Ethan's Fantasy-Drift

After successfully annihilating all the dark creatures within the den of evil, the three adventurers took time to sweep the surrounding areas of the cave to ensure no lingering threats remained. It wasn't until the night of the fourth day that they finally returned to the Rogue Camp.

Ethan had been considering his options ever since arriving in this world. After some thought, he decided to continue hunting Blood Raven with Xul and Isendra.

Blood Raven—once known as Moreina, the heroic Rogue Archer from Diablo 1 who defeated Diablo and saved the world, was now a fallen legend.

Unfortunately, after Diablo's defeat, Moreina, the idol of the Rogues, began to succumb to darkness. As the influence of evil spread, she completely fell into corruption and became one of Andariel's most loyal minions, tasked with hunting down her former allies.

"The only way to help this hero now," Xul had said grimly, "is to free her from the grip of the dark forces."

Everyone knew there was only one way to do that.

After a night of rest, the two necromancers and the apprentice mage set out once more on their journey against the darkness. This time, however, the task proved far more challenging than anything Ethan had faced before.

Blood Raven was not only a powerful hero in her own right but had grown even stronger in her corrupted state. Her fall had granted her the ability to summon and control undead creatures. An endless tide of skeletal soldiers surrounded her, creating an impenetrable barrier. From within her layers of defense, Blood Raven could unleash devastating attacks, fully displaying the skill and precision of a top Rogue archer.

Ethan found himself completely outmatched during this "crusade" against Blood Raven. Though he avoided injury thanks to the protection of Xul and Isendra, the battle still took its toll. He ended up losing a magical bracer he had recently crafted.

The bracer's primary purpose was to serve as a last-resort shield, capable of blocking critical strikes in emergencies.

During the fight, one of the incidents occurred when Ethan had to block the slash of a skeleton soldier after his shield was destroyed. Thankfully, Charsi's craftsmanship held up, the blacksmith's sturdy work prevented the blade from severing Ethan's hand. However, the impact completely destroyed the delicate magical formation embedded in the bracer.

The second incident was even more harrowing. Amid the chaos of battle, Blood Raven herself took notice of Ethan and fired a deadly arrow aimed directly at him.

At that moment, a sudden sense of danger surged in Ethan's mind, sharpening his focus to an almost unnatural degree. Time seemed to slow as his heightened mental awareness allowed him to see the incoming arrow with perfect clarity. He managed to raise his bracer in time, deflecting the arrow.

Even so, the arrow pierced through the bracer and nearly shattered his wrist. It only missed a fatal blow because Ethan turned his head at the last second and twisted his arm to redirect the arrow's trajectory. The near miss left him shaken, his wrist throbbing in pain, but he survived.

From that point on, Ethan could only stand back and watch as Xul and Isendra unleashed their formidable powers, turning the tide of battle. His role had been limited to taking out a few skeleton soldiers early on.

"Clearly, I still have a long way to go," Ethan muttered bitterly as he treated his wounds after the battle.

Once the battlefield was cleared and their wounds tended, Ethan turned to Xul and Isendra with a helpless smile. "It seems this is as far as I can go with you."

The necromancers, unlike their initial wariness, no longer questioned his participation. They both nodded with a touch of warmth in their expressions.

"Though our time together has been brief," Xul said, "I'll always remember it."

Isendra followed up with a question: "What will you do next? Will you stay at the Rogue Camp?"

They both understood that Ethan's current strength wasn't enough for the increasingly dangerous battles ahead. Blood Raven had pushed him to his limit, and the demons that lay beyond her would be even more formidable. Continuing the journey would almost certainly result in his death, a death that would serve no purpose, as Ethan lacked the power to truly harm the forces of darkness.

However, staying at the camp wasn't without its merits. Ethan could help Akara by gathering herbs or brewing simple potions. He could also assist the Rogues with basic healing or first aid, skills he had picked up from the nuns. Even patrolling the surrounding areas and clearing out minor dark creatures could be valuable.

With careful preparation, the creatures in the Blood Moor wouldn't pose a significant threat to him as long as he remained cautious.

As for returning "home," that wasn't an option for now. Ethan had previously claimed to have come from the east, but the fortress leading to the eastern regions was still occupied by Andariel's forces. The only way for him to return would be for Xul and Isendra to either defeat or seal Andariel, allowing the Sisters of the Sightless Eye to reclaim the eastern gate.

What they didn't know, however, was that Ethan only had two days left in this world. Even if he had the strength, his time here was running out, leaving no chance for him to join them in their fight against Andariel.

For the past few days, Ethan had been crafting a suitable excuse, and now it was finally time to use it.

"Actually," Ethan said, feigning casualness, "my teacher has located my position through special magic and plans to use teleportation to bring me back in the next two days."

Isendra's eyes widened in shock. Ethan swore it was the first time he'd seen such an exaggerated expression from the normally calm and collected mage.

"To be able to do something like that? Your teacher… must be an exceptionally powerful mage," Isendra said, her voice tinged with awe.

Neither of the necromancers doubted Ethan's claim. In fact, they seemed to take it in stride. As experienced practitioners, both Xul and Isendra had long since realized that their understanding of magic was but a fraction of its true scope. They were used to encountering phenomena that seemed impossible at first glance.

Of course, some mages—those arrogant enough to believe they had reached the pinnacle of knowledge would dismiss anything outside their own understanding as nonsense. But fortunately, neither Xul nor Isendra fell into that category. They accepted Ethan's words without hesitation.

Even if they had harbored doubts, those would surely vanish when they saw Ethan vanish into thin air two days later, courtesy of the time-space magic circle.

After packing their belongings, the trio made their way back to the Rogue Camp.

Ethan's impending departure wasn't kept a secret, so it wasn't long before word spread throughout the camp. By the time they returned, both Akara and Kashya were already aware of his plans to leave. Before his departure, they came to bid him farewell.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us during your time here," Akara said warmly. "You will always be a friend of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. If you ever have the chance, we hope you'll return as our guest."

As a parting gift, Akara gave Ethan several herbs. They had been processed into powders for easy transport. Though simple in appearance, Ethan suspected they would prove invaluable.

Kashya, on the other hand, presented Ethan with a refined longsword. The weapon could be wielded with either one or two hands. Its design was understated, the hilt and crossguard were devoid of intricate engravings, and the blade seemed ordinary at first glance. But when Ethan unsheathed the sword and swung it experimentally, he noticed faint magical fluctuations emanating from it.

"Is this… magical equipment?" Ethan asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kashya nodded. "The sword has no special abilities beyond being reinforced with magic. It's far stronger than a typical longsword."

Hearing this, Ethan couldn't hide his excitement. While the enchantment sounded simple, it was precisely what he needed. One of the biggest drawbacks of weapons was their tendency to dull or break after prolonged use, especially in high-intensity battles. The durability provided by the enchantment was far more practical than flashy effects like fireballs or lightning.

Kashya wasn't finished. Aware that Ethan had little experience with longswords, she also handed him a small manuscript.

"This contains basic swordsmanship techniques and training methods," she explained. "I've also included some of my personal insights and experiences. I hope it will be of use to you."

Ethan accepted the codex with both hands, bowing his head in gratitude. This was exactly what he needed. He never expected Kashya to give him something so precious. In a world like this, where resources and knowledge were scarce, such gifts weren't handed out lightly especially to someone who wasn't a Rogue or a disciple of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye.

Even Akara, with whom he had spent far more time, had only given him herbal powders, not an instructional guide on potion-making or magical theory.

"Maybe… it's because my actions indirectly helped save more Rogues," Ethan speculated.

After Kashya and Akara's farewells, other camp residents came to bid Ethan goodbye. However, both Xul and Isendra were conspicuously absent. Ethan assumed they were busy with other matters and planned to see him off closer to his departure.

But his assumption was proven wrong.

Early the next morning, as Ethan stood in an open field with his packed belongings, waiting for the teleportation magic to activate, Xul and Isendra finally appeared. To his surprise, they weren't alone, they had brought Charsi, the camp's blacksmith, with them.

"I thought you weren't going to see me off," Ethan said with a grin.

"How could we miss it?" Xul replied. "You're leaving so suddenly that we needed time to prepare a gift. Fortunately, we made it just in time."

Xul stepped forward, opening his hand to reveal a small, unassuming copper ring resting on his palm.

Ethan stared at the ring, his expression shifting between curiosity and incredulity. After a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"

He doubted Xul would present him with something as mundane as a plain copper ring. It was better to ask directly than waste time guessing.

"This is a ring, Ethan," Xul said with a playful smirk. "But I've enchanted it with a curse."

Ethan immediately took a step back, his face a mixture of disbelief and mock betrayal. "You're giving me something cursed? Are you trying to kill me?"

Xul remained unfazed, his expression stoic. "It's an active spell," he explained. "You can use your mental power to trigger it. It'll help you deal with enemies."

Realizing Xul was serious, Ethan stepped closer again, his interest rekindled.

The necromancer began detailing the ring's function. As he explained, Ethan learned that the ring allowed him to cast a curse of weakness on enemies by channeling his mental energy. The curse would reduce the target's strength, agility, and durability, with the exact effects depending on the target's capabilities.

Weakness was a fundamental curse from the Rathma priest's arsenal, and its simplicity made it an ideal match for Ethan, whose mental power and magical abilities were still in their infancy.

Additionally, the ring had an auto-replenishing mechanism. It could absorb ambient magical energy from its surroundings, eliminating the need for Ethan to supply the curse's energy himself. This feature, Xul explained, was the most technically complex aspect of the ring's creation.

"This is amazing," Ethan said, inspecting the ring more closely. "Does it have a name?"

Xul grinned. "I came up with one last night—'Xul's Blessing.' Fitting, don't you think?"