Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!
Lithedia cursed herself, every single damned Mawsworn in this godforsaken hellscape, and especially the Jailer as she willed her legs to drive her forward as fast as was physically possible in her current state...And she wasn't faring well.
This was supposed to be a simple, routine trip into the Maw, just a quick get in and get out situation. All she had planned to do was rescue more poor souls suffering undeserved fates and bring them back to Tenaval, which was something so routine at this point that she hardly thought anything of it. Sure, she never enjoyed any trip she had to take into the Maw, but it was normally a relatively quick experience unless Bolvar sent her on mission into Torghast...Which she always dreaded regardless of the reason behind it.
But of course, when she dove head first into the Maw and arrived in Ve'nari's refuge this time around, the broker had another "business proposition" for her, which again, as usual, was to off some other high ranking Mawsworn that was getting just a little too close to figuring out Ve'nari's location and to destroy misery conduits that were only enhancing the suffering of the poor souls already tortured beyond imagination by the Jailer and his forces. Nothing that she hasn't been able to handle on multiple prior occasions.
This time, however, it seems she may have gotten a little too comfortable and let down her guard a little too much.
Everything was going well at the start, she managed to save fifteen souls not long after setting out with her newly upgraded soulkeeper, using her Hunter ability to camouflage herself and blend into the surroundings to avoid a majority of the Mawsworn's detection. She had only been in the Maw for a short while before she already began to make her way deeper into the hellscape, keeping a look out for the Mawsworn commander and misery conduits Ve'nari had been concerned about.
Unfortunately, with how smoothly rescuing the trapped souls had gone and how routine such an excursion felt, she let her normally heightened senses honed over years as Huntmaster slack and her mind wander as she found herself thinking of a certain Venthyr prince.
He was all she could think of as of late, so much so that it had begun to get her into trouble. His soothing voice, his powerful yet gentle presence, his beautiful, long white hair that she so desperately wanted to run her fingers through, because by the Gods it looked so soft...And how intense, burning Amber would meet soft, mellow green during Ember Courts as he would occasionally catch her gaze from across the way, eyes locking for a short moment before she would hastily turn her head away in embarrassment, praying he couldn't see how her cheeks would flare a deep red that rivaled her hair every time. She would always find herself distracted by him as she attended to the guests, often watching the Prince enjoy himself with what she was sure was an expression of not-so-subtle adoration...Which she would promptly receive a few not-so gentle smacks to the head for from the Accuser, along with a stern reminder to focus on the task at hand and that it was rude to stare, each time she got caught in the act.
As if the Accuser wasn't guilty of wearing that exact same expression of pure adoration on her own features whenever she was in the Curator's presence, but she digressed.
Despite the courts requiring an extreme amount of work and time on her part that was often hard to balance with the seemingly never ending amount of missions she was expected to complete, just getting the chance to see him in his natural element, mingling among and interacting with his people with a natural charisma, smiling and laughing, and for at least a brief moment in time, at ease, was more than worth all the trouble and a reward for her efforts in itself.
But nothing quite got to her more than the way he seemed to take on an infuriatingly flirtatious tone with her every time he would greet her, wish her luck, or praise her for a job well done after returning from a successful mission. It absolutely drove her insane trying to figure out if that was how he was with everyone or...
With her thoughts occupied, she hadn't been actively paying attention to how long she had been camouflaged for. She found herself snapping back to reality just as the last of the effect was wearing off and a loud, monstrous roar shattered the previously oppressive silence that caused her hair to stand on end in fear, left her ears ringing, and adrenaline coursing through her as she returned to her full alertness. She had no where near enough time to duck for cover in advance, she was fully out in the open and had already caught the attention of one of the Mawsworn elites.
Defeating it wasn't too difficult, but by bringing about its end, it also brought about the end of any hopes Lithedia had for a smooth trip. The Soulseekers were on her like flies after that, able to see right through any further attempts at camouflage she made in the hopes of avoiding any increasing trouble. With each enemy that fell to her arrows, the Jailer's fury grew, and before she even managed to track down the damned commander and misery conduits the broker had tasked her to eliminate, she had the towers assaulting her with Soul Surges and assassins on her ass every time she took a damned breath.
Regardless, she pressed on, and even chained to the floor, an assassin assaulting her from behind, and the targeted Mawsworn commander she had finally managed to corner attacking from the front, she still managed to emerge from the chaos victorious. The blood elf wiped the sweat from her brow, the blood from her nose, and severed the chains binding her before finally moving on to her last task. Then she could collect the totally worth it reward from Ve'nari for all the trouble she has gone through and finally go back home to Sinfall and put this hell behind her for at least a week.
She absentmindedly wondered, as she finally found an opportunity to blend back into the safety of the shadows during a brief respite from the fighting, when she began to consider Sinfall as her home.
Without much more additional trouble now that she could once again hide among the darkness and ensuring to keep her full attention on the task at hand this time, she finally located the southern misery conduit, making quick work of destroying it until only pieces remained.
Unfortunately, the action countered and destroyed her camouflage and as her luck was especially unfortunate today, this had yet another assassin descending upon her within seconds. She scowled, drawing Thas'dorah from its place on her back and took careful aim, confident she could take out this nuisance with a single shot. However, with her full attention on the incoming threat charging at her from her right, she just barely managed to catch a glimpse of a winged abductor out of the corner of her eye, diving straight for her from above at an alarming speed.
She cursed loudly, jumping back in the nick of time, enough to avoid a severe blow but still found herself getting knocked back by the sheer force of the impact as the Forsworn smashed into the ground, and a surprisingly powerful wing slammed into her stomach. As she roughly collided with the floor and the wind is knocked out of her for a second time in under three seconds time, she realized that she might be in serious trouble.
She managed to force herself back onto her feet with a great deal of effort and successfully landed a few decently aimed shots all things considered, taking out what felt like the dozenth assassin of the day with little issue, but her arrows didn't seem to be doing as much against the fallen Ascended, and she didn't have enough energy to recast her more damaging abilities. She took hit after damaging hit herself from blades, claws, and wings and yet was unable to deal much damage in return.
She was fighting a losing battle.
She disengaged to gain some distance between herself and the enemy just as another blow almost crashed down onto her, and she racked her brain for ideas to handle the problem she found herself in, but she could only think of one that might result in her keeping her life and also completing the mission at hand.
Run.
She fired a concussive shot to at least slow the winged bastard down, tapping into her aspect of the cheetah ability, and took off sprinting in the direction of the northern misery conduit, hoping that would be enough to put some distance between her and it in order to complete her objective. She didn't dare to look back, focusing ahead of her for any sign of her target instead of the bruises and gashes that littered her body and letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as it came into view. She was almost there, almost free, all she had to do was fire a few shots into the damned thing and then-
Pain erupted from her side as she was slammed into by a Mawsworn soldiers weapon that she had failed to notice approach in her hyperfixation on the goal and the desperation to leave, knocking her to the ground after sending her flying a good few feet away from the conduit. She struggled to regain her breath from the harsh impact, choking out a few coughs which only intensified the excruciating pain that blossomed from her most definitely broken ribs. Through rising tears, she could see she was almost within striking distance of the conduit, and exhilaration rushed through her as sheer determination to carry out her mission had her stumbling back onto her feet.
With sloppy dodges inhibited by pain, she managed to barely avoid the Mawsworn's next strike which allowed her just enough of an opportunity to close the minimum distance required for her to attack the final conduit. She forced her hands to steady themselves as much as physically possible, ignoring her ribs screaming at the motion of her drawing back the string of her bow, and fired.
The conduit shattered into a useless pile of crumbling stone.
The knowledge that her final mission was finally complete offered no relief in the face of the hopeless situation she found herself facing. Multiple Mawsworn soldiers surrounded her, the winged abductor sent to dispose of her had since caught up with her with fully recovered movement speed and apparently brought two other winged friends along for the ride, and she was badly injured with the effects of exhilaration wearing off and the pain settling in.
She was so fucked.
She managed to remove the soldier that blocked her path back towards the refuge with a single arrow and made a break for it in that direction, gripping her side and feeling her blood seep through her fingers.
Which brings us back to the present, Lithedia mentally cursing herself, every single damned Mawsworn in this godforsaken hellscape, and especially the Jailer as she wills her legs to drive her forward as fast as was physically possible despite her injuries.
She knows she is facing immediate extermination. The pain and strain of her injuries is increasing by the second, taking an incredible toll on her body and stamina. Her steps are growing slower, her legs feeling heavy as if made of lead and yet like jelly all at once, no longer seeming to want to obey her screaming internal dialogue to KEEP RUNNING. Blood continues to slowly leak from injury on her side, and she vaguely registers the feeling of something wet trickling down her forehead and her chin as well. Her mouth tastes bitter with a strong metallic tang, and she almost gags.
Darkness encroaches on the edges of her vision and she weakly fumbles with the buckle on her bag, all the while still forcing her legs to propel her forward towards safety, though the growling and screeching of the Mawsworn pursuing her are frighteningly close behind her.
If she could just find the Cypher of Relocation Ve'nari gave her, she could at least make it back to the refuge, and she would at least be hidden from the prying eyes of the Jailer...
She finally manages to get the stupid thing open, shoving her hand into the pocket where the cypher should be safely stored, and-
No.
No no no no!
Her hand meets nothing, the pocket empty.
Dread sits heavy in her stomach and a wave of nausea washes over her as death itself seems to close in around her, the Jailer's chilling voice ringing out across the Maw.
"The end is upon you."
She only subconsciously registers herself tripping on something in her path as her feet begin to drag from exhaustion, using the last of her strength to cast Door of Shadows in the hopes of putting even just a few extra feet between her and her rapidly approaching end, her body hitting the ground with a hard thud after rematerializing a yard or so away that only comes with more excruciating pain.
She lies there limply, barely conscious enough to distantly hope that perhaps if she just feigned death, maybe they would leave her be.
Or, more likely, haul her, dead or alive, to Torghast and her soul will end up becoming a personal prisoner of the Jailer and suffer an eternity of unimaginable horrors and torture by his hand.
What a sorry end for a supposed champion of Azeroth.
A trembling sob escapes her lips as she feels the oppressive darkness taking her mind, and she thinks on all the regrets she'd come have throughout everything she had endured in her life. Though, strangely enough, the biggest regret at the forefront of her pain addled mind was how many promises she would be breaking to those she had come to love and care about most during her time in Revendreth.
She promised Theotar that she would have a tea party with him as soon as she returned from the Maw. He was overjoyed when she accepted his invitation, always so intent on making sure she took time to rest between missions.
She promised the Accuser that she would atone for and fix the mess she had made while carrying out Denathrius' orders when first arriving to Revendreth. That she would rid the Halls of Atonement of the Lord Chamberlain's corruption and help her set the abused souls on the long overdue path towards atoning for their sins.
She...She promised the Prince that they would take down Denathrius and redeem Revendreth or face the end of reality, together.
...She promised...
Renathal...
Tears mix with dirt and grime as they fall, leaving streaks on her cheeks, and she grips her hearthstone bound to Sinfall after reaching a trembling hand into her bag once more, hearing more than seeing one of the pursuing Mawsworn raise its weapon to finish her off for good.
The air around her changes, and the predatory sounds of the Mawsworn hunting her are suddenly silent.
"Maw Walker!! My Prince come quickly, she's gravely injured!"
She must be dreaming, she thinks...She has to be. She definitely knows that voice...It belongs to Tavian, Sinfall's innkeeper, but...He is safely back in Sinfall, no where near the Maw. She tries to concentrate on what he had said, he had shouted something in a panic, that much she could decipher, and yet she can't seem to quite understand the words themselves, her mind entrapped in a thick fog that made everything sound so distant and muffled.
There is what sounds like rapidly approaching footfalls from somewhere nearby, followed by a furious snarl as the footsteps come to a stop beside her body and the faint feeling of pressure around her hand as if it was being someone was gently grasping it.
"What...What did they do to her?!"
She knows now that she almost certainly must be dreaming when she hears her Prince's voice join Tavian's. There was anger in his words, there was no mistaking that, but his fury was heavily laced with...panic? Fear? It makes her heart clench. She feels something warm and soft to the touch carefully being wrapped around her beaten body, and she can't recall when she had become so cold.
The arms gathering her in their protective hold handle her with such care and gentleness it was as if they expected her to shatter like glass if they held her any tighter, completely enveloping her and resting her against something warm and solid, someone's chest if the soothing heartbeat that drummed steadily in her ear was anything to go by.
No amount of care in the world, however, could entirely avoid causing the wounds she suffered to flare up and her body seizes from the pain, harshly forcing her mind back to semi-consciousness and to the realization that this was real. Defying all logic, her hearthstone was still somehow able to respond to her within the Maw.
Crying out and her breathing coming in labored, strained gasps, there's an immediate string of sincere apologies and comforting words being whispered to her in a soothing voice that can only belong to Renathal. In any other situation, she would have been a flustered, embarrassed mess at the realization that she was currently being carried, bridal style, through Sinfall and cuddled up against the chest of none other than the Dark Prince himself. But she can only weakly mumble a slurred apology, for returning in such a disastrous state and for most certainly staining his coat, or what she assumed was his coat that she was wrapped in, with her blood. The stains would permanent, she thought, and for some reason the idea made her feel terrible. He always kept it looking so pristine and well cared for, and now she's gone and ruined it.
His thumb rubs the skin of her arm in comforting circles.
"Shhh...Nonsense, you have nothing to apologize for, Maw Walker. Save your strength."
She releases a trembling sigh at his words, her fingers gripping the fabric and feebly attempting to pull it tighter around her for both warmth and comfort. She was so tired, her eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and both mind and body begged her to give in to the darkness that had been threatening to take her since collapsing within the Maw.
Lulled by the careful sway of the Renathal's movements as he carried her deeper into Sinfall and the continued gentle, reassuring strokes of his thumb against her skin, she finally allows her eyes to flutter closed and willingly surrenders to the awaiting embrace of the endless void.
Author's Note: Hey y'all, welcome to the first FanFiction I've written in over six years! This is based on an especially frustrating run I had in the Maw with my blood elf Hunter where everything that could have possibly gone wrong most definitely did lol. I don't understand the logic of hearthstones working while in the Maw, but I found out they do during this trip, and since it's bound to Sinfall...The idea for this story came to fruition. Also does anyone else have an issue with their Cypher of Relocation disappearing from their bag randomly and having to constantly purchase new ones from Ve'nari? I swear she's doing it on purpose.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I plan on writing more chapters for this if people seem to enjoy it, the Accuser and Theotar should be making an appearance in the next chapter! Let me know what you think and if you want to see more!