Chapter 3: Neru'Rekan
A dark voice came from across the room as Ranilok moped about his shattered destiny. "You have your life, but I intend to change that too."
"I know that voice. No! How did you get here?" Ranilok looked towards the other side of the room.
Above the black stone on the floor, another portal swirled. Ranilok wondered how long it had been open, but he also feared what stood above the gaping hole in existence. It was Neru'Rekan, leader of the warlock caste of Nerub'Itjahz. It was Neru'Rekan, the being he had stolen constantly from and defied endlessly. It was Neru'Rekan, the terror that he had feared for many years. The spider-warlock stood imposingly, covered in long red robes.
"Never allow a dark beacon to remain whole. You are a fool, elf." Neru'Rekan lurched closer as he spoke.
"No… No… Neru'Rekan…" Ranilok quivered as he tried to scoot backwards on the bed. "It is my destiny to live and to have a companion! Why does everything have to keep me from my destiny?"
"Neru'Rekan, I heard your name from my prison. Why did you not free me?" Cin'donia asked.
"Interesting… a body created from pure magic… this is intriguing." Neru'Rekan ignored the woman's question and turned to the mage again. "You steal enough crystals to warrant your death and this is all that you do with them?"
"It's my destiny!" Ranilok tried to hold close to the mantra that he had picked up in the last few months.
"Shutup!" Neru'Rekan charged and slammed Ranilok across the room with one of his arms. "There is no destiny, only survival!"
Trying to draw the large spider's attention back, Cin'donia spoke again. "Why didn't you free me?"
"What have you done for the spider kingdom to warrant freedom? You've earned nothing… so we did nothing. You must know after all of this time that we are neither evil nor good. We survive in the shadows, seeking only our own preservation. The days of conquest and prosperity… are long over." The nerubian warlock seemed to reminisce for a moment.
Silenced by the remarks, Cin'donia went and picked Ranilok up, still walking unsurely on the legs of the new body. Coughing, Ranilok followed her but remained standing as she sat back on the bed. "I'd love to see you try to take me!" He turned and began to conjure a fireball.
"Hold it." Cin'donia stopped Ranilok. "As much as he is deplorably lost in the shadow, what has this spider done to warrant being attacked?"
"He threatens us, especially me! He has wanted to kill me for a long time!" Ranilok explained. "I'll protect us."
Letting loose an eerie laugh, Neru'Rekan made a proposal. "Do you want to know about your 'creator', as he calls himself? He should be killed because he is foul."
"I will hear you out." The woman spoke.
"Please, don't!" Ranilok turned to her, trying to dissuade his 'love'. "You don't need to hear from him. He doesn't matter to us."
"If your conscience is clear, then you have nothing to worry about." Cin'Donia put a hand on Ranilok's arm.
"But he has so much to worry about. Did he tell you that he pilfered the very material that he used to create you? Did he also tell you that when we offered him hospitality, which is rare among my people, he abused it severely? Did he happen to mention that he defied not only me, but also a dragon aspect? Did it pass through his lips that his defiance of the aspect indirectly caused the death of one of his 'friends', as you humanoids call them?" Neru'Rekan made his charges towards Ranilok as the elf cringed at the annunciation of each one.
Frowning at the elf, Cin'donia spoke with regret. "I pity your soul, Ranilok."
"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" The elf moped. "My destiny is shattered."
"I told you, elf… destiny does not exist!" The spider raged at Ranilok, looking to hit him, but unable to due to Cin'donia being in the way.
"Then just kill me!" Ranilok demanded impatiently.
Cin'donia scooted away from the elf. "Do you really want death that much? Is there nothing in this life that you wish to hold onto?"
"He also acts as if death is the worst thing that I could do to him." The spider looked at the remains of the felguard and kicked the boots to the side. "I will extract your debt in pain and service. You will know no true rest!"
"You're taking me back aren't you? No. I won't go!" Ranilok looked for a moment to run for the door, but Neru'Rekan caught him tightly in his front claws.
"A most fitting punishment it will be! This too…" Neru held Ranilok steady with his front limbs and lifted another, picking a small change purse out of Ranilok's robes.
Demanding it back, Ranilok yelled at the spider. "Those are mine! Give them back!"
"These crystals belong to my people! You have no right to any of them. Be thankful that I am not laying claim to the body of your 'love' as you call her. Believe me; I intend to strip you of everything you hold dear by exposure or direct action!" The warlock stepped towards the portal.
"You can't judge me! You mean nothing to me!" Ranilok tried to defy the warlock again.
"No, I am not your judge; I am your executioner!" The spider threw Ranilok into the portal with a disorienting amount of force.
"What of me? You said that you laid no claim to this body; what am I supposed to do now?" Cin'donia uncharacteristically asked for advice.
Laughing and stepping through the portal, Neru'Rekan parted ways with the woman. "I could care less about you. You're free, and it appears you have a place to live… for now."
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Ranilok felt himself ripped across the vast distance quickly. The elf tumbled out of the portal and landed on his back. Six nerubians quickly beset the mage and restrained him while a nearby nerubian mage continuously countered all of Ranilok's attempted spell-casting.
Neru'Rekan stepped out of the portal elegantly as he passed through from Quel'thalas. "Do you see, elf? Everyone hates you for what you've done." He waved one of his shadowy limbs and the crystals in the floor around them lit up, revealing a great assembly of Nerubians. "They don't even know you, but they hate you for your actions."
"So? I don't care about them!" Ranilok tried to struggle against the guards, but each took a turn lashing him for the comment.
"Methuselah always spoke to me of how humanoids had 'friends'. Do you have any, Ranilok? Have your actions damned you in all of their eyes?"
Breaking down slightly, Ranilok thought of all the friends he had lost over the 'love' that he now couldn't have. "It's all her fault isn't it… if I had really created a soul then this wouldn't have happened."
"So now you turn against the last being on this planet that may value you? You are truly a worthless wretch!" Neru'Rekan walked up and took his own shot at beating Ranilok, clawing into the elf's back and leaving several bloodied scrapes.
Hit hard by that comment, Ranilok asked honestly. "What have I done to them?"
"You've taken from my people's livelihood and from the defense of our colony by your theft. Now your thievery will become the device of your punishment!"
Throwing the small change purse that he had confiscated from Ranilok into the air, Neru'Rekan shot it with a shadowy spell and broke the enchantment that allowed it to hold. The large pile of crystals inside rained to the floor as the crowd opened up to allow for it. As soon as the last crystal had dropped, dozens of mages in the crowd began to move the crystals with their magic, building them into larger pieces. More crystals were brought in to finish some of the pieces as Ranilok watched in amazement. He was not the only one who had perfected building with Itjahzi crystals; the nerubians had millennia of experience. The casters began to stack the pieces slowly and bind them to each other. A warlock in the crowd summoned and slew a felguard over the headpiece, imbuing it with the demon's essence. In the chest of the large construct, an imprint of a humanoid was shaped along with retainers to close off the chamber.
"By the Sunwell what is that thing?" Ranilok looked to with fear.
"It is the device by which you will serve us." Neru'Rekan walked close to Ranilok and motioned to the guards. "Mark him against resistance."
Ranilok tried to free himself vehemently, but it was no use when he was restrained by so many spiders. Two of the guards scratched arcane symbols into the back of his neck, and then all of the guards let him loose. Ranilok immediately tried to cast a fireblast upon them, but he cast no more spells because the fireblast returned to him instead, singing his robes and blowing him to the ground.
"You will cause no more harm to my people, Ranilok. Those markings will permanently cause any pain you cause my kin to return to you doubly." Neru'Rekan stepped towards the elf and motioned at the construct that the nerubians had made from the crystals. "Get into the infernal shell."
"No. You can't make me do it!" Ranilok sat on the ground.
Laughing, Neru'Rekan motioned to the guards and they picked the elf up bodily and placed him into the mold. "We have accounted for this eventuality. You will learn to respect us… and if you do not, you will learn to fear us."
The mold slowly closed upon Ranilok and the headpiece lowered into place. The elf felt the essence of the demon in the headpiece begin to seep into his thoughts and take control of his actions. His consciousness was kept painfully aware of his lack of control as the demon tapped into his power. The entire structure of the infernal acted as an amplifier for the fire that Ranilok was able to wield. A detachment of Nerubians followed as the infernal marched deep into the tunnels beyond Nerub'Itjahz and towards an exit where the scourge could be found. Soon, the infernal was barreling at blazing speed as it neared the engagement. Nerubians skittered behind the monstrosity as it suddenly lit alight with flame and battered into the scourge ranks in the tunnels.
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A week passed as Cin'donia became familiar with some of the intricacies of her new body. Ranilok had made the job so detailed that except for what actually composed her body and what flowed in her veins, she was an elf as much as he was. The main difference that she exhibited was no corrupting addiction to magic; she had an eternal supply of magic in herself as Itjahzi crystals never ran out of power.
Cin'donia found out what hunger was very quickly and she recognized what the edible food was and where it was stored. Because her form was made permanent by Ranilok's magic, she was unable to experience weight gain. Cin'donia's body transformed the food that she ate directly into energy, leaving no waste. This transformation also meant that she could go long times without eating and eat much more than any elf should be able to when she wished to take on energy.
Having no concept of the proper order of things, Cin'donia had left the house in disarray after the fighting and summoning within it. The portal to Nerub'Itjahz had closed shortly after Neru'Rekan had retreated through it. The creation had no desire to leave, she had nowhere to go. Another motivation for not leaving was that she had not heard Ranilok's side of the story. As much as her creator seemed deplorable to her, she wanted to hear his explanation for his actions. Perhaps she could help him to get better from his ways; she could show him the light.
After the week had passed and Cin'donia had eaten through a good deal of the food in the house, someone finally knocked on the door. Cin'donia wondered where the noise came from first, and soon realized that it was the door. Moving towards the exit of her limited world, she slowly moved the brace as the visitor continued to knock, sounding more impatient now. Unsurely, Cin'donia opened the door and looked at the person who stood beyond.
"OH…. excuse me… am I disturbing something?" Lily stood at the door with Ranilok's food for the week and stared at Cin'donia. The elf was clearly blushing at the sight that greeted her.
"No. Who are you?" Cin'donia looked her over, asking politely.
"My name is Lily. I bring the food here every week. Where is Ranilok?" The girl asked, hoping that her employer was in a better mood from the woman in the house and perhaps be able to explain the state of the woman that answered the door.
"He's not here; he was taken away." The creation answered simply.
"Just taken away? Aren't you worried about him?" Lily assumed that the two were a pair.
Shaking her head, Cin'donia denied being worried. "No, not really. I want to hear something he has to say, so I am staying here until he returns at least."
Lily shifted the bags that she was carrying around. "May I come inside? This is so strange and I don't like to stand here holding all of these packages."
"Yes, you may come in." Cin'donia responded, stepping away from the door.
After putting the packages down just inside the door, Lily shut the entry and gazed around the house. "What happened here?"
"A nerubian came here and took Ranilok to Northrend with him. I also believe that Ranilok fought and killed at least ten demons in this room." The woman answered Lily honestly.
"That's mad. I never imagined that Ranilok had such things going on here." Lily tried to think about the situation as she looked at Cin'donia seriously for once. She noticed how perfect the woman was and she noticed the gems set on Cin'donia's skin. The creation made her look like she was the dullest piece of brass in a room full of candelabras. "So then why are you naked?" Lily finally built up the courage to ask.
"I'm naked?" Cin'donia looked down at herself; she was indeed wearing no clothing.
"You didn't realize it?" Lily looked completely astounded.
"No. Please tell me." Cin'donia sat on the bed as Lily came over and sat by her.
"Well… It's hard to explain. Do you have amnesia or something? You look to be as old as me and I find it hard to believe that you don't know to dress yourself when answering the door." Lily was still befuddled at her companion.
"You mean to wear something like you are wearing?" Cin'donia asked plainly.
"Well, yes." Lily couldn't believe that she was explaining this to another grown elf. "It's proper to cover this area and this area at least, traditionally more than that. You cover them most of the time, except well…" Lily leaned in and whispered the rest to Cin'donia, not feeling comfortable with loudly announcing the proper times to wear clothing.
"I don't know if there is any clothing here for me." Cin'donia frowned, realizing that she was probably causing Lily to be extremely embarrassed.
"But, didn't you come here wearing something? Were you walking around naked outside?" Lily continued to be astounded at the conversation.
Remaining completely honest, Cin'donia explained her lack of clothing. "I've not been outside of this building yet. The last time that I traveled was countless years ago and in a much different form."
Overwhelmed by the strange intricacies of this woman, Lily tried to shrug off revelation. "Ok… I guess we could look around. This place needs to be straightened up and I know Ranilok is a tailor."
They both walked around the house, picking up chairs and replacing books on tables. Thankfully, the warlock scrolls had rolled themselves up and the one that had freed Cin'donia had vaporized. After an hour or so, the house was picked up, but no clothing was in sight.
"He must have intended for you to remain naked… that's so improper." Lily sat down on the bed, disappointed that Cin'donia couldn't be helped.
"We haven't opened these two chests." Cin'donia had been keeping track of their search.
"But would he really want us going through his things? He left the other chests open, but not these two." Lily took a hold of Cin'donia's arm to stop her from walking to the closed chests.
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Cin'donia walked to the locked chest and opened it with little effort.
"How did you?" Lily paused, knowing the chest had been locked before. "How did you open that?"
Cin'donia looked back at Lily, bewildered herself this time. "I lifted the lid. Is it more complicated than that?"
"I guess not." Lily shrugged off the oddity as she looked into the chest. "Ah! This is what we're looking for!" the woman pulled out a close-fitted but elegant dress.
"It does look nice." Cin'donia was able to recognize the craftsmanship put into it even though she didn't realize that she was supposed to wear it until now.
Handing her a few other items, Lily tried to be guiding and motherly. "Put these on first, then the dress."
Cin'donia learned how to dress the body that she had been gifted very quickly. While she dressed, the thought for the first time about the situation that she was in. The woman knew that some other races wore garments like this, but she had not made the connection in the short time that she had been free to wear them herself. Ranilok was an elf, but was she really an elf? Her body was made of the magic crystal that Neru'Rekan had spoken about, but did that mean that she still had to follow the rules that bound others who appeared similar to her? Accepting that it did for the time being, Cin'donia tied the small string at the collar of the dress and looked towards Lily.
"I knew it must have been a memory problem. You put it on perfectly." Lily swept all of her uncertainties away with the simple excuse.
Knowing that Lily wouldn't understand, Cin'donia remained silent and changed the topic. "Will you be staying here?"
"Oh, I musn't. It would not be appropriate if Ranilok returned for me to be inside." Lily stood up and headed for the door.
"But you're inside now. What's different?" Cin'donia tried to get Lily to stay.
"Well… I don't know, but I have to go." Lily opened the door and stepped outside to close it.
"Will you come back?" Cin'donia inquired as the door was closing.
Smiling, Lily shut the door and left. "Of course, I'll have to bring more food."