A/N: My sincerest apologies, dear readers. I didn't think this chapter would take that long to write, but it was so chock full of detail that I preferred to take my time on it than rush it. I also got kind of busy with work and IRL crap. I'm really sorry, and I thank you so much for being patient.


Chapter 28: Outrage

Ki'ra had been afraid many times in her young life. Yet nothing she had ever experienced before struck the Zandalari priestess with more nerve-racking fear than watching Akashii battle the Warlord Zul'jin.

Because Akashii was losing and there was nothing she could do to help him.

There was an instant during their violent and furious fight that Ki'ra thought Akashii had gained an advantage. The quick and nimble warrior, while taking a bold risk to retrieve his fallen axe, was able to tumble past the witch doctor. With his back to him, Zul'jin could have easily fallen beneath Akashii's strike. Yet the much older forest troll was startlingly fast and agile; he dodged the attack with apparent ease and struck Akashii in his chest violently with the butt of Jin'rohk. Surprised and winded by the blow, Akashii was forced to leap backward to evade Zul'jin, but the warlord would not let him have a moment's reprieve.

For the subsequent several minutes that stretched like hours, Ki'ra watched in horror as Akashii defended himself against Zul'jin. The witch doctor fought with a primal madness and strength that Ki'ra would have never expected despite renowned tales of his skill. With Jin'rohk as his weapon, the one armed and half blind old troll clashed against his younger opponent with quicker agility, greater vigor, and sharper instincts. Akashii did not even have a chance to make another offensive strike after his failed surprise attack; the Darkspear warrior had to constantly and desperately dodge the flurry of spear swipes and jabs from Jin'rohk. Some of the rapid attacks could not be avoided; even from her high perch, Ki'ra could see splatters of the warriors own blood on his armor. His left arm seemed especially damaged; the mail armor and leather wrappings that once protected the flesh there were torn and saturated with crimson blood. He even had problems wielding his two-handed axe, resorting to bracing the heavy weapon with his undamaged limb.

Tears of frustration and dread stung at Ki'ra's eyes. The priestess had tried everything she could to escape her invisible prison, including hurtling threads of white hot fire at the barrier that surrounded her, but her magic seemed to have no affect against the violet runes. She desperately called inside her mind for Atal'Zan's help, even shouted aloud to the missing Loa. Nothing she could do could revive the spirit or release her from the barrier.

Hot trickles of water fell from her eyes as Ki'ra watched Akashii barely miss becoming impaled on one of Jin'rohk's blades. "Great Loa, guardians of our people," the priestess murmured into her clasped hands. "Please, protect the one that truly fights in your name." She choked on a sob. "Please, protect my love and give him—"

"Ki'ra!"

The woman screamed, startled by the rasped sound of her name. She spun around, almost toppling backward into the invisible barrier. Yet the two faces that peered over the crest of the ziggurat filled her with immediate relief and joy.

"Kanna! Nok!" the priestess rasped loudly, running to the other side of the platform as far as she was allowed. "What's happened? How did you get here?"

Kanna briefly smiled as she and the rogue stealthily crept onto the platform. The Amani'shi shaman Nyeki was also with them, crouching at the foot of the stairs and looking quite frightened. "It's a long story, mon" she replied in a hushed voice. Her blue eyes darted around, looking for Amani guards she was certain would be present. She walked toward the priestess. "We jus' gotta get ya outta here. Let's—"

"Stop!" Ki'ra barked. "There's a barrier! It's not harmful, but I've got a feeling it will set off some of alarm if you touch it from the outside. Where are the others? Why is Nyeki with you?"

"Everybody hidin' in da forests behind dis ziggaurat," Nok replied in a low tone. "And it was da shaman dat helped me spring da othas out of da dungeon and led us here. Did'na take us long to reach Maisara. All da Amani'shi be down in da clearing watchin' Zul'jin and Akashii fight." He snarled as he shook his head. "What dat ole witch doctah playin' at? Der be some treachery goin' on, but what exactly?"

Ki'ra was not surprised they had been imprisoned as well. She thanked the Loa Nok and Nyeki had aided them, though she wondered why the Amani shaman would betray her own people. Yet such things were not to be pondered. "Listen to me," Ki'ra whispered in a solemn and hurried tone. "I can't explain everything right now, but you have to get me out of here right now or Akashii will die! If he is killed, everything that has brought us here will be for nothing!"

"But how do we do dat?" Kanna asked with a frown. "We can'na even see da barrier let alone figure out how to dispel it."

"I know how." The three trolls turned to the Amani'shi female that spoke softly as she approached them. Her eyes swept over the post and lintel beneath the roof of the ziggurat. "Der be runes here, barrier wards dat are holdin' ya in. Da only way ya can destroy da barrier is by interruptin' da flow from da object dat be channelin' da runes' power."

"And what is that?" Ki'ra asked.

Nyeki's expression darkened. "Lord Malacrass' staff. I seen him use dis barrier befo'. I do'na know what sort of magic it be, but da spell dat he uses is channeled through his staff."

"Great," Kanna growled with angrily furrowed brows. "How in da hell are we gonna get to his staff? He be surrounded by all doz Amani! Der be no way we can fight em all, plus Malacrass and his four crazeh Channelers!"

Ki'ra's mind whirled as she pondered over the impossible situation. The cheer of the crowd below her broke her concentration for a moment. She glanced over the side of the platform only to see Akashii kneeling on the ground, his body heaving as he panted for breath. Zul'jin, who toying with the warrior, was laughing heartily while watching the Darkspear troll shakily rise. Akashii would not be able to stand against him much longer. They had to do something quick or he would die.

The priestess could only conjure up a dangerous gamble, but it was their only hope. "The staff is channeling the spell, but it through contact with it that Malacrass is drawing the power," she murmured. "You just have to get it out of his hand long enough for me to escape outside of the boundaries of the runes."

"But how can we get close to it?" Kanna asked again desperately. "Der be no one who can sneak through a whole crowd of dem Amani!"

"I can," Nok said solemnly, his emerald eyes narrowed. "Ya was gonna ask me to do it, huh Ki'ra?"

Ki'ra nodded and Kanna gasped. "No!" she rasped. "It's too dangerous, Nok! Ya can'na possibly—"

"I be a rogue, Kan; if anyone can be sneaky, its me," he interrupted her with a grin. "Dey not too tightly packed together to where I can't get through 'em. If I can get to da staff, I can get it out of dat bastard's hand."

Nodding, Ki'ra turned to Kanna next, who still looked quite flabbergasted with her plan. "Kanna, you will have to make sure that you and everyone else get inside the center clearing before Nok succeeds."

"What?!" she barked, her draw dropping farther. "How we supposed to push past all dem Amani? We ain't all rogues, ya know!"

"We'll need a distraction," Nyeki spoke up. She ignored the hateful stares of Kanna and Nok and turned to Ki'ra. "I can get to Lord Malacrass and clear a way for Nok and da othas." She looked at Kanna. "We can call upon da earth to keep mah tribesmen back while ya make ya way into da clearing."

"And what aftah?!" the Darkspear shaman spat to the younger one, who flinched at her anger. "We jus' let dem rush in on us and trap us der?!"

Ki'ra shook her head. "No, they will be the ones that will be trapped." Her crimson eyes glittered as she furrowed them. "Please, Kanna, just trust me! You need to go now! Akashii is going to die!"

Kanna's jaw slacked as if she wanted to retort more, but Nok grabbed her hand. "We goin' now, Ki'ra." He smiled. "Whatevah ya got planned, I hope it works. Be careful!"

"And you be careful as well," she replied before the trio made their way back down the rear stairs of the ziggurat. Nyeki paused momentarily to look back at Ki'ra and smile; the priestess nodded at the young Amani'shi before she disappeared over the crest of the platform. Wringing her hands and breathing deeply to quell her racing heart, Ki'ra returned to the other side of the platform to watch the battle and wait. Crashes of metal against metal and the grunts and roars of the two trolls echoed loudly through the hills of Maisara. Please, hold on Akashii, Ki'ra prayed in her mind as she watched the warrior desperately fending off Zul'jin's blows. While the older witch doctor seemed to be imbued with full energy, Ki'ra could tell that Akashii was beginning to tire. His movements were desperate rather than nimble and planned. Jin'rohk had brushed him several times and despite his thick plate armor, the troll had received several gashes and wounds. Akashii wouldn't be able to keep defeat at bay much longer. The battle had to be halted, and there would be no doubt that what Ki'ra was planning would do so. That is, if everything she had assumed was right and her plan would work.

Minutes stretched like hours and the priestess could only wait with nerve-wracking anxiety. She tried to search for Nok, Kanna, and the other Darkspear Trolls in the thick forests surrounding the clearing, but it was impossible even from her position. She inwardly wondered if it was wise to trust Nyeki. Though she had been nothing but kind if not worshipful of her, Ki'ra could not help but doubt the Amani'shi shaman. She didn't know why the woman was risking so much to ally herself with the trolls her people claimed as their enemies. Ki'ra could only hope that Nyeki's intentions were truthful.

"Lord Malacrass! Lord Malcrass!"

The shaman's call barely rang out over the din of cheering and the clashing of Akashii and Zul'jin's blades, but it was heard loud enough to get the attention of the shadow priest and many of the Amani near him. Ki'ra watched as Nyeki, pushing through the crowd of her tribesmen that moved aside, ran quickly to the priest. "Lord Malacrass, da Darkspears, dey have escaped da prison!"

Ki'ra's jaw clenched as the Amani that heard Nyeki's words gasped and growled in surprised anger. Had she betrayed them after all? "What?! How did dey escape?!" Malacrass roared, causing many of the other trolls to turn their attention from the battle. Even Zul'jin, standing a small distance from his opponent, seemed to forget all about Akashii and focused on Malacrass. The Darkspear warrior took the moment to catch his breath, hulked over as he held his axe limply above ground.

"I do'na know, mah lord, but dey have killed der wardens and are no doubt headed here to rescue der priestess!" Nyeki replied in a very believably panicked voice. Ki'ra couldn't help but be slightly relieved, yet that only meant the hardest part of her plan was to come. She walked to the edge of the platform's barrier and held her hands ready. Now she only had to wait on Nok…

"Fools!" Malacrass barked, his eyes bore in heated rage. "Even if dey do make it to Maisara, dey will not be able to stand against da might of every Amani'shi gatha'd here! Dey will fall undah da blades of—"

The burst of black smoke startled everyone, even Ki'ra. The resounding boom that accompanied the thick cloud of opaque fog enveloped the shouts and cries of surprise and the smoke encircled the trolls that were caught immediately in its blast, including Malacrass. There was mass panic and confusion for a moment and many of the Amani ran in the opposite direction of the cloud of midnight dark smoke. From the trees nearby came the screech of raptors and the howls of wolves as the mounted Darkspear Trolls burst into the clearing, riding at rapid speeds through the bewildered throng of Amani'shi. She could feel the earth, quaking beneath the ziggurat, move and sway as the shamans Nyeki and Kanna called upon it to push back the remaining Amani that stood in their way. Ki'ra heard Malacrass's booming voice call out among the hysteria. Had Nok, who was no doubt the source of the smoke bomb, succeeded in getting the staff from him?

And then, Ki'ra felt it. It was as if invisible shackles she had not even been aware of shattered from her body, releasing her from the magical grip of the barrier. The fiery might of Atal'Zan flared suddenly inside her body as the trapped Loa was released from whatever binding spell Malacrass had held her with. Ki'ra could only gasp as white hot fire burst from her eyes and mouth and she struggled to stay on her feet.

We have been deceived...The Loa whispered in a fury laden voice. Do you sense it?

Indeed, Ki'ra did. Beside the power of the spirit flowing within her, Ki'ra's caught a familiar presence of a dark and foreboding force. It had been present within the Temple of Ula-Tek, yet most likely obscured enough to prevent the priestess from recognizing it. Yet she knew it now, the frighteningly dark and powerful energy that settled over her like a stifling blanket of biting cold. It was overwhelming, gripping her in a vice of frighteningly strong might. Recollections of the first time she had been overcome by the evil energy flooded back to Ki'ra's mind and momentarily filled her with terror. It was inside the city of Zul'Gurub, when she had been tortured for weeks, that Ki'ra first felt and came to know the force.

The fel energies of the Burning Legion.

We have been deceived! Atal'Zan spat again, and Ki'ra knew what she meant. Filled with her own rage and that of the Loa, Ki'ra stepped out from beneath the roof of the ziggurat, past the now disabled barrier, and onto the top step of the tall staircase. Only a fleeting second had passed since Nok succeeded in breaking Malacrass' channeling and in that fleeting second, in addition to recognizing who her true enemy was, Ki'ra had put her plan into action. Gathering the power of the Loa inside her, the Spirit Vessel inhaled as deeply as she could and released a violent burst of white hot fire from her lips. Like dragon's breath, the great conflagration that flowed from her mouth spread through the air; yet the priestess had control over the element and separated it into two streams that cascaded down the stairs of the ziggurat. The large ribbons of fire danced across the ground, encircling the clearing and separating the crowd of Amani'shi from the Darkspear Trolls, Malacrass, and Zul'jin, who Ki'ra could see clearly now through the dissipating smoke. The few that were caught inside the fiery ring were instantly engaged by the dismounted Darkspear Trolls. Malacrass roared in fury while Zul'jin, gripping Jin'rohk in his remaining arm, sprinted again toward Akashii.

Reclaim the power of the Destroyer. Jin'rohk is mine and mine alone.

Her eyes flaring with light, Ki'ra outstretched her hand and uttered a single word in the ancient tongue of the Loa. As Zul'jin snarled at Akashii and advanced up the warrior, who prepared to defend himself, the spear clasped in his hand exploded with a bright golden aura. The warlord cried out and immediately dropped Jin'rohk as if the thick metal staff had burned him. The spear did not hit the ground, but floated a few feet from the earth before shooting out of the clearing like a flare of holy light. Every single one of the Trolls in Maisara Hills watched with either awe or fear as the priestess, standing on the steps of the ziggurat, caught Jin'rohk easily in her raised hand. As soon as the weapon touched her skin, the enhanced energy of Atal'Zan cascaded through her form. Ki'ra gasped, trembling as it filled every sinew and part of her physical body and renewed her very spirit. The priestess had to grit her teeth and hold on tightly to the spear while the newly reclaimed energies churned inside her. When she felt as if she could handle the immense power, Ki'ra slowly began to descend the stairs of the platform.

Besides the crackling of the flames, the clearing was dead silent. The Amani'shi trapped outside of the circle of fire stared with gaping mouths and frightened stares. The Darkspear Trolls, who had defeated their few adversaries, had their weapons raised and poised to continue fighting, but could not tear their attention away from the stone structure. Zul'jin and Malacrass looked mortified, the priest more so than his master; if anything, Malacrass was infuriated, his lips curled back in a snarl and beady eyes furrowed in rage.

Ki'ra, her body throbbing with the energy, reached the bottom of the stairs and walked toward the circle of fire. The Trolls that had been gathered near the base of the ziggurat immediately moved away, murmuring frightened words and prayers of mercy as the woman passed through them. Ki'ra paid them no heed; with a sweep of her hand, the flames in front of her parted, swaying to the side to allow the priestess to step into the circle before closing in the clearing again.

The Darkspear Trolls immediately came to Ki'ra side, weapons raised and hands glittering with deadly magic. Akashii stood in front of Ki'ra, his brown eyes furrowed as he raised Warbringer in the direction of Malacrass and Zul'jin, but the priestess gently pushed him aside and walked toward the warlord and the priest. "How dare you," Ki'ra rasped in a reverberating voice filled with ire. "You not only selfishly sought to use the power of the Loa for your own vengeful intentions, but try to forcefully take the blessing of the Great Mother? You dare to deceive and disrespect the spirits!?" Light crackled at the corners of her eyes and she sneered. "Yet even that is not your greatest sin. How long have your alliances lied with the Legion?"

Zul'jin, his red eye glowing like a crimson sun, stared with furrowed brows at Ki'ra. "What?" the warlord replied in an offended growl. "Da Legion?"

"Mah Lord, dis younglin' does not know what she speaks of!" Malacrass barked. "More so, she is ignorant of da sacrifices needed to save her very people! It is she who is selfish, refusin' to aid us wit' da might dat she was blessed it, da might dat was meant for da Amani!"

"Fool!" Ki'ra retorted in rage. "I do know what is necessary to save my people! And the power of Atal'Zan was never meant for only the Amani! I seek to save all who honor the spirits, but you cannot look past your own vengeance to have concern for any others except yourselves! You are worse than the Gurubashi, for not only have you sold your souls to our enemies in exchange for power, but you dare to invoke ancient rites of the Loa in order to steal their blessings!" She pointed the large spear in her hand toward Zul'jin. "I thought you feared for the spiritual link of your people. I told you that I could aid you. To think that I took pity on you…"

Zul'jin stared back at Ki'ra, his half hidden face wearing an expression of both confusion and anger. The blazing red eye seemed to flicker and the harshness of his face lessened slightly. He looked oddly bewildered. "I…" he muttered. "Da Amani…have never been a part of da Legion…I…would nevah…"

"The Amani do'na need pity!" Malacrass seethed as he raised his large staff. "We need power!" The emerald mounted in the weapon flared with wicked green and onyx light. The same energy that Ki'ra had sensed from the crest of the ziggurat pulsated from the Amani'shi shadow priest. Zul'jin suddenly grunted, his body shuddering as he hunched over. A feral snarl came from the witch doctor's concealed lips; his muscles seemed to bulge, the veins beneath his skin rippling with sudden power. His single eye once gain filled with evil crimson light. Behind the unfocused gaze was a complete absence of rationale and self-control.

"Channelers, come to me!" Malacrass roared, thrusting his staff in front of him. The Darkspear Trolls bristled, bringing their weapons up as shrieks and cackles filled the air. Four dark shadows vaulted over the circle of fire, landing at Malacrass's side. The four Amani Channelers, morphed into their half troll-half animal forms, cackled and hissed as they bore their clawed fingers and sharpened blades. Ki'ra could see a violet light emanating from their bodies and felt the same evil energy radiating from within them.

She sneered back at the grinning shadow priest, gripping Jin'rohk in her hands as she took an offensive stance. "I knew it," she rasped. "It was you, Malacrass, that bargained with the Burning Legion! The Amani never gained the favor of the Nature Loa! The spirits forsook Zul'Aman, probably when you used fel magic to enslave them! You've been controlling them, even Zul'jin, all of this time!"

Malacrass lips curled upward, showing the fang-like teeth between his enormous tusks. A deep growling chuckle came from his throat. "Perhaps I underestimated ya, Spirit Vessel," the witch doctor laughed. "Not dat I did'na think ya was a sharp-minded leetl'un, but ya be mo' cognizant dan I anticipated. I did'na think dat ya would be able to sense da fel energies here."

"I didn't at first," Ki'ra admitted, angry that she had been deceived for so long. "But when you captured me in the temple and I was exposed to the magic you used to bind Atal'Zan, whatever wards of deception you utilized were broken. I've been surrounded by fel energy before, Malacrass, and I know what it feels like."

The priest's jowls twitched and his haughty smile wavered. However, he merely smirked wider and laughed again. "A small detail I overlooked," he replied with a flippant wave of his large hand. "And yes, I turned to da Legion fo' help. Da Loa had forsaken our people long befo' now, back when dey allowed us to be slaughtered and displaced by da elves and da humans durin' da Troll Wars. Over half da Amani were killed in da Second War! Where were da Loa den, huh? Where were da blessins and protection of da spirits?" Malacrass's beady yellow eyes narrowed. "Da Legion has done mo' fo da Amani dan da Loa evah have, even if dey did'na know it."

"And you mislead them all!" Ki'ra spat. "You lied and led them to believe that it was through the spirits your aid came, but they have become corrupt by the fel energies you have allowed to fester in this place! You have used them as puppets! You would damn your people for the sake of power?"

"Only in da eyes of da Loa have I damned dem! But wit' da powah of da Legion we are mighty and strong. It is only through the powah of da Legion dat we have been able to survive and fend off doz dat would take our land again!" Malacrass's tongue licked against his lips and he stared lustily at the priestess. "And wit da powah of da Great Motha, we will be unstoppable. With da powah of da Great Motha, my master will become even strongah!"

"I will never give you the power of the Loa, Malcrass!"

The priest laughed and his Channelers joined him. "You do'na have to give it to me, priestess! Even if ya refuse, da rite of Blood Taking will ensure dat Atal'Zan's energies will be ours once Zul'jin defeats ya Chosen. Even Atal'Zan will not be able to fight against us. Dat is, wit a few ritual modifications of my own."

"You would taint our ancient rituals!?"

Grinning, Malacrass straightened himself proudly. "Mah newfound powah comes not only from da Legion, priestess. I was tellin' da truth when I said I learned much from ya High Priests on Zandalar. Even da knowledge I gained from da elves helped wit da channeling of da Nature Loa and has granted me knowledge most could nevah comprehend." He placed the end of his staff on the earth and the emerald glowed again. "Now, we shall continue da ritual! Ya Chosen already lookin' quite defeated. He will not be da only sacrifice made. Every offerin' of blood make da energies strongah here! And when ya Chosen and all of ya Darkspear whelps are dead, you and da powers within ya will belong to da Amani and da Legion!" His wrathful eyes glared at Nyeki, who stood next to Kanna. "You will perish as well, traitorous bitch!"

"I would rather die by dey side dan belong to da Legion!" the shaman bellowed back as her hands glittered with lighting magic.

"And so you shall! Destory dem! Leave only da priestess alive!"

As Malacrass's staff glowed, Zul'jin lumbered forward. He picked up one of the fallen axes of the defeated Amani'shi, stalking toward the group of Darkspear Trolls. The Channelers moved as well, circling around the trolls to entrap them.

"I will not let dem take you, Ki'ra," Akashii rasped as he stepped in front of her again, Warbringer raised toward Zul'jin. "I will not let Zul'jin defeat me!"

The other Darkspear Trolls and the Amani'shi shaman surrounded Ki'ra as their enemies began to advance on them. Akashii's eyes were narrowed and his body was taut with readiness, but Ki'ra could tell that he was in no shape to take on Zul'jin again. Fortified with renewed fel energy and controlled by Malacrass, he would no doubt be more of a challenge for the warrior. Even though they outnumbered the Amani Channelers, the witch doctor, and the priest, they would have quite a difficult time defeating them. Unless…

Without even thinking twice, Ki'ra held out Jin'rohk in front of her and blew a quick and sharp bolt of flame from her lips. The fire cut into the spear's staff as if it were silk, severing the lower blade and a portion of the fortified wood and metal stave from the rest of the weapon.

"Ki'ra, what are ya doin?" Kanna asked in shock as she watched the priestess.

"Take this, Akashii!" Ki'ra said behind the warrior, thrusting the severed portion of Jin'rohk toward him.

The warrior turned, staring with wide eyes at the weapon. "One of da blades of Jin'rohk?" he said. "But, Ki'ra…"

"You are my Chosen and you must share in my power," the priestess replied hastily. "Now take it and fight!"

As Zul'jin and the Channelers roared in challenge, Akashii dropped Warbringer and took the blade from Ki'ra. The other Darkspears, shouting battle cries, darted forward to meet their opponents. Akashii, his hands fitting tightly around the wooden handle of his new sword, swung the blade toward Zul'jin as the witch doctor charged forward with the axe.

When the two blades clashed, a great blast of light erupted from the blade of Jin'rokh. Both Akashii and Zul'jin cried out, yet the warrior was more surprised by the heat that was moving through the weapon and into his body. It was almost unbearably hot, but more so intoxicating than painful. His wounded and fatigued form instantly became reenergized and revived, throbbing with newfound energy and strength. The sudden force that had been put into his strike forced Zul'jin back; the nimble witch doctor almost stumbled back, but at the last minute gained his balance. Releasing a spirited whoop of vigor, Akashii darted forward to continually collide blades with the witch doctor. Just a short distance away, the other Darkspear Trolls fought vigorously against the Amani Channelers. Kall shot arrow after arrow at the bear Lord Nalorakk as his swift wind serpent Goldwren attacked with fang and lightening at the roaring Troll that swiped at them with clawed hands. The shaman Mahane and Nok dodged the crashing shards of lightening from the eagle Akil'zon while Kanna and the other Barbarian took on the fearsome dragonhawk Jan'alai. Ura flung healing spells in every direction and the young witch doctor at her side swung his alchemically charged staff, hurtling shadow magics and hexes toward the Channelers. The Barbarian Buur clashed swords with the lynx Halazzi, struggling to fend off the wild feline beast by himself.

Malacrass screamed in rage and Ki'ra turned her attention to the Amani'shi priest. Reaching to her waist, she removed a throwing dagger from her sheath and flung it toward him. Malacrass, turning his attention away from Zul'jin and Akashii, who were engaged in a furious duel, easily dodged the flying blade that Ki'ra had used only to draw him to her. "Your opponent is me, Malacrass!" she bellowed, running forward with Jin'rokh held in front of her.

The priest barely had enough time to raise his staff when Ki'ra thrust it toward him, yet he was fast enough to deflect the blow and the consecutive rapid ones that followed. Ki'ra, unceasing with her spear thrusts, forced the priest backward. Malacrass side stepped one of the attacks; his balled fist glowed with violet and green light and he hurled a bolt of fel energy at the Zandalari priestess. Speaking in the words of the Loa, Ki'ra jumped back as she opened her mouth and let wisps of fire release from within her. They deflected the dark spell and Ki'ra guided one of the deadly threads of white hot flames toward the priest. Malacrass raised his staff in front of him and the wicked light flowed outward. The fire thread collided with the shield, bursting into a spray of glowing particles.

Ki'ra scowled and Malacrass laughed. "Do'na think I be not a challenge fo' ya, priestess! Da powahs I bear are more dan a match fo' doz of da Loa!" His yellow eyes narrowed as they swiveled toward the Darkspear trolls that were engaged in battle with the four Channelers. "And do'na think dat ya friends be safe from my wrath!"

Malacrass struck the butt of his staff against the earth and several bolts of violet energy exploded from the emerald crystal, flying in the direction of the fighting trolls. "NO!" Ki'ra shouted and a flurry of fiery light flowed from her lips, desperately following the dark spells that were targeted at her comrades. Some of the fire threads reached the spells, misdirecting them before they could find their victims. A few of the trolls had heard Ki'ra's outcry and barely had enough time to dodge them; Mahane flung up her hands, protecting herself with a glowing barrier that absorbed most of one of the bolt's damage, yet still sent her hurtling backward. Kanna, on the other hand, was too occupied dogging a fiery blast from the dragonhawk Jan'alai with a water totem to notice one of the bolts.

"KANNA!" Ki'ra screamed. The shaman heard her, turning in Ki'ra's direction only to see the blazing orb of amethyst energy hurtling at her. She cried out and instinctively lifted her hands, water spouting from the totem to form a protective wall in front of her. Yet Ki'ra knew the shaman was well aware the totem would do nothing against fel magic.

A blur of dark colors appeared in front of the Darkspear shaman as she was pushed violently to the ground just out of reach of the spell that exploded against the water barrier and the sudden object that spawned behind it. There was a scream of pain mixed with the bellow of curse words and a piercing cry that followed it. Malacrass laughed maniacally and Ki'ra faced him again, unable to see what had saved her friend. Fire crackled at her lips anew and she shouted incantation after incantation at the priest in the form of deadly dancing ribbons of flame. It was Malacrass' turn to defend himself again, thrusting his staff against the ground repeatedly to call forth shields and orbs of amethyst and green fel energies to protect him.

The powers of the Legion are almost a match for my own without the third relic! Atal'Zan spoke as Ki'ra fought. Do not wane, my child! Nothing is immune to the fires of the Loa!

Ki'ra's eyes exploded with light as she screamed a both beautiful and terrible string of words that physically laced together in a spiraling beam of white fire. Malacrass threw up another shield, yet the blast shattered the violet barrier as if it were glass and hit the priest square in the chest. He roared in pain and rage as his body was thrown back, sliding across the earth a short distance before he leapt onto his feet. As Ki'ra advanced upon him again, the priest's yellowy eyes darted around. The Darkspear Trolls were surprisingly holding their own against the Channelers. Though it was difficult to determine who was winning in the fierce battle, they were still standing and alive to his dismay. Malacrass was most displeased to see Akashii gaining an upper hand over Zul'jin. With his body renewed and invigorated by the sword of Jin'rohk, the young warrior was having no problem staying on the offensive, forcing the witch doctor to desperately defend himself as the younger opponent once had to. The older Troll was panting and grunting, flinching beneath the forceful blows of the large blade wielding by the quick and vigorous warrior. His brown eyes, like Ki'ra's, were filled with light, blazing like orbs of pure fire.

"Damn da Loa…" Malacrass rasped in a beastly growl, his large hands and gripped staff glowing with violet light. "Damn da spirits and every fool dat follows behind dem! Dey grant nothing but feeble power and false promises! Do ya want to see true might, leetl priestess!? Do you want to see what true sacrifice is?!" Malacrass' eyes narrowed and he laughed as the emerald in his staff pulsated with blackness thicker than night. "DEN I WILL SHOW YA!"

Ki'ra braced herself, ready for the bolts that would surely come from the glowing stave, yet when the earth beneath her began to tremble, she immediately spun around to bellow a shout of warning to her friends. Yet her words died beneath the cacophony of the earth bursting open as beams of black energy erupted out of the soil. The Channelers and the Darkspear Trolls that were fighting one another were enveloped in the darkness and cried out in shock as the beams morphed into wicked tentacles that moved to encircle them. Oddly, the tendrils of blackness wrapped themselves around only the Amani and not their enemies. While the Darkspear Trolls ran from the pool of blackness and its slithering appendages, the four Channelers screamed in terror and pain as the tendrils wrapped around them tightly, absorbing their bodies in shadowy auras. The tendrils ripped into their very flesh, piercing through meat and muscle as they had the soil; from each of the four Amani, the black wisps pulled forward a ball of glowing crimson light.

"The energies of the Loa!" Ki'ra cried out, feeling the familiar sensation of spiritual power radiate from the orbs.

"Yes, priestess," Malacrass bellowed with gleeful laughter as the tendrils that weren't holding the red orbs released the now lifeless bodies of the Amani Channelers, who had morphed back into their Troll forms. "Ripped from da spiritual world itself! Dey have served a great purpose in da bodies of da Channelers, as dey have taken da lives of many as sacrifices to appease da powahs of da Legion dat thrive here! But der greatest strength lies togetha, in one single form!" He thrust his staff out toward the mind controlled Zul'jin and the tendrils of blackness hurtled toward him, bearing the orbs meant for the witch doctor.

The world suddenly slowed. Time, usually a steadfast and uncontrollable element for most, crept at a lethargic pace. Everything moved in still frames, leaving behind traces of past movement. Ki'ra, whose mind had been frantically searching for something to do to prevent the souls of the captured Loa from being imbued into Zul'jin, could only gape in frozen shock. She would have questioned what was occurring if it hadn't been for the sudden voice whispering within and around her.

The spirits were not meant to be transferred from body to body so forcefully, Atal'Zan spoke in a voice that was both lamenting and enraged. Their power is not meant to be taken, only given. The souls of my animal brethren are weakened and dying from the fel magics they have suffered under. They are dying. The warlord will not have the might to defeat you, even with the souls of the bear, dragonhawk, eagle, and lynx, but he will gain their power. The spirits will not survive, however, and shall perish within him and will be unable to return to the spirit world ever again. They will forever be lost.

"What can I do?" Ki'ra asked, her voice quivering as she stared at the four orbs. The Great Mother's sorrow swelled within her as did her own sympathy for the imprisoned spirits. "How can I save them?"

Release them. Grant them passage back to spirit plane. If they are taken by my power, they will die, but they will be able to return to the world from which they were taken.

"Kill the Loa?!" Ki'ra gasped, clutching Jin'rohk in her hand. Even despite being instructed by Atal'Zan herself, the priestess could not fathom bringing harm to a spirit. It was against everything she had been taught as a Spirit Vessel. "But, Great Mother, I cannot!"

I know that you dread the taking of a life, spiritual or mortal, the Great Mother said. Ki'ra cringed with regret, thinking of the Gurubashi she had slain months ago and even the Amani that had perished at the hands of Malacrass and her comrades. She had never fathomed herself a killer. Beyond the devil that enslaved her people, Ki'ra did not wish death for anyone unless it was necessary. But to kill a spirit? However, you must do what must be done to save the spirits, to save your people. You are the Mender and the Destroyer now. Death is not always the end; it can be new life, rebirth. Such is the meaning of holding the power of both. You must make a choice!

Ki'ra's eyes widened as a realization came to her. She wondered if Atal'Zan had meant to inspire the idea or if she had gained the awareness herself. "If I have a choice…then I will be the Mender!" Ki'ra exclaimed. As time sped up, returning to its normal flow, the priestess took Jin'rohk in her hand and thrust it deep into the soil beneath her. Murmuring a string of ancient words, Ki'ra conjured her fire gift deep within her body. She felt in flare in her throat and chest, scorching and white hot beneath the collar that glowed gold, the rubies flushing with crimson light. Ki'ra winced in pain and she felt the fire seep through her very skin, filling the runes engraved on her body as well as on the band of metal around her neck. It spread down her arms in rivulets of patterns and shapes, etching new markings into her flesh as the fire was channeled into the runed stave and blade. Like Malacrass's shadow magic, Ki'ra's white fire bore into the ground, spraying shards of earth into the air as it decimated the earth. It resurfaced, exploding beneath the inky pool of black tendrils that had just encircled Zul'jin in a blindingly bright blast of black and white light accompanied by a thunderous, deafening roar. It filled the entire clearing of Maisara, obscuring even the golden orange sky above the mountains and swallowing every sound present.

The priestess, like the other trolls, had been thrown back by the force of the fiery light. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the radiant golden white conflagration that filled the space where the tentacles of darkness had been.

A mix of cries and roars filled the air, but they did not come from any of the trolls. They were animalistic and Ki'ra recognized them immediately. The red orbs of the Nature Loa hung within the blaze, enveloped protectively in the white flames that licked around them. The red lights of the orbs morphed and swirled, changing shape until they resembled the forms of the animals they lorded over. The bear and the lynx growled loudly, bounding out of flames and circling around the priestess that slowly lifted herself to her feet. Soaring above her like crimson wraiths, the eagle and the dragonhawk cawed, swooping around the clearing in graceful arcs that left behind trails of red light. Zul'jin's crumpled form, swathed inside but unharmed by the white flames, lay still in the middle of the fire.

"NOOOOOO!" screeched Malacrass, watching the newly freed Loa come to the priestess's side. "How?!"

"The powers of the Legion will never be able to stand against that of the Loa, who have watched over and protected this world ages before their demons were created," Ki'ra spoke in a booming voice that filled the fire encircled clearing. Her white hair swirled around her and her golden eyes narrowed at the enraged shadow priest. "You have used Zul'jin, the Amani, and these spirits as pawns for too long, Malacrass, and I will no longer allow you taint any of them! The Great Loa are forgiving, but nothing can pardon you from the sins you have committed here!"

The four Nature Loa hissed and snarled hatefully, glowing red eyes bore toward the priest that had forced them into servitude. Malacrass, his yellowed eyes large and quivering with rage, stared back at Ki'ra. Then, his large mouth curved into a grim smile. A deep chuckle rumbled in his throat that eventually exploded into a raucous laughter. The priest's face was twisted in a look of feral madness that was demonic and evil.

"Dat do'na botha me. A minor loss, I assure ya," the priest cackled, clutching his wicked stave. One of his hands reached up to the floating emerald and palmed it. "Da powahs of da Nature Loa are nuthin' wit'out da fel magics I strengthened dem wit! Dey are mere beasts! It is through da Legion dat I found true might and it is through da Legion dat I will defeat dem!" His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips. "And you, leetl priestess, and da spirit inside ya will belong to me, my masta, and da forces he commands!"

"You speak blasphemy, Malacrass, and you will surely regret it after you are proven wrong," Ki'ra rasped, pointing Jin'rohk at him. "Like your tribesmen, I pity you, but you will receive no forgiveness!"

"I do'na need ya forgiveness!" he chuckled feverishly. "I need nothin' but mah masta's powah!" With that final word, the shadow priest grasped the emerald mounted in his staff. As his powerful fist closed around the gem, it shattered in his palm, spraying forth bloodied shards as well as a sickly green light that oozed over his body. Malacrass dropped his broken staff and tossed back his head with a devilish howl as the aura coated him completely. Ki'ra and the startled Darkspear trolls watched as the shadow priest's body throbbed and expanded beneath his clothing, ripping through the robes and armor that covered him. The cloth shredded and the metal shattered as his muscles and flesh twisted and swelled beneath tightly drawn green skin. Black claws expanded from his gnarled fingers and his yellowed tusk expanded and lengthened in his mouth, curving even further upward to the sides of his head. He hunched over, bracing himself on all fours like some demonic fel beast. His skin split and oozed bright red blood as strange emerald crystals pushed themselves upward from his shoulders and back, creating a bunching of razor sharp spines that jutted outward.

"By the Loa!" Ki'ra breathed, unable to help but take a step back as the enormous fel troll that was once Malacrass roared in challenge, opening its large maw and stretching its massively muscled arms up toward the sky.

"BY DA POWER OF DA LEGION," it screeched in an unearthly and shrill shriek. "I WILL CLAIM DA MIGHT OF DA SPIRITS FOR MY MASTA! DA AMANI WILL SERVE DA LEGION, AS WILL DA LOA AND EVERY RACE UPON DIS EARTH!"

The Nature Loa growled and cawed in retort, circling around Ki'ra as she clutched Jin'rohk in her hands. Suddenly, Akashii was at her side, the sword of the Destroyer of Worlds held out toward Malacrass. His eyes blazing with golden light and his lean, muscled body covered in a soft yellow glow, the warrior gave her a small smile before sneering toward the monstrous priest. "You will'na stand alone, Ki'ra," he spoke in a voice filled with the power of the spirit whose energy he now shared with the priestess. "I will fight wit ya until mah final breath."

Akashii looked more powerful than he ever had and Ki'ra felt honored to have such a worthy Chosen by her side. She nodded and furrowed her brows as she turned her attention back to Malacrass. "The Legion will never defeat the Loa," she said as light blazed at the tip of her spear. "Well will make sure of that together."


A/N: Phase 1 of the fight: completed. Phase 2, and the conclusion of the battle, in chapter 29 :)

Once again, I am taking creative liberty with my interpretation of the Zul'Aman bosses. I tried my hardest to include a lot of detail about the fight, but it's really hard to balance writing Akashii vs. Zul'jin, Ki'ra vs. Malacrass, and the Darkspears vs. the Channelers. I kind of had to pick and choose where to focus the most, and obviously Ki'ra's confrontation with Malacrass was most important with Zul'jin and Akashii's being secondary. I wish I could have written more of Zul'jin's badassery as well as wrote more of the Channelers, but Malacrass is obviously the real villian here and I wanted to move on to his final fight with Ki'ra and Akashii. Even in the instance, he just seems like the guy pulling the strings and controlling everyone.

Anyway, I promise chapter 29 will be updated sooner than this one was. Thanks again for being understanding and please review as always!