Disclaimer: Blizzard owns everything to this, I just own Unfurth, Eritka, Roselina, Areys, and Meliai. You can see them on the wowarmory, Unfurth, Eritka, and Areys are on Shattered Halls; Meliai is on Balnazzar, and Roselina is on Frostmane.
The Scarlet Rose
By ManaGoddess aka Shelby.
"So, tell us Roselina, why do you wish to join The Night Watch Milita against the monsters that plague Darkshire?" The mayer asked, sitting as his desk with mountains of papers around him. His hair was messed up and it was unsure the last time he had actually slept, it showed on his face. The girl sitting across the desk sat properly, just as she was taught at the Abby, her blond hair in a neat bun on her head, her robes freshly washed and sewn properly. It reminded her of the orphanage, where the children would line up and be inspected by parents who never adopted, they were always, 'just checking the options'.
"I have experience with the Scourge, I know how they fight, how they attack, and I am able to understand them at certain times." she replied, her green eyes looking into the Mayer's, who was busy looking over her application.
"I wont lie, it is dangerous out here, Stormwind hasn't sent reinforcements and the surrounding cities are asking us for help. This isn't children's work, it's not like the Abby where you go and kill little creatures in a cave that are threatening to over populate. No, this is blood and fighting, your life expectancy is rather short here. We've lost a lot of good men to these attacks, what makes you think you'll survive?" He looked down at her, evidence of the hardships this town faced was painted clearly on his face. This was no Goldshire; Darkshire was a tough place for any person. Rose straightened her back, she was done playing the child looking for her mother.
"Let me tell you a little story sir...of where I come from..."
It was dark, it was always dark in Rose's eyes. Light had little jurisdiction being up here in the cold mountains of Tirisfal Glades. Now that the plague had started to spread, it was hopeless. Light simply vanished, taking hope, joy, promise, and happiness along with it. So many had died when the Scourge had risen, taking town after town. Hell, it managed to do a good deal of damage to Lordaeron.
The town had laughed when Rose's mother sought out the Monastery, to try to gain protection, she said she had a bad feeling that something was about to happen. They had turned her away the first time, who would want a woman and her child, a girl about the age of seven, to clutter the great halls of Lordaeron's Monastery?
Rose's mother had convinced them to let her come when she had proven a great warrior, she wielded two swords better then anyone from Brill. She could blend into the shadows and have you dead before one had understood what happened. No scream would get out, your throat was slit, poison in your blood, and you were dead before you hit the ground. This technique, along with many others had caught their eye, and so they were allowed to stay, as long as the mother taught others how to fight.
The prediction came true, not two months later, when the Plague hit, killing many of the farms, and lower areas. People began to panic, running to the city, running to the Monastery, they just tried to escape. Only the Monastery survived, sealing it's gates to any who tried to enter, fearing that they might be carrying the plague. So many innocent had died because of this fear. Rose's mother tried her best to shield her daughter, but when she came home, covered in blood and had to burn her clothes, the truth came out.
Rose had grown a bit over the next few years, the Scourge had calmed down, but a new death and plague had arisen...something that was called, "The Forsaken". A new group of warriors had come to the Monastery, claiming to be it's new master. They were known as The Scarlet Crusade, a name forever burned into Rose.
She hated them, hated them with a fiery passion unlike anything she could have thought of. She prayed for nights that something would finally get through the defense and take the Monastery, show them that this grand Scarlet Crusade was nothing more then people looking for an excuse to kill. They saved no one, protected nothing. They had encampments set up all over Tirisfal Glades, training the once devoted priests and monks into fighting warriors. Their goal was to take back Lordaeron, to make the city bloom once again in the name of the High Inquisitor Whitemane, her right hand man, Scarlet Commander Mograine.
One day, Rose would rise to kill Mograine. He forced Rose's mother to pay a terrible price to stay in the god forsaken Monastery. It was a price that Rose knew she would have to take over, once her mother could no longer pay. Bile rose in her throat as she thought about the idea of doing anything kind to Morgraine. Rose was not the dumb child everyone thought her to be. No, she was far wiser for her age. Her mother had taught her how to fight with a sword, incase she ever needed to use it. The blond girl could keep her own against her mother, but it would be a few years until Rose would be able to take down Mograine. It would be a wonderful victory.
That day would never come, the day when Rose and her mother would kill Mograine and escape, running to Southshore, one of the last places still surviving this far north. There was rumors of places still alive in the plagued lands, but the two girls didn't think they would make it there.
"Well well well, Vivian, I think it is time for you to pay your rent." Mograine said, laughing as he eyed Rose's mother up and down, licking his lips. Vivian glared at him, keeping her back straight.
"I paid earlier, this is also Rose's study time, so come back later." she glared, anger running through her body. Vivian was a tall woman, her body lean with years and years of practice with weapons. She was never a womanly type, she hated dresses, they just got in the way of fighting. Two blades were always at her waist, she didn't care where she was, no one would take them unless she was dead.
"Rent just went up, so now you owe me a bit more...payment..." he chuckled, undoing his belt, taking off his mace, shield, and chain mail. Rose eyed the giant mace he laid on the table, if she was just a bit bigger, she could prob pick it up and kill him with it. She reached out to touch the handle, test the weight. Vivian shook her head, pushing her daughter back.
"Roselina, why don't you go finish your studying in the Library, I'm sure Arcanist Doan could help you with your arcane." Vivian kept her eyes on Mograine, marking a page in the book and handing it to Rose, this was not something she wanted to see.
"Mom, I want to stay with you..."
"No, you need to finish your studying. He is better at Arcane then I am."
"Let her stay Vivian, she could learn a different technique from her mother." He eyed Rose, looking her body up and down. Vivian pushed her daughter behind her.
"I will see you dead before you touch a hair on her head. We had a deal, Rose was not part of it." Vivian turned her back to the monster, helping her daughter to gather her books and push her out the study. Her mother squatted next to her, smiling.
"I don't want you to do this Momma..." tears swelled on Rose's eyes.
"I know my little flower, don't worry, we'll be free of this soon, and we're going to move somewhere quiet just like we used to, maybe we'll end up in Northrend, it is truly a magical place my love. We will sneak onto the Zepplin and travel far away from here, I promise you that." Vivian had tears now, fighting to hide them behind her smile. Hope, that was what the girls lived off of. Hope that one day they would rid themselves of this nightmare.
"Okay...I'll go study." Rose wiped away her mother's tears, smiling through her own.
"I'll come find you when it's over." she kissed her daughter's forehead, holding her tight, as if they would never see each other again. "I'll make things right." she whispered, brushing back her daughter's blond hair. It was the same hair she had, but it was so soft and straight where Vivian's was curly.
"Hurry up woman, you're waisting my time." Morgraine yelled from inside. Vivian rose, her head held high. They said goodbye and Rose ran to the Library, the sound of the bolt locking behind her and steel being drawn echoed in her head the whole way, praying it as her mother who drew the steel...and not Mograine.
It was exceptionally quiet in the Library today, a strange hush had laid over the place as Rose walked around, wondering where everyone had gone too. The halls were empty, books and scrolls left where they were, forgotten. Rose's hand laid on the dagger that hid beneath her tunic. Something didn't feel quite right.
A noise by a bookcase caught her attention, it was one of the many secret tunnels that weaved in and out of the Scarlet Monastery, but it was suppose to only be used in emergencies. Of course only a few people really knew the tunnels, most people thought them haunted and didn't bother to learn where the tunnels lead. Being a child, Rose learned all about them during her explorations which usually got her in trouble.
The odd part was that the door was open, someone had gone inside. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she walked in, closing the door behind her with a soft thud. Rose lit a torch, following along the passage that would take her deep into the Monastery's Library. Again, it was silent outside the walls, no paper moving, no talking of scholars, not even weapons training. She walked slowly, keeping the fire on her torch low, not wanting to give away her position, it was just too quiet.
Finally, upon reaching the end, she heard something. It was fighting, but not against dummy's. She heard blades cut through flesh, a cat's growl, and some voices, but they were none she recognized. Extinguishing the torch, she was plunged into darkness, the only light being that which peaked through the holes in the bookcase. Finding a good hole closest to the voices, she peaked through.
Outside, there was five people, one was a woman in robes, her platinum hair piled high on her head, ice magic swirling around her as she casted spells against some of the warriors in the hall. She was one of the two blood elves, the other being a palidian in armor, wings of light shining off his back. The Troll shot an arrow, his white tiger chasing the target to go for the kill. The smell of death reached Rose, causing her stomach to roll. Tearing her eyes away from the madness, she ran towards the Arcanist Doan's chamber. Pushing open the door, she jumped into the room.
"Master Doan! You must leave, there are attackers approaching!" Rose said, keeping her voice quiet, unsure of where the small group was. Doan turned to her, tilting his head in confusion.
"My dear Rose no one could have gotten this far without raising some kind of alarm. Now, you should be playing in the tunnels, you know better then that..." he said, walking over to her with a scroll in his hand. The door to his office burst open.
"Sir, there is an advancing army that is tearing through the library, killing all who comes in contact with them, they have already made it through the first part of the Library and am on their way here, You must lea-!" the solder's voice turned into a garble as his throat filled with blood, his head rolling off and falling to the floor, his body crumpling next to it. Where he stood was the Forsaken that Rose had smelled. Doan pushed her back into the tunnels, slamming the door shut.
"Go! Tell the others! Make them believe you." He whispered furiously "Run Rose!" Doan stepped forward, ready to challenge the new group of horde. Afraid to be caught, Rose ran, her feet guiding her to a safe spot.
"I've got to get mother...we have to escape!" she chanted to herself as her tiny muscles begged to stop for a breath. She couldn't stop, not now, not ever. There was nothing here she cared about, if the Forsaken managed to get in here and burn it to the ground, she would cheer them on and add some tinder to the fire.
Exiting the tunnels, she ran to the dorms, climbing the stairs to the tiny room her mother shared with Rose. Stopping to catch her breath, she pounded on the door, Mograine had already left their bedroom, the soldiers were already talking about how they wish they could get a piece of Vivian. Mograine was already telling of his tale with her mother. She'd kill him one day.
Pushing the door open, she entered. "Momma? Momma we have to leave! There are people here...and they are killing..." she saw her mom, face down on the bed, naked. Bruises had already formed on her cheeks, he'd hit her again...Rose ran to her mother, pushing her to try to wake her. "Momma you gotta wake up, momma come on...We gotta leave now, before its too late! MOMMA!!" tears began to form as she shook her mother harder. She was never usually beaten this bad, usually she would wake up after a few good shakes. Using all her force and a bit of panic, Rose tried to shake her mother awake.
Something inside Rose told her that nothing would wake her mother, that she would always sleep, and yet she kept trying, tears running freely. This was the last person Rose had, Doan was dead, she knew it in her heart. He'd be the only person who taught her magic so she wasn't always useless.
"She's dead little Rosie" Mograine said behind her, he was the only one who called her by that horrid name. Her father had called her that before he was taken by the plague, dying almost in an instant, only to come back...
"You killed her...you murdered her..." Rose said, her body shaking with rage. Mograine laughed at her pain.
"Tis a shame, guess you'll have to take over paying rent." He smirked, stepping towards her. She glared at him, wishing him dead with every fiber of her being. Reaching under the bed, she grabbed her mother's daggers, drawing them and facing Mograine, no longer caring if she died today.
"I will not pay for this shit hole. Throw me out, I'd have better luck with the Forsaken then with you! I'll tell everyone your secrets, how the Scarlet Crusade are nothing but crazy warriors seeking to rid the world of a plague, thus you are a plague yourself! They will come...someone will come and teach you a lesson...just as you killed your father...it will come around..." Rose shook in fear and rage, her body wanting to lunge and kill. It would do no good to do so. Mograine looked down at her, his face red with rage.
"Silence that tongue of yours brat, before I cut it out myself. Since your mother is dead, that makes you my warden and I will do what I please of you." He smacked her across the face, she still stood, defying him. He laughed, how tiny Rose really was to this man. Stepping forward to claim his prize, Rose charged.
What she thought she could accomplish by stabbing him was unknown, but she pushed both blades into his stomach, twisting them as her mother had taught her. A growl rose from his throat as he picked her up by the hair, holding her in the air.
"You Bitch! I'll feed you to the dogs for this!" He threw Rose across the room, she hit the wall with a thud, her body going limp against the ground, her head spinning.
A frantic pound on the door brought her back to the world, yet she kept still, not wanting to create more trouble for herself. The door almost fell off it's hinges with the force which Mograine used to open the door.
"WHAT?!" he screamed at the soldier who almost jumped out of his skin. Stuttering for a moment, he tried to get his barrings before reporting his news.
"S-Sir, A band of Horde has infiltrated the building, one of them was a Forsaken, carrying the plague with him. W-we need to form a plan s-sir, Milady seeks you." He reported, his boy shaking. A loud thud startled Rose as Mograine fist hit the wall.
"How did they get this far?! Get the forces together and meet me in the Cathedral." Mograine left the room, the messenger still standing outside Rose's door.
"What about the girl?" he called after him.
"Burn them, they may carry the plague." Rose sat up, fear striking through her. This couldn't be happening. Grabbing her blade once again, she walked to the messenger.
"You heard him, we have to kill you little girl." he said, shrugging as if he was asked to take out the trash. Looking into his eyes, she no longer cared about anything. She drove her dagger into his throat, using all her strength to silence him. He pulled the dagger out, grasping the wound to try to make the blood stop. It would do nothing, he would bleed out in a matter of moments. Turning her back, she grabbed her mother's satchel and began to pack grabbing things she would need for the journey.
Screams could be heard, the Horde group was getting closer, she wished them luck in their destruction of this place. Hurrying, she grabbed things she would need, fighting back the tears. Looking back at her dead mother, she let the tears go, rolling down her cheeks. Now wasn't the time to break down, Rose would have to do that later, when she was out of this hell hole. Getting up, she left, running down the hall to find the secret tunnels, running through the Armory first.
The Armory was quiet, very quiet. Weapons and bodies littered the floor, the horde was moving quickly, good. Before long the Monetary should be burning to the ground...Rose would make sure of that. Rounding a corner, Rose stopped, afraid to breathe.
Another scream had reached her ears, ahead of her a man had fallen dead through one of the doors into the tunnels, a tiger pinning the body to the floor, enjoying a good chew on what was left of the man's face. The Undead stepped through the whole, poking the dead body. Slowly backing up, Rose cut off her fire ball which she used as a light, praying her shadows would keep her safe. Taking a sniff, the undead reached down to the body, poking here and there. Licking what was left of his lips, he began to gorge on what was left of the poor mage.
Her body shook with fear, there was nothing she could do. She tried to tell her feet to run, but they had turned to lead and would not move. She wanted to scream, scream for help, for anyone to come, even Morgraine, but her throat was closed, not even a peep would get through. There was nothing she could do but watch as the Undead ate his fill, her stomach rolled with each bite.
"Unfurth, show some manners. Pretend you weren't raised in a graveyard." The Blood elf stepped over the body and around the tiger and Undead. "What have we found here?" her eyes moved up and down the tunnels, Rose pressed herself against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. Please don't find me, please don't find me, whispered in her head, praying to whatever god would listen to her.
"Shut up Eritka, you don't know what your missing. Areys, take your pet, he's taking the good parts." Unfurth replied through bites, pushing the tiger away, they growled at each other, but a sharp whistle drew the cat away where received a treat from his master. The troll stepped in next, his hand on the tiger's head, petting him as if he were just a large house pet.
"So this is how they got around, sneaky sneaky!" Areys slouched over, his hand easily able to reach the top, along with his slicked hair. "Stay as a cat Meliai, you wont fit." A tauren's head appeared, looking at the top where her horns already grazed the roof.
"I hate humans, they are too tiny." Green light shimmered around the female Tauren, her spots and fur turning sleek and orange as her body shifted into a Lion with horns. Jumping over the body, what was left of it as Unfurth used the man's Tabard to wipe his mouth, she looked around the tunnel, sniffing the air here and there. "Someone is down here with us." She sniffed the air again, looking down the hall towards Rose. Areys crouched, scanning the area, his tiger on full alert. Unfurth drew his weapons, chuckling.
"Shame I'm full, wonder what we'll find!" Unfurth stepped into the shadows along the opposite wall, fading from what little view Rose had. Crap crap crap!! she back peddled along the wall, keeping flat against it, praying even harder now, her heart pounding so loud she could swear they could hear it echoing off the walls like a drum.
"Ready or not...here we come..." Areys said, smiling. Notching his bow, he shot a flaming arrow down the hall, it pinged into the wall near her head.
"FOUND YOU!" Unfurth shouted, lunging from the shadows, blades drawn. In a panic, Rose gathered a tiny ball of fire into her hands, throwing it at the undead. He jumped back in surprise, wiping the tiny embers from his face, blinded for only a second. "She's a mage! Eritka, all you!"
Rose took off running, her boots echoing off the walls, her breathing coming in labors as she pushed her body well passed it limits. Fear kept her going, fear kept her legs from growing too tired and forced air into her lungs. Paws and another set of boots joined in her echo, along with a strange little pop noise. Risking a glance over her shoulder, Rose saw a white tiger and the mage in robes chasing her, the others staying back. Suddenly, the mage disappeared, leaving only arcane sparkles where she once was. Confused and curious, she turned back around, concentrating on making sure she didn't slip and fall, then she would be done.
Arcane sparks appeared in front of Rose, the Blood Elf stepped through them, a smirk on her lips. Rose tried to stop, but part of her brain knew that behind her was a blood thirsty tiger. Missing a step, she tripped, crashing into Eritka, surprising the mage more then hurting her. Both girls fell to the floor, one arm wrapped around Rose to keep her from hitting the stone floor, the other shot forward, a wall of ice forming between the tiger and themselves.
"Please don't eat me!" Rose cried, tears rolling down her face, this really was too much for one person to handle in a day, her body shook as her barriers began to fall. Eritka sat up, sitting the human in her lap, rocking gently to calm her.
"I wont eat you, calm down. Why are you here?" Shapes began to form outside the wall of ice, voices muffled by the thickness.
"I...I was trying to escape..." Rose hiccuped, her tears slowing down only a bit as she cried on Eritka's shoulder. Unsure of what to do, she patted the child's back.
"You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous to play here. You should be at home with your mother." Rose shook her head.
"My mother is with the Light now...Th-they killed her..." She pointed towards the ice, unsure if she meant, Eritka just rocked, cooing a little bit as she had seen others do. "You're gonna send me with her aren't you?"The air began to chill off the frozen wall. Pulling from her well of magic, Rose threw a fire ball at the solid wall, letting it sit there and eat whatever twigs and dust were collecting there from the years of unuse.
"You're a Mage just like me huh?" Rose shrugged.
"I can't make ice, I can only make fire." Ice rained around the two as the ice wall shattered. A horned bear roared as the Paladin cheered, his mace resting on the ground. Rose screamed and tried to hide into Eritka.
"God damn it Eritka what the hell kind of wall was that made out of? Didn't think these two would get through it!" Areys said, watching the green light sparkle around the horned bear as it transformed from bear to lion once again. It sat on the ground, cleaning it's paws, looking rather smug with itself.
"is that our little spy?" The Paladin asked, taking off his helmet to get a better look around. Rose tried her best to hide behind Eritka, but she was held fast.
"We're leaving people, we'll meet in Shattrah." She stood, holding onto Rose.
"Wait, that's it?! We storm this place, burn the Library and Armory and you want to call it quits before we get to the treasure?! Are you out of your mind?!" The Paladin slammed his fist against the stone wall, energy exploding and knocking a hole straight through. He glared at Rose, anger pulsing through him, wings of light burst from his back, his mace glowing. "So be it, but I'll take what is due to me out of this child."
He lunged for the girls, an aura made of light surrounding him as his face filled with rage. The others moved to stop him only to be pushed back when the Paladin threw his shield. Rose screamed, clinging to Eritka with every fiber of her being.
"No Zinere." Eritka said simply. The air chilled, Rose drew frozen breaths which cooled her lungs. Ice suddenly formed around the girls, protecting them from Zinere's assult. Again and again, he smashed his mace against the block of ice, but to no anvil, it would not budge. Rose couldn't move, her eyes were on Zinere, her body flinching with every blast.
Their hero was a Bear with horns, tackling the enraged Paladin out of nowhere, pinning him to the ground. Ice shattered, soaking the the two girls as their protective barrier melted from their skin, both girls shivered. A blanket appeared from Areys and wrapped it around both of them.
"Lets get out of here, we've caused enough damage." Eritka said, reaching into her bag to grab a rune. Throwing it into the air, it hung, floating as the mage whispered in a language no one could understand, her fingers glowing as she drew in the air. From the rune to the ground, a bolt of arcane struck, opening like a wound to reveal a city beyond.
"W-Where is that going?!" Rose asked, clinging to her new friend.
"Shattrah city. You'll be safe there, I promise." Picking up the girl, Eritka watched Meliai and Areys drag the knocked out Zinere through the portal. "It's easy, just step through. I'll be there I promise." Together they stepped through, Light engulfing both of them, seeming to pull Rose apart piece by piece and assemble her back again on the other side.
When she dared open her eyes, Rose gasped at the site. There were people everywhere, people of every race and even beings made completely out of light. Portals surrounded this room, taking people to where ever they desired. Awestruck, Rose was all but dragged out of the center chamber of Shattrah city, to the Lower City where she met with the warden of the Orphanage.
"After that, my life became a blur. I was raised in that city until I was old enough to be shipped off to the Abby by Elywnne forest." Roselina spat on the ground, looking the Mayer of Darkshire in the face. "So tell me, do you think I will be brave enough to take on whatever hell creatures think to attack here?" The mayer wiped his brow with a cloth, it was suddenly very hot in the room.
"No, Miss Roselina, I think you will do just fine out here. Please, fill out these papers and we will give you a uniform right away."
Years passed peacefully since Roselina joined the ranks of The Night Watch Militia. She decided to follow the path of her Mage mentor, learning the art of fire, even teaching it to some of the new recruits. As the years passed, her magic grew more powerful. People came from all over to ask her to join in their quests of power with hope that she would be able to take down even the toughest of monsters. Sure, she would go out and help, but her home was in Duskwood, where darkness was always here, along with some death and decay. No matter what time of day, there was a fight to be had, wither it was trying to keep Worgen off the farms, or to keep the undead back to their crypts, it was her home and she wanted to protect it.
Horse hoofs trotted down the worn path, Rose sat upon her mighty steed, scanning the area to make sure it was safe. Her patrol was from the city of Darkshire, a terrible name she thought, to the newly made farms. It was her goal to make this place thrive, and to even rename it one day.
"Easy girl, the boogy man isn't hiding in the woods I promise." Rose said, now the age of five and twenty. Her horse had been skittish all day, scanning from side to side for any danger, jumpy at any noise. There had been a few wolves, but nothing serious, maybe a pile of bones, but they were long dead, even a second time killed.
Smoke curled from in the woods, a campsite not far off the path. A feeling crept up Rose's back, something wasn't quite right about this camp, but she just couldn't quite put her finger on it! Food wafted through the air, tingling her sense and making her stomach growl. Dismounting her horse, Rose ducked into the bushes, dagger drawn, to see the campment.
"Eri, you make the best food. Thats why we keep you along." Said the first voice, a troll with one tusk broken. A hooded woman sat at the fire, stirring a pot of something. On the other side, someone in black, spikey leather stood watch. Rose caught a glimpse before he disappeared into the woods.
"Aye, if you didn't want to starve you would have brought someone better." Eri said, pouring another bowl of some kind of stew from the pot. Before Rose could even think, she was pushed forward into the camp, a blade at her throat and the middle of her back.
"We have a guest!" The man said, his face covered and his blades dripping poison. Fire
jumped from Rose's hands to the rogue's pant leg, giving Rose an opportunity to escape his grasp. Another ball of fire was ready in her hand, this time larger and more deadly. She looked from one person to the other, the troll not really interested.
"What are you doing out here? You need to leave this zone it is protected by Stormwind and will not tolerate Horde scum like you." Rose shouted, keeping her eyes on the man in leather.
"Listen girly, we're not here to hurt anyone, we are just passing through so as long as we don't attack anyone, we aren't breaking any codes." he said, keeping both his swords out.
"You attacked me!" she threw the ball at him. With a lunge he sliced the fire ball in half, laughing at Rose's poor attempt to hurt him. He had her pinned to a tree, his sword at her throat again.
"I believe you came onto our camp first." He hissed. Again, a ball of fire formed in her hand, this time he was ready. Rose's eyes widened as the air rushed from her lungs, he kicked her hard in the stomach, making her double over her fireball forgotten and dissolving.
"Go home child, we will cause no harm." The woman said, her green eyes glaring at Rose.
"I...*cough* am not a *cough* child!" the group laughed, each person there having lived at least three of Rose's life times. Pulling her hood down, the silver haired woman looked at Rose with her good eye, her other one only a scar now, running from forehead to cheekbone.
"You are a child in my eyes, go home, we will let you leave now." Nodding to the leather man, he stepped back, grumbling and giving Rose another kick to shut her up. The group had traveled a long way from Orgrimmar and were not about to stop because of a little Mage who thought she could.
"You are not...to live...to attack...Darkshire!" Rose lunged, her blade out. Calling her magic, she summoned a being made of fire to aid in her fight. The elemental roared before chasing after the leather man, punching the shorter man in the head with his fist of flame. Rolling on the ground, the Rogue glared and lunged, slicing at the elemental. The blades went through, but the fire would consume whatever hole had been made, making it new again.
Rose went after the woman, a ball of fire in her hand. The air began to chill, her fire ball shrinking slowly in her hand, the very time seeming to slow, only, the scarred woman didn't seem affected. Reaching into the air, she conjured a lance of ice, throwing it not at Rose, but at the elemental which was giving her friend a hard time. It sliced through it, the creature roaring as it turned from being of fire, to solid ice. Giving it a hard hit, it shattered on the ground.
This would not end well, Rose thought as it dawned on her that she bit off a little bit more then she could chew. Oh well, what could you do? The Militia depended on her, she was their best fighter. One way or the other, she would make this out alive.
Another lance of ice was thrown, this time it pierced her shoulder, going through and through as it did the Fire elemental. Blood oozed down her arm, dripping from her finger tips. Rose hoped to god that she wouldn't lose the arm, but she needed to get out of there now. The wound pulsed, causing her concentration to falter, her magic would be a bit trickier now.
An explosion caught everyone's attention, sleeping birds from the forest scattered from the noise. Sky looked like dawn, light glowing from the East, shimmering and waving, only the time was all wrong, it should be night for a few more hours. Then, the screams reached the camp, screams of helpless people, screams of what Rose came to call, death screams. Her blood turned to ice, her home was under attack.
"DARKSHIRE!" Rose screamed, her blood pumping fast in her body, fear being put on the back burner and pure determination forcing itself center stage. "Let me go monsters!" Turning from Eri, Rose dashed toward the stunned Rogue, her blade ready to kill him if need be. Startled, the rogue brought up his own sword, deflecting the initial impact of hers. Using her bad arm, Rose created a fire ball, smashing it into his stomach, scorching the leather.
Then she was gone. Sparks of Arcane magic fell like snowflakes where she was standing. Behind him, the mage ran, she couldn't lose two homes in one life time. Mounting her horse in one try while running, Rose had no idea how she did it, she would worry about that later, time was of the essence. Behind her, there were blood thirsty Horde monsters, ahead of here, was an unknown attacker, trying to take the one thing Rose wanted in life, a place to belong.
Back at the camp, Eri sat down, there was no use chasing after some girl and her little town, which Eri couldn't care less about if she was paid to.
"Think we'll find anything at Karazhan tomorrow?" the troll asked, his pet coming from the woods, delivering a present to it's master that it caught. Patting him on the head, the troll gave him a piece of meat from the stew.
"I'm not sure. Rumor had it that people just disappear in there. They go in, and never leave. There are wizard's camped there already, trying to figure out the mystery." Eri replied, not very hungry. The girl left a strange feeling inside her, and she couldn't place it. This, little human, meant nothing to Eri. Sure, Eri gave her points for knowing when to back down, and what was more important, but still, there was a feeling that something much larger was at play then a simple attack.
"We have more company, and this kind isn't good." the rogue said, taking out his two blades. Really, twice in one night they would be attacked? This was getting annoying. Smell hit them first, the scent of rotting bodies and decay. Eri twitched, this wasn't normal Forsaken scent, this was something else. "Scourage!"
From the bushes around their camp, six zombie like creatures arose, their claws razor sharp and dripping some kind of green goo. The warriors were on their feet in seconds, the Rogue tackling one, piercing its' head with his swords and mashing what was left of the skull. Another Scourage attached itself to the rogues back, clawing at him. A swift arrow knocked him off, another one pierced the creature to a tree.
Ice formed in the air as it's temperatures plummeted. Eri conjured lances made of ice, throwing them at different mobs. The ice pushed them back, decapitating the two Scourage that advanced her, the rogue took down another. The troll, calm as ever, was already back to his stew, two dead (again) bodies thrown into the bushes.
"We really need to get you to help out others more." Eri said, sitting back to her stew. The troll shrugged, finishing his stew. Bodies were moved away from the camp and the feasting continued in silence.
"You know, we should probably go help that village, if the plague gets them we'd have a bigger problem on our hands with a bunch of undead." The troll cleaned his bowl, packing it away. "Eri?" the rogue looked at Eri, who was frozen, her bowl fell from her hands, crashing on the ground.
"Oh God...ROSELINA!" Arcane sparks replaced the mage as she took off running.
Several houses were on fire, the Inn and town hall was surviving, the residence were being ushered in there for safety, warriors outside tried to fend off the oncoming monsters. In the middle of the chaos, Rose stood, a blade in one hand, her bad arm hurling fireballs at whatever she could. The sleeve was soaked with blood, the creatures going wild over the smell.
"You monsters, I'll kill you all before I let you have my home!" Rose yelled, killing one of the scourage. Two more appeared where the one fell. Again and again, rose hacked and burned her way through them, only to have them reappear. It wouldn't be too long before she'd be overwhelmed.
On the hill, three warriors stood, the Mage shook her head. "This place will burn if we don't step in. I will not ask you to endanger your life for a village you care nothing about. You may leave if you like." Eri said, pulling her hood back up. The troll whistled, his pet tore off into the forest, several Scourage fell, as he cleaned the forest.
"I know Eri, but she is important to you. I love you, but you owe me." The troll kissed Eri, smiling.
"I love you too Areys. Don't get yourself killed please." he chuckled and shook his head.
"It'll take a lot more then some skeletons to take me down." He ran off in the opposite direction of his pet, keeping in the woods to stop more from entering the town.
"Unfurth, my friend, I wont make you-" The Rogue growled and shook his head.
"I will not watch this place become another Brill!" he shouted, jumping straight into the chaos, his blades a flurry of death and poisons, the monsters falling at every second. Eri shook her head, what a group of people. She jumped down after Unfurth, fighting her way to Rose.
Rose's back was against the wall, literally. The blacksmith's wall against her back, she could feel the heat from the forge, it soothed her wound, her arm almost useless now. There was a choice, she could fight with her sword, or her magic, but not both. The mob was surrounding her, she could take out more with a constant blast of fire then single target with her sword.
"I'm sorry mother, I shall join you soon." She threw her sword, it stuck in the head of one undead, sinking him to the ground, another stood where he fell. Fire formed in her hand, concentrating to make it as large as possible. "Gods help me." She held her arm above her, it pulsed in her hands. It felt like a dragon had crawled into her arm, snaking its way to her hand to eat the fire. Her frail body began to shake as the ball of fire sucked at the very essence of her life to create the power needed.
Finally, the dragon was satisfied. Hurling it forward, a wave of fire burst from her hand, like a dragon opening it's mouth to roar. It knocked back the group, melting the first few rows of undead. It was enough to let her breathe, but not enough to save her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, at least she would go out fighting. Rose became cold and light headed, the blood finally winning out against her adrenalin.
"Hang in there my little flower, I shall help you." her mother's voice said softly. Opening her eyes, Rose saw her mother's back, weapons out and slicing through the oncoming horde as if they were the wind. One after another, the bodies fell. Ice shot off from Vivian, piercing several horde together, another bolt going through their heads, shattering their frail bodies. The mob dwindled.
"I got ya, just a little longer." a man said, standing next to her, having appeared out of nowhere. He stood next to her, smiling. "I wont let you down." he tore the sleeve off her robe, taking a quick inspect of the wound.
"Daddy?" Rose whispered, touching his face with her hand, it felt different then what her eyes shown. Pulling out some bandages, he quickly cleaned out the wound, Vivian keeping the mobs off them while he worked to patch up Rose. "Daddy I don't understand, you...you were taken by the Plague...you died..." Tears fell over her eyes, the break down she had held back for so many years finally surfacing. "Momma, Momma! Daddy's back!" Looking back to Vivian, her eyes wavered. Vivian looked back at the two, one eye was covered by a scar. Her hair was the wrong color too.
Looking back at her father she saw the truth, his face felt weird because it was covered in leather. The woman she thought was her mother, was the Mage from the forest. They came to kill her town after all.
A roar from the woods, and out charged a white tiger, teeth bare and tackling through mobs. It seemed bigger then the last time, a red aura glowing off it as he attacked. Barrage of arrows rained from the sky, finding their marks in the skeletal mob.
"Unfurth, we need your help." Vivian said, looking over her shoulder again at the man bandaging her arm. He nodded and stood, taking out his duel swords, spinning them in his hands.
"This is too easy." Laughing, he jumped into the mob, seeming to step through the shadows to get behind the mob, taking the other side while the white tiger took his own. Vivian had her staff, freezing the targets and smashing their bodies before they could reach the two girls.
"Are the perimeters safe?" Vivian asked, glancing from Unfurth to Rose, never missing a beat.
"Secure Ma'am. This is the last bunch of them." The troll said, raining yet another barrage of arrows. "Phobos had quite the run, I think he beat me by twenty." The group chuckled. It was always easy for them to find humor in things, even if your very life was at stake, it's what kept your head level, and your body moving.
"Roger. Are the humans safe?" Vivian asked, her body moving to a beat of it's own. The crowd was dwindling, only about thirty or so left. They might actually win. Rose leaned against the wall, her head swimming with visions. One minutes Vivian was her mother, another she was the woman from the woods, then...sometimes...she was the Mage from the Monastery.
"Safe and sound, although I think they stabbed me about ten times before they realized I was trying to help." Unfurth said, taking down a few more. The forest was growing quieter as the moments passed, bodies littering the floor. Twenty were left.
"Well then, don't hold back." Knives fanned out, as the air began to chill. Rose's breath fogged, Vivian or whoever it was held her hands in the air. Clouds formed, above the mod, arrows piercing through it, turning into ice before piercing with a definitive crunch. Icicles hailed, sharp as daggers they sliced through the bodies, breaking them into little pieces. The woman had her eyes close, chanting as they cleaned up the remaining bodies.
Silence fell, the woman lowered her arms, the hail stopped. Three warriors stood, checking over the damage they had done. The buildings were no longer on fire, only smoking as the embers cooled. The forge had cooled, the wall holding little warmth from the snow forming on the ground. The trio gathered by Rose, looking down at her. Her vision wavered again.
"You're safe my flower, lets get you home." The woman said.
"Momma..." Rose reached out, her vision turning to black when she passed out.
It was dawn before Rose woke. Her body ached, her shoulder throbbing something fierce. She rolled over, the bed soft and warm and smelling like liliac. Under her arm, was a teddy bear she didn't remember owning, but felt comfort in the creature. The scent of food reached her, something delicious like she had never had before! Her stomach voiced it's opinion, wanting badly to taste the amazing meal.
Opening her eyes, she looked around. It was her small, one bedroom home, but there were three people and a tiger occupying what tiny living room she had. The hooded woman was at the stove, tasting whatever was smelling so amazing, and adding a little spice.
"Ah, you're awake." The troll said, petting the giant tiger who purred like a kitten. Rose sat up, her body shaking. "Relax, we aren't here to hurt you."
"My...My town!" Rose said, throwing off the sheets. Her shoulder resisted, sending a sharp pain down her arm. Someone pressed her back to the bed, putting the sheets back over her.
"You aren't strong enough yet, just rest." the woman smiled at her, brushing Rose's hair off her face. "Darkshire is safe for a while. The bodies have been burned and everyone is back to work." She smiled, her good eye filled with such love it made Rose want to cry.
"Who...are you....and why did you come back?" Rose asked, the woman handing her a drink of warm cocoa.
"I don't know if you remember me, but we met once, a long time ago." the troll said, smiling. His tiger walked over to Rose and laid it's big head on her bed, licking her cheek. He nuzzled his head under her arm, wanting attention.
"You met me then too, only, you weren't too excited to see us and you kinda stabbed me once or twice." the man in leather laughed, sneaking up on the breakfast to steal a sample. The tiger growled.
"It was a very long time ago, and your memory might have blocked out our encounter. Do you remember the Scarlet Monestary?" The woman asked, slapping her spoon at the roll theif.
It all came back to Rose at once, as if a gate opened, her memories flooded back to her. The night her mother died, the attempt at escape through the hidden tunnels, being frozen in a tomb of ice, her first time in Shattrah city, the orphanage, the visits once a year from Eritka and Areys before she was shipped off to the Abby.
"Eritka...Unfurth...Areys..." Rose looked at each one, saying their names. A tear welled in Eritka's eye as she nodded.
"Yes my flower, it is us. We came back to save you." Eritka hugged Rose, a wave of emotion claiming both girls as they embraced. Areys took the kettle off the fire, making sure it wouldn't burn.
"How...how did you survive? I heard you died." Rose wiped her tears away on her sleeve, embarrassed at her current state. Unfurth laughed, shaking his head and taking a bite of the meal he got for himself.
"You can't kill us, we've survived much worse things then a mob of skeletons and dead things. Do you know how many dragons the three of us have taken down?" Unfurth shook his head, as if taking down dragons was something everyone could do.
"I have a pet dragon you know, from when we were in Northrend and-" Areys started, but was interrupted by Rose.
"You've been to Northrend?! Please...take me with you. I want to go!" Eritka pressed her against the bed.
"Calm down before you hurt yourself more. Lucky for you Unfurth was a surgeon when he was alive and could bandage you right up." Was there anything Unfurth couldn't do?
"We can take you on our way back if you like. We're heading to Karazhan at the moment, there have been strange disappearings there and we want to figure out why. Know anything about it?" Eritka asked as she handed Rose a steaming bowl. Rose smelled it once, her stomach roar that she wasn't eating it fast enough, so she dove in, savoring the amazing taste, practically melting into the bed in a bliss unknown to this world.
"I know a bit, just whats been told around here though. Rumor has it that people get stuck in there and have to watch the haunted Opera over and over again, trapped as spirits between." Rose mumbled between bites. The group exchanged looks.
"Well if rumors have started, then some people have survived. This would be the best place for lore to appear, being so close." Areys said, giving his tiger a treat of some sort.
"Take her with us, she's bound to know something useful!" Unfurth said, finishing his second bowl. "God Eritka I love these Northrend recipes!" Eritka nodded.
"Yes, you could be helpful Rose. Tell me, would you like to join us to Karazhan? There's bound to be treasure at the top. There are probably ghosts and ghouls, but what adventure doesn't have some undead things?" Eritka laughed, throwing a look to Unfurth who shrugged off the playful banter. Rose tilted her head, what a strange group of people they are!
There was something in that old tower that called to Rose, like some unfinished business that you've forgotten about. The town had sent over many people to inspect the haunted tower, but very very few had returned to tell tales about it before slipping into madness and dying. Rose was strong, she knew she could do this.
"I'd love to go. I may not be as powerful as Eritka, but I know I can help. It's going to take a lot more then just us four though." Rose smiled, remember all the friends she had made on her strange journey.
"We know a few people who are dying to get a chance at the mighty Karazhan tower. There is a wizard in the camp by the tower who could help us create a portal to summon them." Areys nodded, mentally running through a list of possible people.
"So it is settled. Rest up, we have a lot of planning to do."
And so the motley crew prepared to storm the tower, mixing with people from all factions and races. It would be a long shot, but they were confident that nothing would stop them. They gathered their brightest and best, they only had one chance to free the souls of those trapped in the mighty tower, and they were going for broke.
Life had taken an interesting turn for Rose. Starting out as a prisoner in place of death, she fought her way, tooth and nail, to a world where she was wanted, a magi of fire she could burn anything in her path. The strange trio had rekindled the fire in her heart, unlock the secret to magic that she had never known possible.
It was her dream to own a home in Northrend, to finally be able to settle own and stop fighting for her life every day. That life bored her, she needed action, she needed to be the hero that she sought to find as a child. To someone, she would be that hero, just as Eritka was her hero. One shot, that's all you get at life, and Rose was going to live it to the fullest.