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[idylanmadrid-blog]

Draecember Chapter 4

         Kievia stood, not with her fake leg and hoof, but both cloven hooves proudly planted in the violet, verdant soil. She breathed deeply; the fresh and clean air filled her lungs. The sun dipped half way under the distant tree line in a grand display of gold, crimson and finally purple. The warm orange glow of the sun kissed her blue skin, and a slight breeze tousled her long black hair and blue dress. The wind flowed through wheat fields. It was strange to Kievia, the long strands of wheat towered over her. That could only mean- she looked down at herself in awe.  No scars. Her body was small and fragile. She was a child again. She balled her fists; her fingers pressed no calloused or rough skin, just a smooth almost silk-like feel.  Her adult curved horns were only little stubs poking out of the side of her head. She gasped. It’s-

Home, she thought. It was just as she remembered it. She stood in the fields of her parent’s farm many miles away from the draenei metropolis of Mac’Aree. The farm stretched along a vast golden plain surrounded by a high and healthy tree line. These giant trees sprouted large blue leaves from the top of their dark trunks. Though a great beacon of progress and technology, the jeweled planet of Argus still needed farms and other sections of land for agriculture.

Kievia stepped forward on the dirt path between two seas of growing wheat toward the river near her home.  The sparse golden blades of grass that sprouted through the dirt path brushed against her legs as she moved forward. She brushed her tiny along each strand of wheat that flowed side to side in the wind. After several minutes of walking along the crops, her hand touched nothing. She kept her hand waving in the empty air as she moved forward. She quickly approached the end of the farm’s boundary and an unpaved road separated her and the river at the bottom of the hill before she stopped abruptly. In the distance, a sizeable jeweled tractor floated above the ground harvesting wheat at the neighboring farm. At the end of the road, a little patch of flowers grew. She bent down and ran her fingers across the golden petals surrounding a bright golden center. She wrapped her fingers around the golden stems three of the flowers from the patch. With delicate care she plucked the three flowers and sniffed them, wafting the lavender scent to her. She stood and stared down each side of the road. When she noticed it was clear she began to walk across.

As she crossed into the road, a small flame appeared and flickered in the middle of her path. She tilted her head at it, curious how a little flame could be in the middle of a dirt road. She approached cautiously. As she got closer, the fire rolled and shaped itself into a small talbuk, a furred beast on four tall legs connected to a long body with a long bushy tail. Two curved horns sharp enough to gore plate armor like butter that pointed to the sky and a muzzle like a horse. Its eyes flickered and blinked at Kievia. With her free hand, Kievia reached out to it, the heat radiating from the flame talbuk brushed against her hand but she did not deter. The small flame stepped back. Stay back; if you come too close, I will burn you. A deep voice in her mind said. The talbuk whickered. Kievia looked around confused, that voice in her mind was not her own. The small flame now tilted its head to her, taking its turn to be the confused. You understand? The voice echoed in her mind again.

She nodded, “Yes, I understand you,” Kievia said. The small flame whickered again in approval.

“Kievia, that you?” A voice came from the river. Kievia looked at the direction of the voice and back to the little flame, but it vanished. She shrugged and walked forward.

Down at the base of the hill, a small draenei boy in a white cloth shirt and brown linen pants squatted at the edge of the river. Sadinae, the neighboring farmer’s son, sifted his hands through sand in the crystal-clear flowing river digging for something. His face, smooth like Kievia’s now, would grow tentacles that dropped from his chin with age, but that was many years away. His short black hair spiked toward the sky. Along with Kievia, his horns were mere nubs. After a moment, he pulled up a small purple gem shaped like a perfectly smooth oval. He rubbed it against his cloth shirt and grinned at his reflection in the gem. He threw it up and caught it a few times, then pocketed the vibrant rock.  He dried his hands on his pants as he stood up and closed his eyes.

Kievia hid the flowers behind her back and ran down the hill. She quickly approached the bottom of the hill but couldn’t stop. With the unyielding momentum, she jumped toward Sadinae. Without opening his eyes, he stepped out of the way, and she landed on the edge of the river and teetered from staying on land to being soaked. Sadinae grabbed the collar of her blue dress and tugged her back. She fell to the ground on her rear with a soft thud.

“You know one day you could catch me,” Kievia said. She held the flowers behind her still. Sadinae grinned and opened his eyes. He extended a hand to her. She knocked his hand away with her free hand and stood slowly. Without taking his eyes off Kievia, he slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed the purple gem. He balled his fist and held it firmly at his side.

"One day you'll learn how to stop," he said. Her lips curved into a smile. She revealed the flowers and handed them to Sadinae. With the gem in his hand, he grabbed the flowers and planted the gem in Kievia's hand to take. She didn't expect the treasure, so it dropped to the ground. She quickly fell to her knees and picked it up. She pinched the gem between her two fingers and examined every little property about it.

“It’s beautiful, Sadinae!” He smirked, apparently pleased with himself. Kievia stared giddy and expectantly at him, wanting him to be thankful for the flowers. He brought the flowers in front of his face and sniffed them. The lavender scent filled his nostrils. Perfect, he thought. He lifted his arms and rubbed the flowers in his armpits. Kievia stared shocked and stamped her hoof on the ground.

“Sadinae, that’s gross!” He couldn’t help bust out a laugh. She closed the steps between them and pounded away at his chest with her tiny fists.

“They’re just flowers,” he stepped back and pounded his chest with the now crushed flowers in hand, “They smell nice, and a future paladin should smell nice, so people know who is there to help them." Kievia stopped and stared at him. She didn’t understand his logic, as she read that paladins got unique armor, but she nodded at him anyways.

“Children, are you okay?” A gentle voice called from the top of the hill. They turned towards the sound. Kievia's mother stood tall in her gold embroidered white robes waving at them.

“We’re fine, Mrs. Tinas,” Sadinae called out. Kievia’s mother motioned them to come up to her. After a brief climb, they stood at the top of the hill overlooking the river. Kievia shoved the gem towards her mother’s face. Her arm could only reach to her mother’s waist, but that didn’t stop her from trying to make her mother see its perfection. Her mother smiled and eyed the gem.

“Such a remarkable stone, Kievia,” she smiled at her daughter. Kievia balled her fist around the gem and held it close to her chest. Kievia's mother looked towards Sadinae’s beaten up flowers. She nodded to him, “Your flowers are nice too, Sadinae.”

Sadinae crossed his arms and looked away, “Of course they are.”

A long silent moment passed. “You always picked the best flowers,” Sadinae said. His voice was deeper… older. Kievia turned around, and an adult Sadinae sat on the edge of the hill staring towards the setting sun. Four large tentacles descended from around the bottom of his head down his chest, with two small horns curved outwards on top of his head. The breeze ruffled his long black hair tied up in a ponytail. He never experienced the feel or prestige of a paladin’s golden armor, but the sun’s light bounced off his brown spiked armor and massive broadsword strapped to his back. Kievia looked down at her own body, but she remained a child.  

“Sadinae…how?” Kievia asked. She whirled around to her mother, who stood there smiling towards the sun’s light silent. She walked over to Sadinae and sat next to him, her small legs kicking off the edge. Sadinae stared up at the darkening sky, the bright stars and blue moon becoming more and more visible. Only a sliver of the sun remained over the horizon. She followed his gaze, but then stared at him. All his little scars on the visible parts of his blue skin. She slid her hand into his rough, leathery hands and tightened her grasp. She never wanted to let him go again.

“The sky is beautiful tonight,” he pointed at the brightest stars for Kievia to see. She wrapped her fragile arms around his strong arm and followed the finger that led to each star they had seen dozens of times when they were children. One star twinkled brighter than the rest, but Sadinae didn't notice it. It shined so brightly…and green. Kievia freed one of her arms and pointed up at it.

“What’s that one?” Sadinae looked down at her finger and tracked the direction up towards the sky. He focused his gaze on the twinkling green star. His eyes moved from side to side as he searched his mind.

After a short pause, he rubbed his chin. “I’ve never seen that one before.” He smiled at her, “Then make a wish on it, if it’s a new star then we get a free wish!”

Kievia hugged Sadinae’s arm again and pressed her face into it, “I wish we could be together forever!” Kievia said without hesitation. He gently placed his other hand behind her head and hugged her. A soft sobbed escaped Kievia.

“I do too,” Sadinae whispered. “I promise we will be.” Her grip tightened.

“Y-Y-You’re so far away. I can’t stand it.” He stared at the green star again. He tilted his head. The star was getting…larger as if it was getting closer. He gently grabbed Kievia’s arms and loosened her grip freeing his arm.

“What do you mean? I’m right here,” he chuckled as he slid away from the edge and stood up. Sadinae’s eyes widened, he knew the truth of the star now. It wasn't a star at all, but a meteorite trailed by a green flame.

“Get back.” He unsheathed his broadsword and tightened his grip on the leather hilt.

"I don't understand," she wiped her eyes. She couldn't fathom Sadinae's words; he just said they would be together forever, why would he want her to leave now?

"You don't have to; you just have to run!" She stood her ground, frustrated that he was trying to get rid of her. Without warning, her mother swept her up and ran down the road. Kievia screamed and writhed within her mother’s grasp.

“Whatever it is, I can help!” she shouted. Her mother shook her head and kept her gaze forward.

“Not without that leg, you can’t,” her mother scolded. Kievia kicked and screamed, but she couldn't feel both hooves. She stopped and looked at her legs. The same wound from the Broken Shore, her leg from the knee down was missing, and all that remained was the knotted flesh from where the healer mended. The meteorite pierced a cloud and descended quickly toward Sadinae.

She writhed in her mother’s arm again, “I can still fight, let me go!” Her mother finally lost her grip and dropped her to the ground. Kievia dug her hands into the ground, inching towards Sadinae’s direction gritting her teeth. “You will not take me away from him.” Her mother knelt beside her and grabbed her shoulders, halting Kievia’s advance. She shook her head and enclosed her arms around her head. Kievia struggled within her grasp, but only caught Sadinae through a small gap in her mother’s arms.

Sadinae backed up from the edge of the hill. The blazing meteorite screamed as it crashed into the river below. Water and dirt splashed upwards as if an enormous explosion erupted from the very earth. Significant amounts of steam flowed from below as a dark hand of stone surrounded by green fingers made of fire itself gripped and tore the edge of the hill down toward it. It scorched the land with each handful it drew towards it to make the hill climbable for it. Sadinae backed up more, waiting for the monster to reveal itself. He pounded his chest and bellowed at the monster below. The earth quaked with each step the meteor- the infernal- took. The molten behemoth finished its climb onto the hill. No bones or flesh connected the two arms and legs to the significant ebon-stone body of the infernal, but a green hellfire held the primal fury of the infernal together. The top of the stone curved down and around a small stone skull with two hollow beady eyes that seeped the fel fire. The blaze didn’t just connect the limbs of the infernal. It radiated around the stone and blew skyward like an undying furnace. The monster towered over Sadinae. He covered the front of his face to block the heat futilely. The infernal screamed, its high-pitched howl pierced the air and more green fire erupted from its body blackening the earth around it. Kievia’s mother removed her grip on Kievia and covered her ears. Her mother’s body collapsed unconscious. Kievia watched in horror as the infernal balled one if its fiery fists and raised its massive stone arms at Sadinae. The infernal brought down its mighty hand.

Sadinae swung his sword behind his back and whirled it up at the infernal. The blazing hand and sword clashed, forcing them both to recoil. Sweat beads flowed from everywhere Sadinae. Sadinae's sword fought with the infernal's arms many times. The infernal raised both of its arms and cupped its fiery fists together and brought them down. Sadinae tumbled out of the way and charged at the infernal. He slashed at it in a storm of fury, striking the stone body to little effect. The infernal swung in a full arc. He jumped on the arm. The fire of the infernal singed his body burning his body just for being on his arm for a second, but the pain fueled him as much as it hurt him. He leaped off the arm and jumped at the head and slashed down. The mighty blade cleaved the skull in half, the stone that fell to the ground radiated with heat still, but nothing more. Sadinae hit the ground and ran back a short distance. The infernal collapsed to its knees and pawed at the space where its head used to be. The fire that tightly bound the infernal’s body together exploded in a fury and charred anything in nearby.

After a moment, the fire dissipated in the wind and the lifeless boulders tumbled to the ground in front of Sadinae. He stared up at the darkened sky and wiped his brow. His raised his sword with one arm and slammed it into the earth. His knees buckled, and he doubled over and planted his hands on the ground, panting. The wind died down again. After a few moments, he gathered himself and stood up. He breathed deeply, the calm easing his mind.

He grabbed his sword when the ground rumbled and quaked. Ten fel hunters materialized around him and bared their razor-sharp teeth at him. These demonic hounds with tentacles protruding from their backs surrounded and barked at Sadinae. He pointed his sword at them slowly spinning to ensure he could strike down the first eager hound. A black cloud swirled behind a couple of them. The cloud burst in a swarm of bats, and a dreadlord appeared. The demon stood tall over the hounds; its skin was grey-blue. Two large horns curved from the top of its pale head. He stretched two massive bat-like wings behind his back like a dark leather shroud. His body and legs encased in dark plate armor with spikes around the shoulders. Perverse skulls and bones adorned the armor on its knees and belt. His legs curved backward with hooves similar to the draenei. Green fel energy glowed from his eyes and brightly conveyed his arrogant smirk.

Sadinae stared up at it, what are these things, he thought. These monsters had never appeared on Argus. With the infernal he felled, these demon hounds, and now this dreadlord, he sensed more was in store for him. He brandished his sword toward the dreadlord and paced back and forth in front of it. The dreadlord crossed his arms over his chest and threw back his head laughing. The dreadlord's laugh stirred the fel hunters. The hounds jumped and inched towards him. No matter their bloodthirst, they obeyed the dreadlord's command not to jump at Sadinae right away.

“Who are you?” Sadinae asked. The dreadlord focused his gaze on Sadinae, but let time drag before dignifying him with a response.

“Unlike my brothers, I don’t bother with pleasantries,” he shrugged, “You’re about to die anyway, it would be beneath me to waste my breath on you.” The dreadlord raised one of his fingers lazily. The fel hunters lunged at Sadinae. Sadinae planted his feet and whirled his blade around, instantly killing four of them. He swung upwards, slicing another in half and cleaved two with another swing. With each kill, the fel hound’s black blood tinged his armor and skin. The blood stung against the burns on Sadinae’s body. Sadinae dispatched the others and pointed his sword at the dreadlord and smiled at him. It raised its brow to Sadinae, eyeing the hounds that lay strewn across the ground.

“How entertaining…" the dreadlord said calmly. The dreadlord maintained his composure even as he saw the hounds slaughtered in mere seconds.

“I won’t die here, not yet.” The dreadlord shrugged off the response.

“You killed some hounds and one of my infernals,” only one of his infernals? Sadinae thought, “But how about three?” The dreadlord’s mouth curved in a smile, “Or ten?” The dreadlord raised a hand towards the sky and drew a strange pattern. Fabric in reality tore open far above them. A new sky of stars and fire swirled in the rift. Ten more infernals pierced the veil and crashed into the river, in the crop fields, and around them, and the fel fire bound their bodies together. Twenty more hounds and other forms of demons like the whip-wielding succubi and giant fel guards with massive axes and pikes materialized, surrounding him. “One of the most satisfying feelings is to watch an inferior species think they can win, and then watch the hope drain every so quickly when they are overwhelmed and know they’ll die. It’s…” He inhaled through his nostrils, and licked his lips, “Delicious.” The infernals walked around aimlessly and burned the crops and trees.

The demons cackled insults in their foul languages at Sadinae. He brandished his sword at the hounds, then whirled around and pointed his sword at the stoic brutes, and then at the succubi, who laughed to each other and cracked their whips at him. Fear welled up in his stomach. Sadinae quickly forced that feeling down, he would not die here, could not die here. He was not about to break his promise to Kievia. They would be together forever, and he wouldn’t let a few ugly monsters end him. He planted his sword on the ground and pounded his chest and roared. His roar pierced the crowd and overshadowed the demon’s cackles. He focused his attention on the dreadlord.

“If I die here, I die knowing I’ll take some of you ugly monsters with me!” He grabbed his sword and charged in front of him. The demons stood, waiting. He clashed with the edge of the crowd of succubi and cleaved two of them in half, red blood spattering on his armor. He slashed at his sides and cut down a brute. The dreadlord laughed again.

As calmly as before, “Slaughter him.” The demons cheered and demons took their turns charging towards Sadinae. He backed up and whirled around, cutting down two more brutes and a succubus. Whips cracked against his back and arms. Like a cornered animal, he slashed wildly. The succubi laughed at him. A fel hound leaped at Sadinae. He quickly turned around and impaled the hound on his blade and threw it at the laughing succubi. He roared and charged at another group. He cleaved another brute in half. His eyes widened as a white-hot pain surged through his body from his back. His armor crunched. A succubus grabbed a fallen brute's pike and ran him through. He whirled around ran the succubus through. He staggered around. He reached behind his back caught the pike. His breathing increased as he ripped the pike out and let it fall to the ground. He yelled in agony. His blue blood flowed from the wound. He dropped his sword to the ground. The stoic brutes bellowed in laughter now.

“My love!” he cried out, hoping Kievia could hear him. Memories of their childhood flashed in his mind of them exchanging gifts, working on each other’s farms, and sitting with their families together to celebrate a good harvest. The memories changed to Kievia holding his hand as they lay under a blanket of stars in the fields telling each other of their goals and dreams. A succubus cracked her whip at him and wrapped around his wrist. She tugged at him trying to drag him towards her.

“My friend.” Another memory flashed in mind when he was denied to be a paladin because his connection to the light wasn’t strong enough, he wasn't enough for it, and Kievia stood by his side and wouldn't leave. He smiled amidst this carnage. He blinked and shook his head. His sight began to blur, the loss of blood and fatigue took their toll. He reached behind his lower back and unsheathed his dagger. He heaved the hand entangled by the whip behind him. The succubus lost the grip on her whip and fell forward toward him. He sliced through the braided leather and grabbed the succubus's shoulder and stabbed her heart. He pushed her away and let her fall to the ground. A brute yelled in front of him. It hefted its pike and hurled it at Sadinae. He dodged to the side. The pike whirled by him and launched two succubi behind him into the crowd. He looked back to see their corpses fall together. He staggered up and turned forward. A brute stood before him. He brought back its pike and rammed it through Sadinae's gut, only half of the pike visible to the front of him. His anguished cries echoed through the crowd. All of the air inside him escaped. He looked up at the brute and its ugly smile. He grabbed the pike and pulled it forward and roared at the monster. Blood filled his mouth and flowed out. He spat to the side. The brute's smile quickly faded as Sadinae plunged his dagger into the demon's throat and twisted it. The demon fell on its back and twitched.

“My light…” His legs buckled and he fell to his knees. A final memory flashed through his mind when he proposed to Kievia by the edge of the river when the sun began to set where they had spent so many of their days. He brushed her hair behind her horn and stared down at her. He remembered the tears of joy from both of them knowing they would be together to the end of their days. He gripped the pike, he tugged and tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge. Each time he pulled the pike a surge of pain shot through his body. His heart raced. He looked around at the demons all inches away from him now. The succubi discarded their whips and picked up the pikes and axes of the fallen brutes. None of the demons smiled or laughed anymore. They all stared at Sadinae eyes cold with contempt. His hands dropped to his sides. Tears laced with pain and regret streaked down his cheeks. He would not keep his promise to Kievia. He wouldn't be there for her when she needed him most. He wouldn’t be there to be her sword, and he wouldn’t be there to continue their bloodline with fierce and perfect children. The demons shuffled around him. Through a small gap, he saw Kievia and her collapsed mother. She cried and reached forward, but she couldn’t move. He smiled at her before the hole closed. He looked skyward one last time, extended his arms out, and closed his eyes. All the demons slowly raised their weapons. I love you. They brought their weapons down upon him.

                                                           ***

           Kievia screamed and lurched forward in her bed; the fur blanket fell to her waist. The sleeves of her white robe wrinkled up her arms. She breathed wildly and darted her sight around the dark shack, only small beads of light that shined through the door outside offered any light. Even with the light, the shack lacked many common home items like rugs and furniture. The shack mainly had pictures of Sadinae and her with trophies from battles they fought in. She gently laid back down and turned over the sweat and tear stained pillow and closed her eyes. A deep ruffling echoed throughout the wooden shack. Her ears twitched. She slowly raised her head again and strained her eyes to the corner. Someone, something bent over her into her trunk and rummaged through her belongings.

“Hey!” she yelled. The beads of light only revealed parts of a small creature. The creature grabbed her blessed hammer and hefted it over its tiny body. It turned its head to her and stared with its wide bulging eyes. The two eyed each other, after a pause it opened its mouth.

“Nook,” it said in a high-pitched voice. It darted out of the shack with her hammer.

Kievia threw off her fur blanket and crawled out of her bed and heaved herself towards the door, “Get back here!” she yelled. Without her prosthetic leg, she could not run after the creature. The upper half of her body burst through the fur door flaps and crashed into the dirt. The morning sun shined on the podling creature rushing down the hill with her hammer. It stopped and turned around to her. Kievia watched the small green plant body wave the hammer around at her. Large leaves surrounded its equally large head like a lion’s mane. The leaves at the bottom covered the small creature’s torso, leaving its little pudgy legs in sight.

“Noooook!” it yelled again. It turned and ran off northwest.

“No…” She pounded the ground with a closed fist until she ran out of breath. “Useless, useless, useless!” Tears welled in her eyes. Many strands of her hair dangled in front of her face.

“Kievia?” A woman said to her. Kievia looked up to see Esbina in her usual straightforward wear of a brown jerkin and black linen pants. She set her purple gem bow, a white package and a couple of dead squirrels near her campfire. She rushed over to Kievia and brushed her hair behind one of her curled horns. She wiped a tear that escaped Kievia's eye and smiled at her.

“Woke up a bit early today, eh?” Esbina said. She propped herself up on her arms and swung her body around to a sitting position off the little ledge of the shack. Esbina stood and extended her hand to Kievia and pulled her up to her. Kievia wrapped her arm around Esbina's shoulder, and they walked toward the campfire. Esbina gently lowered Kievia on the log, "I'll get the fire started.” Esbina walked to the end of Kievia’s log to the woodpile. She threw a few wood chunks on the blackened dirt circle surrounded by a line of stones and decorated the wood with the dried leaves and old pieces of bark.

Kievia pressed her hand to her face, “Those damned podlings that followed merchants through the portal from Draenor,” she said, “One of them stole my hammer and I couldn’t do anything about it.” She maintained a calm voice even though she fuming on the inside. Esbina rubbed a couple of sticks together. Small smoke lines rose from the bottom of the wood.

“Don’t suppose you could use your shaman training to start the fire?”

Kievia shook her head, “You know it doesn’t work like that.”

Esbina laughed and shrugged, “It was worth a try. I know of some talk around town about mischievous plants on Bloodmyst Isle, but why would they travel so far south?” Kievia shook her head again. Esbina lightly blew on the smoke. Esbina nursed the small flame that flickered. Kievia stared blankly forward, playing the dream in her mind, watching Sadinae die over and over again.

Esbina waved her hand in front of her face. She snapped out of and looked at her. Esbina handed her a roasted squirrel and sat next to her. After a few moments of eating, Esbina stopped, “Well?”

"Well, what?" Kievia mumbled with her mouth full of squirrel.

“You’re still having that dream.” Kievia nodded. She set the cooked squirrel next to her and rested her arms on her knees. Esbina wanted answers quickly but waited until Kievia was ready.

"The feeling never goes away. Sadinae is on Argus without me, and one day a letter will come in saying he's dead or worse and there’s nothing I can do about it! I barely feel my connection to the light, without that, I can't be a paladin. I’m useless.”

“You aren’t useless.”

“I’m not? I’m sitting on this damned island every day while men and women die on our home world and I can’t do anything of value. I just lose my artificial legs and my heirlooms to little leaf runts.”

“I sit on this island every day, am I useless?” Esbina said calmly. She took a bit out of her squirrel and stared at her.

“You know that’s not what I meant. I’m a soldier. Sadinae and I are soldiers, and I can't fight. You provide an essential service here."

“What about your shaman training?”

"Slow. The elements speak clearly to me and help when I request it, but I want to fight, Esbina, I want to fight with Sadinae.”

Esbina raised her voice in annoyance, “Well what would you do? Fight with a prosthetic leg? What if it breaks in a battle or the enemy takes advantage of it? It's too dangerous, and the world would be worse off if both of you died.”

"Sadinae and I are partners; we fight best together.”

Esbina pointed skyward. “And he’s fighting right now. He’s survived fine and even boasts about the odds he has to overcome. You insult him by saying these things. Sadinae is one of the finest warriors we’ve ever seen. If you think anything in the universe will keep him from coming back to you, then you lost more than your leg on the Broken Shore.” The words stung more than they should have. Esbina sighed, knowing she stepped over a line.

Tears formed in the corners of Kievia's eyes, “I failed him. I can’t even stop a tiny forest creature from stealing from me.” Esbina stood and threw her half-eaten squirrel on the fire.

“I’ve been on this island since the crash many years ago. I won’t presume to understand how you feel after all you’ve been through, but you can’t keep brooding up here.”

“What do you suggest I do?”  

“I want you to go get your leg and your hammer.”

She lifted her nub waved her hand in the space where her leg used to be, “I’m kind of useless if I can’t move.”

“You’ll need a new prosthetic, one that won’t burn or break easily.”

“I would have to go to the Exodar and see if the auction master has anything new in, even that is a long shot.”

“Or.” A smile curved on Esbina’s lips.

“Or?” Esbina grabbed the package and handed it to Kievia. Kievia stared at Esbina, confused, but took the box. She unwrapped it like a child unwrapping a Winter Veil present, and her eyes widened. She removed a metal prosthetic leg from the package along with a wool bandage. The prosthetic curved backward just like a draenei leg. She ran her fingers along the sleek metal and knocked on the violet gem hoof, admiring the craftsmanship. The crafter even chiseled the gem hoof into a cloven shape for full authenticity. She quickly wrapped the wool bandage around her leg and inserted the knotted flesh into the leather-lined socket. The socket cupped around her thigh perfectly. She pressed the plug and clicked it in place and then latched the braces so the leg wouldn’t fall off. She stood, able to stand without assistance…at least for a couple of seconds. She wobbled back and forth as she found her new balance. Esbina hopped up and hovered her hands around Kievia, ready to catch her if she fell to any side. Kievia’s smile beamed.

“This is amazing; it is a perfect size.” She stood firm now, unwavering. She walked around the campfire and to the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake. Despite it being prosthetic, it felt natural, as if she never lost her leg. Esbina jumped and clapped her hands giddy with excitement. She hadn’t seen Kievia this happy in a long time. She trailed closely behind Kievia.

"He can't fix worth a damn, but Dyvuun does know how to build. We traveled to one of the remaining crash sites for ship metal and mined some of the crystals scattered on the ground and Tada!” Esbina walked up next to Kievia and gazed over the lake. The morning sun shined on over them, “It was meant for your birthday, but the podling stealing your wooden one forced us to work faster.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

Esbina nudged her with an elbow and winked, “How about a thank you?” She yawned and walked back to the campfire. She slung her bow over her shoulder and stretched her arms out, “I better get going. A stable master’s work is never done.” She started to walk down the hill. Kievia walked quickly towards her.

“Esbina,” Esbina stopped and turned towards her, “Thank you.” They smiled at each other.

“There’s a night elf that has been in Ammen Vale, said her daughter is missing. A young one by night elf standards, if you see her, bring her back with you.” Esbina turned and walked down the hill towards Ammen Vale. Kievia rushed into the shack and rummaged through her trunk. She pulled out her pack of small totems for each element that helped her connection to them, and a rucksack full of supplies. She tied the totem pouch around her waist and slung the sack over her shoulder. She packed light, as she didn’t expect to be gone long. She jumped out of the shack. She poured some dirt on the smoldering fire and walked down the hill northeast, determined to get her possessions back.

                                                           ***

           Deep into the thick woods, Kievia walked. The podlings were too small to track through footprints, but the podling that stole her hammer carelessly ran through the forest. It banged her hammer against trees and plants, leaving dents and crushed plants along its way. Her hooves crunched on the twigs and grass. A group of birds flew in front of her high above the trees, flying in the opposite direction as she headed. She stopped and knelt on the ground. She placed her ear to the ground and listened intently. Faint echoes sounded in the earth forward. The more she walked, the louder the noise. A rhythmic pounding resonated through the ground. She approached a tree line put her back to the tree trunk. Loud chanting in a language that sounded like utter nonsense to Kievia filled her ears. She bent her head out ever so slightly. Thirty podlings danced in unison around a large pyre. One podling sat away from the festivities. This podling wore a green and white flower crown too big for its head around its leafy mane. It carried a small wooden staff that curved into a knot at the top. Close by, a podling yelled as it drummed two rocks on a hollow plate chest piece.

The podlings that danced around the fire flailed their weapons around like they were fighting the fire itself. They held spears, household kitchen utensils, small swords, and one even hoisted large metal boot. She scanned around the podlings. She spotted one podling flailed around her wooden prosthetic, and another right next to it flailed her diamond hammer. The podling that sat away from the rest rose from its seat, and the others fell silent. They stopped dancing, and all walked to be in front of the podling chieftain. They stood motionless like scarecrows with the only sound came from the roaring fire. The podling drummer continued to pound away against the chest piece and yelled an awkward cacophony of noises that didn’t come close to sounding like music. The chieftain podling as Kievia addressed him as picked up a small rock and threw it at the drummer’s head. The drummer yelled in a high pitch and rubbed its head. It murmured under its breath as it joined the rest of the crowd. The chieftain paced around, scanning its audience without a word. After a minute of silence, he stood in front of the throne big enough for a human.

He raised his staff and his hand to the sky, “Goo rah gah doh!” it yelled, “Doo rag so nye!” The podlings erupted in a symphony of cries that Kievia could only interpret as…approval? The podling pounded the bottom of its staff into the ground. The podling audience silenced again. Kievia stuck behind the tree and watched, partly waiting for something interesting to happen and not wanting to take on all the podlings at once. "Bri reh tou!" Two podlings Kievia had not accounted for dragged an unconscious prisoner on the ground towards the chieftain. Kievia made out a smaller woman in a flowing brown-feathered dress. Two arms, two legs, a fair green tinted skin with green braided hair and glowing gold eyes. Her eyes widened. It was a night elf. Kievia prepared to charge before the young night elf woke up. She looked around scared. She wiggled and screamed futilely. The chieftain removed her gag and focused its gaze on her.

“Where am I?” the night elf yelled. Her heartbeat raced. So many small creatures danced in front of the fire with weapons. Were they going to string her up and roast her and feast? Many deadly scenarios raced through the night elf’s head

“Tu lah nah,” the chieftain said. It prodded her arms and legs with its staff as if examining an animal’s body. The chieftain rubbed its small plant chin and nodded in approval. It placed one of its tiny hands on her shoulder as if it was trying to reassure her. Her heart somehow steadied slightly, but she still didn’t trust the situation she found herself in.

"Are-are you going to kill me?" She faked a calm voice, but some words still trembled, The chieftain laughed in a high-pitched squeak. It whacked her head with the head of its staff.

“Ow!” She winced, but couldn’t rub the wound with her hands still tied up.

“Too lip.” It handed its staff to one of the podlings that brought her to him. It removed its crown and admired the white and green flowers that circled the crown, “Si nah foo loo.” He smiled and gently placed it on her head.

“Oh!” her eyes traveled back and forth to the chieftain and the crowd. “Uh, thanks, I guess.” It rested its face inches from hers.

“Nee lah.” It said in a low tone directed only to her, "Qu-Que-Queen." The chieftain turned around towards its fellow podlings and threw its arms up in the air, "Queeeen!" it screamed. The podlings erupted in cheers and danced with their weapons towards the fire again.

“Enough of this,” Kievia said. She rushed towards the two podlings with her possessions. The podlings didn’t notice her at first, but when she found herself at the edge of the crowd, she punted one away with her new gem hoof, they screamed in their high pitches for battle. Kievia kicked her way through the crowd and ripped her hammer out of the hands of the podling that stole it. Now that she had her hammer, she darted towards the young night elf that stared wide-eyed with shock, probably scared for her life because they were going to eat her like savages. She blocked and hit the large weapons out of the podlings hands that tried to stab her. The podlings even threw their boots and her old prosthetic at her. She didn't hit to kill the podlings. Her primary focus was the hammer, and now the young night elf and to escape with both without fatiguing herself by battling each podling. She grabbed the former chieftain and threw him behind her. The two guards that dragged the night elf to him charged at Kievia. She flattened her hammer and tossed it forward. Both podlings caught the hammer fell to the ground and collapsed from the catch. Kievia untied the night elf, wrapped her arm around the young night elf’s waist, and hoisted her over her shoulder. She ran along the outer edge of the now podling mob and ran towards the tree line she came.

“Stop!” the night elf cried out as she bobbed from Kievia’s grip. Kievia scoffed it off and continued to run. The night elf dug her fingernails into Kievia's arm. Kievia winced and dropped her. The podling mob approached quickly. Kievia bent down and tried to pick her up again, but the night elf writhed and heaved making it impossible. Kievia jumped backward and raised her hammer ready to fend off the mob. The podling mob charged towards them. The night elf jumped between them and held out her arms to both sides. “All right, I don’t know how to process this, but just stop!” The podling mob stopped and looked around at each other. Kievia stared confused at the young elf’s ability to stop the mob. She held her hammer ready to fight at a moment’s notice. “Why are you here?”

Kievia pointed to the podling that stole her hammer, “To get my hammer and my leg back, that little thief is responsible.” The podling jumped forward and shook its tiny fist at her.

“Nook!” it yelled. Kievia looked over the night elf’s shoulder and pointed her hammer threateningly at it. The chieftain hobbled through the crowd using its staff as a walking stick; the podlings parted like a sea before the former chieftain. He limped to the young night elf. It motioned her down to him. She bent down and turned an ear to it.

“Doo nala fah,” it said. She nodded and walked over to the podling thief. She gently dropped to both knees and held out her hand to the podling thief. It approached her and put both of its hands into her palms. She smiled at it.

“Now little one, why did you steal her stuff?” It approached her and whispered in her ear like a child. After it finished whispering to her, it ran off into the crowd. She laughed to herself,  “I see.” She stood and brushed herself off. She turned towards Kievia. “Nook means borrow to them.”

“You…understand them?” Kievia asked. Her arms fell, and she stared at her in confusion.

“I’m a druid- well, trying to be - I can understand nature, I just have to listen.” Kievia raised an eyebrow toward her.

“Right… What’d it say?”

“They were pushed out of their home by “pale pointy ears and water blobs” so they stole weapons and gear to fight back.” A hint of understanding grew in Kievia’s mind, but the anger she felt from the thief stealing her precious hammer didn’t convince her that the podlings were just fighting for their home.

“Bloodmyst Isle?”

"Correct, that's why they stole all this equipment, to fight back."

“Finas!” the chieftain roared. He jumped around towards the crowd and yelled it again.

“Finas!” the crowd roared.

“I guess they needed a leader, and I guess I look similar to them, so I guess I’m their queen now.” She shrugged.

“To these pests?”

“They’re just misunderstood, they’re nicer than a lot of night elves I’ve come across.”

“They kidnapped and tied you up.” She shook her head. “Your mother is looking for you. I’ll take you back to Ammen Vale and leave the sprites to fight their battle. It’s no place for a child.”

“I’m not a child!” She stamped her foot on the ground, “They’re creatures of nature, as a druid I must help them.”

“Fine, I won’t let a young adult go.”

“Please! This threat to the north can’t be ignored, if the blood elves and elementals are causing problems, it’s only a matter of time before they move south and Azuremyst will be in danger.” Kievia pondered for a moment. She didn't want to admit it, but the young elf was right. It would be better to stop the problem before whatever threat invaded Azuremyst. If the danger were significant, she would have no time to convince the council left in charge of the Exodar while Velen battled the legion on their homeworld to send forces up. She sighed.

“Your wisdom belies your age, child.”  The young elf perked up.  

“You’ll help?”

“Yes, but at the first sign of danger I’m sending you back,” Kievia extended her hand out, “Deal?” The elf murmured to herself for a moment.

“But I…” she met Kievia’s hand and shook it, “Fine.” She turned towards the podlings and lifted her arms in the air. “Finas!” she yelled, assuming it would help. The podlings cheered and danced. She brushed her braid behind her and smiled at Kievia. Kievia walked beside her.

“So, what’s your name?” Kievia asked.

"Faenaris Ringlonar." Kievia motioned her along back to the podling camp.

“Well, uh,” she put her arm around her shoulder, “Fae. Let’s get to it.”

[idylanmadrid-blog]

Chapter 3: Battle in The Creeping Grotto

#3-4-11 Losing Something, Memory, Interacting with a Horde Member and more *GORE AND VIOLENCE WARNING*

Prompts: Memory, Losing Something, Interacting with a Horde member, Battle, Mission, Turning Point in Life, Battle again)

                                                      5 months ago…

        The moonlit waves gently caressed the dinghy as Kievia rowed forward. The position of the moon indicated that their mission took place deep into the night. Kievia strained her eyes at Sadinae, only he knew the mission objective. Dark shrouds over their plate armor masked their approach to the Broken Shore. The shrouds almost worked too well, even a couple steps in front of her, she doubted Sadinae’s presence in the small boat. The light from the moon wouldn’t last, however. The closer they got to the Broken Shore, the closer to the fel storm.

        “What mission did Khadgar give us?” Kievia whispered, “Or is this your idea of a romantic evening?” She laughed to herself. Sadinae remained forward, silent. “What’s wrong?” Sadinae’s behavior struck her as odd. Worry started to well in her stomach.

        “Sadinae,” she said sternly, “What is our mission?” She stopped rowing. She rose and stepped to Sadinae, her hooves clopped against the wood. She reached out to his arm and turned him toward her. She removed the shroud’s hood from his horned head, her hood falling off in the motion. Their glowing, blue eyes met, searching each other. He frowned and closed his eyes. The warm air stood still. In that moment, time stopped, and only they inhabited the world. After a short pause, he opened his mouth.

        “Extermination,” Sadinae finally said. The boat floated to a halt.

        “Of…what?” Her blue face paled. Her mind flashed around. What could be so bad, that the proud warrior, her proud husband refused to be direct with her? His armored hand cupped her cheek. Her hand caressed his. He pressed his forehead against hers. “Of… who?”

        “…Spiders.” He opened his eyes and grinned. All that worry evaporated in an instant, replaced by a smile and laughter. She jabbed his plated shoulder. She stepped backward and plopped on the plank seat. She shook her head.

        “Sadinae Petius Azphanis, you had me worried.” She grunted as she got the boat moving again, “I’m surprised Khadgar didn’t pay any adventurers to do this for him, they kill for this sort of thing.” Sadinae shrugged and turned forward again. Every week, Khadgar sent a roaming adventurer to clear out the spiders for a small bauble and a pat on the back. The spiders always came back, but if not kept in check, they would grow to uncontrollable numbers and threaten to overwhelm the Armies of Legionfall’s main foothold, Deliverance Point. It took the combined might of every faction, every army to secure a foothold from the demons after their invasion began many almost a year ago. Losing Deliverance point meant losing their world to the demons.

        “Khadgar said that he needed them for some special mission, who knows?” The moon departed behind thick dark clouds, bolts of green fel energy danced within them. The rancid air of death and demons filled their nostrils. Kievia winced at the sudden shift.

        Several minutes later, they approached The Creeping Grotto. Sadinae squinted towards the large tower to the west. He made out the shape of the Tomb of Sargeras, a former holy temple of Elune, the moon goddess, transformed into a temple of nightmares infested with demons and other monsters. A constant great beam of green energy surged from the top of the temple into the sky. The beam enabled the legion to summon its forces while being the main source light of the island due to the fel storm blocking the natural light. The Creeping Grotto, a hilly mess of demon spider nest. Several large, web encased stone pillars around the top of the hill supported a massive, jagged stone landscape above the land.

        Out of the high rocky walls of the shore, they found a small beach perfect for their entry. Sadinae hopped into the shallow water and dragged the boat forward, his hooves found easy purchase on the hardened sand. Once finished moving, Kievia stepped onto the sand. At the base of the shore, the jagged rock wall concealed their whereabouts from those above. A path to their right coiled around The Creeping Grotto that allowed easy passage to all the nests and leads to other parts of the island.

        “Are you ready?” Sadinae asked. Sadinae leaned into the boat and moved his arms around, searching. Kievia knelt next to him, her hand on his shoulder.

        “How are we disposing of the eggs?” As the words departed Kievia’s mouth, Sadinae revealed two small packs from the boat and handed her one. He unlatched his pack and reached in. He grabbed out a small orange orb with a crease around the center, closer inspection revealed a rolling fire that churned endlessly within. “Fire bombs, so, we just twist the orbs and they’ll blow themselves up after a time,” Kievia said. Sadinae scoffed.

        “I’d rather just cleave them all,” he shrugged, “But a fight is a fight.” He handed Kievia her hammer. They slung their packs over their shoulders and flipped their hoods over their heads as they stood. Kievia extended a hand out to him.

        “Wait.” Sadinae tilted his head at her.

        “What?” She leaped at him. He caught her, spun her around, and planted her hooves on the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Her eyelashes tickled his cheeks. He couldn’t help but smile.

        “Good luck,” she said. Sadinae followed her lips when she pulled away. She walked towards the sand path up, while Sadinae looked for parts of the rock wall he could climb up. He leaped up and grabbed a loose rock, only to fall back to the ground. He jumped again but failed to grab anything. Kievia stopped in her tracks and turned to him. She raised an eyebrow.

        “What are you doing?” Kievia crossed her arms over her chest. Sadinae jumped again and this time he found a space to grab onto. He reached his other arm up to grab a spot and slipped, falling on his back. He grunted.

        “Climbing, being stealthy, why are you taking the path?”

        “Because we learned when we were children if we wanted to avoid monsters, stick to the road.”

        “Bah, fine,” he strode over to her, “I almost had it.” She rolled her eyes and slapped him upside his head. They ran up the hill and separated to cover ground faster. Skeletons of creatures and soldiers alike strewed across the ground. In each nest up the hill and around the path, the demon spiders slept around the nest, near the eggs. Sadinae observed their dog sized orange bodies with eight slimy black legs to see if they were woken easily. Their eggs glowed with a sickly orange with the shadows of a spider writhing inside, desperately wanting to escape the egg. Sadinae removed two fire bombs from his pack, twisted them and rolled them in. He ran by one of the stone pillars and noticed a small nest. He rolled another bomb in and turned around to see a cave completely engulfed in web descending into the ground.

        He turned down the hill and squinted his eyes, searching the hill for Kievia, but couldn’t find her. Must be finishing up, I’ll just finish this cave myself, he thought. He descended into the cave. The entrance was small, but the tunnel inside it was tall with walls that widened when he traveled further down. After a couple minutes, he stood in front of a thick wall of white webbing. He poked it, testing its strength. He reached in with both hands and tore the webbing out. The more he tore out, a brighter and brighter orange glow beamed through the holes. With a Draenei sized hole in the web wall, he walked in. Sadinae entered the large chamber. Webs lined the ceiling and walls. Yellow pools of bile in the corners, with a pile bones near the wall and center. His eyes widened.

        “Oh.” Sadinae froze. Hundreds of eggs littered the entire chamber. They covered the whole floor, eggs stacked on other eggs, eggs even hung by web strings from the ceiling. The combined orange glow of them threatened to blind Sadinae. In the center of the chamber, a winged woman’s figure rose, an anasari. The glow of the eggs complimented her red skin. Her bat-like wings flexed out and she stretched her body as if a child woke from their slumber. Her claws rubbed her contorted face in curiosity.

        “Foolish mortal, did you think I would let you continue destroying my precious children? No, not anymore.” She smiled, her toothy grin exposed a set of sharp fangs. She flexed her claws and a red mist spread throughout the chamber. Sadinae backed up behind the web wall. In a chain reaction, all of the eggs hatched in the chamber. The small spiders wriggled out of their small prisons and spasmed. The red mist choked them and magically forced the spiders to mutate to adulthood. The spiders crawled around, learning their new world. The anasari, brood mother Nyx, pointed at Sadinae. Sadinae felt the piercing gaze of thousands of black beady eyes upon him. He reached around the pack for a fire bomb. He pressed every corner and pocket and turned the pack upside down and shook, but no fire bombs remained. He turned around and ran up the tunnel. A loud shriek pierced the air and rang his eardrums.

        “Yes! Run, it’s better when you run!” Nyx yelled.

        Sadinae’s heart raced. He ran up the tunnel entrance, green clouds with the fel lightning crackling across in view. He jumped through the entrance and bumped into Kievia. The force of the bump teetered her off balance. He grabbed her hand and corrected her stance. The light from the nests set ablaze bounced off her shrouded figure. Her glowing eyes scanned his face.

        “What is it, Sadinae?” He grabbed her shoulders. His eyes blazed with excitement.

        “Spiders, hundreds of them, they knew we were coming, and I’m out of bombs.” His smile beamed. He ripped off his shroud off throwing it in the air, letting a strong gust of wind carry it away. His strong body clad in his spiked, brown armor. He reached behind his back and unsheathed his broadsword. He stretched out his arms and legs, prepared to fight.

        “They will overwhelm Deliverance Point if they send more forces alongside them. What do we do?” She asked.

        “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” He cracked his neck, “We fight, the two us, we will win no problem.” A familiar worry showed on her face.

        “Maybe if we’re fast enough, we can get reinforcements.”

        “Bah, they are spiders, and we were tasked with their extermination.”

        “I don’t know…” She turned away. He turned her towards him and knelt on one knee, both hands encased her hand.

        “It’s been a while since we’ve had a fair fight.” She closed her eyes and searched herself for answers. After a moment, she smirked and opened her eyes, glowing with a holy fury.

        “Let’s do it.” She untied the front of her shroud, and let it fall around her. Her purple gemmed plate armor glistened in the fire’s light. She removed her blessed hammer from her back, a gem-encrusted silver handle attached to a large oval diamond. She uttered a prayer under her breath. Golden light radiated from her armor and hands. The echoes of skittering legs and screeches grew louder and louder from the tunnel. They stood a few paces from the entrance and planted their hooves in the dark sand. He raised an eyebrow at her.

        “How about one of our old bets?” They raised their weapons to their sides. Kievia tilted her head to him.

        “One with the most kills makes dinner?”

        “And a massage.”

        “Oh, you are on, mister. I’ve been tense lately.” The mouth of the cave spewed the eight-legged demons. Five of them instantly darted towards Sadinae. Sadinae raised his broadsword in the air with one hand and whirled it around him, splitting the spiders apart. Their black blood spattered on his armor and they twitched on the ground, lifeless.

        Kievia slammed her hammer down on a spider’s head, killing it instantly. She swung left and right, bludgeoning each spider that approached. Sadinae ran to Kievia. She instinctively swung at him. In a fluid motion. he ducked and put his back against her. For every spider they killed, ten or fifteen took its place. In briefest of moments, a hundred spiders surrounded them.

        “Get down!” Sadinae yelled. She knelt down beside him. All the spiders skittered at them. A mighty yell erupted from his belly. He tightened his grip on the leather hilt and spun around like a bladed tornado. Spider legs and gore splattered everywhere.

        “Blade storrrrrm!” Fifty spiders slain in a matter of seconds. He breathed heavily, taking a second to recuperate. The other fifty skittered around each other, cautious to approach. Kievia rolled her eyes.

        “That will never catch on. Don’t shout your moves, it’s lame.” Sadinae laughed.

        “You’re just envious it sounds better than anything you can come up with, dear.” Her lip curved into a smile.

        “I let my spells speak for themselves, cover me.” He braced himself and readied his blade, ready to give Kievia the time she needed.

        “Always.”

        Still kneeling, she balled her first on the ground. She closed her eyes and uttered another prayer. Thunder cracked above them. She stood and with one hand, she raised her hammer to the sky. A beam of light penetrated through the fel storm and crashed into the diamond gem. Beams of light shot out like a spotlight in a deep fog. It wasn’t only her hammer that shined, Sadinae covered his eyes when he looked at her. Four golden angelic wings materialized behind her back pointed to the sky. She gripped the hilt of the hammer with her other hand and slammed it into the ground. Cracks of light ruptured the land underneath them and spread under the rest of the spiders. The spiders burst into holy flame and their bodies shriveled. His face reddened.

        “Show off,” he uttered to himself. She smiled. More spiders erupted forth from the cave. They hacked and slashed their way closer to the entrance. Sadinae whirled his blade around in front of the cave, cleaving a group of spiders down.

        “There can’t be many- “A thin, black spike impaled Sadinae’s shoulder. He roared in agony and stepped back. Two more spikes pierced the air and found their mark. One in his thigh and one in his rib. A spider jumped at him and tackled him, forcing him to roll halfway down the hill.

        “Sadinae!” Kievia turned to him and ran towards him swinging her hammer wildly at any spider that was unfortunate enough to be in her path. Sadinae propped himself up on his elbow and got up to his knee. He swung at three more spiders that jumped at him. For Sadinae, time slowed to a fraction of normal speed. He watched the spiders surround him. He watched Kievia run to him, hand extended out. He slowly lifted his hand to her. A dark outline ran behind Kievia. Sadinae’s mouth moved, but the words escaped too slow. Kievia’s gleaming armor revealed Nyx’s fanged smile.

        Nyx raised one wing and swung it in an arc at Kievia. Nyx’s wing burst through Kievia’s right leg, severing it at the knee with one quick slice. The angelic wings faded from Kievia, her anguished cries echoed in Sadinae’s mind as she fell. He couldn’t believe it; how could this happen? he thought. The sheer pain from the spikes and hearing his beautiful wife hurt fueled his rage, and his rage propelled him forward. He jumped forward, slicing ten more spiders and in a quick succession of frontal swings, their black blood splattered on his blue face. Kievia’s arm still extended towards him, wanting him to grab it and save her. He dove for her.

        “Sadinae!” Tears streaked down Kievia’s face as she yelled. Three spiders dragged her away. Sadinae crashed to the ground. He could only watch his wife being dragged away before his very eyes. A hoarse yell escaped his throat. She flicked her golden hands, a warm light enveloped Sadinae, the spikes in his chest and rib popped out and the holes closed, the wounds healed. The light faded from her hands and armor and her head fell on the ground.

        “Bring her to The Shadow Fracture to feed the brood,” Nyx commanded. She turned her gaze to Sadinae, “They like them still,” she chuckled, “Kicking.”

        “No!” The spiders skittered around him. He could sense that they all wanted to charge at him at the same time. Some overzealous spiders clawed each other and bit each other in competition to slay their pray. He breathed heavily, sweat and tears flowed from Sadinae’s face. Both knees pressed against the ground, he glared at them all.

        “Come on, then!” His hoarse voice bellowed as he raised his arms to them. Nyx slowly walked to him, her clawed feet digging into the ground. One spider finally jumped at Sadinae. Sadinae grabbed its face mid-air, its legs stabbed at him scratching his armor with wild shrieks erupting from its mandibles. With one motion, he closed his fist and crushed the spider’s head. The rest approached cautiously to him. His fevered stares glanced around at different ones. They raised their front legs, ready to strike him with a death blow.

        “Wait,” Nyx said in a soothing voice. The spiders stopped. Sadinae dabbed his hand around the spike in his shoulder. His fingers red with his blood, he balled his fist and pressed it against the black stained soil.

        “Children, return into the tunnels. I wish to have my fun.” The spiders skittered away towards the cave. Sadinae spat at Nyx.

        “You hurt my wife,” with his free hand, Sadinae reached behind his back.

        “Yes, and we’ll do more to her still, but you,” she knelt in front of him, “Your time is over.” He grunted.

        “You know what I love about demons?” He winced, a squirt of blood burst from his wound.

        “Oh, what’s that?” She stuck one claw under his chin and craned his face up to her.

        “You’re… all…arrogant,” he smirked at her. With the hand behind his back, he unbuckled his dagger’s sheath. With one quick motion, he drew the dagger, and swung it up, and impaled her lower jaw. He twisted the dagger and swung down, freeing the dagger. He sliced at her throat, cutting deep. Nyx jumped up and flailed around. A scream attempted to escape her mouth, but only a low hoarse whimper escaped as the veins in her neck burst from the strain. Sadinae grabbed his sword and ran to Nyx. He sidestepped and ducked the wings and claws of the flailing Nyx. He chopped at her leg, slicing it in half. She fell to her knee, she turned to him. They stared at each other. Sadinae glared, his eyes filled with fury. He breathed deeply. With both hands, he drew his sword back and with charged at Nyx. He dug his blade deep into Nyx’s side and slid it through her chest and ripped it out. She fell to the side, dead, but her body still twitched. Sadinae coughed, his lungs desperately grasping for air.

        Sadinae wiped the sweat from his brow. He couldn’t stop, not while Kievia was in danger. How foolish he thought he was. She wanted to get help and reinforcements. Why didn’t he listen? Was it pride? Overestimation of the legion forces? He pushed the thoughts down, there would be plenty of time for reflection once Kievia was safe. He grabbed her severed leg and tied it to his belt. He followed the trailing blood up the hill in the direction where the spiders dragged Kievia. He ran around the cave and up another hill. At the top of the hill, a short rock wall. A dark metal legion building dug into the earth at his left and the clouded green sky overhead. He tossed up blade over the wall. He backed up a few steps and ran towards it. He jumped and vaulted over the wall. Before he landed on the steep slope, he grabbed his sword and angled his hooves down and slid down the hill.

        The rancid air filled his nostrils and clung to his lungs, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about his safety or anything. His sole focus was Kievia. Patches of void fissures cluttered the open grounds around The Shadow Fracture. Cocooned bodies thrashed around the grounds. He ran around all of them, some Horde soldiers, some Alliance, some from neutral armies that supported the war against the legion. Each freed soldier gave their tanks to Sadinae, then retreated towards Deliverance Point. He tore the webbing at the face first, to readily identify Kievia. At the center of the Shadow Fracture, a webbed cocoon stood motionless. He tore the webbing, slowly. The hole in the cocoon revealed am unconscious pale-faced Draenei. He instantly recognized her curved horns and long, black hair. He cut the webbing down the center with his dagger. Her body collapsed into his. A knot of webbing surrounded the leg wound, acting as a bandage. He hugged her gently.

        “S-Sadinae?” her weak moan quietly escaped her mouth. She lifted her hand to touch her face wrapping a finger around one of his tentacles that hung from his chin. He grasped it and gently set her hand on her chest.

        “I’m here, I’m here,” he hoisted her over his shoulder, with his broadsword in his other arm, “I’ll get you help, just hang on. I’m going to carry you. What happened to the other-”

        His world went black. An eternity passed in his mind, but in the real world, only eight seconds went by. He stood, frozen. His muscles tensed and spasmed. His arms fell to his side, Kievia’s body crashed to the ground. He opened his eyes and scanned the area in front of him, unable to turn his head. He felt a slight bite at his throat. A dagger lightly slid across, leaving a shallow scratch. An orc rogue, clad in brown leather armor walked forward, a black and red Horde tabard across her chest. She smirked at him, tossing and catching her dagger. She stood a few feet in front of him.

        “Do you know what they call me?” Arrogance spewed from her fanged mouth. She knew common speak, the language most in Azeroth spoke.

        “Coward comes to mind,” Sadinae answered immediately.

        “You wound me,” she laughed, “No, they award the title, Draenei Destroyer, to those with enough kills… and trophies of your race.” She raised a large metal bracelet, Draenei tails large and thin adorned the bracelet. “And that’s just the bracelet I have on me.” She paced around before him, her head tilted in the air.

        “Not as good as Dwarfstalker, or Scourge of the Kaldorei, “she debated with herself, “But I do love hunting your kind,” she shrugged, “But I ramble, now say hello to your light for me.” She clutched her dagger and charged forward. A cleansing heat surged through Sadinae’s body, curing the poison that froze him. Saving me yet again, Ki, his mind raced. His hands still tingled, unable to ball his fist. Sadinae charged his arm back. The shocked rogue couldn’t believe her poison wore off so quickly. She turned her feet in the dirt, attempting to halt herself. He thrust his arm forward, clashing with the orc’s face.

        The orc crashed to the ground. Sadinae straddled over her, forgive me for what I’m about to do, Ki. He grabbed Kievia’s severed leg and smashed the rogue’s face with the hoof. He smashed her face repeatedly, blood and brain matter splashed on his armor and face with each hit. Even when only a bloody puddle of brain matter speckled around the body remained, he found himself still pounding the ground. The hoof ruined from the repeated hits against the skull of the overconfident rogue.

        “That one did like to talk a lot,” a mysterious voice said behind him.

        Sadinae whirled around. A blood elf in golden laced white robes bowed formally. His long, golden hair flowed past his face during the bow. He rose quickly and ruffled and pulled the golden strands into a ponytail. The elf’s face was carefully composed despite witnessing the murder of a member of his faction. His glowing, green eyes inspected Sadinae and his fallen partner curiously. Sadinae stood over the rogue’s corpse and started walking towards the elf. The elf raised his hands in surrender.

        “Easy, friend, I mean you and your friend no harm,” he pointed a finger at Kievia, “May I take a look at her?” Sadinae walked in front of her and glared at him. The elf rolled his eyes.

        “Who do you think cleansed your poison? Certainly not your friend, she’s out like a light. Unlike most of my faction, I do not fight the Alliance during this war, unless they strike first of course. The legion threatens us all. This petty fight of our faction colors means nothing in the grand scheme of it all. I must admit, seeing a Draenei fight up close was exciting.” He glowered at the pointy-eared elf.

        “Who are you?” he said as he gritted his teeth.

        “Eladriendil, a humble priest.”

        “Blood elves aren’t known for being humble.” Eladriendil shrugged.

        “We, Sindorei, are known for our surprises,” His eyes narrowed on Sadinae, “You have a choice, let me tend to your friend and save her, or not, and let her die.” Sadinae mulled over his options in his mind.

        “Sooner rather than later, please.” Sadinae walked up to him and pointed his armored finger at Eladriendil’s chest.

        “If you fail, I’ll snap your fragile neck, clear? Eladriendil rubbed his neck carefully.

        “Crystal.” They rushed over to the unconscious Kievia and knelt on each side of her.

        “Lay her flat on the ground,” Eladriendil said. Sadinae carefully rolled her over back to the ground. Kievia sweat profusely and her body convulsed. “Hold her still while I work.” Sadinae held her shoulders. Eladriendil hovered his hands over her body. A holy glow surrounded his hands. He moved up and down her body whispering prayers. The cuts and bruises from being dragged to The Shadow Fracture healed in front of Sadinae’s eyes. Her body calmed, and she stopped sweating. Sadinae removed his gauntlet and caressed her cheek.

        “Can you heal her leg?” Sadinae pointed at her severed leg, the blood-soaked web barely acted as a bandage. Eladriendil pondered for a moment.

        “Perhaps, remove the webbing, won’t you?” Sadinae carefully tore the webbing off, blood flowed onto the soil. Kievia’s resting face contorted, “Nasty business.” Eladriendil shook his head. “Apologies, with all the nerves cut and it being used to pummel a skull, I cannot reattach it, but…” he opened his hand at the wound, bolts of holy light hit her leg, her flesh knotted and sealed the wound.

        “There, she’ll live.” he stood and brushed the dirt from his robes, “She won’t be able to walk normally, but that’s-” Sadinae grabbed his robe at the throat and lifted him in the air. Eladriendil maintained his composure.

        “Better legless than dead, sometimes I astound even myself with my healing,” Sadinae glanced at the slumbering Kievia. He slowly lowered the blood elf to the ground. Sadinae sheathed his broadsword behind back and lifted Kievia with both of his arms.

        “Thank you…” Sadinae growled. He walked towards Deliverance Point.

        “Wait,” Eladriendil called to him.

        “What?” Sadinae stopped but didn’t turn to address the elf.

        “This is rather embarrassing, but can I come with you? With my escort dead,” he pointed at the rogue’s corpse, “I’m going to need some assistance getting back to Deliverance Point.” Sadinae rolled his eyes.

        “Fine…” Eladriendil bowed. He strode over to him and clapped his armored back. His face shriveled in disgust. He wiped his hands in the air to get the black ichor off from the spiders.

        “I see the beginning of a beneficial relationship, my friend.” They walked.

        “Shut up.”

                                                        ***

        Sadinae and Taliah sat beside each other now in her quarters, backs against Taliah’s mirror. Taliah stared wide-eyed at him in awe.

        “You beat your opponent with your wife’s severed hoof!” After a brief second, she winced at the rudeness of her statement, “Sorry… is she okay?” He smiled at her.

        “Mostly, she can’t fight in the war anymore, I built us a home on Azuremyst Isle that I’ll go back to after we are done here.”

        “She sounds amazing,” she stared forward, “I would like to meet her one day.” He playfully punched her shoulder.

        “She’d love you,” He rose and extended a hand to Taliah, “You are stronger than you know, Taliah. I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side in the fights to comes, besides Kievia, of course,” he winked at her. She grasped his hand and he pulled her up. Her smile beamed. He ruffled her long white hair.

        “I’ll make you, proud, sir!” She saluted. He gently pushed her.

        “Now get changed and let us go get some food, yes? I believe we earned it.” She grasped his hand and he pulled her up. She nodded triumphantly.

[idylanmadrid-blog]

Draecember #2 : Supply Escort

          Sadinae, in his white linen shirt and brown pants, opened the magical latch of the mailbox on the Draenei vessel, The Vindicaar, the ship empowered by crystals of light and magic to shield them and rain retribution on the demons below on their demon infested home world of Argus. Sadinae stood on the bridge, surrounded by the golden and grey metals that comprised the ship. Behind him bared a massive window for them to see the molten turmoil their homeland was in. His letter would arrive somehow to Azuremyst Isle for Kievia within minutes. He never questioned the magical speed at which letters arrived, as long as they made it to his wife, Kievia. The only requirements for mail was that the name at which the letter was addressed required to be exact. His glowing, blue eyes scanned the front of the envelope. He wrapped his finger around one of four small tentacles that hung from his chin like facial hair as he scanned his letter.

           Sadinae was a male Draenei. His blue body was powerful, with a hefty barrel chest, strong arms, curved horns on his head, and a lower body that resembled the shape of a goat. His legs, like the other Draenei, curved back, ending in a pair of cloven hooves instead of feet. The letter was perfect. With the letter, halfway through the mailbox slit, he stopped, he forgot an important detail. He lifted his arm and rubbed the letter under his arm pit. He inserted the now scented letter into the box and closed the latch. Jaelaana, the emissary for the Army of the Light standing behind her table of scrolls and books, sneered.

           “That is disgusting every time you do that, Sadinae,” Jaelaana said. The Lightforged Draenei were mirrors of the normal Draenei, however, they underwent a ritual to become Lightforged, infusing their bodies with the very essence of holy light, becoming stronger champions to oppose the darkness. They wore golden plate armor with shards of light shaped like gems that hovered above their shoulder pads. Her curved, slender frame was a lighter shade of blue like Sadinae’s, but her long hair was bone white and her eyes shined bright gold. Sadinae shrugged.

           “Oh, come now, Janeen, she loves the smell of a true warrior,” his voice boomed with confidence and raised his hand to the air. She raised an eyebrow.

           “And where are you going to find one of those at this hour?”

           “Right he-“he squinted at her, realizing the playful slight.

           “Oh,” he said. They laughed.

           “I admire you, Sadinae.” She shuffled the aged scroll and books on the table in front of her, “For every letter she sends, you send ten.” He paused and stared longingly at the mailbox.

           “I want her to feel as if she’s here with me, piling demon bodies alongside me, covering my back, and I hers even though we are worlds apart.” His gaze focused on the mailbox, but his mind watched the beautiful glory of his wife fight alongside him one of the many battles in the past.

           “She sounds like a fierce fighter.” Sadinae turned to her and smiled.

           “One of the best,” he flexed his muscles, “she could even best me from time to time.” Jaelaana crossed her arms over her chest.

           “Now that is a fight I want to see, someone to take you down a peg.” She winked at him. He lowered his arms to his side slowly. His lizard-like tail sensed something. Someone took careful steps to sneak up on him. A few seconds later, a small hand clapped his back.

           “Now I’m at your back,” a younger Lightforged voice said. She jumped to Sadinae’s side and looked up at him a bright smile, ready to take on any challenge. She expected reassurance and an eagerness to teach from her new master, not a slight scoff. Sadinae inspected his new trainee, her womanly curves now fully flowered. Captain Fareeya personally requested he took on a recruit to help train their forces faster. He vehemently resisted, but couldn’t refuse the Captain in the end. When he requested information on her, Taliah, he was surprised to learn that she was young. In human years, she would amount to nineteen almost twenty.

           “More like babysitting,” he scoffed, “Why are girls her age even fighting, they aren’t ready,” he said. He folded his arms across his chest. Jaelaana shook her head.

           “Because the enemy will not wait for them to be ready and with the war coming to a head, we need as many soldiers as we can,” she said. She hated the reason she had to justify to others, especially herself, about sending the youth to fight hordes of horrific demons. The youth that didn’t get to play and experience life. The youth that the demons denied a peaceful life, instead they had to learn about the demons, extensively and train to fight the demons, and die to the demons. Jaelaana expected the answer to dishearten poor Taliah, but to her surprise, the young one maintained her smile. She tugged at Sadinae’s sleeve and tapped her hoof against the metal floor.

           “Come now, old man, we’re going to be late and we still need to equip our armor,” she started walking, fruitlessly attempting to pull him along, “I don’t want to disappoint Fareena before my first battle by being late!” He shook his head.

           “One should not want to rush headlong into a battle,” he chided. She stopped in her tracks. He stared down at her. She tilted her head at him confused. She searched his eyes for any signs of a joke, then opened her mouth.

           “But, you’re a warrior, you live to fight.”

           “True, I never shied away from a good brawl or battle, until- “Jaelaana snapped her fingers at them.

           “Get along you two,” Jaelaana focused her attention on Taliah, “Taliah, give me your war face.” Taliah stood at attention and smiled with utmost confidence.

           “That’s my girl,” Jaelaana said. Jaelaana saluted her. Sadinae eyed them both. As a warrior, what was smiling going to do? The only thing to strike fear in the enemy is a mighty war cry. He chuckled. Taliah turned to him, expecting another slight.

           “Are you going to smile to defeat your enemies?” Sadinae said, “Let’s hear your war cry!” Taliah breathed in deeply and opened her mouth yell when Jaelaana held her hand up in opposition to her yelling in the ship. Taliah stopped and stood there with her mouth open.

           “A smile in the face of danger can inspire defiance, and hope in the face of impending doom, the inspiration to rally others to you,” Jaelaana said. Sadinae shrugged and used his large hand to usher Taliah along.

           “Let’s go, Taliah.”

***

           Sadinae finished fastening the buckles of his plate boots in his small room on the vessel. Each room had a small bed, door, mirror, and small shelf for belongings. Was this a trans dimensional ship, or a mobile prison?  He didn’t care for flashy golden or silver armor like the others as he flexed his armor in the full-length mirror. He was a warrior, he settled for brown, spiked armor that he could use as a weapon if he managed to lose his weapon. He wrapped his hand around the perfectly sized leather hilt of his broadsword enchanted with lighter weight so he could hold it one hand if he found himself choking an enemy with the other. He slid his finger along the curved, silver blade. The blade left a slick impression on his rusted gauntlet. Sharp as ever, he thought. He silenced everything around him, closing his eyes and focusing on the calm going over the details of his mission. Supply escort, slow as usual, to Krokul Hovel, the campsite of the broken Draenei survivors that somehow managed to live on the blackened hellscape all these millennia. The path from the Vindicaar to Hovel, usually riddled with demon attacks has been unusually quiet. Trap suspected. The escort detail would help get the trainees ready for future battles. Through the silence, a woman’s call pierced his concentration. He opened his eyes.

           “Sadinae, help!” The cry came from the room next to his. He sighed, recognizing Taliah’s voice. His heavy steps echoed down the hall as he pushed Taliah’s door room open. His eyes widened.

           “Don’t stand there gawking, help me,” she said. Her golden boots and leggings were fastened, but she was whirling around like a dog chasing their tail trying to catch a rogue roll of white tape she was wrapping around her chest. He shook his head and walked toward her. He reached for the white tape, but she insisted on whirling around.

           “Stand still,” his voice boomed. She stopped in an instant. He ripped the end of the segment of tape roll off and flattened the end of the tape. To confirm that it stuck he clapped her back with enough force to lurch her forward. She put her hands on her hips and arched her back up.

           “Ow!” Sadinae laughed as he shrugged at the angry youth pointing at him after recovering from the hit. She slid a chain vest over her slender frame and Sadinae helped her equip the rest of her golden armor. Sadinae smiled as it reminded him of Kievia and himself readying for battle when he would always help her get ready.

           “This armor is almost too big for you,” he said. He fastened the belts of the armor as tight as he could and even then, it left a little slack.

           “Almost,” she posed victoriously in front of the mirror, “I’ll grow into it.”

           “Maybe, little one.” He stared at the confident young paladin sliding her golden eyes down to her weapon. With a quick, fluid motion, she grabbed the sword, spun around and pointed it Sadinae. He held his hands up in faux surrender.

           “Oh no, whatever will I do.” He brought his hand to his forehead to emulate a dramatic theater performance.

           “This little one can fight, and I’ll show you what I’m capable of,” she said. He flattened his palms at her and motioned her to come at him. She narrowed her eyes. She thrust her blade at him. He readily side stepped the attack. She repeatedly slashed at him, each failing to land their mark. He knocked the sword across the room. She gazed at it in defeat. A yell boiled within her and it bellowed throughout the room. She punched him in the face. The shock of being hit by her forced him to recoil. She gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands. That anger and hit even surprised her. Thoughts of punishment crossed her mind. Would he not let her go on the mission?

           His eyes narrowed at her. She bowed her head and exhaled in defeat, readying herself for beratement. A laugh bellowed from Sadinae’s stomach.

           “Now there’s the fire I wanted to see,” he clapped in praise, “maybe there’s hope for you yet.” She smiled up at him, her golden eyes beaming with confidence.

***

           A blinding light encased them. The very essence of light teleported their entire being down below the ship to join a force of similar Draenei, all suited to fight. Their hooves crunched on the black and desiccated soil of their dying world. Smoke and corrupted air clung to their lungs, making breathing more difficult than it normally should be. Sadinae and Taliah walked forward, surveying the escort line. Ten large floating wagons full of bandages, food, other important supplies, and maybe even a few unexpected items needed at the Hovel for their own forces just as much as the broken Draenei.  They conversed with a few of the other Draenei. They shared the same feeling as Sadinae, that they were walking into a trap.

           After their inspection was finished, he walked to the edge of a large cliff and gazed into the distance near the caravan. This was his home now. Once a shining beacon for all knowledge and exploration, now a black jagged mountainous landscape. Where the purest, blue rivers flowed, molten fel lava took its place. No trees, just a blackened hellscape. The sight pained him. Could his home ever recover from the burning legion’s damnation? The logic inside him told him what he didn’t want to know, but his heart still held the faintest hope of its revival. Taliah stood beside him but didn’t say a word. She stood by her master, giving him the time he needed. He closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes again and turned to Taliah.

           “Are we ready to move out?” Taliash asked. His somber face nodded slowly. They moved to the front of the caravan. They followed a small road that, after only a couple minutes of travel, exited to an overlook of a broken Draenei town surrounded by jagged peaks. Broken, pointed domes surrounded an empty, large town square that was the focus of many conflicts due to it being their beach head of sorts in this region of Argus. Cautiously, they walked forward. Unease gnawed at Sadinae’s mind, as well as the others. The demons had disappeared, giving their forces a much-needed respite. Sadinae’s eyes raced around, looking for any signs of movement for an ambush. They navigated through blackened spikes crackling with green fel energy littered across the ground. Curious, Taliah hovered her hand right above it, then drew back not wanting to harm herself.

           “So far, so good,” Sadinae muttered under his breath. The Earth below them rumbled and quaked. The Draenei drew their weapons and closed ranks around the caravan. After a few moments, the rumbling ceased. They all slowly sheathed their weapons.

           “All right, let’s - “The shrieks of a colony of fel bats pierced the air. These red, overgrown, four armed bats with large vicious maws flew over the mountainside and quickly encroached the caravan. The Draenei hunters, armed with their bright, golden bows, knocked their arrows and let loose against the bats. Some crashed to the ground, lifeless, but it did not deter the rest. A couple artificers, Draenei mechanics to put it simply, uncovered six of the wagons to reveal Lightforged Warframes. These flying mechanical apparatuses, armed with a hand cannon capable of shooting deadly bolts of light or fanning demons with the flames of justice. On the other hand, a mighty fist to fight enemies on the ground, Mechanical wings curved out behind the machine allowing the pilot to fly with runes of light protecting the pilot. These machines allow the pilots wield powers of deadly light to combat demonic air forces and small fighter ships. They quickly commandeered them and took to the sky.

           Guttural roars came inside the thought abandoned buildings. Eredar sorcerers and warriors flooded out with their axes and magical staves. The Draenei, former Eredar, drew their weapons. The Eredar were Draenei in every way, except their blood red skin and glowing green eyes. The lord of the Burning Legion, leader of the demons poisoned the Eredar who didn’t escape Argus millennia ago with an unsated bloodlust, an unquenchable rage and unsatisfiable lust for power who would cleanse the universe of life.

           The two sides were evenly matched for a time, trading blows and forces. Sadinae refused to leave Taliah’s side and cleaved any who dared challenge them. Taliah’s heart raced, she had never been in a real battle before. An Eredar warrior charged at her. She glanced around him parrying blows and returning with a deadly flourish. She cleaved the Eredar in two, black blood spattering on her gleaming armor. She glanced around the battlefield, more and more Eredar fell beneath the Draenei forces. Sadinae and Taliah stood back to back slashing more and more Eredar. The tide was turning in their favor.

           Loud thuds crashed to the ground. An Eredar conqueror ran from an east road into the town. These mutated Eredar towered over either force. Fel energy crackled out of their torsos that threatened to burst their bodies at any time. Large jagged spikes reached for the sky, sprouting from their backs. Five Draenei charged at the conqueror. They pushed it back to one of the broken buildings and thought it would be defeated easily. The conqueror’s guttural roar shattered the attacking Draenei’s resolve and cleaved them with its sword-like claws.

           Taliah escaped Sadinae’s side and rushed to one of the fallen. She kneeled trying to heal her, tears welled in her eyes. The Draenei she attempted to heal held her hands over her stomach, futilely attempting to stop the flow of her insides escaping her body on the blood-stained soil. This Draenei was the same age as Taliah, she couldn’t believe such a gruesome end for someone. The thought gnawed at her mind. She could end like this, guts spilling on the ground and nothing she can do to stop it. The conqueror was too strong for them. Blood flowed out of dying Draenei girl’s mouth and choked a little. Taliah cradled the young Draenei in her arms. Her head cast to the side as the last breath of life escaped her body. Taliah screamed and tried to wake the young Draenei up.

           The conqueror stepped slowly towards Taliah. As it stood, towering before her, it snarled and raised its arm ready to strike her down. She let go of the dying Draenei and covered her head as if to stop any blow from the conqueror. Please no, not like this, she thought. The conqueror descended his arm. Before the death blow could land on Taliah, a great broadsword pierced through the air, singing its deadly song as it impaled the conqueror’s chest. The conqueror recoiled back and fell to its knees, its agonizing cries echoed through the town. Taliah looked up to see Sadinae standing beside her, visibly gritting his teeth and glaring at the conqueror. He pounded his chest, roared, and charged the beast. He grabbed the sword and whipped it out of the monster’s chest and with both hands, lifted the sword, and forced it down, relieving the conqueror of its head.

           “Let’s go!” Sadinae said. Taliah stared at the young female, not wanting to leave her side. Sadinae grabbed the collar of her armor and dragged the traumatized Taliah, reaching for the dead young Draenei across the ground back to the caravan. The Draenei forces picked off the remaining Eredar and bats and regrouped on the caravan.

           “No mortar fire was a nice change of pace,” Sadinae said, foolishly attempting to lighten the mood. Just after the words left his mouth, a large green circle appeared far above them. They examined it closer to reveal three rotating green circles, each one closer inside of itself riddled with of demonic runes around the edges. The circles rotated faster until each circle separated and became three circles in a line. A dark metal materialized before their eyes. Before they could call out what it was, the full legion ship manifested. It’s long, jagged appearance struck fear in their hearts. The cannons below the ship fired around them, blowing up the ground around the town. One explosion erupted the ground near Taliah and sent her flying back a few feet. Her ears rung, she quickly scanned the battlefield. She staggered up to see more demons materializing around them, courtesy of the ship. More Eredar forces surrounded them. The Warframes descended from the sky, not free of fel bats, set up position around the caravan.

           “Taliah, get ready,” Sadinae called out to her. She barely recognized Sadinae’s words through the ringing. Her arms trembled, but she raised her blade.

           They readied themselves to charge before a large barrier of light encased the Draenei forces. They examined the barrier, attempting to locate the source. Sadinae looked to the Vindicaar, finally helping. It projected a barrier of holy light to protect the Draenei forces from the legion ship’s fire, but doing so rendered it unable to attack the ship directly. The legion ship couldn’t break the shield, but it didn’t matter if it kept the Vindicaar from firing. The Eredar walked through the barrier slowly, then their red bodies charged through, weapons raised, ready to slay the Draenei forces. Taliah raised her sword, her arms trembling. She turned to Sadinae for some ounce of comfort to see his steady glare. He brought his blade up, ready to strike. Before they swung, five lights materialized in front of them. Captain Fareeya, Archmage Y’mera, Baraat the Longshot, Grand Vindicator Sorvos, and Blademaster Telaamon raised their weapons at the Eredar.

           “You will not fall, soldiers, together, we stand as one,” Fereeya said. Each Eredar that approached were cleaved, riddled with arrows, or burned with the holy light from the Draenei casters and Warframes.

           The Eredar moved away from the Draenei. They stopped fighting and started… chanting. Chanting a name… Darkuun. Slow, massive stomps of hooves rang from the top of the legion ship through all the chanting and fighting. First, a red spiked plate helm came into view. Then one spiked shoulder on a grey, strong body. His belt held a massive armored face of a demon. The massive body of a fel lord emerged into sight and gazed at them all. In his left hand, an axe equally as tall as him, shaped like a crescent with four green glowing lights on the blade. Souls slain by that weapon erupted out of the axe. It was a soul furnace in the axe. Darkuun repeatedly pounded the knob of the axe on the ship each hit letting souls escape, the sounds sent his minions into a frenzy. They all charged back in. Every fallen Eredar replaced faster than they could kill.

           More and more forces manifested in. It was only a matter of time before the Eredar would overrun the Draenei. Sadinae was the first to realize this, he calculated all his options, all involved losing. He ran to a nearby Warframe pilot.

           “What is it, Sadinae?” The pilot yelled. It took a continuous firing of the Warframes flamethrower to pile the Eredar bodies and keep some of the Eredar at bay.

           “We have one chance to force their retreat, fly me up on that ship to take care of that fel lord,” he yelled. The pilot flashed Sadinae a glance of disbelief, searching to see if he was   serious. Sadinae was never more serious at that moment.

“You’re insane.” He returned his vision forward.

           “Maybe, but we will lose while the Vindicaar helps mitigate the damage from the ship and the Warframes are needed against the Eredar. This will be our only chance, trust me. The pilot pondered his options and searched Sadinae’s face for reassurance.

           “I won’t lose,” Sadinae said. Taliah rose and stood at Sadinae’s side, still trembling.

           “We won’t lose,” she said.

           “Absolutely not!”

           “There’s no time, take us now!” Taliah said. They grabbed the Warframe’s arms and flew through the top of the barrier. With unmatched speed, the Warframe flew to the back end of the legion ship where Darkuun stood atop. They dropped on the glowing green runes and dark flat top of the ship and the Warframe flew back to the barrier. Eredar warlocks occupied the long metal catwalk to Darkuun. The Eredar, encapsulated by their spell casting, didn’t notice them at first. Taliah trembled, she regretted taking the ride up on the ship, but she couldn’t leave Sadinae to fight the fel lord alone. Sadinae placed a hand on her shoulder.

           “Are you ready?”

           “I... Yes, I am ready,” she nodded.

           “Charge!” They each took one side of the ships catwalk. They cleaved down the first line of warlocks with no problem as they were too concentrated on their spells. They met more resistance when the warlocks felt their companions fall, but they didn’t stand a chance. Fatigue began to settle in. Sadinae breathed heavily and kneeled. He took a deep breath and ran forward to Darkuun, meeting Taliah after she finished her side of spell casters. Only a short distance separated them now. Even so close, the fel lord didn’t regard them. He stopped banging the knob of his crescent axe on the ship’s black metal.  

           His deep voice bellowed out, “Xi me gul maze xi modas parn ur shi aman me mannor       parn lok kazile kiel golad.” He continued to watch the battle below.

“What did he say?” Taliah asked.

           “My demonic is a bit rusty,” Sadinae laughed to himself, “I think he said, you are going to die and die a horrible, painful death.” Darkuun’s grip on his axe tightened and he gritted his teeth.

           “I said,” anger laced in his words, “I do not wish to waste time on you rats, go scurry with the others down below.” Taliah tugged Sadinae’s shoulder pad. He turned to her.

           “How do we fight this thing,” Taliah attempted to whisper to Sadinae. Sadinae’s breathing labored, he wiped his brow of sweat.

           “Like any other demon, cleave it in two.”

           “But wait, this one-” Sadinae charged. He yelled and raised his sword. He slides his sword across the demon’s flesh leaving a small cut on his leg. Black ichor seeped from the wound. The fel lord slowly turned to them. His stare met Sadinae’s eyes. Like a fly flying around a giant, he thought the little Draenei was a nuisance, but like flies, they wouldn’t leave well enough alone, so he would have to swat it. He gripped the axe with his other hand and brought it up. He swung it down. Sadinae rolled out of the way. Darkuun swung over and over, each strike narrowly missing.

           “Sadinae, come back, let’s regroup!” Taliah trembled. She looked at her sword and then back at the fight.

           “I got this,” he yelled out. He sliced several incisions in the demon, but none making a visible impact.

           “We’re supposed to be a team,” she yelled. The words caught Sadinae by surprise. They were supposed to be a team and he left her back there, not utilizing her abilities. The thought slowed his movements. A smile curved Darkuun’s lips. He removed one hand from the axe and picked Sadinae up. He turned him about like a child examining a new toy.

           “How amusing,” Darkuun said. He threw Sadinae across the ship. Sadinae crashed down the catwalk and rolled a few more feet away. He propped himself on his arm and tried to get up. His elbows buckled and he fell again and stopped moving. Taliah screamed she wanted to run to Sadinae to help, but she couldn’t move. Her legs wouldn’t move, she raised her trembling sword at Darkuun. He laughed. He raised his arms to her as he approached.

           “I’ve laid waste to entire worlds, did you think to slay me where entire armies have failed, infant?”

           His heavy steps thudded against the ship. He tossed his axe to the side and flexed his hands.

           “My axe is too easy, too quick, it’s been too long since I’ve gotten my hands dirty.” Darkuun stopped his leg in front of her sword and pressed his skin into it, puncturing his leg slightly. He picked Taliah’s sword out of her hands and flicked it beside her like a toothpick. He clasped his hands around her slender frame and brought her to his eye level.

           “Look upon your dead world,” he boasted, “Was this what you expected, child? To be crushed beneath the grip of a superior fighter.”

           “It is not dead!” She wiggled, attempting to free herself, “not yet.” He snorted. His grip increasingly tightened enjoying every second of her torment, the golden plate started to crunch under the force. Her bones and organs under increasing pressure. She screamed in agony. A long guttural laugh erupted from Darkuun. Sadinae propped himself up again. I failed, again. He thought back to Kievia on the Broken Shore. She lost her leg and ability to fight in the war because of his failure. Not this time, he would not fail Taliah. His heart rate increased, his breathing heavy. Anger mounted inside him.

           “Let the others hear your anguished cries, little one, let them know what will come to them.” The mounting anger rose in Sadinae to a white-hot rage. He let this pure, unstoppable rage overcome him. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he jumped up, sword in hand and leaped in the blink of an eye at Darkuun. With the strength of a colossus, he smashed his blade into the belly of Darkuun, piercing the demon’s body. Darkuun dropped Taliah, she rolled on the ground. Sadinae backed up to her and offered her a hand. She grabbed his hand and he lifted her up. She glanced at Sadinae then back at Darkuun. It couldn’t be, she flashed her head at Sadinae. He was…smiling. Not a forced, fake one, but a happy smile. He had no doubts about defeating the demon, so she shouldn’t either. Hope swelled up inside her, they could win, they would win. A noise rose from inside her. Her yell, no, her war cry erupted and pierced the air.

           Darkuun gripped Sadinae’s sword and ripped it out. Black ichor flowed from his belly. He roared and threw the sword off the ship.

           “You miserable insects!” He staggered, dropping to one knee at the edge of the ship. Sadinae turned to Taliah.

           “Together,” he said. She bent down and drew up her sword and they focused on Darkuun. Together they charged at Darkuun. Taliah fought from the demon’s left side. He slowly swung his arm at her, like swatting a fly, to no avail. She slashed away at his legs and side, each cut didn’t cut the demon’s body deep, more cuts seeping his black blood. Sadinae unfastened his spiked should and fastened its latch around his fist. Darkuun grasped Taliah’s sword mid-swing. She pulled and pulled, struggling to wriggle it free of his grasp as if she were playing a deadly game of tug of war. The two were at a stalemate.

           “Let go, Taliah!” Sadinae yelled. She didn’t question it, she freed her grip on the sword, forcing Darkuun to recoil his arm in the air, his chest exposed. Sadinae charged, faster than he ever had. He leaped into the air and charged his plate shouldered fist behind his back. His fist impacted Darkuun’s broad chest, leaving a deep cavity. Darkuun reeled, the force of the blow tipped his body back. He struggled to gain his composure. Taliah and Sadinae, together, rushed to Darkuun’s body and placed their hands on his legs. With all their might, they pushed. Darkuun planted his feet, but he slid more and more off the edge of the ship. Darkuun turned around reaching futilely to grab at least one of them before being forced off the ship. His rage induced cries echoed throughout the town traveling further from them. A loud thud against the corrupted earth sounded for all ears to hear. The Draenei forces below cheered, the death of the fel lord renewed their resolve and they charged forward to defeat the Eredar’s now dwindling forces.

           Taliah turned to Sadinae, her triumphant smile beaming.

           “Not bad for a couple of rats,” she said.

***

           Sadinae stood in front of his mirror, eyeing his stained armor and his now dented shoulder pads. He unfastened the latches, letting the armor crash to the ground. He rubbed his aching shoulder. He grabbed his nearby common clothes and slid them on. It was a hard victory, paid with many lives. This should not be one’s first battle. It was one thing to research demons and take care of those after the battle, but to experience it firsthand, it must weigh heavily on her mind. He walked out of his room, Taliah’s door cracked open. Not to be caught off guard again, he covered his eyes with one hand while he pushed the door open with his other.

           “Taliah, are you decent?” A silent moment passed. He walked in.

           “…Yes,” she said. Taliah stood in front of the mirror. She stared at herself, her blood-stained armor. The blood of friend and foe alike. She tried to wipe off the stains. She wiped, and wiped, and wiped in vain. In a feverish cry, she grabbed her head and shook it wildly. Sadinae rushed over and held her tight. She turned to him and sobbed. She pressed her head into his chest, pounded her small hands into his barrel chest. Sadinae lowered them to the ground and sat against the mirror. He ran his fingers through her long, white hair. After several minutes, the sobbing lowered to a whimper and she clung to him, not ever wanting to let go.

           “Is it always like that?” her voice muffled in his chest.

           “What?”

           “Battle,” her head attempted to bore deeper into his chest, “The screams, the bodies, almost dying.”

            “Yes.”

           “How did you get used to it?” Sadinae searched his mind for answers. How does he tell the truth to someone young enough to be his child, a youth who just wants comforting words and a never-ending hug? He sighed deeply.

           “You never get used to it.”

           “I thought I knew, it’s just a fight, just a battle, just the enemy. I was lucky to have Kievia. We kept each other safe and tended to each other after every tough battle. You fight for those you love and lost, and I fight for her. I fight for our home and all those lost along the way and keep their memory alive.

           “I almost got you killed,” her grip tightened, “I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.” Fresh tears flowed down his shirt. “I should have died, why do I get to live and the others don’t?”

           “Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes you’re meant to fight on,” he squeezed her tight,

           “I’ll tell you, now, I’m glad you didn’t,” he chuckled, “Then I’d have to babysit someone else.” She pounded his chest again, “You made me proud.”

           She removed her head from his body and looked up at Sadinae, tears streaking from her golden eyes. She bore back into his chest.

           “I think this armor will fit a bit better now,” he pinched the crunched armor. Her muffled laughs escaped.

           “Would you like to hear a story?” He felt her nod in his chest.