"What's the matter, boy, did I hit a nerve, talking about your wretched father?" Kil'sha cackled from the nothingness. Good, it was about time he came back, in some form. Drakkon was getting annoyed, fighting the forest.
"At least my father wasn't a coward." Drakkon called. "He didn't have to cower in the shadows like you."
"Who says I'm cowering? I'm enjoying the show! Perhaps if your father had any sense, he would have fled from that battle at the Citadel. He might still be alive." He taunted. "But, of course, your destruction of the scourge didn't leave him much room, did it?" Drakkon snarled, cutting down another root and looking around the forest. There had to be some sign, somewhere, of Kil'sha's location. "How does it feel, knowing that you single-handedly ruined the kingdom? Caused the decline of the continent? Caused the death of your own father and shattered your entire family?" He laughed. "You really are nothing more than a plague, aren't you?"
"You'd know a thing or two about being a plague." Drakkon shot. "Come out here and fight me! What happened to wanting me dead? You would rather have your environment do the job, for you?"
"Does it bother you?" He asked. "Either way is fine, for me. Either way, you end up dead. I think you're just upset that there's nothing you can do." He said. "Poor ignorant child.. After all that time disobeying your father, causing mayhem and acting like an impractical, naive, fool.. The one time you choose to stand up for his honor, it's a trip straight to your own demise." Kil'sha gave a tsk. "You haven't learned anything, have you?" He laughed. "Your father would be so disappointed. Even after his death weighing on your conscience, you're still just as irresponsible, reckless, and moronic as you ever were!" Drakkon growled in anger, sending a jolt of electricity through the roots to keep them away from him as he searched for Kil'sha.
"Come out here and face me!" Drakkon snarled dangerously, his rage boiling. "I didn't come in here for a damn game of hide and seek, I came here to rip your heart out and make you choke on it!"
"Such violence." Kil'sha laughed, though he still didn't show himself. Drakkon had to do something to draw him out. There was something he would be able to taunt the druid with. After a bit of hesitation at the idea, Drakkon prepared himself.
"You like to think you know everything.." He began. "Do you know who's helping me? Who's got a plan to take you down?"
"Your priest is of no threat to me." Kil'sha scoffed.
"She will be." He said. "But that isn't who I'm referring to." He paused, taking a glance around the forest. "Your corruption only goes so far, here. Faiyte made it out to find help from another druid." Kil'sha chuckled, clearly unaffected. "She found Jaimee." Drakkon announced, and Kil'sha's cackling quickly ceased. "She told us what we have to do to kill you. You want to say my father was so bad.. but at least he didn't do anything horrible enough to turn me against him." He called. "Jaimee wants you gone, from the dream. She wants me to win!"
It would be a blatant lie to say Kil'sha's sudden appearance before him didn't startle Drakkon. Kil'sha roared, pointed teeth bares as he lashed out, sending Drakkon back, through the air, to crash into a tree. At least he had shown himself.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Kil'sha bellowed. He raised his hands and, simultaneously, the roots rose into the air. They followed Kil'sha's swinging arms like twisted puppets, speeding down after Drakkon as he ducked, dodged, and jumped out of the way, heading for Kil'sha. With a loud battlecry, Kil'sha stomped a hoof on the ground. As he did so, the very earth itself rose under Drakkon, knocking him down and causing him to stumble into the very roots he was attempting to avoid. This was new. This wasn't good. Drakkon did his best to fight the roots that closed on him, but they were simply to riled from Kil'sha's outrage. One of the larger ones quickly wrapped itself around his torso, nearly tight enough to break bones, and pulled him through the air.
Drakkon gave an attempt to dig his claw into the root and jolt it into dropping him, but the electric shock seemed to have no effect on them, anymore. Kil'sha's will was too great, now. The druid twisted his arm, causing the root to bring Drakkon towards him. As it did so, it twisted more, restraining Drakkon'e bladed arm and holding it down. He panicked a bit, at this. Without the claw, he was completely defenseless. Kil'sha poised himself to strike, an eager, twisted and malicious grin twisting his features.
It was at this very moment, a wave of light washed across the ground. The roots rose, twisting in pain and thrashing away from the area. Kil'sha, too, snarled in pain, squirming a bit. The root holding Drakkon panicked, as well, flailing in the air from the pain at it's base, and dropping Drakkon. He had braced himself for impact, but not for the pain that landing in the effected area produced. He hissed in a wince, jumping back from the still slightly glowing ground. From the corner of his eye, he saw Faiyte looking to him in shock. Clearly, the fact that he was technically a death knight and, therefore, also weakened by the powers of the light, had slipped her mind. He ignored the pain, giving a gesture for her to continue, regardless. She quickly did so, though she took caution not to cast area spells unless necessary.
Kil'sha's rage had increased tenfold at Faiyte's ability to use the light within his nightmare. He had lost his control, he couldn't stop her. The powers of the light, it seemed, truly hurt him. Faiyte continued casting spells over him as quickly as she could, looking quite triumphant. Of course, it wasn't enough to kill the nightmare druid, but it was enough to distract him. Therefor, it gave Drakkon the opportunity to ambush Kil'sha. If he could get close enough, his claw would serve well enough.
This plan was interrupted, however, when Kil'sha let out a wild roar that was echoed in an animalistic nature. He was practically foaming at the mouth in his fury. He raised his arms and, in tandem, the wild lashing vines and roots rose with them. Then, with Kil'sha's wild swings of his claws, the roots and vines followed after. Kil'sha's attacks were centered on Faiyte, and she was quickly overwhelmed. Having no choice, Drakkon turned his attention to helping Faiyte fight off the hostile nature.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Faiyte called out, just as he slashed away a root that would have otherwise severed her head. "Get Kil'sha!"
"These things will tear you apart just as fast as he could! You know that!" He argued.
"If you kill him they'll stop!" Faiyte huffed. Then, she let out a yelp of surprise as Drakkon quickly snatched her arm and yanked her out of the way of a swinging branch.
"You shouldn't even be here!"
"Without me you'd be dead!"
"Just give me the necklace and wake up!" He ordered.
"No!" She glared, dodging a few roots and casting spells at Kil'sha. The druid howled in pain and rage. The roots became more wild, and it didn't take long for them to grip both Drakkon and Faiyte, holding them in place. They were stuck where they stood. Neither Drakkon's electrified claw, not Faiyte's spells, could sway their hold. Kil'sha was far too angry. A particularly large vine rose from the fog, riddled with long, sharp spikes. As it dove, Drakkon realized in dread that it was aiming straight for Faiyte. Thinking quickly and having no other options, he gripped her arm in his bladed claw, sending a shock through her. She gave a yelp in shock and pain, then disappeared all together. It had woken her up, as he'd intended.
This only angered Kil'sha more, and he snarled at Drakkon's success. The vine whipped around, mid-air, and came crashing down towards Drakkon. He gave a swing of his claw in an attempt to protect himself, but it only knocked the vine off course. Instead of plummeting through his chest, the jagged, spiked vine sliced into his side. Drakkon hissed in pain, ducking as the vine swung again. As he did so, he noticed that the necklace had been left behind when Faiyte had woken up. He quickly snatched it up, wrapping it around his wrist a few times to assure it stayed with him.
In a flash, Drakkon utilized his newly freed abilities to teleport forward, out of the roots and away from the area of attack. Kil'sha seemed confused, twisting around to look for the mage. Drakkon sent a spell towards Kil'sha, then, that caused the nightmare druid's thoughts to scramble. As this took effect, the vines, roots, and tree limbs calmed, no longer controlled. Drakkon sent a wild rush of spells, then, in attempt to bring Kil'sha down. This only succeeded in giving away his position, however. Having lost control over the forest, Kil'sha charged, himself. There was a flurry of claws, hooves, and horns, then, that caused Drakkon a moment of panic. He wasn't accustomed to fighting Kil'sha directly. He focused on slashing his blades at every opportunity he got, casting spells and dodging Kil'sha's attacks. He was doing poorly, however, sustaining more damage than he caused.
Kil'sha regained control of the forest as Drakkon's spell faded from his mind, and Drakkon didn't notice until a vine whipped around and drove itself straight through his torso. It was more shock, than it was pain. Drakkon froze for a moment, looking to the vine, stunned. Kil'sha cackled in victory, calling the vine back and making it whip around. It connected with Drakkon hard, sending his flying back into a tree. This was when the pain hit. He felt weak, drained, and sore all over.
There was a shout, then, but it wasn't Kil'sha. It was a woman's voice. Though, Drakkon thought, for a moment, that it was Faiyte. That she might have gone back to sleep. But, as it spoke, again, and the forest lightened a bit..
"Stop! Please!" It wasn't Faiyte's voice, but it sounded so familiar. He looked up, fighting the blurring in his vision. "That's enough!"
"How did you get in here!?" Kil'sha still sounded enraged, though something in his voice had changed considerably. Forcing himself to focus, Drakkon could vaguely make out the sight before him. Through the fog, he could see the woman was a night elf, dressed in a flowing white dress. Violet hair fell around her shoulders and down her back in soft waves, and her skin was a light shade of lavender.
"The priest." She answered Kil'sha. "She purified it enough to let me enter. Don't you see what you've done, here? You're better than this!"
"Better than this!? This is just. This is owed to me!" Kil'sha hissed. "And you should be on my side! NOT HIS!"
"I don't want to have to choose! Please, just stop this!" She was pleading.
"No! I did not suffer all these years trying to get my revenge just to give it all up once I've come so close!" He snarled.
"Do my feelings mean nothing to you, then!?" She sounded more upset, now.
"You shouldn't have feelings for that wretched, evil, soulless walking corpse from the damn scourge!" He roared. "Your allegiances should lie with your blood!" The way Kil'sha said it made everything instantly click in Drakkon's mind. It was Jaimee. At this thought, he forced away his haziness to get a better look at her. Was it real? Was she really there, or was this Kil'sha's last attempt at torturing him?
"My blood!?" She cried. "You are not my father! Not anymore! My father was a kind, caring man! You are a monster! And I will not let you kill Drakkon!"
"The boy is bleeding out as we speak, dear." Kil'sha spat. "There is nothing you can do to stop it!" At this, Jaimee cast a quick, fretful look to Drakkon.
"I can heal him." She said defiantly, looking back to her father. He snarled.
"And how do you intend to do that when I dispose of you!?" He shot. Then, he gave a swift backhand that Jaimee wasn't expecting. It caused her to fall backwards with a cry of pain. To hell if it was fake. Drakkon gripped the amulet tightly, forcing himself to his feet. Rather dizzily, he teleported forward, tp the area between Jaimee and Kil'sha just as the latter gave another swing. Kil'sha let out a snarl of shock and pain as Drakkon appeared before him, a swing of his claw easily tearing into Kil'sha's arm as it came down. Kil'sha recoiled, black blood dripping from the fresh would. He focused on it for only a moment before his golden eyes locked on Drakkon.
"Stay away from her!" Drakkon's growl dripped heavily with venom, a daring tone behind the snarl. Jaimee moved, beginning to cast a healing spell on Drakkon. Kil'sha, however, interrupted it. The roots sprang to life, wrapping tightly around Jaimee and pinning her back against a tree. Their grip tightened when she struggled, and she gave a sharp wince.
At this hostile move, Drakkon moved forward to take on the nightmare druid directly. Kil'sha, too, moved to clash with the mage, attempting futilely to command his roots against him. Drakkon's claw dealt with them well enough, however, sparking with electric current in his anger. Drakkon cast spells at Kil'sha to slow and weaken him, and swung dangerously with his electrified claw, dealing sufficient damage whenever the blades connected with the druid's flesh. Though Kil'sha was able to get in a few damaging blows, himself, it was like Drakkon didn't even feel them. Nothing seemed to be slowing him down.
"ENOUGH!" Kil'sha called, and the roots around Jaimee tightened significantly, making her cry out in agony. "Stop and surrender of I will tear her apart!" Kil'sha ordered. Drakkon hesitated at this, giving a short glance over his shoulder to the pained and struggling Jaimee. The roots were still tightening around her. Slowly, but steadily. They would surely cut straight through her, if Kil'sha chose to make them. Drakkon's head was spinning, and his vision still faltered in his blood loss. With one last glare of hatred to Kil'sha, he collapsed to his knees before him, hanging his head. Kil'sha chuckled, his stance relaxing as he moved forward, relishing in the thought of dealing the final blow.
"No!" Jaimee called out past her pain. "Please!"
"Silence!" Kil'sha shot, sending another vine to wrap around her mouth. He came to a stop before Drakkon, clicking his claws before raising his hand in preparation.
"And last words, scourge filth?" He snickered.
"You never were much for thinking things through, were you?" Drakkon asked, causing Kil'sha to raise a brow. In a flash, Drakkon first cast a spell to block Kil'sha's control of the roots, again. Then, in the next instant, Drakkon leapt up from the ground, driving his bladed, electrified claw straight into Kil'sha's open chest, sending a surge of sparks straight into the druid's heart. Kil'sha jolted in pain and, as a last act, drove his claws into Drakkon's back. Drakkon twisted, grabbing one of the druid's elk-like horns and using his body weight to topple Kil'sha to the ground. After a few moments, Kil'sha went limp, breathing his last ragged, pained breath.
Drakkon moved, then, tearing his claw from Kil'sha's chest and backing away from his body. The fog was slowly fading, the sky was changing from it's shade of crimson to a more natural blue, and the roots were calmed and still. Drakkon expected to turn around to see Jaimee had disappeared. He expected her to have just been an illusion. She wasn't, however. With Kil'sha's will gone, she was able to control the forest, herself. The roots around her twisted away easily. Drakkon leaned back against a nearby tree, sliding down it to sit on the ground as he watched her in disbelief. Once the roots were free from her, she bolted forward, crashing to her knees beside him, looking horrified.
"Oh, Elune! You're a wreck!" She breathed, tears rimming her eyes as she looked over his wounds.
"Are you real?" He had to ask it. Assumptions just weren't good enough, in this instance. She looked to him, eyes locking with his. There was a deep worry in them as she gave a nod.
"Of course I am." She said. "As real as he was.." She added, nodding over her shoulder before starting a healing spell. "Just relax an-" She was cut short when Drakkon grabbed her, pulling her quickly into his lap and holding her tightly against his chest. Jaimee faltered, stunned, but wrapped her arms around him after a moment, clinging to him. "Drakkon.. You really need to let me heal you." She said quietly, after a small while.
"No." His reply was short and definite. Jaimee's concern worsened, at this.
"Your wounds are severe. They will kill you." She tried.
"I know." At this, she gave an attempt to pull away. Drakkon's hold on her tightened, however, preventing it. Instead, she moved her head, looking up to him in shock.
"Drakkon, I-" She began, but he interrupted, keeping her locked in their gaze as he continued to hold her in place.
"Do you have any idea what I've been through, since you died?" He began, though the statement and his voice lacked anger. Rather, he seemed a bit pleading. "What my life has been like? If you could even call it a life.." He muttered. "Watching everything collapse around me, everything crumble and turn to ash and knowing most, if not all, of it was my own fault?" He paused. "They all expect me to be strong, Jaimee. They expect me to go on and take control and act like nothing bothers me when it tears me apart constantly. I can't take it, anymore."
"So you really expect me to just let you die?" She asked, voice trembling a bit, filled with panic as her dormant tears rolled over her cheeks.
"Didn't you ask me to do the same thing for you?" He retaliated, and she faltered. "I can't handle all the damn pressure, anymore. I've spent my entire life just ruining everything I've come in contact with and, no matter how hard I try to do the right thing, it all goes wrong. All my life has been like that. I try to help, and I end up making things worse." He said, the pleading in his voice was obvious, now. "The one and only thing I've ever even come close to succeeding in was raising Valeah, and even that I just barely handled. And she's grown and moved on, now.. And, thank Elune that she turned out like you, instead of me, because I'm a damn mess." He said the word in a bitter tone. "I don't have one single reason to live, Jaimee. Honestly, it's just better for everyone if I don't."
"Drak-" She tried.
"You can't argue with it." He stopped her. "I tried to help Silver, and ended up sending her into a situation that she was extremely lucky to survive at all. Wolfe.. I completely betrayed him to the point that, if he found out, he would rebel against the entire kingdom, which I single-handedly ruined.. And as a direct result of that, my father was killed, which completely destroyed my mother.. Not to mention you.. If you hadn't met me, you would probably still be alive, happy and well in Stormwind. Everything I come into contact with.. I can't do anything right, and I'm sick and tired and drained.. I can't do it anymore." He said.
"You always dwell on the bad.." Jaimee said. "Silver made it out alive because she was strong.. And she found her place and her own happiness as a result of what you did for her. You didn't ruin her life, you helped her live it. What you did to Wolfe.. If you hadn't, then you wouldn't have had the initiative to follow her and find out who she really was. If it hadn't happened that way, he would have gotten more attached to her and probably would have run off with her and rebelled against you, anyway." She said. "You run your kingdom the best you can, given the circumstances, and you are strong enough to do it. If you give up now, it will all have been for nothing and you wouldn't be able to prove yourself. As for me.. What makes you think I wasn't happy while I was living in the Citadel? Yes, I had my restaurant, and my way of life.. But that doesn't mean I was better off. I was happier, when I was with you, than I'd ever been in my life. And, if I hadn't met you, Valeah wouldn't exist." She finished. "You aren't the plague you paint yourself to be, Drakkon. And you just saved the emerald dream from a real threat. You saved more than you think, including other druids, living or spirits, myself included."
"So, then I can end on a good note." He muttered, and she frowned.
"Drakkon, please." She breathed.
"If I live, am I ever going to come back here?" He asked. "Am I ever going to see you again?" At this, she struggled, breaking their gaze for a moment. This was enough of an answer. "I don't want to live without you. I'd rather die, here, with you."
"You have to let me go. You know that." She tried. "All it's doing is dragging you down and holding you back. I don't want that. You have to stop blaming yourself, it was my choice." She insisted. "You need to move on and stop living as thought I'm still there, judging you. Of course I watch over you and Valeah.. But even in death I stand by your decisions." She paused. "And these past two years you've been making them, based on what you want. That is how you should live."
"Because it worked out so well.." He muttered, and she smiled slightly.
"For the most part." She nodded. "It's better than living like you're stuck under someone's thumb.." She tried, again, to sit up. He was reluctant, but he let her. And, as she started casting another healing spell, he allowed her to mend the wounds. Though, he didn't seemed pleased with the idea of living. The pair was silent, as she continued. The healing spells were certainly heightened by the dream and, not only did the wounds close quickly, but no scars remained in their wake. The thought caused Jaimee's eyes to life to Drakkon's face. To the claw scars over his left eye. She moved a hand under his chin, lifting his face and leaning forward to press a kiss on his cheek, over the scars. She rested her forehead on his, placing a hand on either side of his face and locking her eyes to his.
"Feel better?" She asked.
"I suppose." He said. With this, it was clear he still wished she had just let him die. "That worgen, Tacoon.. He said druid spirits can pull others into the emerald dream.." He started, after a moment.
"Drak.." Jaimee breathed, slightly pained.
"I'm not saying for me.." He clarified. "Valeah should meet you, if only once." At this, Jaimee smiled slightly, giving small nod in agreement. He still seemed somber, however.
"Please don't hate me for keeping you alive." She tried. At this, he moved his unbladed hand to the back of her neck, pulling her forward to press his lips to hers. She immediately returned the kiss, moving her hands to link her arms around him.
"I love you." He said, once they'd pulled apart, moving his hand to wipe the tears from her cheek.
"I love you, too." She smiled, moving her hand to rest on his. "You.." She faltered, after a moment. "You know you have to wake up." He was reluctant, but he gave a nod. "Goodbye, Drakkon." She said, giving a sad smile. Then, she moved a hand to his chest, and the emerald dream faded away into nothingness.