Chapter 8: Shadow Egression

"Ah no, ah blacked out again." Xainia woke up in the valley of spirits. It was nighttime.

"You have trained long, my pet." The master's voice filled her head.

"Why ya be sayin dat all of ah sudden?" Xainia thought back.

"You will know. Make your way to Shadowbreak Ravine. You will come alone." The master ordered.

"Yes, masta." Xainia rose and began to head out of Orgrimmar.

Elsewhere in Orgrimmar, the master also rose. Several companions accompanied him now. Hasur, one of the horde's greatest shamans, a less trained but still powerful warrior gone shaman, Okquina, and a mage by the name of Ranilok. Following a path into the drag towards the flight towers, the group almost walked in step. The master looked towards the higher tier of Orgrimmar and smiled wryly, his grin crackling amongst the dead flesh on his face.

"This way." He said quietly to his companions as he turned and headed towards the valley of spirits.

Telina, the druid who had accompanied Xainia in Zul'Gurub, was sitting on the heated stone slabs that sat on the water. She often sat there, gazing absent mindedly across the waters. Thinking of recent events, she noticed the group approach. A pain flared up in her side as she felt a presence that had visited her not long ago. The druid watched the group walk for a few moments longer before rising to her feet to follow, curious as to what was happening.

Suddenly, the master halted the group and turned to her, pointing. "You will come with me."

Telina paused, slightly startled, but decided to come, nodding to him silently and falling into step behind him. In her mind, words lit up "You are coming to help us perform a ceremony; one that must be done."

The Druid remained wordless and followed, rolling over this information in her mind. The mental voice was the one she had heard on the altar, and though she could not see this warlocks face, she had seen him in the highest chambers of Blackrock mountain. They headed towards the flight master and all quickly started off for Thunder bluff. The Druid mounted a Wyvern behind Okquina, and watched her as they flew. The Orc stared dead ahead, but the Tauren's gaze was transfixed upon her; she seemed very familiar. Noticing the gaze, Okquina looked over at her, wondering why she was staring.

The Druid stuttered a moment "Er..have we...met before?"

"I don't think so. I ain never seen you before." Okquina said before looking back forward.

"Hmm...I see..." She hesitated a moment, before asking. "Do you know a Troll named Xainia?"

Okquina looked at her incredulously. "Thats why you here isn it?"

The Druid nodded slowly.

"Then why you askin me?"

"I'm sorry, you just seemed familiar." Telina turned her head away from the Orc and looked down, losing herself in thought briefly before turning back to Okquina.

"But one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for everything you did for Xainia" The Druid turned back and fell silent, lost in thought once more.

After a good deal of time, they landed in the great city of Thunder bluff, situated on the four of largest mesas in all of Kalimdor. As she dismounted from the Wyvern, Telina spread her arms out and embraced the warm wind of her home city, closing her eyes and feeling her spirits lift, her fathers words echoing in her mind as they always did... "Wind at your back..." Heading down towards the spirit rise, the many taurens in the city nearly obscured them from view. Reaching the cave on the spirit rise, the master entered alone, leaving the four outside.

The companion that had remained silent the entire journey was rather out of place in natural area such as Thunder Bluff. Ralinok was indeed a strange sight and disturbed the passers by greatly, he was a blood elf. Most of the group even watched him suspiciously out of the corners of their eyes.

The elf took out some arcane powder from his pack and rolled up a piece of parchment, snuffing it all up. "aaaaahhh" he sighed.

Hasur looked away in disgust, while Telina rolled her eyes and turned away also. Okquina sat down near the edge of the mesa and began to have some food.

"So you never said how you know the troll." Okquina spoke in Telina's direction.

"Oh well, I just… I just know a lot about her." Telina stifled an answer.

Hasur walked over to her and looked into her deep brown eyes for a moment then walked away, speaking as he did. "You've seen the madness too. I can tell. I don't know why she showed you or how you saw it, but you know it all."

"Yes, I… I did see it." Telina looked embarrassed at being read so easily.

"Then that's why he brought you." Okquina spoke between bites of her food.

Soon, the master returned with another companion at his side, also an undead. It was the powerful priest Malakai Cross, skilled in both light and shadow.

"This had better be worth my time." The priest said to the master.

"I assure you, you will see things that you have never witnessed before, priest." The master led the group back towards the flight tower.

"I find that hard to believe, but I shall come for now." Malakai spoke cynically.

"We head for Ferlas." The master mentioned as he continued.

The group took to the air again on the long flight to Camp Mojache. Malakai conversed with the blood elf and tried to pry into how his new use of demonic magics had changed him. Telina kept focused on Okquina. The orc had been in the visions she had seen from Xainia. Okquina had been so involved with Xainia and knew so much, but Telina felt out of place asking anything of her.

After they landed at Camp Mojache, the master led the group to the north into the wilderness. As they walked the eccentric blood elf spied a wisp floating around and consumed it in a flash of magic. Though the shamans were not aligned with the wisps, this disturbed them slightly.

Telina, as a druid, was disgusted at this barbary. "Worse than some Undead." She thought silently.

As they passed by Grimtotem and Woodpaw camps, the woods became quieter and quieter. As quickly as the silence had settled, a growl interrupted the serenity.

"A beast is near, arm yourselves" Okquina said, slipping back to her grunt instincts.

Telina let loose a quiet, feral growl and then sniffed the air about her, looking for a trace of the foe. Without a care as to who it faced, a bear strode up to the group. Its upper arms were covered in scarring from burns that were healing. Quickly, the bear took on a humanoid form, but this form caused all in the group except the master to draw weapons. It appeared to be a night elf.

"It is you, undead" The elf spoke.

"Stay your weapons, please" the night elf spoke in orcish.

Already stunned that the elf was speaking orcish, the group lowered weapons. Telina sighed and then looked the Elf over, glancing at the Blood Elf in comparison.

"What kind of strange night elf are you to speak with the horde?" Ranilok questioned.

Telina snorted at the irony as the blood elf was speaking in orcish too.

"My name is Ic'nay, or at least that is the name I have taken. I forsook elfkind long ago." The night elf spoke again. They noticed that his teeth were misaligned, almost appearing to be primitive fangs. "Elves are a magical perversion of trolls. We must forsake even our heritage to become one with nature."

"As much as trolls no longer trouble me, to deny being an elf is madness." Ranilok asserted

"Each to his own, you forsook what you once were to embrace these sundering magics.. Through my choice, I have retained nature's immortal blessing which my kind has lost. However, I will slowly cease to be an elf, becoming something that I do not know; something that we once were."

Turning to the Blood Elf, Telina spoke up "Look, we're not here for history on the Elves, we're here to help someone. Now, drop your bickering, you wisp eating freak, and let's go..." She turned back onto the path and pressed on.

Ranilok simmered for a moment, looking slightly peeved, but stifled it as he noticed the rest of the group was moving on. Malakai busily watched the night elf, wishing to discover all the changes that had come over him.

"This journey is somewhat interesting… but elves are not too strange of a sight." He thought.

Soon, they were into steep terrain that could not normally be scaled. The master brought out a bag of climbing gear and began to head on, stringing it behind him for everyone else.

Ranilok laughed to himself, trying to get back into the flow of the group. "Just like the old days, M."

"Yes, I suppose" The master idly commented.

The trees became sparser as they continued up the hill and soon the land began to look foul. The group was clearly no longer in Feralas. As they crested the top of the rise, they saw the source of this corruption, a shadowy valley with gigantic mushrooms growing in it, Shadowbreak ravine.

The master approached a circle of stones on the highest rise in the valley after packing up the climbing gear. "We have one more member which we must bring forth." The master drew a stone from his pouch, a regular purple one, and began to weave a summoning portal.

"A powerful warlock, even moreso than myself. Aid me." He began to open the portal.

"More trouble than him, too?" Telina muttered, before moving forward to assist.

Malakai held on the portal, wanting to see what could be more powerful; his aid was not enough.

"Oh you're bringing him…" Ranilok sighed and quickly helped.

The portal grew greatly in size, and then from the hole in existence, four black long legs came out. Parts of a long robe were seen next, followed by an enormous body and many more legs.

"By Nerub, it is hot down here." a very shadowy voice came from the being.

"Neru'Rekhan, it is good to see you again."

Telina's ears fell low behind her horns, and she sighed quietly, backing up slightly, watching the Neru'rekan. Before the group stood a true Nerubian, one of the few still alive beyond the grasp of the lich king. Shadows poured off of him, much greater power eminated from him than any shadows that anyone in the group had witnessed.

Telina put her hand to her head and another to her side, a headache gripping her. Neru'rekan noticed this and laughed almost mockingly, pushing more shadow in her direction and watching her squirm in distress.

"Methuselah, I do not wish to remain here. The spider kingdom needs my power. We will do this quickly."

The master looked at the large spider. "That is not my name anymore."

"Such does not matter." The spider dismissed the error.

"Then let us begin." The master led the group to the stones.

"We are here today because of a common acquaintance we all have. One whom Hasur told me of and shared his visions of nearly a year ago. Some of us have been involved, others have stumbled upon this" the master eyed Telina. "and some of us are simply here to help in the ceremony. Now the time has come, Xainia has completed what she set out to accomplish. She can no longer be trained by me and she is too powerful to be controlled."

"Nothing is too powerful to control, Methuselah, but continue" the spider interrupted

Telina snickered quietly now at the spider portraying the master as a novice.

"She will arrive here soon, and you will participate in freeing her." The master knelt down and began to draw runes on the ground with a piece of chalk.

"Such will not do for this, Methuselah" The spider looked at the simple chalk that was being used.

"My name is Maldelic, Neru'rekan." The undead was slightly irked.

"You are nonetheless the same being. This ceremony requires blood."

"Must all Spiders be blood drinkers?" Telina sighed in her mind.

The spider spied a corrupt orc walking through the ravine. Charging it, he picked it up bodily as it screamed in absolute terror. Quickly the spider bit its head off and bled it onto a nearby indentation in a stone that looked to be used for such purposes.

"Guess so..." Telina confirmed her own suspicions.

The night elf druid shivered and looked away as the other tried to simply not pay attention. Ranilok began sneaking with a hungry look on his face towards one of the four imps following Neru'rekan around.

The spider glared at him. "Control yourself, elf. You should know better than trying a trick like that."

Ranilok tried to change the subject by questioning Neru "Is orc blood really so useful in summoning?"

"You would not understand blood rituals. You are not a warlock." The spider drew over the chalk symbols in blood.

Telina was still entertained by the group's behavior. It was amazing that such a wide assortment of beings were brought together for this. Looking out over the corrupted vale, the sights and smells brought Telina's mind off what lie behind her, and she looked out for a moment, thinking things over, then she wondered... "Where -was- Xainia..?"

Xainia headed through the Stonetalon Mountains to reach the ravine. It had taken her quite some time to reach that point on her raptor. It was nearly nighttime the day after she had left Orgrimmar by the time she was even entering Desolace. As she headed south towards the ravine, she thought of what this might be.

"Ah dun wanna be back 'round here. Ah done with dis place." She thought. "Wha da masta want me here?"

"Because he's going to forsake you, leave you, kill you." A voice inside her jided.

"Dat not be true… whose voice dat be?" she continued to speak in her mind.

"I'm you of course. Don't worry… even if he leaves, I'll take care of things."

"What ya mean?"

"I'll take care of you. No one ever seems to want you in this world. Don't you feel it? They'll want us. I'll make them need us… fear us… obey us."

"Ah dun need anah a dat. Tha masta take care of me."

"You'll see…"

Xainia shrugged off the strange presence and continued riding. It took her some time to cross the vastness of Desolace, her raptor becoming tired and running slower. Night had fully fallen by the time she reached the entrance to the ravine. She needed to head into the ravine, but something obstructed her, leering at her along with its felhunter. A warlock she had met once in her journeys, Selima.

Soon after Telina had thought of where Xainia could be, the symbol was completed. It was a seven sided shape with a seven pointed star in the center and spiraling shapes coming out from it. At each vertex, there was a circle for one of the members to stand in.

"Despite this being a ritual governed by demonic magics, the land upon which is it performed must be purified. This is why we must ask aid of you druids. The elements must also be kept at bay, so we need the aid of the shamans. Then there is this." Maldelic drew the strange blue crystal from his pouch. "This crystal is what binds her soul. It may only be broken by very strong channeling of arcane and shadow magics. Finally, when the... subject… arrives, she must be kept alive by our priest. I may not be present at this ceremony. I cannot break this binding of my own will, the crystal is beyond that."

"Consider it a price for you to pay for using an artifact beyond your training, young warlock." Nerub'rekan warned. "Control shards for your kind are only meant to be used by us, or perhaps those damned dragons."

Much of the group looked disturbed again at the spider cursing dragons, but the favors they owed to the master or their involvement kept them from leaving the area. More time passed while the tolerated each other, but soon they all began to wonder where the priest was.

"Where is your subject, Methuselah? My time is precious."

Maldelic concentrated for a moment then a slightly grave look appeared on his face. "Something is happening at the entrance to the ravine. We may need to interrupt it."

Meanwhile at the entrance to Shadowbreak Ravine, Selima confronted the priest.

"Where do you think you are going, priest?"

"Wha ya askin me dat?" Xainia questioned.

"So polite this time? Going to try to lie and say you are a priest of light again?" Selima jeered at the shadow priest.

The two had met before in felwood, Xainia had watched the warlock, but had been spotted and hunted down. Failing to defeat the warlock without the shadows, Xainia's shadow had expressed itself and frightened even this powerful warlock. But in this discovery, she had discovered the master too, and vowed to destroy them both for participating in this pact; Maldelic for corrupting, Xainia for surrendering her free will.

"Dun be in mah way." Xainia said calmly.

"A threat?" Selima challenged her

"Ah dun want ta fight ya." Xainia tried to continue on, but she was suddenly bit by a burning feeling, Selima was attacking.

Quickly calling upon her soul for protection, Xainia rid herself of the foul warlock spell. She began to try to burn away at Selima's energy. However, the skilled warlock simply returned her energy at the cost of some life.

"You burn away my energy like it is yours! I'll have it back." Selima motioned with her hands and suddenly began to steal Xainia's energy directly.

Finding herself barely able to keep her protection up, Xainia was almost out of options. She quickly used the rest of her energy to dispose of the felhunter before it got involved.

Atop the ravine, the master explained more to the group. "She cannot come into contact with me. Someone else must go."

Telina sighed. "I will do it." She turned towards the Entrance, moving away and muttering something.

Neru'rekan poked more shadows at her for entertainment as she walked away. She felt it and was surprised such a powerful being was so easily amused.

As Telina headed down, the battle continued to rage. Finally, running out of energy completely, Xainia fell to one knee. Selima looked slightly haggard from converting her life into energy, but she had the upper hand.

Xainia, as drained as she was, was still not injured. "Wha ya doin dis?" She jumped forward and tackled Selima.

Selima cast a fearful shadow spell at Xainia, making her run away momentarily. "You cannot be forgiven for what you've done. You gave up your own free will."

Telina came to a stop on a rock above the two, listening in briefly. Xainia recovered herself and stood a distance from Selima.

"Ah made ah choice... an ah've killed Hakkar wit His help. How can ya be blind ta wat's happend?"

"Selima, did you even know her before he came along? There was no will to give..." Telina thought.

"I'll make quick work of you now, and then I'll move on to your master. I can sense it… he is near." Selima drew a shard out of her bag with great speed and began to weave a gigantic ball of fire around it.

The Druid sighed once more, looking around and muttering something, moving her hands over the ground. The ground underneath Selima began to creep about and grow plants.

"That's it! Let your focus on revenge make you blind..." Telina muttered, as Vines broke out of the ground and wrapped around the Warlock's legs.

Selima noticed the vines suddenly. "You can't stop this spell from finishing you! Even if you have someone helping you!"

"Ah had enough ah dis." Xainia raised her hand and made a motion across her mouth. Immediately, the spell dissipated.

Selima tried to speak. " .. ..."

"Nah mah talking fa ya." Xainia turned and walked away from the warlock.

Telina chuckled and then forced a Vine to wrap around the Warlock's arms, binding them to each side.

"I'm sorry, Selima, but this is for your own good, I'm not going to let your lust for blood and vengeance destroy this moment."

Back atop the ravine, the master made the final preparations for the ceremony. "She is past this challenge. I must go. Not only may I not destroy the crystal, but if I were here I would be bound to interfere in the ritual. Neru'Rekan, my companions, I hold any debts you have owed me fulfilled if this ritual succeeds. Ranilok, send me somewhere far away."

"The dead city should suffice." Ranilok began to make a portal.

"Goodbye."

Ranilok opened the portal on top of Maldelic, not allowing him to even choose to enter. The warlock fell through the portal. Neru'rekan reached forward over the symbol and slammed the crystal into the ground at the center of the symbol, planting it firmly.

"Are you alright, Master?"

At the entrance to the ravine, Xainia looked up at Telina.

"Telinah? wha ya doin here?"

"I'm making sure you're alright, come on, let's go."

Xainia rose and followed, not knowing what was going on. The spider began to weave enchantments around the crystal at the ritual site.

Where is that druid. We must all be present to begin" Neru'rekan was slightly irate.

"I'm here, Neru..." Telina said as she approched the Spider from behind, Xainia following further back.

Xainia looked very bewildered to the crowd and seemed to be pausing every few moments. Inside her mind, she was completely affrighted.

"You see… they are here to take your master away from you."

"Nah, tha masta nevah leave." Asserted in her mind.

"But he will.. and then.. what will you do?"

"'e won… ah know it." Xainia continued to think

Telina took her place in the circle. More concerned with the ritual now, the spider refrained from sadistically poking the shadow-prone druid.

"Druids, begin this, cleanse the land." The spider commanded.

Xainia saw Telina scowl silently at the spider, but the tauren followed his command, bowing her head in a gesture of obedience to her as she did. Ic'nay also brought forth the spirits of nature to cleanse this small blood-soaked patch of land. Kneeling down, Telina put her hands to the ground, rubbing it gently, as if calming a restless animal, mouthing ancient words. The land turned from a corrupt shade of purple to a verdant green. As this change occurred, the crystal at the center of the shape suddenly shot up, drawing energy from the ground, and grew to be nearly ten feet tall. The lines of blood solidified into crystal as the crystal soaked them up.

Xainia was strangely drawn to the crystal. As she approached, the deep blue markings across her skin lit up. Her face was full of fear, but she was drawn towards it more. Telina closed her eyes as she began to glow, feeling her own skin burn in reaction to all the powers around her. Inside the crystal, a life-size image of Xainia seemed to be suspended. It could be half seen through the walls of the crystal. Malakai seemed very riveted by the whole event; it was indeed worth his time to attend. Telina raised a dirtied hand to her face and wiped away a tear before returning to her work. The power was brining back bad memories for her. Clouds began to form around the site as fires lit up on the edges of the rise they were on. The shamans began to weave spells to ward them off.

"Wha.. wha dis? " Xainia muttered, holding close to the crystal.

"It is where you lose him." The voice in her head spoke again.

"You have come to a point of change, child. You will no longer be controlled and dominated by a master. As much as I would like to see your kind enslaved, this service I must perform." Neru'rekan spoke darkly to the troll.

Telina grunted where she was, visably holding herself back from attacking the spider, her hands becoming clawed momentarily.

"But... no.. ah canna do dis. He wouldn wan it." Xainia protested.

It will be done. Prepare yourself." The spider allowed for no failure.

Meanwhile in the Undercity, Maldelic felt the crystal be opened and enlarged. As much as he would have been uninvolved, a frenzied feeling from the crystal gripped him and he ran for the zeppelin. He checked his pouch for the blue crystal as if he had not known that he had left it in the ravine.

In Shadowbreak, the spider nodded to the priest to begin healing. Malakai picked up his strongest spells of light and kept a careful watch.

"Ranilok, begin your channeling."

The blood elf called forth the arcane magics that flowed through him and attacked the crystal with them. Immidiately, Xainia begin to be affected by the spell, Malakai had to work quickly to keep her from falling. The arcane magic swirled around the crystal in one direction. As soon as the pattern picked up, Neru'rekan began to channel powerful shadows. The shadow locked in an opposite spiral creating a helix of nether energies about the shape. Telina felt the strain of shadow tainting the very air and land around her, grunting as it came in full force, then channeling the power of nature to combat it. Malakai too wavered under the strain on trying to constantly keep the troll alive. Slowly, the crystal turned from a blue shade to a color of white. The shape inside of it began to pass out of it and descend on Xainia. By this time, the master was on the zeppelin, confusing passers by as he beat on the motor box, trying in vain to make it go faster. The blue patterns across Xainia's skin slowly began to erase, she felt inside like she was being released from a harness that had held her securely in the air for so long.

"No... masta... don't. Ah can't... ah don't know.."

In a final burst of power, the crystal shattered into white sand. Across the world, Maldelic fell to one knee. As if he was having a mortal heart attack, he paused and held his chest.

"It is done... her fate is now her own." The frenzy left him. He was freed from the crystal now too.

The shadows cleared and the air began to return to normal in the ravine. Xainia wept and then fell unconscious. Feeling Xainia's thoughts and emotions, Telina reached out to her adopted master, calling to her. All she saw in return was racing feelings, the mind of her 'master' like a frightened animal. The others coud not understand why Xainia would weep. Telina sat hunched forward, gasping deeply, her dirtied hands holding her up.

The spider turned from the party "It is finished."

Telina crawled towards Xainia, craddling her in her arms, able to feel her thoughts and Emotions with ease. Okquina approached too, doing the same

"So sentimental. How humanoid." The spider cast a returning spell and faded with those last words of insult.

Telina paid the Spider no attention, this time. "It's done, Xainia..." Telina whispered, closing her eyes.

"I must return, they will miss my presence at Thunder Bluff. This was a truly amazing day." Malakai disappeared too, calling upon his hearthstone.

"I too cannot remain in this tainted land." Ic'nay left.

Ranilok left too muttering something about finding more energy. Only hasur, Okquina, and Telina remained with her.

Telina sighed, picking the Troll up and rising. "I will take her back to Orgrimmar and keep her safe...do you want me to say anything to her before the final farewell?"

"No, I am just glad things are finally set right." Okquina said.

"As am I" Hasur echoed.

Telina nodded. "It is time for her to rest...farewell, Okquina, Hasur." The Druid bowed her head to each of them, then turned and started on the way back 'home'.

"He is gone… see… I told you." The voice tormented Xainia again.

"He is… ah.. ah don't know what to do." Xainia faced the voice in her mind. It appeared as a shadowy version of her self in this dream.

"I do. I will make the world know our power… I will show you the way."

In her mind, Xainia relaxed in a sign of surrender. She was powerful enough to survive on her own, but the dependence she had developed blinded her. The shadowy version of her smirked and walked over, holding the light version.

"Now, it is my time."

As Telina approached the exit of the ravine, Xainia suddenly faded into shadowform.

Sliding out of the druids grasp she looked strange, meaner. She began to walk away slowly.

"...Xainia?" Telina called out, but the troll did not turn. Telina moved quickly, following behind her. "Master?"

Xainia still did not stop. Walking right past the still bound warlock at the entrance to the ravine, she smiled evilly. The Druid reached for Xainia's shoulder, ignoring the pain the shadows wrought, she grabbed gently.

Xainia shrugged the hand off and spoke to Selima.

"See, yah futah's end. Dis is mah time now." The troll left Selima and moved away much faster now, calling her raptor and riding away.

Selima turned to Telina. "You have no idea what you've done, druid."

"And I don't know what you would have done, either." Telina turned away, calling her own mount to her, and following after.

The priest however, was nowhere to be found. She had ridden off, covered in the shadows, into a fate now determined by this chaotic energy.