Jarn'dor cut through the thick foliage, clawing his way to the cavernous entrance. He sawed through the oasis plants, his stride taking him closer and closer to the Wailing Caverns.
Up until a few years ago, the Druid Naralex and his disciples had trained within the Wailing Caverns, along with members of the Druids of the Fang. One day, Naralex entered the Emerald Dream, as all druids had to in exchange for their power over nature. But when he entered, twisted nightmares poured out, infecting the Druids of the Fang, and making them corrupted.
Soon, the Emerald Nightmare had claimed the cave with its darkness, driving out Naralex and his Disciples. However, a few months prior to the Cataclysm, a group of young adventurers had cleaned out the cavern, driving away the Druids of the Fang, and slaying their Leaders, the Fanglords.
Now, Jarn'dor hoped the cavern would be empty, devoid of life. For now that Naralex had made a connection to the Emerald Dream, and left it, the Caverns were now possibly the closest open "channel", or pathway to the Dream.
The troll nearly fell out into a clearing, quickly regaining his balance. He looked down at the grass in between his toes and smiled. The Barrens had been devoid of life for some time, but recently oases had sprung up, drawing all sorts of plant and animal life.
All around the druid were healthy plants, bearing ripened fruit. Small lizards and other plains critters scampered in and out of the bushes, now just in season to bloom amazing flowers of every shape and size. Jarn'dor admired this for a time, before turning to a great maw in the earth. He looked deep inside it, and recognized the place for what it was; the Wailing Caverns.
He stepped inside the cave, following the naturally hewn path down into the earth. It soon became pitch black, the druid having to navigate his way by feel. He stretched out his power, searching for some form of life to guide him. Jarn'dor reeled, finding a large group of plants, their roots lining the tunnel walls.
Using these roots as a guide, the druid pressed on quickly moving within the tunnels. He soon pulled himself from the dark tunnels, and into a light-filled cavern.
Water trickled down from the cracks in the earth, into a gigantic cavern filled with all varieties of plat and animal life, lizards hissing, birds chirping, bats flew out from the cave, as the afternoon sun began to set into night.
Jarn'dor looked at all of the underground life, his mouth agape. An entire ecosystem underneath the earth… It was an incredible sight, trees bursting through the cavern roof above. The druid quietly wondered if he was right under the oasis; beneath the life-giving pools.
A figure leaped out of the trees, tackling Jarn'dor to the ground. He kicked it off, drawing his staff. The druid looked around, unsure of what attacked him. He quietly scanned the foliage, all of the smaller animals darting to the bushes and trees.
A quiet growl emanated from behind him, and he flipped, slamming the beast with his staff. Jarn'dor leaped up into the trees without hesitation, jumping from branch to branch. The animal let out a roar, and jumped into the branches, following the druid as he scaled up and up the trees.
Jarn'dor stopped on the last branch, as the animal paused on it's, the beast's yellow eyes staring at him from the shadow in the tree. It leaped, and Jarn'dor slid off his branch, plunging straight down to the cavern floor.
He watched as the animal leaped from the top branch, jumping down from limb to limb, following the druid. Jarn'dor began to count in his mind, watching as each branch zipped past him in his freefall. On the way up, he had counted every branch he jumped to, knowing he would need to know how many there were for him to plot his escape.
Jarn'dor reached out, and grabbed a branch, swinging around it as his body stretched straight out from the force. He released his grip as the beast continued to leap down the trees, having lost its prey. The druid catapulted away, landing in a recess in the rock.
He looked around in the trees, searching for the animal that attacked him. A growl emanated from beside him; the same growl as the beast.
Jarn'dor drew his staff, and a cat sat on its haunches, looking a little stern at him. Its fur was a dark blue, and its mane was bright red… The same red as Jaz'renthi's hair. The cat shifted, taking the form of a very cross Jaz'renthi.
She slapped her mate across the face. "Dat was for da staff," she growled, before slapping him again, "And dat, was for kickin' me." Jarn'dor scowled at his mate, a retort on his lips. Before he could say a word, Jaz'renthi pressed a finger to his lips.
"Jarn," she began, "I know ya dinna want me comin', But I just canna stay away. What happens if ya get lost in da dream?" The female druid curled her arms around Jarn'dor, pressing her head into the others chest. "I canna lose ya…"
Jarn'dor sighed, unable to send her away now. "Jaz… At da first sign of danga, ya leavin' me. A'right?" His mate nodded, and he hugged her close. They stayed this way for a long time, before breaking apart.
The two druids slid down the rock face, landing on the ground below the recess. The two druids walked through the cavern, talking about the flora and fauna, and listing off possibilities of how the plants could have grown so deep underground.
After hours of walking around the cavern, Jaz'renthi sat down on a rock, yawning. "Jarn… We been walkin' for hours… Can ya just enta da dream hea?" The other druid shook his head.
"No," he stated, "We need ta find da spot where Naralex entad da dream… Dat be da strongest point of access." Jaz'renthi rolled her eyes.
"Ya be a know-it-all sometimes, ya know dat?" she asked, standing and wrapping her arms around Jarn, leaning up to kiss him. "But I love ya for it."
Jarn'dor smiled, resting his head on hers, his arms winding around her waist. He looked up to the crack in the roof of the cavern, and watched as the moon glowed in the sky, lighting the cavern from the outside.
The pair continued on after a while, occasionally stopping to admire the vegetation in the cave. Suddenly, the two druids stepped into a stream, flowing away from the heart of the cavernous jungle. Jarn'dor immediately followed the stream, Jaz'renthi in close pursuit.
They followed the brook closely, and after a time, it disappeared into a great maw, a tunnel darker than either had seen yet.
Jaz'renthi shuddered. "Mon," she said, "Dere be evil in dere…" Jarn'dor could only nod, the cavernous abyss seeming to swallow his thoughts.
"In dere," he spoke, "Be our destination…" Jarn'dor reached into his pack, and pulled out his only torch. The druid struck it upon a nearby rock, and watched as the head burst into flames. He held it in front of him, and walked forward, Jaz'renthi behind him.
The two walked forward, deep into the abyss.
As they trudged along, Jarn'dor lit torches along the walls, the flames throwing terrifying shadows across the tunnel. The pair progressed deeper and deeper into the darkness, the path never seeming to end.
Jarn'dor became panicked as the tunnel continuously stretched, knowing they were going further and further away from the light of the world. As both of the trolls began to think the tunnel would go on forever, they spilled out into a cavern.
Unlike the dark tunnel, this cavern was lined with brightly burning torches. There were no shadows within this cavern, the light bouncing off of reflective pools and a river within the middle of the it. A rocky bridge spanned across a great gap, connecting two cliffs together.
The druids passed over the stone span, heading deeper into the caverns. Quickly, the torch-light disappeared, leaving them in the dark once again. Jarn'dor pressed his hand against the cavern wall, quickly finding a tunnel. The pair progressed down it, their journey engulfed in silence.
Jaz'renthi put her arm in Jarn'dor's, feeling uncomfortable in the silence. "Jarn… It be so quiet…"
Jarn'dor could only nod, the darkness folding around them like a cell. They hadn't seen a living thing since they had entered the Wailing Caverns. But he knew they were on the right track, the presence of the Emerald Dream getting closer and closer.
Jarn'dor's hand slipped from the tunnel wall into open space, the torch lighting up a cavern far smaller than any they had seen yet. Their eyes adjusted, revealing a cavern with torches lining the walls, a great pool at the far end. Jarn'dor walked around, lighting the torches on the walls, revealing bones and dead animals within the pool.
In the center of the chamber, was a rock bed, where Jarn'dor knew Naralex had slept. Jaz'renthi eyed the pool, her eyes wide. Her mate looked at her, and knew she must be terrified of the water after their time at the beach.
Jarn'dor walked up to Jaz'renthi, hugging her tightly. "A'right… It be time." Jaz'renthi shook her head, clearing it.
"A'right," she said, "But ya be comin' back ta me." Jarn'dor nodded, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. Their love flared, and their lips stayed locked together for a long time. Jarn'dor was the first to break it, slowly releasing Jaz'renthi from the embrace. He stepped towards the black-stone bed, lieing down upon it. He let his eyes droop shut, and relaxed.
This was his first time entering the Emerald Dream, the realm too dangerous for his teacher to take him, and so, when he seemed to become lighter and lighter, he panicked. Jarn'dor began to flail, until he realized his arms weren't moving. He opened his eyes, and looked around the chamber.
The cavern was absolutely empty, no torches, no bed, and not trolls. Jarn'dor remembered something about the Dream being a primal version of Azeroth, as if sentient beings had never touched it. The druid looked toward the tunnel he had entered, and began to walk up it. He walked for a long, long time, passing through every cavern, feeling as if he should walk outside.
The druid walked out through the cavern mouth, and gaped at the scene.
The Barrens weren't barren… They were beautiful. Trees seemed to sprout from everywhere, the entire land a giant oasis. Jarn'dor admired the beauty of this nature, his thoughts drifting to his home, Zul'Gurub. He thought of all the horrors Atal'Hakkar had wreaked upon the Gurubashi Tribe, imprisoning the other Loa, and forcing their champions to serve him.
Jarn'dor shook his head, and began to wander around this lush land, awestruck at the plant-life...
Jaz'renthi watched her mate sleep, her mind wandering. She quietly pondered a multitude of things, concerning the future, and the past. She thought about her brother Zi'bal, and why he seemed so sullen after Jarn'dor turned down that promotion.
Underneath the waters of the pool, unbeknownst to Jaz'renthi, something stirred. While the druid was wrapped in her thoughts, a great head poked up through the water, it's eyes filled with pure evil. Wings unfolded from the beings body, revealing scythe-like claws upon the wingtips. From the water emerged Atal'Hakkar, a figure out of nightmare.
Jaz'renthi spun around from the sudden presence, her face filling with fear. The Blood God laughed, and the cavern shook.
"Little Druid," crowed the god, "Who has summoned me…" Jaz'renthi put on a grim face, drawing her staff. "If ya commin' ta destroy da world, ya ain't gonna get trough me!"
The Soulflayer laughed. "You think you can match my power, little troll! You don't even know what you face! I AM POWER!" The roof rumbled, dust and debris falling upon the two.
Jaz'renthi's vision began to haze, Atal'Hakkar vanishing within it. She looked around, wondering where the gigantic figure had vanished. A hiss ensued from behind her, and she spun, swinging her staff. It struck nothing but the haze, whatever that had been behind her suddenly vanishing.
Hissing ensued from all around her, driving her closer to the pool. She looked around, quickly becoming panicked from the hidden figures. Jaz'renthi stepped into the pool, and felt a cool, scaly hand wrap around her ankle, and drag her underwater…
Jarn'dor looked at the oasis, awestruck. "Careful, druid. Stray too far from your purpose and you'll become lost."
The troll turned, and saw a great, black panther. She yawned, stretching out her body in the process. Jarn'dor fell to his knees, his Loa standing in front of him.
"Bethekk," he whispered, "Da Night Huntress…" The panther almost smiled.
"Hello, Jarn'dor. I know why you've come here. You wish to see if your friend still lives. Correct?" Jarn'dor could only nod, awestruck by the figure. Bethekk turned her side to Jarn'dor. She shook her head, indicating for Jarn'dor to get on. The Troll reverently climbed on top of his Loa, and the Night Huntress began to run.
The landscape blurred from the Loa's speed, Jarn'dor nearly flying from the great beast's back.
"Loa," asked Jarn'dor, "Why ya be helpin' me? I just be a troll." The Panther chuckled, looking over her shoulder at the rider.
"You have always been faithful to me," spoke Bethekk, "You have always worshipped me, and never strayed from the path of goodness. You uphold my morals, my duties, and frequently pay respects to me. I now return your faith, with anything I can do to help."
The druid smiled, Bethekk being the only Loa who he ever saw as good. The bat and the snake were too mysterious, the tiger too savage, and the spider too underhanded. Bethekk, in his eyes, was a true warrior. She always thought things through, before needlessly engaging in combat, and sought balance over war or peace.
"But Loa," yelled Jarn'dor over the whistling wind in his ears, "I tought ya had a champion!" Bethekk laughed.
"My champion died when Hakkar's avatar was defeated. He held us all prisoner, and therefore, myself and the other Loa did nothing to aid him when he fell." The Night Huntress laughed cruely. "He may act like a great Loa, but when his avatar began to die, he begged like a coward."
Jarn'dor nodded. "But den, why ya bein in da Emerald Dream? Isn't dis da realm of da Aspect Ysera?"
"It is," replied Bethekk, "But some claim that Hakkar himself has corrupted the Dream. It is the reason for your nightmares. It is why, whenever you look in a mirror, you can see the black tendrils of corruption trying to consume you."
The troll nodded. Every time he looked into something reflective, he thought he had seen dark tendrils trying to cling to him and everything around him. Jarn'dor had assumed that it was guilt causing the darkness, but now he understood. It had been the Dream trying to consume him.
"I have come here," continued the Loa, "To investigate these rumours. When I sensed one of my most faithful enter, I knew I had to aid you."
The Night Huntress suddenly stopped, the two standing where Zul'Gurub should be.
"There are many levels to the Dream," explained Bethekk, "Each one showing the progress of Azeroth since its creation… You are not yet strong enough to transcend these levels, but I shall aid you."
Jarn'dor blinked in surprise, as the landscape began to change, Zul'Gurub suddenly erected. The landscape continuously changed as the two beings swam through the Dream, finally arriving at the start of the Zandalari Empire.
"Here," stated Bethekk, "Is where we search for your friend."
The Night Huntress entered the city, as Jarn'dor watched himself fly into the city from the trees, Nek'tan swimming through the crowd…
Jaz'renthi struggled for breath, the hands dragging her down deeper into the pond. She looked down, and screamed.
A naga was dragging her down, the very same one that had killed her mother. It hissed, its mouth twisted into a smile.
"We will kill you," it hissed, "Just like we killed your mother!" Jaz'renthi tried to swing her staff, as the naga dragged her deeper and deeper into the murky depths. Other naga started to grab at her, ripping her staff from her hand, and pulling and tearing at her clothing.
She shifted to a great bear, swatting at the naga. She tried to swim away, but not before more naga clutched at her, slowly pulling her deeper into the water. Jaz'renthi couldn't scream, her lungs filled with water. Her eyes began to close, her mind slowing down…
Jarn'dor rode Bethekk, as the Zandalari Troll began to speak, his words echoing throughout the city. He didn't care for the words, all of it being in the past. He spotted himself on top of a ruined building, and smiled. He looked stranger back in the past, crouching and looking so different.
"Focus," said Bethekk, "They may not be able to see us, but time still travels. I'd prefer not to come back here again."
The troll looked to the altar, spying Nek'tan. The trolls began to roar and scatter, following the entities command. Nek'tan ripped a great battle-axe out from under his cloak, driving it into the trolls around him.
The scattered trolls began to slowly regroup on him. His violent axe-swings carved into the trolls, until they overwhelmed him.
"Bring him to da altar," commanded the Zandalari Troll, as the other clans scrabbled to obey. They hoisted Nek'tan up onto the monolith, stripping away his axe and cloak. The Amani, and Gurubashi trolls held the orc still as the Zandalari paced around him.
"So spy," accused the Zandalari, "Who be your accomplice? Talk!" The orc spit at the trolls feet.
"I won't sell out my comrade! I live and die for him!" cried the orc. The trolls gathered around the altar laughed, and the Zandalari merely looked at the troll smugly.
"Your 'comrade' has escaped, and left you to die!" Nek'tan closed his eyes. When he opened them, nothing but defiance filled them.
"Then he survives," spoke the orc, "And I die. I forgive him, and his soul. But until the end, I DEFY AND DESPISE YOU!" The trolls began to boo and jeer, throwing whatever they had on hand at the orc.
The Zandalari troll laughed. "Ya canna defy what kills ya!" roared the troll as he drew a dagger from beneath his robes. "When ya see ya 'comrade' tell him da Zandalari send dere regards!"
Jarn'dor screamed in protest as the Zandalari drove his dagger into Nek'tan, ripping it upward. The orc's guts spilled from his stomach, falling onto the altar and dying it a deep red. The trolls around him did not react to the scream, for at the spilling of the orc's innards, they cheered and roared.
Nek'tan became limp in the trolls arms, and they threw him on top of his organs, the red coloured lumps crushed under the weight of the orc's muscular body. He stared up at the sky, and with his last breath roared, "LOK TAR OGAR!"
With that final cry, Nek'tan became still, truly dead. Jarn'dor could no longer look at the scene, choosing to bury his face in Bethekk's fur.
"Be at ease druid," spoke the Night Huntress soothingly, "He forgave you, and knew that he would die here… Be at peace." Jarn'dor could only nod, forcing himself not to cry. Bethekk raised her head as the trolls continued to cheer, her ears twitching. She darted out of the city, the landscape blurring around them.
Jarn'dor clutched the great panther's fur as she ran, barely managing to stay on. "Huntress," asked the mourning troll, "What be wrong?" The Panther ran without stopping, leaping onto the Great Sea. She ran across it, floating on it as if it were ground.
"Danger lurks," warned Bethekk, "There is great danger where your body lies." Jarn'dor looked at the troll, unsure what to say. "I will aid you in anyway I can, but we must hurry. Time is quickly running short."
Bethekk leaped over the chaotic Maelstrom, a panicked and confused Jarn'dor holding onto her for dear life…
Jaz'renthi awoke on a plain, still in her bear form. 'Where am I?' she asked herself, gazing around the barren land. She could see nothing but plains grass, no animals, no bushes, nothing but grass.
A bullet whipped past her head burying itself in the ground behind her. She looked, and saw a Blood Elf, holding a bolt action rifle.
"Oh damn, I missed," complained the elf, "But I'll quickly remedy that." The elf cracked open the chamber on his rifle, a shell falling onto the ground. He slid in a new round, slamming the chamber shut.
Jaz'renthi tried to shift her form, to explain that she was a druid. But she couldn't. She couldn't talk, or shift. Jaz'renthi began to panic, standing on her hind legs and roaring in response.
"Such a brute," muttered the hunter, "but your pelt will look stunning on my wall." The elf fired his rifle again, the shot grazing Jaz'renthi's cheek. She immediately turned to run, tears streaming down her eyes…
Bethekk leaped into the Wailing Caverns, following the tunnels expertly, despite the blurring speed. Jarn'dor held on for dear life, wondering what kind of horror would await them.
"Jarn'dor," spoke the Night Huntress, "Great evil awaits you outside the Emerald Dream. What it is, is a monster spawned by your nightmares. When you strayed from your purpose of finding Nek'tan, it escaped through your body, much like Naralex's horrors." Jarn'dor could only nod, the speed of the great panther dizzying.
They plunged into the chamber holding Jarn'dor's body, the troll's unconscious form lighting up like a beacon.
"I will aid you in anyway I can," reassured Bethekk, "Now go! Time runs short!"
Jarn'dor sat down, upon the altar. He closed his eyes and lay down, the Emerald Dream vanishing…
Jaz'renthi continued to run, bullets flying at her from the hunter's gun. She was afraid for her life, only able to run across the endless plain. Her knee flared with pain, one of the hunter's bullets ripping through the joint.
The druid fell to her side, roaring her pain. The elf caught up to her, pointing his rifle at her chest. "Now the greatest shame," spoke the elf, "Would be if you were a druid… That would be true irony."
Jaz'renthi tried to scream that she was, she tried to change back, but it all seemed as if a bear was roaring in pain.
"Time to put you out of your misery." The elf pointed his rifle at Jaz'renthi's head, and pulled the trigger…
Jarn'dor awoke to her screaming, sitting bolt upright. Jaz'renthi was curled in a ball on the floor, shivering and whimpering in fear. Above her, was Atal'Hakkar, ready to prey on her soul.
"Get away from her!" roared the druid, letting loose a bolt of moonfire. It slammed into Hakkar, and sent the Blood God flying, the monster careening into a wall.
The druid leaped off the bed, running to Jaz'renthi's quivering body. Jaz'renthi was twitching and whimpering, as if she were caught in some sort of nightmare.
"Fool," whispered the Soulflayer as he rose, "Your woman is caught in nightmares, and with each new one, she feeds me. I will soon leave this cavern, and wreak my havoc anew!" Hakkar laughed, a horrible, terrifying sound.
Jarn'dor could only roar his fury, throwing bolt after bolt of moonfire at the Blood God. Hakkar slammed against the wall, screaming his anger and pain from the burns the arcane fire left him. Hakkar pushed himself away from the wall, battering the druid with a great wing.
Jarn'dor flew across the room, slamming onto the black stone bed and shattering it on impact. The druid watched as the Soulflayer bared his massive fangs, preparing to strike Jaz'renthi for her life.
The druid reached out to the plants, pleading, and a gigantic root shot out of the earth, driving its tip into the Blood God's chest. Atal'Hakkar roared in agony, as the root slammed him up against the wall, impaling him to the cavern.
Jarn'dor shook with rage, his eyes the color of venom. Other roots burst forth from the cavern walls, stabbing themselves into Hakkar. The Soulflayer writhed in agony, spouting obscenities at the druid.
As more and more roots joined the first, the Gods writhing slowed, and he finally became still. The Blood God locked eyes with Jarn'dor and hissed his rage.
"This… Is not… Over… Gurubashi…" With a final twitch, Hakkar expired. His body ruptured, turning into a fine powder. The powdery substance floated onto the pond, sinking into the cursed water.
Jarn'dor rushed over to Jaz'renthi, trying to shake her awake. Jaz'renthi could only whine, screaming occasionally as her dreams got worse and worse. Jarn'dor could feel his eyes watering, and he roared his agony, his scream of fury turning to one of sorrow.
'Jarn'dor… Jarn'dor…' The troll looked around, searching for the voice. 'Jarn'dor… I promised I would aid you in anyway I could… Heal your mate, and know I am with you…' The druid looked around, searching for the speaker, before realizing who it was.
"Bethekk," he murmured, placing his hands on the twitching body of Jaz'renthi. He willed his powers to heal her, and cleanse her of disease. Jaz'renthi slowly stopped twitching, and she stopped whimpering. Soon, she was completely still.
The druid looked at his mate, his eyes watering. "No…. No ya canna die… Ya canna die Jaz!" Jarn'dor began to shake his mates body, trying to wake her up. The troll buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing.
"…Jarn…?" Jarn'dor looked up, and saw Jaz'renthi yawning. He smiled, hugging her tight. "Jaz," he whispered, "Ya a'right…" She gave him a puzzled look.
"Where… Where'd Hakkar go?" she asked. Jarn'dor just shook his head, crying tears of relief. He helped Jaz'renthi stand, supporting her as they walked out of the cavern, holding each other tightly.
'You have done well,' whispered Bethekk, 'But that was far from the real Loa... Remember that...' "… Jarn, focus!"
Jarn'dor shook his head, looking at Jaz'renthi. "I be sorry, hun. Wutcha say?" She shook her head, resting it on his shoulder.
"Ya find Nek'tan?" Jarn'dor nodded.
"Ya… He forgave me."