While some players might revel in the nitty gritty of combat skills and techniques, others like myself have an insatiable taste for the flavorful histories that round out (and give context to) the heroes of Sanctuary.
Our newest champion is no exception, and story developer Robert Brooks has been hard at work weaving a tale of intrigue about the Crusader and her mission. His masterful storytelling will not only give you an inside look at how this nephalem's journey comes to pass, but an understanding of who she is as an individual as well.
In honor of this week's celebration of all things Crusader, we've prepared a special sneak peek of "The End of Her Journey" below.
- Excerpt from Chapter II -
Anajinn was reading through a thick tome when he entered the library. "Anajinn, or whatever your name is, you need to leave now." She glanced up at him and turned a page, tracing along the text with her gauntleted fingers as she read.
"I heard some angry words out there," she said.
"There's a man… a paladin. He says you're a heretic," Reiter said.
She laughed. "I suppose he would." Her eyes never left the book. Reiter stammered incoherently for a moment. "Did he threaten to kill me?" she asked.
"Well, not… Yes." Reiter tried to make his voice firm. "He's waiting outside for you now."
"Nice of him to send you to warn me."
She continued to read. Reiter shifted uncomfortably. "Aren't you going to… face him?"
"Eventually. If he's still there," she said. "I have a lot of reading left. Maybe he'll find something better to do."
Reiter felt utterly helpless. Dragging her out seemed like a bad idea. Still, he pressed forward. "Anajinn, I want you to leave my inn. Right now." She didn't immediately respond, and Reiter exploded. "What is wrong with you? What is in that book that's more important than a man trying to kill you? Why in the Hells have you come back to my inn?"
Anajinn sighed and set down her book, sitting up straight. Her armor clacked together lightly. "Your father asked my master—"
"The real Anajinn? The first one?" Reiter interrupted without thinking.
She didn't seem to take offense. "Her, yes. But she wasn't the first. Anajinn began her crusade a couple centuries ago," she said. Reiter blinked at that, but she moved on. "Your father asked all about our crusade. He didn't share that with you?" Reiter shook his head, lips pressed together. "Then I'll be brief. I'm searching for something to save my faith."
"From… what?"
Anajinn's smile was sad. "Decay. Corruption."
"So why does this paladin hate you so much?"
"Would you be happy to have someone tell you your faith is flawed at its core? Doomed to rot and cause untold suffering and pain?" She sighed. "I don't think this paladin outside is of high rank. Knowledge of the crusade is suppressed to all but the leaders of his order. If he were one of them, he would not wait patiently."
"What would he do?"
"He would level your inn to kill me." Anajinn's expression hardened. "I don't know whether I can talk sense into him. If I can't, I'll likely need to leave town. So until I'm ready to leave, I'm going to finish my reading."
Are you excited to read more? We are too and look forward to releasing "The End of Her Journey" by Robert Brooks in its entirety on diablo3.com next week—so be sure to stay tuned!
In the meantime, we encourage you to check out the other class short stories we've published (if you haven't already). These rich pieces of fiction will help you better understand what it truly means to be a Barbarian, Demon hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, or Wizard in the world of Diablo.