Author's Note: Fixes to the grammar made and a short bit added to the section with Sarasu at the end. I didn't like how a plot thread was just dropped for some reason that I can't even remember and it led to things being kind of awkward.
Disclaimer: I don't own World of Warcraft
Please feel free to read and review, your feedback helps me to write better stories.
Note: Some liberties have been taken with the rather convoluted World of Warcraft timeline, of which constant ret-cons over different media make it difficult to decipher properly. Also, the tampering of the Blood Elves that led to the Exodar landing on Azeroth has been removed because it makes absolutely no sense beyond giving the Draenei a reason to hate the Blood Elves.
World of Warcraft: Through the Screen
Meetra landed hard on her side, part of her tail caught beneath her as she did so. A bell rang, signaling that the match was over, and in possibly record time. Her opponent, a large burly man three times her size by the name of Atton, just smirked at her, making no move to help her up.
"And once again the mighty Meetra has fallen," taunted Atton. "Where's your flaunted elemental hocus pocus now? I seriously find it hard to believe that you once had more orc kills under your belt than anyone else. The light is clearly stronger than whatever forces you call upon."
Meetra ignored his taunting and just slowly got up off the ground. She bowed respectfully to her opponent, not getting a bow in return. She turned around and walked away in silence, not even worth the attention of those who had come to watch her fight.
The Prophet Velen watched in sadness as Meetra walked away. All the Draenei under his care were his children and to see them hurt also hurt him. He mandated that all his people spar with each other every so often so that if the Burning Legion attacked them again they'd be able to fight back and hopefully survive. Meetra was not the only Draenei that hurt. Others held similar wounds that kept them locked in their rooms except for the few times they were forced to leave. Meetra's tale was tragic for the indomitable spirit and strength she had once shown. It was now tampered down by her own will and trampled upon by others to compensate for their own worries. If such a person managed to find themselves then it could inspire dozens to rise once more from their own darkness. But she had to do it by choice, not by any of his machinations. So, he stood, watching, waiting, and praying; hoping that everything would turn out for the better. It was all he could do.
As Meetra approached her room the crystal lock sensed her unique biometric signature and unlocked itself. The door slid open for her and she walked in without slowing down. As soon as she was in the door shut behind her, once more locking out the outside world. Her room was very sparse; a bed up against the wall, a communication terminal next to it, a small wardrobe that contained the few clothes she owned on the wall opposite the bed and a locked chest at the foot of her bed that kept sealed her past. With a sigh Meetra collapsed onto her bed, ignoring the bruises and pains she'd received from her training round with Atton. She could have always gotten such small wounds treated by a healer but she had wanted to return to her room as quickly as possible with as little interaction with others as possible. Alternatively, she could have healed her own wounds but that would have relied on powers she no longer cared to think about. She just wanted to lie in bed, eat the minimum amount of food to survive and listen to the quiet hum of the ship around them as they waited for their eventual discovery and destruction by the burning legion. The Legion would find them eventually, they always did. Shaving away each time at the Draenei who remained, leaving less and less to flee to a dwindling section of the Realms that hadn't fallen to the Legion.
As Meetra listened to the soothing noises of the ship her terminal suddenly gave out a loud chime. She sat up suddenly, thrown off by the noise. The terminal gave the same chime again and she stared at it in shock. She had alarms set to inform her of meals, to inform her of spars and to inform her of when the day/night cycle on the ship reached the correct points to sleep and wake up to maintain her bodies rhythm, but they each were set to their own unique chimes and none of those were this. Alternatively, the terminal could also receive calls from the Healers, from other members on the ship (although if they wanted to talk they'd usually just knock on her door) and the rare curtesy call from the Prophet Velen. This chime was different, it was the chime for a call from the outside that had somehow connected to the ship. The chime also specified that it was from a specific communication crystal that had been lost several decades years prior and she had believed to be long destroyed. It was tied only to her terminal and could only send messages to or be contacted by her terminal. Attempts to reach it many, many years prior had failed so the question was, why now?
Drawn by a curiosity that she hadn't felt for years Meetra slowly sat up in bed and walked over to the still chiming terminal. The terminal was a meter and a half tall, with a square screen in the top part. Below it was a variety of crystals and knobs that allowed her to answer or send calls and to access the other functions of the terminal. She reached over and tentatively touched the answering crystal. The chime stopped as she did so and the screen of the terminal lit up with a magical light. An image, strong and clear, appeared at the top of the screen. The image was of a species that Meetra had never seen before. Her own species had blue skin of varying shades that could stretch from a very pale blue, almost white to a rich dark purple, almost black. The being on the screen was a pale, pinkish color that seemed to glow faintly. While Meetra had eyes with purple irises the being in front of her had eyes that glowed completely green with some type of magic. She was uncomfortably reminded of the sickly green of the Burning Legion but this color seemed to draw from a different, slightly healthier source. The being had short pale, bone white hair that contrasted with youthful features on a strong, sharp featured face. They were notably of a hornless race unlike the Draenei, Meetra herself sporting a pair of short horns that curved from the top of her head out to either side. She couldn't make anything else out of the being though because of their being covered in a heavy crimson robe and the image being cropped to show nothing below what Meetra figured to be their chest.
While she was studying the being in the screen she saw the being's own gaze darting over her own image, which was being projected from the crystal in a miniature three-dimensional image that showed all of her, front and back. She was still wearing her sparring clothes which were just a short-cropped top that covered her chest, leaving her stomach exposed and a tight pair of short pants that allowed her tail to poke through in the back and did nothing to cover up her long legs. She wondered briefly if the being on the other side had legs similar to the Draenei, which were thin, bony and ended in hooves or more like the Orcs with their fatter, muscle covered legs that ended in five toed feet.
"It works…" muttered the being on the other side. They had a light, higher pitched but melodious voice. Their words were translated automatically by the crystal and a display of the language they were speaking was displayed on the screen. 'Thalassian'. Meetra was glad the terminal seemed to recognize the language but the knowledge didn't really help her, she'd never heard of such a language before.
"Who are you?" asked Meetra. The being on the screen looked at her in surprise, probably not expecting to be able to understand the being they found on the other side.
"You can speak Thalassian?" asked the being, surprised.
"The crystal knows your language and translates it automatically. It's doing the same as I speak to you," replied Meetra.
"Fascinating…" muttered the being. They looked down at something and there was some movement of their arms. Then they looked back up, overwhelming curiosity on their face, but there also seemed to be something else…apprehension? "You're being projected as a three-dimensional figure in front of me right now. You seem to be similar to the Tauren race but only superficially it seems. I'd suspect that's a coincidence more than a common ancestor. What, by chance, do I look like there? Is a crystal also projecting a three-dimensional image of me?"
"No," said Meetra. The being in front of her was very…eager. She didn't know what she was expecting when she answered the call, a long lost Draenei who had discovered her crystal or even an agent of the Legion, but this didn't seem like one. The Legion were crafty, but it would seem to make more sense to pretend to be a Draenei then a completely unknown race. So, she felt no hesitation as she answered such a person's questions. "I have a terminal here that allows more functions than the simple crystal and your image is projected on the screen, although it's only showing your top half right now. A setting on your side.
The being almost seemed relieved, which made Meetra slightly suspicious, but maybe they were just shy or something? The being studied her once again. "Your body structure is very interesting… Would it be fine if I ask you some questions?"
"Haven't you been already?" asked Meetra with an amused smile. The being on the other side turned slightly red in the face and Meetra wondered if it was similar to Orcs and Draenei blushing in embarrassment. She hadn't felt any urge to engage in conversations with her fellow Draenei for a long time but something about this being's excitement made her want to continue talking, of only to find out how they had come upon and activated the crystal. "But I asked you a question you still have to answer. Who are you?"
"Oh, right!" exclaimed the being, apparently having forgotten the question. "I am Vestara. What is your name? What race are you? What language are you speaking right now?"
"I am Meetra, a Draenei," answered Meetra. "The language is called the same."
"Fascinating," marveled Vestara. "Does the name of your race have any meaning?"
Meetra was shocked by the question for a moment but recovered. She hesitated a moment before answering sadly. "It means 'Exiled Ones'."
"'Exiled Ones'…" repeated Vestara, frowning. "Why would your race be named after such a depressing concept? Are you members of a penal colony or something?"
"We were attacked and had to flee our home," replied Meetra, her voice choked with emotion as she remembered all the times they had had to flee, leaving behind many they had cared about. Vestara finally noticed that their line of questioning was troubling Meetra and rushed to apologize.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to drag up old memories! I was just curious…"
"No, it's fine," said Meetra. "I talked about it."
"My own people are called Blood Elves to remember those who died in a terrible crisis," said Vestara.
"That's a powerful name to bear," marveled Meetra. "Tough for one as young as you."
Vestara gave a small laugh, smiling at Meetra. "That's funny for someone your age to say. I'm now on my five hundred-fiftieth year."
Meetra just smirked at the number. "Five hundred-fifty? You are only a baby. I will be celebrating my one thousand-six hundred-sixty-sixth birthday soon enough. And I have many more to live."
"Your people must be extraordinarily long lived," marveled Vestara. "Unless you use a different time scheme. How do you measure time? Do you have a day/night cycle? Revolutions around a Sun?"
"We have no true Sun, as we're always moving," replied Meetra. "But we follow a day/night cycle of 25 hours. An hour contains 60 minutes and a minute contains sixty seconds, which are ticks of this length."
Meetra counted off sixty seconds methodically with perfect rhythm as Vestara watched fascinated. When she was done the Blood Elf looked down and their arms moved below the screen. Meetra guessed that they were writing or taking notes.
"That's similar to the time we keep, except with a 24-hour cycles instead. How many cycles are in a year for you?"
"366," replied Meeta. Vestara just gaped.
"That would make you even older based on the age system we use in Azeroth. And are you a normal age example? Are you an average aged member? Younger? Older?"
"I'm slightly on the older side I'd guess," said Meetra. "We've lost a lot of members recently and most of those older have died. The Prophet is older though."
"The Prophet?" asked Vestara. "Is that your leader?"
"Yes, he is our leader."
"You just said 'he'. Do you have a binary gender scheme? Male/Female?"
"Yes."
"And you are? NO! Let me guess!" cried Vestara, holding up her hand suddenly. "Female?"
"Correct," said Meetra.
"Are there large differences between the genders?"
"The males are usually much larger and bulkier while the females are smaller and slimmer."
"Hmmm…so similar to how it is here…" pondered Vestara.
"Are you female then?" asked Meetra.
"Uh yes, I am," replied Vestara distractedly. "How much bigger are the men?"
"Roughly three times," replied Meetra. "The figure you're seeing should be a 1/12th scale hologram."
"That's quite a large difference between the genders then," marveled Vestara. "Much larger than among the Blood Elves or any other races I've met. So, are only the men warriors then?"
"No, everyone knows how to and does fight," replied Meetra. "A variety of skill sets and techniques make up for any disadvantage in striking power. Like better agility and maneuverability or the ability to cast magic."
"So, are you a mage then?" asked Vestara.
"No, I don't use magic," said Meetra. "I used…. different forces…"
"Used?" asked Vestara. "What do you-"
Vestara was cut off by a noise from her side of the crystal. She looked around frantically, tinkering with something off screen. She whispered quietly into the crystal. "I want to talk more but I can't right now. How many hours until it would be appropriate to call you again for more questions?"
"It's currently late night," said Meetra, looking at the clock display on her terminal, surprised at how much time had passed. She had missed the chime to eat while she had been busy talking. "Call in about 10 hours if possible."
"That should work…" remarked Vestara. She smiled at Meetra. "Thank you for talking to me, good bye for now."
The image on the screen disappeared and dimmed, plunging Meetra into darkness. She was tempted to go down to the kitchens to get a meal from storage but decided she was much too tired for that. She'd had a long day of doing nothing, followed by a harsh spar and an unbelievable conversation. It was too much for her to handle. She carefully made it to her bed, pulling the covers over herself. Anticipation coursed through her, a feeling she hadn't felt for a long time. Despite the feeling she was asleep in a heartbeat, her dreams of unknown worlds and beings.
Velen made it a habit to observe the daily activities, or lack of them, that went on in the ship. He knew who were always in the library reading, who practiced magic, who cooked, who trained with weapons, who prayed and when, and who stayed in their rooms. The constant threat of the Burning Legion led to a consistent schedule for every one of the Draenei. He knew that Meetra kept a consistent schedule that culminated in sitting in her room all day unless a spar was scheduled for the day, she had a fitness check-up or she had to eat. She ate slowly and deliberately, never talking to anyone. Or at least that was the pattern he had become accustomed to.
As the days since the spar moved forward he noticed a slight change. She spent more time alone in her room than prior. This was a trend that disturbed him slightly, but it was coupled with another strange action. What had formerly been slow, automatic movements and actions she now performed with an animation that surprised him, and several of the Draenei had mentioned her strange behavior to him with concern. Something had prompted this excitement but no one seemed to know what it was. Velen didn't spy on rooms or terminals and banned the action by anyone else, but even he felt a curiosity to know. Her change didn't seem to be a regression but a progression (despite spending less time with others she exchanged pleasantries when doing so, something she hadn't done before).
So Velen continued to watch and pray, hoping that the changes boded well.
"So, I now know all about your anatomy, which is fascinating, but you still haven't divulged why your people are 'Exiled Ones', where you live and what your unique fighting style is. You need to answer one eventually."
"And why would that be?" asked Meetra, looking curiously at Vestara.
"Because, I told you about the history of the Blood Elves and Quel'Thalas and Prince Kael'thas."
"And I appreciate what difficulty it must have taken to relate such fascinating tales," remarked Meetra. Then she gave a sigh. "Fine, I will tell you why we are the "Exiled Ones"."
Vestara looked overjoyed, practically glowing with excitement of the prospect. Meetra had discovered over the past few days of talking to her that the blood elf had an almost unlimited supply of energy to devote to curiosity. It was quite endearing really, and what made such conversations enjoyable. The discussion she was about to have though was one she had been dreading and avoided talking about even with other Draenei. She took a deep breath before she spoke, letting it out slowly.
"We were once known by a different name that I hesitate to say. Two members of the Triumvirate that led us sold us out for power to the demonic Burning Legion. They corrupted many of us and had them slaughter those who wouldn't join them, we fled with the Prophet aboard the Exodar and have be fleeing since, only settling down for brief periods of time in any one place. We are currently all aboard the Exodar, unable to leave, fleeing to a place we hope to finally be safe from the Legion."
Vestara just gapped at her for a moment through the screen. Then her face lit up with excitement. "Your enemies are the dreaded Burning Legion?! This is exciting!"
"If you know of them I don't think you'd think it was exciting," said Meetra angrily.
Vestara at least had the courtesy to look suitably embarrassed about her outburst. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Many thousands of years ago my people accidentally cast a magic that allowed the Burning Legion to enter Azeroth. They managed to push out the Legion and seal the portal. If you want a place that's safe from the Legion, there would be no better one than Azeroth. Although you'd need to still deal with those blasted orcs."
"Wait, did you say orcs?" asked Meetra in surprise.
"Yeah, do you know of them?"
"They were the latest targets of the Burning Legion!" exclaimed Meetra. "They were a peaceful race that we co-existed with on Dreanor. They revered their ancestors and the elements, their shamans were truly magnificent beings."
"You sound like you know them well," commented Vestara. "But that's not how we know the green skinned brutes who wrecked our home, forced us into seeking a new one. Their warlocks destroyed in the most brutal fashions as we ran, their Death Knights wrecking damage on our very bodies with magical corruption."
"That's because the Legion found them and tainted them with lies," replied Meetra. "Made them hate us. Made them kill us… Their shamans disappeared and the warlocks took their place. Watching all of that, seeing Mira's twisted corpse…"
It was too much, Meetra broke down into tears, sobbing into her hands. The memories were flooding in, memories she'd long shut out. First hearing the news that the once peaceful orcs weren't. Then settlement after settlement was raided and destroyed. Her beautiful, ever loving Mira had been on one of the nearest settlements to Orc land, practicing the shamanic arts as a healer. Meetra had heard the news and sortied with a party immediately to defend the town. They'd only found a rear guard of orcs but they'd fallen quickly to Meetra's mace and her lightning. She'd combed every building, praying, but had only found twisted corpses. There were no survivors and when she finally found her daughter's twisted body, her world had been destroyed.
Vestara was saying something but Meetra couldn't hear her. She didn't care, she just wanted to be left alone. She reached over and touched the crystal to end the call. Vestara's image disappeared, the screen dimming. Meetra turned off all the lights in her room and crawled into bed, still sniffling at the memories, crying herself to sleep.
Meetra was woken up by her terminal and went about her day as usual, eating and the daily necessities. When her terminal rang again it was from Vestara, calling at her usual time. Meetra answered without hesitation and with a smile and was greeted by a smiling, cheerful Vestara. They talked for hours about the lore their people had, going back and forth as they shared and listened. Soon it was time for Vestara to hang up, for whatever reason or duty it was that always dragged her away. They said goodbye with smiles, neither having mentioned anything about the previous day. Meetra went to sleep with a smile on her face but a small ache still in her heart.
The next day was almost an exact repeat of the prior day. When they talked, they instead talked about the solid history of their people. There were a lot of painful events in both histories, but neither mentioned anything directly personal, only as 3rd person observers from a safe temporal distance. Meetra was fascinated to hear about the Orcs, a species she'd always liked and was saddened to hear more about their fall into the demonic. Vestara for her own part listened intently as Meetra told about the Dreanei's history with the Burning Legion, something that was near mythical to the Blood Elf. Much like the day before the hours passed quickly and soon it was time for the call to end. They each hesitated for a moment, but with smiles mutually ended the call. Meetra was awash with feelings and emotions that were like a torrent inside of her. Her heart was both light and twisted inside, as if it was healing but not quite. Talking felt good, but it almost wasn't enough. She needed to talk more, there was more to say, and personal matters that weighed her down…
Meetra sat anxiously on her bed, waiting for the call. A check on her clock showed that it was a few minutes later than usual. This was only strange due to the unerring punctuality that Vestara usually showed. Meetra mused that it was always the Blood Elf girl calling her and not the other way around. Of course, this was because Meetra was always in her room and thus was always available while Vestara must have duties, studies and other things to attend to. She couldn't spend all her time talking to Meetra and that made her kind of sad to think about. She realized she was becoming reliant on talking to Vestara, and looked forward to the conversations more than anything else. Everything else she did, eating and sleeping was to help her through the day for these moments.
Meetra fiddled with her terminal a bit while she waited and a written message popped up on the screen. She opened it and found that it was an alert informing her of her next sparing session in a few weeks. She also had a physical health check-up scheduled for tomorrow, something she'd totally forgotten about.
Her terminal rang and Meetra immediately answered. She saw the apologetic face of Vestara looking back at her, but all she could do was smile.
"Sorry about that," apologized Vestara. "Something came up and detained me for longer than usual."
"Its fine," replied Meetra. "I hope that it's nothing too dire?"
"No, no. Nothing too important, just time consuming," assured Vestara. Meetra thought that something seemed off but didn't feel too much like prying. She didn't want to offend the person who had become her only friend.
"So, where were we?" asked Vestara, looking down at what Meetra had long figured out was a note pad.
"The types of disciplines each of our peoples use," supplied Meetra.
"Right!" exclaimed Vestara, back on the trail of new knowledge now. "We have Hunters, Mages, Paladins, Priests, Rogues, Warlocks and the usual Warriors."
"That's very similar to the disciplines practiced here," commented Meetra. "Like you we have Hunters, Mages, Priests, Paladins and Warriors. Rogues and Warlocks are both considered dishonorable pursuits though."
"I guess with your history with the Legion and the Orcs that isn't surprising."
"I find it surprising that your people would embrace such though. You seem like an honorable people."
"Maybe I've given you the wrong impression of us then," said Vestara, frowning. "Knowledge is paramount to us. We need to keep moving forward, unlocking new powers for our goals. Nothing is good enough. Almost nothing is restricted in this search. It might seem foolish to you but we'll always follow that path. I'll always follow that path…"
"You don't sound like you agree with your people's philosophy but you'll still do it anyways?" asked Meetra.
"Yes, because it's who I am," replied Vestara. She stared curiously at Meetra. "What about you? Has there ever been a time you've disagreed with your people or done something against or unusual to their teachings? Or are you a shining example of an average Dreanei?"
Meetra could only laugh at the question, drawing yet another strange look from Vestara. "I'd dare say that I'm quite unusual. It's not very common to practice the discipline I practice."
"And what is that?" asked Vestara
Meetra hesitated for a moment, a pressure feeling like it was building up in her chest. She ignored it though and forced out the words. "I was a shaman."
"A shaman?" asked Vestara. "Like the orcs?"
"Yes, like the orcs," said Meetra. "I saw their beliefs and their powers grow from almost the start of their race and it was amazing. It was something that not one of the Dreanei had ever tried to harness before. With a few others, I delved into learning shamanism."
"You said 'was'," commented Vestara. "Are you not a shaman anymore?"
"A lot happened, and I gave up the path…"
"Are there a lot of shamans among the Dreanei?"
"Not really. We each barely managed a single disciple after we mastered our powers, leading us to be a rare sight. And then there were those of us lost when the Orcs gave up Shamanism and their peaceful ways. There are those who blame us for the war with the Orcs, they feel we should have seen it coming or been able to stop it somehow. Or that Shamanism itself lead to the corruption. It's all just fear and anger built up with nowhere else to go, but it hurts nonetheless."
"You gave it up because of what the Orcs did or because of the hate leveled at you?" asked Vestara. There was no harmful intent in her voice, just curiosity. She just needed to know the answers to everything, but that didn't make it any easier for Meetra.
"No, those aren't really the reasons. Well, they are two of the reasons but it's only coupled with the real reason that I quit being a shaman." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes as she gathered herself. "My daughter was also a shaman; I taught her the arts. Instead of for hunting and battle like I used my powers she used them for healing others. She was in one of the first settlements to get destroyed by the Orcs. The ancestors and elements did nothing to save her, or any of them. They were powerless against the demonic powers that tainted the Orcs. What use are they if they can't actually do anything they really need to?"
Meetra yelled the last part, slamming her fists onto her terminal, causing it to shake slightly in its fastenings against the wall. What might have been worse than reliving the torment was the expression that greeted her when she looked up. Vestara's face was filled with more compassion and sympathy than she'd ever seen before. Her mouth opened to say words of comfort but Meetra couldn't handle them at the moment. She didn't want to hear the words she knew where coming, words she knew she'd been wanting to hear. She ended the call abruptly once again. As the image winked out she got a faint part of the message and it struck her in the heart.
Meetra dropped down onto her bed and just cried into her pillow. A knock came on her door, a voice coming through. "Are you okay in there? I've been hearing pounding, yelling, and crying."
"No, I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about," replied Meetra as evenly as she could manage, tears still coming down her face. "Sorry for disturbing you Carth."
"Have a good night then," bid Carth hesitantly, returning to his room next to hers.
Meetra continued to cry herself to sleep, her dreams filled with the past, both good and bad. At the end, as she knelt by Mira's mangled body a hand touched her shoulder. Looking up she saw Vestara, standing in front of her in a heavy crimson robe that obscured all her body except her face which was smiling compassionately down at her.
Meetra awoke with her face red and puffy. She went slowly and mechanically about her day, dreading every moment. She'd been rude when someone had just been trying to help, and she regretted her decision now. She was hoping that any moment Vestara would call her back, worried if she did and dreaded if she didn't. So it was that Meetra sat quietly on her bed, waiting as each minute slowly passed by her. The time that Vestara usually called passed and Meetra's heart sank. Each moment that ticked by she felt the regret piling up. She considered calling but wondered if Vestara would even answer.
Then it happened. The familiar chime went off and Meetra leapt up to answer. On the screen was Vestara, her face unreadable. Meetra almost wanted to cry but she wasn't exactly sure at what emotion.
"I'm so sorry for hanging up on you yesterday, it was just more than I could take," apologized Meetra hurriedly before Vestara could even open her mouth to speak.
"I shouldn't have pushed," said Vestara. "I'm sorry for that. Sometimes I get carried away in looking for answers. You're such a fascinating person, not just your race but you yourself. It made me want to learn more about the mystery that is Meetra. I still want to learn more, if you'll let me."
Meetra started to tear up, her eyes growing misty. She was very emotional, brought to tears easily and always had been. She'd avoid plays and stories because if there was a sad story or death she'd make a spectacle of herself. Strangely enough she was fine with seeing death in combat, most of the time. She wondered if that paradox meant she was mentally unstable or a cold person? She pushed down her worries for right now though, focusing on Vestara.
"I'd like to be able to keep talking to you also," said Meetra. "These conversations are the only thing I have to look forward to in my day besides falling asleep."
Vestara frowned slightly at that. "Do you not have any friends or engage in any activities? Is movement that restricted aboard your ship?"
"No, we're free to visit with others and come and go anywhere, I just have nowhere to go."
"But you don't do anything then?" asked Vestara, sounding worried. Meetra wondered why she would be worried for her. She was doing fine, even if she was doing nothing.
"Occasionally I have physical check-ups or mandatory sparing sessions to keep in shape, but I've been doing worse and worse on those lately. I've got to wonder sometimes what the point is."
"You shouldn't ever give up on your health!" yelled Vestara loudly, glaring at Meetra in the angriest expression she'd ever seen. She was shocked by the outburst and just stared. Vestara's expression softened slightly. "Health is important to everyone. You should be working out and striving to win your matches. Why would you ever just want to quit on something like that? It's like quitting on life."
"Maybe I have quit trying in life," said Meetra sadly, looking down away from the screen. "Everything I've cared for has been corrupted or killed. I'm one of only a handful who practiced shamanism and I find it hard to care about that either. The ancestors and the elements have forsaken us…"
"That's not true," said Vestara, drawing Meetra's attention back towards her. "Since you told me about your art I've been doing research and I think it's similar if not the same as what the Tauren people of Kalmidor practice. They're a race similar to yours with hooved feet and horns but are generally larger and have brownish fur. Accounts I've found seem to indicate that they worship ancestor spirits and use totems to harness the elements, although I've only got sketches of what these totems look like. Would you happen to have something similar?"
"I have some tools I used for my art, yes…" said Meetra hesitantly.
"Then can I see them?" asked Vestara.
Meetra hesitated to move or to even say anything in response. Almost mechanically she moved to the foot of her bed and put her hand on the lock. It clicked open, the top popping up slightly as it was released. She opened it and inside she saw parts of her that had once been of the utmost importance but had long been forsaken. There was the armor she'd worn as a warrior shaman, colored with paints in a style similar to that of the Orcs. Resting on top of it was a simple cloth band, the headdress she'd once worn. Removing the clothes, she saw her twin maces; Fury and Harmony they had been called. Fury was made to channel the elements she had had at her command and to strike down her foes. Harmony on the other hand was designed for defending herself or to channel the forces she'd once used to heal wounds of the injured. Below her two once honored weapons sat her five small totems, carved out of metal from one of their crashed ships. They each represented one of the five elements and were attached to a belt so that she could carry them wherever she was in case she needed to commune with the elements.
Gingerly picking up the totem belt, Meetra carried it over and stood once more in front of her terminal. She held it up for Vestara to study and she saw the Blood Elf's eyes scanning rapidly over what to her was a tiny holographic image.
"They're slightly different than the sketched totems I've seen but that's to be expected," commented Vestara. "The Tauren have been practicing the art for a long time and it's amazing to see how on two different worlds the same art was created. The Tauren totems are crafted out of specially treated wood, but these look like metal?"
"They are," replied Meetra. "The Exodar was close to our very beings, our savior if you will. It made sense to use metal from her hull."
"Fascinating…" muttered Vestara. "This might interest you but the orcs have also started to practice Shamanism once more from the reports I've heard. Their current leader is in fact one of these new shamans."
The news of this resurgence in the Orcs hit Meetra harder than she'd ever expected. It was without conscious thought that tears started to flow down her checks and her mouth curved up into a smile. "Is that so? That's very good news…"
Velen looked over all the health reports that had been given to him for the day. He liked to know how his people were, and this was a good way to end his day. It wasn't always good news, the more reclusive Draenei would come with reports of muscle loss or of diseases caused by sickness of the mind and soul. The need for everyone to willingly make choices without being pushed by him was important, but it was still painful to sit back and do nothing. So instead he forced himself to watch and pray; it was all he could do.
When Meetra's report passed over his desk he felt worried by what he would see. She'd been even more reclusive than before and he was worried the wounds to her heart had been too much for her to bear. If she died it would be a symbol that the rest suffering from the same symptoms were probably soon to follow. He flipped open the report and read it over. Her scores weren't very good, especially since he was aware of her one-time status as one of their most efficient warriors. But as he compared the numbers to those of her previous test he saw something odd. It wasn't drastic, and only by a very tiny amount, but almost every tested value was improved. He allowed himself hope for a moment that this was a positive sign and not just a random occurrence.
As the days passed, Meetra realized she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time…good. Her conversations with Vestara everyday served to lift her spirits, but it was more than just that. After Vestara had chided her for neglecting her health, she'd mandated that Meetra had to spend several hours of the day stretching and working out. The Blood Elf even threatened to stop talking to her if she didn't do so and gave a poor showing during her next sparing match. So it was that when she wasn't talking to Vestara, Meetra exercised. She kept to her room for the first week as she worked out the kinks in her body and got accustomed to once again moving around. Then, after she showed some progress with that Vestara ordered her to jog around the Exodar once a day. Meetra was surprised by the command but the Blood Elf was surprisingly obstinate. So Meetra did as she was told.
At first, she winded easily and felt like a fool doing so as other Draenei stared at their reclusive sister in surprise and curiosity. Eventually she started to get used to the stares, and the others got used to the sight, giving her no heed except the occasional happy smile and a wave. Her breath started to come out less ragged as she ran the halls up and down. Even more surprising was when jogging through the halls one day she was joined by another Draenai. This one was a young Priest by the name of Atris. Atris didn't say anything as she joined her for the jog, just silently slipping next to her. Atris was young but also seemed to be out of shape and tired quickly that first time. Without thinking Meetra had naturally slowed down and allowed Atris to keep up with her while catching her breath. The two had then spent the next few days silently running with each other and it was only after the first week that Atris had introduced herself.
"It's kind of late to say, but it's a pleasure to be running with you ma'am," Atris had said, surprising Meetra slightly since she was only used to hearing herself and Vestara. "You might not know me, I'm Atris, a priest. I know who you are though, the stories of all the dangers you'd fought off and the powers you wielded where some of my favorite tales as a child."
"I'm…honored," said Meetra awkwardly as Atris stared up at her in admiration. She continued to walk at a fast pace through the corridors as they took a break from running. "So…you became a priest instead of a shaman? That's quite a difference from someone who admired me."
Meetra regretted her harsh words as soon as she said them but they didn't seem to faze Atris. "I wanted to, but I had no talent for the art sadly. It turned out that I had a talent for harnessing the Light though, so I decided to follow that and become a great healer to support our warriors."
"That's…a wonderful thing you did," commented Meetra, emotion choking her voice. "I'm sorry for my rude comment, I'm not really used to talking to others lately…"
"I understand completely," said Atris, looking down sadly. "I have been shut in my room since we fled Dreanor. Everything that happened; it was just so horrifying. I can't imagine having been on the front lines like that and all you experienced. When I found out you were here jogging though I felt it was a sign from the Light!"
Meetra was surprised by how much her leaving her room meant to this girl. She hadn't ever realized she had inspired anyone. It felt…good to know that she had though, that she was making a change just being out of her room lifted her own spirits. Maybe Vestara had been onto something…
"…and then I just release all the energy and the spell is cast," finished Vestara, describing how she worked her mage craft. She looked at Meetra through the screen. "What about you? Would you be willing to show me a demonstration about how you tap into the elements and communicate with your ancestors?"
Meetra hesitated for a moment but like everything else Vestara asked had a hard time refusing. The Blood Elf had done nothing but help her since they had met and all she asked for was information and stories. Meetra had already told her about several old campaigns she'd fought in, although they were all older than the recent war with the orcs. She wasn't ready to talk about those times quite yet. She felt better each day though, both in her heart and through her body. Exercise had started to make her healthy again and it was possible she'd be able to put up a fight once more when her approaching sparring match happened.
"Sure, but don't expect too much," cautioned Meetra. "I haven't done this for a long time."
"If the elements like listening to you talk even half as much as I do then I think you'll be fine," replied Vestara with a smile. Meetra wondered slightly at the bags around Vestaras eyes that seemed to grow darker each week. Every time she asked though the Blood Elf just told her everything was fine and not to worry, she'd just stayed awake too late the night before reading. Meetra was slightly worried that Vestara didn't seem fully able to confide in her but she didn't push the matter. She knew she was there for her if she ever wanted to talk about anything and that was all that mattered.
Meetra smiled at Vestara's comment and went to her chest. She put on her headband and tied the totem belt around her waist. She walked back into view of the terminal and sat down on the floor, the camera angled so that Vestara could still see her. She closed her eyes and just sat in silence, trying to feel the connections she'd long ago had. She wasn't confident in finding them again but was surprised when she felt something tugging on her. It was a slight breeze that shouldn't have existed in the small enclosed room. It ruffled her clothes and caressed her skin. Wind had always been the element she'd been closest too and it seemed to recognize her attempt to contact it once again. She grabbed onto that breeze in her mind, allowing it to carry her where it wanted her to go. They flew through a cloud and she felt droplets of water spraying lightly on her face, sticking against her skin, or flowing down it. As she flew on the droplets on her skin stayed where they were, cooling down where they touched; soothing the troubles that had lingered in her heart for so long.
Suddenly the wind moved downward through the cloud and Meetra saw a flash of light right next to her, the crack of thunder following right after. It came again, this time lingering long enough for her to reach out and touch it. It reacted to her touch like a loyal pet, rubbing against her and engulfing her in its primal energies. She couldn't help but smile as the energy made her feel more alive than she had in a long, long time. The energy lingered around her, crackling slightly as the wind carried her further downward. Without slowing and with a crack of thunder she crashed into the ground, kicking up dust and lighting nearby shrubs on fire.
Standing up she felt the wind once more tug on her and guide her towards a flaming shrub. Meetra reached out her hand to the fire, stopping right in front of it. It leapt from the shrub onto her palm and floated there, warming it up without scorching her. Her smile widened and with a deep breath she closed her hand, drawing the fire into herself. It coursed through her veins, warming her up like never before. Each element had felt like greeting an old, cherished friend but she still had two more she knew she needed to meet.
Kneeling, Meetra touched her hand to the ground and concentrated. She felt something calling out to her as if from a great distance and she responded by calling back. The dust around her was kicked up into the air and swirled around but not by the breeze that still hovered around her. Meetra felt the spirit of the Earth near her and then embrace her, covering her in the fine particles that made up its body. Now with a little bit of all of the elements circling around her Meetra knew it was time to contact the final member from who she drew power. She hesitated slightly, fearful of what might happen but the elements cheered here on. They were her friends, caretakers and companions and she knew they only had her best interests in mind. After taking another deep breath and exhaling it, Meetra called on the power of the ancestors.
The dreamscape she'd been journeying through disappeared and was instead replaced by an all-white existence. It was then replaced by the familiar image of the crypt all interred Draenei were buried and kept in. Meetra could still feel the elements around her and together with them she walked into the crypt. Through doors that opened on their own as she approached and down many flights of stairs she went. Eventually she turned and dead ended in a familiar alcove. The bodies were mercifully covers by stone tombs, sparing her the sight of those she knew had to be contained within. A particular coffin glowed and out of it walked a young female draenei wearing simple brown robes, a belt of totems around her waist. Meetra's voice caught in her throat as the spirit smiled softly at her, love in her eyes.
"Hello mother," greeted Mira.
"Hello Mira," croaked Meetra, her voice filling with emotion.
Mira just put her hand on her hip and gave the cocky smile that signaled that she was teasing someone, usually Meetra. "Come on mother, again with the tears? What would the others say if they saw their brave champion crying like that at a simple family reunion?"
"They couldn't be any more disappointed than that same champion locking herself in her room and becoming useless in the face of loss…" said Meetra sadly. Mura just frowned and walked over, putting a spectral hand on Meetra's shoulder and looking her right in the eye.
"I don't think anyone could ever be disappointed in you," said Mira softly. She gave a cocky smile. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm your daughter. It's true that you haven't been handling the loss well, but you're not the only one. You taught me that if we believe, the elements and ancestors will have our backs, no matter the predicament. They might not always have the power we'd like, but they're there for us if we're willing to be there for them. We just need to have some trust."
"But I turned away from them…" replied Meetra.
"And now you're back, so what does it matter?" asked Mira.
"Only to show a friend what a shaman is," said Meetra. "I'm still not sure I'm worthy of that title anymore…"
"How did it feel?"
"Huh?"
"Touching the elements once more, how did it feel?"
"It was great!" said Meetra, smiling. She grew wistful and her voice became soft. "It was great…I wonder why I turned away in the first place? I was being a fool… Touching the elements makes me feel like I have friends again and talking to you makes me feel like I have a family again… I wonder-"
"Don't finish that sentence," interrupted Mira, scowling at Meetra. "If you were about to say that it'd be better if you just stayed in the mediation state the rest of your life then don't bother."
"I wasn't about to-," started Meetra before stopping herself. She had in fact been thinking the same thing as Mira accused her of. Times like this made her wonder if she was really the mother and Mira the daughter and how their relationship had become so reversed. She didn't hate such a relationship though, having someone tell her she was being an idiot and need to pull herself together. It was very similar to the relationship she had with Vestara now, except that that felt like less of a mother-daughter dynamic and more of…something else… It occurred to her how draining such a relationship had to be on the other person, either mother, daughter or other. No one had called her out on it yet, but did that mean she should keep acting the same until someone did? No, that was the Meetra she didn't like; the one that was constantly disappointing herself. Maybe it was time for her to start listening to the advice given to her. "You're right, I'm sorry."
Mira's features softened and she gave a small, sad smile. "I'm glad to hear that. I'd love to spend more time with you, but we can't. You're still alive and I want you to keep living. If I'm being honest there are times I see the living doing nothing and wish I could take their place and do the things I never got to do…"
Meetra moved forward and pulled Mira into a hug, eliciting a cry of surprise from the girl. She held on tightly and whispered in her daughter's ear. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you…and I'm sorry that I burdened you so much. I love you and I want you to know it's okay to rely on me, at least this once."
Mira then did something she hadn't in several hundred years, she cried into Meetra's arms. Meetra just held her, speaking soothingly. After what felt like an eternity the two separated. Mira looked at Meetra, her eyes red and puffy and gave a large smile. "Good bye, Mother."
"Good bye," said Meetra, tears forming in her eyes. Mira disappeared and then everything around Meetra went white. Her spirit moved back into her body and she opened her eyes, taking in the now unfamiliar sights of her room. Looking up she saw Vestara looking down at her from the terminal screen, a confusing array of emotions on her face.
"Are you okay?" asked Vestara, sounding worried.
"Yes, I am," replied Meetra honestly. "Better than I have for a while. A lot happened in there…"
"I bet," commented Vestara. "You were glowing a lot at the beginning. It was worrying to see water appearing from nowhere and then watching you suddenly combust, only to be fine. I was worried I'd gotten you killed."
"I was fine, just interacting with the elements at first. It was quite amazing actually how easy it was," replied Meetra. Then she frowned as something occurred to her. "What about after that? Did you notice anything?"
Vestara didn't say anything, just looking off to the side. Meetra noticed that the blood elf was turning bright red in the face for some reason.
"Are you okay? Your face is turning red. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for your people?" asked, Meetra worriedly.
"It's complicated," replied Vestara cryptically.
"Okay," said Meetra, allowing the subject to drop for the moment. "Was there anyone in the room with me or did you…hear anything?"
"I heard you talking to someone for a while," replied Vestara vaguely. There was an awkward pause for several moments between the two for reasons that escaped Meetra. Vestara was the one who broke the silence. "Who were they?"
"My daughter's spirit," replied Meetra. She wondered at how it was getting easier to talk about the subject each time she did so. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"Oh," said Vestara simply, turning even redder for some reason. "From what I heard I assumed it had to be someone else or something…"
"Like who?" asked Meetra.
"I don't know, but I guess I should have expected your daughter. You did say she was a shaman."
"Yes, she was a very talented healer," replied Meetra wistfully. "She seemed to be doing well and I don't think there was anyone else I'd rather have met during the trip…"
They sat in silence for a while, Meetra noticing Vestara studying her. The look was familiar to her by now and she realized that's just how the Blood Elf looked at the world. She meant no harm and she wasn't trying to find weaknesses, she just wanted to learn. Vestara took a deep of breath before speaking. "What about your husband?"
"Pardon?" asked Meetra, confused by the question.
"Your husband," repeated Vestara. "You know, the male of your species who the female partners with to create children and establish a family unit. Do your people have that concept or do you do something else?"
"Oh," said Meetra in understanding. "Yes, that's a practice here. Although we're so long lived we have until recent troubles had few children and most would stay single until they were very well experienced in the world."
"So, would you not want to see your husband?"
"I don't have one."
"You don't?" asked Vestara, confused. "But you have a daughter? Did you have her out of wedlock?"
"Wedlock?" asked Meetra for confirmation. The word hadn't been translated, indicating it was a Blood Elf concept that didn't exist for the Dreanei.
Vestara sighed before she replied, a sign Meetra noticed as the Blood Elf gathering her thoughts. "It's when a couple has a child before being officially confirmed as mates. Most of the species I know of on Azeroth have the concept, even Orcs. It's generally stigmatized due to the friction it can create in societies."
"Ah. No, we don't have that here. Maybe it's something about our different customs or attitudes, but that's not a stigma here. Maybe it's because we mate less for the importance of the continuance of the species?"
"You just have sex with random people?" asked Vestara, once again turning bright red in the face for an unexplained reason.
"No," replied Meetra. "It's just not an issue, I don't know why and I'm not sure I can really explain it without knowing your culture more and the necessity of it there."
"It's generally to make sure that a husband and wife stay together with only each other. With humans, this was partially because of the lower status of women and to be kept as property of the husband. In Elf society, it's because such partnerships are also considered binding of the soul and proper rituals and rites need to be performed."
"So only two people can partner up?" asked Meetra, feeling overwhelmed by this unfamiliar aspect. "What if someone loves multiple people?"
"They have to choose one or the other," replied Vestara. "Can someone have multiple partners in Dreanei society?"
"It's not stigmatized or too uncommon," said Meetra, still trying to process everything.
"So, are you in one of those relationships?"
"Huh? No. I've never partnered up or mated with anyone."
"Then how do you have a daughter?" asked Vestara, her brow furrowing up in what Meetra was starting to understand as a sign of confusion.
"I adopted her when we got to Dreanor," replied Meetra. "Her parents had died from early exposure to several diseases from the orcs that we weren't experienced with."
"And the child lived?"
"Her father was a priest and her mother a paladin. They bolstered the child while she was still inside the womb and eventually she built up an immunity to the diseases. The parents, who were on the frontier were too focused on keeping Mira alive and were only alive long enough to ask me when I dropped by on patrol to find an adopting family. I decided I'd be the adopting family."
"Wow," said Vestara, another unfamiliar expression on her face. Meetra tried to decode it but something on Vestara's edge made her give a startled look off screen. She scrambled to reach out to where ever she held the communication crystal. "I'm sorry, I lost track of the time and need to do some important things now. Thank you very much for showing me some about being a shaman and telling me about your daughter."
"No problem, I enjoyed talking about them," replied Meetra with a smile.
Vestara paused in her moments for a moment and then smiled at Meetra. "I'm very, very glad to hear that and see that you're doing much, much better. Good-bye."
The image on the terminal cut out and Meetra was once left alone in her softly lit room. She stood up slowly from where she had been sitting cross legged on the floor, her legs aching from being in such a position for so long. She ran through some stretches to alleviate the pain. It had been so long since she had meditated in the position her body had grown unfamiliar with it. But still, despite the physical discomfort she didn't think she'd felt so good in a long time.
The days passed quickly after that. Everyday Meetra went out jogging and every day it got easier and easier. She'd started spending some time mediating each day too, tapping into the elements. One day as she was preparing to go jogging through the Exodar she felt a slight breeze from nowhere, tugging at her. She knew the touch of the wind and let it guide her across her small room and to her chest. Unlocking the chest, she saw her totems laying on top of everything and she knew that the wind was telling her to pick them up. Meetra reached out hesitantly and grabbed her totem belt, picking it up. She strapped it around her waist, and closed the chest. When she approached once more the door opened for her and she stood on the threshold, feeling slightly embarrassed to be walking out of her room wearing the totems. Once she'd worn them proudly in public but it had been so long, that feeling was gone. A slight breeze pushed her from behind, urging her on and with a deep breath she walked out of her room, the door closing behind her.
As Meetra jogged down the corridors she got the usual greetings but they were now accompanied by stares. Dreanei who greeted her and Dreanei who usually ignored her all stopped to stare at her waist and she heard some whispering in the corridors as she passed. As she was running Atris ran up next to her, greeting her with a smile. "Good morning," said Atris cheerily. While mornings and nights were completely artificial aboard the Exodar, most people just treated them as they would a natural day.
"Good morning," replied Meetra with a smile. She could still feel the wind with her, as it hadn't abandoned her when it'd pushed her out of her room. Instead it was around her, helping her every step, making her move with an ease she hadn't in a long time.
Atris looked her over and gave a small gasp, the smile on her face widening. "You're wearing your totems!"
"Uh, yeah," replied Meetra awkwardly, feeling slightly embarrassed at having it pointed out by someone.
"Does this mean you're drawing on the elements again?" asked Atris curiously.
"Yes, I'm running aided by the wind currently."
"No wonder you're moving so effortlessly today! When I was standing in the corner you almost blew right past me before I realized it was you," huffed Atris, her breathing coming out a bit ragged. "You might actually be moving a little too fast for me…"
"Oh, sorry," apologized Meetra, slowing down her pace a bit to allow Atris to be able to catch her breath. Around her the wind urged her to keeping running, to run as fast as she could. She asked silently for it to be patient with her so that her companion could keep up with her. The wind quieted down but Meetra thought she could feel it huffing in displeasure like a small child that hadn't gotten exactly what it wanted. The very thought made her giggle slightly, drawing a curious look from Atris. She just brushed off the unasked question, focusing on running.
When they had completed their circuit and Atris separated from Meetra with a smile and a wave Meetra started to head back to her room but stopped. The wind had once again picked up, not satisfied with the amount she had run. Looking around and seeing that everyone in the corridors was off doing something else she put her hand on the wind totem. Closing her eyes, she allowed the wind to flow around and through her. Her tail was lifted slightly as the wind moved around her, pushing her forward. She opened her eyes and with a deep breath, she ran.
She wasn't sure even at her prime she'd run as fast as she was running now. It was almost like she wasn't running but flying through the corridors, a gust of wind to anyone who happened to look. The rush was exhilarating and she couldn't help but smile as she ran faster and faster. It was a surprise then when a large male Dreanei walked around a perpendicular corner into the corridor she was in, straight into her path. He just stood still in shock as she rushed towards him. She knew she should try to stop but the wind urged her forward even faster. She obeyed and when she was barely a meter away from the man, she jumped. Her legs had gotten stronger in recent weeks from the jogging and other exercise but it was with the aid of the wind that she flew over a meter over the top of the man to land behind him, stumbling slightly but catching herself and still able to run. She apologized with a sheepish wave at the surprised man and continued to run down the corridor, heading back to her room as fast as she could.
"Hahaha!" laughed Vestara, holding a hand to her chest as she laughed loudly, tears streaking down her cheeks. Meetra felt slightly embarrassed as the Blood Elf derived pleasure from her earlier escapade. Vestara stifled the laughter and wiped away the tears with her long sleeve. The dark bags around her eyes were much larger now and she seemed to be thinner in the face, her cheek bones more prominent. It was a startling contrast the wide smile she currently had on her face.
"I got a little carried away," said Meetra. "I think I gave the poor guy a heart attack!"
"I'm sure it'll be fine," replied Vestara. Although she seemed to be sickly looking, Meetra couldn't be sure of that without being shown what a Blood Elf usually looked like sick, Vestara still had a strong gaze that studied everything around her. Her eyes narrowed like they usually did before she asked a question. "What did it feel like?"
"It was great, like I was flying. When I jumped I really was flying on the wind for a moment."
"Have you flown before using shamanism?"
"Not really," replied Meetra. "I've slowed down a large fall so that I've landed safely on the ground before or been able to use the wind to leap high up or through long distances in the air, like earlier, but I've never actually flown through the sky."
"And each element allows you to do something different?" asked Vestara.
"Yes, although I'm more connected with wind than any other element so what I can do working with wind is much greater than someone who isn't. Mira for example had a deep connection with water and she could use to heal or produce a shield. There were even times she'd send out jets of water as a nonlethal method of defeating an enemy, although since she was usually just focused on healing I'd only ever see her do so during a sparing lesson."
"Fascinating," muttered Vestara. "How effective is shamanic healing? Can other elements be used to heal besides water?"
"I've only ever seen water used to heal out right, although the other elements can be used to bolster someone's body to greater feats or to promote self-healing or other effects. What do you mean by effective?"
"How grievous of a wound have you seen healed?"
"Cuts, bruises, the usual. It's not too much more effective than the Light, shamanic healing just works along different channels, allowing for it to be useful in situations the Light might not be. Of course the reverse is also true. I've never seen any regrown limbs or anything that extreme though."
"What about poisons or diseases?" pressed Vestara, her eyes glowing in anticipation.
"I've seen it heal all types of poisons by breaking them down and purifying them, although some lasting effects can still be left that need to be healed with other measures or ways. Diseases on the other hand can be a problem, it depends on the nature of the disease. Fel or demonic diseases are much more powerful than any poison but can be defeated with enough power or time. Natural diseases on the other hand are much trickier. Many diseases are caused by small organisms that can't be seen with the naked eye but felt through the elements. They live with the elements also and can't always be eradicated by them, but the natural healing process can be invigorated and used to force them out."
"You know a lot about this," observed Vestara.
"Mira would talk constantly about all of this," admitted Meetra. "She'd take copious notes on every little detail. As she wrote she'd talk aloud to me to sound off her ideas. I just enjoyed hearing her so lively, but I guess some of it just stuck with me."
"What happened to these journals?" asked Vestara. "Do you still have them?"
Meetra looked away briefly, lost in thought. "No, I donated them to the Exodar library. After she passed away I collected all her notes, which had luckily not been destroyed by Orcs and brought them back with me. I couldn't stand to look at them and I doubt anyone will ever read them with the small number of shamans left, but I also couldn't destroy the last evidence that was left of her. Would you like me to retrieve them and read them out to you to help your study?"
"That would be of tremendous help," enthused Vestara with a wide smile. She became serious again very quickly, the features of her face tightening up. "For now, do you happen to remember anything about diseases passed down through families?"
"Family based diseases?" asked Vestara, frowning slightly as she tried to recall what she knew about the subject. "I don't think Mira mentioned much about those…I think she said that they replace the body's usual functions with faulty ones and are thus difficult or impossible to cure."
The look of utter dejection on Vestara's face at her statement was heart wrenching one Meetra had never expected to see. Vestara moved backwards away from the crystal and rested her back on something. Meetra realized that the Blood Elf had been leaning forward in a chair the whole time, obscuring everything else behind her. She made out the corners of a room cluttered with all types of books and what she suspected was equipment for magical spells and experiments.
Vestara didn't seem to notice how obvious her reaction was or how she'd finally revealed what her room looked like, if only a fraction of it. Instead she gave a large sigh. "I see…that's unfortunate…"
"Why did you want to know about family based diseases so much? Are you sick?" asked Meetra, filling in the blanks. It would help several odd facts make sense. Vestara just shook her head.
"No, it's not for me, but for a dear friend of mine," replied Vestara. "I was hoping Shamanism might be the solution to the problem but I guess not."
Meetra knew she shouldn't ask, but a question formed in her mind and refused to leave. "Have you had that goal in mind the entire time we've been talking?"
"Yes, I have," admitted Vestara. "Well, not the entire time. Only since I found out you were a shaman and could possibly provide some information. But it was only secondary to the fact that I really do enjoy talking with you. And I appreciate all that you've been able to tell me."
"You've welcome," replied Meetra, smiling.
Vestara gave another large sigh. "And I must admit, these talks have probably been the highlight of my day since they started. If I knew I didn't have other things I had to attend to I'd talk longer and longer each day. When I first started experimenting with the crystal I thought there might be some power to tap into inside of it. Instead I find that it's for communication and it led to a being unlike any I had ever met before. This might be the better outcome actually."
"I appreciate that," replied Meetra with a smile. A question occurred to her and wiped the smile off of her face. "If I may ask, where did you find the crystal?"
"I didn't find it, a friend gave it to me," replied Vestara. "I think Sarasu found it in a scouting trip to the Outlands, the home of the orcs and the place I think you called Dreanor.
"Ah."
"I'm curious though, is this crystal just set to a certain frequency by accident or was it set to contact your terminal specifically?"
"The crystal is Mira's, linked only to communicate back and forth with mine. I gave it to her for her birthday when she left for the frontier."
"How do you know?"
"The chime that rings whenever you call me was set specifically to that crystal's frequency. Plus, the crystal's body was unique. Could you describe it for me?"
"It's a light blue crystal with some several wavy lines etched into one side of it," replied Vestara automatically, showing how much time, she'd spent observing the crystal.
"Those lines are of the waves of the ocean and represent Mira's affinity to water," said Meetra.
"That must have been hard to receive a call from your daughter's crystal, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. It all worked out well in the end," replied Meetra with a smile. "Yes, I do wish it had been her, but I knew she was dead, I'd seen the body. Plus, from talking to you I reconnected with the elements and talked to Mira briefly. I'd rather no one else had been on the other side of that crystal."
Vestara's eyes teared up suddenly, the Blood Elf's expression showing emotions it usually didn't. She swallowed hard before speaking. "I'm very glad to hear that."
Meetra looked at the clock on her terminal and ran some math in her head. "This is about the time you usually log off, is there anything else you want to talk about before you need to go?"
"You kept track of my schedule?" asked Vestara.
"After talking to you for so many times I just started noticing when things happen in relation to my time frame," answered Meetra. "Even I can learn if an action is done many times."
"Your mandatory spar is coming up again in a few days, right?"
"Yeah, against Atton again," replied Meetra. She felt she could do much better now, especially since she planned to try to fight back this time, but she still didn't think she could win. Atton was one of the best fighters and sparred daily against those who cared about honing their skills. The most she hoped for was to put up a good fight.
"I wish you good luck with that," said Vestara. "I really have loved talking with you and appreciate all the time you've spent with me. It means a lot to me…" Vestara trailed off briefly, her voice filling with emotion. But then she put on a smile and brightened up suddenly. "Go and kick his ass!"
Meetra returned the encouragement with a bright smile of her own. "I will."
The terminal communication cut off, leaving Meetra alone once more. She felt like there was something strange going on and felt a sense of foreboding. A breeze rustled around her, comforting her and telling her she wasn't alone, not anymore. She smiled and returned the touch with her own mental one, thanking the wind for its support. She climbed into bed, excited about what the future would hold.
Meetra's daily life continued as she started her day with stretching and running. She wore her totems once more and found that in addition to Atris, several other Dreanei now joined them on their morning jog, looking around nervously at everything as they did so. They all tired out easily and Meetra and Atris slowed down to accommodate the newcomers, getting grateful looks in return. They were of all ages and genders, but the universals they shared were their still shell-shocked looks and lack of energy. Meetra realized that these people were like her and Atris, those that had shut themselves off from the rest of the world as much as possible. Just seeing them out and trying drew clapping and cheers of encouragement from the other Dreanei they passed.
When they were done jogging Meetra went to the Exodar's library for the first time in decades, surprising the librarian with her visit. She traveled to the small section dedicated to shamanism and retrieved Mira's notes on healing along with a few other interesting pieces that she thought Vestara might enjoy. She then returned to her room and waited for Vestara's call. While she waited she practiced throwing kicks and punches, trying to get her body used to the movements. Hours of such training passed though and Vestara never called. It was past the time when she would usually stop the calls when Meetra realized that the Blood Elf had probably gotten caught up in something that had taken her all day. Meetra crawled into bed, hoping to hear from Vestara the next day to assuage the nagging feeling she had in the back of her head.
Once again Meetra went jogging, surprised to see everyone from the day before had returned to jog once more, and several new Dreanei had appeared. The larger crowd jogged through the Exodar's corridors, the sound of their footsteps and heavy breathing filling the air. When they were done Meetra returned to her room to wait once more for Vestara's call. This time she broke out her maces and ran through her old fighting forms. She swung the maces, her arms aching from the now unfamiliar weight. She drew on the strength of the elements and things became easier. Her muscles relaxed and strengthened, her breath became less ragged and her strikes gained more power. Hours passed as she fell back into old habits with surprising speed. As she fell asleep she wondered if it was a copping mechanism for the fear that Vestara's call would never again happen…
The next day as Meetra swung her maces in the switch from a defensive form to an offensive form she heard a familiar chime from her terminal. She placed Fury and Harmony gently on her bed and answered the call. What greeted her was not the familiar face of Vestara but a rather stern unfamiliar Blood Elf that Meetra guessed was male. He studied Meetra's holographic image with the eyes of a hawk, a much hungrier and vicious look in his eyes than Vestara's enthusiastic and scholarly gaze.
"Who are you?" asked Meetra, dispensing with any pleasantries. The Blood Elf looked surprised to hear her speak.
"You speak Thalassian?" asked the Blood Elf, his voice much deeper and darker than Vestara's.
"The crystal translates automatically into the native languages of the speakers," replied Meetra. "Who are you?"
"I am Magister Sarasu," replied the Blood Elf. "I was told how to activate this crystal by Vestara."
"What's your relationship to her?" asked Meetra, not bothering hiding that she and Vestara had talked.
"We were good friends since childhood. I was also her self-appointed caretaker and executor of her will and last rites."
"Her will and last rites…" said Meetra, the words hitting her hard. They were everything she had feared over the last several days.
"Yes, she passed away the other day from a degenerative muscle disease that had plagued her family for generations. Possibly caused by their being too close to some spell gone wrong. No one is exactly sure of how."
"I see…" muttered Meetra. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"And I'm sorry for yours too, as it seems you've been talking to her for quite a while," said Sarasu. "Although right now I must admit to feeling more anger than sadness. Both at the unfairness of the disease and quite honestly at the fact that I only found out about you and this crystal's use yesterday. It's quite hurtful to find your best friend hiding secrets from you, even though I know such practices are the norm among our people. To tell a stranger this much…"
"I didn't know about her condition," said Meetra, drawing a surprised look from Sarasu. "She hid it from me, and I only had slight hints that her condition was worsening for some reason."
Sarasu considered that briefly. "Interesting. Maybe Vestara wanted to have someone who didn't know her condition. I tried my best to take care of her but her condition was hard to ignore when talking to her. She might have enjoyed having someone who didn't secretly treat her like a cripple. I wouldn't take offense at it, she was strangely considerate at times."
"I know," replied Meetra with a small smile. "How was she…at the end?"
"She died with the strangest smile on her face even though her condition had to hurt immensely," replied Sarasu. Meetra noted that he wasn't the type of person to hold anything back and to always speak his mind. She wasn't sure how she'd prefer to have received the news between those two options.
"And her belongings? What happens to all of that?" asked Meetra.
"I get a small sum of things but most of it was designated by her for research to cure this and other types of diseases afflicting our people. I've read her notes on Shamanism, these could be rather helpful."
"Could I ask you to destroy those and the crystal?" asked Meetra. "They were for Vestara only."
"I am already working on it," replied Sarasu, giving a small smirk. "She separated the knowledge by healing and non-healing. The notes on healing will be sent to our Allies who can make use of them while everything else is to be destroyed. I just wanted to see who she spent so much time talking to before I destroyed this crystal. It's such a fascinating technology but I made a promise and I plan to keep it."
"Thank you," said Meetra. "This must be hard on you for both your closeness to her and the commitment to research I've heard your people have, but I really appreciate that."
"Vestara was unusual like that," commented Sarasu. "I don't need to know your name or anything else about you before I destroy this. But I do want to thank you for making her last several weeks her most enjoyable in a long time. I'd expected that crystal to be a distraction for her, but I never expected something like this. Thank you for your friendship with her."
"It was my pleasure," replied Meetra. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes being drawn to the small stack of notes that she'd kept on her communication console for the past several days. She picked up Mira's notes and held them in front of the screen, showing Sarasu. "If you wouldn't mind assisting me, I had intended to present some more detailed notes on Shamanism and healing to Vestara, but events unfortunately interrupted that. If you aren't in a hurry, I would like to present these to you, in her stead, so that they may be added to what has already been written and assist your allies' healers, if possible."
Sarasu's eyes went wide with surprise and Meetra could clearly see a similar hunger for knowledge in his expression that Vestara had always worn. "I would be honored to receive this knowledge. Is there a method for which that knowledge can be transferred through the crystal, or will this need to be achieved through recitation?"
"Unfortunately, there's no simple way to manage this transfer," replied Meetra, she smirked, feeling mischievous. "Do you think you could keep a good pace if I read this aloud really slowly to you?"
Sarasu returned her smirk with one of his own, his chest puffing out in pride. "None have a faster hand than me. I accept your challenge."
The pair spent the next hour, Meetra reading out the notes on healing while Sarasu's hands darted back and forth over pages that Meetra couldn't see. True to his word he kept pace with her moderately fast reading. She could've gone slower, but she knew a person as proud as he was would be offended by such a gesture. When they were done, Sarasu bowed to the screen and Meetra returned it with her own. Without another word Sarasu's hand glowed with an arcane purple energy and he aimed it directly at the crystal. He fired and the image cut out, the crystal now truly lost. Meetra sighed and sat down on her bed, just thinking about everything that had happened.
Meetra stood across from her opponent, wooden staff in hand as she waited for an opening. Atton on the other hand was much more relaxed. His greater size, and previous victories bolstering his self-confidence. Meetra knew not to underestimate the speed that Atton could bring to a fight despite his large size. She hoped that he didn't realize how fast and strong she could truly be though. With her totems around her belt Meetra quickly called on their power, bolstering herself.
Atton sprung at her suddenly, hoping to quickly overpower her. She feinted to the side and when he adjusted to hit her she was in a different spot entirely. While he was off balance she swung with her staff, aiming for the back of his knees. No matter how much he trained or how big he was, there was the one spot he couldn't make stronger. Her staff hit and knocked him down, stunning everyone around her into silence. A large crowd had appeared to watch them fight, many of them the Dreanei who had started jogging with her. Also in the crowd were other warriors, friends of Atton, and miscellaneous Dreanei. She doubted anyone had expected her to be the first to knock down her opponent though. While he was falling she brought her staff to bare, stopping it just a centimeter away from her opponent in what would have been a killing blow.
Atton glared up at her in surprise and then anger. Meetra backed away, allowing him to get up so that the next round could take place. He was warier now, and started to circle around her. She moved with him, both just facing off. He swung with a powerful attack of his staff but it was just a feint, and she parried the real attack with her staff and swung out with the other side at him. He was surprised but responded quickly, blocking. What followed was a barge of lightning fast attacks as the two traded back and forth; attacking, blocking, attacking, blocking. The only sound that could be heard was the cracking of their staves as they met with unbelievable power. Meetra noticed too late as Atton drew the power of the Light into himself, increasing his speed and power. She managed to see the next attack coming and moved her staff up to block but the attack tore through her staff, bashing her hard on the head. She crumpled from the blow, her vision filled with stars.
Gasps filled the crowd, and Atton moved back as a priest came forward to heal her. She waved them away groggily, borrowing the power of water. She fed it through her and her wounds healed, her aches disappearing and her head clearing. As she stood up once again strong and steady the crowd just stared in wonder.
"I'm good to fight," she said to the priest. The priest gave her a skeptical look.
"I say if she wants to continue to lose then she should fight," taunted Atton. "The first win was just luck; this third time will prove that."
"Yeah, it'll show that I shouldn't have gotten cocky after the first win," replied Meetra, shocking Atton. "But it'll also end in my win."
Atton just scowled at that but their bickering was interrupted as a figure walked up to the ring. Meetra was surprised to see that it was the Prophet Velen. Everyone stared in awe at their leader and even Atton deferred respect towards him. He looked straight into Meetra's eyes, as if reading her soul. He looked away from her to the priest. "The Light tells me that she is ready for another fight, both physically and mentally. I will allow it."
"Yes sir," replied the Priest, leaving the ring. Meetra thanked Velen with a smile that he returned, backing away from the ring to watch.
Meetra instead of engaging Atton though walked out of the ring, dropping her broken staff into a disposal bin. She picked up a wooden mace, testing out its weight. She looked over her shoulder at Atton. "Would you like to switch weapons?"
"A broad sword will do," replied Atton after a moment of silence. He dropped his staff out of the sparring ring and caught the wooden sword Meetra tossed to him from midair.
Meetra picked up two identical wooden maces and walked back into the ring, twirling them expertly. The two opponents eyed each other and started to circle, looking for openings. Atton started to draw on the light once more, this time to a level far beyond the previous time. He was trying hard and Meetra knew she had to do the same. She called on all the elements at her command, using them to boost every attribute about herself as she could. She felt the power flowing through her, making her much stronger than any other time in recent memory, but it still wasn't enough. She tapped beyond the elements, into that of the ancestor spirits. She felt two spirits answering her call, lending her their power and insight. She was shocked at first to feel their touch but that quickly turned into a smile of joy.
Atton interpreted her smile as overconfidence and chose that moment to strike. He swung the large sword with almost impossible speed. Meetra barely managed to bring her maces up to block, repelling the attack and pushing them apart once more. Atton pressed the attack though, moving in almost immediately. This time Meetra was ready and parried the attack, sending the weapon blade away from her. She made a simultaneous counter attack, swinging with her mace at Atton's unprotected side. He was ready for it though and managed to bring his sword back up to bare, sending her staggering backwards with the force of his block. He tried to take advantage of her footing and swung once again. Instead of blocking or parrying Meetra dodged the attack, rolling forward to behind Atton. She quickly got to her feet and blocked the overhead attack Atton sent at her, trying to take her down. Using both the maces she deflected the attack to the ground and used the momentum to increase her striking power as she swung around at Atton with a vicious kick. He hadn't been expecting such an attack and with such power. It sent him flying back, his sword left behind as it was caught in her grasp. Atton landed hard on his back and tried to get back up but Meetra was on him, her weapon pointed at his throat, the victory hers.
The crowd burst into cheering, roaring their approval of the fight and both of their champions. Atton just scowled up at Meetra, but she threw away her weapons and extended a hand, a smile on her face. "Good fight," she said honestly, sweat dripping down her body, her body screaming from the strain she'd put on it.
Atton looked at her hand for a moment, scowling. Then he grabbed it, allowing her to help him up. "Good fight," he replied grudgingly.
The crowd's cheers became even louder at that, almost deafening. Looking over Meetra saw Velen with a satisfied smile on his face, a single tear going down his cheek in what she realized was pride. Meetra felt pride radiating through her from the five elements and the two spirits who had aided her, both immensely proud of her. Meetra knew that from that point on, life would be okay and she'd be fine.
Author's Notes: I doubt it's hard to figure out the naming scheme, but I think it does make my love of the Star Wars Extended Universe obvious. The Draenei were named after character from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series of games. The Blood Elves were named after the Sith of the Lost Tribe from the Fate of the Jedi series of books.