DISCLAIMER: This entire story is Copywrite. MINE. Got it? World of Warcraft, however, is NOT. Most characters are my own, except characters like Thrall and such. The world, too, belongs to Blizzard.
Don't snack too much while reading stories, you may tend to get sucked in and not realize you eat the entire bag of chips... I do... This is a LONG one, so be prepared!
-x0x-
Chapter 8: Stomping Stormwind
This must have been some of the most boring few hours of my life. It really was. I don't even want to tell you about it. I simply sat there, trying not to make trouble, listening to all the Orcs joking around and planning what they'll do once they finally manage to take over Stormwind City. I thought it terribly conceited. They must not have even remembered I was there, I was so damn quiet. It was strange to me, though, how even though in a short while these Orcs would be engaging in a battle that might indeed take away their very lives, and yet, they were just joking around in the back of their wagon. And next to their mortal enemy, no less. I suppose that's just the kind of terribly backwards world we'd all grown up in.
The sky was clouded over and rain pitter-pattered lightly on the roof of the wagon, some odd drops sliding through the cracks that once let by the ease of moonlight. It was the perfect kind of weather, I'd think. I always imagined death in the rain. My own death, even. The wind easily blew the curtains near the window, letting in a bitter breeze. It was cold, but I didn't shiver or cringe; it was a nice kind of cold, a cool, sweet kind of breeze. I can't tell you how it was both bitter and sweet, I just don't know. I loved the smell that the rain carried though, like a fresh start kind of thing. It smelled different too, depending on where you were. It smelled different when you were in a forest or on the grass than it did when you were on a street or road. Take my word for it. I couldn't tell what time of day it was, but I assumed it to be nearing evening, since the sky was darkening gradually. It seemed that all the interesting things happened in the dark.
"Yo, girlie," one of the Orcs called to me, like a slap in the face it woke me up, though of course I'd never show that I had been daydreaming.
"…" I slowly shifted my eyes to him, my face showing no care as to why he spoke, "I assume you're referring to me?"
"Yeah," He stood and walked over to me, unlocking my shackles "Boss says 'e wants you up front 'en we get close to Storkwint," he mispronounced the name, of course, "so go sit front." He ordered. Of course, an invading enemy has no need to know the name of the city they're killing. There's no point in it.
"Gladly," I slipped my legs over the side of the bench and stretched them before getting up and muttered to myself, "I need a break from you bastards."
"Watch it!" One called after me as I hopped through the blanketed window in the front and onto the seat right behind the horses.
"Good evening," Another Human greeted me from the seat beside me, and I was almost fooled.
"Nice disguise," I shrugged, and added as I leaned closer, "But you still smell like an Orc."
"Shut up." He growled, losing his Humanistic character before we even got to the city, "And remember not to try anything funny."
"I don't think my jokes are very funny," I replied, almost acting flattered that he might have thought so. He didn't seem to be amused by that, anyway.
I grinned to myself and got comfortable in the front seat. We rolled through the forest casually, and I took the time to glance at the fauna prowling around. It seems like I was just here. Right, I only left here about a week ago. Everything looked the same as always, though. It was a thought to think, that so much had happened everywhere except here. Within moments, we passed through the little town I was familiar with, called Goldshire. I gave nods to people who cared to look upon us, which were a few, because we were travelling in such a large group. I was impressed, however, at how well Thrall's men did at building wagons that blended in well here.
Just a short while up the road, a little to the right, I could see the wall of stone where Stormwind resided. I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me suddenly, and bit my lip. It was more out of habit than fear. And I wasn't even all that nervous about going in there with a horde of invaders under these blankets, strangely enough, I was more nervous about anyone recognizing me. A few guards passed us by on the trail, and we passed a few more standing at their posts by the gate, as usual. They greeted us warmly and asked if we needed direction, and I respectfully declined the invitation. I had forgotten how friendly the guards were, when they weren't chasing you, I mean.
I sat in the front of the wagon, feeling the bumpy stone ground knocking the seat uncomfortably. I wasn't used to sitting up in the driver's seat. I was barely used to travelling by wheels at all. I stared at my hands clasped in my lap, watching my index finger tap on the knuckles of my other hand. The city was bustling with people mingling, bartering, and jaunting around. I envied the carefree lifestyle. I smirked to myself and shook my head realistically. That kind of life is no life for me, the caged kind of existence. I heard the steady creaking of the wood behind me while the Orcs moved around clumsily. I grunted at their ignorance and carelessness.
"You know," I cocked my head sideways and back, addressing the Orcs, "If you aren't careful, you could give yourselves away," I warned.
"What do you care?" One asked as it slid its axe off of the ground, another suspicious noise accompanying it.
"I suppose I'd rather not alarm them, for I don't really want to die a moment before I have to." I shrugged apathetically. It didn't really matter, I guess I was just too helpful sometimes.
"One way or another, you're gonna die, who cares when?" The "Human" beside me argued, and I almost laughed at his simple-mindedness.
"With that attitude," I straightened again, "we might as well all just go jump off a bridge." Besides, there's a time and a place for someone to die, I don't think it's right to go around asking for it to change to your will.
"Stupid Human," The Orc spat quietly.
I snorted in aggravation, and remained still while we rolled through the Valley of Heroes and into the Trade district. Now that was a city all on its own, so many goddamn people. I gulped as we moved swiftly through the most occupied part of the city, and over the Canals into Old Town. It was far quieter. I remember that there were going to be quite a few wagons, all separating throughout the city to launch the surprise attack, as well as many Horde characters under the transformation spell that Undead Warlock had created. I shuddered at the thought of their sheer numbers.
The wagon cackled as it bumped over the hard, jagged stone coating the streets. I could see the Stormwind keep just ahead, and almost felt like shrinking. Just as my hands began heating up, for I felt both embarrassed and either excited or terrified, I heard the tearing of fabric from behind me. I froze stiff as I heard stepping and charging as the Horde piled out of the wagon shouting their battle cries. I didn't even need to look behind me to know what was going on: they were attacking.
"People of Stormwind," I heard one above the rest, "Be prepared to die!" One laughed dangerously.
The streets were littered with chaos as Alliance defenders poured out of nearby stores, wielding weapons of death and of life. The battle was intense to say the least; tell you the truth, I would have loved to have fought it. I didn't know where to look, I really didn't, everywhere you turned it was someone's final battle, and they had to make it great. I stared on, not being able to do anything to stop it anyway. It was dark, since it was fading into evening by now, and the street was lit by the fire of chaos. An Orc stopped in front of me, holding off a Dwarven Paladin by his throat.
"Stay here, girl," he narrowed his eyes, with a grunt, "I don't want to have to come looking for you."
"Seriously, where would I go?" I said evenly, giving him a stupid look.
"Indeed." It smirked and shoved the Dwarf away, chasing after it with sword mid-swing to cut him in two.
Despite my apathetic and less than enthused exterior, I was quite scared inside. I don't really know why, I mean, I'd been in battles, even wars before, and yet every time I see it, it still has the same effect on me. I guess I should be glad, glad that I haven't lost myself quite yet. My blood ran cold. I blinked to try and rid my mind of the awful images placed in front of me, but to no avail. I clenched my fists and wished I could do something. I'm not the type to sit back, if you remember. The slaughter was enraging and gruesome. I thought of that asshole Blood Elf, who had stopped me from interfering at Ironforge. That made me angrier. I wanted to defy him so much more now. He wasn't coming to stop me now, no. This wasn't that kind of story. I finally stopped thinking about self-preservation, as I was a very different person that he was, and began thinking about the good of the city and the balance of power. What I had been fighting for all along. After all, I was still a subject in this kingdom. I think.
I grabbed two sharp pieces of broken wagon wood as daggers as I leapt off of the wagon and on to the blood-stained stones; instantly shielding myself within my stealth the second my toes touched ground. I crept up behind any targets and backstabbed, cheap shotted, saped, ambushed; anything else I could think of. I just wanted to cause some damage, to give these poor Alliance fighters some kind of a chance, if I wasn't already too late. I slid back into and out of stealth over and over before getting smashed to the ground by a heavy club, thwarting my advances.
I grimaced and rolled away from the offender, before the club came smashing down on the ground where I once laid. My eyes widened in slight shock then, as I suddenly realized from the sight of broken stone how dangerous this indeed was, but I recovered quickly and gave him a nasty haemorrhage. I let out a battle shout, to give myself power from Rage, and disarmed him before jabbing him in the gut with the blunt side of my wooden splinter. I felt a sword graze my shoulder, slicing the flesh grotesquely. Then, and arrow just barely missed my face, only rubbing my flesh with the feathers at the end. I noticed quickly my disadvantage.
The blinking mark above my head gave away my position. Damn Hunters, damn them all. I felt angry that I had already used my cloak of shadows against a flame based damage-over-time spell from a Mage. I looked all around me to see the circle of Horde closing in. All my fellow Alliance fighters were down, and I was one of the very last standing in this part of the city. I wouldn't say that it's something I was proud of, though, to stand while my allies fall. I gritted my teeth and wished I could just slink into the shadows once again. That was the kind of thought I hated, thinking that I should be a coward like that. I'm not all coward, though, that's what made me a good Warrior too.
I tossed my stupid dagger shards aside and picked up some kind of sword, though it was far too big and heavy for me. I grabbed it with both of my hands, forgetting about any kind of defence, and switched into a stance of fury. I was thrilled to die doing something so important. I knew I would be of no further use after they all came at me, but I didn't care. I grinned insanely as I spun this mammoth hunk of metal around once and ran towards the offenders in front of me, screaming angrily.
I slammed the sharp side of my sword with all my strength into the stomach of a Tauren, who's wind escaped him as I knocked him clean off his feet and hit him against an Orc before the sword finally decided to go through the two of them at once. I turned by body painfully in the opposite direction, using my momentum to switch the sword's path. I took a hand from gravity and swung the sword above me, slamming it at an angle towards the next three enemies, this time slicing right through them with as little resistance as the air itself gave me. I let the sword pull me around with the power of its swing and guided the power towards each following obstacle.
I cut down the last man before me, slicing this great beast clean through his torso and letting it hit the ground with an enormous smash, one which cracked even the sword itself. My hands shook on the handle, trembling from the still thriving Rage and adrenalin. My eyes snapped to my left, as a Blood Elf ran through my peripherals. I seethed and fumed, my fingers losing the end of the sword. He turned his head to me, that evil looking helmet giving him some kind of mask. I could tell from here, from that armour, that he was a Hunter. A Blood Elf, and a Hunter, he was shoving it in my face, all my loneliness and regret, just by existing. I wouldn't let him go any more than I spared his allies, these corpses around me. They forced me to kill again, to sin. I hated them all, and I hated Blood Elves the most.
He stopped dead when he saw me, his melee weapon at the ready. I didn't even take the time to try and pry a useful scrap from my sword, instead I just charged at him, dashed across the disposition and tackled him with my fist. I hit him so hard I swear I broke all my knuckles on his damn helmet. Why was it that they needed to hide away while they murder, could they not do it and show who they truly are as cretins? I didn't know who this man was, how he tried to stand and weakly shook, but I hated him. I hated everything he was and stood for, even though I'd never even seen his face. He made his way to his feet while I stood there steadying my erratic breathing, and twirled his prestigious one handed sword in his hand, as if calling me to come at him again. I didn't need him to ask.
I ran at him again, and though he deflected my first attempt with a raised forearm I smashed at him just as ruthlessly with my other fist. I followed with a knee in his gut and an elbow against his skull. I clasped my hands and brought them down like the wrath of God upon his stupid Blood Elf head. I can't stand them, any of them. He jumped then, hitting me in the stomach with the top of his hard shelled headpiece. He knocked me back, but I sprang back at him and disarmed him, slashing at him with his own weapon. I worked at his chest piece, trying to snap it in two so I could cut his guts out. I raised it once more for the swing and he his me in the stomach with his gauntlets, an attack that affected my whole body, even causing my hands to release his sword. He pushed against me, the force taking a second to hit me fully, before I was shoved at breakneck speed against the stone wall of some kind of store. It must have already been hit, for it crumbled and broke as soon as my back hit it, and the wall and I crumbled together.
I laid unevenly on the broken bits of rock, feeling the strength of my arms giving way. I rolled my head as it hovered above any rest itself, before managing to pull myself up, even just a little. I looked before me and only saw the business end of the sword I once had in my own hands. I stopped, only half comfortable, and looked up into the darkness of the helmet. Damn it, where was my hero now? Somehow I had kept some kind of hope, as if Kujajin would jump out and protect me. But he didn't. I felt the prick as it graced my neck, and raised my chin so it might not cut me clean. This imposter Blood Elf reached up at his ugly helmet and tipped it back over his forehead, exposing himself to me before taking my life. His arrogant grin was just the same, a Blood Elf's trademark, and his eyes as green as emeralds. I snapped to attention as his helmet hit the pavement.
"Bastard!" I tipped backwards and kicked him in the chin, knocking him off his feet as well.
He landed hard on the ground, knowing what I already felt. I stood up sharply, ignoring any weakness in my muscles and stormed over to him, kicking his sword from anywhere near his hands. I stood over him, glaring and frowning so deep I though the curves of my mouth would fall off my chin. He rubbed his jaw with his hands and looked back up at me.
"So," I darted my eyes back and forth between his incredulously, before quickly bearing my teeth with a glare, "Are you just going to fucking sit there?"
"Damn, quite a kick," He said through his teeth, which were probably sore from the force of my hit as well.
"Get up," I kicked him in the side with the tip of my boot, making him twitch, "Get up."
"Yeah, fine," He got to his feet and looked on me, "are you going to kill me now, or what?"
"I would if I had a weapon," I told him, watching him carefully to make sure he had no hidden secrets of his own.
"Right." He tossed a dagger at my feet, and I stared down at it for a moment, not impressed, "Didn't think so," He moved forwards and, gently but forcefully, planted his lips on to mine.
"Mmh!" I grunted in shock before shoving him away again, "Kujajin!" I snarled angrily, "Don't you—" He pulled me back again and kissed me harder, so I pulled myself away "Quit kis—" He kissed me again, this time holding me still.
I struggled against him, but it was futile; he was stronger than I was. My heart softened just enough to let him kiss me. He slowly pulled away and stared at me like it was the first time he had ever met me. I didn't share the sentimentality, however. With the same frown, my eyes were wide but serious. I breathed slowly, trying my best not to just scream in his face. My eyebrows furrowed and I tried speaking again.
"You can't just show up after abandoning me to die and expect everything to be okay." I stated sternly, "Nor can you just come here and attack me."
"You attacked me, remember?" He corrected, and I huffed.
"That's besides the point," I continued, not even wanting to give him the satisfaction of agreeing, "You're an ass." I said simply before going on, "Why did you betray me like that? Oh, and now you're coming around asking for forgiveness? Who the goddamn hell do you think you are?" Like I said, I swear when I'm angry.
"I thought you'd pick up on it," He looked at me in a confused way, "You didn't notice that I said the exact same things that you told me Hejan said to you? It was a hint, stupid."
"What does that have to do with anything," I snapped at him again, "That's a terrible hint – and a hint at what?"
"That I wasn't about to leave you there," He smiled at me as if it was obvious, "And how else would I get the time to rally the troupes to counter-attack?" He cocked his head.
"Troupes?" I repeated sceptically, looking around for what he could mean.
I just then realized the dozens of people rushing into the street and attacking anything that opposed them. I stared on in shock as the allies hurried around and revived anyone they could get to in time. I didn't know why, but I just didn't feel a need to be so angry any more, though somehow I stopped myself from feeling trust towards anyone around me right away. Even though I was fully prepared to fight alone, having backup was never a bad thing, I've learned. I still resented the selfish Blood Elf, not letting me in on the "plan" beforehand. But more so, I was quite upset with myself for not realizing it. Was I really that dense? Amongst the crowd, I picked out a familiar figure running in my direction.
"Alpine?" I shouted in shock, barely realizing who it was.
"Yo, Vi-la," He hurried over and grabbed my hand, frantically shaking it, "I missed you so much, are you all right?" He hugged me, lifting me off the ground with his immense strength.
"Gah!" I struggled against him, "Al! Put me down!" I wasn't really one for calling people by nicknames, but it just sort of slipped out.
"Oh, sorry." He grinned sheepishly and set me down as gently as he could.
"How did you talk to the Alliance without being attacked on sight?" I asked, needing to know some kind of reasonable answer.
"The Dwarf that we saved in Ironforge, turns out he's quite a trusted guy. I asked to talk to him at Ironforge, and told him what was happening." Kujajin explained, "With his help, we made our way back to Stormwind with wagons of our own troupes, and of course, picked up a couple stowaways on the way."
"That'd be me and Votheilia," Alpine added.
"Here," Kujajin handed me two daggers, one which was the same one he threw at my feet, of pretty reasonable quality, "I grabbed some weapons in case you were unequipped."
"Thanks," I nodded and took them, strapping them to my hips.
"Thrall's front men are already inside the keep, and they've locked the doors behind them," Kujajin said, looking over at the closed doors to the keep, "I was following them until I found you." He moved his eyes up the side of the wall, "We're going to have to find a way in."
"Over here!" I heard a voice call through the sounds of shoes on pavement. I looked over at the waving girl, just a short distance away.
"Votheilia?" I questioned, pushing past Kujajin to get a better look.
"Oh, hey there," She smiled at me, "Glad to see you're okay," She then quickly ushered us over to a large contraption being pulled in by a whole bunch of Dwarves.
"Aye, lass!" The lead Dwarf gave me a stern nod, and I recognized him as the Dwarf from Ironforge we met not so long ago, "We came prepared."
"What is this thing?" I asked, looking up at it and trying to put the pieces together in my head.
"A catapult, whaddya think?" He grinned a sloppy Dwarven grin.
"We're going to," I started slowly, "shoot ourselves in?" I asked, more than a little unsure.
"One 'ell of an'entrance, aye?" He laughed a raspy laugh as the other Dwarves finished positioning the equipment.
"I'll go first!" Alpine shouted in an almost beastly way, though I'm sure it was just to get attention.
"Ya' know we 'ave ammo fer this thing, right?" One dwarf spoke up from behind a wooden leg of the catapult.
"That's no fun, let me try it out," Alpine cheered more ferociously and almost jumped up and down with excitement.
"Be my guest." Kujajin gestured towards the machinery without much of a care and we watched him sprint towards it.
"Where'd you get this, anyway?" I asked the Dwarves at the sides.
"Our best engineer; 'e was workin' on it for a long time, we 'ere gonna use it for military purposes, but bustin' down doors is good too." One replied, without much eye contact, seeing as how he was busy readying for the shot.
"Kay, lad, climb on in, tha's it." Another guided Alpine carefully towards his part in it.
"This is fucking awesome!" He shouted excitedly, as if it was some kind of amusement ride or something from the Faire.
The Dwarves pulled back the catapult as far as it could go, until it creaked with pressure. I wasn't too sure if this was going to work, especially if Alpine was sitting in for the ammunition, but I didn't say much about it. Finally, it reached the correct angle. It shot forward so fast I almost didn't see it; blink and you would have missed it. Alpine flew through the air, screaming and laughing like a madman. I swear he was just about as crazy as I was. Honest.
"For Sparta!" He cried, "Wait— wrong mo-o-ovie!"
He slammed into the doors, breaking them open. He skidded across the stone floor, batting on the floor and scraping his body. To be honest, I had to cover my mouth. Not because it was gruesome or anything, but to keep from snickering. He kept making these incomprehensible grunts and groans, as he lost the fight against the ground. But his words, or noises, got quieter as he spun farther away from us. That machine certainly had a lot of power, to propel someone that large through a stationary object and then propel them over such a great distance. I was impressed, anyway.
"Fuck-fuck-fuck, fuckatee-fook!" He grumbled each time he bounced off the ground. He slowed, landing on his face.
"Alpine!" Votheilia ran after him, kneeling by his side, "You okay?"
"I, I-I... ne-need," He trailed off.
"Yes?" She leaned closer, her eyes darting over him, searching for a serious injury.
"I, I need," He paused dramatically, holding Votheilia in anticipation, "Energy drink!"
"Al," Kujajin sighed as we entered the hold, "Drink this," He tossed him Alpine healing potion, which he fumbled to catch.
"Thanks!" He nodded and gulped it down, as if he was already fine. Votheilia huffed and pouted a bit, but this was no time for silly grudges.
Alpine stood up again, and we all continued through the dangerously vacant halls. Seriously, it was desolate. The only sounds brushing our ears were the tapping and stomping of our feet of the stones. So many feet, our whole party together, and again it felt foreign to me. I get used to being alone far too quickly. But I have to admit, I felt a lot safer with all these fellows, even the ones I barely knew. We kept on our guard as we stopped to look around.
"Where are they?" Votheilia spoke up slowly, her nervousness apparent.
"Well, there's a number of possibilities," Kujajin noted the multiple exits.
"It depends on which way they went, to the War Room? To the Forest?" I inquired, as if perhaps they might have a lead that I did not. No one contributed much of an idea, except Kujajin.
"Look," He pointed to a path of minor destruction in the direction of the war room, "We can follow their reckless path."
There were bits of shattered debris, some cracked flooring and pieces of wood strewn about. It was as good a trail as any, I suppose. We continued straight down the hall, towards a more roundish room I could see. I heard the eerie sliding of metal on metal from somewhere not too distantly behind us, and it almost made my stomach flip over. I gripped my daggers and went into stealth, disappearing from sight. The others, reaping my warning, got on their ready and curiously looked around. Suddenly, from the ledges near the roof, leaped more than a dozen enemies. They landed in a circle around us, and to our surprise had been expecting such a pursuit.
"It's an ambush!" Votheilia cried, as if we hadn't figured it out yet.
"Aye," The dwarfs fanned out around Votheilia, Alpine and Kujajin, "Listen up, all a' ya," One of them peered back, "You kids 'ead ta the room, we'll 'old 'em off."
"Understood." Kujajin nodded, somehow very quickly agreeing to the terms. Myself, I was hesitant to leave selfless men behind, but it seemed his rational mind was faster than my sentimental one.
"But—" Votheilia protested, as I would have.
"Hurry!" The dwarf retorted quickly, shoving them along.
"O-okay," She reluctantly agreed and they began rushing towards their allotted destination.
I waited an instant later, praying that bravery held out as strength for these men, and watched for interference. I sapped someone who tried to follow my group, and then sprinted after them myself. In haste we travelled up the slowly inclining hallway and into the larger, rounded room with many doors. The doors were all closed, and there were signs of a massive struggle all over the area. We hurried up a small platform in the middle of the room, to get a decent view of each room. We glanced around, each room appearing as intimidating as the next.
"Which door?" Kujajin glanced at me, as if I would know just because I'm Alliance or something. That probably wasn't it, but I'm quick to jump to conclusions.
I shoved off my suspicions and tried to answer his question anyway. I knelt to the floor and remained as still as I could, which was an easy feat for a Rogue like me. I placed the tips of my fingers on the stone and felt for vibrations, inconsistencies, anything really. There was a stomp, so they were definitely near, but such a large hit was difficult to attribute to one direction. I looked up and scanned the cracks from under the doors. I caught the shadow of something moving under the door directly ahead of us. Of course.
"They are in the War Room." I said surely, rising to my feet once again.
"How do we get in?" Votheilia asked, regarding the door in our way.
"I can help with that part," Alpine smirked and took a few steps back, "I'm," His foot rubbed the ground, "feeling," He leaned forwards, and I already knew what kind of idiotic scheme he cooked up, "Horney!" He cried as he charged at the door, horns first, and smashed into it.
The door flew off of its hinges and Alpine crashed trough the door frame, the door still lodged on his horns. He thrashed and ripped about until it cracked off, landing in splinters and shards around his feet. He shook his head dizzily as we entered the room behind him, in a much more graceful manner.
"You couldn't have thought of a worse battle cry if you tried." I commented as I shook my head. I was almost embarrassed of him, for Godsakes.
I noticed then that there were probably nine of the opposing faction and three of our own in the room. Outnumbered, of course, as was a cowardly but safe course of action. Thrall was nowhere to be seen, and I imagined that he had not come in for the invasion personally. He'd be waiting with the second string, waiting to march in and claim it for himself. Or perhaps he knew that there was a chance of failure, that he might indeed be forced back out of the city. I recalled the Undead Warlock, but alongside him were fighters of great prestige I'd never encountered before. Of our faction, I saw an unconscious Human Paladin, and two Dwarves, one of which was unable to move.
"You," The Warlock glared angrily at me as soon as he recognized me. I couldn't imagine that he was all that surprised to see me.
"Greetings and salutations." I mock-saluted him, hoping that it might tick him off or make him less comfortable.
"Men!" The Warlock ordered his followers, and almost simultaneously they approached us.
The Forsaken was holding the collar of the still physically able Dwarf's shirt, raising him off the ground. It seemed like he was trying to get information out of him, and I could guess what it was. I had noticed that some of the best warriors of the city were absent from the War Room. I hoped that they were out protecting the citizens directly, and almost laughed at the Warlock's stupidity. The other enemies came at us quickly, readying their attacks. They didn't have time to waste trying to pry data out of their opponents. No, they had their axes, hammers and maces do their work.
"I'll ask once more," The Warlock spoke to the Dwarf, this time closer and more venomously, "Where are the others?"
"I said it already, lad," He choked out, "I a'int tellin' a punk ass like you squat!" He spat with a crude smirk. Dwarves were indeed a very stubborn kind.
The Warlock scowled and raised his hand towards the wall just to his left. Without moving his gaze from the eyes of the Dwarf, he extended and contracted his fingers, allowing a deep black haze to flow freely from them. The wall shuddered quickly and then broke apart suddenly, cracking and crunching together in a sickly manor, as if he had just taken the matter in his fist and compressed it. The wall finally shattered, then fell from our height to the ground below, not to be seen. It was then I realized how high up we were, but of course, I tried to ignore the fact. Just like I tried to ignore the swinging of massive tools all around me and tried to focus on the Dwarf's struggle.
"Shame, isn't it," He shook his head, "You get to chose here, you stupid creature: Either I crush and drop you off the building," He walked over to the edge where the wall had disappeared from and held the Dwarf over the side, "or you tell me what I want to know."
"Eat shit." He laughed, though I could tell it was rather forced. He was acting more brave than he was feeling, and that almost killed me.
"Crushing it is." He growled, moving his free hand to the Dwarf's stomach.
"Oh no you don't," I dodged a sword, barely, and I did a couple flips backwards, though somewhat clumsily. I ran around the defensive troops, evading the swings of axes, maces, polearms and daggers and hurried towards the Warlock himself.
I leapt through the air and grabbed the Dwarf out of the Warlock's very hands, throwing us both over the side of the building. The Undead pulled back before he, too, was pulled down with us. The rush hit me fast, and for a second I completely forgot that the jump was voluntary. It was so high up, I noticed, and that caught me off guard, but the force of gravity pulling me down woke me up. While flipping through the air I whipped out my dagger and jabbed it into the side of the building. I held onto the Dwarf and the dagger tightly, causing a huge bolt of strain to flood through my arms. I was actually quite surprised the dagger didn't snap or shatter and send us to the unforgiving ground, though the bushes might well have saved us, and if not them, than the canals not far off.
"Do a barrel roll!" I heard Alpine yell after me, and I groaned in response, though it was very doubtful anyone on the higher floor could have heard such a thing.
"Fuck," I grumbled angrily as my arms twitched from the shock.
"Lassy!" He spoke, surprised and grateful for my rescue attempt, no matter how terribly thought out it may have been, "Y'alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, though I don't think I was badly wounded either, "I'll swing you to that ledge there, go see if you can find some help."
"Got'cha." He nodded in affirmation, and I swung him to said small ledge protruding out of the side of the structure. He seemed well enough to catch himself on it, and hugged the wall carefully.
"Good luck," I whispered to him, still clinging to the dagger, that almost moaned as the metal bent slowly.
"You too, lass." He began leaping down the building, using bits of crumbled wall and debris to make it down safely enough.
"Crap," I looked back up to see the edge was still a while above my head. That was a less than comforting thought. Especially knowing that Kujajin and them were all still up there fighting.
The area, by now, was next to pitch black, since night had fallen a while prior. That made it hard to see, especially when half my vision was of this huge wall I was pressed up against. I looked around to see how I could get myself back up there, to where I fell from. I noticed a tattered flag hanging near the corner of the building, as major cities usually did. It was a long kind of flag, that hung on a pole that barely protruded from the wall. Just a bit to my left, there was a brick just barely sticking out a little further than the rest. I took out my second dagger and stared at it for a moment.
"Please, hold out for me." I continued to hold onto the dagger I had plunged deep in the wall, and braced my feet firmly against the stone. I leaned backwards, hoping desperately that the dagger would not pull loose. I took careful aim and threw my second dagger full force into the wall somewhere between the loose brick and the waving flag. It lodged in well, or as well as I could have expected anyway.
I flipped around slowly, so I was standing on one foot on my dagger, holding onto the wall for support. It wobbled uneasily, obviously daggers weren't meant to be stood on. I hurriedly spun around, facing the path of obstacles I set for myself. I quickly sprinted through the air, landed on the brick, which knocked it out, and bolted again through the air, landing on the dagger, which immediately broke in half. Just barely having an instant to force my weight off the shattering tool, I jumped through the air, grabbing the flag with my arms. I braced my feet on the wall again, as to not lose my force, and sprinted along the brick wall sideways.
I spun all the way over, and the flag wrapped around its horizontal pole. I came up faster than I expected, as my feet came off the wall and hit air. I flew up over the edge, coming into view of the battleground once again. I did a simple flip through the air and landed on the ground in front of the warlock, in a battle stance. More than anything, he looked utterly perplexed.
"What?" He was taken aback, obviously. It barely looked like he moved, either.
"Vi!" Alpine yelled from across the floor, and even though I hated that nickname, I found it necessary to assure him I was all right.
"Aye," I waved to him curtly, making sure he noticed me.
"Mistake." The Warlock barked as he thwacked me hard upside the head with his staff, causing a jolt and some electric-like pain to course through my entire body.
I looked up at him and my vision was blurring unevenly. It must have been some kind of magic, I'd think. From down here on the ground, his form almost looked too similar to Hejan, or how I remembered him, standing over me like that. I coughed violently as the shock burned my lungs and made my fingers tremble. 'Damage Over Time', as we referred to it. It was a cursed kind of magic, one which gradually drained your abilities or hurt you with each passing moment.
"That was a-" I cringed mid-sentence, feeling my stomach muscles contract, "c-cheap shot,"
"Something you should be accustomed to, Rogue," He grinned, as if knowing how the title made me feel. It was almost an insult to me, the connotations of a sneaky coward.
He flipped his staff through the air and caught it again, this time with the sharp and skinny end facing me. Damn, it was far sharper than it looked from far away. He thrust it forward quickly, but I jumped away even faster. I felt the jolting shocks of pain as I stepped to my feet again, but waved it off as best I could. With my hand on my stomach, I watched him cast another spell. It was always difficult for me to fight these magic types, because they always fight so far away. And after losing my daggers, I was kind of ill-equipped anyway. I sprang across the room and grabbed a sword from a display in a wall, one which possibly was of great importance to the War Room and its merits. For now, it was of great importance to saving my life. I swung it around quickly and aimed it towards the Warlock, halting any hasty advances.
"Clever little wench," He praised almost politely, then added, "But a weapon is only as good as its wielder."
"Oh enough with the cliché phrases," I groaned, I wasn't much for the dramatics. Especially when people tried to act more intimidating than they were. I mean, this guy was just a feeble heap of bones and skin, not too terrifying if you ask me.
"Watch your tongue," He growled and commenced attacking.
At this point, with no daggers, I had to rely pretty much solely on my warrior techniques. I was pretty glad that I had leaned them, after all. Even if I hadn't practised with them nearly as much as I had my Rogue techniques. And most of his skills had long term effects, which was draining me slowly. It occurred to me that the longer I was fighting him, the lesser of an advantage I had. I pushed away from him and did a few back flips, landing next to Kujajin.
"Kujajin," I spoke to him as he fended for himself, "you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine;" He didn't seem all that distracted, "these guys are mediocre at best." He said, though I kind of found it curious how he didn't offer a hand to me, who was fighting such a prestigious battle myself.
"I heard that, you dick!" The offender charged at him, before I had a chance to speak.
"Watch it guys," Alpine bolted past us, smashing several people before us with the tree he had on his back, "Yeah!"
Kujajin pulled another arrow from his quiver and shot it at the sole remaining oncoming attacker, sending him straight to the ground. It was a lethal shot. His spun his body to aim at the Warlock and commenced firing countless shots. Finally, he seemed to be prioritizing. Most hit dead-on, and forced him back a few feet. Unfortunately, he was Undead, which means the shots barely wounded him at all. I charged at him and slashed him straight through the stomach, which was already torn up enough. He growled in anger and smashed his staff against my sword. Maybe he was more angry about his nice robes getting cut to pieces than anything else.
"Al," I heard Votheilia shriek as she protected him with a spell of fire, "Be careful, will you?"
One of the flaming Trolls ran around screaming and got himself tangled in a large flag, setting it ablaze. The flames grew menacingly and devoured broken bits of wood in a pile. Next to the wood, the rest of the Alliance hostages were shackled. That brought our attention back to the lives at stake. Alpine quickly ran over to then and ripped the shackles clear off of their hands and legs. Gratefully, they all scattered away from the fire and out to get some help from the Stormwind guards; if any were still around. I think that the averted attention was just what the opposition had been praying for.
While Alpine and Votheilia tried desperately to put out the quickly spreading flames, the remaining offenders surrounded the pair. With much resistance, they grabbed the two and held them still. I barely heard their shouts and protests through the sounds of my own clashing sword. Even Alpine, such a large threat, was powerless against so many enemies. The odds were drastically turning against us.
The Warlock and I were still locked in battle, much to my dismay. Despite his staff being made of some kind of ancient wood, it was a pretty good match for this metal sword. They must not have kept it very sharp, hanging on the wall and all. I kept trying to remember what Kujajin had taught me about evasion, and keeping my thoughts on avoiding all of his attacks. That was most important right now, staying alive long enough to try and save everyone. He tossed me back a few feet and cast a stunning spell on Kujajin, to halt his barrage of arrows from afar. Kujajin was still trying to stay as distant as he could, out of danger, perhaps. I took that chance to thwack his staff as hard as I could, knocking the menace over. He landed just a few feet away, on his back with a thud.
He glared over at me before doing a roll-type manoeuvre backwards, landing falling clean off the open edge of the building before standing up. He swung his staff around a few times in his right hand and began waving his left hand, casting another spell. What was with these two and fighting so far away? Were they so afraid? This time again, though, it was aimed at Kujajin. Kujajin had recovered from the stun and was firing arrows at him again, but they were ricocheting off or burning in the atmosphere created by his dark powers. Again, I ran towards him, and brought my sword down in a slice to his shoulder.
The sword went in pretty deep, causing the man to howl in pain, before the sword itself shattered into various pieces all over the room, useless. The sheer energy of his spell must have been coursing through his entire being. He must have been channelling the energy from the environment around him, because now that I was so close I could feel a tug, or a pull at my own energy. I was thrown at his feet onto my own back, a few pieces of the sword having scratched me in the explosion. I only felt the trickles of blood as I lay there for a few seconds, in shock. The Warlock unleashed his spell on Kujajin, causing him to groan loudly in pain, and fall to his knees.
It was obvious the spell had heavy shadow effects. It made my skin crawl and tingle just watching it, really it did. I stared at the Undead Warlock helplessly for an instant before jumping to my knees and latched my hands over his spell-casting arm. The shadow and fire power that engulfed his arm burned the flesh of my hands slowly, but I held on still. It was like grasping a coal, or a nugget of acidic matter. Finally, he stopped the spell and stared down at me. I must have indeed looked pitiful below him.
I was panting heavily, but still holding his arm as best I could, even though my fingers trembled like the hands of a child afraid of the dark. He flicked his wrist around and reversed the hold, so he was gripping both of my wrists with one hand. His fingers were long enough to do so, too. I cringed as he pushed me back a little ways. He tossed his staff on the ground and locked his bony hand around my neck in one fluent motion. I almost choked out loud, but kept my mouth shut, struggling against the sensation of my lungs absent from my throat.
Just then, in the doorway, instead of the Dwarven reinforcements I was hoping for, came the few dark troops who had staged the ambush in the hall. Surprisingly, now that I had the time to take note, the majority of the group were hunters. It was no wonder they had such an advantage over our Dwarven allies, being long-ranged. That tore me up, thinking that all our allies had been obliterated. And they died for us, that was worse. I should have stayed, I should have helped them, I should have let them go on ahead, but no, I was too selfish. And now, we were heavily outnumbered again, and from here I couldn't see any hope of victory. And we just couldn't lose. This 'instance' won't reset over time. This was just my luck, it really was.
"Ah," He grinned as he lifted me off the ground by my neck and released my wrists, for a heap of dust, he was very strong, "The little Warrior girl."
"That's right," I growled out, my voice more hoarse than I had intended.
"You had us all fooled," He said simply, not looking at me with any scrap of seriousness, "We were oblivious." He sure liked to talk down his own people, "Duel spec is one thing, but dual class? I never would have guessed."
"Damn-" I choked a laugh, "straight," I managed through my coughing.
"Right now, Thrall is waiting patiently just outside the city for my command to come in and claim it as our own," He went on, as they always do when they think they have it all in the bag, "And you've been making him wait."
"An impatient guy like him" I agreed, "He'll blame you for it," I concluded through my struggle.
"True." He looked away from me over to Kujajin, who was just beginning to rise from the ground to his feet, "Men, take aim at that traitorous Blood Elf," His men obeyed like chess pieces, a good half dozen of them had their crossbows and guns directly at him, "Kujajin, was it?"
"…" Kujajin remained silent as he took his usual posture, though it was hindered by the radiating pain that even I could see though my narrowing eyes.
"You move a single toe, and my men won't hesitate to take you out," He warned menacingly, but before he went on he was interrupted.
"If you mean on a date," Alpine spoke up, causing everyone to look over at him, "I don't think he would go out with any of them, 'cuz I think that he's kind of already-" He paused, seeing the looks on the faces of our captors, "Shutting up."
"Sir," One of the Orcs spoke up, and the Warlock acknowledged him, "Down below," He hesitated, then turned and looked over the edge, since he and all his hunters were still just in front of the gaping side of the building, "There's a whole fleet of Stormwind guards." He finished, though by now the Warlock could see that for himself.
"Guards," The Forsaken grumbled irritably, obviously hating the word and all it stood for, "We'll remove them in a moment, before we signal for the backup, but first," He tightened his grip on my throat, "For this pest. I don't want any more little surprise parties."
He raised his free hand and placed his index and middle fingertips to my forehead. It was an oddly intimate gesture, to me anyway, for I wasn't accustomed to any kind of touch at all, even from foes. I felt the spot heat up steadily and begin to pull some kind of force from every part of my body. First, my fingers and toes grew cold. Then, it worked its way inwards, a cold sweeping up my arms and legs. I assumed he was stealing my life-force, or whatever you call it, which is why I was struggling to stay awake. My black outs were like blinks, and I could hardly concentrate on the situation. It was just like falling asleep. Falling into a cold, cold sleep.
My mind continued to drift back to everyone else. Votheilia, on her knees yelling to me from across the room, though her voice was inaudible to me. I could only see her mouth, and her eyes, which screamed louder than her voice could have. The guards came forward and grabbed her, shaking her to the floor as Alpine tried desperately to tear them off of her. He, too, fell to the floor, overpowered by the forces. It felt heavy, but my body was light. I felt so distant, from all of this, and my mind retraced back to not too long ago.
We were walking silently down the path, which was quieter than I could have imagined. I stared at the ground, still embarrassed about earlier. I scuffed my feet and watched my warm, white breath in the cold air.
"That was really brave…" Kujajin spoke up at last, breaking the silence and almost startling me with the volume.
"Huh?" I looked over at him, feeling my big round eyes almost plead for him to go on.
"Stupid… but brave." He smirked, still feeling the need to poke fun.
"Sorry," I muttered, narrowing my stupid brown eyes at the ground.
"Don't be," He looked over at me, "I think it's brilliant… I've always admired Humans for their lack of concern for themselves when others are in danger. It's endearing, really."
"Yeah well…" I glared at the ground more intently, trying to shake his stare.
"I envy it… I've always thought before I acted, and I wondered what I would do in a life or death situation." He went on, "I've always been taught to save myself, you see, and think of no other… I just hope that one day, I'll be like you." He sighed, looking away.
"It's not as hard as it looks, trust me." I smiled to myself.
My eyes suddenly snapped open and I fought vigorously to stay alive, I gripped his arm and tried to pry it from my neck. It occurred to me then, that I was being so selfish. Letting myself die like this. Thinking about them, those who mean more to me than any of those Ironforge men meant to me, and they had to watch me die. I wouldn't have it, I wouldn't let them sit through this. The Warlock turned me sharply, as if trying to shake me asleep, and walked be away from the edge of the building. He probably thought I would pull us both over. But it something behind the Warlock caught my attention.
Kujajin sprang forth, ignoring the arrows and bullets now swimming through his flesh. He darted forward, through the physical limitations the bolts and spearheads held over him. He swayed through the oncoming assaults and tackled me out of the Warlocks grasps, like I had done to that Dwarf. We tumbled across the floor for a quick instant, the arrows ceasing. They had to reload, of course, though by now the damage was done enough. He kept his place poised over top of me, allowing me safely to lie on the stone floor. The drops of blood hit beside my ear and on my breastplate, sliding down over me like simple lines. My attention returned quickly, and I stared into his diminishing green eyes.
It was in that moment that I saw him, and I felt him. With his arms wide around me, and his wounds crying and yawning for me. His mouth twitched, a smile perhaps. A real one, one of those rare, unstoppable curls of the lips that even the shaking of his arms couldn't waver. My eyes shook like that, like his tired and defending arms, as they watched the sickly stretching of the drops from over his shoulder. It was like saliva, a sticky kind of substance that in the hanging night appeared like black tracings on his flesh. I wanted to reach out, and know again that he was indeed tangible, but I was still cold, and trembling beneath him.
He suddenly pulled himself up, and stood over me, staring at nothing but the ground beneath us. I was lucky he caught me before anything serious happened, I still felt alive. Somehow, I was alive. For now, at least. I pushed myself up slightly on my faltering hands but remained sitting. Kujajin's right hand mirrored mine, quivering, as it found a vile hanging on his hip. He retrieved it through the silence and downed the entire elixir. I barely heard a swallow or the swirling of the liquid as it fell through the glass and into his mouth.
"You bastard," The Warlock growled as he picked up his staff once more.
Kujajin's glare instantly darted towards the Undead, causing him to jolt in mild shock. The arrows once lodged in his body were forced out like the rejection of a tender hand, and landed in various places around him while the bullets that had once borrowed themselves into his flesh wriggled back out and fell uselessly to the floor. Finally, the arrowhead and bullet holes vanished, as I watched through the broken and shattered pieces of armour that barely hung by threads over his form. His skin came together again and left not a scar or a speck to proclaim their tearing. His eyes, once green, began swirling with a deep, maroon colour. They finally settled on crimson, while his eyebrows arched at the ends. His skin became a dark, ominous grey and his veins bulged more than usual. I was sure I was blacking out into a dream-like state, but I still felt the speckled rock beneath my fingers and the lacing of blood as it sewed into the bits of fabric clothing I had.
"What did you just consume?" The Forsaken asked with an astonished tone, masked by rage. It must have indeed been a fearsome potion, if an apothecary could be caught so surprised and flabbergasted.
"You're not the only one who can create a specialized potion," He said with a deeper and scratchier voice than usual, "It must be fortune to have a sister in herbalism, and a friend in alchemy."
Faster than my mind could even imagine in such a state, Kujajin was standing right next to the Warlock. He removed his final arrow from his quiver and slashed the guy's liver, causing a downpour of blood to cover the floor beneath him. I widened my eyes, my lips falling agape like the torn organ. The way he didn't even hesitate to strike, it made me nervous. The Forsaken doubled over, leaning forward and clutching his draining fluids. His rivers were this brown-blackish sort of blood colour, and it made me sick to look at. But it was by no means over yet.
The Hunters began releasing their arrows and bolts rapidly from the edge of the open side of the building, aiming to kill. But heedlessly, Kujajin charged to the men around Alpine and Votheilia and thrashed them all with his own arrowhead, and pounded the rest with his fists and feet. It was unbelievable, he was like a fox or raccoon in some kind of crazy frenzy. Alpine cheered and wrapped his arms around the tree still on his back, aiming the front end to the roof, near a long, horizontal log of wood hanging above him to hold the roof above us securely.
His tree released a barrage of arrows and twigs from the top, cutting most ropes holding the beam against the wall, which caused it to fall out of place. If anyone had told me that Alpine tree was some kind of arrow-shooting cannon, I never would have believed it. But now, before my eyes, dozens of they flew out like doves to the sky. The beam was still held to the roof by one single rope, which pulled it into a swing as gravity pushed it. It swung across the room, just barely above my head, and knocked every hunter off the side of the building. They were still stupid enough to be standing by the edge. Long range, I guess, came to bite them in the ass that time.
"That was lucky." Alpine said in astonishment. Of course, he hadn't planned any of it, as I expected.
Kujajin had already knocked out every one of the offenders in a blind rage, spinning through the air like an spinning, flying spear. He suddenly appeared in front of the Warlock again, as he was clutching his wound desperately. It didn't appear fatal, but definitely painful. Kujajin lifted the man up by his collar roughly into the air. The Warlock didn't like this too much, especially since the blood from his wound started flowing more freely as his body was stretched to full posture. From my position, however, it appeared to me the same situation the Warlock had put me into. Was Kujajin planning to...?
"What'll you do," He coughed up some blood in his shout, "Kill me? Go ahead!"
"I," Even Kujajin's voice was almost trembling, "am not," He was stern in his voice, though, "a murderer." Kujajin tossed the Undead over the side of the building, into the mess of guards below; where all the hunters had fallen and were now being taken as prisoners.
His gaze shot to me, and his dangerous stare caused my heart to pound even more heavily that when I was struggling against bony, rotting clutches. I couldn't even muster the courage to swallow, and was completely unable to move at all. My eyes were captured by his, and he held my gaze. His hand was up, the next second, and a fist was waiting to be spun towards me. It was tight, forceful, and gradually it pulled further and further back. My stomach churned uneasily, as the temptation to flee hit me. He seemed almost unaware of the difference between friend and foe. This was most definitely not the greeting I had planned.
His growl pierced my ears before his hand left his side, and he painfully and clutched his head. He gridded his teeth and suppressed another shout. Falling to his knees once more before me, he shook as if afraid. I moved a pace away, as best I could anyway. I watched on, though, not willing to turn tail even against such devastating potential ends. His skin crawled again, and it swept over his body, but began to reclaim its original hue, as his veins became less visible. His head snapped up and he stared at me with mixed eyes. One was more green, and one more red, but they switched, and stirred around.
He reached out to me and shakily stroked the side of my face, almost another smile crossing blued lips. He all but convulsed once more and retracted his hand, startling me again. He clutched his head once more, and then dropped his hands to the floor and his head fell forwards. His growling dulled, then ceased, and his original form slowly returned. I wouldn't move still, however, because somewhere in my heart I felt the need to be away from him, to stay alone on this cold rock. But I saw him as I did again, as his hair blew gently and settled to his head. This time, I didn't hesitate.
"Kujajin," I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, probably hurting him, for I was kind of rough when I didn't mean it.
"...?" He seemed taken aback, and for a moment searched for words or gestures, but finding none, he embraced me in return.
"You saved my life," I mumbled quietly, somehow still too proud to speak loudly.
"Of course," He replied quietly, his murmuring voice faltering slightly, "It was you, you and your... stupid Human selflessness; it was inspiring."
I gripped him tighter before pulling away. I returned to him a smile, not really bothering about the remark. I finally managed to stand up, with some trouble, and looked around at the scene as it lay before me. It seemed like Alpine and Votheilia were still all right, and most of the Horde fighters were unconscious or no threat. The entire area seemed dimmer, since the fire had gone out, and all that was left to light the area was the moon, the torches from the hall, and the street lights below. Kujajin rose to his full height again, and like I did, took a quick scope, making most sure that his sister was in reasonable condition. He did that stupid thing, that irritating thing, where he flashed me his Elven smirk. I didn't flush or look away though, I just smacked him in the arm for being so terribly lame.
-x0x-
Preview of EPILOGUE:
"Welcome, Heroes of Stormwind!" He greeted with arms wide open, the crowd cheered, and I almost fell over with shock. As the cheers died down, the man spoke louder, "Kujajin, if not for your efforts, Stormwind city would not exist today."
"Come up here," Another spoke excitedly, "Field Marshal Kujajin of Eversong."
I felt Kujajin squeeze my hand, and looked over at him. I knew that he had done so much for Stormwind, Far more than I did, and I wasn't jealous to let him take the glory. But, for some reason, It didn't seem to me that he wanted it. He tugged on my arm and led me up to the platform, despite my protests, and believe me, I protested a lot.
"Hey, what are you-" He pulled me forward quickly, "Just let me-"
Remember: THE EPILOGUE IS STILL TO COME, check it out! Review and the epilogue will be uploaded sooner! Hope you enjoy!