Lightning cracked overhead. The gloomy, constant overcast swirled with even darker clouds; it would storm again.
Colton was bent over a revised map detailing the remnants of the Thunder King's citadel.
A sweet, partially off-key, humming sounded outside the tent. He pushed the flap aside, seeing Tina standing in an odd pose; she was on one foot, the other on the knee of the opposite leg. She had her palms pressed together, and began humming, again.
Something was in her ears, and she appeared to be unaware of her surroundings. A few of the Kirin Tor cast strange looks in her direction. She bent over, the top of her pants riding down, showing the crack of her rear. The elves' eyes widened, each whispering to the other in shock. Colton repressed a laugh.
Thunder roared overhead, and Tina jumped, almost falling flat on her face as she stumbled forward, trying to balance herself. She grabbed at the cotton-like material in her ears, throwing it down on the ground in anger.
"Jesus Christ! You can't get one fucking minute of solitude in this shithole."
"It's not called the Isle of Thunder for mere amusement, Ms. Harris."
She turned to find Colton looking at her with a dog's smile on his face. She shook her arms, grabbing at the pendant around her neck. "Yes, well, still. This is ridiculous." Thunder cracked again, and she nervously ducked a little, glancing up at the sky. "I'm going back in the tent before I piss my pants."
He laughed as Tina passed him, shaking his head. She was good company to have, in an, otherwise, dire situation. He caught some motion out of the corner of his eye, and glanced up. Teng was heading towards him, her gear unchanged from the last time he laid eyes upon the Pandaren spymaster.
"Priest. You have come." She slightly bowed towards him, then turned, motioning him to follow. "Come we, have much to discuss."
They headed down the worn trail he had walked a million times before. The ominous trees swayed against the violent winds that ripped through the large island. They diverted off the pathway, heading into knee-high waters. Up ahead was the cave underneath the waterfall where the Shado Pan had their outpost.
He wiped the water from his eyes, blinking a few times as he refocused. His eyes fell on a blue-haired man.
"Colton, it is a relief to see you, my friend." The blue dragon gave him a warm smile. "It appears that you have the constant misfortune of attracting undesirable attention."
He glanced at the table next to Kalec. On the large, scattered pieces of parchment were various symbols and notations. One, in particular, caught his eye. Kalec followed his gaze, nodding.
"It appears that gods truly cannot die. However, it is important that we neutralize the resurgent threat before us, first." He motioned towards the left. Aethas Sunweaver stepped from the shadows of the cave.
"Jaina would be, down right, furious, Kalec." Colton had a sly smile on his face, causing a few fangs to come into view.
"Yes, well, these are important matters, and they triumph over the bitterly false accusations from the past." Kalec's demeanor took on a solemn expression, as they watched Aethas walk to the table. The archmage reached out, casting a low, dim spell over the parchment. Symbols began to form in the air.
"Lady Liadrin's squadrons have been brought to their knees in Silvermoon. We suspected it was from the blood golems taken from this citadel." An image of red appeared, morphing into nameless shapes. "Some of the elves had injected themselves with the anima, in hopes of curing their lingering addictions to the Sunwell."
Colton stepped next to Kalec, putting a hand on the dragon's shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. Kalec looked at the fading image of the Sunwell. The pain still lingered.
"Liadrin found her blood knights strung upside down from the ceiling; their throats slit, having been bled out into pales positioned below them. Fortunately, for us, we managed to catch one of the minions."
An image of a saurok appeared. It slowly morphed into that of a blood elf, twitching at eerie intervals.
"Who's controlling them?"
"Something powerful. The illusion magic is one of the strongest I have seen." The archmage focused on Colton. "We missed something during our siege, many years ago."
"Are you sure? It could be any of the remaining mogu."
Aethas shook his head. "No, this is beyond them." He waved his hand, causing the glowing symbols to disappear. "Vicky, is she here, yet?"
Colton became irritated, letting a low growl leave his throat. "No, she is in Darnassus, where she will remain."
Aethas and Kalec looked at each other. A few moments passed. "Ah yes, of course."
Kalec turned to Colton. "Tina Harris is providing us with much needed time. Her role as a decoy was brilliant. The bulk of the enemy forces are focused on the Kirin Tor outpost, as we speak. However, we should consider relocating her soon, for her continued safety." He motioned Colton over to the table. With a wave of his hand, the parchments rolled to the side, displaying a hastily drawn map underneath. "There is a weakened crack in the wall. I suggest this as our entry point."
"What are we looking for?"
"The chamber where the anima was first created, or at least, coalesced into the Dark Animus." Kalec pointed on the map. "Here, above the labs."
Colton's hand began to shake. He moved from the table, clasping his hands together in an attempt to calm his nerves. The skin on his back started to burn, as the terrifying memories sprang forth in his mind.
Aethas and Kalec were both focused on the map. Kalec continued speaking. "You and Vicky are the only ones who can access the labs. The rest are dead. I am truly sorry, Colton…"
An hour later, Colton was leaving to return to the Kirin Tor outpost. Aethas stood by Kalec, behind the waterfall, watching the Worgen disappear into the distance.
"Why didn't you tell him?"
Kalec shook his head. "He has enough on his mind. However, she is still disguised, and our enemies are none the wiser."
Aethas turned to Kalec, raising an eyebrow. "As what?"
"She had a mage cast an illusion spell on her before she left. I have taken the liberty of assuring its continued duration." He glanced at Aethas, a mischievous grin on his face. "Ishnu-alah."
Aethas burst into laughter, as he motioned his hand in a semi-circle, causing an opening of the waterfall to form. He stepped through.
Day three: she pulled at the long white hair attached to her scalp.
"This isn't right." Even her voice was different, something which had only happened once she had gone through Biznel's portal. Her ethereal eyes narrowed in on the goblin in the corner. He was counting the ten thousand gold she had requested from the bank.
Apparently, Colton wasn't lying when he said he was far from broke.
"Biznel, something's wrong. Martyn said it would only last until sunset…of the first day. It's been over three days. Why am I still an elf?" She put her hand on her throat. "Why did my voice change?"
Biznel stopped counting, moving some coins to another pile, and writing the number on a piece of parchment. He glanced up at Vicky, squinting his eyes. His shoulders shrugged.
"I don't know, toots. You still have the illusion magic surrounding you. Sometimes that stuff can take a while to wear off. My nephew, accidentally, changed my niece into a monkey once. That lasted for three weeks."
He turned back to his stacks of gold. "We still have to make sure she wipes with cloth after she uses the bathroom."
"Ehhhh…" Vicky made a whining noise. She glanced at a mirror in the room at the inn of Halfhill; a stranger with white eyes stared back. She let her head fall on the solid surface.
"Don't break that, toots. I don't want any bad luck."
She groaned, irritated, walking towards the door. "I'm going to go find Mingan." Vicky had been waiting for her spell to subside, but it appeared that that was not going to happen anytime soon. Regardless, it was imperative she start her search for Colton.
She found Mignon next to the large bonfire below the inn. He was smoking his pipe, chatting with one of the panda-bear villagers. Off to the side, under a tree, was Tina's stalker.
"Ah, it is good to see you, little one. Come, take a seat at the fire."
Vicky sat down, nervously twirling the ends of her ridiculously long hair. "Biznel said I'm stuck like this for a while. I think I need to start looking for Colton, though. Do you know the best way to get to him?"
Mingan stroked his goatee. He had begun to grow it again, since they set up shop in Desolace. "The only entrance would be through the portals in Townlong Steppes, I am afraid."
A large, panda man began to speak. "Hmm, you may have better luck getting a flight in Krasarang Wilds. Your Sentinels still have an outpost set up, and the last I heard, they have trained animals that fly to the Steppes." He scratched his belly, reaching next to him to sift through a crate full of random items. A satchel appeared, and he leaned forward, placing his fingers into the pouch, reappearing with some herbs pinched in between. He sprinkled them over a pot near the fire. "Our last bird that was trained to fly there was shot down by the lingering mogu of the Vale, two months ago."
Vicky looked at Mingan. "Sentinels?"
Jin Joa looked at the elf with a raised eyebrow. "Tyrande's personal guard. I would expect all of the Night Elves to be familiar with them."
Vicky nervously twisted the hair around her finger. "Why, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I had a brain fart."
Jin Joa looked at Mingan, giving him a confused expression. The Tauren slowly shook his head.
Vicky dropped her hair, placing her long, slender hands on her thin knees. She was still trying to get used to having the body of a fashion model. "What is the quickest way to Krasarang?"
The Pandaren scratched his head. "There are a series of ropes attached on the cliff that overlooks the wilds, to the south of this town. We use them to scale the ridge, so we can access the rare fruits from that area. That would be your best bet." He gave the elf a glance over. "You should be fine; your kind are trained from birth to combat the beasts of the forests."
Vicky grimaced, looking back to Mingan with a panicked expression. He began to chuckle.
"Little one, I believe there are some items I can part with, which will help you on your journey." The Tauren focused on the Night Elf against the tree. "Yes. You should be fine."
Eventually, Vicky found herself walking through the overgrown fields of the strange farm land. Mingan had given her a pack with some jerky, mixed with a couple of items that she had no clue as to what they were, nor their function. Tied to the side of her right thigh was a hunting knife, the size of something from Commando. Tina's gun was in a satchel she had left back in Darnassus, stuck underneath some floor boards below the guest bed.
"I am so fucking dead."
Steps neared her, and she turned, stopping.
"Ely?"
"Elyarion."
Vicky felt something familiar brushing against her leg. "Oh hi, Baby."
Elyarion walked near her. "Dushan. His name is Dushan, human."
Vicky's nose wrinkled. "Oh, great, another racist prick." She turned, taking long strides forward. "You might want to take a hike, buddy. Tina's not going to put up with that shit."
He sneered, exposing his upper fang. "I am not racist. However, I do believe that the races would be better off keeping to themselves."
Vicky gave a long whistle. "Holyfuck, boy. Yeah…you keep telling yourself that." She glanced down at the cat. "Dushan, how do you put up with that guy?"
The cat stopped, giving her a blank expression. He slowly yawned, lowering his head. Vicky burst into laughter.
"Dushan, come! We're leaving."
His pet glanced back at him, blinking a few times. The cat stood up, following the female.
"Dushan!" Elyarion's anger was beginning to boil over as his pet continued to ignore him. He grunted in disgust, and quickened his strides, catching up to the duo.
"Looks like you're fucked, kid."
He scowled. "I am no child. I have been alive for well over three centuries."
Vicky snorted. "You act like a ten-year-old brat. I'm still debating if I should spank you or not."
The ridge came into view. She squinted her eyes, making out the tops of the stakes holding the ropes in place.
"Man, I'm pretty sure my eyesight hasn't been this good since I was a teenager."
The elf next to her grunted.
A few minutes later, they found themselves at the edge of the ridge. Vicky slowly peaked over the side, immediately taking a few steps back. Her breathing became rapid, and she stuck her fingers in her mouth. Elyarion was kneeling on the ground, securing Dushan to him. He glanced up.
"What are you trembling for?"
"Ely…I don't…no….no, no, no…" She started pacing in a circle. She bit hard, yelping and waving her hand in the air. "I'm scared of heights."
He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "Then I guess you'll be staying up here." He stepped to the edge, latching to the rope. He swung his foot over, allowing the full weight of his pet to stabilize, before he took his first step down.
"If you leave me, Tina will never forgive you."
Elyarion stopped, locking eyes with the elvish impostor in front of him. She had her arms around herself; absolute fear etched on her face.
"I don't care." He continued downwards.
A few hours had gone by, and the sun was beginning to set. Vicky was curled up in a ball, about ten feet from the edge of the cliff. She kept trying to convince herself to overcome her worst fear. An image of Colton would push itself to the forefront of her mind, and she would inch her way to the edge, only to scramble back again.
She laid on the ground, shaking as tears streamed down her face. Her eyes slowly closed; she was exhausted.
Something moved nearby. Her eyes opened and she saw hands coming over the edge of the cliff. A head of green hair appeared, followed by a set of familiar leather armor.
"Ely?" She groggily pushed herself up.
He tossed some rope at her. Glancing over the ridge, he made out the top of Dushan, who was making nervous circles around the end of the rope.
He turned, seeing Vicky holding the rope in her hands in confusion.
"What's the matter?" His voice was gruff and impatient.
She looked at him with a pathetic expression. "I've never climbed anything before."
He sighed, moving in front of her and snatching the rope out of her hands. He knelt on the ground.
"Get on."
Minutes later he found himself scaling down the ridge a second time, but this time he kept having the air to his lungs cut off. The human girl was trembling; her legs and arms wrapped tightly around him. He made a few gasping noises.
"Sorry!" She moved her arm off his neck and painfully latched it across his chest.
He finally felt the solid surface of ground on his foot, and let go of the rope. The human female on his back let go, falling on her rear with a loud thud. His pet immediately nuzzled next to the impostor. She clung onto Dushan's neck.
"I promise, when I get back home, I'm adopting a cat."
Tina woke up. She squinted her eyes, trying to focus on her surroundings. She was in a warm bed. The sound of birds echoed in the distance. She smiled, humming to herself in contentment.
Birds?
Her eyes shot open, and she quickly sat up, smacking her head on a low hanging lamp. She hissed, putting her hand on her forehead.
Stumbling out the tent, she glanced around. Large trees surrounded her. Her eyes scanned the area. Behind her was a large, mountain-like ridge; in front of her were a bunch of elves.
"Lady Harris, how do you feel?" A green-haired elven male walked to her, gently touching her arm.
"Where am I? What happened?" She blinked. "How do you know my name?"
Christofen looked over the strange human girl. Her pupils were still slightly dilated. "You are in Krasarang Wilds, Lady Harris. You arrived strapped to a hippogryph, sedated." He gently placed his arm around her shoulder, directing her towards a seat in front of the fire. "Fortunately, a note was, also, strapped to you."
Tina blinked a few times, staring blankly at the fire as a cup of something warm was placed in her hands.
Wait a minute.
"That bastard drugged me!" She spilled her drink, while attempting to stand up. She felt hands placed on her shoulders, pushing her back into her seat.
"Lady Harris. You are not well enough to walk, quite yet." A new cup was placed in her hands. "Please, drink this."
Tina fumed, hastily taking a large gulp of the contents in the cup. She choked, banging on her chest a few times.
"Oh my god, that's awful."
Christofen's eyes narrowed on her. "That was my mother's recipe."
Tina blinked. "Awfully good." She took another gulp, forcing it down her throat. "Tastes great."
He chuckled, throwing some branches on the fire. "It is quite alright, Lady Harris. It was not designed to appease the senses; it was designed to speed up recovery."
Tina looked at her hands, noticing a glowing sheen cover her skin. "Wow."
A noise emanated from a distance in front of her. Tina looked up, seeing two elves approaching the small campsite in the distance. She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes; a familiar silhouette appeared.
"Baby!"
The cat bolted straight for her, pouncing with enough strength to knock her off her chair. Her face was immediately assaulted by a tongue; long whiskers tickling her cheeks.
"Holyshit, Baby, you're heavy as hell."
She shoved the cat off, chuckling. He laid down, wiggling closer to her. She began to run her fingers through the fur around his neck. "Missed me, boy?" She lowered her head, placing it against the cat's forehead. "I missed you too."
"Oh my god, Tina! Are you okay? Where's Colton?"
Tina looked up at the white-haired elf. "I'm fine…" She raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
She watched as the elf glanced down, placing her hands over her chest and abdomen. "Oh, yeah…I forgot. It's me, Vicky."
Tina continued to stare. Vicky rolled her eyes. "Look, it's a long story, but I'm, sort of, stuck like this."
Tina leaned over, pinching the elf's calf. The elf smacked her hand away.
"Owe! What the fuck is wrong with you? That hurt."
"Okay, that sounds like something only Vicky would say. I'm sold."
Vicky sneered at her friend.
"Dushan." Tina turned her head to the left, noticing another green-haired elf walking past her. He motioned at Baby. The cat slowly pulled himself to his feet, and began to follow the elf. She watched as the stranger opened a satchel, dropping a wooden plate on the ground; some meat was thrown on top. Baby began to chow down.
"Yeah, so, there was something I neglected to tell you before."
Tina turned her head back, towards Vicky, who was nervously chewing on the long, slender fingers of her new form. "Oh, please…go on."
"Baby has an owner."
Tina gave her an incredulous look. "You don't say."
"And…I, kind of, knew this."
Tina kept looking at Vicky with an unenthusiastic expression. Vicky bit hard, immediately hissing and waving her hand in the air.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I thought he would go away."
Tina motioned a hand towards the duo at the other side of the camp. "Obviously not." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and pulling herself to her feet. "What's he doing here, anyways?"
Vicky glanced in the direction Tina was looking. "I guess Dushan's attached to you."
"Dushan?" Tina stuck a lip out. "Baby sounds a lot better."
"I agree. It also makes me want to start singing the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Anyways, that weirdo..." Vicky pointed at Elyarion. "Jesus."
The elf male kept his back to the two women. He was stroking Dushan's back.
"He seems to be alright. He treats my cat well."
Vicky scrunched her nose, turning to look at Tina. "Right…" She touched Tina's arm, her expression becoming serious. "Where's Colton."
Tina glanced up, still trying to get used to her friend's new height. "On some fucking island where it doesn't stop storming. The bastard drugged me, then strapped me to a goddamn Island of Doctor Moreau bird. I just woke up, not more than fifteen minutes ago."
Vicky bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her face straight. "Did you have a nice flight?"
Tina glared at Vicky. "Fuck you." She turned around, heading towards the elf and cat. Vicky started laughing, and glanced over to the flight master, walking in his direction.
Tina slowly crept up behind the elf. Dushan was feverishly inhaling his food. Another piece of meat appeared from the satchel, and was thrown on the wooden plate. The cat purred, content.
"I know you're there, human."
Tina's face scrunched up with a look of disgust. "Excuse me?" She heard the rustle of wings and metal clasps clicking together. She turned, seeing Vicky mounted on one of the freakish birds. Her white, glowing eyes glanced to Tina.
"Heeeeeeey-hey, baby…I wanna know-oh-oh…if you'll be my girl." She waved, laughing, as the bird took off. Within moments, she was nothing but a dot in the sky.
Tina's eyes focused on the giant water bug floating towards her. She was crouched under some brush, her spear in her hands. Since she had been dumped, by herself, in the middle of a rain forest, she figured it would be an appropriate time to learn how to fight. She felt something furry brush up against her leg.
Well, she's not, exactly, by herself.
She smiled, reaching down to give Dushan some much desired scratches behind his ears. The bug glided by, unaware of its narrow escape with death. She felt the pendant around her neck become slightly warmer.
"You are far too noisy, human. You will never gain the upper hand on your prey."
Tina glanced up, squinting her eyes. A vague outline of a large elf was propped up on top of a heavy branch, squatting. He suddenly fell, a good ten or so feet down, landing on both his feet with ease. Slowly, he stood to full height.
Splooge.
Tina shook her head, and turned away, grasping her spear. Just ignore him.
She kept a low stance, quietly moving about the ground with fluid motions. Her boots were knee-high lace ups, that provided much needed flexibility. The soles were soft, which also helped to reduce the noise of her footsteps. She grinned, seeing a small rabbit ahead.
Peter Rabbit's day is about ready to go to shit.
Tina moved with stealth behind the unaware rabbit. She circled around the back, gradually inching towards it while raising her spear higher. When she was no more than a few feet away, she dashed forward. The rabbit jumped, and she missed, falling face first in the ground with a thud. Laughter rose from behind.
"You are, surprisingly, entertaining to watch."
Tina squeezed her eye together, releasing a sigh. "It's either that, or you've enjoyed staring at my ass the entire time I was in Feralas."
Elyarion's eyebrows furrowed together. "Staring at what?"
Tina pushed herself on her knees, and pointed at her butt. "Ass. My ass, specifically. You've been stalking me, you creep." She glanced at Dushan, busily licking his paws. "Dushan." The cat looked up at her, and she pointed to Elyarion. "Bad elf. Bite." Dushan stared at her for a few moments, then went back to licking his paw. Tina scoffed. "Traitor."
Elyarion walked closer to her. "How would that be traitorous? He is my pet, afterall. Besides, I was not stalking, not by choice, at least. Dushan has grown attached to you. As to why, I still can't figure it out, but he is a stubborn cat."
Tina pushed herself to her feet, using her spear as a stable point. "Look, Captain Dickweed, as much as I enjoy your company…why you are here?" She pointed to Dushan. "You got your cat. He's content that I'm not dead." She made a dismissive motion with her hands. "Leave."
Elyarion stepped forward, reaching out to touch the pendant around her neck. The green gem began to glow with a bright vibrancy. "You are human, this much I know." His ethereal eyes became distant, as he continued to stare at the pendant. "Yet, you seem to be…so much more."
Tina grimaced, slowly taking the pendant out of his hand and stepping back. "Yeah…" He watched her, his hand still held out in the same position. "I'm going to go…away…now." She pointed to the ground. "Stay."
Tina gripped her spear. They stared at each other for a few moments, before she turned, heading in the opposite direction. A few minutes went by, and she sighed in relief; he didn't follow.
Streams danced along the path she was on, causing her to trudge through shallow waters every now and again. The sun was beginning to set, and the darkness of the woods was beginning to intensify. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. In a panic, she began to sprint, over the uneven terrain, even hurdling a few fallen logs.
I haven't been this fit since high school track.
Fear began to grip her, as the footsteps became closer. Her mind reeled back to the time she almost lost her life in Feralas, to the giant yeti. Sweat began to pour down her temples; she pushed harder.
Her face collided with something soft, yet still hard underneath. She ricocheted off, falling on her rear on the damp forest floor. While the daylight was quickly dying, she was still able to make out the figure in front of her. Her mouth fell open.
A huge, walking lizard was in front of her. Its mouth opened, displaying an impressive amount of razor sharp teeth. A long, glistening tongue fell out of its mouth, wiggling, then receding. Its reptilian eyes narrowed on her, as it let out a horrifying squeal, quickly dashing forward. All Tina could do was hold her hands up over her face.
Something flew past her head, embedding itself in the lizard-man's skull. Its face contorted, before falling backwards; its fast-dying nervous system causing the body to twitch. Two more appeared behind the dead one, and she saw Elyarion sprint past her from the right. He dodged a swipe, spinning around to catch the first lizard-man with the bottom of his wicked-looking bow, jamming the end through its throat. The second one leaped at him, and he ducked, reaching for a large knife at his side. He grabbed the lizard-man by the shoulders from behind and rammed his knife through. The thing screamed, as Elyarion dragged the blade through its body, ultimately splitting it into to. Its organs and bowels pooled beneath it, and he let the corpse drop, wiping his knife off on a portion of its upper torso.
"Dushan! Beldu-alah." Dushan quickly stopped, turning back around towards his master. His pet had killed a few of the saurok, causing a handful of others to flee in panic. He looked at the frozen female on the ground. Walking to her, he crouched in front, reaching his hand out to gently cup the bottom of her chin with his thumb and forefinger.
"This is not the first time I have prevented your death, Dalah'delar." A faint smile formed on his lips, before his usual frown returned. He stood, walking over to pick up her spear. "We should head back to camp for the night." He tossed it at her. She blinked, looking down at where it fell near her feet.
He glanced at her, motioning his hand. "Come."