Chapter 10: Encore part 1 – The Hunt
The shadow in Xainia's life had been bound and defeated. The story of her training and triumph had come to an end just as a curtain falls on a play. Yet, some questions remain unanswered; inquries so pronounced that they could plague many. Now, an encore.
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"Help me." A voice echoed in Xainia's head as she slept in a makeshift bunk.
"Wha? Dat not be ah ghost, it not be somebodah here. Who be talkin in dis way?" she thought.
"You will know when the time comes. Help me." The voice faded.
Somewhat confounded by this, Xainia got up from the cot she was having an evening nap on and walked over to the chapel. She had been in the Eastern Plaguelands, tending to the sick. After completing the tasks given to her by Eris Havenfire, and the call to battle from the horde, working with the Argent Dawn had become her calling. The young troll wore their tabard proudly as she approached the chapel and continued to think.
"Dat sounded familiah, like ah dream." Xainia muttered as she stopped and tended some of the wounded.
A familiar voice came from inside the chapel. "...Na', nah...yah, ah'll be back… dun worrah mon, ah'll be back in time fer... wha? Yah, ah kin do 'dat, ahkay, ahkay...yah...Latah..."
Xainia looked up, smiling; she ran over to behind the mailbox at the chapel. The owner of the voice, a troll wearing a wolf mask, stepped out of the chapel. She looked towards the sick beds trying to find Xainia. ".. 'Xai..? Ya 'ere?"
Reaching out quickly from behind the mailbox, Xainia jerked the wolf mask down so it blocked Zilis' vision. The mask yelped in surprise as the owner took quick action. Wisely, Xainia jumped away at the same time and avoided a swift roundhouse kick that Zilis responded with.
Zilis pulled off the mask, hitting nothing, and looked for who did it. "Ah! Xai!" She laughed and stood up again, smirking.
"Nice reflexahs, Zilis." Xainia was practically plastered against the wall of the chapel to avoid the blow.
Zilis giggled. "'Dat's what'cha git fer messin' wid 'da Wolf." She winked and smiled again. "'Ou ya bin?"
"Ah been so so. Dere be so manah tah heal wit dat dam big buildin up dere in dah sky. An not ta mention dese scarlets runnin around actin like dey know wha ta do." One of the various Scarlet Crusaders shot Xainia a dirty look at that comment. "Sah what bring yah all dis way?" Xainia continued.
"Ah gaht ah job... ahn was wonderin' if ya wanted tah come along... be ah nice change ah pace." Zilis suggested.
"Ah job?" Xainia got close and whispered. "Yah mean killin? As long as ah dun got tah be dah bait again dis time."
Zilis nodded and turned towards the windriders then began to search in her bags. "An ah tink ah remembah somebodah sayin dat dey din't mind bein bait if ah told em first."
"Yah, but ya reallah gonna need me fah dat?" Xainia thought for a moment. "Ah come with yah, anahway. Dis must be important fah yah ta need me." Xainia acted slightly self important.
The two trolls walked a distance from the chapel, but Zilis led them away from the windriders. "Som'un be wantin' meh tah take out 'dis creepah guy, 'dey said 'ey was a demon talkah ah sometin'...'ey's up in Wintahspring."
Xainia looked incredulous. "Dat be kinda far. But ah will go. We not goin on dah windriders?"
Zilis pulled out a medium sized white stone laced with blue runs that looked like running water from her back pack. Holding it up to Xainia's eye level, she grinned.
"Ooh.. but... ah thought onla one could use dat ting." Xainia gazed at Zilis' hearthstone.
"Well yah be right, but ah watch dah innkeepers." Zilis grabbed Xainia's stone like the ninja she was and moved around the blue runes on the surface.
"Dat be amazin. Ya kin set hearthstones?" Xainia took hers back and saw that it was now configured the same as Zilis'
Zilis held the stone out weaving the spell around it and waiting for Xainia to prepare also.
"Where dis be takin us? Alla da way dere?" Xainia activated her own stone.
"Yah, tah Wintahspring" Zilis said before a flash of light engulfed them both.
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The air flashed around them as the two were ripped across the known world. After a slight pause in the hearthstone's traveling spell, they noticed snow falling outside. The surroundings had changed from the bleak plaguelands to a warm inn in Everlook.
Xainia staggered for a moment, getting her bearings. "Where we be goin nah?"
"Nawhere tahnight." Zilis saw that there was a horrible storm outside and walked over to the innkeeper. "Ah need ah room."
"Okay, do you need a single…" The innkeeper looked over towards Xainia. "Double separate, or double joined."
"Ah take dah joined." Zilis took out some money as the goblin innkeeper went to get a set of keys.
Giving them a strange look, he made the exchange. "Hehe, glad I could help."
The inn in Everlook was very spacious and had many rooms for rent. With Everlook being the only real city in the cold mountains of Winterspring, it had to be. Zilis went over to the bar next and bought some food.
"Ya 'ungry ah thirstah?" Zilis turned to Xainia.
"Yah, blessah sunfruit be all ah had in weeks. It get boring, nah as bad as wolf meat tho." Xainia sat down on the stool beside Zilis and ordered food.
The two had lived like this before Xainia had retired to the plaguelands. They had been floating between inns and living off of what they had, for a time after the battle of Jintha'Alor. It had all ended, however, when Xainia was called by the horde to serve in battle. Zilis didn't hear the same calling; she had gone and become well known, exhalted, among the Argent Dawn. After that, they had only run into eachother on occasion. This day was the most time they had spent together since the horde had come calling. After having dinner, they retired to the room that they had rented.
"It not be good tah eat right befa sleepin." Xainia commented as she lay on the bed.
"Who say we be sleepin?" Zilis sat on the bed in the small room after securing the door and removing her wolf mask; she smiled at Xainia.
"What if ah do?" Xainia leaned over and prodded Zilis' forehead with her finger.
Zilis pretended to bite at the finger. "Ah dun think yah would. We haven seen eachotha in months."
"Well ah guess yah got me." Xainia grabbed the collar on Zilis' armor and pulled her down somewhat forcefully to the bed.
The next morning, they both rose and ate at the inn again. After finishing, Zilis led the way by stepping out into the chilly embrace of the Winterspring air. While Zilis stretched for a moment, Xainia came out of the building and took an ornate whistle from her bag. She played a quick tune on it and a small shot of magical looking energy came down from the sky and landed. In a small burst of light, her raptor, Zahriel, appeared.
"Show ahf." Zilis muttered as she retrieved her raptor from the troughs just outside the city. "We be goin down south ah 'dis town... las place 'ey was seen."
As Xainia tended to her raptor and prepared to climb on, the voice suddenly echoed in her head again. "Help me." Xainia looked around to see where it had come from. Not finding anyone, she shrugged and climbed onto Zahriel; the dulled Lieutennant General insignia hung from his neck jingled as she did.
"Jus down dah road?" Xainia asked.
"Yah...it be quite 'dah ways, 'doh...ahn 'da cavern 'ey went in be dangerous... it be takin ah few days." Zilis replied.
"Ah now yah tell me? Wha said ah wanted tah camp out in dah cold fah days." Xainia complained.
"Well if ah told yah everating yah'd nevah want ta do anahting." Zilis led the way south, riding slightly off the path to avoid detection.
Riding such a distance south took longer than Zilis had predicted. Xainia complained as they were nearing the end of the day. "We ah gonna have tah camp. Ah was hopin yah might ride fasta dan dhat."
"Ah told yah it take ah while. Campin not be ah trouble fah yah in dah past. Yah sayin ah lahtennant genahral not be up fah dah challenge." Zilis reached over and poked the medallion that hung from Zahriel's neck with her dagger handle as they rode.
"Ah be up fah dah challenge! Dere's ah shortcut! Ah takin it." Xainia rode off the path, feeling like she had to do something dangerous to prove Zilis wrong.
After a few moments of riding off of the path, it became hard to tell where the ground really was, Zahriel's legs began to plunge knee deep in the banks. Zilis stopped a moment and looked around, but Xainia foolishly kept riding and suddenly dissappeared, falling through a bank of snow. The snow quickly filled in around her.
"Xainia?! Xainia!" Zilis jumped off her raptor with a start "Ah ya alright?!"
Over the bank of snow just to the south, Zilis met a surprising sight. There was a scourge camp just off the road, hidden in a lower part of the ground. Some skeletons looked towards the voice. Zilis' eyes widened as the unnatural gaze fell upon her. She quickly fell to the ground, hoping they hadn't spotted her, letting lose a low whisper telling her raptor to hide.
A voice entered' Zilis head now. "This quest will bring you only pain. Turn back."
The skeletons turned back towards the fire in thier camp, which glowed an eerie shade of blue and green. Zilis sighed with relief, choosing to ignore the voice in her head for now... Xainia was still in danger. Nothing moved for quite some time in the camp. Trying not wasting a moment, Zilis crawled slowly towards the place Xainia dissapeared, calling out to her in a low voice, careful not to fall into the same trap. The undead were moving around to the side of the camp that was away from the road, looking for something to catch and eat.
In the snow bank, Xainia had tried to make a place for her self to see she was getting frozen very quickly. She could almost see something to hit and so she took a chance, holding onto one of Zahriel's reins while she did. Through the oppressing clouds in the sky, a bolt of holy flame came down and struck a skeleton on the far side of the camp. All of the others looked around for where it had come from and finding nothing, walked towards where it had hit. Zilis heard a raptor growling slightly a small distance away. Another bolt hit a skeleton on the opposite side of the camp and as the main population of the camp ran for that it. As the second bolt it, Zahriel charged out of the snowbank heading to the south with Xainia clinging to his side and trying to get onto the saddle. The undead were all alerted and tried to take off after her.
Xainia made it into the saddle and grabbed the reins. "Nah. We hafta make dis fast!" Zahriel growled and began to sprint.
Slowly getting to her feet, Zilis watched, slightly taken aback. The undead were still on Xainia's tail, not even noticing Zilis. The undead were losing ground on the sprinting black raptor. Concentrating as best as she could, Xainia smited the skeletons while riding towards the south.
Zilis sighed, 'Yer crazy' and then grabbed her own raptor and started to sprint towards the undead, her hands on her weapons.
Despite the damage that was angering then enough to follow, as Xainia began to cross a gigantic ice bridge, even the undead came to a halt. They stood, watching for a moment, as Xainia made it a short distance across before coming to a halt. Zahriel breathed in the cold air with visible effort as the undead continued to watch at the bridge.
Finally coming up behind the undead, Zilis did a flip off of her raptor's back and landed on the back of one of the undead, bringing her sword down through the top of its skull. Next, she jumped off and attacked another one in the same way, moving with great agility until one of the undead dodged and she landed on the bridge. Despite being just out of melee range, the undead did not step on the bridge. Zilis' raptor rode through and knocked down another, clawing it to pieces as it ran across. The undead still would not set foot on the bridge. Staring for a moment, the undead realized the two would not come back and then lost interest, returning to their camp.
"Yah sure know how ta show me ah good time." Zilis turned to her friend.
"Wha took ya so long?" Xainia panted.
"Ah didn't know where ya was…" Zilis shrugged as her raptor caught up to them, carrying a still wiggling leg bone in its mouth. "Put dat down… it still movin." Zilis motioned at the raptor and it threw the femur over the side of the bridge with a swing of its head. "Besides, ya kin take care ah yahself, it be seemin'."
"So… where ah we nah? " Xainia pointed looked at the bridge around them.
Zilis' expression changed, her mask seemed to cover her entire face to hide it. "Frostwhispah gorge. We be headin tah dah south where some demons ha taken up livin."
"Well den lets get dere. Dis place be dangerous even when we not in da canyon." Zahriel carried Xainia south again at a slower pace as she said that.
Patting her raptor on the nose, Zilis told her raptor to return to the city. Zilis continued on slightly ahead of Xainia, walking quietly. Dismounting from Zahriel, Xainia came to a stop as they finished crossing the bridge. She blew her whistle and Zahriel was whisked off by the arcane torrents to a safe place.
"We got dah time tah stay dah night? Ah not wantin tah be goin inta dat gorge at night." Xainia walked over and stood beside Zilis' raptor.
"Ah suppose. Dis be dah onlah way out ah dah gorge ah tink" Zilis dismounted and tied her raptor to a nearby tree, spreading the saddle blankets over it to keep it warm.
Xainia quickly began to set up the tent for them. The wind had died down this close to the demonic gorge; the gorge itself was stagnant with the reek of the demons. After the tent was set up, Xainia quickly got into it and laid down on the blankets that they had spread to keep them protect from the cold ground.
"Sah Xainia." Zilis asked as they tried to go to sleep. "Yah nevah told me ahbout wha happened wit dah shadah."
"Whatcha mean?" Xainia looked over, not too comfortable with the topic. "Yah sah me beat it yahself. Ah used it when we wah out around dah world an it was still me. Ah served dah horde wit it."
"Nah. Ha it started. Wha caused such ah bad ting tah happen to yah?" Zilis pried a bit more.
"Well dah first time ah used it it saved mah life. It was sorta mah fault ah tink. Ah thought ah was controlling it but ah was only letting it control me. Dah shadah be sometin verah dangerous if yah dun control it." Xainia began to lecture Zilis.
"But who showed yah dah shadah? Yah didn't just come across it did yah? Yah told me what happened to yah parents and ha ya came ta Kalimdor. Ah tink ah even remembah seein yah on dat island when dah horde came in. Yah nevah told me wha happened tah yah ta get ya goin on dis whole quest." Zilis made the question more direct, like she wanted someone to blame for the misdeeds of the shadow.
Thinking of her former master for a moment, Xainia decided it would be best to not give Zilis someone else to hunt. "It not be important, reallah. Ah found mah way and met yah and Telina. Ah can't dwell on dah past."
"Fahn. Ah guess ah nevah know." Zilis frowned, trying to elicit a response from Xainia through pouting.
"Yah. But yah shouldn't wan tah know." Xainia corrected her. "Nah gah tah sleep."
Somewhat impressed that Xainia had withstood all of her tactics, Zilis tried to go to sleep also. She had always been fascinated by how secretive Xainia was, but her hate for what the 'parasite', as she called it, ran deeper than her love for her friend.
Just inside the entrance to the gorge, another being looked out at the campsite and then down at a full sack of purple shards on its belt. "Oh, my old friend… has it come to this? You've sent this assassin after me. Mark my words; she'll never reach me alive." He bluffed as he threw a green stone up in the air and walked into the depths of the gorge.
The night sky lit up in a green shade as a meteor hit the ground amongst the hederine demons and stood up, alight with fel flames; an infernal. The demon quickly dispatched the hederines at the mouth of the gorge and waited patiently for the prey that its summoner had promised it.
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After the two trolls had slept soundly for the night, they quickly rose and packed the tent. Xainia didn't bother to summon her raptor for what she perceived to be a short distance, so she took Zilis' raptor and led it for the rogue. As they approached the gorge, the infernal glared impatiently at them. More hederine demons had resumed the post behind the firey rock, but they didn't want to challenge him.
A deep demonic voice echoed towards them from the beast. "You shall not pass. You…" the demon pointed at Zilis. "Are mine!"
"He has chains... Dat belong tah someone." Xainia noticed and whispered to Zilis.
"'Dat Mastah runs scared, leavin' 'dere pets tah die...?" Zilis muttered.
"Or ta return when dey win." Xainia corrected the rogue.
"Na gore, na glorah..." Zilis unsheathed her weapons and moved towards the demon.
Xainia lowered her head in prayer and a shield appeared around Zilis. Zilis looked the enormous creature over. It didn't appear to have any weak points, so most of her assassination skills would prove useless. The flaw of the infernal was that it looked slow... she'd have to outmanuver it. Seeing that they were not being frightened away, the infernal moved to engage first. Without a word, Zilis charged at the beast, lunging at it with her sword behind her, preparing a hard strike to the chest. While Xainia burned away at it with the powers of light, the infernal swung its arm powerfully to hit the approaching toll away. Just as the Infernal was about to strike her, Zilis vanished and left only smoke in her place. The infernal looked around, not charging for Xainia even though she was helping; it searched for Zilis. Without warning, Zilis appeared from behind the infernal. She had jumped upwards and behind it to get a good shot. Stabbing into the rocky back of its head, she landed and held on. As the infernal's aura burned her and he tried to shake her off, she continuously slashed at its head. Xainia looked at Zilis swinging; she had not done combat in so long as she had been at Lights Hope healing. Xainia's shield helped to lighten the burn on Zilis, and her armor absorbed some of it, but she started to sweat from the fire on the infernals' head as she ran around on the beast's shoulders. The infernal was weakening, but it was still unknown who would survive longer. Xainia looked at her hands then back at the infernal after renewing the shield on Zilis. She thought very hard for a moment and then the infernal suddenly shook and collapsed to the ground; its mind punished severely. As the infernal fell to peices, Zilis quickly backflipped off of it and landed in the snow. Xainia ran over and made sure the rogue was ok.
"D-d-dat wasin' s-s-sah bad...is jis a little coldah down here is all..." Zilis took off her mask and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Xainia held the mask while Zilis composed herself.
"Ah only wonda what be comin next. Do we hafta kill dese? Ah tink we can get around dem." Xainia looked at the hederine demons.
Zilis looked around for a moment before moving. "Follah me, ah see a way around."
They both climbed onto Zilis' raptor and headed into the canyon. The hederines were obedient to their posts; they did not notice the two. Luckily for them, the raptor fit through the first cave and saved them a battle against some of the demons. As the two made it to the second cave, they saw they would have to dismount to pass. Zilis and Xainia followed the tunnel in silence until Xainia spoke as they neared the exit of the tunnel. "Sah how dah we find 'im in all dis. Dere's tons ah caves."
"Dey say Mt. Hyjal be through 'ere...mebbe he be lookin' tah hide 'dere?" Zilis ended her sentence questioningly, looking for agreement from Xainia.
"Dere? But dah elves locked dat place up. Ah been dere befa… back when dis canyon was full ah snow." Xainia strained to remember.
"'Den if he be gettin' in, 'ou knows what he be unlockin'..." Zilis looked worried. "We bes be checkin." As Zilis said that, suddenly something wrapped around her leg and tripped her. A bright light flashed at the same time; Xainia was blinded by it too.
As the flash faded, it appeared like two Xainias were standing behind Zilis. One of them stepped back and gasped. "Wha?"
Getting to her feet quickly, Zilis turned around and shot a glance behind her to make certian this wasn't a sneak attack. Nothing else was nearby; even a succubus that had been walking the path was gone. Only Zilis and two copies of Xainia stood on the path.
"Wha dis be? Yah look like me!" the one that hadn't gasped exclaimed.
"Wha yah be talking about. Yah be lookin like me." The other retorted.
Zilis turned her gaze on the one that spoke last, giving it a glare through the eyes of her mask; her mask came to life and reinforced the glare.
The one that had gasped turned to Zilis. "Ya gonna hafta figure out which one. Ah can't have some demon ah otha thing lookin like me."
"Can yah tell? It be her!" The other one said. "Ah know yah. We been friends fah so long."
The mask continued to stare down the Xainia that Zilis was looking at, however, under the mask Zilis' expression was quite different, many different throughts ran through her mind. If she hit the wrong one, she would hurt her friend.
"Enough ah dis. get out ah mah form." The two Xainias said almost in unison and began to lock arms with eachother.
Zilis growled deeply and poked her finger with her blade. "Ah, ah got a cut, which one of yah can heal me?"
They looked at her and then at eachother. One of them quickly cast a healing spell while the other looked around with helplessness. "Ah… ah din have mana. Wha ya goin ta do?"
Still staring at the same Xainia, the one who could not heal, Zilis raised her blade and pointed it directly at her.
"Dun do it. It be her." The non-healer pleaded.
Wordlessly, she charged forward as the threatened Xainia dived away. Bringing her blade behind her, she prepared a great cleave down onto the Xainia. Zilis suddenly felt a whip wrap around her as the Xainia she fought dove back revealed itself to be a succubus.
Zilis stopped in pain as she regained her footing and proceeded to try to remove the whip.
"You are perceptive, but that won't save you." The succubus suddenly stood up and tried to charm Zilis.
Zilis staggered as the succubus taunted. "You'll never reach him." Now drawn to the succubus, Zilis walked forward to try and embrace it.
In the middle of this charm, Zilis closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words. Barely concentrating enough, she avoided embracing the demon. The eyes of her mask came alive and glowed slightly.
"You'll stay here with me. Always with me." The succubus echoed.
"Spirit ah 'da Wolf...lend meh true sight..." Zilis muttered.
The succubus felt her spell weakening and tried to renew it. While she could still concentrate, Zilis took her blade in hand, sheathing the other and bringing her hand in front of her. Cutting her palm quickly, she clenched it and focused on the pain as the blood fell to the tainted ground. The spell broke very quickly because of the pain, allowing Zilis to attack. Redoubling her efforts, Zilis looked up at the Succubus through the Mask. The succubus realized her spell was broken now and tried an all out attack.
"If I can't have you, you'll die." The demon's whip lit up as she drew it back and swung it.
Zilis ducked the whip as she swung it horizontally and then caught it with her arm. The troll twisted the whip around her arm despite the burning sensation it had, and pulled the succubus towards her. Though such an attack would usually not have been enough, the succubus tripped on a loose rock and fell right onto Zilis' blade.
Run though, the demon coughed. "This isn't over! Kalona fails, others won't."
Zilis shot the dying Succubus a glare before turning to Xaina. "Ya a'ight?"
Xainia paused for a moment. "Kalona... yah ah be alright."
"Nah ah convinced ah it. 'Dere's nah time tah lose, if 'ey be lookin' tah unlock Hyjal...c'mon" Zilis got on her raptor along with Xainia again and ran towards the entrance of Hyjal, trying to make up for lost time.
After crossing through a few more caves, they saw the line of columns leading to the Hyjal gate. A small blue figure stood infront of the columns and glared at them as the other demons had.
"Ah voidwalker. He mus be runnin out ah choices." Xainia commented.
Zilis returned the glare as they approched it. "Get outta dah way."
"And why would I be a last choice?" the voidwalker spoke in a low and monotone voice, he seemed to know the horde language well. "You seem to underestimate me."
"Savin' da best fer last den." Zilis prepared to take on the blue ball of shadow.
"You come here as murderers. Why? Your target cannot even return to the void, why waste the life energy?" he questioned them.
"Ah demon born ah 'da souls ah da fallen calls us murderers? Ya 'Mastah' seeks somethin' terrible, ya know not what ya do."
Xainia stood silently, trying to see into the cave that led to the gate while her friend argued the voidwalker down.
The voidwalker, Krakkesh, laughed. "You don't know what he seeks, yet you seek something just as horrible as you perceive that he does; his death. You have no conviction, no reason. Only a price."
"'Un fer manah if he gonna open Hyjal. If somebodah say it be his time tah die… den it just might be." Zilis tried to match the word play that Krakkesh was giving her.
"You must believe that, having killed an entire city of trolls on a whim." Krakkesh stabbed at the trolls with his remarks.
Xainia shook a bit at that comment, still silent, she seemed to sense something. Neither of them knew how this demon found out about the battle.
"Ah give mah 'enemies' sancity from ah world ah chaos, ahn try tah repair 'da world in da process. Ah give 'dem peace" Zilis tried to put a purpose behind assassination once more.
"And yet thier peace would have been living… not slaughter." The voidwalker argued.
"Peace ah demon like ya kin nevah know...sad..." Zilis tried to insult the demon passively.
"I do not need peace. I will not know peace. You would nonetheless try to pass and destroy all that my master has done…" The voidwalker tried to worm into their resolve more. "…for nothing more than a price; how demonic of you."
Zilis snickered; doubtful a warlock could do any good. As she did, a fireball hit her in the back.
"Augh!" the rogue cried out and fell forwards off of her mount. Flipping upwards, she looked for the source.
Xainia got off of the spot on in the front of the saddle that she sat on and looked around for the where it had come from also. Seeing an imp on top of one of the pillars, Xainia shielded Zilis and prepared to attack.
"Xainia, gid outta 'ere!" Zilis yelled.
"You help this one? You know now what you do." The voidwalker glared at Xainia as the imp grinned and threw more fire around.
"Nah. Ah not leave yah!" Xainia said, healing Zilis.
"Two on 'un, eh? A'ight 'den.." Zilis looked to the voidwalker, but he was gone. He had run towards a broken pillar and was headed up into the mountains around the canyon. Dodging the next fireball, Zilis drew a throwing axe and hurled it at the imp. The imp caught the axe between the palms of his hands and laughed, discarding it. In response to this, Xainia smited the little green parasite.
"Hey, watch it lady." The imp yelled back at Xainia.
Zilis tapped her raptor on the nose and he ran towards the exit of the canyon to return to Everlook; a mundane raptor wouldn't be able to make it any further. Quickly moving on, Zilis ran over to the pillar and scaled it with ease; Xainia followed as closely as she could. The pair found themselves jumping on the rock ledges above the door; they could see the green lush and renewing forest on the far side of the ridge. The imp was now out of range, it chased to catch up. The voidwalker kept running, heading down a steep slope now into the forest. The two slid down the hill and looked around for him.
Zilis muttered to Xainia. "'dis is prolleh a trap. Be on yah guard ahn don be hesitant tah run; ah'll be fine."
"Ah tink it be too late... dah gate is still closed an dere be nah way back up." Xainia looked at the hill.
The gate to Hyjal had indeed not been breached, falsifying the idea they had that the warlock was letting something out.
"He musta taken dis way in too." Zilis suggested.
The voidwalker stopped ahead of them and turned, now in the open. "That is right, fools. Now you truly have no cause except money. You're not saving anyone; what a waste of time." The voidwalker sacrificed himself and faded away.
Zilis sighed. "What crawled up 'is ass...?"
"A fireball." The high voice of the imp screeched as Zilis was hit in the leg with one. As the rogue looked for the imp, she saw that it was already far ahead and running further into Hyjal.
"Ow.." Zilis mumbled as she brushed the ash off her leg. "'e be getting on mah nerves."
They both looked around, trying to figure out what the warlock could be doing up in the hills of Hyjal. Zilis was sure it couldn't be good, but Xainia was beginning to doubt their purpose. The infernal had tried force, the succbus had tried trickery, and the voidwalker had challenged resolve. Xainia could only think about what might challenge them next, and she couln't shake the familiarity of the name Kalona either. Beliefs and doubts aside, the force they were about to encounter was beyond death, beyond light and darkness, and beyond either of them.