Chapter 10
Troubles of the Vale
Rastuazi looked around at the trees that made up Ashenvale, their branches reaching high above the ground, as if yearning to touch the sun itself. Along side the well trodden path was lush green grass, the occasional flower jutting above the ground, adding an element of colour to the scene. Rastuazi looked at them all with a silent sadness, knowing that if she was still alive, if she was Zyathri, she would be taking joy from such a sight. Instead, they only served to remind her of what she had lost.
Scolding herself, Rastuazi shook her head, looking down at the arm that was still wrapped around her waist. She hadn't lost everything. Despite all that had happened, Erthos had remained her friend. Rastuazi still wasn't sure why, but she knew she was glad to still consider him a friend all the same. Thinking along those lines, she smiled as she placed a gloved hand upon his arm, causing a faint stir from the young warlock as he rested against her back.
The journey into Ashenvale had taken a lot longer than Rastuazi had planned. Night had passed on and they were well into the next day by time they finally rode into Ashenvale, leaving the Barrens behind. Even now, another night had made its presence known and now a new morning was setting in. All the while, Erthos had stayed sleeping. Rastuazi assumed that the combination of the massive strike to his head, followed by the fight against the scourge and Zhantara had left him severely drained.
It was due to the obvious need of rest that Rastuazi had made Nightmare walk the entire distance, rather than run it. If they had sprinted through the Barrens and then Ashenvale, they would have made it within the day without issue. But, such a journey would have woken up Erthos almost instantly. Thankfully, even at their slow speed, no one had come to bother them.
In truth, Rastuazi needed rest too. She hadn't slept since the incident with Zhantara, the encounter shaking her to the core. She also hadn't eaten, but it was becoming apparent that that was something she didn't have need to do anymore. One thing Rastuazi had been thankful for, however, was that the sunlight no longer seemed to affect her as much. She still preferred to avoid it, and she was at her strongest during the night, but she could now remain in the sunlight without fear or worry from collapsing.
Glancing up, Rastuazi peered from behind the hood of her cloak at the clear sky above. Not a single cloud could be seen as the suns rays covered everything it touched. Thankfully, a gentle breeze was also blowing through Ashenvale, doing a very good job of keeping Rastuazi cool inside her armour.
Slowly, Nightmare came to a stop next to a river, taking a moment to drink from its refreshing waters, Rastuazi letting herself smile as he did so. As the steed drank from the river, a rustling noise started to rush towards them, causing Rastuazi to turn her head in the direction of the noise. Her brow furrowed as she wondered what it could be, her hand slowly moving to the handle of her blade that was holstered on Nightmares side. The chance to draw the weapon, however, didn't come.
With an incredible amount of speed, a creature lunged from the bushes, its head turned to look behind it. It was so focused on what was going on behind, that it didn't noticed Nightmare until it was too late, colliding with the horse, causing it to stumble wildly, sending both Rastuazi and Erthos sprawling to the floor. Erthos let out a yelp as he was woken up suddenly, looking around dazed, whilst Rastuazi was quick to her feet and drawing her sword from its sheath.
Erthos watched as Rastuazi slowly made her way to the creature, who was lying sprawled on its belly, its silver fur shinning in the sunlight, marked only by blue stripes across his back and ring around its head. Its blue coloured eyes had a dazed look in them as Rastuazi approached, ready to strike the beast down.
Before Rastuazi had a chance to strike, a group of Night Elves burst from the bushes from the same spot as the beast, all shouting out what sounded to Erthos like war cries. They were all brandishing weapons of different types, some with nets. Upon seeing Erthos and Rastuazi, they came to a quick stop, looking at the two of them with a confused look.
Erthos was quick to his feet as the group looked at each other. Rastuazi's attention quickly left the beast, instead turning to the Night Elves. Erthos, however, watched as the beast rose to its feet. He started to raise his hand as he saw the beasts muscles tense up, preparing to let loose a blast of magic, but stopped when, instead of attacking, the beast ran and hid behind Erthos, cowering from the Night Elves.
Erthos looked at the cowering creature as one of the Night Elves stepped forwards, adorned in more armour than the rest, brandishing a large sword that he pointed towards Rastuazi, who stared down its length into the eyes of the Night Elf.
~You are a Death Knight!~ said the man in a language that Erthos couldn't understand, threads of fear and anger present in his voice. Rastuazi, however, understood what he had said perfectly. Her face seemed to soften slightly, as if pained. Letting out a sigh, she put away her sword, turning her back on the Night Elves as she looked at the beast.
~Yes, I'm a Death Knight, and a former member of the Scourge~ Rastuazi said as Erthos looked at her with a slightly confused look. ~What are you going to do about it?~ Erthos continued to watch her, throwing the occasional look to the Night Elves, who appeared to be as confused as he was.
"You understand them?" Erthos asked Rastuazi as she walked over to him, the Night Elves now talking amongst themselves, as if unsure of what best to do next. The beast peered from behind Erthos as Rastuazi came over, looking up at her as she came to a stop beside the warlock.
"I have a basic understanding of the Darnassian language, yes" Rastuazi said as she crouched down beside Erthos, pulling back her hood and allowing her hair to fall about freely. "Blood Knights are required to have an understanding of all the common languages" she continued as the beast looked at her with its blue eyes. Tilting her head slightly, Rastuazi listening in on what the Night Elves were talking about, one or two of them giving them an occasional glance as they spoke.
"It seems they were hunting this poor thing…" Rastuazi said quietly, her voice soft as she looked at the beast, feeling sympathetic towards it. Slowly, she held out her gloved hand, but not enough to touch the beast. Erthos watched quietly as slowly the beast crept forwards, sniffing Rastuazi's hand before nuzzling it gently. Erthos couldn't help but smile at the sight as Rastuazi herself allowed a small smile.
"Why would they be hunting it?" Erthos asked, looking over to the Night Elves as they finally separate, the more armoured one stepping forwards. Erthos watched with a slightly raised eyebrow, wondering what they were going to do, when all of a sudden the man started shouting at the two of them. Erthos wasn't sure of what had just been said, but he could easily tell that it hadn't been nice.
Rastuazi had understood perfectly what had just been said and was quick to her feet, storming over to the Night Elves. Quick as a flash her sword was drawn, grasped firmly in one hand and pointed squarely at the armoured Night Elf, who had a look of panic suddenly flash across his face.
~I don't care if we've interfered with your hunt!~ Rastuazi almost shouted, her eyes glowing fiercely. ~For what reason do you hunt this beast, hm?~ The Night Elf seemed to stutter slightly, as if his previous bravado that fueled his earlier harsh words had now vanished. Rastuazi, however, continued on. ~You seem well clothed, and this is not the sort you would hunt for food!~
Erthos prepared himself to step in, a feeling of unease creeping up his spine. He knew that allowing Rastuazi to go all out on the Night Elves would be a very bad idea, and only hinder any future travels of theirs. Before he had a chance to do anything, however, the bushes started to rustle once more. Erthos watched as from the shadows came a large Nightsaber, pouncing and landing in-between Rastuazi and the Night Elf, causing the two of them to step away from each other with confused looks.
The Nightsaber growled at the two of them for a moment, as if warning them. Its purple, almost black fur shimmered slightly before Erthos was treated to an unusual and new sight for him. Before his eyes, the Nightsaber started to rapidly change, its fur and tail vanishing, legs shortening and taking the shape of humanoid arms and legs. The transformation took only a couple of seconds, but it was remarkable all the same. As soon as the change had happened, Rastuazi and the Night Elf no longer looked confused.
Standing between them was a tall female Night Elf. Her long dark green her swayed softly in the breeze, her eyes looking from Rastuazi to the Night Elf. Her skin was a light purple, her ivory coloured leather armour tight but snug fitting. She also had shoulder armour, the feathers that jutted out from their underside the only apparent sense of flair on the armour. Erthos could tell that it was armour designed for function, rather than to look fancy.
~Halt my brothers and sisters!~ the woman said, turning to look at the other Night Elves, raising her hands towards them. Erthos hadn't noticed, but the hunting group had started to move forwards, obviously guessing that this newcomer was here to help them. Erthos could hear the grumbles coming from them as the Night Elf slowly turned to look at Rastuazi again.
"Why are you in our forests?" the female Night Elf asked, talking this time in native Blood Elf, almost flawlessly so. Erthos couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief as he heard the words.
"Finally, someone I understand" Erthos muttered to himself as he looked over to Rastuazi, wondering what she would say. Rastuazi remained silent for a moment before turning on her heel and walking over to Erthos, who looked at her with a surprised expression. She stopped beside him, reaching up and gently placing a hand on his shoulder, and act that caused Erthos to smile slightly.
"Your turn to talk" Rastuazi said softly, a slight smirk appearing on her face as she watched the colour fade from Erthos' face. "Don't worry, you will be fine." Still smirking, Rastuazi crouched down, her cloak brushing the ground as she reached out and petted the beast, who in return nuzzled at the hand. Erthos looked at Rastuazi for a moment, then over to the Night Elf who seemed rather surprised by what she was watching.
"Hello…" Erthos said quietly, taking a step towards the woman. Erthos wrung his hands as he looked at the Night Elf hunting party. Closing his eyes, Erthos took a moment to compose himself, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Opening his eyes, he looked at the woman before talking.
"My name is Erthos, and this is my friend, Rastuazi" Erthos said, motioning with his arm to Rastuazi who was still tending to the beast, who was more than happy to receive the love and attention of the Death Knight. "We didn't come here to cause any trouble, we are only passing through. My friend has become an outcast, rejected by her own family. We don't have anywhere to go, so we are travelling."
The Night Elf remained silent for a moment as she looked at Erthos. She seemed to be studying him, judging him. Her head turned slightly as she looked once more at Rastuazi. The female shifted slightly on the spot before looking back to Erthos again.
"I can feel the Scourge energies within your friend" she said quietly as Rastuazi stood upright, turning to look at the woman, the beast rubbing against her leg. "And yet…she does not act like one of them…" Erthos looked over to Rastuazi for a moment before looking back to the woman. From what Erthos could guess, the woman was stuck at a moral dilemma. Rastuazi was acting the complete opposite of what a Death Knight would normally do. With a sigh, the woman continued talking.
"You may travel our lands, for now" She said slowly, looking at Erthos. "Do not expect to be welcome in our towns, however. But, as long as you keep to yourselves, the Sentinels will not cause you harm. If they do, tell them that Tylira has granted you passage, and they will let you through."
Erthos smiled, relaxing and letting out an inaudible sigh as the woman, Tylira, decided to let them through. He didn't know what they would have done had she said no, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Taking a step forward, Erthos reached to shake Tylira's hand, but quickly stopped, instead opting to bow politely, an act that caused Tylira to raise an eyebrow.
"Thank you" Erthos said, standing up straight again. "We will make sure to stay out of the way during our journey." Tylira nodded politely as Erthos turned and walked back over to Rastuazi who looked at him with a slight smirk.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she said, folding her arms across her chest as Erthos came to a stop in front of her. Erthos let out a nervous chuckle as a response, shaking his head slightly. Rastuazi smiled warmly at Erthos for a moment before looking down at the beast. "So, what are we going to do with this beast then?"
Before Erthos could offer a response, there was a loud, anger filled shout that erupted forth from Tylira, causing both Erthos and Rastuazi to look at the woman with shock and surprise. Tylira, whose back was turned to Erthos and Rastuazi, seemed to be breathing heavily, her arm having taken the form of a bears claw. The two of them watched as the hunters all quickly sprinted away from Tylira, leaving her alone with the two Blood Elves.
There was silence for a moment, save for the running of the water in the small river beside them, which Nightmare had returned to drinking from. Slowly Tylira's arm reverted back to normal, the Night Elf turning and looking to Erthos and Rastuazi.
"Until next time Erthos, Rastuazi" she said to them both before returning back to her Nightsaber form and running back into the bushes. Erthos looked at the bushes for a moment, half expecting something else to suddenly burst forth from them. When nothing did, he turned and looked at Rastuazi.
"We should give it a name" Erthos suddenly said, causing Rastuazi to look at him with slight confusion. She looked at the creature for a moment before looking at Erthos again, tilting her head to the side and uncrossing her arms as she did so.
"Give it a name?" she said slowly, unsure of why Erthos had suggested it. "You wish to keep it as a pet?" Erthos nodded and smiled at Rastuazi before crouching down and lightly petting the creature, who returned the affection by licking Erthos' hand.
"I don't see why not" Erthos said as he continued to softly pet the beast. Rastuazi couldn't help but smile at the idea of keeping the poor creature with them, but found herself unable to think up any names. Instead, the Death Knight shrugged slightly.
"Well, going by the markings and the crown on its head, its male" Rastuazi said quietly, looking at the beast. "So, it needs a male name." As Rastuazi finished talking, Nightmare suddenly trotted over, grunting at the creature with a sound of disdain, causing Rastuazi to smile.
"Easy, Nightmare" she said, lightly patting Nightmare on the neck, calming the horse down as the beast hid behind Erthos, who couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Erthos looked at the creature for a moment, holding out his hand and lightly scratching it under the chin, causing it to let out a slight grumble noise, almost like a purr.
"I know" Erthos finally said after a few moments thought, standing up straight and looking over to Rastuazi. "We can name him Tyrin." Rastuazi looked at Erthos for a moment, who had a huge smile on his face, before looking at the beast. She shrugged slightly before nodding.
"Tyrin, hmm?" Rastuazi said slowly, rolling the name around in her mouth before looking at the creature. "What do you think?" The creature looked at Rastuazi for a moment, his head cocked to the side before it walked over to her, rubbing its head against her leg, prompting a slight laugh from Erthos and a smile from Rastuazi. "Tyrin it is then."
Erthos continued to smile at Rastuazi, enjoying the look of happiness that was present on Rastuazi's face. It seemed that even with the bad hand she had been dealt, the Death Knight found things to smile about. When Rastuazi turned her head to look at Erthos, the warlock quickly averted his look else where, his cheeks turning a slight shade of red as he reach up and scratched the back of his head.
"So, where are we going now then?" he asked quickly, wanting to move the topic on before Rastuazi made any mention of him staring. Rastuazi herself couldn't help but let out a faint chuckle. Although Erthos had been quick to look away, she had indeed seen him, and in truth had liked the attention he was giving her.
Slowly, Rastuazi turned on the spot, looking at the area around them, glancing at Nightmare who was still eyeing Tyrin. She let out a faint sigh before simply shrugging.
"I don't know" she said quietly, looking over to Erthos for a moment, some of her hair falling from its place behind her ear and brushing against her cheek. With a slightly irritated tut, she pushed the hair back in place before letting her arm drop to her side. "Maybe we ought to find a place to rest so that you can eat. Surely you are hungry?"
Erthos paused for a moment before nodding. He was indeed rather hungry, his stomach growling at him, causing him to place a hand on his stomach and wincing slightly. Tyrin looked up at Erthos with a quizzical look as Rastuazi simply smirked.
"Let's get off the path, at least" Rastuazi said, moving closer to Nightmare and taking hold of his reins, taking a moment to pet the steed lightly. "We could do without any more trouble from the inhabitants here, I think."
"Agreed" Erthos said, smiling slightly. With a slight wave of his arm, he motioned for Rastuazi to lead on, moving in line beside her as the moved further down the path before turning to the side, heading into the trees, Tyrin in tow. It didn't take the small group long to arrive at a clearing that was large enough for them to stop, but still far enough away that they shouldn't be disturbed.
Erthos was soon gathering loose bits of dry wood that he knew would work well for a fire as Rastuazi removed the saddle and reins from Nightmare, allowing him to run about freely in the enclosure. Once he had the wood assembled, Erthos raised his hand and let a blast of magical fire strike the wood, igniting it instantly. Pleased with his work, he sat down close to the fire, taking his bag from his belt.
With a stretch, Rastuazi sat down opposite Erthos, watching him quietly as he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of raw meat. Taking a spare stick, he skewered the meat, holding it over the now brightly burning fire, cooking the meat. It didn't take long for the intoxicating smell of cooking meat to fill the area. Even though she knew she didn't need to eat, Rastuazi found herself eyeing the freshly cooked meat hungrily, as did Tyrin who had decided to sit down beside her.
"Would you like some?" Erthos suddenly said, having noticed the look on Rastuazi's face as she stared at the meat. She started to shake her head, to refuse the offered food but quickly stopped. Instead, she nodded slightly, reaching out and taking hold of the stick that held the meat as Erthos passed it to her. She looked at it apprehensively for a moment, the smell of it filling her nostrils, enticing her to eat it. Just because she didn't have to eat, didn't mean she couldn't, right?
Slowly, Rastuazi brought the meat to her mouth, taking a cautious bite as Erthos watched quietly. Slowly Rastuazi chewed, her eyes starting to widen slightly as the taste struck her. She had tasted meat before, of course, but that had been before her death. This was the first time she had eaten anything since her resurrection, and although it was just a piece of cooked meat, it was the best thing she had ever tasted. She quickly finished off the meat, licking her lips afterwards, savouring the taste.
"Tasty, I take it?" Erthos said, smiling gently at Rastuazi. She slowly lifted her head to look over to him, feeling slightly embarrassed by how it must have looked, her hurriedly eating the food.
"Yes…" She said slowly, lowering her head again, looking at the stick that was still in her hand. Again, her hair fell from its place, covering her face from view, but this time she decided to leave it holding. "I do not need to eat, but…I miss it. I miss that, and everything else that one would do whilst alive…" Rastuazi paused for a moment before letting out a long yawn.
"Like sleep, you mean?" Erthos said with a gentle laugh as he started to cook another two pieces of meat, as well as throwing a piece of raw meat to Tyrin, who happily started to eat it. "How long has it been since you rested, anyway?"
Rastuazi lifted her head up to look at Erthos, petting Tyrin gently as he ate his food, and shook her head slightly. She wasn't sure how long it had been. A day at least. Her mind was struggling to keep track of the hours as they went by, offering little help in working out how long things had been as they are. She felt like she had been a Death Knight for years, when she knew it had only been a matter of days.
"I will rest soon…" Rastuazi said slowly, looking at Erthos still. She found herself biting into her lip slightly, a slight knot forming in her stomach as she slowly stood up, walking around the fire and sitting beside Erthos. "…I would like some more food first though, please?"
Erthos looked at Rastuazi for a moment, who appeared to be doing her hardest to focus on the fire, before passing her another piece of cooked meat. Rastuazi took the offered food and slowly ate it, taking her time this time. Erthos smiled slightly and ate his own piece of meat, not saying a word as the flames of the fire danced before them.
Again, Rastuazi let out a yawn, the fatigue caused by lack of rest starting to strike deep. Erthos looked at her for a moment, her head starting to droop slightly. Instinctively, he reached out and placed his arm around Rastuazi, her body instantly freezing up from the unexpected touch.
"You need to sleep…" Erthos said quietly, trying to restrain the reflex to pull his arm back. "Go on, we will be safe here" he said with a warm smile as Rastuazi looked to him, eyes glowing dimly.
"…Yeah…" Rastuazi said, her voice a faint whisper as she closed her eyes, slumping against Erthos. Erthos blinked slightly in surprise at the sudden act before smiling warmly, adjusting his arm slightly to get a better hold of Rastuazi.
"Sleep well, Rastuazi…" he whispered, reaching over with his free arm to take hold of one of the sticks, skewering another piece of meat before cooking it. Erthos watched as Tyrin walked over, resting down beside Erthos, curling up and seeming to also fall asleep.
The hours soon passed as Rastuazi and Tyrin rested, Erthos spending his time simply watching the fire as it started to die out. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep too, the only noise filling the area being the light crackling from the smouldering fire.
The first indication that something was wrong was that Erthos couldn't breathe properly. Slowly his eyes opened and started to sting. Bringing his hand to his mouth, he tried to stifle a cough as he looked around. The clearing had been filled with a thick layer of smoke. Erthos' mind quickly turned to Rastuazi, his head turning to the side and a wave of relief washing over him as he saw her still sleeping, resting against him.
"Rastuazi, wake up" Erthos said, letting out loud cough as the smoke filled his lungs. Rastuazi slowly stirred from her sleep, rubbing her eyes as she slowly sat up.
"I never was one for waking up…" she mumbled to herself as she sat upright. She looked around for a moment, her mind taking in what was happening as Erthos rose to his feet, using his robe to cover his mouth as best he could, coughing as he did so. "What's going on?" Rastuazi asked, jumping to her feet and looking around, preparing for an attack.
"I don't know" Erthos said, looking to where the fire had been, seeing it now dead, thankful that it wasn't that which had caused the issues. "I woke up to find it like this!" Rastuazi looked at Erthos and nodded, quickly taking hold of Nightmares gear before putting it back onto the horse. As soon as the saddle was secure and the reins in place, Rastuazi was straight onto Nightmares back, offering Erthos a hand.
"Come on, lets go" she said as Erthos came running over, coughing more as he did. "We can't stay here, you will choke to death." With one pull, Rastuazi lifted the young Blood Elf up onto the back of Nightmare, allowing him a moment to get comfortable. "Tyrin, lets go!" Rastuazi shouted to the beast who was quick to his feet and running over to them. With a tug on the reins, Nightmare sprinted out of the clearing into the trees, Tyrin running along side.
As they sped through the forest, the smoke got thicker and thicker. Rastuazi knew they were getting closer to the source of the cause of it all, but part of her wasn't sure why. She wasn't a paladin after all, she wasn't obligated to help people anymore, and yet here she was. The only answer she could come up with, the only one that seemed plausible, was that she knew it was what Erthos would want to do.
Bursting forth from the trees, Nightmare came to a sudden stop. Down a small slope was the source of all the smoke. Surrounded on all sides by a collection of warlocks channelling various magics was a small Night Elf village, most of the buildings in flames. Erthos and Rastuazi could make out Night Elves running around, trying to put the flames out, only to watch as the fire that rained from the sky set them alight again.
"We have to help them" Erthos said suddenly from behind Rastuazi, causing the Death Knight to let out a slight sigh. She had been right, that this would have been what he wanted to do.
"We don't have to do anything…" Rastuazi said coldly as she looked at the Night Elves before pulling on the reins of Nightmare, getting him to turn around. Before they had made any progress, Erthos had jumped down and landed on the ground, a look of anger forming on his face.
"Yes we do! We can't just leave them!" he said, his voice raised to almost shouting. "They aren't equipped to deal with this themselves!" Rastuazi continued to look at Erthos for a moment, her eyes studying him.
"All they will do, if we save them, is turn on us…" Rastuazi said slowly, no emotion showing in her voice. "They are Night Elves, and we are Blood Elves. It is what will happen." Rastuazi shook her head, preparing to leave once again.
"That wouldn't stop Zyathri, and it won't stop me…" Erthos said suddenly before turning on the spot, running down the hill. Rastuazi remained frozen in place as Erthos sprinted away, his words ringing in her ears. No, Zyathri wouldn't be stopped by something like that she thought to herself, turning slowly to look at Erthos as he ran towards the flames. But I'm not Zyathri…I am Rastuazi…aren't I?
"Erthos…" Rastuazi slowly said before pulling on the reins to Nightmare, charging down the hill with Tyrin directly behind.