JJ: As the plot of the story keeps forming in my head, I end up changing the story name a lot too...

Karkon: You are troubled...

JJ: Shush you! I have school! Be grateful that I had the time to write this darn long chapter.

Karkon: I advise you to spend more time on your work than writing your fan fics...

JJ: Wait...Wha?...

Karkon: Disclaimer - World of Warcraft does not belong to JJfats, only Nell does.

Chapter 5

"Impressive," muttered Karkon as he inspected the great wall of roots that the druid had called forth. "Thank you," replied the tauren. He was kneeling over Nell, attending to her wound. "Your spell will keep the necromancer at bay, but once that deat knight regains consciousness, it could be a different story." Karkon said. "It is not meant to hold forever, my friend. Once I am done with the girl, we must depart immediately. Healing wounds are not my specialty, but I can at least stop her from bleeding to death."

It both relieved and irritated Karkon to hear that the elf was going to live. He hated her, but he needed her. "Ironic" he thought. "All done." Thorka said with a satisfied look on his face. "Quickly, my friend. We must retreat before my spell breaks. If those two catch us, I don't think we can shake them again." The tauren picked up the limp elf and rested her over his shoulder. With a loud snort, the tauren began sprinting back out the way Karkon and Nell had first came through. The orc quickly followed suite. Karkon had a hard time keeping up with the druid. He had both his axe and Nell's warhammer strapped to his back. Both of the heavy weapons were slowing him down. The druid on the other hand seemed as swift as a panther. Even though he had to deal with the weight a paladin in full armor and his own huge staff, he seemed to have endless amounts of stamina. He was not even breaking a sweat.

He did not know who this stranger was or why he was helping them, but he knew that he was strong. There would be time to ask questions later, when they were out of harms way, but right now, he needed all The help he could get. He risked a glance back at the wall of roots. It seemed to be holding, but the signs of stress on it were obvious. He just hoped that the death knight had not already awakened.

Cornelius Breakwater began to stir. His head hurt like hell. He cursed himself for not wearing his helmet. Still, he prefered his low cowl. It had been a symbol of righteousness when he was still a holy warrior. He now wore it, unashamed, as a symbol of how the mighty have fallen. Shaking the thought out of his head, the death knight slowly picked himself up.

"It's about time," came the arrogant voice of the necromancer, Goren. "I was starting to think that I had to raise you as my minion as well, but it seems that I am mistaken." Cornelius ignored the wizard. Instead, he kept his focus on the giant wall of roots in front of him. "What is this?" he asked, puzzled. "It is a wall of roots, obviously. Can you be any more stupid than you already are." Cornelius started to tremble in anger at the last comment, but he kept his temper in check. He knew that the Lich King valued his necromancers. Instead he turned towards the wizard and asked, "What I meant was, where did it come fr-...What happend to your face?" It was then, only did Cornelius noticed the wizards half decomposing head.

" It was a druid. It came to aid our prey. And this?" He moved a bony hand and touched his exposed skull gently, "This was the work of that infernal paladin! I swear Cornelius, when I find that bitch, I will put her through hell before I let her expire. By the time I am done with he, she will be begging for the sweet release of death. Which I would gladly carry out her request. Now are you going to stand there all day and stare at me or are you going to help me get through this heap of bushes, you thrice damned son of a whore?! Cornelius winced at the insult. His brows began to twitch. 'Calm down Cornelius. Just deal with the wretch a little longer.' He sighed as he controlled his anger and bitter resentment. The knigh also chose not to tell Goren that he was the one who threw the hammer off the cliff.

Cornelius walked over to the wall and laid an armored hand on the roots. He could feel it pulsing with life energy. Life was a powerful thing. It filled everything. Even the cold bodies of the undead, even in a tiny blade of grass and even in himself. 'Life is such a wonderful thing.' he thought to himself, 'sadly, it is something so easily crushed.' At that moment, the entire wall began to wither and die. The thick roots quickly shrivel led and fell apart, revealing an empty, open path.

"Good work, death knight. I knew you were useful for something." said the necromancer as he strode past Cornelius briskly. "Oh yes." Cornelius muttered to himself. "I am very useful indeed." and stalked off after the wizard.

Karkon raced downhill to keep up with the fleet footed tauren. To his right, Karkon could see the long, beautiful stretch of sandy beaches. If he recalled correctly, the beach was called the Forgotten Coast. If not for the two minions of the Lich King after him, he would have certainly stopped and try to enjoy the view. He made a mental note to return here one day to fish when all this was over. Pushing the thought from his head, he continued to barrel down the path. Karkon did not like the idea of running away from a foe, but he certainly disliked the idea of facing one with absolutely no chance of survival.

It had gotten darker since their encounter with the death knight. The last streaks of sunlight slowly diminishing in the distance. They could not keep running all night. Eventually, they would have to stop and rest, leaving them wide open for an ambush. The orc could already feel his legs beginning to give way. The weight of the two weapons he carried began to take its toll on him. Ahead, he could see the druid slowing down, the weight he carried beginning to slow him down as well.

After several more hours of running, the group finally came to a stop near some ancient elven ruins. Nell had yet to regain consciousness. Thorka carefully laid her down on a soft patch of grass. "I have done all I can for her. Whether she lives or dies all depends on the Earth Mother now." said the tauren in a hushed tone. Karkon just grunted as usual. He stood up right and squinted his eyes to get a better look at the ruins around him. Orcs had superior night vision compared to most of the races in Azeroth. The orc could make out ancient symbols on the walls of the ruins, as well as vandalism caused by the local ogres.

Karkon guessed that this was as good a time to ask the druid some questions. "Who exactly are you? Why are you here?" he asked. The tauren turned to face the orc. "I am Thorka Fangtotem, druid of the Emerald Circle. I came to Feralas to investigate a certain vision my superior had while he dwelled in the Emerald Dream." said the druid slowly. Karkon really did not understand the part about the dream, but he chose to ignore it. "And does that vision have something to do with us?" asked the orc once more. "My master said that there was a great evil dwelling in these forests, and that it had to be stopped. He did not mention anything about two bounty-hunters, so I can only guess that you were either here by chance, or you were fated to be here." the tauren finished. Karkon really didn't understand the gibberish that the druid was talking about and once again ignored it. Instead he glanced around at the broken city walls.

"This place was once a great elven city called Eldre' Thalas. Built twelve thousand years ago by a covert sect of night elf sorcerers, the ancient city was used to protect the most prized arcane secrets of Queen Azshara. Though it was ravaged by the Great Sundering, much of the wondrous city still stands as the imposing Dire Maul. Though now its only usage is for ogre gladiators to prove their worth." said the druid. The orc solemnly nodded his head. He had no use for such information, but it never hurt to know a little history, here and there.

Both Karkon and Thorka had agreed against lighting a fire, for it would obviously attract the attention of the death knight. Being the one with the most energy at the moment, Thorka had agreed to take first watch. The orc began to protest, but later backed down as he notice how tire he really was. Their trek had tired out the orc more than he had expected. Finally he agreed with the druid. As Thorka shape-shifted once again, this time into a form of a horned lion, Karkon leaned on a boulder and let out a huge sigh. He tried to think back to the time he had first met Nell. She had saved his life back then, although he loathed to admit it, and now he was paying back the favor. Although he resents the way she had treated him for the past year, he had to admit, it was not all that bad. Before he met the elf, his life had been a bore. Full of doing what he was told and cleaning up after other peoples dirty work, but his travels with the elf had been both exciting and thrilling. Even fun at times. As he dwelled in his thoughts, the orc fell into a silent sleep.

Karkon jumped up, wide awake, as he felt something touch him. "Your a light sleeper." came a deep, husky voice from behind him. The orc turned to see Thorka standing on the boulder that Karkon had been using as a cushion. "We have to move," he said before hoping off the rock and moving to pick up Nell. Karkon inspected the surroundings. It was still rather dark. It was obviously still night time or early in the morning. He assumed that it was either midnight or early in the morning. He asked the tauren anyway. "How long has it been?" inquired the orc. The tauren gently lifted the elf and placed her over his shoulders once more, "It has been about six hours since we made camp." Karkon was genuinely surprised. It had been six hours and the death knight and his lackeys had yet to find them. Furthermore, Thorka had stayed awake the whole night, keeping watch. The tauren really did seem tired now.

Before long, the group were on te move once more, hoping to get to the nearby Horde outpost. The sun would be rising in an hour or two, which would give them the advantage of visibility once more. Karkon noticed that Thorka was moving at a slower pace than he did the previous day. He was tired and starved of sleep. It wasn't an unknown feeling to Karkon. He too had spent sleepless nights on watch before, therefore he was able to symphatize with the tauren. Karkon picked up the pace until he was walking with the druid side by side.

"Let me hold the girl." offered the orc. The tauren looked at Karkon, then towards the load he carried and then shook his head. "I cannot burden you further, my friend. You already carry those heavy weapons. Adding to your weight will merely drain you of your energy much quicker." said the druid. Karkon frowned. "It would be better if we slowed down than having you completely fall over unconscious. I simply cannot imagine myself hauling these weapons, the girl and you all the way back to Camp Mojache." said the orc sarcastically, a humorous grin appearing at the side of his lips.

The druid let out a deep chuckle before replying, "I suppose you are right, my friend. You are far wiser than you look." He lifted the elf off his shoulders and placed her in Karkon's arms. "It will only be for awhile." the druid said. "If you begin to get tired, tell me, and I will relieve you of your burden once more." The orc just nodded and once again, they continued down the path.

The group eventually came across a arcing bridge which crossed over a ravine. As they were crossing it, Karkon risked a downward glance. It was a long way down. There was a river at the bottom of the crevice. Karkon's eyes followed te river upstream and he spotted a great waterfall in the distance. The tiny silhouette of Camp Mojache was visible to the right of the waterfall.

Just as the orc's hopes begin to rise, a bony, clawed hand shot up from beneath him. The orc quickly stepped back to avoid the blow, nearly losing his balance. A rotting ghoul began to climb over the edge of the bridge, followed by another. Soon, a whole line of skeletal arms could be seen trying to get on the bridge. 'The ghouls must have been hanging under the bridge', thought the orc. Thorka, who was already at the far end of the bridge, quickly turned around and sprinted back to assist the orc, but was cut of as the first of the ghouls finally managed to get on the bridge. The tauren took a step back and shape-shifted once more, into a huge brown bear this time with spiked fur, and started ploughing through the undead.

Karkon began to make his way back towards the other end of the bridge. He had to leave Nell in a safe place before he could assist the druid. Unfortunately, his exit was blocked by dozens of hungry looking zombies. Karkon sighed in relief. Zombies were much easier to handle compared to ghouls. He unsheathed his axe from his back and charged, wielding the two-handed weapon in one hand with ease. Karkon really had to admit, dealing with zombies was child's play. Even though he had the extra weight of another weapon and an unconscious elf on his shoulders, all he really had to do was keep swinging his ax in front of him. The mindless drones' brains were so badly decomposed that they would simply walk straight into the onslaught. After a minute of aimless swinging, there were no more undead between the orc and the end of the bridge. Karkon began to sprint but he immediately stopped in his tracks as he saw a deadlier foe appear from the shadows of the treeline.

There were five of them in total. Huge bug like creatures with two segmented body parts, a torso and an abdomen. In between the segments were six long, slender insectoid looking legs and similar arms on their torso's. Their roundish head held eight beady, little eyes which were as dark as night. Now Karkon was in trouble. He had faced these creatures before, during the Scourge incursion. They were Nerubian crypt stalkers. Spider-like warriors who were capable of tearing opponents in half with relative ease or shoot an acidic string of web which could melt through the thickest of plate armor within seconds. Glancing back, he could see that Thorka had rid the bridge of ghouls and there was no undead lurking between the orc and the druid. Satisfied, Karkon laid the paladin down on the ground and readied his axe.

Letting out his usual battle cry, the orc bent down low and charged. He did not want to be hit by one of the stalker's webs. If he had to die, he wanted to die among the dead bodies of the spiders. He was temporarily relieved when the spider creatures charged at him too. The spider swept it's clawed hand at the orc, who responded by bringing his axe up in front of him. The claw was sliced in half as in made contact with the edge of the axe, driven by it's own momentum. The creature shrieked in agony, and was soon silenced as the orc brought his axe down on it's brain. As the first nerub fell, two more came at the orc, one from each side. Karkon quickly ducked and the spiders, unable to stop in time, crashed straight into each other. The creatures reeled backwards from the awful blow and fell over the edge of the bridge and into the lake river below. Another nerub leaped onto Karkon's back from behind. The orc fell over, unable to bear the weight of the creature. He quickly rolled over as the spider fell upon him, jaws wide open. The orc grabbed the two protruding teeth and pushed with all his strength, determined to not let the spider bite him with it's poisonous fangs.

The orc then did something unexpected. He let go of one of the fangs and used his free arm to reach for his axe. Surprised that it's prey could hold it of with just one hand, the spider creature did not notice the orc driving his axe into it's neck, severing it completely. Karkon shoved the body off him and picked himself up, a huge grin on satisfaction on his face. 'Wait, wasn't there five of the creatures?' The smile faded from his face. The warrior knew that he had slain only four enemies. He was an orc, but he wasn't stupid either.

A loud chittering sound came from behind him and he immediately spun on his heels. The final nerubian was skittering towards Nell. Karkon cursed. The elf had picked a fine time to go into a coma. He knew that he would never make it in time. Instead, Karkon grabbed Nell's hammer which still hung at his back. He put all his strength into his arms and threw the heavy weapon. The hammer flew straight and true. It hit the nerub square in the back with a sickening crunch. The spider creature fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Karkon was surprised. His throw was weak and was only meant to slow the spider down. He guessed that the hammer's enchantments were more potent than he thought.

Finally satisfied, the orc turned to see how Thorka was faring against his foes. He did not like what he saw. All the ghouls were obviously dead. Their remains were scattered all over the entire bridge, but the druid was lying on his back. He wasn't dead though. Karkon could see the slow rise and fall of his chest, which meant that he was breathing. Did fighting the ghouls wear him out in his already weakened state? No, the answer was much more obvious as Karkon saw who stood at the far end of the bridge. The necromancer. The very same one they had been trying to flee from. "Finally caught up, eh?" taunted the orc, readying himself once more.

The wizard smiled wickedly. "Caught up? Heh heh, you underestimate me, my friend. We were here waiting for you for hours! You were lucky though. You should thank my companion though. If not for his persuasion skills, I would have melted your skin while you slumbered!" The mention of the wizards 'companion' immediately alerted Karkon. Where was the death knight? He knew that the knight survived the fall, but where was he now? The sound of metal clanking on hard earth made the orc turn. Karkon's eyes widened as the death knight brought his sword down on him, and drew blood...

Nell was lost in darkness. She could see nothing. Hear nothing. Feel nothing. Everything was just pitch-black. Was she dead? She did not know. She could not even remember what had happened. Everything was a blur. All she knew was that she was a blood elf. A paladin. A Blood Knight. Nothing more. She also remembered a certain knight with a dark cowl. He seemed familiar. Where had she seen him before? She could not recall. She knew that she fought him and she knew that she lost. The thought angered her. Nell never liked losing. She did not know why, but she just didn't. Her anger then turned to pure hatred. Hatred at herself for losing. Hatred at the knight for besting her. Hatred for everything. She wanted revenge. Nell heard a faint whisper. She could not make out the words as it was too soft, though it gradually grew louder over time. The voice was deep and inhuman. both intimidating and melodic at the same time. It said "Follow me, and you will have your revenge." Nell did as she was told.

Karkon held his bleeding shoulder. The cut was deep,the sword having sliced easily through his thick, plate spaulders and the blood refused to clot. It was obviously part of the foul magics which enveloped the cursed runeblade the knight wielded. The death knight stood over the orc, his low hood still obscuring his features.

The knight knelt down and regarded the orc face to face. "Your death is inevitable, green skin. Now answer me, will you join me? Or will you join your little elven friend in oblivion?" asked the knight. Karkon just spat in his face. Never would he stoop so low as to aiding the forces of undead. "Another pity..." said the knight, wiping the spit of his face. He raised his blade over his head ad brought it down hard upon Karkon's skull.

For what seemed like the hundredth time in twenty four hours, the orc braced himself for death. It never came. The death knight was frozen in place, a look of surprise in his eyes. He was not looking at the orc though. He was looking behind the orc. Curiously, Karkon followed his gaze. He too was surprised at what he saw.

Nell had awakened from her coma and was beginning to pick herself up. But the elf was not what the stunned duo were looking at. The paladin had sprouted a pair of blood-red wings. They were at least 7 feet long each. Apart from that, she was bleeding an aura of killing intent. The feeling was so overwhelming that Karkon couldn't even move to get up. As the elf stood up right, she made eye contact with the orc. There was something different in her eyes. They were still crimson, as always, but now the irises emitted a faint glow. Her pupils, which were round and spherical like a human's, were now just slits, similar to those of wild raptors. Nell just blankly stared at Karkon. It sent a chill down his spine. There was something in her eyes that was not normal. Something that would freeze the blood of men on the spot.

Something...Demonic...

To be continued...

JJ: Well, Nell is back. Thats some good news. The longest chapter I written so far now...

Karkon: Good. Now go study, you have an essay to write.

JJ: Hang on a sec!, I have to write te preview for the next chapter!

Karkon: No. Essay. Now.

Drags JJfats away

JJ: NOOOOoooooo My stories!!