Outcast (RP Story)

[Moonlost]

I really love bouncing off your posts Seren. Really, your characters are pretty awesome and are great fun to interact with.

[Serendipity82]

*blushes* Thanks guys

[Saturo]

My writing is pathetic compared to your works, truly prodigious of you.

[Moonlost]

Part Two: Bile
_

Zaruuk took in a deep breath and tried to stop fidgeting. But all too soon, his fingers began to twist around themselves and his gaze began to wander.
He stood as one amidst a thousand, most of those numbers being far more gifted and trained than he. He disliked crowds on the best of days; too many people around him made him feel ill and strangely isolated. Like any one of them would shove a knife into his back when the opportunity presented itself. But this? This was a fresh new hell for him.
A thousand pairs of regimented eyes stared at him, as if he were riddled with some sort of virulent disease. It was not a sensation unknown to Zaruuk. But here? He could do nothing to escape. Just on the edge of his hearing, he could hear them muttering about how the man'ari were sure to attack with one of their own amidst the draenei scouts.
The Cursed One, they called him. Bad Luck. Demon Caller. The Fel-Eyed One.
The only reason he hadn't been denied service was because nobody dared to go against the word of Exarch Commodus. But he could feel their silver-blue eyes burying themselves into his back. He could only hope that they wouldn't attempt to kill him on the field and say that he had gotten lost, or killed by some wild beast.
He swallowed, trying to keep himself from being sick due to panic.

A hand rested gently on his shoulder. Zaruuk jumped, swivelling around to look into the clear eyes of Kyali. She said nothing, but her expression was all he needed. Be calm. Nothing bad will happen here. Beside her stood Threnaad, a goofy and excited grin plastered on his face. Zaruuk lowered his eyes and swallowed again, trying to focus on something other than his latent terror.

His hooves were in need of grooming.

“We teleport down to the surface in ten minutes.” The voice of the Exarch echoed through the hall, reverberating off the pale violet crystal walls. Zaruuk's head shot up as he listened, glad for the distraction. The sound of a thousand hooves clattering against the floor echoed as each draenei stood to attention.
“Our divinations have showed no signs of man'ari activity at our location, but our fallen brothers are clever sods. Do not stray from your squadron. Be prepared for anything. If you do see any signs of man'ari activity, do not engage unless you have no other alternative. Not only will it result in your untimely death, but more than likely the death of many other good draenei.
“Each squadron has their orders. If you are unsure as to what your job will be upon the surface, you are to check in with the Exarch in charge of your squadron. Assuming we are not forced into retreat, we have six hours to retrieve all we need. That is all, may the Naaru watch over us this day.”
The clatter of hooves echoed again. Zaruuk was almost deafened as a thousand voices called out in unison. A rally to displace the terror that must beat in their hearts. Or was he alone in that?

Stop. No need to panic. Calm down. He took in a deep breath again and clutched his hands to his sides. Their squadron was going to be one of the last to be sent out: their duty was little more than to keep contact between Osu'gun and anyone out on the field. Not only were they not going to be putting themselves into immediate danger, but they would be very close to where the portal back home was. Although there was no truly safe position in a scouting expedition, theirs was arguably the safest. If something did go wrong, there was a high chance that they'd make it out alive.

He was disturbed from his musings by a hum and the sensation of mana being drawn in for a spell. The hum slowly grew louder as more mana was funnelled into it, almost to ear-bleeding decibels. Then, abruptly, the sound stopped. A second of silence, before the crackling of a portal ripping open between one section of space-time and another.
One by one, each squadron moved though the swirling portal. Zaruuk tried to see what was on the other side, but all he was able to see was a blurry mass of colour.
Eventually, it was his squad's turn. Every instinct in his body told him to flee, to find some small hole deep in the heart of Oshu'gun and hide. He looked back to his friends: Kyali somehow managed to remain outwardly calm, Threnaad now looked almost as nervous as Zaruuk felt.
“Go though.” One of the magi channelling the portal called to Zaruuk. He nodded wordlessly and attempted to push his fear to one side. He closed his eyes, said a silent prayer to the Naaru, and stepped forward.

~

Zaruuk had worked a few teleportation spells before, but nothing more complicated than what was known as “blinking”; where one teleported oneself only a few metres from where one started off. It was a quick and easy spell, nothing too complicated. Yet it had taken him some months to get accustomed to the very strange sensation of suddenly being lurched somewhere else by magical means. A sort of queer, upsetting feeling just behind the navel and a faint sensation of vertigo, both of which lingered only for a few seconds afterwards.
This was at least a hundred times worse.
It felt like someone had attached a hook just behind his navel, then used that to turn him inside-out for a few blisteringly painful seconds before jerking him forward violently. He emerged on the other side of the portal and fell right onto his hands and knees, throwing up what little content he had in his stomach. Everything span around him; colours and shapes merged into each other then separated freely. His body still felt like it was flying forward, even as he clutched desperately at the plant life underneath him. He closed his eyes to try and block it out, but the colours and patterns wove themselves behind his eyelids. He retched again, although this time nothing more than bile emerged from his throat.
He became vaguely aware of one hand gripping his shoulder with another patting his back. He took in a gasping lungful of air, shuddering at the taste of stomach acid in his mouth. Sounds warbled around him. He knew something was being said, but just as his vision swirled, so too did the noise around him mix together to become something unrecognisable. He swallowed, then spat, trying to rid himself of that vile taste. It clung to the inside of his mouth like oil. Another shudder wracked his body at the mental image.

An eternity passed before he began to recognise anything again. His eyes creaked open to see a worried Kyali looking over him.
“Can you hear me Zar?” She asked him. He nodded, then turned back to the ground and spat again. A waterskin was offered to him; he gladly took it, washing out his mouth and spitting before taking a long draught. The water felt like ambrosia as it slithered down his throat. He sat up and took in a few deep breaths, trying to will away the vertigo that still clung to him, shook him angrily.
“I never knew you suffered from portal sickness.” Kyali spoke gently, crouching down next to him, placing her hand on his back again.
“Neither did I.” Zaruuk croaked before taking another long drink from the waterskin. “Never teleported more than a few metres before.”
“It'll wear off soon, thankfully. Just don't look up once it's over.”
Zaruuk wondered briefly what she meant by that, before his vertigo reminded him that he should be feeling horrible. He bowed his head and rested his hands in his lap, concentrating only on breathing. Moments passed, so too did his vertigo. He looked up to the horizon line and became taken away at the sight.

There were no walls; just an straight expanse of rippling green, yellow and brown that seemed to continue on forever. His breath caught at the sight, awestruck past the point of words. He turned to look for Kyali, motioning at the sight before him. She giggled at his excitement, turning his face a little blue.
“I gawked like that too, first time I went scouting.” She said, sitting down next to him. “No walls to guide us, confine us. Just don't look up just yet. We don't want to put a box on your head like we had to for Threnaad.”
“Box?” Zaruuk asked, confused.
He looked around to see that his friend did, indeed, have a box covering his head. The warrior was also clutching at his knees with his tail curled around his body.
“No ceiling over our heads.” Kyali explained, pointing upwards. “For those of us who have lived on Oshu'gun for all our lives, it's a little unsettling the first time we see a seemingly endless sky. Some people have a rather extreme reaction to it. Easiest way to help with that is to enclose them in tight quarters. Since we can't exactly set that up quickly, a box works just as well.”
“How long has he been like that?” Zaruuk asked, assuming he must have been out of action for about the same amount of time.
“Thirty minutes I think.” The young Vindicator responded with a sudden grin. “Best thirty minutes of my life.”
Zaruuk choked back a laugh. “We may need to find a way to project this sky thing above him in Oshu'gun. We'd be heralded as heroes.”

[Moonlost]

Curiosity eventually got the better of him and Zaruuk tilted his head up to have a look at this sky. Kyali had not been wrong; it felt as if eternity had been placed above them and painted blue, with a few fluffy white things here and there. Staring up at it, he couldn't help but feel how small he really was. Oshu'gun was large, to be sure, but there was a structure to it. Up in this sky, there was nothing but blue, stopped only by the endless land.
“Do I need to go find another box?” Kyali asked him, he could hear the amused tone in her voice.
“No, I think I'll be fine.” Zaruuk responded, looking down again. “Although I can understand why people would panic over that. It almost feels like it could suck you upwards.”
“You should see it when it's night time. The sky turns to black, peppered with a billion points of twinkling light. Most beautiful thing you'll ever see.”
Zaruuk secretly thought that was untrue, as the most beautiful thing he would ever see sat beside him right now, but he dared not speak that aloud. He looked up again, trying to hide the flush that was creeping across his face again.

“Were you sensing your man'ari kin then, Cursed One?”
Zaruuk turned to look at another Vindicator sneering at him. He scowled and looked away.
“Of course, I don't blame you. I'd throw up too if I were what you are.”
“More likely it was your stench Ivruun, I'm feeling a little queezy because of it myself. Go away.” Kyali snarled, standing up to confront the older draenei. Ivruun spat on the grass before Zaruuk, then wandered away. Kyali sighed, then looked back to Zaruuk.
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be.” Zaruuk replied bitterly. “You don't have to stick up from me.”
“And you shouldn't take that sort of crap from people. You haven't done anything wrong!” Kyali returned. “Morons, the lot of them.”
Zaruuk didn't respond, turning back to stare upwards at the sky.

He didn't retaliate because he was afraid that if he did, he'd do something horrible to them. When he was younger, he had often fantasised about just that. Incinerating those who taunted him with a thought and an upturned finger. Childish wishes, but they had been sweet at the time. A part of him still wanted to indulge.
Suddenly, this excursion outside of Oshu'gun couldn't be over soon enough.

~

Crunching. Gulping. Snapping. Snarling. Sniffing.
Muscle and sinew, bone and marrow, gristle and fat. All torn apart by irregular, jagged teeth and thrown down into hungry gullets. Bodies which were once whole were decimated into tiny puddles of blood and gore within seconds. Long, rough, pointed tongues then dragged across the ground to lap up any scant trace of their prey, desperate for the taste. Once there was nothing left, they moved onto the next carcass to begin the process again, yowling and hissing as they did so.
Xar'thorn was impatient, as was the rest of his band, but he dare not tear the beasts away from their meal, lest he end up next on their menu. Fel stalkers were hard to control at the best of times, but were impossible when they were in a feeding frenzy. And considering the demons were always hungry, it didn't take much to set them off. Instead, the doomguard moved over to look at what it was the draenei had been transporting. He poked at the foodstuffs with his sword, watching as the green flames engulfed them, consuming them just as the fel stalkers consumed the draenei themselves. There had to be more of them. Xar'thorn noted that he would need to find the rest quickly, he'd hate to loose out on another chance to kill these fools because another demon reached them first.
The noise of the fel stalkers eating was replace by a sniffing, baying noise. Xar'thorn looked up to see the demonic, hound-like creatures circling around, muzzles to the ground and tentacles to the air. With a blood curdling yowl, one began to rush forward, claws tearing into the earth as it moved. With a cry, Xar'thorn rallied the rest of his demons to follow after them.

~

Zaruuk stood off to the side, his back leaning up against a tree as he stared ahead. He was on lookout duty, mostly so that he would not antagonise some of the more superstitious draenei by daring to be in their field of view. He had been happy to go along with the suggestion, even if Kyali had ranted and raved about how stupid they were being. Truthfully, Zaruuk didn't mind being forced to stand guard. He liked the view. Being away from those angry glares was nice too.
Beside him, unusually quiet, was Threnaad. The warrior had his head bowed down and his shield clutched to his chest. Although his terror of being lost in the blue sky above them had diminished somewhat, Threnaad was still obviously a little spooked. This gave Zaruuk the rare opportunity to relentlessly tease his friend; an opportunity Zaruuk was more than happy to exploit.
“Wow, would you look up at that blue-”
“I said shut up Zaruuk!” Thenaad snapped, flinging an arm sideways to hit Zaruuk in his calf. The mage snickered as he flinched away, thoroughly enjoying himself.
“What? All I was going to say was that the sky looked-”
“AURGH!”
“Okay, okay. I'll stop. You big sook.”
“I'll sook you in a minute.” Threnaad growled. “When did I ever poke fun at your terror?”
“You really don't want me to answer that.”
“Now you're just being unfa-”

“Hush.” Zaruuk interupted, staring forward and trying to hear. Was was that... baying? “Can you hear that?”
Threnaad stared forward himself now, his eyes scanning the horizon. “Now that you point it out, yeah. Best report back to Exarch Naris.”
Zaruuk pulled his friend to his feet, then the two ran towards the encampment. Exarch Naris turned to face them as they approached, a frown on her face.
“What is it?” She snapped at them.
“Baying, Exarch. Unsure as to what is making it.” Threnaad answered. Naris turned to glare at Zaruuk, as if all this were somehow his fault.
“Squadron Theta is late in reporting back...” The Exarch mused. “Best not take any chances. Magi Lysand, let Oshu'gun and the the Squadrons still out in the field know that we're moving base camp.”

The camp became a flurry of activity as people began to pack what little equipment had been set up. The portal back to Oshu'gun was dropped, the runestones gathered. Zaruuk did what little he was able to do to help, but often found himself in the way more often than not. He turned to look at the horizon. There could be no doubt now. The horrifying silhouettes on the horizon could be nothing other than demons.
Leading the charge was at least a dozen bestial looking creatures, charging forward on four legs, with a mass of tentacles waving above their bodies. Behind them, tall, imposing figures wielding gigantic swords and axes, garbed in frightful spiked armour. Then there were two feminine figures, curved blades grasped in each of their six hands. Towering over them all was a muscular figure; a pair of wings stretched out behind him and a sword of green fire in his hands.
Vindicators drew their weapons and moved to intercept the demons, ready to sacrifice their lives to ensue that the others got away. The bestial creatures leaped forward, their eyeless maws opening into a nightmare of jagged teeth and acidic saliva. Some of them were smashed from their jump by heavy, crystalline maces. Others landed on Vindicators, toppling them to the ground so they could tear open the thick armour protecting them with hook-like claws. Once inside, their sharp teeth made quick work of the draenei, ripping open entrails and splattering gore all around.

Panicking, Zaruuk turned to one of these beasts and started to pull together a well of mana. He gasped as the spell almost exploded in his hands; belatedly realising that the laylines of this planet were unlike those on the Exodar. He quickly adapted, weaving the threads of magic together with word and gesture.
He pointed a hand towards the creature, releasing a spiralling bolt of arcane magic towards it. Zaruuk watched in horror as the spell became unwoven as it approached the demon, turning into pure mana before being absorbed into one of the two tentacles on it's back.
The creature raised it's head from the Vindicator it was attacking and turned to face Zaruuk. It's maw peeled open and it let out a tremendous shriek, leaping towards Zaruuk with a speed he had not thought possible.
Terrified, Zaruuk tried flinging more spells towards the beast. As with his arcane bolt before, each of them unravelled and was devoured by the demon's tentacles. Zaruuk cried out in wordless fear as the demon smashed into him and forced him backwards onto the ground. Sharp claws dug into Zaruuk's shoulders, slicing though his flesh effortlessly. Biting back the pain, the mage reached for the small dagger on his belt. But his arm was knocked away by a writhing tentacle before he could draw it from it's sheath.
The beast opened it's mouth, teeth glistening with saliva and blood, ready to snap down on Zaruuk's skull.
It paused.
Then it squealed in agony as a sword plunged though it's head. Kyali placed her hoof on the side of it's face, kicking at it to try and slide it off her sword. Blood splattered all around her and on Zaruuk as the corpse of the beast fell to the ground. The mage stared dumbly ahead until a hand was thrust before him.

[Moonlost]

“The fel stalkers are mana eaters.” Kyali spoke as she pulled him up. “Best you aim your spells towards the felguards or the shivarra.”
Zaruuk nodded, swallowing back his terror and turning to face the demonic horde again. Chaos raged around him, it was hard to see where he was needed most. He looked around for Threnaad, praying to the Naaru that he wasn't currently being ripped apart by demonic claws. He was relieved to see the warrior still alive; shield held high to block against talon and tooth.
Kyali ran forward to help her brother. Lost as to what else to do, Zaruuk followed. Spying one of the felguards close by, Zaruuk stopped to cast a spell. Weaving together his mana, he threw a blast of fire towards it's face. It roared in agony and stumbled back, allowing a Vindicator to smash his mace into the side of it's skull. The creature fell down. Zaruuk felt a surge of triumph at knowing that he helped to fell the creature. The feeling was soon washed away as he saw the same Vindicator split in half by the gigantic, green-fire sword of the doomguard.
“Retreat!” Zaruuk heard Exarch Naris call out. He turned to see that the non-combatants had made their escape; a portal was open just behind the Exarch, presumably leading to their new location. As much as Zaruuk dreaded teleporting again, staying behind to get slaughtered by demons was a much worse prospect. He ran towards safety, praying he made it in time.

A red, clawed hand wrapped itself around Zaruuk's throat, choking out his breath. Zaruuk lifted his hands to try and tear the fingers away and thrashed his hooves about as he was lifted into the air.
“Not so fast, little draenei.” A foul, cruel voice rumbled by his ear. He could hear Kyali and Threnaad crying out for him, but could do nothing to respond, to tell them to escape without him.
Desperately, he summoned mana to his hands, setting them alight with bright fire. A roar of pain answered his actions and he was flung away. A few seconds of glorious freedom as he flew backwards, then staggering pain as his head crashed into something hard. Everything swirled about him, then all faded black.

~

Xar'thorn roared out as the flesh on his hand blistered and peeled away. That pitiful insect! The doomguard turned to see that the draenei had been knocked out. Good, he could deal with him at his own leisure then. Picking up his sword again, he turned to face the few draenei still alive, only to see the last of them being dragged screaming though the portal. The portal then snapped shut, unfortunately before any of his fel stalkers could jump in after them.
“Jhiyala!” He cried out. One of the Shivarra moved to him, cradling his burned hand as she tended to it, restoring the flesh to pristine condition. Xar'thorn jerked it back once she was done, flexing it to make sure it was properly healed. He then turned to look at the unconscious mage that had hurt him. The fel stalkers had gathered around the draenei, unsurprisingly. He'd have to shoo them away before they devoured the mage; he wanted to deal with this one personally.

“Stay, commander Xar'thorn!” Jhiyala called to him. “Hold your anger away from this one's body.”
Xar'thorn twisted his head to roar at the shivarra, his lips peeled back to fully reveal his cruelly curved canines. How dare she presume to command him?!
“Stray your vision to the mana hungerers.” She told him, not intimidated by his gesture. With a snarl, the doomguard did so.
The fel stalkers had indeed gathered around this unconscious draenei, but they pawed at their snouts and whined, tentacles writhing in the air above them. Some of them tried to snap and tear into his flesh, but quickly backed away whining before their teeth made contact. Some instinct was overriding their endless hunger.
“Why do they hesitate?” Xar'thorn growled, angry and perplexed.
“Not revealed to sight of us.” The shivarra responded.
Xar'thorn frowned, moving over to look closer at this draenei. There seemed to be nothing special about him. He moved his hand to hold the draenei's head. It was tempting to squeeze it and have this over and done with...
“Pick this one up.” He commanded one of the doomguards. “Have the hounds follow closely, in case he wakes. We'll take him to Lord Vardrek. He can deal with this mess.”
_

((Part Three))

[Serendipity82]

Edit: And every bit as amazing as I thought it would be Well done Moon!

[TygerDarkstorm]

*whines* More more more more!
No really, this is amazing, and if Indi knew about any of this, she would give Zaruuk and huge hug and kiss.

[Moonlost]

Herpaderp, just realised a paragraph got lost inbetween the first and second posts of part two. >.> Edited it in, so it's all good now.
Glad you're liking it so far guys. :3 Hopefully the third and final part wont be as long as this one, hehe.

[Saturo]

Woo! Good read as always!

[Azunara]

*blinks, grins.*

Oooooh. Must. See. End!

[Litlemouse]

Really nice looking forwards to more

[Moonlost]

Part Three: Hurt
_

“We need to go help him!” Kyali pleaded to the Exarch.
“It's far too late. You saw the demons, they swarmed his body. He is dead.” Exarch Naris replied curtly.
“He got what he deserved. Bastard probably called them to us.” Ivruun spat. Kyali stomped over to him and smashed his face with a curled fist. Ivruun fell to the ground, clutching at his jaw with an outraged glare.
“He saved your life!” Kyali roared at him as she was pulled away by two other draenei. “And you're too much of an ass to admit it!”
“Aye, 'tis true. He pulled that fel stalker off you at risk to his own live.” Another Vindicator added.
“So he's stupid as well as a Man'ari.” Ivruun stood up, wiping the blood from his jaw.
“Enough!” The Exarch snapped. “Ivruun, do not besmirch the dead, especially if they died after saving your life. Kyali, one more outburst like that and I'll have you discharged from the Vindicators.”
Kyali stalked off in a rage, trying her best to stop the tears from spilling down her face. Threnaad wordlessly grabbed his sister, pulling her into a tight hug.
“He's not dead...” She muttered as she sunk into her brother's chest.

~

Everything hurt.

Zaruuk groaned softly as his eyes flitted open. Everything was dark, although whether that was natural or because his vision was still messed up, he couldn't say. His head pounded remorselessly, he was sure part of it was slick with blood too, He moved to try and wipe some of that off, only to discover that his hands had been shackled to the floor.
Panic swept over him. Where was he? He tried to struggle against the manacles keeping him locked in place, only to hiss as the metal bit painfully into his skin. He stopped, trying to calm himself. He was a mage, he could cast his way out. Finding his focus and tapping into the layline of this planet, he tried to blink himself out of his confinement.
He cried out as a tentacle lashed at his back, draining him of mana and devouring the spell. The now familiar yowl of a fel stalker echoed though this dark room. So much for using magic to escape here then, although he wondered why it was that the beast hadn't eaten him yet. Peering thought the darkness, he could just see it circling around him, shaking it's head as if it was irritated by something. It snapped and growled, pawing at the metal floor with it's hooked claws.
Suddenly, it stopped and looked behind where Zaruuk lay. It backed away, folding it's tentacle appendages to it's side as it did so. Zaruuk swallowed nervously; he guessed the creature's master had just arrived.
Hoofbeats answered his ponderings. He tried to twist his head to see who they belonged to, but the attempt only rewarded him with a swift kick in the stomach. Zaruuk slumped to the ground coughing, curling his tail around himself as he did so. His coughing was brought to a sudden stop as a hoof slammed downward onto his neck, pressing it tight to the metallic floor. He gasped for breath, tiny traces of oxygen only just able to scrape though his throat.
“I should kill you right now, worm.” A deep voice, filled with malice, spat at him. “In fact, I think I will.”

Zaruuk struggled as the hoof pressed down further, crushing what little space had been left in his windpipe. He tried desperately to free his hands from their manacles, slamming them repeatedly against the metal that kept him trapped. Blue blood soon made them slick, although that didn't help him much. His struggles slowed, the pressure on his spine was almost unbearable. His vision began to spot. This was it then. In a last ditch effort, he pulsed out with a burst of arcane energy.
Sweet, sweet air flooded into his lungs. He collapsed limply upon the ground, focusing of sucking in those wonderful, deep gasps of air. It was short lived though, as he soon found himself crying out in pain as a hoofed foot smashed repeatedly into his chest.
“How dare you!?” The deep voice snarled at him, even as he continued kicking. “You pathetic whelp!”

Clawed fingers scraped at Zaruuk's scalp, grasping onto hair and wrenching the young draenei's head backwards. Zaruuk coughed, flecks of blood dribbling down his lips. He opened his eyes and tried to get a look at his tormentor, but the bastard was still standing behind him.
“I will flay your skin from your back.” The voice hissed into his ear. “I will savour your agony. And when you can scream no more, I will rip your head off of your spine and hang it upon my mantle!”
Zaruuk was thrown to the ground. He cried out in agony as he heard a sickening snap from one of his wrists. His hooves scrabbled against the floor as he tried to curl up and nurse the pain.

Everything hurt.

As his mind cleared a little, he heard his captor speaking with someone else in a vile tongue he couldn't understand. The room flared bright green for a few seconds as one of them roared. Zaruuk closed his eyes against the sudden brightness, hissing at it stung his eyes. Then a scream, unearthly and fearsome, echoed around the cell. Though narrowed eyes, Zaruuk could see the fel hunter flattening itself against a wall, shivering an abject terror, yowling at it tried to make itself as small as possible. The draenei jumped in alarm as a charred skeleton smashed into the ground beside him, smoke still billowing from it's bleached bones. The smell of burned flesh reached his nose, causing him to gag and retch.
A clawed hand grabbed him, seizing his jaw and lifting it up. Zaruuk struggled weakly, trying more to stop the figure from jostling his injured wrist than anything else. Another hand slapped him, stopping his feeble movements. He creaked open his eyes again, finally getting a good look at his tormentor.

Had it not been for the blazing green eyes and the small, hornlike protrusions on his cheekbones and temples, the man would not have looked out of place walking the corridors of Oshu'gun. Scars marred his face, most of them small and shallow, the only deep one one ran all the way from the bridge of his nose down to the left side of his jaw. Four tendrils hung down from his jawline, one of them shorter and more stunted than the others, as if it had been hacked off. His bony forehead plate arched upwards, ending in two horn-like sections not unlike Zaruuk's own, only longer and sharper. His face was set in a an impassive glare, as if he were observing some lower lifeform.
“Man'ari...” Zaruuk breathed, shocked and scared to see one of the fallen people. The eredar struck at Zaruuk's face with an open palm, sending yet more blood splattering to the side of the cell.
“Do not speak unless I tell you to.” The eredar said, almost impassively.
Zaruuk was surprised to hear that the voice was different from the one from before. Who had been hurting him earlier then? His gaze swivelled down to the still smouldering skeleton, recognising the the structure to be that of a Doomguard. The commander from before?

“Xar'thorn was one of my best.” The eredar continued, releasing his grip on Zaruuk's chin. Zaruuk in turn slumped back to the floor, trying his best to keep his gaze upon his captor.
“A peerless warrior, I have seen few with as much skill as he in the art of combat. Ruthless and efficient. A shame he dared to hurt what is mine. It will be hard to replace him, I hope you are worth that effort.”
There was a faint click, and Zaruuk felt the shackles around his arms slide off. Quickly he sat up and scrabbled to lean against a wall, cradling his limp and swollen left hand as it throbbed with pain. He looked up to see the eredar still staring down at him, scrutinising him as one might scrutinise an insect.
“I am not yours.” Zaruuk spat defiantly, only to cry out as the eredar raised a hand and twisted it towards him. A line of green energy snaked out of Zaruuk's wounds at the gesture, forming into a sphere in the centre of the eredar's palm.
“I told you not to speak.” The eredar said, tossing the energy to the fel stalker, who snapped it up hungrily. Zaruuk slumped down, trying to stop himself from sobbing, wishing for this nightmare to end.
“I am known as Vardrek. I doubt you recognise the name.” Zaruuk could hear hoof beats as his captor started to slowly pace around. “I am commander of the battalion currently scouring this planet for Velen and his foolish followers. I have killed thousands of exiles in my past battles. Of all the foes I have fought personally, only one has ever escaped death. I have toppled cities, destroyed civilisations, razed planets. I bow only to the great Archimonde and Kil'Jaeden.”
The hoof beats stopped suddenly. “I am also your sire.”

“What?!” Zaruuk's head shot up and he stared disbelieving at the eredar lord, only scream as, once again, a sliver of life was sucked out of him.
“I admit, I was surprised to see you being dragged in here.” Vardrek continued, resuming his pacing. “Almost as surprised as I was when I found out that you existed. I'm sure you feel the same way, I doubt your mother would have told you about me. We were once married you know; she foolishly threw her lot in with Velen and his pathetic batch of outcasts while I remained with the true eredar. A shame. She could have known true power, true purpose, rather than just floating aimlessly in the Twisted Nether, sucking at moss on rocks to survive. I have hopes you will not make the same mistake.”
Zaruuk breathed out a small, almost mad, chuckle. “You're not a very good liar. I was born far, far after the draenei people left Argus. Even if you were with my mother before then, your intimacies would not have produced me.”
He shut his eyes, preparing to be attacked again. The agony was even worse this time around, like the eredar had just torn open his chest and ripped out his heart. He fell to the floor, shuddering and gasping. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

[Moonlost]

“Your idiocy is starting to make me reconsider my decision to keep you alive.” Vardrek hissed above Zaruuk. “About one hundred years ago now, by chance, I met her on the battlefield. We fought, I subdued her and attempted to convince her to join the might that is the Legion. She refused. In retribution, and perhaps a little desperation, I gave into my more carnal desires. A foolish move on my behalf; once I had spent myself, she managed to grab hold of her sword and give me this scar. While I roared in pain, she scampered away.”
Vardrek's face split into a malicious grin as he stared down at Zaruuk. “If you are still not convinced, I could go into more detail. Oh how she screamed in rage as I took my pleasure on her. She did not weep or cry, as a lesser woman would have. Phyrala was always was strong willed, even when she was on her back-”
Vardrek was cut off as Zaruuk lunged at him. The mage ignored his pain, giving into mindless rage as he attempted to plunge his fingers into the eredar's eyes. Vardrek jumped back in surprise, before swiftly spinning around to smash his hoof into the side of Zaruuk's head. The draenei fell down to the floor in a pool of blood, knocked unconscious from the blow.

Vardrek adjusted the collar of his robes, staring down at his son with contempt. It would be far, far easier if he finished the boy off now. He could tell he was going to be trouble. And yet, he sensed that faint spark of power. This draenei had the makings of a fine eredari warlock in him, one only needed to look into his eyes to see that. Getting him to realise that power, however, would be a different matter entirely.
“Master, our vision sees where the exiled ones tremble.”
Vardrek turned to see Jhiyala in the entrance to the prison cell.
“Excelent. Bind and gag this draenei, he shall be accompanying us.” The eredar nodded, before walking off. Perhaps seeing his friends and colleagues slaughtered would open his eyes to the power of the Legion, or at the least, break his will so that he may be moulded into something useful.

~

Kyali paced, her gaze flitting up to the horizon every few seconds. They had an hour left before they needed to return to Oshu'gun, and there had been no sight of Zaruuk anywhere. The idiot had better hurry up and make his way to them, else he was going to get left behind. The young Vindicator was tempted to run off, see if she could find him and drag him back.
He had to be alive. She knew that he was.
Off to the side, Threnaad stood uncharacteristically silent. His silver eyes looked into the distance, his tail slowly moving from side to side. Kyali knew how he felt; Zaruuk has been a friend of theirs since they were young children. It felt odd not having him here, like there was a big Zaruuk shaped hole next to them that needed to be filled. He would be back soon to fill it though.
Around the two siblings, business went by as usual for the Vindicators. The scouting teams were being called in for teleportation back to Oshu'gun. Some of them arrived, sending the goods and supplies they had acquired back up to the great crystalline ship. A good hundred pairs of eyes kept peeled for any signs of demon activity, ready to spring into action the second they saw something.
Kyali almost despised them and their indifference to Zaruuk's plight. He was out there, alone and probably fighting for his life, and they just stood there. They could be out looking for him. If this had been anyone else, they would be too. Stupid, stuck up Vindicators. Stupid Zaruuk, why did he have to have those stupid green eyes of his?

She discreetly raised a hand to her face, wiping away the tears that trickled down her cheek before anyone could see them. She had to do something, had to find their lost friend. Bring him back. His mother would be ever so worried if he didn't return. Kyali hated the thought of Phyrala sad and crying. She had always been so kind to Threnaad and her, she might hate them if they returned without even looking for her son.
Resolute, Kyali walked forward, back towards where she believed their earlier base camp was.
“Kyali, stop.”
The vindicator turned around to glare at her brother.
“What do you mean “stop”? Zaruuk is out there, he needs our help.” Kyali snapped at him.
“Zar is dead.” Threnaad said bitterly. “Going out there and getting killed yourself won't change that.”
“How do you know he's dead?!” Kylai yelled. Damn it, was she the only one who cared?! “Did you see his body? Plunge the knife in yourself?”
“That's unfair. He was my friend too.”
“Then act like one and help me search for him then!” She continued to roar at her idiot brother, uncaring of the tears now freely spilling down her face.
“Kyali....” Thenaad sighed, licking his lips as he tried to find the right words. “Us two running off isn't going to do any goo-”

The warrior was cut off as an arrow sliced into his shoulder. He roared in pain, falling to a knee as he attempted to yank it out. Kyali looked in terror as she saw the tip was covered in some sort of vile black liquid.
“Kyali? Ev'ry tin feels wooozh-” Threnaad fell face first onto the ground. Kyali quickly placed his hands in her brother's chest, summoning her Naaru blessed powers to purge his system of the poison. Once she was sure it was cleansed, she stood up to see who had dared to attack them.

Demons swarmed the horizon in numbers far, far greater than the band that had attacked before. She heard alarms ringing around the campsite, soon an army of Vindicators rushed forward to meet their eternal foes. Kyali looked down to Thenaad, making sure that the warrior was fine, before drawing her sword and charging along right behind. The Legion would pay for hurting Threnaad and Zaruuk. She swore it.


~

“They fight well, don't you think?” Vardrek commented as he watched the battle from hight atop his own personal dias. Beside him stood a towering infernal, dangling from a chain attached to it's rocky fist was his son. The eredar imagined that his arms must be hurting pretty badly by now, if not dislocated entirely. “But they will die all the same. Nothing can withstand the might of the Legion.”
Zaruuk didn't respond, he was too tired and sore. He kept his head turned down and his eyes closed, trying his best to ignore his screaming muscles.
“Oh, but you are missing all the fun.” Vardrek grinned as he grabbed Zaruuk's head and forced him to look forward. Zaruuk's eyes shuddered open, crusted as they were with blood and gunk. He saw the hordes of demons clashing against the draenei, saw many of his kind fall to green fire, black steel and yellow teeth. Many of the demons were cut down, but there were always more to take their place. Were Kyali and Threnaad among those who were fighting? Had they returned back to Osu'gun? Or had they already fallen to the cruel fangs of some demonic entity?
“I can make it stop.” Vardrek whispered. “Swear service to me, accept your bloodline, and I will recall my troops.”
Zaruuk turned to look Vardrek in the eyes. Those fel, burning eyes; uncaring and unsympathetic. He didn't want a son, didn't want that connection. Not really. What he wanted was a weapon, a tool to be used. Another pawn to manipulate. He wouldn't stop the attack. He'd just wait until Zaruuk was far enough away so that he could not hear their screams.
Zaruuk finally responded by spitting in the eredar's face. The mage saw his captor's face change from one of smug assurance to indignant fury. Vardrek let go of Zaruuk's face, then raised an arm to the Infernal. With a hollow roar, the fel elemental swung his arm around, smashing the draenei into the ground with a terrible force.
Zaruuk would have cried out if it didn't feel like his lungs had just exploded. He was sure most of his bones must have been broken by now. It was hard finding something of his that didn't hurt. Why was he still alive? Surely it would be easier to just let go, to return to the light. By instinct, he let the small gift of light each draenei had wash though his body, healing him a little. It wasn't much, but it would keep him alive. He felt his body being dragged upright as the Infernal raised it's fist once again.
“Don't make me do that again.” Vardrek said coldly. “I doubt you'll survive more than one of those.”
The eredar turned his gaze to stare down at his legions. He almost hoped that the foolish draenei would attempt to break though the ranks. It had been oh so long since he had been in a fight.

Zaruuk stared at Vardrek though half open eyes. The Man'ari was distracted and careless; if there was a time to fight back, this had to be it. If only he didn't feel like crap, he might be able to do something meaningful. He closed his eyes again, taking in a deep breath, trying to force all his pain away into a little ball. It wasn't helping much, but it did allow him to tap into the layline. Excellent. He channelled what little energy he had into one last spell, hoping it would be enough, then started to swing himself. Once he felt his back hit the rocky chest of the infernal keeping him captive, he released the spell.

~

[Moonlost]

Kyali swore, falling back along with the rest of the Vindicators. These demons were relentless; each step they managed to push them back, they managed to take five more forward. So many draenei had fallen to them already. True, they had killed just as many demons, but the demons had far superior numbers. Things weren't looking to good.
A strange hum filled the air, along with the distinct sensation of magic washing past her. Suddenly, a cry of alarm. Kyali spun about to see... an Infernal? Damn, how had one of those bastards been able to get behind their line?! The creature looked just as confused as the draenei around it. Wait, there was something dangling on a chain attached to it's fist. What was that?

“Zaruuk!” Kyli cried out as she recognised him. Tightening the grip on her sword, she charged to the infernal, ducking past the other Vindicators.
The demonic elemental turned it's head to roar at her, the noise booming across the camp site. It raised the arm Zaruuk was dangling from, then swung him towards her, using the mage like a flail. Kyali gasped, rolling out of the way of the attack, wincing as she heard Zaruuk slam into the earth with a sickening crunch. She turned to look at him as he lay there, horrified to see how injured he was. Most of his limbs looked to be shattered and his entire body was swollen. She needed to get him away from the infernal, fast.
She darted forward, swinging her two handed sword at the “elbow” of the infernal. The creature proved to be much quicker than she anticipated though, dodging her sword swing with ease. With another cry, the infernal smashed Zaruuk into Kyali's back, sending the young Vindicator sprawling to the ground. She quickly regained her footing, darting away and out of reach of the monster's cruel weapon. Zaruuk now dangled limply from his shackles. Oh Naaru, she hoped he was only just unconscious.
She rose to her hooves again, watching the infernal carefully. It stomped a rocky foot into the ground and bellowed, dragging Zaruuk across the ground as it shifted it's arms to rest in front of it's body. She needed to wait for the right opportunity, charging in blind would not help her.

Suddenly, the creature cried out in annoyance as a mace smashed into it's face. Threnaad leapt backwards, raising his shield to block any incoming attacks.
“Don't just stand there Sis,” Threnaad called out, jumping away of the infernal's leg as the elemental attempted to smash the warrior into the ground. “Get Zar away from this bastard!”
Kyali didn't need to be told twice. She ran forward, keeping behind the back of the infernal. She saw it move it's arm back, readying to swing the chained mage towards Threnaad. With a roar, she swung her blade and severed the rock that served as the creature's elbow. The grey stone, and subsequently the draenei attached to it, fell to the ground with a thud.
The infernal looked almost comically surprised as it swung it's arm at Threnaad, only to just notice that it was missing it's “weapon”. It spun about and bellowed at Kyali, charging towards her with it's shoulder lowered. Kyali gasped as she attempted to leap out of the way, but the creature was too fast. She flew to the side with a cracking noise, tumbling along the ground for a precious few seconds.
She rose to her hooves quickly, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs. With another cry, she charged forward, leading with a blast of holy magic. The infernal staggered back from the attack, giving Kyali the opportunity to strike at it with her sword. She heaved it above her head, then swung it downwards with all her might. The attack cleaved the rock that the creature used for a head in twain. With a rumble, the other sections of stone slowly fell apart, rolling along the ground as they landed.

“Zaruuk!” She cried once the infernal had fallen, rushing to the mage's side, Threnaad soon joining her. She inspected the mage's wounds, growing more frantic as she did so. Was he still alive? She pressed her ear to his chest, listening for his heartbeat. Breathing. Anything.
It was very faint and very weak, but she could feel the flutter of Zaruuk's heart. Desperately, she placed her hands on him and called for the light of the Naaru to heal him. White light pulsed around her and into him, but it did not seem to do much.
“Come on you stupid idiot, heal already!” She hissed. “We'll get you off this dumb planet and back into Oshu'un. You'll never have to teleport again. I'll even forgive you for ripping up my doll accidentally when we were kids, just come back! Please...”

“You won't save him, youngling.” Called out another voice. Kyali looked up to see Exarch Naris standing over them.
“I won't leave him to die!” Kyari snapped, not caring if she was her commander. “He's not the demon you think he is!”
“Your strength lies in your sword, not your healing abilities.” The Exarch responded calmly. “I, however, have studied the healing arts of the Naaru for many thousands of years. Step aside so that I may treat this magi's wounds.”
Embarrassed for her outburst and fearful for her friend, Kyali shuffled to the side, allowing the older woman to crouch down beside Zaruuk. Naris calmly placed her hands on the mage's temples, flooding his body with the almost blinding, healing light of the Naaru. Zaruuk gasped as his body began to mend itself, white light pouring into his wounds.
“There.” Naris said, shuffling back. “He will need more thorough healing back on Oshu'gun, but at least now he's stable.”

“He is mine.”

Kyali and Exarch Naris turned around, shocked to see an enraged eredar charging towards them. Pure hatred burned in his eyes, his lips peeled back into a snarl. Demons clustered around him, giggling and roaring as they mowed though the draenei forces. A lone Vindicator jumped forward to intercept Vardrek, swinging his mace at the Man'ari's face. Vardrek caught the mace mid-swing with a hand, wrenching it from the draenei. Tossing it to the side, he struck out with his hand and grabbed onto the Vindicator's head. The Vindicator screamed as he became engulfed in green fire, scrabbling to free himself from Vardrek's grasp.
A few seconds later, the eredar dropped a smouldering skeleton to the ground, eyes blazing with a terrible anger.

“Fall back!” Exarch Naris called out, although she needn't have said anything. The few Vindicators that remained were already moving backwards, staring in horror at the enraged Man'ari and his demonic horde. Kyali grabbed hold of Zaruuk, shouldering the mage and heaving him backwards. Threnaad followed close behind, keeping his shield raised to deflect any incoming projectiles.
“How many scouting troops are left on the field?” Naris asked one of the magi.
“The last is going through right now, Exarch.”
“Excellent, full retreat then. Prepare to shut down the portal as soon as the last of us is though.”
Vindicators began pouring thought the portal, trying to keep back the horde of demons as they did so. But it was like trying to delay an ocean tide, it was only a matter of time before their foes simply crashed over them.
Kyali screamed as the eredar sent a wave of pitch black shadow in her direction, only just barely dodging it. She turned to face Vardrek and pulsed outward with her holy magic. Her attack sent the Man'ari staggering backwards a few steps, but did little else aside from make him even angrier. He raised his hand again, twisting it into a claw. Kyali fell to her knees with a scream, clutching at her chest. Blessed Naaru, it felt like her heart was going to explode.
The pain suddenly stopped. Kyali looked up to see Threnaad smashing his shield into the eredar's face.
“Kyali! Get going!” The warrior called as he stepped back, keeping himself between his sister and this monster. Kyali scrabbled upright, dragging Zaruuk as she went. The portal wasn't too far ahead of them, just a few meters now.

Threnaad cried out. Kyali turned in a panic to see her brother caught by Vardrek, the eredar hefting the warrior up by his tail even as his weapons were cast to the side. As she watched in horror, the demon began to slowly dissolve the flesh from Threnaad's tail with felfire. Her brother screamed in unimaginable pain, flailing at the demon in a futile attempt to get free.
“Threnaad!” She cried out. Damn it! Already the Man'ari's felfire had consumed half of his tail, leaving him clutching the vertebrae directly. She wouldn't be able to reach him in time! “Threnaad!”

Threnaad suddenly fell to the ground as his tail was severed. Kyali looked up to see Ivruun slashing at the eredar with his sword.
“Take the demonspawn and get out of here.” The Vindicator hissed though his teeth, even as he ducked out of the way of a shadow bolt thrown at him.
Threnaad shakily got to his feet, teeth grit against the pain, and ran towards the portal. Kyali followed suit, hefting Zaruuk over her shoulders as she bolted. Threnaad reached the shimemring circle first, throwing himself in recklessly. Kyali stopped to look back, only to see Ivruun's corpse being tossed aside like a ragdoll.
“Shit, Ivruun!” She called out, despite knowing it would do no good. The Man'ari turned to look at her, blazing green eyes promising only death. Kyali quickly turned back around, jumping into the portal, dragging the unconscious Zaruuk with her.

The final few draenei magi hopped though, sealing up the portal behind them.

~

[Moonlost]

Zaruuk's eyes fluttered open slowly. He felt strangely disconnected with himself, as if this were not his body but some sort of fake. He could see and hear, but could not process what it was that he saw and heard. Just a mad jumble of colours and noises. He closed his eyes again and swallowed.
His eyes opened as he felt a sudden pressure on his chest and shoulders, along with a strange, repetitive noise. It sounded familiar, in a way. Why? What was it?
Memories began to flood back, and he tensed up. Vardrek! Was he still being held captive? No, this felt different to that. He tilted his head to look down, seeing a strange silvery shape on his chest, mixed in with purples and blues. He reached to touch it, his fingers brushing up against it. Damn, even his sense of touch felt wrong. He lay his head back again, wishing he knew what was happening.
Hours seemed to pass. Days, years, decades. Slowly, he began to recognise the colours around him. Oshu'gun? He dared not to hope, in case this was merely some cruel prank pulled by the eredar. The sound too became clear.
Sobbing? Familiar. Kyali?

He raised his head again, seeing the mass of silver, recognising it to be the top of her head. She lay across his chest, arms clutching around his shoulders tightly.
“Khylhe?” He slurred, tongue feeling thick and heavy. “Wlt hlpeng?”
She didn't answer him, or if she did, it was drowned out by her sobs. Not knowing what else to do, Zaruuk gently placed a hand on her back, wincing a little as pins and needles shocked though his arm. She released one of her arms from around him, only to curl it unto a fist and thump him in the chest with it.
“Don't you dare do something so stupid like that again, you great big idiot!” She snarled at him, even as tears poured out of her eyes.
“Ihm sroy.” Zaruuk attempted to speak. “I dihlt mhn t-”
He was forced to stop as Kyali pressed her lips to his. His face flushed a bright blue and his eyes widened. Oh Naaru, she was kissing him. And he could barely feel it.
Zaruuk heard a throat being cleared. Kyali almost jumped, quickly lifting her lips off his and sitting up. The mage looked up to see Threnaad staring down at the two of them, a wry smile on his face.

“I hope I wasn't interrupting anything.” Threnaad winked, only to flinch away laughing as his sister punched him in the stomach. “Guess I was then!”
“Shut up Threnaad.” Kyali snapped, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. Threnaad shook his head and turned to look at Zaruuk.
“How are you going?” He asked. “You've been out cold for four days now.”
“Flhr des?” Zaruuk looked up, shocked. That long?
“Uh... you're a little hard to understand there Zar. Don't worry, it'll pass soon. You were pretty badly banged up. If it hadn't been for Exarch Naris, you probably would have died back there on the battlefield. Here, you must be thirsty, let me get you a drink.”
Zaruuk nodded, figuring simple gestures would be easier for his friends to understand right now. He watched Threnaad move to grab a waterskin, and was shocked to see the warrior moving rather clumsily. Zaruuk's eyes widened a little as he noticed that Threnaad was now missing a sizable chunk of his tail.
“Trhnrd, wrrz yer tahl?” He tried to speak. Threnaad scrunched his eyebrows together as he tried to decipher Zaruuk's speech.
“What... Oh, my tail? That damn Man'ari burned it off, right to the bone. A lot of it had to be amputated when I got back. Tell you what though, it's been a bastard trying to learn to balance without it. I've been falling flat on my face, to the amusement of everyone around. Yanat especially seems more than happy to send me sprawling to the ground.”
The warrior handed the waterskin to Zaruuk, who happily gulped down the liquid.

“Now, the one thing I don't understand is how the hell that Infernal you were on just appeared.” Threnaad said as he watched his friend. “I mean, he couldn't have gotten past our line without us noticing. Big guy like that is impossible to miss.”
“I bhlkd hrm thr.” Zaruuk responded, placing down the waterskin now that his thirst have been sated for now. He looked to see Threnaad squinting as he tried to puzzle out what he said. Zaruuk pointed to his eyes, then blinked them a few times.
“... You blinked him there? Oh you sly bastard.” Threnaad laughed, slapping Zaruuk's shoulder. “Anyway, you're safe now. Uh, I imagine you're still pretty groggy still, one doesn't just wake up feeling refreshed after being in a coma for a few days. Kyali and I had better leave you to your rest. Right Kyali?”
Her face more than a little flushed, Kyali nodded and turned to look at Zaruuk.
“Just... Just focus on getting better right now, okay Zar?” She said softly, reaching over to kiss his forehead. Zaruuk smiled weakly, reaching a hand to touch her cheek before she left.

He lay alone in the room, mind still more than a little fuzzy feeling. Was it because he was still feeling strange? Or was it because of Kyali? Either way, sleep sounded like a good idea. Perhaps he'd be better in the morrow. He shut his eyes and surrendered himself to slumber.

~

Days passed and Zaruuk found himself recovered. Kyali had kept up her affections as he began to move around, affections which Zaruuk had been more than happy to return. He'd been a little smitten with the Vindicatior for a few years now, he never believed it would blossom into something. The only problem was Threnaad, who had been teasing them mercilessly. A quick push on his shoulder shut him up quickly enough though.
But one thing still bugged him, one question he needed answered. He just hated the thought of confronting this, in case he didn't like the answer.

He knocked on the door leading to his mother's quarters, fighting back against the instinct telling him to flee. Phyrala soon answered, hugging her son to her when she saw him.
“It is good to see you looking so well so soon.” She said, stepping back. “But I guess you have a reason for visiting me today.”
“I wish I hadn't. Believe me.” Zaruuk sighed. “Can we step inside for a second?”
His mother frowned worriedly, but did as he asked. He closed the door behind them, then moved over to lean up against a wall.
“What is on your mind, Zaruuk?” Phyrala asked.
“During the scouting mission I met with a Man'ari.” Zaruuk started, licking his lips nervously. “He said his name was Vardrek.”

Phyrala's eyes widened, and she moved to sit down.
“I had hoped you would never learn of him.” She said softly.
“So, what he said is true then? He is my sire?”
“Yes. I suppose he also enlightened you as to how it happened as well."
Zaruuk nodded wordlessly, shifting his gaze to look at the wall. He had hoped the demon's words had been empty jeers. Born of Man'ari lust, no wonder other draenei had felt so uncomfortable around him.
“Vardrek was a good man once, as you are a good man now. The details of your conception have never mattered to me, and they do not define who you are. You are Zaruuk, not some demon-blood monstrosity. I have, and will, always love you.”

Zaruuk turned to look at his mother, seeing the faintest glimmer of tears in her eyes.
“Thank you Mother.” He said softly, trying not to sound bitter. “I know you do, I just guess I want to go back to not knowing the details. Things seemed much simpler then.”
He stood silent for a moment, eyes distant.
“...Could you tell me more of him? What was he like before he joined the Legion?”

~

Vardrek sat brooding upon his makeshift throne, fingers rapping upon the stone sides. Once again, he had been a fool and had let his prey slip away. He always was too soft, too weak. Too willing to cling to the past. Well, no more. He snarled, vowing to himself that if he saw the little bastard of a whelp again, or his whore of a mother, then he'd incinerate the both of them. No torture, no sweet words to try and entice them over, Just swift, simple retribution.
“Jhiyala,” The eredar snapped, waving over his shivarra priestess. “Look into the felfires, read for me the embers of the future.”
“Your words be honoured, Commander.” Jhiyala bowed, before turning her veiled face to stare into a brazier. She waved her six arms hypnotically around the green fire smouldering within, whispering mad words that only the shivarra knew the meaning of as she danced.

“The liquid of life dribbles from fingers, an age ends. A brightness everlasting extinguished, sorrow clouds a vision. Death seeks companionship, enfolding in dormant hellfire. A spark! Stray your gaze from it's brightness. Does it cauterise or consume? The embers speak no more.”

Vardrek placed his fingers together as he listened, pondering the Jhiyala's strange wording. He should have known better than to expect something straight from the priestess. Still, the words were interesting nonetheless. He wondered who they were for. He stood up and moved away from his throne, waving the shivarra over to join him. He had a report to deliver to Lord Archimonde, he dared not keep him waiting much longer.
As me moved, he wondered exactly what the future had in store for him and his brood? With any luck, it would involve his son burning in green fire.

-End-

[Azunara]

YES!

YOU FINISHED.

I love this story, really do. You put a lot of detail into your stories, and your dialogue is just fantastic.

[Saturo]

Awesome!

[Moonlost]

I'm just really, really glad it's done finally. Dumb writer's block halting my progress. Huzzah for not feeling guilty about leaving things unfinished! :D

Glad you guys liked it.
Ps. I now want a draenei flail on my infernal. *nods*

[Serendipity82]

That was amazing Moon!