Disclaimer: Do not own SC characters or Warcraft characters… shame.
Hello again. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. It's amazing what 4.5 days of a two-week vacation from school can do to you. I can't tell you how good it felt to get back at a story like this. I love writing fantasy. I hope you all like this chapter, and as the summary said, two new characters are in it. One of 'em comes up pretty quick.
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Chapter 16: The Cursed Souls
It was the dead of night. Raging fires, explosions, collapsing houses, and dead bodies were all that could be seen in a small village of northern Lorderon. The bloody corpses littered the pathways from building to building. Stealing and looting, killing and destroying, the undead rampaged and burned the houses, barns and fields. Men, women, children – nothing was left untaken care of.
A lone farmer stumbled out of his burning house, tears streaming down his face as he watched everything and everybody precious to him be massacred and set aflame. His eyes were too clouded to see where he was going as he nearly ricocheted off of a tall man whose chest seemed to be made of nothing but muscle. At first he was frightened that it might be one of the larger undead soldiers, but the he realized that this man's body seemed whole and not at all decomposed. His stench didn't reek of rotting flesh, like the others of the undead did. The fires blazed wildly behind the tall man, making his features indefinable.
"Please warrior! Please escort me out of this place! I will give you gold! Anything! Just please, guide me to safety!" The farmer pleaded desperately. "If you don't help me, these undead soldiers will kill me and make me one of them!" He was about to cling to the warrior's garments when the warrior himself leaned closer to his face.
"Really?" The taller man droned as he leaned closer. When he got close enough, the farmer was finally able to make out his features. He had a wide grin on his face, his skin was dreadfully pale, and his eyes were pure white like his long hair and mustache. "I suppose you'd better start running then." His white eyes narrowed maliciously.
The farmer was so petrified he could hardly move his legs. When he was able to, he stumbled as he ran towards the forest to freedom. He huffed and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Just as he managed to get passed the wall of trees, he let out a grunt-like yell as he felt steel pierce through his back and tear out through his chest. He looked down at the blade before everything went black. He fell to his knees, then onto his stomach, and the pirate was walking up to him, merely feet away.
Cervantes wrapped his hand around the hilt of his larger sword. "You didn't run fast enough." He roughly pulled the blade from the corpse and turned back to the smoke-filled village. He grinned at the blood that covered the grass and dust. He chuckled as he strolled by bodies that were pinned to the walls of houses with swords, spears, and daggers. He came up to the body of a boy who lay in the middle of a pathway to the village center. The boy was on its stomach, so Cervantes roughly nudged the body onto its back with his boot and stared down at the boy's open, lifeless eyes. He smiled. Adolescent lives were always wasted on childish things.
Cervantes looked up, watching as the undead soldiers carried barrels of grains and wheat and any other crop that they hadn't burned yet to use for either food or trade. He raised his sword. "Warriors,"- all that could hear him turned – "that was a splendid massacre! I am proud by your work tonight!" He called and grinned as the soldier cheered. "Now, bring the meatwagons and load in the bodies! They will make perfect appetizers for the rest of the followers of the Forsaken, don't you agree?" The forsaken soldiers all cheered their approval again as they went to retrieve the meatwagons they had hidden before they ambushed the village.
'Yes…' Cervantes droned again, his eyes slowly closing as he lifted his head to the dark skies. He felt dark power surging in his chest to his arms, then to his hands, and to the hilts of his blades. 'This race will make for a fine army.' He grinned.
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"Where in the world have you two been?" Mina asked with pure perplexity and curiosity on her face as Sophitia and Taki finally approached them. Behind Mina stood Tyrande, Kilik, another night elf which the two had never met before, and four large twittering hippogryphs that were currently picking and cleaning their backs and colorful wings.
"Just walking." Sophitia remarked simply as she stepped closer to Tyrande, murmuring her apologies for her tardiness. They had managed to find a sentinel still at her post and she pointed them in the direction towards Astranaar, where the Tyrande supposedly was waiting for them with the Flight Master.
"Just walking?" Mina looked at her incredulously; there had to be more than that. Then, the Korean noticed the satisfied expression on Sophitia's face. Now Mina's gaze turned incredulous for a completely different reason. Her gaze shifted over to Taki, who, to her surprise, looked a little embarrassed as her chocolate brown eyes looked away. Mina rolled her eyes though in a slightly knowing yet ingenuous way as if to say 'Never mind, I won't ask.'
"The hippogryphs are prepared for your travel." Tyrande stated as she indicated said hippogryphs with a graceful hand. "I will remain here to further administer Ashenvale and the inhabited races, so I shall not be accompanying you. I will send my best hippogryph rider with you in my place. I cannot have outlanders like you ride alone. So when you are ready to mount"—she moved to indicate the green-haired female night elf next to her – "Sylarind will guide you to the ocean."
"Good," Sophitia spoke calmly. "But where is Siegfried? Is he not coming?" She asked after she had looked around the landing/take-off area.
"No." Mina informed. "He said that Astaroth was no business of his, only Arthas and Soul Edge. So he is waiting until he is set to battle either of them." She restated the knight's words.
Sophitia nodded, not exactly surprised. Seigfried's mind was always on just three subjects – his father, Nightmare, and Soul Edge. She didn't necessarily blame him.
"Come back safely." Mina wished Taki, who was about to swing her leg over the hippogryph's back.
Taki looked back at her, surprised and yet, somehow, impressed. "Thank you, Mina. I didn't know you cared for me so much."
Mina raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Well no, it's not really that; it's just that I'm sure you might come pretty close to dieing on that thing like I almost did."
Taki felt her eye twitch at the sight of Mina's dangerous smirk. She remembered the time that she had forced Mina onto a hippogryph and she knew that Mina was getting back at her for that. She swung her leg over the winged beast. "Well, thank you for your consideration for my physical health." She said sarcastically.
She and the others went to mount the hippogryphs. It wasn't too much trouble to mount the beasts; the only thing that made it difficult was the knowledge that they were actually mounting and were about ride on huge birds.
Tyrande and Mina gave their 'good luck's and watched as they held onto the reigns and took off. The jerk into the sky was perhaps the hardest part, Tyrande knew. She was relieved to see that none had fallen off.
The sight both below and above was what made the ride worth the jerk: Hundreds of tall, full trees on curving mountains passed beneath them and several beautiful shrines and temples, lakes and rivers could be observed perfectly. The sun was directly in front of them on the horizon and was a perfect spectacle of the different warm colors along the mountains. The winds were like a strong, pleasant breeze as they held on. It was actually an enlightening feeling – to soar almost above the clouds and have the ability to look down at the beauty of earth. Taki briefly wondered why Mina hadn't enjoyed it.
"I will have to teach you how to fly these independently since we will most likely be going into battle." Sylarind explained, slowing down a little so that the others could hear her over the winds. "I am told to take you to Everlook, Winterspring, northeast of here, and then take you east. It's a bit of a ways, so you can practice as we go if you wish. It isn't difficult, yet it isn't all that easy either."
As she explained, Sophitia realized that it was a lot like riding a horse when giving it horizontal directions. The difficult part was the vertical directions – going up and down in elevation. It was a little frightening when one tries to change the elevation; there's always the fear of falling back if going up, or falling forward when going down. With some practice as they flew, they all managed to get the basic idea.
'Maybe that's another reason why Mina didn't like it besides heights – she couldn't direct it properly.' Taki smirked, wishing the Korean girl was near so that she could hear her say this: "She always was slow at things." She murmured to herself. Mina teased her, so she didn't mind teasing her back even if she wasn't around to listen.
Soon, they came close to territory that was quite unlike Ashenvale. The trees were bare and snow blanketed the ground. Bears and strange, small creatures seemed to infest the nearly-dead forests. The coldness of the air didn't bother them, least of all Sophitia – in a way, it was comforting despite how dead the area looked.
They eventually turned east and soared over rocky hills and jagged cliffs until they finally reached the open sea. It was lucky for them that the sun had not chosen to set yet. Otherwise, the four would have been looking down onto waters hidden in total darkness.
"We will just have to search these waters until a ship comes into sight." Sylarind yelled over her shoulder to the other three. "The ship should be easy to identify as it should be the only one that is strong enough to sail through these rough waves."
It seemed like they had flown over the ocean for hours now. The shoreline they had left was hardly visible. Just when Sophitia believed that they must have been on an incorrect path, her eyes finally locked on an object in the ocean.
"Could..." Sophitia hesitated as she spotted something quite unlike anything she had ever seen. "Could that be it?" She yelled over the howling winds to her comrades. She didn't need an answer as her eyes took a more acute analyzation ship, she knew they had found their target.
Ghost Ship was a perfect name for the visage of this vessel. Its sails were torn were the color of soot as they wafted high in the air, pulling the ship through the rough waters. The rotting wood of the ship's deck creaked as the equally aged hull glided with each roll of the massive waves. It was a wonder that the ruined ship managed to stay afloat in the dark aqua-green ocean. It even seemed to leave a dark, ominous mist in its trail along the ocean. It reeked of black magic, of a demonic aura that pulsated through the winds which they soared.
Taki and Kilik weren't bothered so much by the sight of it, but more at what the ship contained: bulging bits of flesh stitched onto each other to form a single repulsive being. There were several of these on this rocking ship. Its stomach seemed to be open for all to see and their limbs were all unproportional to each other and the main body. As Taki looked closer, she noticed that there seemed to be several of these beasts roaming upon all of the ship's decks, sharp weapons clutch firmly in their hands.
Though their hideousness would easily made them be the first ones for anyone's eyes to lie upon, Kilik paid no attention to these beings as Astaroth was the only one his eyes were scanning for. "Do you see him?" He asked in an urgent tone, very ready go into battle with the golem.
Sophitia's eyes searched the decks until finally she caught a figure that was familiar and very unlike the other beings. The physique of said figure was vague yet unmistakable. Something about him seemed different, but Sophitia had no doubts. "I think I do."
"Where is he?" He yelled almost louder than necessary, his lust to avenge the death of his lost comrade and friend Maxi becoming harder to control as he turned to Sophitia, whose hippogryph hovered above him.
"Starboard-bow, but-" Kilik didn't wait for her to finish as he suddenly took total control of his hippogryph and dove in towards the ship. Sophitia was about yell at him to abort whatever he was about to do when suddenly a powerful "Boom!" sounded in the air and a dull whistling sound followed.
Before it occurred to Sophitia or Taki what thte source of the sound was, Sylarind expertly flew to them. "It's a cannon! He's spotted us! Scatter quickly!" Within a second, Sylarind directed her mount around the ship to evade their attacks.
Taki and Sophitia were about to follow when a screech came from Kilik's hippogryph. As they scattered, they noticed that Kilik was still airborne, so the hippogryph must have just barely dodged the iron ball. Soon, more booms followed were patches of smoke came at both sides of the ship. A deep laugh could be heard from the deck of the ship.
"Keep firing! Drown them all!" The laughter continued after the deep voice boomed from the deck.
"Get onto the ship and ensnare them! It is the only way you can kill him without having this kind of a threat attacking us!" Sylarind yelled as she went higher up towards the ship's 'crows nest'.
Kilik quickly agreed and moved around the ship in a spiral pattern until he finally came close to the deck. As soon as he reached the edge, he jumped off his hippogryph and landed on the rickety wood of the deck. He looked up into the malevolent, lopsided grin of one of the fleshy monsters. Its horrid stench reached Kilik's nose and he almost choked.
"We been waiting for you." The Abomination laughed, making its open gut shake and more of its insides slipping out through the gap. It swept its sickle towards Kilik's neck, only for it to be quickly countered by his staff. As he looked around, he noticed the other creatures coming towards him with sickles and axes raised. Though now slightly anxious, he made himself wary and on guard against all creatures around him. Just at the right moment, he felt something land next to him and saw a red flash diving into a group of abominations.
"Kill Astaroth!" Taki shouted; a blade in each hand as she sliced through the moving piles of corpses. Keeping her footing was only a small challenge as the ship swayed and rocked in such a way that when the waves crashed against the hull, particles of water would land on the deck and passengers.
Sophitia came down, one iron heel crushing into the chubby face of an abomination whose axe was about to carve Taki's back. "Taki and I will take care of these things!" Her opponent, still slightly dazed, blindly swung at her. She dodged each as it cut through the air until finally it swung its blade straight into the wood of the deck. The abomination wasted its time trying to pull it back out again as Sophitia rammed it hard with her shield until it hit the edge of the boat and fell overboard.
Kilik, more than happy to oblige, dashed between the massive creatures in search of a figure he knew all too well. When he heard the familiar, deep, malicious laugh close by, he moved faster, following the source of the sound. He knew he was coming closer, he could feel him, the evil that radiated from him. Behind him, he felt the pounding footsteps of the abominations that followed him. He felt his arm grabbed by a thick, clammy-skinned hand and his legs be pulled, making him fall to the ground. When he twisted onto his back, he saw a large sickle over him. He pulled up his staff, ready to guard it.
"Stop."
The sickle halted and the creature looked up, confused. Kilik felt a familiar pounding of feet against the wooden floor as another creature stepped closer. He turned his head and gazed up, his eyes falling first on the large scythe in the palm of a large, pale hand, then falling on the golem from his past. Kilik's eyes turned to horror at the sight of him: clear, white eyes now burning red; his back and neck hunched forward, making his backbone poke out through the skin; a large gouge present along the front of his chest; his skin a sickly pale blue; the bone of his jaw lopsided as he was no longer wearing a mask.
Bloodlust raged in his eyes as he looked down at Kilik. A feral grin showed on his slightly deformed jaw. "He's mine." He then looked up at his crew. "Kill the others. Bring their bodies to me when I'm finished with this human." He ordered, gripping his beloved scythe tightly in his hand.
The living pile of corpses reluctantly released its kill and turned towards the two women still valiantly charging at each abomination. Astaroth simply stared as he watched Kilik scramble to his feet and shift into his guarding position. "Hello again, little bug." Astaroth grinned menacingly as he brought his scythe into both of his hands and lifted it towards his chest.
Sophitia guarded yet another swing of an axe at her head. She shouted over her shoulder, "Taki! How do we kill these things! Whenever I think I've struck a vital point, they keep standing back up again!"
"Do what you did!" Taki shouted back, driving her small swords into the chest of another undead monster. "Toss them overboard!" She ripped her swords back out again, noticing that hardly any blood fell from the parted flesh. As the creature swung its portly head back to yell in pain, she quickly slit its neck, making its cry become a gurgling sound. She forced her blades in as deep as she could and quickly carried its deranged body to the side of the ship and pushed it over.
Sophitia ran to the other edge of the ship, letting another abomination follow her. When she turned, she closed her eyes and charged her shield until she felt it heat and vibrate on her arm. When the abomination was at a perfect proximity from her, her eyes flew open as she brought her shield under her, took one step forward and swung her shield up. The creature cried out as it was forced high up over the ship's edge and into the ocean.
Taki looked up at the sound of a blast and was amazed when she saw it was Sophitia. A golden-white aura came from her shield and the demon huntress let couldn't take her eyes off of the warrior goddess-like form of Sophitia and the driven determination in her eyes. 'Is she really in love with me?' She caught herself wondering and she still couldn't believe that the answer was yes.
Taki forced herself to look away as she felt massive footsteps running towards her from behind. Out of pure reflexes, she sheathed both of her swords, and focused her chi into her right fist. When the abomination came close enough, she shrieked and threw the ball of red and orange light to its feet. Power surged and lightning sparked as the abomination was propelled high over her head. She watched as it fell into the water behind her.
Her eyebrows rose as she considered an idea. She turned to Sophitia, who appeared to be looking back at her from the other side of the ship. From the way Sophitia looked at her, she seemed to have the same idea. "I'll take this side and you take that side?" She asked before another abomination came towards her (one that she thought she had already killed, she could tell from the gashes and the arm she had broken).
"Deal." Sophitia shouted back as another abomination came towards her as well. After a few repeated attacks and a few more of the creatures flew overboard, she asked, "Don't you think that they'll eventually catch on?"
Taki smirked as she blew another pile of corpses over the edge. "From their inarticulate words and unbalanced movements, I kind of doubt that." Although at first she didn't know why, she grinned as she heard Sophitia's delicate chuckle. "And anyway, we only have a few more to go." She called as she continued repeating her attack. Who ever thought attacking a horde like this would have been so easy?
Kilik grunted in pain as he hit the wall of the ship; for a rickety-looking ship, the wood felt as hard as a newly-build vessel. He winced and wiped off the blood that fell from his lip with his fist as he got to his feet again, ignoring Astaroth's laugh.
"What's the matter monk? You seem a little weaker than usual." He laughed as he cracked his knuckles and stepped closer to him. He lifted his scythe over his shoulder. "But then again, you always were the weakest of the three of you, that little Chinese wench and that pest of a worm, Maxi." He leaned over the monk, not at all fearing what he might do.
"I won't let you insult them!" Kilik brought up an end of his staff and smashed it against Astaroth's jaw.
Astaroth turned his head back to Kilik and moved his jaw, which was now pushed back into place. His eyes burned with amusement. "Thank you for fixing that." He grinned as he lunged for his neck.
Kilik quickly ducked beneath him then moved to his side. He brought up his staff again and swung it hard against Astaroth's back. Astaroth roared as he swung his scythe from behind him and hit the wall of the boat as Kilik dodged it.
Kilik turned and noticed that the scythe had cut the wooden wall clean in half. As Astaroth tried to pull it back out again, he ran towards the massive brute and kneed him in the side. The force of his run pushed Astaroth away from his gift given to him by Arthas and they both fell to the floor. Kilik used this time to smash Astaroth's face in an end of his staff. Astaroth howled in pain before punched his fist into Kilik's gut.
Stunning Kilik by knocking the wind out of him, he then picked the small boy up and threw him against the wall again. He then got up and went back to his scythe to pull it out.
Kilik coughed as he tried to stand up again using his staff.
"Don't push yourself, little boy!" There was no amusement in Astaroth's tone this time as the golem came towards him and roughly grabbed him at the neck and pushed him to the edge of the bow. With his scythe, he pushed Kilik's head and neck back over the side, making his feet kick up and his hands grab for the neck of the scythe, trying to push it back. His staff had fallen to his feet.
Astaroth now smiled. "Do you like my beloved weapon?" He pushed down on Kilik's neck in emphasis. Kilik choked as he tried to breathe, hearing the waves crash against the boat beneath him. "It was a gift from King Arthas. As you can see, I've had some good practice with it." He stated proudly, referring to the dried blood along the edge of the wide, curved blade.
Kilik made his feet feel around for his staff, trying to ignore the pounding in his head as the blood flow to his head slowed. He finally managed to feel it between his feet.
Astaroth chuckled, believing his legs to still be kicking for freedom. "Squirm all you want, little worm. Your life ends here, and you don't know how long I've waited for this." He put his hand on the monk's chest, pinning him down as he turned his curved blade to Kilik's throat. Astaroth leaned closer. "Say hello to Maxi for me." He whispered, the feral grin back on his face.
At that, Kilik's eyes narrowed in hatred. Just as he was about to flip his staff back up to his feet, he heard a whistling sound coming closer from above. He watched as three arrows landed in Astaroth's back.
Astaroth winced and pulled back, trying to pull the arrows out. Kilik grabbed his staff, brought up an end, and jammed it into Astaroth's open chest. Astaroth looked up at him incredulously. "If you're trying to kill me this way, your attempt was futile." He grinned as he proved his point by pushing the staff deeper into himself until it finally broke through his back, making Astaroth only wince a little but still grin. "For you see, I have become undead."
Kilik smirked, making Astaroth's grin falter. "I see. Well then, I guess I'll have to use another way, huh?" Kilik then ran over to the edge, and jumped, pulling Astaroth over it with him.
Sophitia and Taki were relieved when the last few abominations were left. Taki was especially thankful that there was now enough space for her to do an attack that she had wanted to do a while ago.
"Sophitia! Come here!" She called, taking a few steps closer to the center of the deck floor as Sophitia dodged one of the abominations as came to her. "Put your arms around me." Slightly perplexed for a moment, she quickly obliged. She felt Taki put an arm around her waist. "Don't let go and stay still."
Before Sophitia could ask, Taki yelled something in her language and raised her hand. Suddenly, their entire world seemed to have turned into a bluish hue until she realized that Taki had placed them under a protective dome. The dome seemed to expand until it touched something, making it burn. It ran through the abominations, burning their flesh. Sophitia couldn't stand to look as the bones were revealed and organs and acids burned onto the floor.
She looked up at Taki, whose eyes and face looked lost in concentration. She even seemed to be breathing faster. The blonde became worried when she saw the huntress's face contort into pain until, finally, Taki let go. The dome dissipated and Taki and she looked around. All that was left was burnt flesh. The floor was unscathed, though the bottom of one of the two masts was burned away.
"How did you do that?" Sophitia asked in wonder. She continued to hold Taki in her arms.
Taki looked down at her with small but somewhat weary smile. "It wasn't easy. It's always hard to keep that shield stable. That's one of the reasons I hardly ever use it." She pointed at the half-burned mast. "That's another reason. Everything it passes is either blown or burned away. You can imagine how it looks when it's done in the middle of a forest."
Sophitia just stared at her. "Is that your most powerful attack?" Out of force of habit, she ran her fingers along the curve of Taki's back.
"No." It was only when Taki shivered that she finally realized Sophitia's actions. "Please don't do that."
Sophitia blinked then let her hand fall. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that." She broke away from her.
"At least not here." Taki quickly added as she saw the slight disappointment in her eyes. Sophitia looked up, smiled, and nodded. Taki smiled beneath her mask. Her eyes flew up as she realized where "here" was. "Wait, where's Kilik?" As she finished, she heard another splash. They both ran to the side of the boat and caught a glimpse of what looked to be Kilik's staff.
Sophitia was about to call after her him when colorful feathers went passed her eyes. Sylarind dipped her hand into the rolling waves and pulled out Kilik's body, using the strength of both hands to lay him in front of her on the hippogryph's back.
The two women jumped as they heard a loud 'smash!' behind them which made the floor beneath their feet vibrate. The turned to find that the mast that Taki's protective shield had blown through had crashed right though the floor and perhaps even through the hull.
"I suggest you two get on before it starts sinking." Sylarind called from the air, pointing at the single hippogryph stationed near the wall of the ship. "Lucky for you that the strongest of the three I'd given you had survived the cannon-fire. He should be able to carry the two of you."
Without hesitation, Taki stepped onto the edge then jumped onto the hippogryph's back. She held her hand out for Sophitia to take and as she guided her on, Taki noticed Sophitia's smile, which was a little wider than before. She also noticed a certain glint in her eyes as she seated herself between Taki's legs.
Taki swallowed as Sophitia kept Taki's hand in her own and brought her arm around her waist and onto her stomach. "I've got the reigns, you hold on to me." Her voice was soft as she turned her head slightly so that Taki could hear.
"Fine." Taki could only murmur as she felt a fluttering in her stomach. 'Stop doing this to me!' She wanted to yell, but found that she couldn't. She didn't want to. For some strange reason, she really didn't want this to stop. She wrapped her other hand around Sophitia's waist and held on as the blonde flew towards Sylarind.
"Is this Astaroth dead?" Sylarind asked as she looked through the aqua waters.
Sophitia turned her hippogryph so that she could see behind her. "I'm not sure."
"How could he still be alive after what we did to him?" Taki wondered more to herself, though Sophitia heard her.
"Perhaps he never was." The blonde responded in a thoughtful tone. She turned to Taki, who looked at her slightly perplexed. Sophitia somewhat reluctantly mouthed the word 'Sylvanas.' Then, Taki's eyes widened and she turned back towards the water where Astaroth must have fallen. Sophitia and she had never seen him up front, like Kilik had. If he ever comes to, Sophitia knew they would have to ask him what he looked like - if he looked anything like Sylvanas.
"Well, he's gone now. And whether he makes it or not, he won't be able to live once he reaches the shores of Kalimdor." Sylarind informed simply.
"But doesn't the Orc Horde have ties with the undead?" Taki asked, wondering if the orcs will accept him and not harm him at all.
"They have ties with the Forsaken, but he was not of that race, but a minion of Arthas'. I saw the emblem of the Scourge on the side of the ship. Arthas is the enemy of all races." The night elf rider stated darkly. Just saying his name left a bad taste in her mouth. "But we don't have to worry about Astaroth now. I'll take you back to shore."
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'I must be coming closer now; the stone is trembling more violently with every step I take.' The hooded figure continued their way through the dense forest, a gemstone held tightly in their hand. 'She must be somewhere in this direction.' They fingered the rock-like gem in their hand. 'This stone had better prove its significance; I have worked too hard to gather the materials needed for that warlock to produce it.' They lifted the object up, gazing at its rough edges and purplish color. Their eyes widened as the stone began to faintly glow. 'Yes. She is nearby.' They eagerly continued in the same direction until the gem became bright enough to be a beacon and tremble so violently that it was hard to handle it.
Finally, behind a decomposing tree, another cloaked figure came into view. The other hidden stranger grinned
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'Ah, midnight,' Sylvanas reflected, a slow smile growing on her face as her eyes swept through the darkness of the forest. 'My favorite time of day; not a soul is around to bother and all is silent apart from the winds and scattering rodents. Pity a graveyard isn't nearby; I would have felt more at home then.'
Her blood red eyes widened into alarm as she heard a heartbeat coming closer to her. 'Who…?' She quickly turned, her cloak fanning around her. At the sight of a grinning human and a rare gemstone in her hand, Sylvanas swiftly reached for her jagged-edged dagger sheathed behind her back. "Who are you?" She demanded the figure whose face was half-hidden beneath her hood. She managed to catch a quick glimpse of the gem before the intruder slipped it into a pouch at their belt. 'That stone… those stones were thought to be impossible to make…' Her red orbs drifted back up to the hooded figure's smile.
"My name is none of your concern." The stranger spoke confidently, making Sylvanas sneer.
"Do you have any idea who you're speaking to, human?" Her tone was venomous. She noticed that the stranger's voice was that of a female.
"Dark Lady Sylvanas, I presume?" The other didn't wait for an answer. "I've been looking for you. A word of caution, I come to give you."
"Word of caution?" Sylvanas hissed, now unsheathing her dagger. "How dare you speak to me so haughtily! You should be groveling on your knees, human! Do you know that the entire army of the Forsaken is under my hand?" She gripped her dagger tightly.
"It may not be that way much longer." The stranger interceded, the smile falling.
Sylvanas sped towards the other female and pressed the edge of her dagger to her neck, the dark blue light it glowed illuminated the throbbing pulse in the woman's throat. The stranger didn't seem to flinch nor try to stop her. Sylvanas brought her face close to the woman. "What is it you mean to tell me, human?" She whispered, her demonic voice menacing enough that it would have made any other man shudder. "That my influence and rule have fallen? You know nothing of the Forsaken, so why come here to lecture me about the status of my great city?"
The female breathed evenly, "Only because I know of another man who is trying to take your throne. So I suggest you leave this place and return back to that Undercity of yours." The stranger was slightly surprised and bewildered when Sylvanas remained silent and stationary. "Why are you here? What's keeping you here?"
Sylvanas almost replied with "That is none of your business" but stopped. She was actually curious as to what this human would think if she told her about her soul and Sophitia. "A human who came here to destroy this Soul Edge is supposedly trying to reclaim my soul. I want to see if this young blonde outlander lives up to her promise." Sylvanas felt something vaguely familiar about this woman and Sophitia and even Taki. Then she realized it. "You're an outlander as well. I can tell from your scent and aura."
"I am." The stranger spoke simply, though the fact that Sylvanas had figured it out as fast as she did wasn't what was bothering her. It was the outlander that Sylvanas described. 'A young blonde that's going out of her way to purify someone of the Undead…?' She knew a girl that was annoyingly overreaching like that. "Did she have a small sword and shield as weapons? Was her hair plaited?"
Sylvanas didn't move for a second as her eyes moved over the patch of darkness that covered this mysterious woman's eyes. "Yes, she did."
The woman's teeth clenched. "You dare choose to trust the words of that peasant girl over me?" She gritted her teeth in pain as the edge of Sylvanas' dagger cut the side of her face, tearing through part of her hood.
"I trust no one!" Sylvanas's Gutterspeak words came out like dripping venom.
The stranger was silent, spitting out blood that slipped from her cheek into her mouth. She had to make Sylvanas return to the Undercity! But how? The woman slowly turned back up into Sylvanas' blazing eyes, ignoring the feeling of warm droplets cascading down her neck from her cheek. "You won't leave until she returns with your soul, but does she have any idea how?"
Sylvanas' teeth were clamped together, still angered by this woman's words. "I doubt she does, but I will still wait." 'I find her motivation interesting to survey.' Sylvanas thought rather than stated, thinking about Sophitia.
'Then, I shall assist the little wench.' She though with a simple tone but with malevolent eyes as she turned back to the road. "So be it. I will not stop you then." She responded darkly.
As the woman retreated, Sylvanas felt something dark about this woman's aura; it was demonic, but in a way that she had never seen before. The scent of her blood… it was familiar yet not. In a flash, Sylvanas was in front of the mysterious woman. Her fingernail reached out and took a bit of the cloaked figure's blood. Ignoring the puzzled gaze she felt on her from underneath the hood of the other woman, she brought the drops of blood to her mouth. She expected a honey-like taste, something that all undead experience when they taste fresh blood. Instead, she found it to be bitter and very unappealing, even to the point where it tasted like a combination of gun powder and toxin.
"You are not like a normal human." Sylvanas stated, her eyes searching through the dark patch again. "You aren't undead - you have a heartbeat. And you are not a warlock - your blood is seems more pungent than theirs. Yet, you're blood… It is demonic…" Sylvanas looked at her with baffled crimson red eyes.
"I know." No pride came from the other woman's response. Her tone was unbiased. The cloaked figure walked around the Dark Lady, continuing back onto the road.
The undead queen could tell that this woman trusted only herself and no one else, much like Sylvanas herself. The stranger was an independent warrior. Sylvanas just kept her eyes on her until she was no longer in her sights.
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It was well into the night now, only a few more hours till dawn, and all three of the women were spent. They were thankful when they landed and even more thankful after Sylarind had guided them to an inn.
"This is the only area in which the Flight Master and the inn were close by, although it is very dangerous, at least to us Night Elves." Sylarind had explained as they came close to a region that had a curved shoreline. Ruined temples and aging ports dotted the brownish area. "This is Azshara, and enemies of the Night elves infest this land greatly. However, the inn I'm taking you to is close to the border of Ashenvale so our enemies will most likely not try to attack the encampment. If they do, you can either help fight, or run to the Ashenvale border. Sentinels will be there to protect you."
When they landed, Sylarind pointed them in the direction of the inn which, as assumed, was close by. The hippogryphs were taken by the Flight Master and seemed happy as they settled into their nest beds.
"I'll have to take Kilik to a more appropriate housing for him so that he can heal." Sylarind explained, staying on her hippogryph and holding an unmoving Kilik on the beast's back. "I was checking him on the way here and it appears that either he hit his head as he fell, or the shock of the cold water knocked him out." She looked at the small in, her eyes quickly scanned the area, perhaps looking for the dangerous creatures she had spoken of only moments before. I will come for you in the morning and take you back to Ashenvale. Until then" – Sylarind bowed gracefully on her hippogryph – "Ishnu-ashka." And she was off into the sky again.
When Sylarind was out of sight over the trees, they turned and headed towards the inn. Elves and humans walked in and out of the two-story inn, either buying food, ale, trading, or resting. Sophitia came up to the bearded bartender, who normally was innkeeper.
"How many rooms do you have left?" She asked, leaning against the edge of the bar. The night elven innkeeper just looked at her, his yellow taking in her features, then Taki's. He ran his hand through his long ocean-blue beard and went over to the side of the bar to see how many keys he had left. Taki suddenly became anxious.
He came back, the key to his side. "Just one." He handed her the large, rusted iron key which dangled from its equally rusted key ring. Sophitia took it. "Room number seventeen."
"Thank you." She spoke simply as she started towards the stairs. The innkeeper only murmured his response before attending to another customer.
Taki now felt quite nervous as she followed Sophitia. 'One room… for the two of us… how ironic.' Now she just prayed that the room didn't have a double-bed. They finally came to the room after walking down the creaky floors of the hallway and Sophitia opened it.
Taki quickly peeked inside and let out a sigh of relief; two twin beds. The surroundings didn't bother her; it was the typical Night Elf style. Everything was made out of wood, even the bowls for washing. The walls and support beams were colored with paint and repeating designs were etched in them. Bearskin covered the beds as blankets and what looked like the skin of some big cat like a tiger or a sabertooth was the only rug in front of the two beds. A nightstand with three newly-lit candles stood in between the two beds.
Sophitia strode in and tossed the key on the dresser opposite the nightstand and stiffly seated herself onto the bed furthest from the door. Taki watched as Sophitia seemed to watched her own fingers idly play with each other. "What's wrong?" She asked as she closed the door behind her and locked it.
"It still bothers me…" Sophitia started, not knowing how to continue for a second before she finally looked up. "Why doesn't Arthas just attack us? He knows we have Soul Edge. Wouldn't he try to get it back?" She continued after Taki shrugged before walking around to the other bed to seat herself across from Sophitia. "And he must've turned Astaroth into the undead. I mean how else would Astaroth still walk the earth? But my only question is why?" She ran her fingers through her blonde bangs as the question mark over her head seemed to grow.
"Perhaps Arthas sent him to retrieve Soul Edge." It sounded more like a statement than a question. "Arthas didn't realize that he may get sidetracked, what with Kilik and everything else. And Astaroth isn't the type to follow orders, at least not anymore." Taki removed her sheathed swords from her back and her armor plates and laid them on the dresser next to the key.
Sophitia realized she had yet to shed her weapons and armor and quickly followed suit. She sighed. "No use thinking about it now, I suppose." She winced as she bent over to remove the covers. "I'm never using that Shield Bash so many times in a row again - my back is so sore."
Taki chuckled as she unwrapped the straps on her hands. "I'll bet. Mine's aching a little as well." She stepped closer to the edge of Sophitia's bed where the blonde sat, unlacing her tall boots. Green eyes looked up at her curiously. "Lay on your stomach when you're done." Taki answered the eyes.
Sophitia, surprised by what Taki seemed to imply what she might do, unlaced her boots faster and obliged to Taki's request. Taki was surprised at herself as she leaned over Sophitia's frame, lifted the smaller girl's shirt up just a bit so that she lower back was exposed, and pressed her palms along the small of her back and spine.
Head resting on her arms, Sophitia pushed her face deeper into the pillow as Taki's caresses continued. She was definitely surprised with this. At the third stroke of palms and thumbs against the muscles of her lower back, Sophitia finally moaned in her throat. "Mmm… You always did have incredible hands." Her eyes opened as she felt Taki tense and hesitate. She was going to tell her that it was okay and that she didn't mean anything by that, but Taki managed to continue without it. She was suddenly curious as to what it was that made Taki so bold. She thought it would take another whole week or more for Taki to feel ready enough to touch her in this simple way.
"Do you always stay in inns?" Taki suddenly asked.
"Whenever I'm able to… I just feel safer in inns than I do sleeping out in the wilderness." She answered simply, not minding that the question was a little general.
"It's the opposite for me. I choose wilderness over inns. I'll only stay in inns if absolutely necessary." Taki stated bluntly.
Sophitia was curious by this, the Taki she had known before had never told her this. "Really? Why?"
"People easily become suspicious of me since I always wear this mask when I come into towns. They think I'm a bandit or a rogue since they can't see my face. When I come into inns, innkeepers and customers think that I'll rob them. And even worse, they'll think I'm worth a bounty, so they'll either search "wanted" signs for my face or just assume that I'm worth something and come after me." Taki explained with a thoughtful voice, as if she thought that no one else is listening and is just reflecting.
Sophitia just listened. This was all new information to her; she never knew that things like that ever happened to her. Of course, she always assumed that Taki's mysterious appearance would rouse suspicion, she never knew that it would rise to that magnitude.
Sophitia was quiet for a small moment. "Maybe it's because either no one seems to look passed your mask nor want to, or it's because you refuse to let them in." She was silent for another second; she didn't know if it would be right for her to continue but ultimately felt that she should. "Perhaps you already know this Taki, but…" – she took a breath to calm her heart that begun to ache – "I want you to let me in." It came out as a whisper, but Taki heard it clearly.
The demon huntress hesitated. "I… I know."
"Then why won't you?" Sophitia began to feel tears form in her eyes as her tone accidentally sounded demanding.
"Because I'm afraid of something happening," Taki took a breath of her own. "I'm afraid that once I have you in my heart, I'm afraid that something will…" She tried to force herself to continue but found that she couldn't. She bit her lip.
'She's afraid of losing me, afraid of the pain of losing me.' Sophitia immediately turned over on the bed to look up at Taki. She looked deep into the mahogany eyes that gazed down at her. She took Taki's waist between her hands, holding her there. They were both silent for a moment until Sophitia finally spoke, her voice cracking. "Do you want to be loved, Taki?"
Taki didn't move, only breathed. After a few seconds that felt like hours, the older girl softly, numbly nodded.
Sophitia bit her lip to keep her tears from falling. "You know that I've been, and still am, in love with you, but do you actually know why?" Taki shook her head, never taking her eyes off of the aventurine. "You've told me before that you never thought that there would be anything in you worth loving all because you hunt demons. But do you realize that that is what I love most about you?" When Taki looked down at her with perplexity in her eyes, the blonde brought herself up on her elbows. "You're different from anyone else that I've met. You're fascinating to me. And it's not just because you are a demon huntress; there are other things about you that are hard to find in other people I've known." She could no longer hold back her tears and she didn't move to dry them as her voice begun to cling to desperation. "Taki, you made me feel like I was much more than a baker's daughter. You made my life richer. I couldn't stand life without you when I was alone. I want you with me"-
"Then take it off." Taki interceded. Sophitia noticed that her eyes looked deeper than ever before.
"What?" Sophitia knew what Taki meant, but she could hardly believe her ears. The older girl's hands moved to Sophitia's face, her thumbs brushing her tears away. Then her hands went to the blonde's and brought them up to her mask.
"Take it off. Please." Taki's voice became a whisper as she stared deep into Sophitia's aventurine eyes. "Show me how great your feelings are for me."
Sophitia refused to look away from Taki's wonderfully deep mahogany eyes as she slowly curled her fingers inside the Asian woman's mask. She gently peeled it down, almost gasping when full red lips came into view. She couldn't help but run her thumb along those lips, her gaze growing hazy just at the sight of them and she new it wasn't just because of the tears that had flooded her eyes.
Sighing, the dark-haired girl let the finger caress her lips. It was only then that she realized how dark the room truly was. She felt her heart beat faster when she saw the want, the need in the other girl's eyes. Then, she felt Sophitia's thumb and forefinger take her chin. As Sophitia leaned towards her, she felt another force push her closer to the younger girl. When a hot breath caressed her lips, her vision became cloudy, forcing her to close them. Before she could wonder what was happening, a warm softness touched her lips. She gasped as rippling chills fell through her body to her fingertips and toes. It frightened her yet comforted her at the same time.
Sophitia was barely able to stifle her moan. Her arm wrapped around Taki's neck while the other snaked around her side, feeling the contours of her body. She heard Taki quickly intake a breath as she pressed closer and leaned back down onto the bed. She stroked her back to reassure her; Taki relaxed, and wrapped her arms around Sophitia's waist in return. It felt odd to have somebody's body pressed so close, but it felt soft and comfortable as well, something that she could just fall right into.
The Grecian nearly felt like she was going to faint when she felt Taki's arms gently wrap around her. She ran her hand through the loose strands of soft black hair as she caressed an ivory-skinned cheek. It was becoming difficult to control her desires as she parted her lips only to capture Taki's again. The Asian tried to follow, caressing her lips in turn, feeling her nose brush against the other girl's cheek. She was happy that Sophitia was keeping it slow for her, even though it had a sensual edge to it as well. Her heart pounded so hard she didn't know if she could breathe properly. She made her hands caress the younger girl's back, as Sophitia was doing to her. When she heard the blonde girl unconsciously moan, she almost did the same but only shuddered as she held herself back, fearing she would show too much of herself and what she was feeling if she did.
Sophitia tried not to whimper as Taki pulled away; she had wanted a little more of her. When she reached up to place gentle kisses along her neck, Taki gasped and retreated even further. Sophitia looked up at her, concerned. "Taki? What's the matter?" She asked gently, gliding her hand up and down her side.
"Too much," Taki silently heaved, her heart still hammering in her chest. "It would be too fast for me. I'm not used to this." She explained, looking down into deep ocean-green eyes sympathetically.
Sophitia nodded. "That's okay." As Taki's eyes became distant as she looked away, Sophitia felt fear rising in her chest. "If you're regretting it"-
"I'm not." Taki answered quickly as her eyes snapped back to Sophitia, only to quickly become distant again.
When Taki remained silent, Sophitia spoke. "Good." She then noticed that Taki was looking over at the other bed. She sighed silently. "You'll probably feel better if you sleep in your own bed." She suggested with a sadness that she tried to contain.
"No."
Sophitia looked up at the lean figure above her, stunned yet unsure as to what Taki might be thinking.
"I…" Taki looked down, her eyes deep and sincere yet at the same time hopeful in their own way. "I want to stay." With that, Taki pulled back the covers and settled herself on the side closest to the nightstand. Sophitia, smiling, moved behind her, not at all minding that Taki was facing away from her. Taki didn't move as an arm slipped lightly around her waist, a body pressing lightly against her backside.
When she felt Sophitia settle beneath the covers, Taki quietly leaned up and blew out the candles, darkness enveloping the room.
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The cloaked stranger pushed open the doors to the tavern open. The morning sun was just beginning to set the skies ablaze with different colors of light and she was back in Stormwind, Lorderon. It had been a long, aggravating night of travel from Ashenvale to where she was now – a boat ride and a few hippogryph and gryphon rides worth of traveling. If everyone around her wanted to live, they should not bother her.
The innkeeper was asleep in one of the wooden chairs by the fire. The bags of gold, silver, and copper coins and the slip of parchment and quill beneath his hand said that he fell asleep while calculating his profits. Having not a scrap of patience left, she strode over to him and jabbed his arm with her fingernail. He winced as his light green eyes fluttered awake.
"Ale." Was the woman's only word, staring coldly down at the keeper. Slightly frightened, the keeper quickly got out of his chair and went over to the brown barrel with a wooden mug in hand.
The woman walked over and roughly pulled out a stool, elegantly seated herself, and removed her hood. She ran her fingers through her short platinum hair, her icy blue eyes closing for a brief second. Ivy was slightly appalled at herself for choosing a beer instead of her normal red wine, but after feeling the state of her own exhausted body, she really didn't care. It would only be for this one time.
The innkeeper handed her the foaming mug. His eyes widened in shock when he saw her face. "Hey Madam, you best get that cut healed up at the magic ward here in Stormwind."
Ivy took a swig of the ale before her eyes locked with his. "I plan to, thank you." Her tone was that of a snarl. She took another sip, enjoying the thickness of the beverage as well as its slightly bitter taste. "How much do I owe you?"
"Eighteen silver, Madam." He stood still and just watched as his first customer reached into another, thicker pouch at her belt. She pulled out the required amount and placed it in a pile on the table. The expensiveness didn't bother her. "You looked like you needed a strong one." He added as he pulled the coins into his hand.
Ivy's eyes snapped up to his and, for a second, the keeper thought that she was about ready to kill him. Much to his surprise, Ivy reached into her bag again and pulled out two more silver, tossing them on the counter. "For your hardship," Now, he wasn't sure whether this woman was being honest or sarcastic. Either way, he took the tip.
"Thank you, Madam." He mumbled and quickly went back to his chair, placing the coins into his bag.
Ivy took another swig before she took out a black handkerchief from her brassiere and wiped her neck free of the blood then pressed it against her cheek. The cut wasn't too deep but it stung like hell. She just managed to turn her head at the right moment but that didn't stop the blade from piercing her. She had questioned bringing out her Ivy Blade - which hung at her side beneath her cloak - but she decided against it; she wasn't looking for a battle.
Though, right now, she felt like throwing her mug against the wall. Sylvanas's decision just made things a hell of a lot harder for her. 'Souls… souls… where in bloody hell will I be able to find lore about souls! Finding Sylvanas was hard enough, starting with infiltrating the Undercity…' Ivy thought as she took a larger sip than before and recollected….
Ivy nearly wretched at the horrid smell of the sewers she forced herself to creep through. It was the only entranceway that didn't have guards, and therefore, the safest way in. She had been following Cervantes ever since he stepped foot in this strange new world. She was puzzled when he actually entered the gates of this ruined city.
Although slightly shocked and somewhat freighted when she first saw the walking undead, she no longer felt any danger from them now. From what she had seen in the towns around the 'Undercity', their skills were mediocre.
The only thing she knew, as she was stepping through the slimy sewers, is that undead warriors within the depths of this demonic city might be quite a bit more experienced at battle. Other undead beings that she knew she had to evade were the spell-casters – dark priests and warlocks. Magic was something that she might not be able to protect herself against.
She understood that coming to the Undercity is a fatal decision for humans, but, she came prepared for that: Before she came, she had gathered all the supplies she could get to protect herself against the undead and to scale the Undercity without being detected. Being an elite chemist and with the help of the very few willing mages and warlocks in Stormwind, she also decided to come up with a few potions of her own.
She had heard rumors about the Undercity while in Stormwind. She had mentioned her making a 'visit' there to a sailor that had tried (and failed) to sweet-talk her. Unfortunately, other people in the tavern had heard her. "The Undercity! You might as well commit suicide if you're planning to go there!" One older man that sat next to her had told her.
Then, other people started explaining the rumors they had heard: "I heard they conduct experiments on live humans, turning them into beasts and rodents!" "I heard that they take the flesh of several corpses and mold them into one mindless Abomination! A fellow I knew wrote to me that he had to fight against one of those creatures in Duskwood, southwest of here, and was nearly cleaved in half!" "I heard that they not only take live humans but the undead of the Scourge they held captive and, without armor or even proper weapons, toss them one by one into a ring against well-equipped Forsaken soldiers and fight!" "I heard that undead priests hypnotize humans and use them as servants and pets!"
Finally Ivy had had enough and left to build any potions she had the ability to create as well as collect any rings that may empower her in any way. She knew darkness well and she didn't need to hear it from them.
Her mission at that time was to see if there was any way to make sure that Cervantes doesn't claim the throne to the Undercity. She didn't care for the undead – it was the growth of Cervantes' power that she feared.
She had made it to the end of the sewers and to the inside of the great city. The walls and ceilings were decorated with fanged skulls, cages (some of which that held live humans that shook with fear), chains, blood red flags, and the emblem of the Forsaken. She ignored the chills that this demonic ambience utilized. She was plenty used to such darkness, she had Cervantes to thank for that.
Using her potions, Ivy managed to evade the detection of the other undead guards. Dusty books with rotting pages and covers were stacked on tables. Realizing that this may give her a few hints as to how the Undercity was formed and maintained, she read the covers of each one until she found one entitled "Sylvanas Windrunner, The Banshee Queen."
She skimmed the pages, finding out that this 'Sylvanas' was now the queen of all of the Forsaken. 'Surely once this 'Sylvanas' realizes her city is in danger of being overthrown, she will want to come back and destroy Cervantes for trying to steal her throne.' She had thought. Of course, she lamented the idea of someone else killing Cervantes - for she really wanted to be the one to slit his throat - but she had no choice.
Getting back out was where she nearly died – She was running out of time for her potions before she was even able to get back to the sewers. More guards were beginning to notice her heartbeat and smell the scent of a still-fresh body. She didn't mind using her ivy-blade against them, but she knew that if she stopped and fought, there would have been too many to fight at one time.
This was about a month before. The month after that, she searched all of Kalimdor and Lorderon for the ingredients needed to create the gem that was still in its pouch. More scars and bruises came from both wilderness and battle as she searched.
Now, finding out that she had even more work she had to do made her want to go on her own rampage of destruction. She hoped the ale would numb that and that was why she was secretly thankful that the innkeeper decided to give her a strong one.
She lowered the mug onto the table again. Stormwind was at least calming – cities like this calmed her in a certain way that places like Ashenvale never could. It reminded her of London; she felt more at home here.
"A-are you planning to rent a room here, Madam?" The innkeeper suddenly yet carefully called from his chair, as if saying a word to the woman-with-a-short-fuse might be his last.
Ivy didn't turn, exhaustion started to settle in her eyes. "Yes." It came out as a sigh. She ignored the fact that she was appalled again at her own actions – sleeping during the day, how inappropriate of a grown noblewoman! "But, as you suggested, I'll need to have this healed." She felt her nerves beginning to calm as she spoke, the idea of rest becoming more and more appealing. She removed the handkerchief from her cheek and strode towards the door. "Just give me one of the available rooms with a single bed and have it cleaned and made ready before I return." She instructed as she pushed through the door and stepped onto the cobblestone road.
"Y-yes… Madam…" Cleaning the room wasn't normally part of the job description, at least for this innkeeper, but somehow he got the impression that he didn't have a choice.
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Taki couldn't sleep. She hadn't slept for most of the night. It bothered her, though not in a bad way. She didn't regret what she had done; she only wondered what it was that made her want Sophitia to take her mask off and kiss her. She wondered why she had leaned in to kiss her while the blonde did the same. Why couldn't she have just let Sophitia come to her? Why did she want to kiss the younger girl so badly?
Then, she remembered what Sophitia had said; about her wanting to take a deeper look inside the demon huntress and the tears of desperation and heartache that came from her eyes. She wanted to know her, even though she already did. She wanted the huntress to know that someone else cared for her very deeply, something that the normally lone huntress hadn't felt in a very, very long time.
The sweetness of Sophitia's kiss came back to her senses and she had to hold back a moan. Her fingers curled to clutch the pillow tightly for a moment, thinking about how it felt to hold another person in her arms while that someone did the same to her.
She couldn't help but smile when she heard Sophitia shift and murmur behind her, her face pressing into Taki's neck. Taki felt pleasant tremors gliding down her back as Sophitia's breath caressed her nape.
Brown eyes turned to the window to see the sun dripping through the curved windowsill onto the floor. She knew that when Sylarind said 'morning', she meant early. She turned onto her back and looked back over to Sophitia only to find smiling aventurine eyes gazing into hers.
Taki froze and held her breath as Sophitia leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to Taki's. Her breath came out in a long sigh. Her skin tingled and she didn't know why. "We have to get up, don't we?" Sophitia asked as they broke apart. Taki nodded, her eyes not leaving the Grecian's. "I don't want to move." She stated, her arm wrapping tightly around Taki's waist.
"We don't have a choice." Taki responded lightly. As much as she hated to admit it, or even feel it, she wanted to separate from the beautiful girl next to her. She was still new to this kind of contact, and she didn't know precisely how to handle it yet. But she promised Sophitia, and herself, that she would still try.
Sophitia nodded and pulled away, slowly removing herself from the covers and going back over to the dresser to replace her armor and weapons. Taki silently followed. Wordlessly, both went down to the main room of the inn, paid the innkeeper, and went back out to where Sylarind had left them.
While waiting, Sophitia seated herself on a nearby wooden fence by a road sign that pointed in three different directions. Taki stood at the other end of the dirt road, arms crossed and eyes sweeping through the half-bare trees, ruined columns of temples and shrines and dry grounds.
"Taki," Sophitia's soft voice came, making Taki stiffen now and the blonde girl noticed this. Taki turned only her neck and back around, her eyes slightly unreadable. "Taki, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Taki's response was too simple and quick for Sophitia's liking. She knew that the kiss had brought Taki to unease.
"Taki, it's not like lovemaking." She somewhat regretted saying the last word as it made Taki stiffen again and seem even more bothered by it. "It was just a simple kiss."
Taki then turned away, her eyes unseeingly scanning the trees again. "It wasn't just a simple kiss to me."
Sophitia caught the hurt in her voice. Not bearing to know that she had hurt Taki's already-tender heart, she went to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind. She leaned her head against the taller woman's back. "That's not what I mean and you know that." She rubbed her forehead against Taki's shoulder. "I love you." When Taki remained silent, she then realized her next challenge: getting Taki to say "I love you" in return and as to say it as freely as she had done before.
Then she felt Taki laid her hand upon one of the Grecian's. She felt a thumb caress the back of her hand. Sophitia smiled and closed her eyes; that was enough. Then she felt Taki turn in her arms and felt a hand lay on the back of the blonde's neck, pulling her closer. Slightly stunned, she watched the deep brown gaze on her own green eyes as Taki pulled her to her lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, sighing. Oh yes, this was more than enough.
Sophitia had to lay a hand on Taki's shoulder to steady herself as she already felt dizzy from the long-awaited warmth of the older girl's kiss. For a kiss to come from her was even sweeter to her than the one she had given the huntress last night. She felt Taki's heart thunder against her chest. She wondered if Taki would keep her mask off from now on. She smiled against Taki's lips at the thought.
It only when they heard a flapping of large wings that Taki finally broke away. Then, Sophitia realized yet another challenge: get Taki to be comfortable enough to kiss her in public. That she could wait for, however.
Taki felt a chill slide up her back, it wasn't pleasant. It was familiar in a way, but different in another. Though her lips stayed on Sophitia's she opened her eyes, the brown orbs turning to the corner of her eye. The creature, whatever it was, was coming closer – she could feel it as the cold tremors up her back slowly increased in magnitude.
Sophitia felt the other girl stiffen. She opened her eyes just in time to see brown eyes go wide in alarm. Taki pulled apart and roughly pushed her to one side. She watched as Taki, like a flash, unsheathed one of her blades and slashed it upwards as what looked like a phantom came to her. The specter flew to one side, dodging her.
When Sophitia took a closer look as the phantom stood still, she noticed that the phantom had the body and appearance of Sharlindra; banshee-like. The only thing that looked different about her was simply her attire and the particular color of her eyes, which was close to teal. Her dark blue gown and silver sash was torn at the ends and had holes. The only form of protection she had her black, worn gauntlets at her arms.
The phantom hissed, her fangs easy to find as they were tainted with blood. Her long, thin nails came at Taki's face again as she flew passed. Taki did a full-twisting-layout high over her, effectively dodging her. The phantom flew into the bare trees and vanished, yet Taki remained in her guarding position, completely still.
Sophitia took a step towards her and was about to speak when Taki silenced her with a finger, not looking at her. "The demon's still near." Taki whispered, sheathing her blade only for the specter's eyes since she knew the phantom was still watching. "Stay back. I don't want you to get hurt."
Sophitia tightened the straps on her shield, though her eyes remained on Taki. She couldn't help thinking that this was a perfect example for what she loved about Taki when she hunted. She was like a heron in a pond searching for her prey, especially in the way that she would remain completely motionless yet her eyes would always be on the watch for glimpses of that prey. She would have to tell Taki that later if the huntress still didn't find her occupation and fighting style admirable.
It was quiet, but Taki still felt the specter and she only had to wait. Leaves from high in the trees rustled as the phantom flew down from above, her fangs bared and ready to sink into flesh. Taki removed both of her blades and waited for her prey to come to her. When she was only a foot away, Taki raised them and pounced forward, slamming both her blades through the phantom's stomach then tore them out at both of her sides. She only gasped in pain, but didn't retreat.
The specter flew high into another tree and stood on its limb. She turned pointed a long nail at Taki. "Death shall come to you soon." Her voice was like a low, whispering moan
"Your return to the afterlife will come sooner." Taki stated as she confidently leapt into the trees after the phantom. The phantom lunged at Taki, both of her clawed hands reaching for her flesh. Taki fanned her blades as she managed to cut off one of the hands and dodged the other. She watched as the hand burst into flames on its way to the ground below. The flames ate the hand as quickly as they would a dry leaf.
Taki looked up just in time to see the banshee clutch her hand and scream in agony. Taki's vision fuzzed horribly and her head pounded painfully as she covered her ears from the sound, leaving her stunned for a few seconds as the painful echoing continued to spin her world. When she pulled up her eyes, she screamed as she felt the nails of the banshee's other hand plunge deep into the flesh of the right side of her chest.
She felt the nails dig deeper and she tried to hold back her cries. Taki saw the bloodlust and rage in the banshee's teal eyes. She quickly caught the banshee's wrist and brought up her small sword. She looked the phantom in the eye despite the dizziness she felt. "Begone demon." She slashed her sword through the specter's neck. The gap she created fluttered like the phantom's torn garments and her eyes widened in horror. She let out a muffled screech as the rest of her body tore away from her neck and a blue light came from the center of her body. The light slowly rose to the sky and vanished to the ground while the banshee's silver sash drifted down and the arm guards plummeted and clashed as they landed.
Sophitia walked toward the tree Taki stood on, her eyes watching her with worry. Taki was holding her head and swaying. Taki managed to jump from limb to limb - although a little shakily - until she landed onto a limb that was just three feet from the ground. From there, she just looked like she was about to collapse onto the ground below her before Sophitia ran forth and caught her.
"Taki, are you alright?" The younger girl asked as she held her, feeling the other woman trying not to lean all her weight on her. She gasped as she caught the runnels of blood that fell from her chest. Her heart pounded even more when she noticed that green liquid was at the holes. She was poisoned, but she didn't know in what way.
"I'm fine." The response was absentminded as if waving the question away. "Just a little dizzy." She shut her eyes tightly, chiding herself. "Damn, I shouldn't have let that happen. I'm better than that!" She sounded as though she deserved some sort of punishment for her mistake.
"It's okay." Sophitia spoke as calmly and a softly as she could to ease the other woman even though her heart was frantic with worry. She had never been so happy yet frightened when she heard a distant flapping of large wings approaching.
"What happened?" Sylarind asked in alarm when she saw Taki sitting on her knees in the leaf covered woods near the crossroads.
"A banshee of some sort attacked us." Sophitia explained as Sylarind checked Taki's condition more thoroughly, finding her face pallid now. "Taki vanquished her, but..."
"I see she's suffering from a close-range banshee cry." Sylarind easily deduced. "A banshee's cry can stun a person like that, though when it is done close to a mortal's ear, it can almost be fatal. But from what I can tell, it's nothing too serious. For this poison, however," – she pointed at the green liquid intermingling with Taki's blood. She turned to Sophitia with intend, starlit eyes, her leaf-green hair falling forward over her shoulders. – "What did the banshee look like?"
"Dark blue gown and silver sash, and she had teal eyes." Sophitia recalled quickly, her heart beating faster by the second with distress but tried to stay calm to Taki's sake.
Sylarind looked back down at the wound on her chest. "That's typical attire for a Lost Specter. Their nails are poisonous." The night elf was silent for a second as she contemplated. "I'll have to take her to Darnassus to get her healed properly; their medicine and magic update faster than the rest of the regions held by Night Elves; Azshara only has antidotes for poisons against the other enemies here." She stated as though not willing to even speak the name of her enemies, she hated them so. "It's rare for a banshee like that to come out of her resting place."
"She's going to be alright though, right?" Sophitia tried to contain the frantic worry in her voice. She couldn't stand for another relapse of Taki's suffering again, not when she was so close. Why did everything seem to happen to only Taki? Why couldn't she be attacked and injured? She'd gladly do it for Taki.
"She's going to be fine. This kind of attack is minor compared to others. It's just the poison we have to get rid of, and this type of poison is slow-moving." She paused to make sure that Sophitia took it all in. She was about to speak again when she was interrupted by the woman Sophitia held onto.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Taki spoke, agitated. She shifted from the Grecian's grasp. "I'm fine. It's not like I can't walk." Taki tried to prove her point by walking to were the other hippogryphs were stabled. She could walk, but she seemed to have some trouble balancing herself. Sophitia went up to her and brought Taki's arm around her shoulder for support.
"How's your chest?" Sophitia asked lightly, her eyes intently watching the side of Taki's face for any signs of pain.
Taki winced slightly. "It stings a bit, and it feels like it's throbbing, but that's it." Sophitia could tell she was trying to sound as though it wasn't bothering her even though it was.
"It'll get worse if we don't treat it quickly." Sylarind stated as she quickly went to retrieve the worn gauntlets and white sash nearby. "Do you wish to come as well, or do you want to stay in Ashenvale?" She asked Sophitia as they helped Taki mount her hippogryph.
"I want to go with Taki." Sophitia replied without hesitation. But then, she realized something: what about Sylvanas? Sophitia inwardly sighed as she watched Sylarind nod and take Taki to her hippogryph. How was Sylvanas and she going to stay in contact? How would she be able to tell her? She couldn't let her think she had forgotten her. Sophitia took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She wished caring for people wouldn't be so difficult.
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Sorry if the fight scene between Astaroth and Kilik wasn't very good, I never was very good at fight scenes. But yep! I finally made Sophie and Taki kiss! It won't take much longer for the yuri to show up now! lol, hope it was all okay and that you liked the chapter. I'm okay about it but I'd love to hear what you all think.
