Prologue: A New Dream
The dust which hung thickly in the air was almost as bad the wind that cut the cheeks of those huddled together, trying to get some warmth in their bones before heading back out into the sandstorm. For the relief team however, who had quickly ducked into the doorway, it was their sincere happiness, however brief, to be inside. As they broke into smaller groups to talk amongst themselves, four of them went directly to the refreshment pitched tent, nodding to the warekeepers. Two had the height of trolls, one hunched over slightly. The other was huge and hulking, easily a tauren and the third was an orc with armour that was well polished and cared for.
As the bent troll went about, looking for herbs and reagents, the other uncovered their face, taking a deep breath of sweet air. "Oooooh, mon, we been in dat dere weather for a long time. Ah thought ah wa' never gon' breathe air 'gain!"
The tauren, taking the cloth from his snout, just chuckled; a rumbling burr, much like a drowsy bee. "Sasoria, you can be a real pessimist sometimes."
She huffed slightly, grazing her attention across the orc and adding, "Well if dat dere orc knew his foot fro' his mouth we'd ha' been here faster mon. Ah'n never lettin' ya read no map 'gain, Carnage!"
The orc just smiled, still youthful enough to lack serious scars and with enough cheek behind the grin to curb Sasoria's notable anger. "In my defence, we did get here."
"He has a point, Sassie," the male troll said in a very distinctly un-trollish voice. He'd pulled his head covering down to reveal a pale blue skinned face, marking free and with very lovely brown eyes, for a troll that is. His tusks, growing from his upper jawbone, were long and had been carved with delicate symbols and designs.
'Sassie' ripped her headcloth off and threw it at him. Under the head covering she was quite tall for a troll, with distinctly bright pink hair and faintly greenish skin and wild, angry red eyes. "Shut up mon! If ah had ma way... this be your fault!" And so saying, she gripped the handles of her two maces, giving them all a good look at her gritted teeth, showing off her tusks which unlike Lakuta's were hinged from her lower jawbone and stubby. She then whirled around and stalked on towards the forward party, who had their heads bend over tactical plans drawn up by the warlock team leader.
"Oh Lakuta," the tauren chuckled, clapping one of his heavy hands onto the somewhat slender shoulder of the troll, "You picked a real wild woman to be your wife."
Lakuta smiled, "Maybe, I think our eldest takes after her too. I understand what she means though, being so far away from home, especially so soon after... but your wife Heatha is taking good care of them, Arus."
"It's not like she can go anywhere with us right now either," Carnage added quietly; his voice was deep and serious, somewhat in contrast to his mischievous smile. He patted his flat stomach as if to show what he meant, looking up to Arus, "Boy or girl?"
"Does it matter?" Arus grinned.
"Don't have girls, old friend," Lakuta groaned, "They're going to make me an old man before my time."
"If Sasoria doesn't sic her wolves on you before that," Carnage smirked. "She's the angriest shaman I've ever met. I thought you were all supposed to be in tune with nature and love and all that?"
"Well," Lakuta started, then very nearly screamed like a girl when the shout of his angry wife ripped through the crowd, demanding they hurry themselves up instead of stalling around, jabbering like old men at a camp fire.
Arus and Carnage both threw the poor, calm natured shaman looks, mixes of terror and pity, even amusement. But they did gather their things, beginning their walk to the main scouting party that were beginning to look restless. The walls of the entrance were scraped clean with sand, scouring over the years this had stood in the brutal weather of southern Silithus. If one looked closely enough, you could make out the symbols of forgotten cultures and words, drawn in pictures.
"Ahn Qiraj," Carnage murmured, "I wonder what's in here."
"Who knows, but the guild leaders have decided it needs checking out."
"And we go where they point," Carnage murmured, lifting his heavy axe. "Let's go."
"Rianno, Rianno settle down!" Heatha chuckled, "You're so full of energy, child!"
The child in question was a four year old troll, tall for her age, even given her naturally tall racial leanings. Always on the go, Rianno seemed unable to sit still for ten seconds and her imagination was off in the clouds, dreaming of being an adventurer one day, just like her mother and father. An even split of features between both, Rianno had her mothers energy, temper and pink hair. But her pale blue skin, kindness and compassion was all her father. Right now, however, she was rushing between the door and her younger sister, who had barely begun to crawl, in the playpen.
"I see something, there's crowds!" She piped up.
"Crowds, I see."
"Big crowds!"
"Oh, I wonder what it could be."
Even though she was heavily pregnant with her own child, Heatha stood up and moved to pry Rianno's fingers off the door frame, peering out into the dusty street. Figures were walking towards houses, covered in dust and grime. The guild had come home, members who lived in their sleepy, but content little village going to their families, ready with stories of glory and wealth. But Heatha was wiser and had better eyes than the little troll girl, and despite her condition, quicker and stronger when needed. She pushed Rianno into the room and then went outside, closing the door behind her.
Only one figure walked slowly towards her house and like others, limped, using a crutch to support himself along the way. She knew those features, but when Arus had left, they were not so careworn, nor so lifeless. He looked up, seeing her. She saw the tears.
"Honey, what happened?"
He didn't speak, just crushing her against his chest with a sweep of his arm and then the sobbing began. Heatha had never heard a grown tauren man cry. She never wanted to again.
"I've got him out," Arus said, holding onto the body of the unconscious Carnage. The orcs armour had been ripped in chunks from the forged steel, dented heavily where the masonry had collapsed atop them mid attack from monsters. "He's breathing, no blood loss. I'll do what I can for him."
Sasoria nodded, pulling at the rocks.
"Sassie, come on!"
"He's here, ah got him," she replied, kicking away the last chunk of rubble to reveal the face and left shoulder of her husband, "Lakuta, sweet'art?"
He opened those brown eyes, too pretty for a troll, to stare up at them both as Arus was handing Carnage body over to the guild priest, Listus, a shaken looking Forsaken covered in dust and one arm bent at an unnatural angle. They shone with wetness, and the free arm scrabbled a little along the dirt towards Sasoria's hand. "Sassie," he said softly. "You're so... beautiful."
"Hold on, old friend, we'll get you out." Arus put his hands on the boulder pinning Lakuta down, but it didn't so much as budge, even when Sasoria added her strength to his. "Ngggh, might need some more guildies for this."
"Don't."
Arus paused, looking down Lakuta. "Don't?"
"Don't? Ah ya crazy mon!?" Sasoria dropped to her knees, "We'll get ya out, this is no the end!"
"I've been a restoration shaman for all my life, my dearest... I know when my time is up." He couldn't even breathe right, the boulder was pressing into his chest and bloody foam was bubbling up on his lips, coating his tusks. "Sassie... you're so beautiful..."
"Ya said it ahready," she wept, trying to push futilely at the boulder, "Ya said it twice."
"Tell Rianno, I love her. Tell Cialis, I love her. Tell them... to be good..." He fixed his eyes on Sasoria, as she took his hand, pressing it against her cheek desperately, "Sassie..."
A cry went up from the guild members as the building rumbled ominously. Litters were picked up and people began hurrying to make their way from the collapsing pathway. Arus stopped and looked up, cracks overhead seeming to shiver and widen. "This isn't good. Sasoria!"
The fiery enhancement shaman slumped by Lakuta, even her pink hair, once so bright, was dulled by the dust and grit from the quakes and crashes. Her hands circled Lakuta's free one, caressing his hand lovingly, pressing it to her face to draw warmth out. "Ya an idiot, Lakuta. Ah always liked that about ya." She smiled sadly down at him, "Mah idiot."
"Sasoria!" Arus tried to grab her, but the guilds tank, Cyrux took a hold of him and dragged him away, a hairs breadth from snatching her up with him, as the ceiling began to fall in. "Sasoria! LAKUTA!"
She leaned down and kissed him, as he whispered softly, "...you're so beautiful..."
"NO!" The tauren screamed, as rubble obstructed the pathway. "NO!"
Rianno looked up as Arus came over. She liked the way he smelled; a little like preserved flowers and sometimes like how she imagined sunshine would smell. She smiled for him; after all she loved Arus and Heatha like the extended family she didn't have. But he didn't smile back, in fact he looked dreadfully sad, his face drawn and his eyes shadowed by grief. She thought about standing up to be polite, but instead he lowered himself to the dusty floor of the hilltop next to her.
"Rianno, do you like living with us?"
"Yes!" She grinned, tiny tusks showing, "I do!"
"I see." Arus bent his head.
"Mama Heatha told me about Mama and Papa," Rianno frowned a little, "I know I should feel sad, but Mama Heatha said that if I ever felt lonely for them, then I should just sit and listen to the world."
"Did she now?"
"Mmmhmmm!" Rianno laughed, "She said they are in the voices of nature."
"In wood and water, you can hear my sigh; in the winds at noon, I'll pass you by. The ground beneath you is where I sleep, and the fire at night, your warmth I'll keep." Arus tilted his head at her. "Like that?"
"Yes! So, I must be pretty bad, because I can't hear a thing." Rianno lowered her eyes and looked at her bare feet. "So I decided."
"What is that, little one?"
"I'm gonna be a shaman, like Mama and Papa." She turned to look at him, fierce in her childish way.
Arus smiled faintly, clearly amused at her, "I see, I see, a shaman is it? Strong, like your Mama or wise like your Papa?"
"Both! And more!" Rianno jumped up to her feet, "Stronger too! I'm gonna be the best shaman in the world! Then I'll hear Mama and Papa!"
"Oh ho," Arus laughed, "I wish us adults were as resilient as you kids."
"Oh and when I'm old enough, I'm gonna take a new name! Cause I wanna sound cool!" Rianno grinned at him, putting her hands on her hips, "AND Cialis will be soooo jealous!"
"Ria, your sister isn't even one..." Arus started.
"SO jealous! Hahahaha!" She began to run back into the village, then paused and yelled behind her at Arus, "Oh and Mama Heatha told me to tell you to fetch our things from the house!"
His hand was cold now. It wasn't long to go.
The pain was beyond imagining; she'd never dreamed it would crush them this way, she could only imagine at the strength of will that kept him waiting for her, for the moment they slipped away from the world. She whispered, "Lakuta... ya my wind... my water..."
His reply was faint, "my earth and ... fire..."
She smiled, gripping his hand, "...Lakuta..."
The storms of Silithus howled on.