Chapter thirty-five: To practice
Solitude, no prying eyes, nobody to watch her, that was what she was looking for. Nobody to disturb her in her perils. As her hand trembled uncontrollably she tried to get the itching feeling away by squeezing it softly with her other hand.
Something that annoyed her greatly, as she had no idea how she could regain control over the muscles properly. It would come and go. Whenever she would use her limped arm and hand too much the muscles would twitch painfully. She felt miserable because of it. Not being able to do what she usually did, being restrained by a stupid arm.
As she had gathered some of her weapons early in the morning before setting off, Jazah had figured a way to avoid Vim and Marrah. Sneaking out early. Not that she did not like them, although "to be liked" was something seen through a very different perspective in Jazah's eyes, she needed to avoid them. Since Brill did not provide any proper training grounds, she walked towards the Undercity.
What once used to be Alliance territory, was named Undercity years before it was claimed by the forsaken. Now it was a city inhabited with mostly undead people. Perhaps those who once lived their former lives as part of citizens of the kingdom once called Lordaerons, or those who lived in villages near the ruins of the old kingdom. The tall troll female was out of place in a city like this. It still showed it's old uses by the way it was build.
Catacombs everywhere and the features of the inner ring still were sewers. The green goo running through polluted now, once belonging to the city above. As Undercity was once used to imprisoning people, it had kept its dark touch. To the forsaken probably the right decoration she figured, yet her heart went to a city like Orgrimmar or Thunder Bluff. Or to a village like Sen'Jin and Bloodhoof. Out in the open, by the water, even in the dusty heat of the climate it was build in.
It was said Orgim Doomhammer had been imprisoned in this very city.
Her parents, both proud members of the Horde, always taught Hazajin and herself as much of the people they admired or that had been important in history. Not only Vol'Jin was somebody they held in high esteem, also Thrall and Orgim Doomhammer.
Jazah's mood dropped to a level as dark as the corners caught with spider webs when she entered the city. At least the abominations had been removed. Even so, Undercity was the place that offered a solitary spot for her to practice on her own terms. Without being watched by anybody.
It irritated her more than usual that the two tauren watched her. She knew Vim did it out of respect of being her friend and because Hazajin had probably asked him to. But the druid, she was annoying. Ever since the stupid attack from the mottled worgs and after she recovered partly in Undercity, she had been watched by healers.
Simply cutting it off and trying to regenerate her whole arm had crossed her mind, but it was not as simple as that. Regenerating limbs took a great physical effort of your body and healing abilities she remembered from her mother's teaching. One did not simply regenerate a limb as if you would pick a herb. She had seen others trying to regenerate their limbs, without great success. She did not dare take that step just yet. She would probably need help if she even attempted to turn to such a solution.
During her healing process she was monitored by many healers who told her that the functions of her hand would most likely not return to their old level, or ever would return at all. She could improve it with by training it, but she would merely be lucky to have any strength at all in her limped arm.
When she had casually asked Marrah about it when they were in Tarren Mill, the druid had said that it was not impossible. But in fairness, the odds of the returning use of her arm was not very great either. Marrah had not lied to her about that. But she had watched and asked numerous times how Jazah was coping with her arm. To her irritation.
With knowledge like that she had been thinking ahead. It felt miserable to not be able to use both your arms. As a hunter you needed that, you were dependent on your range attacks a lot. Ofcourse there was the possibility of close combat, but knowing you had lost one arm meant you would not be suitable to be a hunter one anymore...
A painful thought. Even though she had been able to camouflage her disappointment. For Jazah it was not time to give up on it yet.
Jazah decided to practice, before she'd lose her ability to shoot her bow completely. It was already far too long since she had done something useful. Since she did not expect Hazajin and Denaestra back soon, to her own satisfaction. Otherwise Hazajin would have surprised them by now. Since they took already more than half of the week she only grinned. She was almost sure her brother to be very occupied for a while with the elf.
.*.*.*.
The practice area was build up in different options. There was the area for the melee to practice on target dummies and there was the area for the practice of shooting guns and bows.
Jazah's face showed a neutral expression as she chose her bow and quiver for her first try out. She felt the weight of the bow in one hand and then in the other. In her good hand the bow felt natural. On the limped side it did not. She stared at the limped side as if it was a foreign item. With a snort she took out an arrow, holding it to the bowstring before trying to pull the string back. Backfiring it against her hand. The second attempt failed poorly as well. It made her grumble a bit more.
"Taking up some practice too?" the cheerful greeting was met with a frown when she looked over her shoulder. Jazah had seen the man before. He had briefly spoken with Marrah just after their arrival. And a day later she had found him sitting at the bar next to Vim having a conversation. They seemed to have a lot to discuss when she passed them on her way up.
"Blood Knight Adehlar Shadowborn, at your service," he bowed his head slightly. It was the first time he spoke to her instead of the others. He was carrying his sword and was clad in a simple tunic, pants and boots. The blond hair still in the braided topknot on his head.
"Miss Jazah, right?" he asked politely when she did not respond to his introduction.
She eyed him for a moment:" I found no need tah answer ya since ya probably already knew my name," she smirked at him, tilting her head a bit. Adehlar Shadowborn smiled, it seemed he perhaps had been mistaken in who to approach first of this group.
"Wat'cha want?" Jazah asked him bluntly. Adehlar looked at the female, she was obviously not inclined to give herself away that easy.
"Just on my way to practicing a little myself," he said, holding up the sword to show her. She shrugged. All the more fun if getting any information from the troll, it would be challenging. The Blood Knight figured. He could say he was very intrigued with the other races within the Horde. They seemed as fascinating as those in the Alliance, but it was mostly the trolls and their attitude that was fascinating. This tall female was no exception to that. Most troll women were taller as most night elf females he had met during his life.
"Bow practice?" he brought the subject back again looking at her short bow. Jazah nodded shortly. "Enjoy your practice then, miss Jazah," he said, bowing slightly before he walked off. She only shrugged.
Holding the bow with her bow-arm again she tried to pull the string back with her limped arm. She barely got it back a little before the muscles spastically announced the horrible tremble that would not keep her hand still. She gritted her teeth. There was strength in that arm, she knew that for sure, it had improved. Marrah perhaps did not see it, but Jazah knew it!
Taking the arm in a firm grip she felt the twinkling sensation of nerves that went numb at some point. She had to take a deep breath because the hurt would come after the numbness was fading. As it resulted in another aching tremble. Frustration building up.
Jazah muttered, setting her bow aside and taking out her sharp throwing knifes instead. Even with one arm she could still practice that.
.*.*.*.
Adehlar Shadowborn had charged the target dummy as if it was a real life enemy. The arms of the dummy swinging in a circle as the mechanism made an interpretation of a blowing swing to the chest with a wooden sword. The Blood Knight parried it. Charged again, hitting the target against one of its extended arms, then focusing again before aiming for the head.
The rattle of the mechanism turning the arms in the opposite direction suddenly when the blow to the head of the dummy triggered the arms to swing around again. As the swing caught him by surprise from behind he got knocked to the ground. Jazah did not hide her ironical chuckle when she saw it happen. She was not the only one having trouble it seemed.
The Blood Knight ignored her presence with a little smile.
He charged again, holding his two-handed sword in defense up to the mechanism that swung the dummies arms around. Ducking it perfectly he hit it from behind. The target dummy did not return the blow. Casting a spell on the target it rattled its arms again, leaving Adehlar to jump backwards as it increased the movement. Swirling around fast now. The Blood Knight taunting it with another spell.
Jazah leaning against a pillar, watching him.
The target dummy swirling its arms around with rotating speed. Adehlar again jumping in. Miscalculating his own movement and got hit full in the chest with a hard blow of the wooden sword. It swung him a little backwards, landing on his behind on the hard floor.
"Eyes in da back of ya head!" she said commented in amusement as the paladin laughed. "Quit right," he laughed, getting up again. "And two eyes is so much better than just one," he told her. She tilted her head to take a better look at his face. To him it was somehow strange a woman did not step back from his appearance.
"Ya cannot see depth can ya?" she asked, looking at his good eye. "I focus differently," he said. He was not sure what to make of the grin on her face. Adehlar observed the tall female in front of him. He could see the arm hanging as she used the other to muffle away it was limited in its use."But miss Jazah," he said with a sly grin on his scarred face:"As I recall you were not doing very well yourself. I saw you struggle greatly with your bow skills," he pointing out the obvious. She sulked for a moment. "I be a little rusty," she only said.
"It seems we are both unhappy with something we could do without," he pointed to his own eye. "And thus leaving us both slightly displeased in our practice as the effect seems to lack…some prove of our skills, doesn't it?" he laughed at her.
"Ya mon, ya could have said ya was rusty yaself," she laughed when she looked at him. He smiled lighthearted at her.
"Would you, since we both have been admitting ourselves to the frustration of lonely practice, care for some hand to hand combat instead? Miss Jazah?" he challenged her a little by calling her miss. Knowing a troll in rage was a worthy opponent indeed. "I don't use any swords," she gave him a glare.
"One does not have to use a sword to fight with melee weapons, one can always, let's say, use an axe if that is better trained. Though I recommend to practice the use of a sword as very convenient too," She felt like she was being tutored in weapons again by the way he sounded. "Or are you not up for a little challenge?" he asked her, as a teasing grin appeared on his face. "I always be in for a challenge," she admitted, flinching her teeth at him for a moment, before she took the axe in her hand. He raised a slender eyebrow, grinning now.
"Three rounds to announce a winner, miss Jazah?" he asked her. She grinned wickedly as she showed the axe to him. He snorted as he mocked her with his sword. "Ya annoying wit'cha miss…I not be anybody's missus and I be ready anytime…," she said, licking her lips. This would prove to be interesting since he lacked an eye and she the use of one arm. "I'd like to add a bit more into this challenge…miss Jazah," she showed her teeth to him when he said it again: "The one that wins buys the next round of drinks at the bar, and no they do not have to be alcoholic," he announced gleefully. Jazah snickered.
"If it be milk ya want I'd be happy tah buy ya some," she cooed at him, taunting him back a little. He grinned at her.
"We will see who beats who…miss Jazah," he laughed. He already enjoyed his investigation of Razorian more and more. It was not only the traveling around that made his job interesting. And not only to unravel secrets, the finding of clues or lose hints, the investigation, the spying eye on his subject. But also meeting of interesting personalities that had once made him step into the world as watcher for Grand Magister Rommath.