Conclusion

chapter one

"That's gross," Sylvia said flatly.

"I wasn't finished," Yaddic said flatly. He looked up from his squatted position to stare at the girl adjacent from him. "Haven't you been paying--"

Sylvia interrupted before the man could finish. "It looks like it just came from the butcher shop…"

Yaddic clenched his jaw, giving his eyes a heavy, sarcastic roll. His childhood friend, the blacksmith's daughter, had shown increasing signs of laziness as she grew older. Even now, in the sunbathed meadow outside the city gates, she appeared more like a childish vagabond than an award-winning student.

He had been attempting to show Sylvia Mackna'ar his latest undertaking. He was renowned for his casting, and always new ideas for his spellwork consumed his time. He, of all people, enjoyed the tantalizing task of creating his own trademark magicks. From the delicate planning through the complex framework, he was always eager to see his latest creation come to life.

With another sigh, he flopped down beside her, ignoring the feel of the warm grass on his neck as he stared into the clear afternoon sky. Years ago, when he and Sylvia had been children, the two had 'adventured' outside the city in order to 'claim land' for themselves. Laughing, the two had used their 'swords' (sharpened sticks) to fight the 'orcs' (overgrown bushes) in what had been an 'epic battle'.

Now, all the bushes had been trampled, and most of the wood had been cleared out to make the Orcish internment camps.

"Hellooo?" Sylvia's high, demanding voice sounded. "Are you listening?"

Yaddic blinked. "Yes.. something about the butcher shop..?"

The girl pursed her lips and rolled over, raising herself to her feet. She stretched her arms and legs, managing to shoot a scowl in Yaddic's direction before squatting down in front of him again. "I was asking how your apprenticeship was going. By the Light.. I try to be nice and you just brush me off…" Sylvia's voice, although still littered in humor, trailed off.

In turn, the man shook his head. "You know, I'm beginning to understand why there's such little respect for raven-heads."

Sylvia's eyes blazed, and she shoved her face mere centimeters from Yaddic's. "Black hair is not a sin."

Yaddic flashed a lopsided grin before falling onto his back again. He rolled over onto his side, cupping the back of his head in his palms. "It depends on who you're talking to…"

Of course, the light-haired human's quiet afterthought had been an allusion to the Paladins of the Holy Order. Their lot in life seemed to be locating any and all forms of sacrilege… it wasn't a bad notion, per say, if they didn't take things so… seriously. How many times had daily activities been halted due to a town sweep? Or extra funds used up for a useless exorcist's visit?

A single, wispy cloud passed over the sun, enveloping the grassy hills in its shade. Yaddic shivered involuntarily, completely unprepared for the chill it brought. He opened his eyes again, staring skyward. It was a rather thick cloud, to be sure, and the amount of shade it created was almost illogical. Nevertheless, as he felt himself adapt to the lack-of sun, it wasn't as bad.

"Sylvia--" he began to say.

The girl interrupted him again, this time on what seemed to be a more mechanical basis. Whenever he used that tone of voice, he was usually accusing someone. "It's not me."

Yaddic paused, confused. "Excuse me?"

Sylvia elaborated. "I'm not doing it. I don't do spells, I don't do shade. Okay?"

There was another pause as Yaddic took in her words. His face contorted for a moment as he sorted out her brief explanation. "I wasn't saying it was your fault… it's the cloud's."

Yet another long silence passed, and Yaddic began to wonder if Sylvia was becoming mute. Her words, although loud and obnoxious, were still rather sparse. He did his best to break the uncomfortable silence with a simple question that always turned the tide of conversation.

"How's school?"

He saw Sylvia's face take on a bland stare, and he couldn't help but smile lightly to himself. It never failed.

"Would you believe that the schoolmaster has the nerve to transfer my class schedule? How could he? I was just beginning to adapt to that Shil guy's teaching style, and BANG--" she slapped her hands together for effect. "-- He's got me a different instructor."

"I can't imagine why," Yaddic answered, sarcasm evident in his low tone.

"Did you know that the orcs came from offworld?" she asked suddenly, her voice ablaze in interest.

Yaddic rolled his eyes. This topic had been shown positive by the Orcs long ago. There was always elder members of the green-skinned race who enjoyed rambling about their past. If you could convince them, even a human could converse with one of the Orcish prisoners. However, it usually involved a prolonged feeling of discomfort, as the red-tinted glares of the inmates usually tempered whatever joy you were getting from the lectures. Yaddic himself had sat in on several of these small learning experiences, and much to his surprise, had enjoyed them to the fullest extent.

He answered carefully, as not to offset his friend's newfound passion. "I believe I've heard it mentioned once or twice."

Sylvia beamed. "But they left." She twirled around several times in a giddy fashion. She laughed, a sound that made her seem even more youthful. "We're not sure why."

Yaddic nodded politely. Very rarely would one hear the Mackna'ar girl speak so highly of what she was learning in class. When she did, however, it came as a relief to some, a bane to others. As the years had gone on, it became apparent that her dwindling love for knowledge could only be re-sparked by the mention of the orcs.

Her nonstop chatter of the green-skinned brutes had been unnerving at first, but as it went on, people began to simply smile and nod, thankful that she was getting something out of her classes.

Unlike Sylvia, Yaddic had a passion for learning. Yet like his friend, he viewed the orcs in an entirely different light than the rest of the human nations. There always seemed to be something more. Something… elusive about them.

During one of the two's more intellectual conversations, Sylvia had confided in Yaddic about her personal view of orcs.

"I love their eyes," she had breathed lowly. "Battle-hardened, yet so sad. And they're red…"

"Yes," was Yaddic's answer. He had blown out a long, heavy breath. "I'm going to ask them about their red eyes."

Indeed, he had asked them. An elder Orc, going by the name of Broxigar. He had given the boy an odd stare and didn't answer.

Yaddic never did find out why their eyes were red.

A/N: Upon reading my last chapter, I realized I spaced out on adding a disclaimer. So! This is a reminder that I don't own Warcraft, Blizzard does... and thus I'm making no money off this creation. Don't sue me! (... unless you LIKE corny fantasy novels and sci-fi paperbacks...)

Yep, I got to introduce Yaddic. He's one of my favorite characters. Then again, so is Sylvia... I love her persona. cough Anyway, I was going to do something with that "Seti" character mentioned in the default chapter, but I didn't get around to it. Oops. So! I hope you enjoyed it; update's coming around soon. >.