Seluna's heart beat in
her chest and her breath came out in gasping pants as she sank against
the back of the bamboo and leaf-covered hut deep within Zul'Gurub. Next
to her, a mortally wounded tauren hunter sank down beside her in a
half-stumble that left him sprawled on the ground, his head resting in
her lap. He had taken a troll spear to the chest, and his lifeblood
gurgled through his shattered lungs and poured from his mouth as he
struggled just to draw breath.
Seluna looked down at the tauren, her face expressionless as she watched him struggle to breathe and live. He was part of the large horde force sent in to assault the trolls within the remains of their own empire. He was the last of those with her, the last survivor out of dozens of fighters that had entered the overgrown jungle kingdom of the ancient enemy of her people.
The last tool she had left to defend herself.
The tauren coughed again, blood flowing freely from his wounds as he thrashed. She hesitantly placed her hand on his head, trying to comfort him. She had precious little magic left to heal his wounds, but worse was the fact that she couldn't use it; there were trolls hunting them down even now, and the magic users amongst them would detect her spell if she dared summon the Light here. She could only comfort the dying hunter, hoping he wouldn't draw attention to their hiding spot.
She smirked as she gently stroked his hair, easing him. The thought of giving comfort to another living creature went against what she really was now. It was more a memory of who she might have been, a reflex of the mind and body rather than a conscious decision. She sat there with the dying creature in her lap, looking out across the lake.
How many more of them survived the ambush? How many hide in the ruins now, being hunted by our ancient foe? They will be made into sacrifices to their dark gods soon enough.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a massive explosion on the other side of the lake. She squinted against the glare as one by one the troll huts there popped as if they were filled with explosions. A wave of heat passed over the surface of the still water, and she could feel the inferno from where she sat. In the village around her, shouts could be heard as more trolls rushed to investigate the ongoing battle on the distant shore.
So the Archmage lives on. Vomher Wyrmcurse had been part of the party sent in to deal with the trolls. The fact that he was still very much alive was of interest to the priestess. It could be no other than the Archmage who was causing such destruction in the distance; only the elf had had the power to use fire at his whim and the nature of the inferno spoke of the madness which she was quite familiar with.
How very interesting. It seems that the young madman has grown into a powerful aged madman who can destroy everything in his sight if he choses. Although he will pose a problem when disposing of my daughter, such power would make an extremely useful tool when guided in the proper direction. Perhaps it is time to test the Archmage and see just how useful he can become to my goals.
Seluna smiled to herself as she watched the village across the lake burn, plans and plots forming in her mind. She would need to test his mettle in the most extreme circumstances possible. He obviously was quite gifted with his magic, but trolls were little match intellectually for such a powerful Lord.
She would need to try to kill him herself. It was the only way, and if he lived, she would reward him as she rewarded all who served her; by sparing his life.
Her thoughts were again interrupted by a violent coughing fit from the tauren. She looked down at him in concern as the village around them continued to pulse with activity; the trolls were closing in on their position, as well as gathering to strike at the Archmage in the distance. Another violent cough came from the large hunter and Seluna desperately tried to hush him. He shuddered, coughing up more blood.
She sighed, and slowly withdrew a knife she used to tend wounds. Her eyes met his and he shivered in fear as he realized there was nothing in her glowing blue orbs but endless darkness. One of his hands came up to weakly paw at her face as she pressed her blade home into the flesh of his neck, severing the artery and leaving him to bleed out. There was no sense in wasting her healing powers or endangering herself after all.
"Hush now mighty hunter," she whispered to him. "Your time has come and gone, and your usefulness is at an end. Go to the darkness and let it claim you. Be no more."
She held his head in her hands as his last breath escaped, watching the life fade from him, the dead guiding the dead on their final journey.
In my hands I hold the power of life and death. I am the judge, the final arbitrator of mortality, and by my grace is life spared, or the gift of darkness given. I am the gateway to the hereafter, the last whisper of this world that the sacred dead will see. I am the Light and the Darkness.
She smiled, sliding the dead tauren off of herself and slowly rising. She could feel the troll hunters around her, drawing ever closer, following the scent of the two who had fled their trap. She gently eased her shadowy power into action, soothing the minds of those who had drawn too close, making them look away at the crucial moment as she slipped into the waters of the lake, letting the cold water wash over her. The trolls would find the hunter, would likely eat his flesh, but they would see no more of the priestess as she made her way from the ruins.
Such creatures did not have the right or power to stop her, and would pay dearly for what they had done. But first she had other tasks to complete.
Seluna looked down at the tauren, her face expressionless as she watched him struggle to breathe and live. He was part of the large horde force sent in to assault the trolls within the remains of their own empire. He was the last of those with her, the last survivor out of dozens of fighters that had entered the overgrown jungle kingdom of the ancient enemy of her people.
The last tool she had left to defend herself.
The tauren coughed again, blood flowing freely from his wounds as he thrashed. She hesitantly placed her hand on his head, trying to comfort him. She had precious little magic left to heal his wounds, but worse was the fact that she couldn't use it; there were trolls hunting them down even now, and the magic users amongst them would detect her spell if she dared summon the Light here. She could only comfort the dying hunter, hoping he wouldn't draw attention to their hiding spot.
She smirked as she gently stroked his hair, easing him. The thought of giving comfort to another living creature went against what she really was now. It was more a memory of who she might have been, a reflex of the mind and body rather than a conscious decision. She sat there with the dying creature in her lap, looking out across the lake.
How many more of them survived the ambush? How many hide in the ruins now, being hunted by our ancient foe? They will be made into sacrifices to their dark gods soon enough.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a massive explosion on the other side of the lake. She squinted against the glare as one by one the troll huts there popped as if they were filled with explosions. A wave of heat passed over the surface of the still water, and she could feel the inferno from where she sat. In the village around her, shouts could be heard as more trolls rushed to investigate the ongoing battle on the distant shore.
So the Archmage lives on. Vomher Wyrmcurse had been part of the party sent in to deal with the trolls. The fact that he was still very much alive was of interest to the priestess. It could be no other than the Archmage who was causing such destruction in the distance; only the elf had had the power to use fire at his whim and the nature of the inferno spoke of the madness which she was quite familiar with.
How very interesting. It seems that the young madman has grown into a powerful aged madman who can destroy everything in his sight if he choses. Although he will pose a problem when disposing of my daughter, such power would make an extremely useful tool when guided in the proper direction. Perhaps it is time to test the Archmage and see just how useful he can become to my goals.
Seluna smiled to herself as she watched the village across the lake burn, plans and plots forming in her mind. She would need to test his mettle in the most extreme circumstances possible. He obviously was quite gifted with his magic, but trolls were little match intellectually for such a powerful Lord.
She would need to try to kill him herself. It was the only way, and if he lived, she would reward him as she rewarded all who served her; by sparing his life.
Her thoughts were again interrupted by a violent coughing fit from the tauren. She looked down at him in concern as the village around them continued to pulse with activity; the trolls were closing in on their position, as well as gathering to strike at the Archmage in the distance. Another violent cough came from the large hunter and Seluna desperately tried to hush him. He shuddered, coughing up more blood.
She sighed, and slowly withdrew a knife she used to tend wounds. Her eyes met his and he shivered in fear as he realized there was nothing in her glowing blue orbs but endless darkness. One of his hands came up to weakly paw at her face as she pressed her blade home into the flesh of his neck, severing the artery and leaving him to bleed out. There was no sense in wasting her healing powers or endangering herself after all.
"Hush now mighty hunter," she whispered to him. "Your time has come and gone, and your usefulness is at an end. Go to the darkness and let it claim you. Be no more."
She held his head in her hands as his last breath escaped, watching the life fade from him, the dead guiding the dead on their final journey.
In my hands I hold the power of life and death. I am the judge, the final arbitrator of mortality, and by my grace is life spared, or the gift of darkness given. I am the gateway to the hereafter, the last whisper of this world that the sacred dead will see. I am the Light and the Darkness.
She smiled, sliding the dead tauren off of herself and slowly rising. She could feel the troll hunters around her, drawing ever closer, following the scent of the two who had fled their trap. She gently eased her shadowy power into action, soothing the minds of those who had drawn too close, making them look away at the crucial moment as she slipped into the waters of the lake, letting the cold water wash over her. The trolls would find the hunter, would likely eat his flesh, but they would see no more of the priestess as she made her way from the ruins.
Such creatures did not have the right or power to stop her, and would pay dearly for what they had done. But first she had other tasks to complete.
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