DISCLAIMER; I DO NOT OWN WORLD OF WARCRAFT, THAT'S ALL BLIZZARD'S. ONLY THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER'S THERIN ARE MINE AND OTHERS ARE USED WITH PERMISSION.
'Wonderful. Truly, I am the most fortunate fool who ever stumbled into the Grizzly Hills.'
Kaeldenas thought bitterly, his current predicament was quite possibly one of the worst situations in his life. To explain his dilemma, some more information on the current subject is required. First of all, being a Hunter, he is not exactly well versed in the more complex machinations involving Death Knights, suffice to say he knows that they are powerful warriors, able to manipulate blood, frost and unholy energy. Also he knows that on occasion it is required that they meticulously kill something, kill something so badly that even the most battle hardened hero is left gawking. Now currently, Kaeldenas is travelling with his pet wolf Ace and his companion Kuronox who happens to be a powerful unholy Death Knight. As their luck would have it most of the local wildlife has been chased off either by the petty squabbles of the Alliance and the Horde or by the mysterious wolf cult causing no end of trouble in the Grizzly Hills. The ambience and lack of obvious conflict would be pleasant ordinarily however it had been two solid days of nothing but reconnaissance with nothing but an errant squirrel or rabbit for Kuronox to vent the unshakable desire to draw blood from living creatures. So much so she was suffering a near constant headache getting progressively worse, making her short tempered. This of course made reconnaissance… Interesting at the very least.
Now, the duo's current objective was simple, investigate a local settlement that may or may not have connections with the enigmatic wolf cult, simple enough. Kuronox had decided that Kaeldenas had more than enough sleep and Conquest Hold was not her favourite place to be, the guards were very good at killing animals that wandered near the walls and that greatly irritated Kuronox, when all she wanted was something to carve to pieces. Growling quietly to herself, Kuronox strode into the hold where her team mate was currently still snoozing in a hammock off to the side, as far away from Conqueror Krenna as he could get, she made him terribly uncomfortable with her strange Blood Elf "bodyguards." Kaeldenas was woken from his slumber that morning by Kuronox roughly tipping the hammock he was sleeping in, causing him to fall to the floor. His large wolf Ace looked up at the startled noise his master emitted to see if he needed to aid Kaeldenas, thankfully it was just his irate team mate. Were it not for his reflexes Kaeldenas would have landed square on his face, however he was just fast enough to land on all fours. Groggily he looked up and the buzzing Death Knight and mumbled; "Good morning to you too." Kuronox shot him an irritated look, her glowing blue eyes intensified.
"Need I remind you that we have a job to do or would you rather sleep all day like your pets?" She snapped, before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I… I'm sorry it's been a rough couple of days, getting restless y'know?" She explained as Kaeldenas straightened himself and quickly chomped on some leftover bread from the night previous, he recalled Kuronox storming off before he went to bed mumbling something about killing something.
"It's fine." He said through a mouthful of slightly crusty bread. "I'll be ready to go in five minutes, wait outside with Ace?" Kuronox nodded, and left Conquest Hold with Ace in tow, carefully watching her. Kaeldenas's unkempt crimson ponytail was quickly and haphazardly tied back and the main bulk of his armour, sans the helmet was secured. He casually walked out to see Kuronox pacing back and forth with Ace sitting on his hind legs casually watching her frantic pace.
"Waiting on you now." Kaeldenas announced to get her attention and immediately he grinned at the reaction he got, if looks could kill he would be dead at least four times over, possibly reanimated then dead once more to be sure.
"Six and a half minutes." She announced the time he actually took as opposed to the rough estimate he gave her, obviously the one and a half minute delay was cause for offence to the irate Death Knight.
"Well, I'll snooze one and a half minute earlier tonight." He chuckled. Kuronox sighed and began swirling shadows around her and in a flash her Acherus Deathcharger was there, waiting for her command. It must have sensed it's master's discontent because it shuffled nervously. Kuronox leapt onto the mighty steed and stared impatiently off into the distance, pinching her nose again. Kaeldenas let out his shrill whistle and stepped back as Celestial Energy gathered in front of him and with one more flash his steed was there, Equuleus nodded at his master as Kael patted the star horse's head affectionately before mounting it. Ordinarily they would fly to their location but without the benefit of Cold-Weather-Flying, they were forced to travel on the ground.
They set off on their task, Kaeldenas in hopes that there was some kind of connection to the village and the cult they were seeing increasing activity from, Kuronox in the hope that some dumb animal got in her way. "So, it's been quiet lately, you feeling ok?" Kaeldenas asked as they rode to their designated location for recon.
"How do you think I feel, you know I need combat regularly to keep myself in check, two days, fourteen hours and twenty seven minutes it's been since I last killed something, my head is killing me and I'm getting the urge to just slice things to ribbons." She growled, rolling her shoulders to release some of the tension in her back, her large axe wasn't heavy to her but all the stress from her lack of combat was beginning to take it's toll on her.
"Don't suppose you could just summon, Gravelcatcher or Tombmuncher or whoever and just waste them?" Kaeldenas suggested, eager to see his friend returned to her usual self.
"No. Has to be alive." Kuronox answered him, it had come to short sentences because she felt she would start screaming if she had to explain anymore than was utterly necessary.
"So what exactly makes you so wound up? I mean I like a fight but it's like you need to do this stuff." Kuronox stared off into the distance, perhaps if he didn't get an answer he wouldn't press the issue. "Kuro? Is it because of, y'know, the whole Death Knight, frost and blood and unholy thing?"
Stupid question, stupid question, stupid question.
"Yes."
Kaeldenas took this to mean that the conversation should end pretty quickly lest he provoke her anymore.
Soon after an uneventful ride they arrived at the small village, dismounting and desummoning their mounts they found the village to be filled with unassuming people seeming going about an average day in their lives. Some men were off to hunt, women were hanging out washing and others who were left busied themselves with other menial tasks. Ace lay next to Kaeldenas and Kuronox as they positioned themselves on a good vantage point on the outskirts of town yet close enough for Kaeldenas to perform the recon.
Remarkable, so close to the Lich King and yet they act like they've not got a care in the world.
Kaeldenas's thoughts were interrupted as Kuronox elbowed him roughly.
"Do you're stupid Eagle Eye thing so I know if it's ok to charge in and slaughter some wolf-people." She hissed, rocking side to side on one knee. Kaeldenas focused on a spell to lend him eyes where he could not otherwise see. His eyes clouded over, replacing his usual green with foggy white.
"I see no evidence of any cultists, none of the humans appear tainted. The animals around them act normally, they aren't shifty like the ones in the cultist villages. I'm gonna say this is just a regular human outpost. It's probably affiliated with the Alliance or a neutral party. Either way, we've got the information, let's report back." Kaeldenas finished his spell and his vision returned to normal. He expected a complaint, a groan, anything but Kuronox sat in silence. Shaking slightly. "Kuro, are you ok?" He asked, again no response. She couldn't possibly be… "Kuro? Anyone home?" He slowly reached toward her intending to shake her shoulder. Ace growled warning his master of something. Kaeldenas looked quizzically at his wolf but decided to see to Kuronox first, perhaps there was a sentry approaching so he needed to convince his companion to move quickly. "Kuro?" He tapped her on the shoulder and immediately she screamed and lunged for him. He fell back with a surprised yelp, raising his hands to block Kuronox's, they were heading straight for his neck. Ace growled and Kaeldenas quickly barked an order at his wolf. "No boy! She can't control it, at least I… Gah I hope not. No attacking." He struggled against the Death Knight but she was physically stronger than him, he rolled backward and kicked her off him. He jumped to his feet and dismissed his wolf, Ace wouldn't let Kuronox hurt his master too long and this might take a while.
Kaeldenas decided once more to try reason when Kuronox rose shakily to her feet perhaps it was a momentary lapse of consciousness. "Kuro? You ok?" His response was another lunge this time she drew her axe and swung for his head with a feral scream like a banshee, it actually hurt his ears to hear it.
"Die! Die! Die!" She roared punctuating each word with a swing of her huge axe, Kaeldenas had to duck and dodge the first two and use his Disengage skill on the last swipe, he had no intention of attacking his friend but it seemed the feeling wasn't mutual. Using the small adrenaline rush from his manoeuvre he set off at a run, escape on foot was his only choice it seemed. He ran to the forest and to his chagrin he heard Kuronox's heavy armour as she set off to chase him. He quickly summarised his situation to form a plan, running was fine but Kuronox had an Unholy Aura making her faster than him so he couldn't run for long. She'd catch him pretty quick, if he switched to another aspect, perhaps the Cheetah aspect then he would outrun her but if another animal was to see him and attack him then he'd be stunned and easy prey for his ally, who currently wanted nothing more than to separate his body in to little pieces as violently as she could. He didn't want to fight but he was seemingly out of options. The forest surrounded him now, providing some cover, he ducked under branches and leapt over fallen logs. This continued for some time and he was beginning to think that maybe he lost Kuronox. He found a tiny hill, and took cover at the bottom. Kaeldenas leaned his head against the small rocky hill and caught his breath. Another thing that he didn't consider was that Kuronox probably wouldn't tire out whereas he, although in excellent shape would tire eventually. It was still to dangerous to summon Equuleus in case Kuronox was to Death Grip him out of the sky, assuming she had enough sanity to remember her spells and abilities.
I haven't heard her since I started running, maybe I lost her…
Kaeldenas's thoughts were interrupted as he heard another screech from above the small hill and thinking quickly he rolled to the side laying an Ice Trap as Kuronox descended like a falling meteor. Her armour made a loud clang as it hit the ground and slowly she turned and glared at Kaeldenas. She slowly stomped forward as to her pleasant surprise he had simply crouched down on his knees and closed his eyes. Somewhere in her mind she thought this was too easy but that thought was irrelevant as her easy prey was right in front of her defenceless. Kuronox stomped forward entirely focused on Kaeldenas's form. She didn't even notice the Ice Trap until she had stepped on it and felt the chill travel through her as a giant block of ice appeared around her and froze her in place. Her expression was frozen in fury at Kaeldenas who slowly stood up and looked over her once before smirking and dashing off into the dense forest of the Grizzly hills. She felt like she was stuck in the ice for eternity until though a combination of the outside temperature and her rage the ice shattered. She glared at the direction her quarry and set of at a horrific pace, branches were shattered by her mass alone. If Kaeldenas had made any progress then it was quickly being eaten up by her relentless charge. Ahead of Kuronox, Kaeldenas heard the commotion behind him getting closer and closer and ahead of him he could see the forest clearing to an open field. He had a problem with that because then there wasn't anywhere for him to hide. Undeterred he decided that a new plan was in order and stormed out into the open. He slowed to a jog as to his utter dismay there was no Shoveltusk Stags to be seen, his one hope was to put another being in-between her and him but there was nothing, simply a wide field with ruins off to his left and a cliff ahead of him and to his right.
Acting on instinct once again he evaded another surprise attack from his Death Knight friend who had cleared the forest and lunged for him again her axe embedding itself in the ground this time. Kael sprinted to the edge of the cliff and drew his bow, he really didn't want to have to do this. Kuronox dislodged her axe and once again she stomped over to him.
"Hold it." He commanded, his voice even, he already had her in his sights, if necessary he would shoot but it was a real last resort. "Kuro, this isn't you. We'll find something to help you but you need to stop." He tried one last time to reason with her.
She struggled on the spot and for one moment it looked like she had control again, she managed to whimper out two words that were it not for Kaeldenas's very acute hearing he would have lost to the winds. "It hurts." Then her mind was gone again and she lunged for him, rolling to the side he whispered an incantation to his arrow and cracks appeared on the arrowhead. As he released the arrow it scattered in the air, temporarily blinding his wayward companion. At least that's what he hoped would happen and to his credit it normally did happen but this time it was simply brushed off and Kuronox roared in primal fury and charged him again. To Kaeldenas time slowed to a crawl, he had maybe one or two more options before it was a fight for survival, he couldn't retreat to the ruins, that would mean that he would be heading down a one way path which meant death, that was out. The cliff was another poor choice, it was a big fall and the water wasn't at the bottom as he thought from back at the forest, even escaping to the water was a bad choice as she could walk on water with the Path of Frost and he couldn't. He looked like he was just out of choices…
As far as he could see he had one more option, if he could get her to fall down the cliff then that should give her enough time to use his Hearthstone and retreat to Conquest Hold but in the time it would take for him to find her and get her to something to kill how much of her would be left. Kaeldenas had one last choice and it would require some, improvisation. Kuronox had learnt from their impromptu game of cat and mouse however and when he rolled to the right to avoid her axe strike she flew her hand out and cast Chains of Ice. Kaeldenas gasped as his movement was suddenly very impaired. She took another run and this time she knocked him on his back and raised her axe, Kaeldenas gasped and dropped the first trap he could think of, which happened to release a myriad of poisonous vipers which quickly set about harassing Kuronox with as many bites and as much poison as their little bodies could muster. She growled and punched the ground sending out a wave of Death and Decay of which Kaeldenas caught the end as he had picked himself up again and started another run to the forest.
This… This can't keep going on. I'm getting too tired and she hasn't broken a sweat.
He ran and ran for as long as his legs could handle. The sun had long since went down and aside from the occasional frantic encounter he had mostly steered clear of the frenzied Death Knight. He had to stop though, his legs simply could not handle any more running, they felt like lead and saronite respectively and during one of their skirmishes Kuronox had actually managed to catch a glancing blow on his left leg. He had no doubt that his blood which was slowly oozing out of his wound was leading her right to him. He found the most hidden place he could, he recognised the location, he was relatively close to Grizzlemaw, the large fallen attempt to replace the World Tree, he hobbled next to the huge fallen tree and finally found the outcropping that was over the river, his heart soared as finally to his eternal relief there was a lone bear aimlessly wandering around and even a large moth contently flying along too.
Kael almost laughed, this was perfect, Kuronox would be able to release all her frustration to her hearts content, though for what felt like the hundredth time today his plans went to waste. Kuronox rounded the fallen tree trunk on the exact route Kaeldenas had and had the look of a woman possessed, her huge axe in one hand she charged him, completely unaware of the bear and the moth.
'Wonderful. Truly, I am the most fortunate fool who ever stumbled into the Grizzly Hills.'
Kaeldenas now had to draw Kuronox's attention away from him and that would be difficult, to say the least. She was on him quicker than he would have liked but her swing was wild and reckless, Kaeldenas didn't so much dodge however as he did stumble and trip. Some of his hair fell to the ground beside his face, he groaned to himself. "Never did like getting a haircut." He mumbled, surprised he could find time for humour in this predicament.
Currently he was lying on his back while Kuronox stood over him, an insane smirk on her face. He had one more option left and it was improvisation time. Kuronox crouched down next to him and pressed on his leg with her fist, he ground his face up in pain and hissed through his teeth. Kuronox gasped slightly as his blood washed out onto her hand. In a sickly sweet voice she leaned over and cooed.
"Does it hurt?" This time she held up her finger and it was covered in ice, she jabbed it into the gash on Kael's leg and his mind went white with pain, briefly he considered summoning Ace or Tai for help but they would try kill Kuronox, he didn't want that. "Do you want me to make it all stop?" Again that deceptively sweet voice, offering a promise he didn't want to take. He was beginning to see shadows on the edge of his vision.
I mustn't fall unconscious…
Kaeldenas thought dimly, again Kuronox withdrew the offending digit and this time she regarded her finger curiously before looking at Kael and lightly tracing a pattern in his blood on his face. She leaned to his ear and whispered once more. "Shh, just close your eyes." She drew back her hand and curled it into a fist, Kael was sure that what he was about to do would incur the wrath of Kuronox later on but if he didn't do something he wouldn't have a later on. He did the only thing left to him, he head butted her right on the nose. She stumbled back onto her haunches and Kaeldenas shot to his feet and charged to the bear, unfortunately the bear was closest. Now there was one thing he hadn't considered, how to calmly explain to the bear the situation that was about to occur.
Oh well, more improvisation I suppose.
The bear turned and looked quizzically at what appeared to be, lunch running to it. Before the bear could turn completely around the elf or lunch as the bear knew it. Leaped on to and over the bear, landing in a heap on the other side of the large mammal. Turning to the weary elf/snack, the bear opened it's jaw and was puzzled to hear a strange noise coming from behind. Turning to investigate it got a perfect view of Kuronox's axe and she proceeded to annihilate the poor bear. She truly went all out too, in fact it didn't look like there was much bear left by the time she was done. She dropped her axe then fell to her knees, blood on her face, armour and even in her hair, blue and red didn't match she dimly thought. It dawned on her that her thought process had returned to normal as opposed to a frantic urge to murder everything and make the pain stop. She looked around and took stock of her surroundings and location then she saw him, Kaeldenas lying next to a puddle of gore with a small smile on his face, his leg was clearly wounded and it looked like he was completely drained.
She shakily stood and walked over to him, a horrid thought began to form in her mind and a pit of dread in her stomach seemed to confirm what she wasn't sure she wanted to ask, quite frankly Kael looked beat up, nasty gash in his leg, bruises on his face and his armour looked muddy and scratched. She dropped to her knees again and nudged his shoulder. "Hrmm?" He mumbled, cracking open on eye to see his team mate covered in blood. Oddly this sight was a comfort to him as it meant that she shouldn't want to cut his head off, well, so long as she didn't remember the head butt.
"What happened?" She asked quietly. Her throat was actually sore.
"Well…" Kaeldenas explained what happened as best he could, leaving out some parts, specifically any head butt related instances.
"… And then I stumbled out to this place and found the bear and… I got you to pay attention to that instead of me." He finished the story of his rather frantic day.
"I'm so sorry, I… I couldn't control myself."
"Don't worry, I'm fine mostly. I'm just glad I didn't keep Ace or Tai out otherwise they'd have tried to eat you and I'd probably be short one pet." Kaeldenas said leaning his head back and sighing contently. "The bear carcass stinks somewhat, perhaps we should go back to Conquest Hold, I'm a little tired." He pulled out his Hearthstone and a green energy began swirling around his fingertips. Kuronox followed suit and they found themselves in Conquest Hold in the short space of ten seconds.
"Kael?" Kuronox asked after her companion had eaten his fill of rather expensive cooking.
"Yeah?" He mumbled through a mouthful of food. Glancing wearily at his companion. His pet Ace had a huge mouthful of food, the wolf could tell that something had occurred however but when Ace nuzzled Kael's leg and looked at him he waved the powerful wolf off. Ace looked quizzically at him and titled his head.
"Look, it's nothing Ace honest." Another look of disbelief from the wolf.
"Seriously drop it." The look remained. Kael was actually losing an argument with an animal who couldn't speak. To make up for this, he bought his pet another large steak and set it down in front of Ace's large snout.
"You realise you just lost an argument with a wolf?" Kuronox said laughing slightly at the absurdity of the situation.
"Well he's a smart wolf." Kael said justifying the fact he just wanted to treat Ace, he looked at his pet casually munching on the steak and ruffled the hair on Ace's head. "Good bad-dog." He smirked as Ace wagged his tail at the praise.
"Anyway Kael, why didn't you just Hearth back to the inn when I first… You know?" Kuronox wanted to know the answer to this question as soon as they got back to the inn but decided to let Kael heal a little first. It could well be a delicate subject and one best left unaddressed.
He seemed to ponder this for a moment before deciding on an answer.
"Well, who's to say you'd still be you by the time I got back to you, I couldn't waste that time." He nodded, content with his answer. Kuronox marvelled at how things could be so simple to him.
"Well, whatever the case, I'm glad you helped me back to normal Kael, thank you."
Kael smirked at his friend.
"Anytime Kuro."
So folks, read and review, I had some second thoughts about uploading this version as it had a more extended version of Kaeldenas being well... Tortured basically, let me know what you thought about it in the reviews etc.
Hope you had a Happy New Year by the by, ciao.