Re-posting this because I forgot to finish formatting it.
For those who don't know, I post this on Spacebattles, and shifting it from being ready for here from there is a pain in the ass, so we're often a couple chapters ahead of the thread until I can find time to reformat it.
-X LINE BREAK X-
"-They are starting to become an… annoyance."
That, in Roman's personal opinion, summed up what was going on nicely. Red and her group of friends seemed to be going around screwing up all their plans without even intending to.
When he expressed that opinion aloud, Taurus chuckled, "She seems to be good at that doesn't she? She stopped an assassination attempt I had on the SDC's heiress and a traitor to the White Fang a few hours ago."
"Need I remind you, that those Paladins were for you?"
"We'll be able to work without them, the White Fang has been doing better than ever. I've almost unified them, and we have new recruits coming in."
Roman scoffed "Besides the mess with the Paladins, my end of things has been going well. The Train is being prepped and we have secured the tunnels, for now. Unlike yourself, Mutt. What's wrong, got a cold?"
Streaks of white had started to appear in the Faunus's hair since the last meeting, and he seemed to be shivering slightly.
"Shut up, Torchwick." Taurus snapped at Roman.
"In case you two have forgotten, Emerald, Mercury, Neo and I are supposed to be undercover until the Vytal festival, so I can't be running out here for every problem you two have, I need you to behave while we are gone." Cinder cut in, the sleeves of her dress lighting up, reminding Roman that she could probably end either of them in seconds. Taurus looked ready to argue, before settling down.
"Of course."
"Right, right, whatever you say."
"Roman, you never told me about how the elimination of that rogue element went."
"Uh- About that, they may have, uh, escaped."
"Where?"
Roman mumbled out the answer, and he could feel all the eyes on him.
"Do I need to remind you, that he has sensitive data about the White Fang, including what actually happened to Irving Henderson?"
"So?"
"If they find out that the previous leader wasn't killed by an Anti-Faunus extremist, and instead was killed by the man championing a crusade to avenge his death, we will lose a lot of the White Fang, which I need for my plans."
"We can use Neo! She got in before, right- Why are you shaking your head like that?"
Neo pulled out her scroll typing something out, rapidly.
'I don't think I could do it again.'
"Why not?"
'They're looking for something, They probably realized I took that metal and are on guard now.'
"This is a really big reaction over a piece of metal."
Neo typed out her response, 'which is weird because they they didn't have it well guarded beyond their weird zombie things.'
You're welcome.
Came a smug voice.
Neo shook her head, the voice had appeared recently, as if she didn't have enough thing to mention to whatever therapist she hired when she left for… wherever she would go next, she heard Vacuo was nice this time of year.
Oh, sure ignore me, that's nice. I bet the other ones aren't having this much trouble with their hosts. This is what happens when you base your entire plan around one girl you're responsible for getting fucked up, Azeroth, you hear!? Fucking bitch. Are they almost done? I'm bored, we should go find some treasure. You didn't grab any other than that hunk of metal when we were in that vault. You're welcome for that by the way, without me you would be a soulless husk like bull-boy over there. Do you guys have banks? If so we should raid one, that's where all the adventurers keep their cool stuff in my experience.
'Would you shut up?'
Hey! You're actually acknowledging my existence! This is step one for a healthy working relationship between us! And trust me, if it takes anywhere near as long for Remnant to wake up as it did for Azeroth, we're going to be hanging out for a loooooonnnnnngggggg time, partner.
She hoped that wasn't true, she wasn't sure how long she would be able to remain sane with this annoyance in her head.
Come on it's not that bad, Red got tied up with a walking corpse as part of Azeroth's grand scheme, now that is a "What the hell were you thinking" moment, I know that we got given to her by the other Titans, and she had Elune do this to Kalecgos before, but seriously, at least the other ones knew what they were doing, well, except Khaz'goroth, but fuck him.
'What are you?'
Not sure myself, I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to be sentient, Azeroth added that in as a failsafe in case Sargeras's Boogeyman corrupted one of you idiots again. Lock you out from the connection. Fucking weak willed piles of shit that you are.
"We're done here."
Neo trailed behind 'her team.'
Speaking of the Parasites, what's up with, what's-her-name, the one in the dress, Ash? I don't know, I can barely be bothered to remember your name. Point is, she's got some signs of corruption.
'Don't know, don't care so long as I get payed.'
I can appreciate that outlook.
At least they had one thing in common.
- X LINE BREAK X -
Blake walked down the halls of Beacon, a pair of mugs in hand. She was heading towards the set of rooms the Ebon Blade had commandeered for their use.
To be fair, nobody had been using them in the first place. They had been a set of dorm rooms connected to a communal living room/kitchenette combination, similar to what Teams JNPR, CRDL and RWBY shared, that had been forgotten and fallen into disrepair over the years. Beacon had once housed a lot more students than they did now, technology making it so less people felt the need to sign up to learn to be Huntsmen.
Blake looked around as she walked into the room, it had always surprised her how low-tech they operated. The only technology in the room was the refrigerator, even the lights and stove had been gutted, replaced with candles, and a wood stove they had moved in from Acherus.
Pinned against one wall was a set of maps, job locations and who was on them pinned against a large map of Remnant.
The chairs and sofas that had been there were replaced with new ones, bought with some of the money the Knights made doing missions.
Velann was thrown across the couch, dead to the world. Her arm hanging limply off the the side.
"Is she alright?"
Malag looked up from where he was cooking… something.
"Oh, she'll be fine, Ruby's never killed her before, I doubt she did it this time."
"I don't know mon, da elf has never been out for dis long."
A faint groan of pain came from Velann's direction, but the elf didn't move.
"See? She'll be fine, you worry too much Zaala."
"Right, have you seen Ruby? Nobody has seen her since yesterday, classes start soon."
"She's in dere," the Troll gestured behind her, towards one of the rooms, "been trying to figure out something all night."
"Did she say what?"
"Someting bout transcripts."
"Thanks."
Blake walked into the room to see Ruby sprawled across a chair, talking into her scroll and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Listen, it isn't all that hard of a question, can you send me the transcript of Jaune Arc?... Because I am looking at my copy and something isn't lining up!"
Blake watched in amusement as she listened to the one sided argument.
"Yes, thank you, I'll try them."
Ruby threw her scroll onto the desk before unleashing a slew of phrases Blake could only assume were swears.
Walking over, Blake put down the mug meant for her friend.
"Everything all right?"
"No!"
"What's wrong?"
"I'm trying to figure out how someone who had great scores in his combat classes is doing so bad now!"
"Jaune was doing well?"
"Bs"
"What's he got now?"
"Ds"
"He fell a whole grade?"
"More."
"That's... weird."
"Yeah. Whatcha need, Blakey?"
"It's almost time for classes."
"Really?"
"Yes, nobody had seen you, we were worried something had happened."
"Don't worry, Zaala has a scroll now, if my Aura suddenly drops it's set to inform her so she can reconnect me."
"Zaala?"
"She's better at the actual dead raising part of Necromancy than Velann."
"So you've been trying to get your hands on another version of Jaune's transcript all night?"
"No, I've been working on other stuff."
"Like this file?"
It was funny to watch Ruby's eyes snap open and lock onto her.
"Blake! Don't go reading my stuff!"
"I can't read it, it's all in this gibberish."
"Runic Common, I got used to writing in it back when I had to send messages."
"It makes Weiss angry, she can never tell if you're actually taking notes or just drawing random things."
"Yeah, well-"
"What is this about? You've got, seven different versions of Remnant with lines scrawled across it."
"Ok, that one is fine, I'm trying to trace out Remnant's Ley Lines."
"Ley Lines?"
"Imagine giant blood vessels under the ground, except instead of blood they're carrying pure Arcane energy. Even one Ley Line can augment a spell beyond what a mortal could ever hope to perform. If you can find a place where several converge? Let's put it this way, I'm mediocre at best when it comes to frost magic, I could still probably turn Vale into a giant popsicle."
"Why are you trying to figure that out?"
"I'm trying to see if there are any active convergences near Vale, if there is, I'd be willing to bet that our mysterious Necromancer is using it. It's what I would do… what I did do back on Outland."
"Outland?"
"I'll explain while we go to class."
- X LINE BREAK X -
Ruby gently ran her finger down the new runic tattoos marking her skin.
"How much longer is this supposed to take?"
No answer.
"Can you at least tell me what you want me to do? You called me up here, had someone replace me in Naxxramas, then nothing."
We need a foothold on Kalimdor.
"Arthas, I hate to tell you this, but we're on Northrend."
A spike of amusement.
Thank you Ruby, I was unaware of that.
"You're welcome!"
Never have I had cause to regret bringing you back, Ruby. Always, you find ways to amuse me.
"What about that time with Stormrage?"
A minor setback. The fool can never stop me.
"Of course."
It is ready.
"Then why didn't you just tell me it would be done soon?"
I was unaware that it was this close to completion. Now, step out onto the balcony.
Ruby felt her eyebrows hike up as she looked at the Necropolis in front of her.
Avernus. It will be your base of operations on Kalimdor.
"Where are we going to first?"
The Stonetalon mountains.
"Why there?"
It will give you easy access to several important Horde locations, and supplies to make fortifications.
"Weaponry?"
This will be our first test of the Plague cannons.
"Starting forces?"
Two Death Knights, three flesh golems, and several hundred ghouls, geists and skeletons.
"When do we head out?"
Now, Deathlord.
"I'll go meet the other two."
Standing in the door was a pair of Death Knights.
"Who are you two?"
"Darmus Redbrand."
"Pitwick Blackneedle."
-X LINE BREAK X-
Thoras grunted bringing the machete down.
"Did they really need to land here?"
"It's a good base of operations, nobody wants to use this land, we can build up our defences in secret."
"I still don't see why we need a base of operations."
"We need a foothold on Remnant, Ruby doesn't know we're only the vanguard."
"We're bringing in the army?"
"We might not have a choice, a thousand extra warriors might not be enough. If we don't do something quickly Remnant will fall."
"You could help me with this."
"I'm following the signal."
"And the other two?"
"I believe in you Thoras!"
Apparently Whitemane was going to play cheerleader, probably to deliberately anger him. A deep rumbling growl came from the former king's chest.
"What about you Nazgrim?"
"Move over you two."
With two people cutting their way through the underbrush they quickly reached the end of the jungle. Only to stop at a pair of mountains in front of them.
"Don't tell me-
"They're on the other side of the mountain, there's a valley there."
"I hate this place."
"Why didn't we just land on the other side?
Would you look at that? Whitemane actually had a point.
"Because this was the side closer to Vale and their landing point, and there's a desert on the other side."
"... I hate this place so much."
- X LINE BREAK X-
Tirion looked around the meager base camp that had been set up around the lake, the ship off to the side.
"Tirion, so glad you could make it."
"Hello Khadgar, I wasn't expecting you here."
"Yes well, I'm used to being trapped on a different planet where everything wants you dead, I guess our patron wanted me for that."
"Not your skills in magic?"
"We have Kalecgos for that one."
"Where's everyone else?"
"The Vindicators are repairing the ship, we had a rather bumpy landing, and my familiars are scouring the area, I'm honestly surprised you didn't run into any of them."
"Please don't tell me that's all we have, securing this place will be impossible with so few."
"No, the rest are on the other side of the lake, working on a more permanent base."
"Are you sure it's a good idea to be wasting supplies like that? Until we can get a working connection to Azeroth we're going to be low."
"We got lucky, there is an abandoned town, about a half a day each way. Ramshackle huts, we've been tearing it apart for extra supplies."
"Grimm?"
A third voice cut in, "I think they're scared of K'ara, they've been prowling around, but haven't actually attacked. Whenever they get too close, they start to act like Ruby does, clawing at their own flesh."
"Anduin!"
The other former king Tirion knew limped out of one of the tents. A rough-hewn wooden cane clenched in hand. The specially made brace clamped onto his leg.
While he would never walk without assistance again, Anduin had gotten lucky, Ruby had gotten him away from the Divine Bell and taken the brunt of the injuries for it.
"Tirion, how is Ruby doing?"
"If we weren't trying to keep this a secret until we have a more stable position I'd send you to visit her, she's being moppy."
"Just let her, she'll run out of steam eventually, she always does."
- X LINE BREAK X -
Crom looked down at where the Scourge were piling bodies up. She was there. He had waited four long year for this day.
"Stand tall brothers! Vengeance awaits us!"
He had gathered this team for that explicit purpose, everyone here had lost someone to the Scourge, everyone except for Shargresh, who had followed Crom here begging him to stop.
"Lok'tar!"
They charged into the valley. Even as the other members of the Horde fought off the other undead Crom didn't let up, charging for the girl.
She turned, and Crom had seconds to dive off his worg before spikes of bone burst forth level with where his throat would have been.
A cold breeze flowed, rustling her pale hair.
Crom lifted up his left arm, where a blade replaced the arm he had lost, pointing it at the girl.
"Do you remember me?"
"No."
"You killed my brother."
"I've killed a lot of Orcs, do you really expect me to learn how every one of them was related?"
"His name was Duraro."
"I don't generally bother to learn their names either."
"You used your scythe to do it." Crom gritted his teeth, did she think this was a joke?
"That still doesn't narrow things down, I've killed a lot of people with this scythe."
"Not that one! The other one!"
"Other one?"
"The giant red one!"
"Oh! Him."
"Yes."
"Right… and I care why?"
Crom ran forward with a roar and blade met dagger.
"Because I will kill you, your father isn't here to save you this time!"
"I don't see a hallway for you to ambush me in, so I think I'll be fine."
The dagger suddenly gave way and Crom staggered forward. Gripping an ax in his other hand he swung it at her head.
Storm clouds started to form and rain lashed the area.
- X LINE BREAK X-
Shargresh called his link to the elements, begging them to give him the strength necessary, and they responded.
Storm clouds started to form and rain lashed the area, energy gathering, waiting for release.
- X LINE BREAK X-
The girl ducked under the swing of the ax, and Crom dodged back, forcing her to over extend.
The Orc leapt on the chance, bringing his ax down on her head, or at least he would have, had she not reoriented herself and dodged.
The ground started to shake, throwing them both off balance.
- X LINE BREAK X-
Shargresh raised his arms setting off a localized earthquake, and bringing the rocks of the mountain down on the undead's heads.
- X LINE BREAK X-
The girl regained her balance first, charging forward, and attempting to bifurcate Crom with her scythe.
Crom brought his ax up, prepared to block the blow.
Fire burst from the earth, and Crom could feel its searing heat.
-X LINE BREAK X-
Shargresh clenched his fists shut, feeling sweat drip down his face as he called upon the fire.
The flames burned away the corpses of the fallen, the least he could do was keep them from being forced back.
-X LINE BREAK X-
The heat distracted her long enough for Crom to regain his footing. And he brought both weapons to bear.
She dodging to the side and shattered the ax.
"Any last words?"
Crom raised his eyes to where Shargresh stood, body shaking from exertion. Everyone else was dead, there was no winning. He nodded to Shargresh.
Shargresh nodded back.
The Shaman brought his hands down, and the storm cloud that had been gathering released their payload as Crom thrust his bladed arm into the air.
There was no way that Shargresh could hear what the other Orc said, between the howl of the wind, and the monstrous blast of thunder.
The blast of pure primal energy burned Crom, even as it leapt from him to the gathering undead.
"Ogar!"
- X LINE BREAK X-
When the flash cleared, Shargresh stared, the most of the undead had been destroyed by the bolt, and he couldn't see Crom. Despite that, the girl was unharmed, staring up at him.
"Your name it's… Shargresh, correct."
She was so different from the girl he had helped kidnap in a desperate attempt at freedom. Her hair had turned white, and her eyes were soulless.
"Yes."
He would not show fear.
"Run."
"I will not be sport for you and your men."
The corner of her mouth tugged upward.
"No, I mean run from this place, and tell everyone that it belongs to the Scourge."
She turned, walking away, towards a skeletal gryphon. Saddling up she looked back at him, and there was a glimmer of something in her eye.
Hope.
"Live."
Then she was gone.
- X LINE BREAK X-
"I'd leave him alone if I were you."
It was the second time in the span of two weeks he had heard that statement. Cardin turned to look at the Ruby, ignoring the Faunus scampering off.
"Or what? You'll sick your pet freak on me?"
"Pet freak?"
"That wolf man."
"Why would I sick… Uh… Darmus, what's that guy's name again?"
"York Carmine."
"Donovan's friend?"
"Yes."
"He's not like that annoying horndog is he?"
"Not from what I've seen."
"Good, I didn't want to have to skin him."
"Ruby, I'm pretty sure that's racist."
"Donovan never complained."
"Donovan was constantly trying to impress you."
"Don't remind me. Anyway, why would I sick Carmine on you?"
"He sure seemed ready to kill me a week back!"
"Darmus…"
"I'll go talk to him."
The smaller of the two wandered off, grumbling all the while.
Ruby's head swiveled back to Cardin.
"He'll be spoken to. Now, I'd suggest you stop doing that."
"Why? They're just filthy animals."
Swirls of glowing energy lit up under her skin, bright enough that they could be faintly seen under the black jacket of Beacon's uniform.
"Because I'll make whatever Carmine did look like a love tap."
Cardin braced himself.
"I'm not scared of you."
She gently laid her hand on his cheek.
"There's no shame in being afraid of me. Until recently I could count the people who weren't on some level on both hands."
"Well, add one more."
She looked him in the eyes, amusement clear on her face.
"You remind me of some people I knew. They were both headstrong, racist, every time they met it would end in a fight."
"Is there a point to this?"
The pressure on his cheek tightened, did she really expect this to scare him?
"One of them managed to get over his racism, and temper himself. The other let his temper and racism consume him, and attempted to control something well beyond his understanding. So what I'm saying is this, at the moment I have the smallest bit of respect for you for standing your ground. But we have bigger problems, and we're all here to fight the Grimm, so if you become like the second man-
The hand had left his cheek and started to crush his throat in the blink of an eye.
"-I won't hesitate to put you down like I did him."
Cardin worked his mouth gathering saliva.
"Am. I. Clear?"
He spat it in her face, and she dropped him, raising her hand to wipe it off, and Cardin felt a rush of joy at the shocked look on her face.
"Crystal."
As he walked away, he could hear her start to chuckle.
"You're right Sylvanas, Garrosh did do the same thing."
- X LINE BREAK X-
"What are we looking at, Redbrand?"
"Hell if I know Deathlord. Everyone who's touched it has started to act weird."
"What sort of 'weird'?"
"Rambling, flaying each other's flesh off to create flags, speaking in tongues."
"Well, in my experience flaying someone has never bode well for much of fuckin' anything."
You worked with Kel'thuzad.
"I know what I said."
Hope is an illusion.
Ruby stopped in the tunnel of the Scourge's quarry.
"Did anyone else hear that?"
"Hear what?"
You know they can't hear me unless I wish them to.
"No, I mean- Never mind, let's keep going."
They hadn't even gone a hundred feet when the next whisper came.
Your minions will abandon you.
Ruby gripped the green dagger in her hand. Something was up.
Ru- ca- -ion
Eventually they came to the end of the tunnel, where the thing was.
It was fleshy, that much was obvious, and large, even with it half buried in rock Ruby could tell that much.
Give into your fear.
Ruby started to walk towards it, hand reaching out.
RUBY!
Ruby stopped, and an inch above the tendral as Arthas took control of her body from her.
It's like the Forgotten One!
Ruby pulled back, letting Arthas use her as a mouthpiece.
"I want everyone out, and the tunnel collapsed! We'll move the quarry to another location."
"Are you sure Deathlord?"
Ruby felt a spike of annoyance from the link, and she gently sent back a reminder that Redbrand didn't know who he was talking to.
"Yes!"
"Very well. Everyone out! If you're not before me and the Deathlord get out we will drop this on you!"
The skeletons that had been mining ran out of the tunnel.
I will have the cult look into this, see if the Horde or Alliance know anything.
-X LINE BREAK X-
We found something.
"You're going to be a lot more specific than that Arthas. Is there a secret Horde base we should know about? A reserve of Runeblades underneath Icecrown? The secret to reversing our premature greying from Necromancy?"
About that thing you found under the mountain.
"What do you have?"
It is an Old God.
"That… sounds significantly worse than a Forgotten One."
It is.
"So what do we do about it?"
The Horde and Alliance are putting together a joint Task Force to see it dead. You, are going to offer our assistance.
"Really? That bad?"
It very nearly stole control from me. I want it dead.
Arthas actually sounded shaken by the events.
"Ok, I'll ride out now, where are they?"
Silithus.
- X LINE BREAK X-
Mitnus looked at the gathered men and women. Of course her damn brother wouldn't be there, he always did like avoiding work if he could. Probably why he jumped on the first chance to learn Fel magic and never looked back. Fel magic, and its practitioners, was viewed in very dim light in Dalaran. Him running off to consort with demons had left a mark on her record, one that had seen her passed up for apprenticeships time and time again for the past six years.
All the Gnomish mages always talked about how gifted Finkmink had been, how he could have joined the Kirin Tor in a matter of years, and probably gone on to be the first Gnomish member of the Council of Six. Mitnus was an afterthought. But that's why she was here, to prove that she was better than Finkmink ever was.
Saurfang stood at the front of the table, leading the meeting.
Suddenly there was a commotion on the other side of the door.
"Halt!"
"Stop right there Death Knight! Don't come any closer!"
Fuck. Like they needed that right now.
"Stand aside. I'm not here to fight."
"Do you truly expect us to believe that? Fighting is all you monsters know how to do!"
"Does this mean you won't step aside?"
"Of course!"
"Why doesn't anyone ever do things the easy way?"
"What's that supposed to-?"
The door burst down, one of the Orcs guarding it flying across the table, as the girl stepped in.
Mitnus recognized her, how could she not? She had been at Dalaran three years ago, watched her prepare to fight with Archmage Rhonin before shepherding civilians away. The only difference between then and now was her hair had turned silver instead of the red tipped black she had back then.
The other guard had scampered back, terrified.
"Sorry about that. They wouldn't let me in."
"Why are you here?"
"The Lich King wishes to see the Old God of Ahn'Qiraj dead. Rather than launching our own individual assault he has seen it… prudent to have me offer my assistance to this combined effort."
"How can we trust you?"
"In all honesty, you can't, so you need to ask yourself one thing. How badly do you want to see the being in there dead. Because if that thing breaks out, you're going to have bigger problems than a single Death Knight."
"Point, very well, we shall work with you. But know this, the minute the monster is dead we shall be enemies.
"I expected as much."
"All of you, break!"
Mitnus walked outside, following the Death Knight, and a human warrior to a Silithid hive.
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here, traitor."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"No, but I know you. Your father helped protect Lordaeron for years, and you helped his murderer see it burn. He would have been ashamed to have ever taken you in if he survived long enough to know."
It was the first time Mitnus ever saw anything other than amusement on the girl's face. A rictus of of anger, and she flexed her hands like she wanted nothing more than to wrap her hands around the fool's throat and squeeze.
"I don't think you knew Uther half as well as you think you do if you believe that."
"Or maybe you didn't, Uther hated all things evil. I can't think of a better definition of you."
"Don't test me."
"Why don't you go running back to your master? The Traitor Prince and his pet bitch, the perfect-"
He was cut off as the girl surged forward, driving her dagger into his stomach.
"You know nothing of what happened to me."
She used her inhuman strength to shove him off the cliff into the nest. Then she squated down, watching whatever happened to him. Mitnus quietly and quickly left before she joined the man in the nest to die.
- X LINE BREAK X-
"Before I start teaching you all this, you need to know, all magic can have side effects, sometimes physical, other times mental, and, in sufficient amounts, spiritual."
Bartholomew sat in the corner of the classroom, ready to take notes.
After a long meeting with Qrow, Glynda, and James, Ozpin had come to Bartholomew, asking him to watch the optional class he intended to ask Ruby to teach.
Bartholomew wasn't a fool, he could tell 'watch' was a euphemism for 'spy'."
It had been touted as a class about 'combat styles from outside the Kingdoms', and several students had joined.
Today's lesson was on magic.
"We'll be briefly covering covering five branches of magic, and two branches of pseudo-magic. We're doing this because combat outside the Kingdoms, collectively referred to as Azerothian, place varying degrees of importance on them. Any questions so far?"
Azerothian: What the non-kingdom refer to themselves as, or call the world?
"What do you mean by pseudo-magic?"
"They're close enough to magic in execution that you might not realize they aren't at first glance, but they're quite different, and their practitioners might get angry if you call it magic."
She walked over to the electronic board, drawing something along it as she continued to speak.
"The first, and perhaps most important, for all other major schools except for two branch out from it, is Arcane, which often takes the form of a white or purple color."
"The term for a user of Arcane magic is a mage. The first mages where the Kaldorei Highborne. Situated on the shores of a lake known as the Well of Eternity, they had the greatest font of arcane energy at their fingertips. And, being power-hungry morons, blew it up. The resulting shockwave reshaped the area, and scattered Arcane infused water to the four corners of Aze- er- Remnant."
Azeroth=Non-kingdoms names for Remnant confirmed, Magic can have results that are predictable and observable, but has a chaotic element that randomize it and personalizes it. Can be infused into water, (Use of Aura?)
"However, due to one of the Highborne's students, Illidan Stormrage, seven vials of water from the Well survived. Climbing to the top of Mount Hyjal, he poured three vials into a lake, creating a second, smaller Well."
Where was Mount Hyjal, which continent and how long ago?
"Arcane is primarily about tearing at the stability of the world, bending it to your will. A mage can manipulate the world to get effects similar to Dust in nature. But you can do so much more with it too. Conjuring food, placing people to sleep. A powerful mage is one of the most dangerous people you could fight."
She stepped back, and there was a overhead view of a city, coated in purple.
"The highest concentration of Mages is the Magocracy Dalaran, led by the Kirin Tor. It is possible to become addicted to arcane energies, the Quel'dorei, descendents of the Highborne, all have this, it's not pretty. In large concentrations of it can bleach your hair."
She wiped the board and started to draw again.
"Opposite Arcane is Fel, which is connected to a sickly yellow-green color. It is, comparatively easier to perform, but can also corrupt the user, changing their body. and has a much more corrosive presence than most other forms of magic."
"Those who use Fel magics, which is generally divided into three branches, Affliction, Demonology, and Destruction, are referred to as Warlocks."
"Affliction Warlocks attack the body and soul, wearing them down over time, through diseases."
"The soul? Like our Aura?"
"Yes, it is important to remember that, as a general rule of thumb, Warlocks are mages who wanted to take the easy way, and are not above attacking you like that."
"People do these things?"
Miss Rose stopped in the middle of her drawing to turn towards the student who asked it.
"If we had anything, maybe a rat or something, I would show you. I know a couple of Fel based tricks."
Magic isn't incompatible with other forms of magic. Possible to learn more than one type.
Turning back to the drawing she continued on, "Anyways, Destruction Warlocks prefer to use Fel enhanced fire to do similar things."
"Finally you have Demonology, studying how to transform into something known as a Demon, among other things, such as binding other Demons to them. They dance the line more than any other Warlock, because the change may be permanent, and," stepping back she pointed to the picture, "rather drastic."
It looked like a man, if you ignored the hooves, horns, wing, and needle like teeth.
"Other users of Fel Magic are Demon Hunters, whose name should be self explanatory."
Demons not liked by society?
A Faunus cut in, "Wait, these people get turned into things like that and they just get enslaved or put down? Why?"
"Most of the time they're too far gone. Demons are beings who have chaotic energy coursing through their veins."
"That's not right! You should be trying to help them!"
"I would like to point out that my only meaningful romantic relationship in years was with a Demon. So you're not exactly making your case to the right person."
"Really?"
She hiked a thumb at the picture, "Why do you think I'm able to draw that from memory?"
The boy settled down, pacified.
"Continuing on, the next branch is Necromancy, it straddles the line of Arcane and Fel. It is the magic of Death. Plagues, Blood absorption, reviving the dead. It is the magic prefered by Death Knights and Necromancers, though you might find the occasional Warlock who uses it. Use of it causes your hair to lose color, skin to pale, and finally your heart to stop, a gradual slip into undeath."
"Is that what happened to you?"
"No."
"Then what happened to- that's a big scar!"
Miss Rose had turned around and flipped her shirt up, allowing a scar to be seen on her back. Bartholomew could tell the blade that did it had been massive, and would have torn right through her lung.
"There's a matching one on my chest, want to guess how it got there?"
"After Necromancy we go into-"
The bell for the end after school classes rang then.
"We'll continue next week."
- X LINE BREAK X-
Nobundo breathed in the incense, allowing it to carry him away from the noise of the ship. Embracing the sensation of falling, freedom from his Broken body, following the spirits as they brought him to where they felt he needed to be.
He was a wolf, running with his pack to get prey before the Strange Ones could, they hadn't eaten in days, hunger gnawing at his stomach. Why did the Strange Ones even need prey? All the pack knew that the Strange Ones didn't eat. They were mostly happy that the Strange Ones didn't attack them unless they moved too far into their nests.
The pack stopped at the edge of the aberration. It had been there for generations, forced his ancestors out of their hunting grounds, and was slowly growing bigger.
The trees stopped abruptly, dying and giving way to darkened crags and strange crystals. Crawling along the place were the Strange Ones, more than any other place that he knew of.
He hated the place, and if he was in charge of the pack, would have put as much ground between them and it as possible. But the leader was fixated on the past, and the idea that they could take it back.
It was foolish, their father had died trying to do the same. There was no hope so long as it lurked at the heart of the place, writhing, whispering things that had seen pack after pack wander into the Strange Ones. It's servent, a Strange One that was unique, had played with their father before his death, and would do the same to them just as easily.
Something rustled in the trees and he looked up. Staring at him was one of the flying Strange Ones. Holding his breath he slunk into the shadows, even as his brother growled at the thing. The others followed him into the shadows as a single swing of its wing saw his brother impaled.
He moved with them, they would leave this place. Anything for survival.
He was an eagle soaring through the sky, in the distance a large floating shape sat as other shapes flew above him. He could see
a tower, piercing the sky. His destination was there. His mighty wing beat at the air, carrying him aloft.
Folding them to his side he dove, wind slipping around him. He swept past a group of four, but the one who caught his attention was the girl with red hair and green eyes. The tower was rapidly approaching and he closed his eyes.
Nobundo staggered as he aligned on his own two feet, leaning on his staff. The Farseer was in a great hall, pillars rising on either side, and a strange machine sat at the end, where sobbing could be heard.
Seated in front of the machine was a human woman, her head was burrowed in her knees.
Walking to her, the former Vindicator crouched down in front of her.
"What is wrong young one?" While it was presumptuous to assume she was young, after all, Ruby would probably look the same thirty thousand years from now, Nobundo was willing to guess that this woman wasn't a questionably sane lich.
She didn't answer him, and he gently reached over and touched her shoulder.
Her head snapped up and she looked at him in shock. He wished that was a new expression, but years of strange looks had jaded him. He guessed he was lucky she wasn't running away in terror.
"You… can see me?"
"Yes."
Nobundo tensed as she threw her arms around him, her sobs shifting in tone, not used to physical contact anymore.
"Are you alright?"
"I don't think so."
"What happened?"
"I was attacked by someone and passed out. When I woke up, I was here and nobody could see me.
"I see."
This was puzzling, why had the spirits brought him to this woman?
"May I ask your name?"
"Oh, it's Amber. What about you?"
"I am Nobundo."
Something seemed to flicker around Amber and she doubled over in pain.
Warning sirens went off on the machines, and it flickered to life.
Marching over to the machine he looked inside. Lying there was another Amber. Was this machine like the suspended animation aboard the Exodar?
A lift opened on the other side of the hall and four people rushed out.
"We're losing her!"
"Open the chamber, we need to give her a infusion of Aura!"
They rushed right through Nobundo and Amber.
He watched as they resuscitated the woman.
Feeling a tug, he walked over to the woman, "I'll find out what's happening, I promise."
His eyes snapped open and he sat up, using his staff to stand he walked outside, trying to divine the meaning of his vision as he watched Shandris run her small group of Sentinels through practices.
Something was corrupting Remnant, (he knew that already), the red haired girl was important otherwise he wouldn't have noticed her (but why?) and Amber was dying (why was that important?)
- X LINE BREAK X-
Radulf Skullweeper drove his axes down with a roar, splitting the carapace of the Silithid. They had been at this for months, and the Silithid had gotten more agitated as they got closer to finishing the scepter, like they knew the task force that had swiftly grown into an army was coming.
The Forsaken, and one Death Knight, were taking full advantage of the fact that they didn't need sleep or eat to keep the attacks off the base. They only needed to hold out for a few more days, until the scepter was completed.
Another one of the damn bugs burst from the ground with a hiss and Radulf watched as it was cut off with a shriek, dissolving from an Affliction spell.
Another set burst from the ground hive only to be blasted with a twister of red fire.
"How quickly do these things breed!?"
A scythe flew into the sky, cleaving the wings off some of the flyers.
"Reminds me of home!"
Radulf was fairly certain that Lordaeron hadn't been like this, leaving him to wonder what she meant.
"Big one incoming!"
It burst from the fissure with an massive shriek, mantis like claws digging into the ground as it lifted itself out of the hole.
Two weeks ago, when these ones had first appeared, they had been a problem. Now they were a break in the monotony.
Bone spikes would bite into its claws, holding it in place as arrows struck the chinks in its carapace. Dark magic would leak from the arrows, weakening the natural armor from the inside out.
This was where Radulf and the other warriors would come in, leaping up the claw and break through the exoskeleton and cleaved through the flesh underneath.
Finally the mages would blast it off the cliff, allowing gravity to do the rest.
That's what would have happened, if a bolt of Fel fire didn't hit the thing, provoking it into a charge.
It picked up one of the Forsaken and bit into it injecting them with the corrosion poison in its mandible, because of course whatever Light forsaken being that created this thing felt it needed to be more lethal.
Rose leapt up on it's back digging her scythe into the chink in its exoskeleton, and used it as a lever to channel her monstrous strength to break off the offending piece of chiton.
When it finally broke she blasted flames into it, forcing it to rear back as it was cooked from the inside out.
"NOW!"
Every mage launched their spells at once, fire, ice, and arcane struck the back of the creature. As it collapsed, spasming they turned to look at where the blast of Fel Fire came from.
Standing there was a Gnome, who looked extremely sheepish. Rose marched over to the thing and latched her hand around his throat, hoisting him into the air.
"What was that?"
"Well- uh- you looked like you could use some help and-"
"You got someone killed."
"Yeah, sorry about-"
He was cut off as Rose reached down and picked up a decent sized rock, crushing it to dust with a careless ease
"Give me a reason I shouldn't do that to your head."
"I'll deal with him, he's my idiot of a brother."
Another Gnome walked forward, and Rose dropped him. The man raised his arms, "Sis how have you-"
She silenced him with punch.
Walking over to Rose, Radulf leaned over, "I like this girl already."
- X LINE BREAK X-
Varok looked over the gathered forces, breathing in, he began to speak.
"I am Saurfang. Brother of Broxigar. You know me to be the Supreme Commander of the Might of Kalimdor. An orc - a true orc warrior - wishes for one thing: To die in the glory of battle against a hated enemy. Some of you have fought in battles. Peace has been with us for many years." The force seemed to inflate at his words, standing straighter.
" Many years we sat idle but many years we battled. In those years - where strife the land and Legion and Scourge sacked our homes, killed our families- No offense Ruby-"
The Death Knight, who Varok had grown slightly fond of over the past few months (she was surprisingly affable) shrugged from where she stood with the Scourge forces she had brought to assist them, her Necropolis in the distance waiting to supply reinforcements, "It's what we did before this, and what we'll probably do when this is over with."
"-these insects dwelled beneath us. Beneath our homes - waiting. Waiting to crush the life from our little ones. To slay all in their path. This they do for their god. And for our gods? We defend. We stand. We show that as one. United. We destroy. Their god will fall." He looked out over the forces, meeting the eyes of everyone he could.
"To die today, on this field of battle, is to die an orcish death. To die today is to die for our little ones. Our old ones. Our… loved ones. Would any of you deny yourselves such a death? Such an honor?"
Silence stretched, only the howling of the wind audible, before war cries were yelled as confirmation.
"FER KHAZ MODAN!"
"DEATH TO THE ENEMIES OF THE HORDE!"
"FOR LOTHAR!"
"FOR KALIMDOR!"
Leoric and Ruby stepped up.
"I am with you until I gasp my last dying breath."
"The Lich King has spoken, the warriors of Avernus will fight with you until the winds of the desert has torn the flesh from our bones and buries us in the arid sands!"
"Shiromar, strike the Gong!"
The Night Elf priestess brought the Scepter down and the crash echoed through the air.
As the gate slowly opened Varok said one last thing, "Whether you are Alliance or Horde, Dragon or Scourge, I would like to request you amuse this old Orc and join me in this last battle cry! Lok'Tar Ogar!"
"LOK'TAR OGAR!"
