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"Aitto! Aitto, get up, quickly!" Norivana's panicked voice breathed as she smacked her friend on the arm.
As the tauren stirred, Norivana took off sprinting faster than she thought possible, whipping through brush and trees and following the sounds that trickled through the still, hazy morning mist.
Another blood-chilling screech. She quickened her stride, knowing now that this was the night elf, and he was definitely, assuredly in pain. She didn't have to guess who was causing it.
After mere seconds, she came upon a small clearing, where the trees still provided shelter overhead but the ground was free of underbrush. At first glance, she saw nothing but darkness, but after an instant her eyes rested on a horrid sight.
Krazak'Zul strolled a wide circle around a slumped figure, twirling a bloodied blade through his fingers.
At a second glance, Norivana realized the figure was the elf. He hung completely limp, held upright only due to his arms being tied up to low branches. His dark linen tunic had been pulled back and ripped so that his chest was bare, and Norivana saw multiple deep, angry, bleeding cuts littering his hazy blue skin. An excessive amount of blood had trickled down his stomach and soaked into his trousers, making it appear he wore a crimson belt around his waist. He panted in shallow, ragged breaths, his bloodied chest rising only slightly with each one. His head drooped down toward the ground, and Norivana couldn't see his face.
Guilt trickled through her; he couldn't defend himself without his magic. He'd been drained and left helpless.
Krazak'Zul's voice cut through the morning air; he was too preoccupied with his object of torture to notice Norivana.
"All right, Elfie. Let's try dis again, shall we? Ya gonna talk soon, or ya gonna die soon," he said smugly, adjusting the dagger in his hand and bringing it up to the sensitive skin under the night elf's right arm. Without further warning, he suddenly jammed the blade into the elf's side, breaking through skin, then dragged it downward, cutting a clean, deep line down his rib cage. The elf's entire body twitched at the assault and he lifted his head to face the sky, eyes screwed shut and teeth clenched in an expression of pure agony. A growl ripped itself from the elf's throat, but he just hung there, frozen in pain and unable to defend himself.
The warlock, as if the whole stabbing thing wasn't bad enough, seemed to be torturing the man's mind as well as his body. He assaulted the elf with cursing spells, and Norivana could see the sickly green and purplish energy haze that'd taken place around the elf's skull, the sign of a hex.
Norivana's stomach lurched, and she switched into action. Stealthing and blending in with her surroundings, she swiftly sneaked up behind the troll in just a few broad strides. To kill him would be far too drastic; gods only know what would become of her if it was discovered she had not only defended the enemy but killed an ally in the process.
Ally... the word grew thin when applied to this troll, however she wouldn't kill him. But she could definitely incapacitate him.
She reached out with the blunt of her blade and slammed it against his temple with tremendous force, successfully bashing him to the ground right as Aitto burst through the bushes into the clearing. Aitto's wide eyes fell on Krazak'Zul.
Krazak'Zul let out an irate screech, attempting to fight back, but this time Norivana sent out a powerful kick to the back of his head, which knocked him completely unconscious, and he hit the ground like a sack of stone.
"Norivana?" Aitto called warily, obviously confused. He didn't object, really, as the troll by this point was definitely set lower than vermin on his scale, but he was nevertheless perplexed. He then saw the elf, and he froze, staring at the bloodied, torn creature in front of him.
Norivana swept past Krazak'Zul and beckoned Aitto over.
"Quickly, he needs help," she said, motioning toward the elf who was now gasping short breaths, just on the brink of death. On the ground beneath him, Norivana saw a thick pool of blood staining the grass and dirt. He had lost a lot.
Without question, Aitto gathered a spell to his palms and transferred it into the elf's chest, pressing his gigantic hands onto the blue bloodied torso. Within seconds of the heal, the elf took in a deep breath, opening his eyes wide and staring at Aitto and Norivana, golden gaze shifting back and forth between the two. He didn't even bother to move or escape his bonds, rather he just sat there, drained and exhausted, a look of gratitude washing over his face.
Aitto inspected the night elf's wounds. Most of them had sewn themselves back together, leaving nothing but thin pale scars. Others, the more serious cuts, had healed to scabs and would be fine in a week or so. Some of the blood he had lost actually managed to return to his body, thanks to the healing spell, and he had already gained a little more warmth to his skin.
Norivana took it upon herself to loosen the bindings around the elf's wrists, and Aitto followed her lead. At this point, all she wanted to do was set the poor thing free. This had all been a bad idea, and even though Norivana had witnessed and performed countless killings herself, for some reason this particular situation was worse somehow. Maybe it was from what Aitto said, or maybe it was something else. Whatever the reason, she was ready to be rid of it all.
"I want to let him go," Norivana mumbled quietly as she fiddled with the twine that was tied much too tightly around the elf's wrists. "He didn't deserve this."
The elf's eyes widened as they fell on her, and he stared at her incredulously. Norivana stopped what she was doing and looked him straight in the eyes. They seemed to flicker apprehensively at her gaze, but did not waver or fall. This time she was sure something was going on. His reactions to their words were no coincidence. He understood them, she had no doubt about it.
"Can you understand me?" she questioned him accusingly, and he inhaled a sharp breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out for a second. Then, hesitantly, he replied.
"Y-yes..." was all he could say. His voice was deep, rich and guarded, and he watched her with both intrigue and caution.
Norivana wasn't sure why she was so surprised, though part of her hadn't expected her accusation to be correct. So when he did speak, Norivana gasped slightly and took a step back, mouth agape and eyes wide. Aitto also paused, raising his brows and giving Norivana a sideways glance before addressing the elf, astonished.
"You speak Orcish, elf?" Aitto questioned, looking utterly fascinated by the idea.
The elf repeated himself, "Yes."
Norivana exchanged a glance with Aitto, then narrowed her stare. "Can you say anything else?"
The elf's lips twitched and he replied simply, "Yes."
Norivana cocked her head at him and nearly let a smile break her intense gaze. "Humor is unexpected from a captive."
The elf's eyes stared down at her again, and he remained there, unspeaking, his features holding a wild, untamed expression of what looked like it could be the beginnings of a smile. He had placed his feet back onto the ground now, and Aitto was almost finished with the first rope before he became fed up with the whole thing and pulled out a knife. The elf flinched away at the sight of it, and Aitto quickly spoke.
"Don't worry, just the rope," he gestured to the bindings.
The elf relaxed slightly but watched warily as Aitto raised the blade up and sliced through the twine. His arm fell down to his side and he rolled his shoulder back, relishing the freedom he now had along with the absence of the pain he'd endured that morning.
Once both arms were cut down, it proved much easier to cut the rope off of his wrists, and after Aitto had completed the task he took a step away from the elf, expecting him to take off running. But he didn't, and for a moment he stood motionless, studying the two hesitantly.
This was the first time Norivana had seen him standing at full height, not crouched or fleeing for his life, and she was surprised to see that he was taller than she had expected. Much taller than the elves of her race; she probably only stood up to his shoulder, at best. He was like a wild, blue skinned, snowy-headed giant. His voice finally cut in, breaking her intense study of his appearance.
"Thank you," his tone was sincere, and his eyes matched it, regarding both of them with appreciation. Norivana was surprised at how lucid his speech was; there was no accent, nothing. Even she had an accent, to an extent. He'd either studied the language for more years than she'd been alive, or he'd been lucky enough to have had a translation spell cast on him by an experienced mage. Although the latter was so uncommon it was nearly unheard of, it seemed more likely.
The elf's eyes flicked down to the unconscious troll that lay sprawled out on the ground, then at the bloodied area where he had been tied up. Disgust flitted across his features before it was replaced with worry, and he intuitively took a step away from the three Horde soldiers.
Aitto gave him a supportive nod, and Norivana watched him as he slowly backed away from them, as if he were unsure whether he could leave or if this was a trick.
"You're free to go, elf," Norivana said softly, reassuring him as best she could.
He paused and gave her a direct look, speaking to her alone for the first time. "Lucian."
"What?" She asked, caught off-guard.
"Lucian Silverpaw. And thank you, both of you," he sounded overwhelmed and incredulous. "I am forever in your debt. If there is anything I can do, anything at all-"
"The best thing you can do is return to your home and forget us," Aitto's voice cut in, pulling Norivana out of her trance. She'd been enthralled by Lucian's sudden onslaught of words, holding on to every single one. She'd never heard a night elf speak Orcish, and his voice was strange, as if it held an unspoken power behind it, as if he were speaking with more than just words. His voice seemed to wake up the forest, a small breeze seemingly picking up as he spoke.
She shivered slightly at the wind. She wasn't sure if all elves of his race had this effect on their surroundings, or just him.
Lucian turned to go, and as he did so, Krazak'Zul stirred on the ground. Norivana shot Aitto a panicked glance. She hadn't prepared herself yet for the reaction of the troll she had knocked unconscious.
Krazak'Zul sat up suddenly, gripping his staff and looking about wildly, half-crazed. He stood, and as he did so Norivana and Aitto retreated a few steps, giving the troll some space. Fortunately, Lucian stepped out of sight just as Krazak'Zul whirled around and inspected the area, searching for his former captive. When he saw nothing, he turned toward Norivana slowly, seething, eyes gleaming red with rage.
"You. Will. Regret. This." he pronounced each word clearly, taking extra care to try to intimidate by losing his Zandali accent as best as he could.
Honestly, for Norivana, it was sort of working. She took another step back cautiously, now at least ten feet away from the enraged troll. Aitto, however, bristled and took a step forward, gripping the massive hammer he wielded.
"If you value your well-being, you will not speak of this to anyone, troll. What you did to that elf was dishonorable and cowardly. If Thrall got wind of what you've d-"
The troll interrupted. "No no, ya see, Thrall's gone. Or did ya forget already? Garrosh definitely don't mind us torturing dem Alliance pests. In fact," he sneered at Aitto, puffing out his chest, "he'll reward me for doin' someting like dat."
Aitto fumed but didn't reply for a moment. Krazak'Zul had a point. Almost out of ideas of how to keep the troll's mouth shut on the incident, Aitto advanced toward him quickly, donning his most murderous expression and bellowing out in a powerful voice, "Go ahead. Run to your chief and prattle like the child you are. Just know that we will be waiting for you, and we will not show you the kindness we showed the elf. You think what you were performing is torture? That is nothing compared to the treatment you'll receive if you dare jeopardize Norivana's or my safety. We did what we did because you were out of line. This is your fault, and if anyone is to take the blame, it shall be you. Do you understand me?" Aitto shifted his hammer, which was nearly half the size of the troll, waving it dangerously near him.
Krazak'Zul's smile faltered and then disappeared completely as Aitto spoke, and he shrunk away from Aitto's piercing glare.
He held up his arms. "Okay, okay, chill. Ya win, I yield. I don't fancy bein' pounded into mystery meat, so I'll keep me mouth shut. Happy?"
Aitto snorted contemptuously at the troll, then turned his back to him and faced Norivana, giving her a look that she read as, 'Holy shit that worked!'.
She kept a straight face but felt both entertained and relieved. This was over. They could go back to Orgrimmar and forget about the whole thing, like it never happened. She stretched her limbs.
"Let's get going," she yawned, noticing the morning sun was peeking through the canopy leaves of the Ashenvale trees, "I'd like to be in Orgrimmar by noon."
Aitto and Norivana took the lead, while Krazak'Zul shuffled behind them, sulking all the way back through the woods and along the time-worn path that led to the bustling City.
Nearly a week had passed after they had arrived back at the city, and Norivana and Aitto had returned to the barracks, glad to be rid of Krazak'Zul's company and to be rid of the stress of the night elf.
For her first few nights back, Norivana couldn't sleep well, and instead she would lie awake in bed pondering what had happened. It had all been so unexpected. In all her time as a soldier, she never would have guessed she would do something like that. She had been trained to kill first, ask questions later. That rule had proven simple until this fellow. The fact that he spoke their language, that he understood them, was a deal-breaker for her. And, still after having been brought to the brink of death by her kind multiple times, he managed to give her such a high level of respect that the concept of killing him felt even more wrong and immoral.
This made her question everything. Until then, she'd viewed the Alliance armies as arrogant, stubborn fools. She hadn't thought to put a personality to a face, because doing so would make killing them impossible. And now she couldn't help it. She knew it'd never be the same, and that each time she was sent out to battle she wouldn't have the willpower to deliver the killing blow she needed to. All because of this druid.
And even more surprising was the inclination she felt to encounter him again. His voice was so powerful, and she had no doubt that it was somehow related to his skill as a druid. There was something ancient about him, something she ached to uncover. He clearly wasn't the average Joe of his kind.
She also worried about Krazak'Zul's threats to report them to Garrosh. If Garrosh ever discovered what happened, that would be a one-way ticket to death's door. She was fairly positive that Aitto had scared the piss out of the troll, but nevertheless he was a shifty character, and she prayed to every power she knew that the troll would keep his word.
Then one morning, when Norivana and Aitto had gone to the mess hall to get their breakfast, the unthinkable happened.
A withered, frail-looking orc decked out in all sorts of royal-looking garments and pins made his way up to the front of the hall, followed by at least ten royal guards. He straightened up, then shouted out over the multitude of soldiers who sat at the tables to quiet down. After a moment it was almost silent, and he continued a simple message.
"Chieftain Garrosh Hellscream has requested the appearance of Aitto Thunderhoof and Norivana Sunstepper immediately. If the two of you are here, I suggest you follow me. Thank you."
Norivana blanched and looked at Aitto, who if not for his pitch black hair covering his skin, would've been ten shades lighter as well. A few soldiers around them looked at the two expectantly, waiting for them to follow orders. It wasn't every day the warchief requested a simple soldier's presence, and for all the other soldiers knew, this was a chance of a lifetime.
Aitto and Norivana feared the worst, though. There's only one reason Garrosh would summon them by name: he knew. He found out, somehow, in some way, and Norivana had no doubt it had to be the troll's doing. She searched the hall for him as she reluctantly stood to leave, and to her dismay he wasn't there. Most likely, he was with the chief.
As she and Aitto meandered to the front of the hall to make their way out, she heard Aitto swearing under his breath. This wasn't just something where they'd get a scolding, a smack on the back of the hand or a time-out. This was serious. If this encounter went as they expected it to, they would be dead before morning.
The two of them, now surrounded by royal guards of the city, had no choice but to make their way toward their inevitable death sentence.