RANGER GENERAL - by J CAE

AUTHOR'S NOTES (READ BEFORE YOU FLAME): I'm sick of anonymous flamers who have nothing real to say. Why don't you log in so I won't be able to delete your reviews--or are you scared to lemme know who you are? Once again, my fics are anti-Arthas and I don't follow Warcraft storylines to the letter, so don't call me a bitc* cuz I get a certain fact wrong or whatever. If you don't like my stories, just use the links on the top left hand corner and get outta here. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but I'm kinda pissed.

CHAPTER FOUR: LEADERLESS

"Wake up, Sea Witch!"

Lady Vashj studied the incredible dark she was thrown into. Seawater engulfed her, its horrific whispers registering in her ears. Lost in inhuman pain, all she could see in her mind were images of death and gore. She tried to fight the obscurity about her, yet against such darkness, she could not but drown.

Just when she thought it was over, that she would be strangled in this horror, time seemed to freeze.

A voice was calling her name, majestic, commanding.

Powerless to resist its magic, Vashj found herself floating towards the surface. A pale concentration of light flickered before her lidless eyes--moonlight. She had not seen it for ages, but strangely, it brought her familiar peace.

Then, invisible hands gripped her by the shoulders, tearing her away from the peaceful night lights.

"Where have you been?"

And she sank back into the whirlpool of pain and darkness.

"Why did you leave me? Haven't I treated you in kindness all along?"
She tried to cover her ears to dampen the haunting voice, but it was of no avail.

"Why did you turn your back on our vow?"

She was dragged further and further from the hopeful glimpse of moonlight she saw.

"You broke my heart, Vashj. You broke my heart."

*~*~*~*

There was no such thing as one Naga.

Naga was an elvish word which meant a collaboration of souls. Each individual Naga body contained many ghosts of the high-borne elves who were banished beneath the sea. Vashj was no exception. Each of the snakes in her hair represented a different spirit. And when most people of the other races looked at her, they were tricked into thinking that her mutilated shell--the one through which the souls spoke, saw and felt, was her actual person.

Such truth should never be made known to other races.

"Illidan..."

She whispered, remembering the master she once served. The Naga had abandoned their Lord Illidan and pulled out of battle when he was struck down. It was a choice between saving their own skins and being crushed by the overwhelming powers that emitted from the Frozen Throne. The Naga had chosen, and their master was dead--they were to blame.

Vashj led their retreat from the Ice Crown, back to the coastline and then to the seas. It had been eight months since Illidan died, but they were still trapped on the continent by Ner'zhul's minions who were sent to rid of them. Soon enough, she knew, either the wrath of the lich king or the demonlord Kil'jaeden himself would befall her and her people.

She could only side with one of them--and she must place her bet carefully.

Sometimes, she could still hear Illidan speaking to her. His ghost was still present, free from either of the two great powers and his own addiction to magic--maybe it was better for him this way. He would not have to face Kil'jaeden's eternal torment, nor that of Ner'zhul¡¦s.

The sea witch just knew she never wanted to betray him again--and her path became clear.

In his place, she would seek take revenge on the lich king--his murderer.

But first, she had to get Kael back.

Kael had always been a loyal ally, not because he was willing to but because he owed his life to her. Unlike Vashj herself, the young elven prince was not ready to relinquish everything for Illidan's sake--nor for the demonlord. His conscience was a burden he still carried and elven pride a wall he built around himself. But perhaps, with time, he might change and choose to accept darkness.

"You are not well, my lady," Vashj's medicine woman interrupted her thoughts and gave her a piece of seaweed dapped with special remedy. Vashj had caught a poison arrow on her shoulder earlier and was put out of form--by a banshee ranger, who, as two of her fellow Nagas claimed, served Kil'jaeden. She was worried. Did the demonlord send her to punish them for their failure to aid the demon hunter? But why had she only taken Kael away?

Vashj rejected the healer's medicine--it would be good for her body, yet it would dull her wits. "I feel fine."

Fine? Pathetic was the word.

"Send for Lady Charib," she put in before the healer could say anything. "Ask her to rally up the troops. We will find Kael's location."

Charib was no friend of hers, yet she was a strong and crafty warrior--and ever faithful to Nagatar.

"But my lady..."

She had already expected the healer to object, yet she knew her own limits. With one glare, she silenced the medicine woman who immediately slithered away in search of Charib.

*~*~*~*

Alanen could sense something dreadful upon the air.

With his sword belted, he decided to head outside to look around--and he turned back only to check on his sleeping daughter. He knew he should never leave her alone, yet it was too late at night and surely Usven and his wife were asleep, as were those others whom he could entrust her little girl to. But he tried to tell himself that it should be all right. A sleeping child could spend twenty minutes in a tent alone.

Taking a deep breath, he headed out into the cold night.

Jon...Meris...

He passed by the guard towers. Sentry runes glowed cerulean on their roofs. Guards were still alert in their positions, and they greeted him as he passed them by.

Into the forest he went, back to the trees where he found Meris hanging, where Jon's soul was taken. The incident bothered him still. It happened too suddenly. He was not even able to think when he acted. Sacrificing Meris was the only way he could save the rest of his men--though he failed Jon as well.

And these thoughts crossed his mind--could he really live up to the name of a general? Was he capable of leading his men? For a moment, he thought he just wanted to hide like he always had for the first half of his life.

Why? Why should it turn out this way? He only agreed to help Jon in compassion, yet he had only destroyed the both of them. How did...

"Come to me, Darkness."

A voice! He looked around to find no one but shadows.

"Who are you?" he asked, squinting his eyes to trace the speaker.

"I am your darkness. "

"What?" Puzzled and frightened, he quickened his pace and attempted to head back to his people's encampment.

"Why are you trying to run back to your base? You would only bring danger upon your people--upon your little daughter Elma. Face me alone. "

Alanen paused. How could this stranger have known his daughter's name? Trembling, he ordered, "Show yourself to me."

And the speaker did so. It was a ghost of a male--and Alanen thought he was staring into a mirror. The figure resembled his own self strikingly. It reached to touch him on the shoulder, and before he could draw back...

"Daddy?"

The ghost faded.

He froze. How? Why was his daughter there? Was she not fast asleep when he left her?

"Elma? What are you doing here?" he turned and hugged her like there was no tomorrow. She was still in her thin nightgown, but she was not even quivering in the cold night air.

She smiled--tiny dimples showed on both sides of her cheeks, "I found you! I found you!"

"You shouldn't leave the tent," he adopted a serious tone. "What if there are bad people out here? What if you got lost?"

"But you were gone a long time," she complained.

Somehow, her comment struck him--had he lost track of time? Or was it only that a child¡¦s patience did not run as deep?

"I will never leave you alone, you know," he hugged her tighter. The thought of almost having lost her forever haunted him.

She wrapped her fragile arms around his neck automatically, but she did not understand his fear. After a few seconds, she freed herself and skipped across the mossy floor. "Come catch me!"

"Elma!" he protested. The forest was no playground. "It is dangerous. Come back here."

But the little girl did not listen and ran further from him, "Come on! Catch me."

Alanen had no choice but to follow. Elma thought he was joining the game when in truth he was only trying to stop her from getting out of his sight. Beasts, snakes and poisonous bugs were threats, but not much. Undead was the real danger. "Don't run. Listen to me. You'll get lost!"

But he lost her in the dark mist of the woods.

No answer.

Damn. Where could she be?

Somewhere in a distance, low howls were heard. Wolves?

No, not wolves. Something more terrible.

"Daddy?" came a frightened whimper.

"Elma!" he hurried to his daughter's side and grabbed her hand to lead her away, but she was stapled to the ground. With her free hand, she pointed at something dark amid the trees.

Banshees hung motionlessly on the trees by their greyish decaying hair--hundreds of agonized faces lined before them. Haunting eyes turned upon the father and daughter at the same instant, daring them to move.

"Oh no," Alanen cursed under his breath. To his daughter, he said, "Stay close to me."

She nodded, fixing her trusting young eyes on him.

Yet he had no idea if his powers were enough to hold them back.

One of the banshees uncoiled her hair and jumped from the tree. It floated towards Alanen and Elma. Others followed suit. One by one, they surged forward to surround them, screaming out shrill delight like hungry hyenas who found the long-awaited feast...

*~*~*~*

Vashj waited in ambush. Night shades and dead trees gave her cover. She held very still, knowing that her prey had already sensed her presence. Sylvanas licked the feathers on the end of an arrow, pretending not to notice the Naga army's presence. Kael was still with her, supervising the workers as they packed their wagons with supplies.

Were they leaving? Or were they just faking?

Further from the prince, a Nathrezim stood--the one whom knocked Kael out and took him away. He was the least alert of the three--a good target to start with.

Lord Illidan, Vashj vowed in her mind. No matter what it takes, our will shall be done.

She stretched her bow, and waited.

And at the exact moment she released her string, the Dark Lady beckoned to Varimathras as if she had an order to give him. He dared not delay and ran to her side. The arrow sailed past him and plunged into the soil behind--and oh, was he not surprised by how close he came to death? Sylvanas fitted her arrow to her own bow and sent it flying at a Naga warrior who charged, and rushed forward to meet Vashj in battle. But Kael sprang between the two warring ladies who still had their arrows pointed at each other.

"Stop this!" he yelled. "It is all right."

Vashj looked doubtful. But Sylvanas was first to lower her bow. The Sea Witch also commanded her troops to seize fighting.

"Vashj," Kael looked shocked. "You're still alive!" He shot Sylvanas an accusing look--she told him the Sea Witch was...beyond his help. "How could--?"

"Yes," the Naga hissed, frowning slightly from his tone--did he think she could be killed this easily? "Come with me, Kael. We must retreat to safety."

"I...er, you are mistaken, Vashj," Kael said. "It's not what it looks like. Sylvanas is on our side. Ultimately, our goals are the same."

Vashj raised her brow, "What do you mean by on our side?"

"She is--was my ranger general," he explained, kicking himself inwardly--was Sylvanas still serving him, or was he now serving her? "She is here to destroy the lich king."

Vashj trusted Kael, though she was doubtful about the idea. "If you say so--"

"I let you go," Sylvanas cut Vashj off and said to Kael.

"But--" again, Kael felt torn between the two. "Can we work together?"

"Kil'jaeden sent her," the Sea Witch told him coldly.

Kael glared at Sylvanas in disbelief. He thought she was seeking vengeance on the lich king for Quel'thalas--she still called herself a ranger general, she still kept her elven brooch, and she scolded him for leading their people into doom--were these all lies? If she was serving Kil'jaeden, could she still be acting on her own will?

"Weren't you?" the Dark Lady did not even flinch when she returned the question. "I though Illidan was Kil'jaeden's champion."

"We were n--" Vashj caught herself. Though Illidan was the one working for the demonlord directly, she dared not deny it. "Of course we were." Darn mind games.

And Sylvanas nodded with a sarcastic smile on her face, "So, sister, we should not fight. Kael can go with you, but better he follow me back to where the demonlord awaits, or who could say how our master would react?"

Varimathras looked frightened, "Lady Syl--" And he was hit with a silence spell again.

"Come with me," the Dark Lady said to Vashj. "You will need help getting off this cursed continent."

Vashj sighed. Somehow, she had a feeling that what the ranger said was untrue. But in the demonlord's name, she must obey.

*~*~*~*

TEASER:

Next chapter, Sylvanas, Kael, Varimathras and Vashj will land on a frozen outlying island where they would run into an unlikely person--could he/she be Kil'jaeden's agent?

*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I'm just pissed I still get anonymous flames for my other story Rain River. C'mon, it was written before the FT came out so how am I supposed to know what's gonna happen? Can you believe it, some weak-willed people feel offended cuz I am anti-Arthas, and that I portrayed the Blood Elves differently from the FT storyline? Ha, I wish these people a real good life.

Oh, almost forgot to mention, I hafta be away for at least 2 weeks. I'm moving into residence *on campus*--my new room doesn't have internet, ha. *Sarcastically* I'll have fun, I promise. O_o

Thanks for reading, guys ^_^. Crappy chapter, I know. I'll try to make it up somehow.

Rabid Illidan Fan: Hey, welcome to the Syl fan club!! I'm still struggling with some storyline issues here and I'm not exactly sure what I wanna do yet O_o.

Ira Poon: Ooh...^_^ Sorry I'm also spoiling this for you. About Meris killing Jon, I kinda agree with you. But the reason...will be revealed soon enough.

DemonG.Bear: How could you have known? No, Illidan couldn't let Arthas win, could he?

Forever Jake: Thank you so much. I'm so happy you're reading this. Really ^_^.

TheGrandSlayer: Thanks. I'm honoured.

SaSsY-GuRl-TaYlOr: *winks rather evilly* I'm so glad you like this story.