Outside the Cycle - Act XVII

We are very nearly done here. I've been doing this whole thing for an unhealthy period of time, but the end is in sight.

RIP STORY

Act XVII: To Become as Death Itself

Roshan's dying screams split the air, and Kael wondered who had defeated the beast. Not that it mattered; he had noticed the assaults being directed at each fortress. Leaving behind a forged spirit to watch the ruined top barracks, the Invoker himself teleported down to the bottom lane, joining the advancing army.

He gained the attention of one of the Avernal Vindicators. "Where is your commander?" he demanded. The Vindicator pointed up towards the front lines. Kael nodded and slipped his orbs to Wex before striding swiftly towards Abaddon's command. He quickly outpaced his second forged spirit, and let its enchantment fade when he felt the one he'd left behind die. Kael passed by three heavily armoured warriors wielding massive runeblades, and there he was, face to face with the Lord of Avernus.

Nothing special, was his first thought. He certainly didn't look as magnificent as the Invoker; but then, who did?

"You are lucky," he proclaimed. "Today you may bear witness to my presence in your aid. Let us end this quickly, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"That is harder than it appears," the little lord said wryly. "They have a powerful mage up ahead, and his powers have already lain to waste a chunk of my forces much too large for me to be comfortable sending more to their deaths."

Kael waved a hand dismissively. "Mages are not so hard to deal with. Just get close and put a sword through them. Why should you care how many peasants die in the process?"

Oddly, Abaddon seemed offended by that. "Why don't you do it? You say you are here to help us."

"He's not worth my time."

"Rubick, the Grand Magus, is not worth your time?"

Kael stopped, and he felt a malicious grin creep across his face. Ordinarily, he would not bother challenging a lesser magus - that is to say, all of them - but for Rubick… yes, he could make an exception.

"I would like to see him imitate THIS." The Invoker raised a hand to the sky, and winds pillowed under him, lifting him aloft. He was unmissable, unmistakeable for anything but his own magnificent self, a challenge that Rubick could not ignore.

Kael urged the winds to set him down in front of the high-ground Radiant tower. Rubick was already waiting.

Wordlessly, they faced off, the Grand Magus drawing his staff and the Invoker priming his orbs. He raised his hand to the sky, and clenched it into a fist. Exort Trionis.

Rubick leapt to the side, narrowly dodging a pillar of flame that leapt down from the sky and left a smoking crater in its aftermath. He pointed at Kael with his scepter, the masterwork of his father Aghanim, and the Invoker felt the words pulled from him towards Rubick, who staggered back at the influx of information. The Grand Magus recovered quickly, and again pointed the scepter at Kael.

The sunstrike fizzled.

Rubick gave a puzzled look at the staff. "Try that again?" he asked, and Kael obliged, letting down another blast of solar power that set fire to the Grand Magus' robe. He smiled at the other mage's frantic attempts to beat it out. Once that was dealt with, Rubick again stole the spell, and again it fizzled when he cast it.

"This is the Grand Magus?" Kael demanded incredulously. "Can't even cast a simple sunstrike?" He flicked his hand towards him - wex quas wex - and Rubick was swept into the air by a tornado. As he slammed back into the ground, an electromagnetic pulse erupted underneath him to suck away his sorcery, and a titanic fireball plummeted from the sky to crash on top of him. A blast of sound slammed into Rubick, pushing him with the meteor.

When the smoke cleared, not even ash was left. Invoker laughed long, and loud, his glorious voice rising in a crescendo pitch.

"Let us end this farce," he cackled. The only question was what Arash was planning next.
_________________________

A short time earlier…

As soon as the Spectre sacrificed herself to disrupt Enigma's world-ending channel, Arash had started running. He ignored the clashing creeps, killing those of either side that got in his way. He had seen the Skywrath race down on the winds, and now the endgame had truly begun. Abaddon's forces were attacking the south; the Dire barracks had left the throne open, and now Arash had to hurry to coordinate the sides so the Ancients fell at the same time.

The river splashed beneath his feet as he ran towards the ruins of the first tower. He glanced around, and with surprise noticed Lanaya fighting with the Phantom Assassin further upstream.

I should probably help, he decided, and turned to assist.

"Arash!" one voice - only one voice, but it could be no other - called to him. The Psychomancer's blood ran cold. Not here, not now, I am not ready, there is too much to do-

Nevermore floated down, an angry look on his face. "What do you think you are planning? All these deceits, these lies, you are a demon after my own heart! Yet now, I sense the Radiant taint on you."

"I have changed beyond that," Arash replied, no longer bothering to keep up the mask of servitude. Hatred dripped from his words, and he savoured the sensation. The Shadow Fiend seemed shocked by this sudden change.

"What has happened to you? Is it - HER?!"

"Only in part. She's a lot less to me than you seem to think. You have only now seen beneath the mask."

"Why?" Nevermore implored. "I gifted you power beyond reckoning, gave you influence, made you a master of fear and darkness. There are demons in hell that would give anything to be you, and you reward my favours with betrayal?"

"Gifted me." Arash's fury rose to a fever pitch. "GIFTED ME? You CURSED me! Do you even know what you did?! What it is like? Every minute is pain, my dreams a waking nightmare! Freed of sanity, cursed with clarity, I am nothing more than extension of your desires. I have loathed every second, and you most of all."

It all rushed out in a torrent of spite and rage, yet the look on Nevermore's face was worth every word.

"I regret that I must do this," the demon said, and he sounded genuinely sorrowful. Arash's eyes widened, and he dived out of the way as the ground where he once was erupted into a dark torrent upwards.

"I shall keep your soul in a special place, as a memory of a dearly loved pet."

Arash leapt away from a blast of energy that Nevermore hurled from his hands. Snarling with fury, he counterattacked, swinging the talon around towards the Shadow Fiend's exposed torso.

The strike never connected, turned aside by an invisible force. Arash realised that the bonds that bound him to service were too strong.

I cannot even wound him. He almost laughed aloud from the hopelessness of it all. So it ends as it begun, with nothing behind me and nothing to move forward to.

Nevermore let out a horrific roar, and a torrent of souls erupted from him in all directions. Caught by the full force of the blast, Arash was sent hurtling back, smashing into the ground and bouncing before finally coming to rest at the edge of the cliff overlooking the river amidst the Dire muck. He groaned, and spat out blood, each breath a spike of agony from shattered ribs. His left arm was dislocated, and half of his face was a horrid amalgamation of blood and shredded flesh.

"I get… the last laugh," he spat, still defiant. Arash tried to rise, but collapsed back down in the growing puddle of fluid and torment.

The Shadow Fiend's eyes were filled with sorrow as he raised his hand to strike the final blow-

-and another figure crashed into him. A purple flash of light bit into Nevermore's form, and a wave of force rocked the area.

Lanaya stumbled back, dazed from the concussive force. What are you doing, you idiot?! Arash wanted to howl, but felt something stir within him and knew exactly why.

"Another one?!" the demon snarled. "Mortals! Do you know what happens when you strike a lord of Hell? You. SUFFER!"

He slammed his palms into the ground, and a blast of darkness surged upwards into Lanaya. The assassin fell back, into the path of a second raze. She was thrown slightly into the air and staggered between the two points of impact. Nevermore's eyes narrowed and he clapped his hands. A final raze blasted her, and Lanaya fell to her knees.

Blood poured from her nose, mouth and eye sockets, her armour shattered, flesh underneath a red ruin. Her eyes met Arash's.

I'm sorry, she mouthed, and the Shadow Fiend whipped his hand around to slash her with dark energy.

A loud crack pierced all other noise, and the Templar Assassin fell to the ground.

Nevermore turned again to Arash, but the Psychomancer had already moved.

"Still fighting?" the demon snarled. "I would not wish to hurt you any more than I already have."

He turned - and behind him, Arash was waiting, talon pointing to the demon's chest.

Elation filled the Psychomancer. "She sacrificed herself for the greater good." He felt guilty, leading the assassin to her death, but that was overpowered by the feeling of freedom, freedom, after all these years! The bastard had lost control, and now he would lose his life.

The demon's eyes were filled with fear. "You can't mean to-"

Arash struck upwards, his talon tearing into Nevermore's chest, into the demonic essence pulsing within. Finally, all the minds inside him thought the same thing.

And that thing, was vengeance.

The edges struck home, and fire raced through him as the acid blood from the fiend's heart sprayed against him.

"I. Hate. You," he whispered, and the Shadow Fiend exploded. Souls raced in circles, freed from their bondage at last. Nevermore's shriek was carried away on the wind, and Arash weathered the storm swirling around him until even the essence had burnt away.

Only then did he move, kneeling over the prone body of the assassin who had been his enemy, his ally, his pawn, his betrayer, and finally his saviour. He stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, letting his guilt wash over him, as if his humanity had finally returned.

Eventually, he heard massive hoofbeats behind him, and did not need to turn around to know who it was.

"How far have I fallen, Lucifer?" he said softly, his voice thin and scared.

"Not far enough to save you," the archdemon rumbled.

Arash closed his eyes. "Then I will face Fate as an old friend." He willed his broken limbs to one last effort, whirling around at the Doom Bringer, talon flashing to rip flesh. The weak blow was parried by the demon lord's flaming sword, and a cloven hoof slammed into the Psychomancer, sending him staggering into the river.

"I and the legions of Hell am leaving this misbegotten war," Lucifer declared. "The Ancients can fight amongst themselves for the world, for in the end it will still be mine. You, however, will see no such sunrise."

Arash attacked again, and Doom sidestepped. The Psychomancer fell onto his knees in the mire, in front of the burning blade.

Doom reared back, and struck down with a howl. The blade pierced Arash's throat, burying itself through his chest and piercing the heart. Such was the heat that the blood was cauterised as it poured out, and now he was free - finally free.

"Thank… you," he gasped, and fell into the soothing embrace of the abyss.