Voices. Languages. One distinct thick accent. A guttural, harsh sounding one. A melodic voice, like a Naru song. Whimpers, cries everywhere. She opened her eyes with great effort, feeling her eyelids heavy and sticky . Laying on her back, she tried to take in the surroundings. The sky above her was green with a slight tint of blue, she could sense the smell of cooked ravager meat, the Naaru song was invading her mind…"Shattrah...What ? Why am I here?..." Kyra didn't seem to recall the past events, as her mind seemed to be clouded with a dense fog. She turned her head to the side, in hope of seeing some familiar faces, some answers, but her neck did not listen. She brought her hands to her face, only to feel the gash that was there. A pained cry escaped her. Her face was hurting. She tried to stand up but an agonizing pain shout through her entire body and a grunt escaped her lungs involutarely, making her curl in to a ball. She tried to hold herself not to scream, but the pain in her torso made it impossible. A thin layer of sweat was forming over her body and she started gasping for breath. Trying to compose herself, feeling every bone and muscle in her body useless, she shifted her position, laying onto her back. The pain from her chest was so intense that a loud, rythmic thud in her ears was covering the Naaru song. She closed her eyes shut, trying to get some some rest .
Then all came back to her. Memories like a merciless cascade of nightmares and horrific images. "They are dead...all of them...My fault..."Her head started pounding, shaking breath intensifying, fear and terror taking over her body and mind. She started screaming in agony, unable to control the overwhelming sensation. The pain was now more than a physical discomfort, it was taking her entire being into oblivion. She tried to move, the torment of her broken bones pairing with the echo of past events, made her screams louder and the desperation of her inability to control herself terrified her even more.
Someone fast steps were approaching. A tall blue figure crouched next to her, and a three finger hand touched her forehead. A low voice, in broken common, rumbled like a thunderstorm above her.
"This one be needing healing, woman."
The voice made her shiver, and she tried to push away whoever was there, unable to restrain herself, too scared to open her eyes. At the sound, a much smaller and leaner figure than the first one approached. She could hear fast, light steppes coming towards her. A soft, pleasant scent was emanating from the woman, something with peacebloom that reminded of home…"Home?"Kyra thought"No…no!" With her eyes wide open she started screaming again.
"Thank you, rogue", a soft voice said, her gaze falling upon Kyra's mauled body. She placed a soothing small hand on her forehead. "There…there…You poor thing…"A warm sensation enveloped Kyra, calming her for a brief moment, giving her the courage to look the priestess in the eyes.
The night elf looked to the woman, her breath calming, her shiver subsiding. Something made her feel safe."Safe… "she mumbled "I can't stay here…I have to…No…Please...let me go.."
"Easy...We will get you in shape first, warrior…"
Warm hands were then placed above her chest and a glowing light emanated from them. The light was comforting, but at the same time it felt like a thousand small needles pinched her skin. Kyra groaned and tried to sit up, the pain was unbearable
"Lay down, lay down, sweetie. I am tired enough, I can't hold you, please" the woman said, desperation in her voice becoming more and more audible.
Kyra turned her gaze at the human priest. Small beads of sweat forming on the healer's forehead. She was trying to put her body back…
"Useless" the Night elf thought. She looked at the woman and with a shaky hand grabbed her wrist, stopping the flow of light. The human looked at her surprised and somewhat annoyed.
" It hurts?" She asked innocently.
"Just kill me, I am begging you…"Kyra said in a raspy voice, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please, priestess…Have mercy on me."
The healer's expression changed. From a warm gaze, her look turned to a cold stare. Her mouth formed a thin line, and her eyebrows furrowed. She released her wrist from Kyra 's grasp with surprising strength and pushed her down on the bed, pinning her in place on the dirty covers by her shoulders.
"Rogue, come here! "Her voice sounded firm and steady, as opposed to the desperation from before
The blue troll from earlier got up from somewhere on the left side and walked towards the priestess, a puzzled look on his face, his confused stare peering over the Night Elf's scarred face. In his red eyes she saw pity. And she was the source of that kind of look.
"Hold this warrior still" the human priestess commanded.
Kyra screamed in protest, and tried to run away, only to find herself unable to move. Two huge blue arms were wrapped around her, blocking her from any move, feet in the air. He was not trying to injure her or to make her wounds worse, his grip was meant to keep her steady, as it was what the priestess asked. It didn't hurt, but it made her unable to move. She tried kicking him with her legs, but her limbs did not respond. While she squirmed, she came face to face with the blue eyed woman that was trying to put her body back. Her eyes were cold.
"Look around you, Night Elf. You are lucky to be alive. Look. Around. You." the priestess said, and Kyra could swear she saw a tear forming in the woman's eyes.
Kyra tried to look around the infirmary, fighting the tears. Only now the loud thud in her ears was starting to subside, and she could hear clearly the chaotic sounds around her.
Shattrah was filled with injured and dead champions. …all of them were screaming, crying for help, or laying motionless. The smell of rotten flesh and pussing wounds filled her nostrils. A mournful cry was echoing inside the city walls, some were cursing the Gods for the fate of the departed others were yelling desperate prayers, pleading them for help . Priests , druids, shamans, paladins of all kinds and races were attending frantically the injured, running from one to another. Here, in this place, no race existed, no faction, no Gods. Only life and death.
There were so many. Not enough healers to keep them alive. Not enough beds to hold the injured. And they kept coming. Brought in arms of their friends, dragged by their pets. Corpses on beds, on the floor, injured beyond imagination, limbs missing, eyes gauged…One draenai woman was sitting down with a human mage in her arms that had a huge wound in his abdomen, trying to hold his intestines from falling off with her bare hands, her face pale, her hands full of blood. The mage was dead. Long dead. But the draenai just stood there,waiting their turn to be healed a empty look in her eyes, her lips barely moving in a silent and useless prayer.
A shiver went down Kyra's spine and horror washed over her body, a lump forming in her throat. She left her head fall onto the troll's chest, unable to look the horrifying scenery anymore, sobbing quietly. He still did not loosened his grip, afraid that she would run.
"You were lucky, I can heal you. That's not the case for most of them" The priestess continued. "Mistress Tyrande ordered to heal any Night Elf that we find. I did not learned the ways of Light to kill, warrior. I learned them to bring life" the woman stated. "Hold her still, Troll. This will hurt."
A burst of light emanated from the priestess hands, stronger than before, towards the unsuspecting warrior's body. A horrific scream burst from her throat as the pain she felt was unbearable. All her broken bones were making their way to their right place, hurting, scratching and racking at every inch of her body in process. The last thing she saw was yellow light before losing consciousness and succumbing to the darkness.
1.3
She opened her eyes wide, her frame shaking and jumped upright in her bed. Her hands were traveling unsure on her body, checking her bones, muscles. All was in the right place. The pain from her dream was slowly subsiding. She carefully brought her palms to her face. She exhaled face had a scar, not a wound…It was… "A dream…It was all a dream" a relieved sigh escaped her lips. But it felt so real...
She shook her head and rose to her feet to get her armor and supplies.
The sun was about to set and she was ready to depart. She hung her cloak on her shoulders, covering her face with the hood .Walking down on the path that led to the Darnassian portal, she tried to avoid the main road as to not raise suspicion, as instructed. As soon as she got out of the portal, she saw the group of three hooded Nigh Elfs by the flight master. They were way fewer than this afternoon.
"Ishnu allah, sisters" Kyra said in a hushed voice as soon as she got close to them
"Godess watch over you. Before you ask anything else, warrior, here is your ration. The others are already there and waiting on the other side" the taller one said sharply, handing Kyra a small bag. The warrior nodded and took the bag, hanging it on to her belt.
The name of the woman that spoke was Saliel Stardew. She was one of the most skilled rogues Darnassus had to offer. And judging by the look on purple haired woman's face, she was not pleased with this mission either.
"Hopefully we return at sunrise" the male next to her said annoyed. "I had many jobs that I had to put on hold for this so called investigation…A man's gotta eat, you know..."
"Watch your tongue, rogue…You make me sick!"the third one retorted. That one was Lasena Nightsong , a gifted priestess of the Moon, one that never questioned Tyrande's judgement, and one of those that was willing to go to the end of the earth for her. Or kill for her. Or both. So starting an argument with her was useless, and the rogue simply waved his hand and rolled his eyes, much to the priestess annoyance.
The Flight master didn't say a word, as to guess his payment made him do so, he simply handed them four of his gryphons in complete silence.
The flight was uneventful, long and tedious. The saddle sores were all that happened on the way. Kyra tried to fall asleep, strapping her body on the saddle, but the constant wind shifts made it impossible. Besides, her head was filling with thoughts, memories that were not pleasant nor calm.
Here she was : alone with her thoughts. She simply could not shake off an unsettling feeling that was crawling his way into her thoughts, plaguing them with doubt...and something more. Something was not the way it should be but she could not put her finger on it. "What is it?What is wrong?"she tried to figure it out, but no answer came to her mind.
The bird she was riding started getting restless, cawing and pulling his head back mid flight. Kyra's stomach clenched. The animals could sense danger better than people. The gryphon was agitated, which could mean her death, given the fact that they were flying above water. She gently stroke the gryphon's feathers, laying her head on his mane. "I know, I can feel it too" she spoke in a calming tone, but the bird protested. She gently caressed the gryphon's neck, until the bird relaxed, and started flying steadily, much to her relief.
Once they've got to the Ashenvale outpost, the birds flew back. Her bird, stayed behind , cawing at something far in the distance. Kyra smiled, and rubbed it's beak. "It's fine! I can handle myself. Go, fly!"she said and hugged the bird. The hyppogryph cawed one last time, stretched his wings, and flew after his companions. She watched the bird soar up, and her gaze followed it until it became a small dot in the distance.
She turned around, still smiling, and came face to face with one of the rogues, his expression puzzled.
"Do you...know that bird?" he asked cautiously
"No" she retorted, and quickly walked past him.
Not far from the landing point, near one of the houses, they were greeted by Tyrande and other four companions. They bowed their heads and exchanged looks. Kyra's eyes scouted around, taking her time inspecting everyone. Shandris was there, next to Tyrande, the priest, one rogue, the Sentinels…
"Good, you are here. I see you all took your time..." Tyrande started on a low voice. Tapping her foot. "The sole reason you are here now is that Shadris got a report that stated that cultists and demons – she glanced at Kyra, much to her annoyance – are preparing to launch an attack. One of the scouts got ambushed and her body was found mauled with what appeared to be felhounds claw marks," the priestess shook her head. "Fandral reported the same about a group of druids that went missing the other night. Severed limbs were found with tainted magic still lingering above them" the Priestess took a deep breath as she was visibly disturbed."Also, we all know that cultists roam these woods, and we've been tolerating them for too long. So, if those two things are somehow connected we will get a bigger army, corner them and attack. To end this nonsense forever. Right now, we are a scouting party, nothing more, nothing less. We will go on foot, not to raise any more suspicion around. Try to keep your head low, investigate what you can and report to me in five hours. We will go together until the crossroad near Stonetalon Mountains . After wich we split. Shandris, Kyra, myself, Saliel and Asyliel on one side, Lasena, Alonir, Vyron, Elana and Dalia on the other. After five hours we will meet again here. Any questions?"
The group fell silent. Kyra raised her head and looked at Tyrande. The Priestess looked calm and sure of her plan. Her gaze was steady, and her frame firm. Her left eyebrow was slightly raised up. That was her stubborn expression. No one dared to question her when her eyebrow was like this.
"This is a soul crystal attuned to my life energy." Tyrande held up a string which had a glowing white stone at it's end."You will all get one." The priestess sighted." Shandris insisted on this particular protective measure, despite my protests." She shot a quick glance at green haired Sentinel, making her shake her head." When the crystal is white," the priestess continued " it means that I am alive and well, when it's yellow, I am hurt, when it's red I am badly hurt, and when it stops glowing...well..." Tyrande smiled "Let's pray to Elune we will never get to see it"
They all took one necklace with the crystal. The stone felt warm at touch, and a slight hum was emanating from it.
"Any questions?" Tyrande said calmly while tying the crystal holding string around her neck. The group was silent."Good" she smiled. "We may proceed"
Kyra felt uneasy. Something was not right, her instincts were raging, her brain tried to connect the dots that were not there. She opened her mouth, but words failed to materialize."Maybe this is not the entire she didn't trust me enough to share the whole plan with me, that's why it doesn't seem right. No one else is questioning her judgment. Again, my crazy mind is playing me…"the warrior thought. Indeed, everyone seemed pleased with the plan. No one showed any sign of defiance or second thoughts.
"May Godess light our path and her wisdom guide us back in one piece!", Tyrande whispered. She made a prayer symbol above everyone's head and murmured a blessing for their journey.
They've gathered their backpacks and went down the road in a very calculated order, as previously instructed.
Kyra was leading the way with the two rogues - Alonir and Vyron at her sides, as one was strong, and the others could easily blend into shadows if something was to happen. Plus, it gave Tyrande a better view over her least trusted pupil. Saliel and Dalia were flanking Tyrande, Shandris and Lasena in the middle. If anything happened to the first three, they could counterattack. And lastly, Elana and Asyliel were in the back, protecting the rear of their party.
Kyra felt angry for not knowing the entire plan, but also curious to find out the rest of it. These contrite thoughts made her frown involuntarily as she walked.
" You look grim" Alonir said in a low voice. "Do you know something we don't about this mission?"The male spoke in a fake serious tone with a smirk on his face.
Kyra was interrupted from her thoughts, and looked surprised at the tall blue haired male that spoke. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were looking for a response from her. He was much taller than her, had blue spiky hair and was wearing a leather armor with many pockets. She never saw so many pockets on a piece of clothing. They were everywhere: oh his chest, sides and back. She could swear he had others, well hidden from curious eyes. Why was he joking with her? His tone annoyed her. His height annoyed her. His voice annoyed her. She ignored the question, and looked in the distance.
The smile from the elf slowly faded away, but his eyes never left her face.
"I'm bored... And I would much rather talk with you than with that stinky rogue over there," he whispered pointing at Vyron.
"I can hear you, fish face, and I don't think your jokes are a good idea. They never are", Vyron mumbled
"Alright...You are right." He rolled his eyes." And also boring..."He added and smiled, much to the other rogue's annoyance. Alonyr turned his gaze to Kyra, and gently tapped her shoulder with his finger.
"Not so grim anymore, huh?" The rogue poked her ribs with his elbow. "I can tell you are smiling under that mask."
"Don't. Touch. Me." She hissed and sharply pushed his hand away.
Her icy stare made the rogue's eyes grow wide. A murderous look was adorning her eyes and her steady gaze sent an unexpected shiver down his slowly pulled his hand back and mumbled an apology.
"I was just making...Oh, forget it...I am sorry..." Alonir's voice was almost a whisper he did not dare voicing out loud. He shook his head. This woman had something. Without doing anything, with just one stare she made his hands shaky. He slowly looked down at his sweaty palms and hid them in his poket.
"What could possible turn someone into...this?" he thought to himself and sighted.
Kyra was staring up and down the scared rogue with her fists clenched, still walking beside him, trying not to hit him...when she heard a light chuckle. She turned her gaze towards the sound and saw the other rogue with his hand covering his mouth. He was laughing. But when his eyes met hers, his smile froze. He lowered his gaze, cleared his throat and fastened his pace. She could tell he was scared too, and smiled. The young ones were so silence made her happy. Kyra's eyes were scouting the road peacefully and her grin was covered by her faceguard.
As she kept walking, her body suddenly tensed.
"O Elune..."she froze in place. A wave of dread washed over her and she felt her legs melting. A high pitched sound in her head made her frown and her jaw dropped, as with a high speed finally the pieces were coming together.
"I said I am sorry, I didn't mean to…"Alonir whispered
"Where is Alyre?! "She interrupted the rogue.
"Who?"Alonir said visibly confused
"Alyre, the Sentinel…I am sorry, if that is a secret, but you have to tell me! You stayed after I left this morning, right? Did u see anyone approaching Tyrande? Tell me!"
"I don't remember…"the rogue mumbled.
"You have to!" Kyra's hand grabbed the taller elf's jaw, and brought him ant her level. "You have to..." she spelled the words slowly, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't know! I don't remember!" the rogue spat. "And trust me, I would remember. We left right after you. Including Tyrande"
Vyron dashed between the two with his jaw clenched.
"You..."
Kyra pushed the rogue away, and quickly turned on her heels.
"Stop. Here. Now!" she yelled, her eyes searching frantically for anything to confirm what she was thinking. The group stopped at her scream, drawing their weapons…at her.
"What does this mean, Moongaze?!" Shandris positioned herself in front of the priestess, her look burning like fire, her hand gripping the bow and the end of an arrow.
" Everyone, calm down…I bet we don't have much time. We are walking into a trap… trust me on this, please, "Kyra said in a hushed voice, an unsettling feeling washing over her, her gaze scouting the surroundings. "This! This is a trap…"Kyra whispered. "Alyre…that damned stupid girl. She said you called her, Tyrande, she was listening…And this morning she was not at her post….Please, listen to me, we have to go back, now!"
" I don't know who is that person you are talking about! Now compose yourself or Mother Moon help me I…" Tyrande said with a darkened expression.
"What are you trying to do, warrior? I can assure you, I swore to kill you if you try anything that threatens the High Priestess" Shandris hissed with her bow at ready and targeted Kyra when suddenly her expression changed. She made a quick turn with her body away from the warrior, shielding Tyrande from whatever or whenever was hiding in the distance.
There it was. The feeling from this morning. Kyra looked at the High Priestess to say something more, only to notice the concerned look on her face. She felt it too then. They were being watched. The group, slowly formed a circle, with their backs at each other
"What is this trickery?"Tyrande whispered angryly. "Moongaze, I hope for all that it is sacred that you have nothing to do with that."
"My only fault in this is that I did not notice this earlier" Kyra whispered, her jaw clenched, her heart racing, her eyes looking for whatever was causing the unsettling feeling.
Tyrande let out a barely audible breaths became one as every step could mean the end of them all. In a snap second, a foul, unbearable smell of decay was spreading through the air.
"Cover your mouths and noses! "Tyrande let out a muffled command while covering her face with the end of her robe. "Do not breath in the stench, by all means! Retreat...slowly"
"Over there!" Vyron screamed pointing in front of him.
A blue form vanished before their eyes.
"Horde…"Shandris spat with disgust.
Kyra noticed an enormous white stain coming their way from all directions A wall shaped mass of something milky was quickly enveloping the surroundings
"Fog …"she whispered. "Everyone, listen up! We will be swallowed in that fog, there is no way to run! Breathe only through cloth . Hold your ground, no matter what – do not leave your guard down. And most important, protect the Priestess with your life!"
She could feel the surprised look Tyrande sent her way, even if it lasted for a mere second. She heard a faint "Mother Moon, give us strength" before the white mass wrapped around them.
It was impossible to see in any other direction. It was impossible to see her companions even. She had to relay on her instincts. Kyra hooded her eyes, and trough the mist cloud she saw silhouettes. Ten, maybe fifteen. They were everywhere. That meant…
"We are surrounded! "She roared in anger. "Hold your ground!Protect…"she felt a jolt in her gut when a sharp cutting sound was heard at her right and a massive body fell on her, topling her away from the group. She took a step back to steady herself, but her foot landed on thin air . She did not scout beforehand the surroundings and she cursed herself mentally for that. Before she could breathe in, a body fell on her, knocking her down. Kyra lost her balance. They were rolling until they hit a tree trunk, knocking the air out of her lungs as the shape landed on top of her. She cursed at her negligence, but then... her eyes went wide in shock . She saw the blue haired rogue, with his throat slid oped, a terrifying grimace on his face. He was gasping for air, spasmodically chocking on his on blood while life was leaving his body. The red liquid was all over her armor and neck, covering the dead leafs with a scarlet hew. Without any hesitation and with a swift use of force she threw him off, and jumped upright, feeling a lump forming in her throat. He was...dead. Now she had to leave him here. He was so young...And he was trying to make her laugh...Her breath became shaky. "Stop it! That was not important. The crystal! She scrambled to find it in her pocket. She sighted in relief when she saw the white glowing.
"Compose yourself".She had to get back as fast as she could. She got cut out from the group, and the mists were making it more harder to find her way back. All she knew was that she fell in to a groove of some sorts. Kyra tried to climb the grassy wall, her plate armor making it twice as hard. The grass was wet, and after climbing half the way she slipped, falling back in to the groove, next to the dead body, leaves and vines tangled in her hair and in the cracks of her armor. She got on her feet and let out a loud grunt, kicking the wall multiple time in frustration. She unlaced the ration bag from her belt and threw it in frustration, dropped her helmet on the ground, and kicked it aside.
" Who from the high ranking officers is alive?"she yelled from the groove.
"Shandris Feathermoon, report!" A voice called in the distance. "Right side", she thought and was quick to climb towards it, digging with ner nails in wet dirt for support, mindful of her surroundings, trying not to fall again. If she heard her, that means the enemies did too. She had little time.
" Kyra Moongaze reporting" she yelled, scrambling her way back at the top. "I got cut out from the group! The blue haired rogue is dead. Don't know his name, I'm sorry. Narrow the circle!"
"Who from the high ranking officers is alive?"A crying voice called from the left side.
"No..."
"Shandris Feathermoon, report!" the Sentinel General's voice sounding weird, shaky and strained."She is fighting...they don't care about us. They want Tyrande...Right side"
" Asyliel Starseeker reporting. Elana is dead! I am gravely wounded, do not come for me. Narrow the circle..." the words of the priestess fading in the distance as she was coughing and chocking .
"I have to get there"Kyra thought to herself, her mind racing, sweat covering her brows. How did they get dismantled so easily? "Is the enemy that strong? Or they are great in numbers? They took our defenses without leaving us a second chance"
A loud scream interrupted her thoughts. "Shandris!"Kyra got on top of the groove, dragging her body upright on the wet ground. She quickly gripped the hilts of her weapons, and started running towards the sound like her feet were on fire,. She saw a crouched frame and two others over her. And bodies. Dozens or more. All around them were bodies with slash wounds, arrows sticking out from corpses."Cultists?"she thought. That means, as she was scrambling to get to the surface of the groove, the others were fighting. Approaching, she saw Shandris wounded in the middle of corpses, a huge black mark on her left shoulder, skin burned. The two other were watching in horror around, helping her to get blades were coated in blood."Tyrande!" she thought, as her earlier fear was materialized before her eyes, panic crawling in her mind.
Shandris looked exhausted and drained, but judging by the look she gave Kyra, she didn't look any better. The Sentinels leader got up, with a pained look on her face, but stood proud upright.
With shaking breath, she mumbled:
"They took Tyrande…She just collapsed in my arms, like she fainted. She did not look wounded...Too many…We could not…They are using some powerful magic or I don't know what to think...I don't know about the others..."
"In a matter of seconds?" Kyra yelled, grabbing Shandris by her neck, toppling her "You were suppose to protect her!"
"Where were you?!"Shandris said, pain in her words. "From all I know, you are a traitor!" the ranger pushed Kyra away with all her strenght, getting quickly onto her feet. "But for now I don't care about that! I don't care if you live or die!I can deal with you later! I need to find Tyrande"
"No. "Kyra retorted "I'll go find her. Alone. Just point me where they went."
Shandris gaze went dark, and her eyes tried to retort, rage making her fists clench on her bow, took a step towards Kyra ,but she remembered that times like this needed restraint and cold judgment. So she took a deep breath and uttered as calm as she could
"I said I will go…Go get the reinforcements! I have little to no patience..."
"Get down! "Kyra screamed
She toppled Shandris down, seconds before a giant fire ball hit Dalia in her chest. The poor thing never stood a chance, a look of horror engulfing her features. The flying deadly ball was followed by a second one that barely missed their heads. Saliel let out a whimper as her companions body was turning in to ash and crumbling before her eyes, and fell on her knees, hands desperately trying to hug her companions vanishing body.
"Get off me, Moongaze!"Shandris let out a grunt, and without any effort pushed Kyra off her body, and got in to a crouching stance.
"Go and get reinforcements! Now!" she ordered, eyes starring in the distance.
"I am sorry." Kyra mumbled in a tiny voice, and raised her arm.
Before anyone could ask anything, Kyra's arm went around the Sentinel neck, in a fast and precise chokehold. Shandris gasped for air while struggling to get out of the grip, her heels digging the dirt, hands clawing the invading arm. The battle before took a toll on her, and slowly, her efforts to free herself became weaker and weaker, legs stopped their battle on the forest floor, and with one last breath, she rolled her eyes and fainted. Saliel looked at the scene with her eyes wide, tears running down her cheeks, her entire body shaking.
"She will be allright, it will wear off in a minute or so. Take my heartstone. Get her to safety!" Kyra said to the terrified elf.
To her horror, the other elf had a blank stare and did not move at all.
She knew that look. She saw it so many times in the midst of battle. Kyra grabbed her shoulders and shook her body.
"Are you with me?"she yelled.
Saliel whimpered, and tears started running again down her beautiful features.
"I...don't want to...Please..." The elf cried
"Listen to me kiddo...There is no time! We will be dead soon if we don't act! All of us. Please...It will be alright"
She shoved her heartstone in to the limp palm of the other woman.
"There...It will be alright, do you hear me?You will be safe need to take Shandris back, you will be safe there...Can you do this for me?" Saliel shook her head.
Kyra let out a frustrated grunt, and pointed at Shandris, the Sentinel grunting as she was started to wake up.
"It's not only about you now, it's about Shandris as well. Remember: when you get to Darnassus, tell them to come. Tell them to come and help. Wake up the druids if you have to! Or all is lost. Can you do that, kiddo?"
The rogue wiped her tears, and pulled Shandris in her arms .
"Yes...Yes...I can..." she mumbled.
"That is wonderful, you hear me? That is what I wanted to hear" Kyra smiled. "That's what I wanted hear! You are doing great!"
Saliel held her shaking hand upfront, and tightened her grip on the heartstone. "What about you?" she whispered, fear making her voice tremble.
"I am going after Tyrande" Kyra smiled" Now go, I will distract them. Go!"
The rogue whispered in a tiny voice the words that made the heartstone glow, and held Shandris close. As their silhouettes melted in mist, Kyra looked around for any movement or attack. As they dissapeared, and she knew they were safe, she sighted in relief. Her ears twitched as she heard a familliar hum. "A portal…"
"Hey!" She yelled." Come at me! Or your fog is so dense it confused you too?"
She waited, her ears twitching. Leafs rustled behind her. She heard some words in a tiny whisper and she charged towards the sound, with her swords at ready until she met resistance. The blades plunged deep in a warm body, the sensation sending jolts of electricity in to her veins. She twisted them and pulled them off, blood pouring out of the wounds. The body of a man collapsed at her feet."Cultists…Disgusting". She caught a faint whisper at her right, lifted her leg slowly and kicked with her heel full force in that direction. A crack echoed in the fog, near her. And with a loud thud another fell on all four, but this one was alive, his mouth full of blood, teeth missing. Kyra grabbed the man by his neck, and brought him to her face. Her silver eyes were full of rage and her breath heavy. The cultist looked scared, and tried to run, but she pinned him to a nearby tree, holding him with her arms and knee.
"Where did you take Tyrande?And why?"
The cultist, a dark haired man, much shorter than her, with his face full of ritualistic black tatoos, looked at her with demented eyes, his face contorted from pain. His chin and neck were full of blood, the sight was a sore for the of a sudden, he burst out in a crazy laugh.
"You will die, warrior…"he mumbled with his disfigured mouth, laughing maniacally, blood pouring from his mouth. He looked drunk or in a trance, and with a swift change of mood, he started to suffocate from laughter until his face became red.
Kyra looked at him in disgust and spat on the ground. Then, suddenly she felt a burning sensation in her arms, the body of the cultist getting warmer, and warmer until she threw him on the ground, confused. The man was still laughing on the forest floor, and then he stopped. He started screaming in horror, twitching on the ground. Kyra took two steppes back. In that very moment, the man was suddenly engulfed in flames. Black smoke was rising from the body and green fire was dancing on him. He was screaming in desperation and rolling on the ground as the flame was eating his last drop of life. What was happening? She could not believe her eyes. Or…"It was too easy...This was a distraction!" she realized in fear and ran towards the portal. "They needed Tyrande, and they don't want to waste more time or lives…"
Upon arriving she realized that the portal got smaller. Someone passed before her, she had to hurry. They portal will disappear soon. She will not get back, most likely. Her breath got shorter, the thrill of battle so long forgotten was pouring through her veins, making her anxious and a feeling of fulfillment made her smile. She searched her pocket for the crystal, and brought it to her eye level. It was glowing faintly white. Kyra closed her fist around it.Without giving it more thought she closed her eyes and stepped through it.
