Disclaimer: Still not owning Warcraft. Don't own a car either, or a gold toilet. Not much there to own anyhow. And really, who own anything man?

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading again. Yes, I started this chapter only a day after the last one was put out. If this one is late I blame… um…. You. Yes you, for making it so hard. Really, I said when I started this that I would write after ever three reviews. Then I didn't think this would amount to much. Now after five hours of being out it usually has five reviews. Working my poor fingers to the bone you are!

Dragoness whoa! And I do mean whoa, yes. Thanks for that installment and your bipedal frogs. Yes, the Murloc really got the crappy ed of this deal. Their beliefs have been put on the line as well. They're sort of fun to write for anyhow. Beware the sharp, pointy Alliance. Never ending good… peaceful though?

Youkai, hello again. I love the Murloc culture! And their speech is super fun to write. Good thing Yawna has the gift of tongues otherwise I'd end up writing Grblblblbrlrblr! A lot. Wow, poor Malchior seems to have risen to a new level of jack ass. That's a shame. The accent is not surprising. Now that you mention it sort of seems that way…

And to all those that didn't have questions but complimented or enjoyed I thank you with a gusto.

So now that I'm on a roll…

Chapter 17: Blood and Thunder

"Please Malchior. We can't, you can't." Kat cringed as Malchior secured her tightly in his grasp once again. He had pulled her halfway through the forest leaving far behind her friends. The priestess's mind raced. There were so many reasons that this was wrong, but her brain could think of only one situation and that was Kolkua.

The undead general still haunted her mind. She could feel him there like a deadly presence even though Var'Jun had slain him long back. Memories still haunted the human, her fragile faith kept close to the troll. Being dragged away by the paladin was breaking her.

"I can and will." Malchior growled. He paused near a copse of trees, his breath ragged and foul. "Your parents promised you to me before they died. You promised yourself to me so long ago. I don't care what you have to say now because you are a woman and you will stay quiet."

Kat winced away, trying desperately to strain away from the breath that now threatened to imbibe her. She could taste his foul intentions on the air and the paladin's hands moved down her waist slowly.

"Gods no," she whimpered.

At that moment they were thankfully interrupted. Something crashed loudly through the underbrush and the chattering of Murloc voices could be heard in shrill panic over the sounds of rushing woods. Malchior panicked and let go of the writhing priestess, his snarl trailing from lips that had held similar deadly thoughts before hand. They had not traveled far that day, Malchior knew this. Kat had struggled all through the journey and Malchior was forced to stop and rest from lack of sleep and energy.

Human voices rose above the Murloc. "For the Alliance." was heard at intervals of no more than two minutes. Shrieks and cries followed shortly after.

The first Murloc to burst through the underbrush cried softly. It was a young male, the spear in it's hand broken and the head bent. The amphibious creature didn't bother to give Kat and Malchior a second glance. With a cry of terror it went crashing through the underbrush again and was followed closely by the invisible sound of a rogue that would probably soon ambush it while cloaked.

"What's happening?" Kat asked softly, though it was not really Malchior she was talking to. At that moment she could have cared less what the paladin knew. She knew now she only wanted to be back with her companions.

"A battle." Malchior replied, "Storming is probably raiding Elwynn forest. They were having Murloc problems anyhow." He shrugged, grasping Kat by the wrist. "Somewhere more private." He mumbled to himself. Kat could almost sense the tension and anticipation in his muscles. She began to shake.

'Enough of this,' Kat growled to her own mind, 'I'm not some damsel in distress. I have my own power, and I can use it too.' The priestess almost betrayed herself with a smile but kept it hidden. She called on the magic in her mind, summoning it slowly to her hands without straining herself and repeating over and over in her head, 'Agony.'

Malchior felt a strange tingling sensation in his arm. It was weird, a small prickling like tiny needles though it wasn't quite painful. It sent shivers up his arm though, slowly traveling to reach his shoulder. Here is where the sensation should have taken all his body, but the spell and Kat's weakened strength could not handle it then. It did have power though, not just a tingling sensation would stay.

Malchior screamed in anguish as the pain affected his arm. It felt as if the entire hand the gripped Kat's wrist so harshly was now on fire. The arm felt as if small pieces of it were being ripped out little by little and burning away like acid. He let go of Kat quickly in an attempt to rid himself of the terrible loathing pain that spread over his limb. It was fire and ice and in a badly thought out effort to rid himself of it the Paladin began to scratch away at his arm and cause it to bleed.

Kat might have smiled there if she was not appalled at what her spell could do. Instead she wept to herself and tried to call forth the power to run away from what she had caused. It hurt, to know that she had so much force and ability. But it was what must be done. For the sake of everything that she held dear.

The priestess ran off into the brush where the Murloc had gone and once Malchior realized that she was missing and the spell was lowering in intensity he took off after her in a hot and furious pursuit.

As soon as the arrow struck Yawna felt the Murloc die. It was a small blow to the stomach that didn't quite affect her as it should have. While grateful Yawna realized with a start that she was actually used to feeling death now. It was not so surprising to her anymore and hardly required the same will that it used to. In fact it made for more of an annoyance than anything else. Maybe it was because the Murloc supposedly had a smaller intelligence than normal. But after all, Yawna thought, a life is a life. A soul a soul, so why shouldn't it count for the same amount of pain?

She had not time to muse over this. Var'Jun seemed to have regained most of his ability. He stood with his broad sword ready, the blade gleaming as he faced the oncoming horrors that awaited the troll as it had awaited his mother and his mother's mother years and years past.

Gwyn was not as frightened. She knew that the Alliance members would not try and shoot her down as they would Yawna or Var'Jun. She was, after all, a night elf and therefore on their side. But truth be told she could hardly except this excuse now. She was worried for her friends sake anyhow.

Yawna paused, drawing the bone axe with a sluggish movement that suggested it was painful to do so. The Murloc gathered around her, their goddess of sorts, fearful and shameful with whimpering mouths and crying eyes. They were Murloc children to be truthful, but they were children and just like when Yawna had seen Thralk kill and eat the undead child she felt the same protection of one of not her race.

"This is ungodly." She said to Marakaka. The Murloc looked up at her, his former prisoner turned deity. For a moment he didn't seem to register that she was talking to him but then listened as she continued.

"You will be outnumbered and slaughtered. Take your people far away if you must. Farther away then you ever have before. To the islands where no man lives, near the Maelstrom if you must. Get them to safety."

Marakaka nodded numbly. She was the goddess, after all, what she said went. He paused for a moment as if finding her pure and flawless, and in his eyes and the eyes of his people she was. The only flaw he could find was that she would not be coming with them. He nodded, however, and smiled almost daringly.

"Friend always, Miragaka. Always friend. If Miragaka need ever anything she calls on the Murloc, yah? We fight for her." Marakaka turned, calling out to his small village. Even the Chief Kalamika listened to the small wiry Murloc. He repeated Yawna's words louder and with more confidence and brazen. His legs lopped and spun as he began to race the opposite direction from where the humans were. To the shore.

Every Murloc followed him. Even the small blue Murloc that would soon be known as the Disciple of Miragaka to her people. The arrow fire was heavy now, whistling like locusts as the hailed through the leaves and branches and sought to strike opponents down. They did catch the legs and arms of a few Murloc but with no fatal hits. Their companions were willing helpers and aided the wounded along.

"Which was did Kat and Malchior head Var'Jun." She almost smiled as the troll's eyes brightened. He chuckled almost insanely now, throwing back his head as he was narrowly missed by an arrow.

"Right where the humans are coming from Miragaka." He smiled as Yawna shook her head. This was nothing to laugh at, but he couldn't help but giggle with the fits of someone who knew that the feat at hand was nigh impossible. And of course, to throw in Yawna's goddess dubbing.

"Well I'll just have to perform a miracle then, won't I?" Yawna asked. Her face was sincere enough though her voice hardly danced with that laughter it should have. The tauren was already suffering the side affects of having people dying around her. Even though it was numbed she could hardly take the stomach punches for that long. Someday it would break her.

"I have a plan." Yawna's ear was narrowly missed by a zipping arrow as it threatened to claim her head. She ignored it as if it weren't there though both Var'Jun and Gwyn jumped in surprise.

"They can't see us yet. They're just shooting blindly though the seem to have good aim. So this is what we do…"

When the first front line of the human soldiers broke the cover they smiled. The humans loved to see night elves amongst their legions, not because the night elves were known for their skills in battle and their honor, but because these humans were men. Young men, in fact. And all young men enjoy seeing a female night elf bristling with battle lust and dripping with spats of mud as she holds a sword above prisoners heads.

"Hey boys," Gwyn purred smoothly, the cat's voice of her second skin making her voice as sweet as milk in the morning. "Thought I'd be wily and run ahead. Good thing I did too, there's a few prisoners to bring back now, huh?" the druid's voice dripped silky sweet and the humans only could nod.

"I'll be the first to congratulate the man who brings back the most Murloc fins." Gwyn continued. Var'Jun almost laughed, his good humor returned to him now that his full power seemed to have returned and his battle close at hand. He kept a straight face though, or rather a pitiful and frightened looking one.

The men ran off, their swords held eagerly. Gwyn scoffed and scowledonce they were out of earshot and allowed the two Horde members to rise. Yawna smiled at the elf, her eyes twinkling.

"You owe me Yawna." the elf growled, her hands swiftly wiping the dripping mud from her close-fitting leather clothes. "That was almost certainly the most desperate thing that we have had to do all trip."

"It worked though." Yawna replied as she quickly followed the troll and elf into the brush. She was following Var'Jun, he knew where Kat and Malchior had first ran off. Only the troll had really concentrated on where the Murloc were turning and stumbling.

"Stop," Yawna commanded suddenly, "Look there." She pointed to a small piece of cloth caught on a thorn. Nearby was a new fresh set of tracks and closer to that a series of panicked steps as if the walker had been in terrible agony.

"What do you make of that, hunter?" Var'Jun asked. He studied the cloth closely, pressing it to his long, angular nose and breathing in deeply. "It's Kat's alright. What do you think happened."

"I don't know." Yawna replied, her hands pressing into the tracks and following Kat's footsteps as they ran from the scene of the terrorized tracks, "But I can tell you this. They're not long left, the tracks suggest Malchior was following her at top speed, see how they're pushed in like that. And one more thing, following them will bring us close."

As the trio began to scan the underbrush fro more and was guided along the trail set for them Gwyn scoffed. "Malchior must be either very preoccupied with what he was doing or extremely stupid. His path led them parallel to ours enough so that he was no more than eighty feet away from us at all times.

"Damn him." Var'Jun growled only to stop a moment later, "Do you smell that? Blood, and the cries of pain on the air. There's a battle close at hand."

The trolls word could not have been truer. As they crested the hill of brush and trees the plants shot away as if into an abyss. All that was left was an immense clearing. The slow sound of weapons clashing and people dying was felt throughout the place. Grass was stained dark and oozing red while the trees seemed to weep.

"There," Var'Jun growled, both with anger and anxiety. Yawna and Gwyn followed the trolls pointing sword to find the middle of the battle field. They looked past fighting humans and entangled Murloc to see Kat and Malchior standing back to back and fighting with all they had.

The paladin was wounded in a myriad of places. His arms and legs were cut and ripped so that hardly any skin was left. He was defending only Kat, blocking only the blows meant for her and ripping back with his own. His sword was stained blue-black with Murloc blood as the amphibious creatures attacked him from all sides.

Kat was holding her own even though unlike Var'Jun her full strength was not quite returned. Blue fire spun around in her hands and launched at anything that was moving. They hit with a bursting force that caused the Murloc to fall down, screaming in terror and woe.

Yawna was happy to see that what had now become semi-familiar Murloc faces of the tribe of Marakaka and Kalamika were not amongst those fighting. She had, after all, told them to flee in what was the words of their goddess to them. They were far away from the battle now, she hoped, safe and swimming to the opposite shores.

"We have to help them." Var'Jun growled, "We have to help her." Yawna felt her mind immediately shoved from the troll's. She had not actually been snooping, Yawna's mind always seemed to be in contact with her companions minimally whether she willed it or not. But now Var'Jun's mind had taken on a strange quality and was pushing her out as if angry with her. She turned to look at the troll but coiled back quickly as she saw him begin to tense. A wash of anger spread over her like a fiery torrent and drove her backwards.

The troll's eyes turned a brilliant hue of golden red and he snarled. Royal Fury entered his blood, the trademark anger and battle skill of the royal troll line of the Darkspear Tribe. Yawna could feel his conscience thoughts draining away as he became a killing machine. In a matter or second the transformation was complete and Var'Jun took off like a light shot cast from a musket. His wild braid and mane of purple hair could be seen flinging across the battle field.

"He's right you know, though it seems strange to say that Var'Jun is right in any way." Gwyn pulled the string of her bow taut and let the arrow fly at a passing Murloc. The responding scream of anger and frustration responded a little ways later with the feeling of an injury.

Gwyn saw Yawna hesitate, the axe shaking in the large tauren's hand. "Don't worry," she said softly, "I'll guide you there. You won't have to kill anyone." Yawna nodded slowly, but she was more watching the figures in the middle of the battle.

Malchior was fading. Yawna could feel it already. Kat seemed to know he was badly wounded too. He fighting became more desperate and she struggled to continue fighting while still trying to check on him

Var'Jun was caught amongst fighting factions. He slew human and Murloc alike, Yawna having to turn her head away to avoid the sounds and feelings of pain coming from the battle near him. The troll fought like a mad devil, his red eyes always set on only one thing.

"C'mon. It's now or never." Yawna replied steadily despite her remorse. The battle was shifting too, the Murloc being driven back and the humans chasing them into the trees. They were leaving behind the wounded and dead and as the troops shifted Yawna saw that Var'Jun's attackers didn't flee. They seemed too caught in the troll's wrath now.

And yet Var'Jun seemed to have gone totally insane. He had let his sword be caught on the ground and was now fighting tooth and nail. Or rather nail. His long claws racked the sides of humans and one unfortunate Murloc managed to grasp him around the neck. The troll reacted with rage, gripping the Murloc's neck and twisted with a sickening crack that made bile rise to Yawna's throat. It was too much for his attackers as well. They fled.

Now the only fighters left were a few humans working out a squabble with Murloc and the bipedal frogs attacking Malchior and Kat. Var'Jun hastened to get to them as his antagonists left and he was free. Gwyn broke into a run as well and Yawna was not far behind her.

Most of the Murloc had fled now. Only one was actually left, but it was one that would soon change the entire thing. The weapon it carried was a curved scimitar, cruelly sharpened to a deadly point. The Murloc growled, lunging at Kat. She was too taken by surprise to block it, her arms flying to her face in an attempt to stop the pain she knew was coming. The death she knew was coming.

Malchior made a fateful decision. His legs were tight as wound springs and as soon as the energy in them was released her propelled in front of the priestess in one bound. The scimitar crashed through his ribcage, emerging out of his back dangling with gore and blood. Likewise Malchior's sword crunched through the Murloc's skull and the insidious creature fell before Malchior even hit the ground.

Var'Jun was at the fallen paladin's side in an instant. The troll kneeled down, his hands clutching the shoulders of the gasping human. Kat was too shocked and anguished to move, her hands clutched to her mouth and her entire form shaking like a leaf in fluttering wind.

"Don't you dare die!" Var'Jun screamed at the paladin. His voice was hoarse, tusks bobbing up and down as he recovered from the Fury in an instant. "I haven't had my revenge yet, god damn it, don't you die now!"

Yawna winced and turned away from the scene. Gwyn likewise hung her head and shook it ruefully. The paladin was not loved by the group sure, but he had been a brave warrior and had defended Kat to his very last.

Var'Jun was the only one close enough to hear the paladin chuckle minutely. His dimming eyes stared at the troll's like that of a doll's but his voice was still the same.

"Is she all right?" he asked with a voice that gurgled with the blood gathering on his lip.

"She's fine, and that's why you have to keep fighting. I'm not done with you yet human." Var'Jun growled.

"You take good care of her," Malchior sputtered, "Take good care of her and live happily together." The paladin had a fit of coughing before he started speaking again. "I'm sorry for all the things that I did. I see now that maybe we are not so different, you and I. Watch over Katherine will you?" A dying rattle escaped the Malchior's frozen lips as his breath escaped him. The hands that had clutched Var'Jun's wrists dropped limp and the entire body settled down serenely. A smile was fixed on the human's face.

"God damn it!" Var'Jun screamed, throwing the corpse away from him and sobbing brokenly, "He never let me have my revenge! Never! Son of a bitch paladin!" The troll snarled, kicking at the corpse of a Murloc before slowly heading down the hill and starting his solitary way. Gwyn followed him and Yawna stayed behind a few minutes with Kat.

"He gave his life for me." Kat said softly, kneeling down to touch the paladin's cold face before letting a few tears wash away the blood on his face, "I never said goodbye."

"I know," Yawna wrapped a comforting arm around the human's shoulder as she rose. The tauren could still feel the knight's soul lingering over the battle field. It would be days before it went wherever souls went. Yawna had always felt them leave, but never felt to where.

"I wonder," Kat voiced softly as she watched the troll make his way up the knoll with Gwyn guarding behind him," What he said to Var'Jun."

"Ask him yourself." Yawna replied. She watched the mixture of emotions that played over the priestess's face at the mention of this. Her hands clenched and unclenched, still shaking brutally with sadness.

"You know what, I think Iwill." Yawna smiled as the priestess ran to catch up with the troll.

"Tell Gwyn we have the first watch!" Yawna called after her. The priestess voiced a reply and Yawna headed to the opposite hills surrounding the clearing with trees and brush. The sun was setting, a fiery red that should have been now cloaked with fat, bruised purple storm clouds. Their bellies hung thick with water and thunder rolled off the hills in great gulps as the rainstorm approached. Below her Yawna saw the bodies, thick blood of Murloc and human alike mingling in the grass and churned slowly to foul mud.

That day was truly one of blood and thunder.

Wow, would you look at that. And I finished it fairly early. Probably cause I left you with such a cliffhanger last time. Sorry about that. A few words on this chapter now:

Malchior was a very hated character. Some people are going to be very happy because he is dead and I will tell you it's a load of Kat and Var'Jun's mind. But just think of him for a moment. Sure, he lived as an ass, but he died a hero. He defended Kat with his life and asked forgiveness of Var'Jun. He even accepted his and Kat's relationship. Sure, I hated Malchior, but I do look back on his death with remorse. He might have been a great man if he had fixed his mistakes sooner.