing with Pariah, leaving everyone in the tavern to pick up all of the upturned tables, chairs and glasses.

"Impressive." Pariah said as Lore walked into the room.

"How long have you been watching?" Lore asked as she sat on the bed and poured some wine into a goblet. Pariah walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Since you left. You are not afraid to demonstrate your powers are you?" Pariah sat next to Lore and filled his own goblet with wine.

"It will teach all of those pathetic creatures down there not to steal from anyone, especially people they do not know. Its not like I hurt anyone either. I just made a mess." Lore put her goblet down on the bench next to the bed and flopped down.

"No offence, but I hate this place. I just want to go home." Lore said as she kicked off her boots and stood her staff next to the bed. She rolled over, facing away from Pariah so he couldnÕt see the tears in her eyes.

"Good night." Lore said as she closed her eyes, wishing she were home. Pariah was quiet and Lore quickly went to sleep. Pariah drained his goblet and put it on the floor next to the bed. It did not take long for him to get to sleep either.

Mongrelle awoke early in the morning, before dawn. She stretched and stepping over the still bodies of her friends and travelling partners. Mongrelle went hunting.

Vixen was the next of the gaggle of unusual travelling companions to wake. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked around. NiVidia was asleep near the fire but away from everyone, especially Talis. Talis was sound asleep on his back draped across TygraÕs stomach, his four paws splayed. Mongrelle was nowhere to be seen but had left her bow and arrows aligned next to each other, which indicated to Vixen she had gone hunting. ÔItÕs a good thing we developed that code, or I wouldnÕt know what had happened to her.Õ Vixen thought to herself as she had a drink of water from her canteen. Vixen turned around and stifled a yelp as something cold and wet hit her ankle. She turned back around and looked at the thing that had startled her. Talis was sitting at her feet wagging his tail.

"If you were sitting any closer, you would be sitting on my feet." Vixen said as she stepped around Talis, who followed at her heels. Vixen stopped next to the fire and TalisÕ nose ran into the back of her leg.

"Eww. Talis, do you have to walk so close behind me? What do you want?" Vixen said looking down at Talis. Talis looked up at Vixen and licked his lips.

"What do you mean your hungry again? You only ate last night." Vixen shook her head as Talis whimpered.

"You will have to wait for Mongrelle to get back. You know the rules." Talis hung his head and walked back over to Tygra. He lay down next to her and put his chin on her shoulder so he could stare at her.

Mongrelle returned a short time later to discover only Vixen awake and prepared to leave. Mongrelle walked into the middle of the campsite and began yelling at the others to wake up. When that did not work, she walked over the Tygra and Talis ad kicked the both of them. Tygra groaned and Talis growled.

"Get up!" Mongrelle was flushed with blood and full of energy. She walked over to NiVidia and kicked her also. NiVidia opened her eyes and sat up.

"What?" NiVidia looked around, looking for any demons trying to kill them. When she found none, she rolled over and went back to sleep. Mongrelle growled in frustration.

"Calm down. There is a better way to wake them up." Vixen said as she handed the canteen to Mongrelle. Mongrelle smiled.

"ThatÕs evil. I like." Mongrelle said as she removed the cap and poured some of the water onto NiVidiaÕs face. NiVidia screamed and jumped to her feet, producing two claw-class weapons from nowhere Vixen could find and standing ready for a fight. Mongrelle and Vixen laughed and NiVidia realised she was the victim of a cruel joke. She glared at Mongrelle who had turned to tip some water over Tygra. NiVidia wiped the water off her face and smiled when Tygra swore loudly at Mongrelle and tried to hit her. Mongrelle easily dodged TygraÕs swing and Talis copped the slap to the side of his head. He whimpered and TygraÕs eyes snapped open.

"Talis! I'm sorry, I didnÕt know you were there." Tygra said as she sat up. Talis wagged his tail and then wandered over to Mongrelle and barked. Mongrelle did not even look at Talis as she pulled the remaining back leg of the animal off and tossed it over her shoulder. The meat was cold but Talis did not complain, he picked the leg up and trotted over, beyond TygraÕs blanket where he sat down and began demolishing it.

Mongrelle divided the rest of the meat up and the Amazons wrapped the portions in cloth to carry in their bags. They picked up their belongings from the campsite and began a steady walk, flattening all demons that stood in their way.

Lore woke late the next morning to find Pariah had already left the room. She sat up and shivered when her feet touched the cold wooden floor.

"Haven't these people heard of carpets or rugs?" Lore said aloud for no particular reason.

"Yes, but they are expensive." A voice said. Lore looked around the room only to see nothing.

"Ok. I must be hearing things. ThereÕs no one else in her but me. Hmm, those little voices in my head aren't so little anymore." Lore said quietly.

"Speak up girl! I canÕt hear you when you mumble." The anonymous voice said.

"Who and where are you?" Lore asked.

"IÕm over here." The voice said.

"Well, that was enlightening. Dude, youÕre going to have to be a little more specific than Ôover hereÕ." Lore rolled her eyes.

"In that case, IÕm small and white and IÕm sitting right behind you." The mysterious voice again. Lore turned around and saw nothing but PariahÕs wand on the bedside table. Then it dawned on her.

"You can talk? Cool." Lore looked at the item.

"You're not surprised?" The skull on the wand asked.

"Nah. After the whole parallel reality thing nothing really surprises me anymore. Speaking of parallel realities, you wouldnÕt know how I can get back to mine would you?" Lore tilted her head to the side.

"How should I know? IÕm only a wandÉ" The wand trailed off as Pariah walked into the room. It winked at Lore and stopped moving.

"Why are you staring at my wand?" Pariah stopped in the middle of the room and Lore looked around at him.

"ItÉIÉ" She exhaled. "Oh no reason. I just haven't had a good look at it before, thatÕs all." Lore said as she swivelled on the bed and pulled her black boots on and did all of the buckles up. Pariah shrugged.

"Let us leave here now. I spoke with Hratli and he has completed your armour. It is ready for collection. Also, breakfast is awaiting you downstairs." Pariah picked up his wand and attached it to his belt.

"And all was accomplished without threats." Lore had been awake for less than fifteen minutes and already Pariah was grating her nerves. She snorted and picked up her staff and bag and walked out the door.

True enough, there was a hot breakfast waiting for Lore when she got down stairs, compliments the tavern keeper.

"What is it?" Lore asked.

"It is a combination of things. SheepÕs brain and other meats that are rich in proteins." The keeper looked at Lore. Lore looked at the grey matter filling the bottom of the wooden bowl and, as her face turned green, decided to skip breakfast.

"Umm, right. I have to go see Hratli now. Oh yeah, did you get the gold?" Lore asked the keeper. He held up the black pouch.

"I have taken what you owe me and no more. Here is the rest of it." The keeper tried to hand the pouch to Lore, who made no attempt to take it.

"Keep it. Mend a few holes in the walls or something, you could probably use it more than I." Lore said as she turned around and began walking towards the door.

"DonÕt you want to know who took it?" The keeper called to Lore as she reached the door.

"Not unless you wish them bodily harm." Lore said without turning to face the keeper. She walked out of the tavern, closely followed by Pariah.

"That was generous of you." Pariah stated as the walked through the market place. Lore shrugged.

"What are you talking about? Letting him keep the gold or not hurting the kid that took my stuff?" Lore said.

"You know who took the gold?" Pariah asked, caught off guard.

"Yeah. It was the keepers kid. Little thief." Lore mumbled a few choice words to herself as she walked into HratliÕs shop. "Hratli! Hows it going? I was told my armour was ready." Lore wasted no time as Hratli looked up from his next project.

"You are correct. Its over here." Hratli led Lore behind a curtain and then walked out to talk to Pariah whilst Lore put the armour on.

Lore walked out from around the curtain and PariahÕs jaw hit the ground. The armour, aside from being custom made was highly unusual. The main breast piece had a low, square neckline and magical inscriptions covered the plating below the breasts, giving it a textured appearance. There was a guard for her collarbone, which looked like an intricate spiders web. The spider was included, sitting directly in the middle of the guard. The left upper arm guard was a snake that tightly spiralled from her shoulder (where the head of the snake glared menacingly and everyone) to her elbow. The lower arm guards were part of a pair of gloves, with the left on extending past her knuckles into three sharp spikes that would leave gaping holes in flesh if Lore was to punch anyone. The right upper arm guard looked like a dragon, the wings curving backwards to conceal her arm, the body, neck, head and legs were ridges on the metal, along with the bones in the wings. The shin guards rose well above the knees and covered the entire foot, providing excellent protection for her legs but they were also flexible enough for her to run. Finally, covering her back and shoulders was a cloak or cape. There was a black base material that prevented the scale mail type material from scratching and taking the skin off her back and shoulders. Pariah noticed the bottom of the black material had been dyed red and yellow, making it look like flames were creeping up the cloak. Lore was very please with the armour.

"This is fantastic! You must have been up all night!" Lore beamed at Hratli.

"Yes, I was. It was worth the effort though." Hratli said, modestly.

"Thank you so much Hratli. This is great!" Lore turned to Pariah, who still had not picked his jaw up off the ground.

"Its rude to stare." She lightly punched him and smiled. Pariah quickly regained his composure and shook his head.

"We should leave now and perhaps we will make it to Mephisto before the next full moon." Pariah said.

"Umm, Pariah. The full moon was last night." Lore raised her eyebrow.

"That is correct. However it will take us a while to get through the jungles and deserts before we reach Mephisto." Pariah looked very serious. Lore groaned.

"Oh, you canÕt be serious. ItÕs going to take that long?" Lore whinged. "Ok, fine then. Lets get going. The sooner we get rid of Mephisto the better. Thanks again Hratli." With that, Lore turned on the spot and vanished around the corner, leaving Pariah to catch up with her, again.

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