Alura let the waters drown her. Her body so relaxed against the shower. Her lips curled to a smile as one of the few luxuries she can have were present here. It was a wonder how they can create and engineer a water system that is complex enough to create a shower in a former mine now crafted as a fortress. To everything else it is actually impressive to make it a fortress out of a mine, a well made one at that. But she puts all those thoughts to rest as her body and mind focused on the little kisses that the waters provided her. Pulling her to a deep state of relax, somewhat being longer in the bath than one should be.
Her arms wrapped around her bulging stomach, now big as ever as she arrived at her third trimester in her pregnancy. The tauren recently had checked upon her under the watchful eye of Larkon who was eagerly curling his fist just in case anything happened between the event. But all things had gone well and the tauren said he had seen the child's form. He said he could see a girl, a draenei girl, but unlike a draenei, she had bore feet, and no tendrils housed her neck, but bearing a tail and horns. It was really just like what she saw in her dreams, and she questions whether or not that is positive thing in her life or a nightmare.
Alura heard the door behind her opened, before slowly creaking to a close. Splashing steps comes nearing, but she ignored it and just let herself delve in delight upon the waters. Strong arms comes wrapping around her stomach, firmly yet softly, his chest flattening against her back as he kissed her shoulder. Now his chin rested upon her shoulders as the waters bathe the two lovers.
"We're so relaxed right now Alura, nothing to worry for the moment." He whispered.
"I know." She turned her head to look up to him and kiss him softly on the cheek as she rubbed his strong muscular hands on her bulging belly. "What do you think she'll grow up to be? A Priestess like me? Or Light forbid a warrior like her father, no offense."
He smiled and kissed the back of her head. "I don't know, but one thing I know she'll be something that I would be proud of….beautiful Alura, like you…" He told, putting himself tightly against her but gently.
Alura moved her hand to his cheeks, feeling his battle hardened skin against the soft hue of hers. She was somewhat put off for some reason, because whenever the thought of Theia growing up, there would always be the creeping doubt in her mind to question or not she be the one along with Larkon to raise her. "Larkon…..we'll….be the one to raise her right?"
"Of course, as a man it's my responsibility to raise his own new daughter. Give her the life I never had the chance to have." he spoke softly, turning his beloved around gently to kneel down to his knees and kiss her naked belly softly. "And before you say anything I will let you know I will find a way out of this place come hell and high water. But let us not dwell on that and like you said, enjoy this moment."
He felt a soft kick close to his face from within her tummy. He chuckled at the soft feeling of feeling his daughter's tiny kick. "We all get some nice moments, and I'll remember this." He commented before he mused. "And I had a dream once, truly about us."
"And what is it?" She asked, smiling, locking her hand on his cheeks. "Was it beautiful?"
"It's heavenly. I was in a bed, my mind was hazy, then it appeared a woman. At first I didn't recognize you in my dream, even after I ended, but I realized as time wore on it was you. You were there, naked with me, and Theia, still a baby cried in the crib, you picked her up to be with us in the bed, so beautiful, so small, so lovely like her mother." He said. "And that's how I remembered it. A perfect image for a family."
She smiled so softly and reach down to kiss his forehead softly. "I'm so deeply happy and thankful to have met you at that party Larkon…"
"And you Alura...you changed my life. I don't want to imagine what my life would be had I not met you. I would probably be dead when Moira punished me, but no, you were there to changed it all, for the good. You were there at my lowest and you will be there at my happiest." He got back up and kissed her neck. "Whatever happens here or there in the future, Theia will be happy, under your care especially."
"Under both our cares Larkon." she looked up and stood on the tip of her hooves to kiss him deeply and passionately lovingly in the lips. He in return returning the kiss with just equal amount of passion and love.
The human counterpart smiled and just do whatever he can, moving his hand down on the her soft but perky plump rear. Leaving a whelp from her. Their love shined so brightly as the waters touched their skin, leaving a mark that would rest upon as they relaxed, and messaged themselves to pleasure. They were no whelps, no true moans of passion and pleasure like what lovers would do in the bed at night for the sake of the safety of their child. It was true so, but they found a way to let their screams be controlled as guided passion instead of carnal came upon them.
Deep within his own makeshift throne room, Lazarus sat still almost quietly, dreaming in a deep sleep. Every now and then his head would turn here and there as voices from the past sang into his memories.
"Erecia." The voice echoed through the blue. He once found himself again at the turmoil of pure blight. Blood astride his shoulders and his face as he looked at her with great concern. If it wasn't for his powers as a paladin to save her she would have died. But now, those powers seemed to wane from the tips of his fingers forever. "Erecia."
"You'll face judgement by the Holy Light for this monstrosity Eldon, mark our words!" a human voice spoke.
Immediately he opened his eyes, breathing hard from remembering such a terrible experience from long ago.
"My lord?"
In an instant he launched a bolt of frost at the direction of the voice. Thankfully the Blood Elf Warlock was used to such experiences when his lord would randomly attack when he woke from his nap.
"What do you want Kreus?" lazarus asked, now calming down and laying back on his throne.
"There are rumours that the human is going to live through the whole phase of the pregnancy and have the assurance of safety circling around the fortress." Kreus recalled. "What does that mean?" He asked, his tone a bit tensed.
"They're rumours, but it doesn't lie. I offer them that they'll get to see their child and be named." The death knight answered, standing up and walking towards a stall of books. Hovering through.
"But that wasn't part of the plan." He said before letting the Death Knight recall his agreement with the warlock. "You said that you'll give me my revenge on my enemies. And that human is my enemy. I won't let him be having that fraction of luxury."
The death knight seemed not to care or interested as he picked a book from the shelves. "We didn't agree, the point still stands."
"That isn't my point either. None had beaten me in an even playing field. And I always get my last laugh. I maybe a shadow of the blood elf that I used to be, but I ensured that pride of that blood elf still stands. And we ought to remember that fact when I entered servitude." the elf stands in his assertion.
"It matters not. The child is what I want, she will be a gift to Erecia." The Death knight looked down on another book, a necronomicon. There was a pit of smile down on his face underneath his helmet as he saw the pentagram and a ghost standing over. "Kreus, what does it require to convert one to be a death knight, the flesh will be protected from decay and stench, and soul be still on their flesh."
"You either need the power of the Lich King, or you need the power of a banshee to bind your dead flesh to your living soul."
The Death Knight smirked. "Find me a banshee, make sure the banshee is a female."
"That would serve for the draenei I suppose? What is her raised up to be a lifeless yet sentient being be of use?"
"Let's just say I will give her mercy to spend all her years loving and caring for the child before deciding to step in a fire. Erecia is not selfish to share."
"And what of the human father?"
"Have your way with him whenever you please. You are permitted." Lazarus simply answered.
Fylrae was trekking closely through the forest, now almost near the mine. It had been a week since they started the journey, it was all confidential, it was and only between her, Finan, Thark, Quon, the Orc Urak and the young tauren shaman, and Quon they were the ones that she could trust knowing some experience about 'professional organizations' or 'government funded organizations', she wouldn't trust them. Her senses were in overdrive as her adrenaline surged through her body and enhanced her senses ten fold. Her mind collective memorizing what the old human said to her on the direction. An Old abandoned mine, the locals call it the dead mines because of some necromancers and other cultists had used it throughout the years.
Her primal self deep inside her woke up as she stopped her tracks. The others behind her stopped also. Her sense of smell worked on to the air. Though it was only slightly stronger than a human's, it was enough to sense something amiss up ahead near the rougher plains of Westfall mines. "Stop…" She called.
"Agreed." The young tauren seconded her. The female bull kneeled down and grabbed a handful of sand before closing her eyes, using her shamanic powers to whatever extent she could do with it. And familiarity kicks into her eyes and memory as the familiar patterns of nature magic had been in here recently. It was not of orcish, or any other than her own race. And with the pattern of the magic stepping through the sand she knows who this is. "He walked in her just recently, maybe a day or two. I could see the patterns of his shamanic aura beneath his hoof. He walked in this way, and walked through the plains somewhere." She pointed, her three fingered hands pointing in their point and through the distance. "He still doesn't know how to conceal his own aura." She remarked.
"Your older brother Serid?" the night elven huntress asked.
"Yes, though he like me followed the path of the Shaman, he devoted himself to the warlike aspects inherent in his abilities. He still possess a modicum of magical ability, but trained his body and reflexes to focus more on combat."
The dwarf finally throttled in to interrupt. "Aye come on let's git on!" He insisted as he walked towards the plains, but a large three fingered hand stopped him.
"Be patient. We are still secured." Serga said before Fylrae added.
"Not yet Thark. I have scouted the position here to confirm the old human's suspicions, and he was right. Daken guards the plains. And it took me hell and back to not be detected by his senses. We plan out chess move." She said.
"Aye!-"
"There is a reason that her people are called the children of the NIGHT, because the night is their companion. Their senses increased ten fold. We wait for the night to pass by before we make our decision. We have some time left I believe, because judging by the patterns, they are not in a hurry on anything." Urak mentioned.
As much as he hated it, the group had a point, especially the Orc. "Aye I have no choice. Never thought I take wisdom from a Orc." the old Dwarf sat down.
Finan stepped in and puts his arms up, creating a magical barrier like bubble around them in a twenty feet radius. "This will conceal us in the night, if what you said is true that there are cultists around, then it is easy to assume that cultists would probably lay down observer wards around us."
"Um if I may ask. I am not too familiar with Demon Hunters but can't they see magic thanks to their spectral sight?" the shaman asked.
"Lady, the purpose iiiiis to block detection. So I got that answered for you."
Since he didn't really have anything better to do, the dwarf decided to strike a conversation with the orc. Again something he never thought he would end up do to his role and experiences in the first war and second war. He had nothing against orcs or the Horde, it's just it felt a little ironic and somewhat odd to speak with one now after the life as a rifleman in the guard.
"Ey guys, I got chess. Let's play some." Finan said as he sat down with them, sprawling over his paper chess board and pours the pieces down. "The two are talking to each other, probably planning."
"Experiences from the past have ways of returning in the future in ways we cannot fathom." the Pandaren monk spoke as he started the game.
"Alright if I win you stop with these damn riddles." Finan marked.
Meanwhile, Thark was sitting from across from Urak.
"I'm am eager to meet Larkon once again and see the draenei he spoke so highly to me." Urak mentioned.
"Aye...ye both saved each other from the arena I take it?"
"Yup, a time, six months I guess I spend with him. We had some friends there, good girls, good girls. Larkon always mentioned about a draenei he had promised to. He said he owed her, and I went on with him to help him with that. After we parted ways, I knew the draenei would be someone that was more than a friend to him no matter how hard he denied it throughout our ordeal, and I never had been wrong in my predictions." The orc puts a branch on a fire, somewhat playing with it.
"Aye that be the lad alright. Even with this one and only good eye I got I could see it from the beginning. Though didn't expect them to end up having a child from it."
That earned a small chuckle from the Orc. "Something else I predicted as I told him I expected to see their child in the near or far future."
"Nevah predicted that me be happenin. Eh. What the heck, the lass' choice, and the lad's head on my wall after." The dwarf remarked.
That caused the Orc to laugh from that.
"Oi friends, want to play some chess?" Quon asked over, looking at the Gnome who was somewhat bombarded with disbelief that he lost in mere minutes. "We play friends, but first let me watch you two as the weird thing happened right before me, an orc is playing chess with a dwarf." He puts down the chess table and took out his notes.
With a nod the two made their way over to the chest game and sat from across one another as they started a game of chess.
"So ye be Frostwolf Aye?" Thark asked making the first move.
"My father was a Blademaster of the Burning Blade Clan. But he left when they chose a darker path. Met my mother who was of Frostwolf. So I am a Blademaster of the Frostwolf Clan." Urak answered examining the chess board carefully before making his next.
"Back in me experiences in the first war. Fought a Frostwolf Orc once, his own pet wolf clawed me left eye, thus be the reason why I be blind in that eye and for the eyepatch. Funny thing was that after that, I ended up meeting my wife who had a thing for one eye Dwarfs." He joked.
"Ah yes women. My mate had a thing for being dominate and...let's just say she is the first and only one I was never able to beat in a fist fight. I had reach but...she had flexibility." the orc also joked.
Fylrae watched them as they laughed. She see their bright smiles and she didn't have those smiles till they arrived in her tent asking help back in the blasted lands.
"How do you fare Fylrae?" asked Serga, her big frame standing over her before sitting down on to her next.
"I'm fine."
"Fine, hmmm that's usually the excuse every women says whenever they are not fine. I use it myself very often." Serga laughed.
Fylrae smiled and nodded to her joke. But then she looked down at the fire ahead, her lips were curled into a frown, but not in sadness but full of pondering. "I just wondered."
"Wonders, aah your people are so full of wonder. My people have been with your people for thousands of years. And what the great chieftains always say about your people is that the eldest of the children of night is no wiser than the nomads of the south, he compared to us." The tauren told.
"That's nice. No wonder I have known that I am five-hundred years old but I'm no smarter than a common human. Just more experienced." Fylrae added. "But that's not I wondered…"
"Did you think about a person?" She asked.
And the elf nodded.
"Was it a boy?"
The elf nodded again.
"A lover?"
Fylrae chuckled and shook her head. "No, I have no interest for relationships. Motherhood maybe, but mates, nah, I'm fine with children to be with, but not with intimate relationships for some reason. The closest that would be is the dwarf, and he seems like the person you would describe as a scary uncle." Fylrae added. "But, no. I just pondered about my brother."
"Is he the demon hunter I have heard much of?" the Shaman asked with a soft smile.
"Yes…"
"We are the same in that regards. Both of our brothers are there somewhere following a dark path."
"The last I saw of my brother before he became whatever he is now. Well the last time I saw my brother is when the last time he said that he'll be back. And that was fourteen years ago." Fylrae told, she didn't seem to cry nor emphasize any sadness, she was used to this.
"The last I saw of mine he came to me regarding a vision the elemental spirits showed him. He wanted my help to talk to our teacher in hopes of uniting the Horde and the Alliance. When I told him it could not be done at the current time, he left without a word. That was three years ago, and I have not seen or heard word from him since then, until now." Serga also said, like the night elf she too did not show any form of sadness.
In the meantime, the Orc and Dwarf continued their game of chess while speaking of talks of their past experiences.
"So you were a guard like him?" Urak asked the old Dwarf, placing his next chest piece to his next move.
"Aye I was a rifleman guard back in me days of Prime thirty two years ago. I be retired as ye could guess. You?"
"I serve within the Kor'kron and still do. But I'm just doing enough to see them grow up." He looked at Serga for reference.
"Aye I know ye feeling. Allot in common we have you and I." the old Dwarf sighed.
"Indeed, and Ironic in its own interesting way I would say." the Orc nodded.
Alura and Larkon stepped out from the fine shower. Rubbing themselves up out in a soft towel. They were refreshed, just like a spring flower, not a care in the world even at the face of the highest levels of danger. Right now everything is stacked against them. But the did not care and just went on to put on their clothes and hugged each other to enjoy their moment. The couple doesn't seem to concern what surrounded them and just focused on to themselves, as they hugged each other, letting their lips touch till the surface wets.
Larkon pulled away and went on to the corner to have some wine for himself and water for Alura. For some reason they gave them this for themselves alone to enjoy. Even though they brought them to this ordeal, he would still have heart to appreciate what they gave them for some pleasure.
He poured himself a glass of wine while he poured a glass of water for Alura. "Here Alura, let's enjoy. Forget everything else, let's just enjoy."
"Of course." she smiled happily, accepting the cup of water he gave her as she sat on a very comfortable seat. She had to admit, even though she was their prisoner, they seemed to be taking a great deal of consideration in keeping her comfortable to the point of just enjoying things.
"We get up from this. And we pray that we-" The door suddenly bursted. It caught both of them off guard as cultists suddenly flooded in on to subdue the human and Alura. The draenei was screaming in shock as the cultist pinned Larkon's head down on to the floor, confused to what is happening. His face narrowed down in anger.
Other cultists also bursted in when Alura tried to help Larkon, holding her arms down as she screamed and kicked with her hooves, trashing. "What are you doing?! Let us go you monsters!"
"Shut your mouth fine ass bitch." One of the cultists covered her mouth as Alura struggled even more, her body moving up and down trying to tug away from their grips to no avail. Her screams can still be heard loudly even through the cover as her eyes bursted in fear and concern when the cultist squeezed Larkon's head down on to the floor, causing him to scream in pain.
Kreus comes in to control the situation, his smile bearing absolute malevolence to it. As he watched their struggles, the covered screams of the draenei was music to his ears just like a the screams of his rival was like a piano to him. "Aaah, sweet victory." He commented.
Serid comes in to calm the situation, somewhat attempting to make it bearable for the couple. "Kreus, the draenei is in her third trimester. Your cultist are not helping her. At this point this is the moment when the chances of miscarriage is at its highest! Stop-"
"Shut your mouth you humanoid bull." Kreus angrily cuts off.
"I always expected you to be of subtilty." the cultists, Warlock, and Tauren heard the dark echoing voice of the Death Knight echo into the room. Making his presence known as the air within the room soon became cold enough to cause their breaths to be fogged.
The Blood Elf immediately changed his tone and got back on one knee to kneel to the Death Knight. "I…"
"If the child dies from miscarriage caused by the shock of your mistreatment of the Draenei I will personally rip the heart out of your pathetic body." The Death Knight warned with a more darker tone than usual. Looking over to the Cultist that called Alura a "Fine ass bitch," he makes a ball of frost unto his hand and hurled it over to the other cultist, shattering the ball of frost unto his face and knocked him out unconscious.
Lazarus looks over to his female cultist, his most trusted one. "Give these fools treatment, just enough to make them heal." He ordered as he pointed out at the unconscious cultists.
"As you wish my lord." She bowed as she picked them up and drag him away.
With the Cultists now gone and out of his sight he turned his attention back to the now once again frighten Warlock. "Do we have a deal Kreus?" he threatened now after making his point very clear to the Warlock. "Good, take him away and the blood elf will lead on what he needs for the human." He said as they left out, dragging Larkon away after knocking him out with a swift hit on the back of his head, leaving Alura to ponder what just happened as she looked at the death knight with narrowed eyes while the rest left to leave the two alone.
Her eyes no longer having any doubts. "You are a monster."
He chuckled. "Identifying what is monstrosity and what is humanity is subjective my dear. You may view me as a monster, but you will see it differently in my own lens." He said as he began to take a step forward to move away.
"Then show me your memories! You are a monster no matter how you turn it!" She shouted.
He smiled and kneeled down onto the draenei, leaving that smile hidden under his mask. "Sure, I'll bite priestess. I'll let you see my memories." he offered his hand to her.
Alura didn't have any double thoughts as she grabbed his hand and closed her eyes to see his memory.
"Erecia!" Alura turned around to hear the desperate voice. She saw herself floating above the ocean in an ethereal form as she observed what was happening down below at the shore. It was a human man, with a feminine humanoid creature, she has the skin of a sea serpent but had digitigrade legs. She was laying in the sand, groaning in pain as he puts weight on her chest.
Alura noticed the bloat in her stomach, similar to hers, but less pronounced. There was blood between her legs, a lot of blood, enough to cover the front of her as the man desperately tried to do everything to save her. "Come on! Come on! Don't sleep Erecia!" He pleaded with gritted teeth.
The priestess had suspected the worse. It was a miscarriage, a premature birth. That's what she observed as the feminine creature pulled through the ordeal and delivered the undeveloped baby. It was too young, too small to live, and it was not even set would the baby be a girl or a boy.
Alura heard her hiss in threat as she grabbed the baby from the warm hands of the human father, and using the powers of a sea creature to heal herself.
"Erecia!" He tried to come for her, but a quick slash to his face stopped him in his tracks before a now transformed tail puts him onto his rear.
The Naga hissed in hostility as she cradled the dead child close to her, looking at the human man with grudging eyes before leaving on to the depths of the water.
Alura was shaken to what she had witnessed. It was every mother's nightmare that she didn't want to live in, and whatever that sea humanoid creature had to go through, had experienced the nightmare of a soon to be mother like her, like Alura.
The memories changed, the imagery changed entirely. Now she finds herself in what appears to be the Frozen wastelands of Northrend. There she saw the same human, the one who was the mate of the naga. Badly beaten and hurt to the point of near death as members of the Silver Hand surrounded him. His image has changed, he had bore white hair, his face now wrinkled. It is clear that this is the same man, but now far past his prime.
"This has been a long time coming Eldon." one spoke.
"You like a idiot think there's a world to save by bringing everyone into union." another spoke.
"But you don't realize there is no world anymore. And that these false hopes of making peace with these barbaric creatures like the Horde, the Naga, and all the others just won't work, ever." the third spoke.
"And that there is no place for people like you in it." the fourth spoke before finally kicking Eldon to fall to his death in a almost dark frozen area, his image slowly disappearing into the dark until he was far from sight.
Yet that was not the end of the nightmare memories. For the moment the elder Eldon had vanished into the cold dark deep, the imagery changed. For now she found herself atop of a large and floating Scourge Necropolis. Her eyes were confused and horrified at the same time, ever moving around to see where she is. Alura then looked at the distance and saw the familiar figure, the same man in her visions, or what was left of him. Now transformed into the horrific nightmarish undead with the same terrifying face, deathly blue glowing eyes, and razor sharp fanged teeth that haunted her deepest darkest nightmares, kneeling before the Lich King amongst the other sea of Death Knights.
"All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance - I bestow upon you, my chosen knights. I have granted you immortality so that you may herald in a new, dark age for the Scourge." she heard the Dark echoes of the Lich King's voice speak to the new Death Knights with one now known as Lazarus.
He remained unto his knees as he listened to the trembling voice of the Lich King, his stature was firm as the god of Death granted his blessings among the death knight to wreak havoc upon the living. Yet in his hand she could notice a small item, a music box covered in corals, held firmly yet gently in his palms.
Alura released her grip the the memory ended. That's how it all happened to him. It was not horrifying, it was not scarey or nightmare inducing. It is just…...sad. She didn't want to sympathize with him, but she now knows, that he had it worse than her.
"I'm glad you didn't squeal priestess. Now if you please, I will proceed to my sanctuary on the other side." He stood up and bowed.
"Please spare Larkon. Please, don't let my baby lose a father, or me lose a lover."
"That wouldn't be in my decision for him to live or die priestess." He said as he walked away.
Alura stayed there, watching the the fiend walk away. Her eyes were widened as she realize what might become of her. She doesn't know what he would do to her, to Larkon and to the baby. Perhaps he just want them to experience what he experienced, but yet it was enough to drive her down to the depths of sadness as she clutched her stomach, covering her mouth as she began to whimper. Her eyes once driven to tears.
