I stood among the rubble of the temple, watching the shield around me fall and the trolls begin to pour inside.
The chanted my name, not coming to close, but throwing themselves into the ground in worship.
I smiled as my face finally repaired itself, before twitching at the sudden influx of strength.
The Hexlords loa was strange. Its power did not pull towards balance, and it was substantial.
I had been eating portions of the gods up untill this point, so i had expected the boost to come up to greet me to be great.
This was different. The power felt malign, dark, possibly even evil. I didn't tear it apart for raw strength like I had the others. I was curious.
I looked over the bound forms of what was left of my prey. The dragon hawk was all but gone, his power reduced to nothing more than raw mana.
Something of a waste. Loa were more than energy, their power had different bounds than mana did, it was a connection to the natural world far beyond what most could concieve.
When a druid used their mana they used it to call upon the spirits of nature, and use their power to preserve life.
It allowed them to heal others, control the growth of plantlife. and change themselves into animal forms.
When druids used that power they worked in tandem with nature in the same way shamans did with the elements themselves. It was why druids using their power for evil was almost unheard of.
If a druid who used nature for selfish means, like personal power or blood lust, nature took note and often refused outright.
I had just skipped the middle man in that process. It was terribly unlikely any of the raw spirits of nature that made up the land would accept me using them, but now I was one of them.
I had already been breaking the rules using sacrifice and blood magic to force them to do as I wished, but now that I had the combined power of several spirits of nature so strong they had been worshiped as gods, I no longer had too.
Blood magic certainly still had a great deal of uses, more than before in fact, but now I could probably call upon nature better than most druids could.
In fact, in a place like this, where the spirits had all been killed off or enslaved, I could use it to a greater degree than any druid.
It was a shame so much authority over the land itself had been lost, but since it granted me victory I was willing to accept the sacrifce.
Besides, I still had Zul'Jin, and he had more than enough to go around. If he had any idea how to use his power for more than enhanced pyhsical powers he may have been able to overpower me on his own.
He had been too focused on what his gods where supposed to represent, over what they could actually do. I looked at the troll, kneeling as the roots tightened around him further. His superstition had been the death of him.
My grin grew sharp as I made my way towards him, flashes of so many people eating each other going through my mind as I did.
Beautiful.
He didnt say a word as I approached, silently staring at me. He didnt flinch as I drew back, a growl drawing from my throat.
"Kill dem all." It was the last words of the greatest Amani warlord to ever live.
My inscriptions blazed once I consumed him, I let them glow for all to see as the trolls around me cheered.
"Our empire has been cleansed of weakness, and now it is time to return to our former glory!"
"Malius!, Malius!" They roared back to me.
"This land is dying, torn apart by the greed of those who sought to steal it from us!"
I inclined my head, standing at my full height. I towered over the trolls who now served me. Bloodied and craving for more they waited with baited breath for my next command.
I poured rage and hunger into their hearts. "Hakkar has insulted me for the last time. Sail for Stranglethorn."
Their numbers had been reduced to nearly nothing, but they were still a force to be reckoned with, a few thousand souls. I would see them used well.
"The Gurubashi will convert, or they will die. Go now, set sail with my blessings, and conquer this world anew!"
The trolls took up the weapons of those warriors who had been slain, along with whatever bladed implements they could find, the chanting faded as they went about my task.
Their silence hid the fanaticism I could feel in their souls.
In a couple of days whatever trolls that inhabited the scattered villages and outposts would hear the news, either converting or fleeing to other empires.
They would repair or remake the neglected ships of their navy, lightly used ever since the Scourge began to take over the countryside.
If they couldnt find enough of their own ships to use for the task they would steal them, prying them from the hands of the wretched pirates if they had too.
Eventually my slaves made their way through the crowd, cheering with them as if they too believed in my power. The lack of connection to theirs souls spoke otherwise.
I paused as i looked at them. I suppose it was time to wrap things up around here.
"Return to the ship, and set sail for Westfall. Return to the study of my rituals and the creation of my golems."
I spread my wings, taking to the skies with a single leap. I had business to finish.
It was so rare to see diplomacy and revenge come together, and it would be glorious.
