((Inspiration:  Within Temptation - What Have You Done))

-Unknown-

The Master trudged through the copious and pervasive snows, cursing the coldness with every step.  After dragging his captives through the inter-dimensional portal, leaving them in a catatonic state, the satyr waited until the cover of dark to begin to scour for a new base of operations.  He knew he couldn't count on anything in this new dimension, save his wits.  If the research he had based his entire life on was to be true, his dreams of limitless power could still be realized, even though he had lost half of the key.  Looking back at the shackled draenei, he grinned wickedly; maybe he had to take a step back to make two leaps forward.

Xyniigog is still overwhelmed by the experience he has went through.  His chains aren't as strong as they were before the portal, but he has no energy or idea how to break the bonds.  The shaman shifts his eyes over to the Orphan, who looks for the most part unaffected by the trip, and tries to get her to make eye contact, but she remained looking straight forward.  He felt a yank on his shackles around the chest and his feet had no choice to obey the prodding.  The defender silently pleas to the Spirits for assistance in his plight, but doesn't get any type of discernible response.  With a sigh, he bows his head and allows himself to be led on.

The wizard, still in a foul mood, began to assess his situation.  From the foliage and the wildlife he could see, he was pretty sure they were in Winterspring; the northern part, if he had to guess.  Stopping for a minute, the captor stands and wraps his robe tighter and wonders if he should set a tree ablaze to get some warmth.  He decides against it, for fear of getting discovered, and starts to walk again when he hears an unusual sound, like a high-pitched creaking.  Moving under an evergreen, he slowly raises his claw and begins to build energy in it when he hears a thickly accented voice say, "Freeze and live, or move and die."

Annoyed beyond belief, he drops his hand, knowing that even though he had considerable spells to combat with, the satyr's most dangerous weapon was his mind.  Gathering his thoughts quickly, he spoke to the unidentified voice, "I mean no harm.  I am but a simple traveler."  A snorting sound answered him, "Travelers do not lead prisoners, yes?"  Looking around without moving his head, The Master counters, "We are all prisoners.  These are but two that I am keeping safe until they can be of some use."

The sound begins again, the demon now recognizing it as a bow string being drawn.  Slowly, a large draenei wearing heavy furs and still holding a longbow and arrow but not readied steps into his field of vision.  Taking a second to assess the look of these trespassers on the wildlife, the hunter nocks the missile and draws it, saying, "I see no Alliance markings on you.  Who sent you?"  The Master slightly grins, showing a pointed tooth.  His adversary just made his first mistake, letting him see the broken shackles on his wrists.  Using that information, and his latest question, he knows how to proceed.

"No one sent me.  I have no affiliation with either side of this war."  The draenei stares again at the three, then lowers his weapon.  "Then you can keep moving.  I am busy."  The Master knows that he could use someone with such skills as this hunter possessed, so he tries again.  "What are you busy with?"  Again, the draenei snorts, "Even if I was to accept the help of a... man'ari, you cannot give me what I want."  The satyr simply stares, waiting for the explanation.

The hunter shouts, surprising the demon, "THE EXODAR!  Want to tear apart piece by piece and make self-righteous bastards pay for this insult!  Do you know who I am, man'ari?"  The satyr waits again.  The draenei turns away slightly and thumps his chest proudly, "I am Rannulf Nurenchenka, former head of Merchant's coalition.  And I swear on dying breath that I will get every piece of gold that I am owed from Velen and  cowards that follow him."  The Master is laughing on the inside.  This will be simple.  "Well, believe it or not, we could help each other.  May I suggest we get to somewhere out of this... weather and talk some more?"  The draenei looks again towards the three, and now The Master sees that he is looking above his head.

"Very well.  Sonja says you can be trusted.  She is good at seeing lies."  Seeing the quizzical look on the demon, Rannulf laughs heartily and points up.  The Master gazes upwards to see a large red-eyed gorilla hanging upside-down from a branch on the tree that he stopped under, in her hands two large rocks poised to crush his skull at one false move.  Looking back down, the hunter has walked up to him and hits the satyr in the shoulder in a camaraderic manner, "I like you, Man'ari.  Come.  We talk more."  Whistling to the ape in the tree, the hunter leads the way back to a cave, and The Master and his two prisoners follow.

Edited by Xazureja at January 4th, 2010 - 9:13 am

((Timing-wise, this falls after Ax's exorcism.))

-Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands-

Xaz wakes up again suddenly, eyes wide open. Her breath comes in short bursts, and she has to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. Looking around her room, it looks as plain as when she had fell asleep around three hours ago, and she had already awoken once tonight. Her eyes fall on the chair in front of her desk and for a moment... she can almost make out the outline of a draenei sitting there, arms crossed loosely across his wide chest. Finally getting her breathing back to normal, she swings her feet around and pushes off the bed onto the floor, and jumps right back into the bed.

"Yeow." She whispers out loud. "This stone floor gets cold at night." Modifying her molten armor spell a bit, she uses some mana to warm the area under her feet, then falls to the floor again. Sleepily walking outside her room in her night outfit, the gnome walks down the stairs to the storeroom area. Taking a mug from a lower shelf, she pours a glass of juice from a pitcher and takes it to a table in the dining area. Climbing up onto a bench she notices just how empty the room is in the middle of the night.

Xazureja is alone with her thoughts for a few minutes before she hears the slight clicking of hooves on the stones. Coming up from the lower storage area is a female draenei with a slim build, but an observant eye would see the toned biceps and forearms and hands well accustomed to a large weapon. "Hey Aalesia." The gnome calls out softly, and the warrior turns towards her with a tired smile. "Greetings, Xaz. I would think that you would be in bed at this time." The mage chuckles slightly and says, "Yeah... well. Bad dream. How's Ax?"

Aalesia takes a seat on the bench on the opposite side of the table and leans into one hand that is propped up by her elbow, "Doing better. I just checked on him, everything seems to be fine." The gnome nods and takes a sip of her juice. "So... want to talk about your dream?" The draenei says. Xaz puts her mug down. "Sure... it's nothing too exciting."

"I wake up at the bottom of the falls where you guys found me. My bag and broken staff are next to me. I sit up, nothing wrong with me, even though I know I just fell a couple hundred feet. Reaching into my bag, I find nothing but my hearthstone. Holding it up to my ear, I hear whispering. It takes a couple of seconds, then I recognize the voice. It's Xynii..." The gnome glaces back at the warrior, "Umm... I'll explain who he is later... he's a good friend. Anyways... I can almost make out what he's trying to tell me, when I hear the most sickening laughter start to come out of it. I hate the sound so much that I throw the stone into the waterfall. It explodes and I see green fire fly straight towards me, like the inside of a fel reaver. I wake up every time before it hits me."

Aalesia sits for a few moments before speaking. "That is certainly interesting. I do not know much about dreams, so the only thing I could think of doing is maybe talk to the Prophet." "That's... a good idea. Thanks a bunch!" Xaz hops to her feet and starts to hurriedly open a portal, when she realizes she's still in her sleeping outfit. Stopping her chant with a giggle, the gnome thanks the warrior again and rushes upstairs for her gear.

-Cave in Winterspring-

The hunter chews on a thick piece of meat thoughfully. "So, let me get this straight, Man'ari. You need to get these... orphans, and with them, you have access to limitless power." The satyr, sitting on the opposite side of a fire, nods. His two prisoners are by the cavern wall, their chains preventing even a involuntary shiver that they feel running up and down their backs.

The large ape sitting by the entrance grunts without looking behind at her master. "I agree, Sonja, but we're not making progress here." Rannulf tosses her a large green melon which she starts to dissect while he continues, "We have doubts that you can deliver. But, we are willing to contribute if you can promise one thing, that the first display of your new power is the total subjugation of all inside the Exodar and me appointed as ruler of Azuremyst. The rest of this planet you can do with what you will."

The Master grins and says while pulling out a scroll of parchment, "That is acceptable." Drawing up an agreement between the two including that caveat, the demon rakes a nail across his skin, drawing a black and smoking ichor. Pressing it to the bottom with a slight hiss, he rolls it up and hands it to the hunter. "There. It is binding."

Rannulf holds it like he is appraising a fine gem. "Excellent, Man'ari, or should I call you something different?" The satyr begins to correct him from calling him the slur that draenei have for his kind, but then with a wicked grin shot at Xynii, gives a slight shrug and says, "It does not affect me."

The hunter claps with a broad smile. "Very well! What is our first step?"

The Master turns to his prisoners again. "The first thing I need to do is teach you how to control these two. We have to prepare the trap, and we must make sure the bait is compliant."

-Icecrown-

The Scourge war-machine roiled along the ground, skeletons, abominations, and death knights milling about with various metals on the way to cauldrons to forge new weapons.  They worked unceasingly day and night, doing their appointed tasks, oblivious to anything taking place outside of their work.  A single gryphon sailed above them, and if one of the undead was to look up, they would see that it had passed by for the fourth time.

Xynii sat on the beast high up in the air, eyes scanning the ground and the workers below.  He was about to make another bank when he spotted what he was looking for.  A single skeleton walked way from the cliff face, his pack full of ore, and the mineral vein that he had just exposed unguarded.  The draenei pushed the riding harness forward, and the gryphon screeched and dived down towards the ground.  With a light jostle, the flying creature settles near the mountain and begins to fidget, nervous around all the scourge.

The shaman jumps off, mining pick in hand.  He steps up to the saronite and raises the tool, but then sets it down.  A tangle of shadowy chains appear around the draenei, imposing their will on him.  Even from out here the control is too much to resist, and he lifts the pick again and starts to stab at the rock, and chunks of ore and gems spill out.  After a minute of hard work, he stoops down with a elongated bag, scooping up all that could fit inside.  Turning back to his mount, he tosses the bag on the back of the saddle, leaps on top, and pulls the reins back and takes back to the skies.  None of the demons noticed the poaching, but Xyniigog had been observed by two different parties.

-Unknown-

"Excellent."  The Master intones as he watches a scrying pool, observing his prisoner gather materials for his next step.  The hunter, Rannulf, stood in the center of the cavern holding a strange-looking device, metallic engineering by design to control small mechanations, but modified with demonic runes and a few crystals to expand its capabilities to exert its influence to humanoids over great distances.  He was manipulating the knobs while staring at nothing, his sight transferred to the other draenei.  "I am getting the hang of this, Man'ari.  Where should I guide him next?"  The satyr touches the surface of the water, distorting the image within, "Bring him back.  We must prepare the next step."

-Also Unknown-

"Report."  Farsulus growled, standing behind the Death Knight that had sentry duty that day.  She kept her gaze out towards the sky and said, "A moment if you please, Sir... there."  She jabbed a gauntled finger skyward towards a speck in the sky.  The dot enlarged until it became a draenei riding a gryphon.  "He's been collecting Saronite for an hour now, and if you would see..."  The human shoved her aside and stepped to the edge of the window, "I can see for myself, knave."  His angry gaze caught the familiar and hated red strip running vertically on the shaman.  He landed and sent the beast back into the air, pulling out his hearthstone.

"Oh no, you don't."  The lich whipped out a hearthstone of his own, and slammed it into the stone arch with great force.  A tiny chip fell out of it, which the human snatched up before it even hit the ground.  Taking a second to aim, he let fly the shard directly at the draenei.  Despite the distance being almost 500 yards, the unholy strength of the lich combined with the downhill trajectory made the toss a sucsessful one.  The piece hit the braid that ran down his back, embedding it near the jewel that kept it tied together.  Not even a second later, the draenei's recall spell completes, and Xynii dissappears.  "There,"  Farsulus exulted, spinning away from the skylight and walking away, "Now let's hope he doesn't bathe anytime soon."

-The Exodar, Azuremyst Island-

The crystals that had intruded into the body of the spacecraft were glowing exceptionally bright this day, lighting it up with a rainbow of colors.  Xazureja climbed up the steps in the Vault of Lights to come face to face with possibly one of the oldest mortals in the entirety of Azeroth.  Despite his age, the Prophet Velen smiled down at the gnome and said, "Greetings, little one.  May the Narru be with you this day."  The mage dipped her head and responded, "Thank you, Prophet.  I was wondering if I could have a minute of your time."

The elder draenei waves for his guard to give them a bit of space, and they move a few feet away from the two.  With suprising grace for his age, Velen takes a seat on the floor to be almost at eye level with the gnome and says, "Very well.  What is on your mind?"  Xaz begins by telling him about her dream and what had happened the day before and after, leaving out the bits about her being from a different dimension.  After she is done spinning her tale, the ancient leader sits up straight and appears in deep thought, stroking his long beard reflectively.

A few minutes later, Xaz is wondering how long it takes when Velen gives out a grunt and stands to his feet.  Backing up a bit, the mage looks up expectantly, but the answer confused her even more.  "I have seen that your mind has been damaged, gnome.  All that I can tell you is that this dream is not a dream, but a memory.  I cannot help you any more, little one.  I wish you well in your journeys."  The Firebug knows that he has done all he can, so with a word of thanks, she walks away even though her head was a mini-warzone of ideas and questions.  She had already walked halfway through the massive ship before Xaz got snapped to reality by a old Broken peering at her face in front of her.

Nobundo had been promped by the Spirits to walk around the Exodar.  He was not sure what he was to accomplish, but he obeyed nontheless.  Now, standing before the gnome, he noticed a strange object for a mage to be carrying.  "May I?"  The old shaman said, extending his hand.  Xaz looked at her hands, and then down to her chest.  "Oh!  Yeah, sure."  Loosening the cloth tied diagonally around her a bit, she extracts the totem that she carries and hands it to the Broken.  He runs his hand on the sides, turning it slowly and taking in the story it told.  After a couple minutes, he relinquishes it back to her, saying, "Thank you, gnome.  The worksmanship is magnificent."  She grins and resecures it back in its place, "Thank you, sir.  It's very special to me."  At that moment, they both feel a breath of wind blow past, and the Farseer tilts his head to one side.

Nodding to an unheard voice, he reaches into his pocket and extracts an intricately tooled stone in the shape of a tiny humanoid shape, a circle with arms and body.  Holding it out to the Firebug, she obliges and holds her hand out as he places it inside, closing her four-fingered hand with both of his own.  "Keep this safe, little one.  You will know when time is right to use it."  Xazureja is puzzled, saying, "But... what is it?  When...", but was stopped by a motion from shaman.  "By itself, it has no power.  At right time, and right place, however..."  The Farseer walks past, patting her pink hair gently.  Sighing, she places it in a sleeve pocket and takes out her hearthstone to get back home.

-Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands-
-The next evening-

The Firebug was busy writing in her personal journal some random thoughts and tangents that has sprung into her mind that day, and she was wanting them down on a page where they would be safe to ponder on later.  Below, she heard the milling about of other Lore members and it brought a smile to her face.  Having a strong and close family was one thing she was eternally grateful for.  With a final dot, she completed the paragraph and closed the book.

Spinning around in the chair, Xaz gets a shock.  Her window was open to let in the evening air, and outside a folded piece of paper fluttered in the wind.  It slowly floated into the window and settled onto her pillow.  Running over quickly, the gnome looks up into the sky, and sees a lone bird streaking across the sky pointed towards the north.  Curious, she takes the parchment and opens it, immediately getting a sinking feeling in her stomach as she sees the sickly green writing.  Something slips off the bottom, and the mage instantly recognizes the ring, and who crafted it.  Mind racing, she runs downstairs and looks for help.

-Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands-

Taking the stairs as quickly as she can, she hits ground level and quickly finds who she's looking for.  Taliesen was in a discussion with Akiatahn and Elsia as the gnome raced up to the table, and politely bounced from one foot to the other waiting for a break in their conversation.  Acknowledging the frantic mage with a finger, the Lore Master finishes his point and looks downward.  "And what is that interesting dance you're doing, Xaz?"  Settling down and shaking her head, she takes the page out from her pocket and says, "Sorry, guys, can I borrow Talie for a minute?"  Elsia nods, smoothing out the front of her dress, "We were done.  He's all yours."  Grabbing the Night Elf's hand, the orphan drags him to a corner and hands him the note.

It only takes Taliesen a moment to process the short message and swiftly revert to tactical mode.  "Can this be corroborated?"  Grimly, Xaz pulls out the ring that was attached and points to a mark very similar to her necklace engraved in the inner circle.  "It's his, sir, no doubt.  I need some help."  Rolling the parchment back up and handing it to the gnome, he sets his chin in his hand and ponders a minute.  "Alright, I know it says come alone, but I'm going with you."  Adding before she can object, "I will use all my skills.  He won't see me until it's too late.  I'm tired of all these forces pressing against my house, and Elune willing, I will reduce that number, one way or another."  The gnome quickly nods, "Exactly what I was thinking."

"Get ready.  Portal to Darnassus in 5 minutes."  Talie says, straightening up and starting to pull his gloves out of his pockets.  "You got it."  The mage says, sprinting towards the stairs for her gear.  The shadow walker starts to pull knives out of various hiding places in the meeting hall and beckons the Captain over.  "Humphrago, keep the Keep secure.  Me and the Firebug are heading to a rendezvous with this 'Master'."  It takes him a minute to explain to the human that it would be best for him to stay there.  He finishes convincing the paladin at the same time Xaz runs back to the kaldorei battle ready with a rune in her hand.

"Good to go, Talie..." She says, then looks up at Humph.  "Umm..." Xaz starts to try to explain that she didn't think it was best for him to come when he drops to her eye level and says, "Stow it.  Find out where Xynii is, then light that shite-faced demon on fire."  "Yes, sir."  The gnome pats him on the knee, then turns and starts to build arcane energy in her hands.  Concentrating on the Night Elven capital, she dissolves the rune in the magical stream in her hands, then waves them in a giant circle in front of her.  In a second, the Temple of the Moon is visible from the other side.  With a final nod, the two step through the portal and close the gateway from the other side, leaving the cavalryman with a feeling of uneasiness.  Heading out towards the entrance to the keep, he calls out, "Master Jarlov!"  A dwarf raced around the corner, toting a sentry's rifle.

"Any threats outside?" the human asks the warrior.  "Nae, sir."  "Good.  Keep it that way, Admiral."

-Rut'theran Village-

The night elf and the gnome jog up the walkway leading to the flight path.  Reaching into a pocket and pulling out two coins, Talie flips them to the gryphon master.  "Two to Winterspring."  Without waiting for the small change, he and Xaz take to the skies.  As they are doing that, a forehead pops out of the ocean nearby.  The undead that just observed this raised his arm up over the surface of the water and touched a rune that was imprinted on his skin.  It glowed briefly, then disappeared.  Quietly, the sentry dipped back under the currents.

-Near Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows-

Rannulf and Sonja wait in the shadow of a mountain, biding their time and watching the crocolisks slowly crawl in and out of the shallow waters.  The hunter was busying himself making sure his arrows were as sharp as they could possibly be, while the ape contemplated a wrestling match with one of the amphibians.  As the draenei replaced the last missile in his quiver, a rune on his arm lit up brightly.  Glad to be moving again, he leaps to his hooves and calls to his pet, "Come, Sonja.  While mouse is away, play cats will."  The two of them head out around the bend in the road towards the Blasted Lands.

-Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands-

"Contact!"  Vyron called down from one of the ramparts indicating someone was on the way to the entrance.  After some of the recent intrusions on the Keep, it was best to meet visitors outside and make sure the new security system didn't accidentally blast someone to dust.  Jarlov was the nearest to the road leading outside, so sliding on his helmet and making sure his weapon was at the ready, he went to meet this person.

Rannulf had instructed Sonja to wait at a nearby cave, in case anything went wrong, along with most of his gear.  The draenei pulled at his new disguise, wishing the postman he mugged was a bit larger.  He walked as nonchalantly as possible, until he sees a ram riding towards him bearing a armored dwarf.  Making himself look as harried as possible, he stops and leans upon a boulder.  When Jarlov gets within earshot, he makes a big show of saying, "Finally, I walk through mountain, swamp, grass, just one more!"  The dwarf pulls his mount up short and says, "Eh, wot's yer bisness."

The hunter pulls a scroll bound with wax out of his pocket and points to the Keep with it.  "Who resides in there, give this to them.  Then I can go home for day."  Jarlov looks at the draenei with trepidation.  "Mail?  We have 'n automated mailbox, wot's a postm'n doin' out here?"  With mock exasperation, Rannulf throws his hands up in the air and says, "There was mixup with system, needed to deliver this by hand, and my hooves hurt from walking.  Take this, yes?"  Thrusting the parchment at the warrior again,  he waits for the dwarf to take it.  Hesitatingly, he takes it and says, "Right-o."

Riding back to the Keep, Jarlov went into the keep where Humphrago was getting a fresh pint from a cask.  The dwarf hands the missive up to the human saying, "Mixup with th' post or sumthin'."  Setting the cup down for a second, he unsnaps the wax seal and starts to take a gulp of ale as he's reading, but he only gets through the first sentence before his mouthful gets sprayed out as he yells, "Elune's big knockers!  Who delivered this?"  The Admiral gets a confused look, "Eh... some big blue-skin..." The paladin cuts him off.  "Quickly, go find and hog-tie that bastard!"

Pushing himself away from the table he had sat at momentarily, he heads towards the stables as he finishes the rest of the message.  Tylerius runs up to him holding a wide broom and says, "Everything alright, sir?"  Looking down with a small smile of pride at his son's attentiveness, he says, "Get Avalanche prepared, son.  Make sure the rest of the mounts are ready to go.  Party's heading out ASAP."  As the boy runs towards the paladin's mount, Humph pulls out his hearthstone and starts to call Xaz, but thinks again.  Knowing Talie, as soon as they stepped out of the Temple of the Moon, he would instruct the gnome to set their comms to one-way, so that they can be heard, but no one can contact them.

Hoping that Jarlov could apprehend the messenger to shed some light on this predicament, he heads back in as the dwarf runs back in and shakes his head sharply, followed by Mansall and Azrie.  The paladin sighs and waves them into the common room; rapping loudly on a wooden table with his knuckles the human addresses everyone.  "Listen up, everyone.  We've got a situation that needs immediate attention.  I'm leading a sortie out for a search and rescue operation.  While we're gone, Jarlov and the guard will lock the keep down."  Taking a deep breath, he holds up the scroll and simply reads.

<There is an Orphan abandoned in the Burning Steppes.  You might want to get there before the gnome reaches me.>

It was signed with a green singe mark in the shape of a laughing skull.

Humph wads the parchment up and angrily throws it in the fire behind him, sending green crackles out of the flames.  "I need volunteers.  The more the better.  Who's with me?"

((YES!  More Xaz.  Or as Xanati says, MOAR!))

((...guess my creativity got the summertime blues also... I'll try to rectify that XD ))

-Northern Winterspring-

Xazureja stands in front of the entrance of the cave that the note directed her to, moving her arms back and forth and bouncing slightly on her toes to keep the feeling in them.  She looks around for any overt signs that this was The Master's lair, but there wasn't anything evident.  She did notice that as they got closer, the local wildlife of chimeras and snow leopards gave this area a wide berth as if their animalistic sixth sense told them there was nothing but danger around.  Ever since they landed behind Everlook, Taliesen took to the shadows and despite her riding one of her mounts, a mistsaber, out to this point the shadow walker had kept up on foot.  The mage glances to her side where she thinks he is.

"Don't look around, Xaz.  Just relax.  I will be right beside you going in."  Looking down, the gnome nods.  They had discussed the notion that the captor would have surveilliance wards going in, so the mage would have to act like she was alone.  Adjusting the necklace that she wore and had surrepitiously attached her hearthstone to, she gathers her courage and steps inside.  Making a small fireball levitate above her outstretched hand, she starts into the darkness.

-Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands-

Humphrago stood outside on one of the main parapets, looking out as the Lore Guard ran between the main hall and the front gate, making sure all the automated defenses were working.  Pushing off of the short wall, he turned to see two of the best trackers in the Lore walk up to him.  "Toryx and Arkahel set off for Morgan's Vigil as soon as the mission was outlined.  Once they land, they'll pull everyone there."  Akiatahn said, adjusting one of her shoulderguards.  Humphrago nodded, distractedly looking out towards the Dark Portal's direction.  Beneficence saw the Captain's hesitancy and said, "Sir, it is a good plan.  Two gryphons can fly swifter than fifteen."

The human shakes his head and motions for the women to follow.  "No, I agree.  I just hate travelling via demon express."

Ignoring the fact that they were probably smirking behind his back, Humphrago jogs down the stairs and takes the turns that brings him to the courtyard outside the meeting hall.  Outside, the search party milled about either sitting already on their mounts or attending to them.  Whistling Avalanche over and pulling himself up onto his steed, he yells for attention, "ALRIGHT, people.  We've got two warlocks en route, as soon as they land, they'll summon us there, then you'll get your assignments.  FIGHTING STEEL!"  As the groups cheer back, Beneficence holds her hearthstone up to her ear, then gives the Captain a thumb up.

"MOUNT UP!"  The calvaryman yells, and as the two shadow wielders poured energy into their portal, each person would hold their hearthstone up and confirm that they were ready, then they would disappear in a flash of dark purple.  One by one, they vanished until Humph was the only one left.  He quickly changed frequencies and said into it, "Anarie, Unity, come in.  You're walking into a trap.  Answer, dammit..." But the stone remained silent.  It started to pulse light as the warlocks tried to contact him.  Resisting the urge to punch a wall, he switched channels back and said, "Hit it."

-Morgan's Vigil, Burning Steppes-

Humphrago appeared beside the demonic monolith that the two warlocks were pulling people out of.  Trying his best not to shudder and look behind him, he calls out, "Let's head downhill a bit so we don't disturb the regulars."  Everyone formed up on him, and they rode to the outskirts of the outpost.  Once there, he motioned for everyone to pull their mounts around him so he could outline the mission.

"Here's the mission.  One of Xaz's siblings is somewhere in the area.  We have no physical description, all we have to go on is this."  He held up the paper that Taliesen had sketched of Xazureja's hand long ago and passed it around.  "Whoever he or she is, they'll have that branded on the back of their left hand.  We're splitting up into three groups; Me, Sterronfot, and Nightthorn leading.  Anyone you run into, look for that mark, if they refuse, knock them out and look for it.  Any other hostile contact, evade.  Time is of the essence."  As he started to split up the groups, Humphrago saw a flash of white light flare up on the mountain-face to the north.  In between a few choice words the calvaryman spurred Avalanche hard and shouted, "On me!"

-A few minutes before that, Northern Winterspring-

The gnome walked into the darkness, trying to draw on some inner strength knowing that Talie was somewhere near, and that the Spirits are with her... somehow.  The tunnel doesn't turn either way, it just continued on until the entrance was no longer visible.  The cavern slowly opened into an expanse that had unlit torches on the walls, and as she went to the center of the room, her fire-light played onto a set of steps that led up to a dais against the wall of the grotto.  On top of it sat the satyr, her enemy and former captor, The Master.  She smiled sarcastically, said "Hi," even more sarcastically, then threw the fireball floating above her hand at him as hard as she could muster.  It swiftly flew towards him, but about six inches away from his face it hit an invisible force and dissipated, plunging the cavern into darkness.

As Xaz silently chided herself for the outburst, she heard a sickeningly familiar voice say, "Don't waste your energy, gnome.  Allow me."  She heard a snap and as the torches all around the cave sprang to life at once, bathing the space with dancing light and shadows, the mage sees him sitting in the same position, hand raised and fingers together.  He drops his arm back on the rest, looking comfortable, even bored.  "I was worried that you wouldn't have the fortitude to show."  The Firebug was raging inside, but tried to force herself to calm herself, knowing that she'd have to stay in control to survive this, said "Stuff the small talk, give me back Xynii!"  A small smirk tugged at the corner of the demon's mouth.  "Very well.  Give back what you stole from me, and you can have him."

"What the hell are you talking about?"  The gnome said.  The Master lifted his hand slightly and two blood red portals appeared on both sides of the room.  From one came a small humanoid figure, completely covered in a deep purple robe, in his scaly hands he held a dark shiny orb.  From out of the other stepped a large hoof, and the Defender of the Orphans stepped out and stood silent, eyes turned down, armor and tabard dirty and torn, demonic chains criss-crossing his chest.  "Touch the orb, give back the power you took without my permission and your precious draenei goes free."  Scoffing, Xazureja says, "Gladly.  Whatever power I have is my own by my work and practice.  If there's anything I have of yours, I don't want it."  She takes a step towards the unknown person and the orb, when she saw a flash of steel behind the chair.

It only took a quarter of a second for Taliesen to bury both of his daggers through the back of the wooden seat and drive them through so hard they both poked out of the robe of the satyr.

-Dreadmaul Rock, Burning Steppes-

The ogres living on the face of the mountain have been in an uproar for two days.  Yesterday, a draenei was seen on their borders, and before they could catch him he fled, but he had left behind a young woman sleeping on the ground.  They tried to grab her, but she was surrounded by some invisible wall that was beyond their greatest shamans to break apart like an egg trying to get to the tasties within.  They set up guard around the strange girl, waiting for her to come outside of her shell.  Now today, the guards assigned were minding their own business yelling back and forth about who was hungrier when the barrier became visible and lit up with a bright white light that almost blinded the clumsy oafs.  Yelling to whatever deity they had chosen to believe in that week they ran away screaming, their danger instincts overtaking the hunger pangs in their massive guts.

It was a good thing too, because Humphrago was madder than a kobold without a candle, and probably could have taken out the two sentries with a single swipe of his mace.  He led the sortie towards the shaft of light that he saw shoot up to the sky, and he motioned for everyone to slow and encircle the Orphan, making a perimeter against any unfriendlies wandering too close.  Hopping off their mounts, everyone gets set up in defensive positions as the paladin leads in reaching the force field.  He presses his hand against it, punches it, finally raising his weapon and bringing it crashing onto the wall.  But it remained, enclosing the young girl.  "Dammit, we were too late!"  He yelled, giving another swing to the barrier.

Elsia strode up and delicately pressed her hand onto the field, closing her eyes.  "Normally, I would tell you to control your childish outburst, but in this case, I suggest getting her out of there as soon as possible."  The priestess opened her eyes and flicked them towards the Captain.  "She's running out of air in there, I can already sense the panic tugging at the edges of her mind."  Indeed, everyone could see that even though it seemed like she was sleeping, her nostrils were flaring wider, as if her body was already struggling to find the life-giving materials in the air that she needed.

((If anyone is "there" and wants to try to crack the shell with your own special skills, feel free!    Will leave open for a couple weeks.))

-Unknown, Northern Winterspring-

Xazureja felt three emotions in the next couple seconds, the first of course was gratitude towards Taliesen and relief that she might be able to finally put this part of her life behind her once and for all.  The second was shock and bewilderment as The Master seemingly reached his hand towards the steel-like pyramids protruding from his chest, then clenched his hand in a fist, activating a trap door that the kal'dorei was standing upon.  Talie didn't even have enough time to pull his weapons from the chair before he plunged into an inky darkness.  The third was revulsion and dread as she sees the demon stand up from his seat, and noticing that his hooves were almost invisible, kind of like...

"Stupid astral projection..." The mage muttered under her breath; meanwhile, the satyr was enjoying this mental match thoroughly, and it hadn't even gotten started good yet.  "muahaHAHAHA!"  The Master roared, "I didn't think you had the courage to try to assassinate me!"  Xaz resisted the urge to clasp her hands over her ears at the horrid sound of the laughter.  Settling down, the captor looked down upon the enraged gnome.  "I always plan my dealings down to the last minute detail.  Never forget that."  The demon spreads his arms outward, appearing accommodating.  "No hard feelings, gnome.  Touch the orb and we can still make this deal."

Worried about Talie, but knowing she can't run up to the steps and look cause she'd probably get blasted before she could look into the blackness, the sorceress walks towards the robed figure and the sphere, determined not to give him any more verbal ammunition.  Reaching out, she slaps both palms onto the orb and closes her eyes.  A crackle of energy ran through the room as the magical device absorbed a certain part of the mage's power.  Opening her eyes, Xaz is surprised to see for a moment an image of a gnome with bleach white skin and heavy armor that looks like her pounding on the seemingly inner contour of the sphere.  Ripping her hands from the surface, she wiggles her eight fingers to get the feeling back in them.  Mentally checking, she still feels like she has all her powers and capacity.  "What in the Nether did he take?"  She wonders to herself.

The Master locked his gaze onto the orb and would not look away form it until his minion carried it back safely through the portal.  Once he was satisfied, he turns back to the gnome and dips his head slightly.  "Very well.  The draenei goes free."  He snaps his fingers, and the chains that encircled the shaman cracked and fell to the ground, becoming ebony wisps as they hit the stone floor.  Xazureja finally breaks a smile and runs towards her friend, when his eyes open.  No longer do they have their normal bluish-gold glow, but are completely blank.  His maces clear their holsters so fast a low whistle echoes through the cavern.  The mage skids to a stop a few yards away from him and whirls back around to the demon.  "Let him go right now!"

The satyr cracks the toothiest smile possible and says, "Oh, but I have.  His body is free.  But his mind is mine for a bit longer.  For that, you have to make another sacrifice."  The Firebug was about to combust with fury.  Reaching up and grabbing her necklace, secretly activating the emergency broadcast function on the hearthstone, she yells, "Quit with the games!"

-Dreadmaul Rock, Burning Steppes-

The stone at Humphrago side started to glow as he discussed with some of the skilled engineers that were there about using an explosive charge to break the barrier.  There was so much activity going on trying to free the imprisoned Orphan that the communication went unnoticed until Xaz's high voice cut through the cacophony.

"Quit with the games!"

"QUIET!"  Humphrago roared as he grabbed the magical stone and held it out for everyone to listen.  What the cavalryman heard next drained the blood from his face.

"No game, just a simple choice.  Let me explain.  Your guild is currently in the middle of hostile territory, surrounding one of your former cellmates.  She is in a sealed barrier, and running out of air.  She is also under the same mind control spell that your friend is also afflicted with.  The only way to break the enchantment... is for one of them to die."

"Holy..." The paladin processes what he just heard.  Even if they manage to break the shell, the dark-skinned girl would simply start attacking everyone, and he couldn't be sure that she, or one of the guild, would get hurt.  "Fall back to defensive perimeter!  Elsia, Prisa, front and center!"  Everyone encircled the force field a few yards out as the two priestesses came forward.  "I need you two to start getting ready mentally.  If she comes out of there, she'll be psychically attacking.  I need you two to shut her down..." Humph gritted his teeth, "...and try to not hurt her."  He knew all too well the mental scars that a shadow priest could inflict.

As the two women start to prepare themselves for whatever was about to happen, Humphrago stood by them pulling off his enchanted shield and readying it.  "Bug, whatever you're going to do, do it quick."  The paladin thinks to himself.

-Unknown, Northern Winterspring, in a hole-

Taliesen fell downwards very quickly, but his reactions saved him from seeing what was at the bottom of the pit.  When the walls came close enough to touch both of them the rouge pulled out two spare daggers and jammed them into the walls hard enough to bite into the rock, at the same time wedging his feet in the tunnel.  After a few more yards of skidding, the night elf comes to a halt. Catching his breath, he starts to rhythmically stab the stone and work his way back upwards.  His hearthstone crackles to life and tells him the same story that everyone else knows.

As he's climbing, however, he notices something that gives him pause.  There's a crack in the stone where the shaft is close to a room  that is occupied by a couple of The Master's minions.  Hearing a snippet of their conversation, the kal'dorei decides to press one of his large ears against the wall and listen in.  The rest of the chat makes the night elf's eyes widen with the information he just learned.  Talie resumes his ascent even quicker, the knowledge he just found out burning in his skull.

-A couple hundred yards above-

The Master has a manic grin on his face as he sees the mage's face fall.  "So, you have one choice.  Kill him, and your cellmate goes free.  Or, simply wait, and she will suffocate.  I await your decision."  The laughter of the satyr reverberates off the cavern walls as his image fades.  The gnome's brain starts to kick into overdrive as she slowly turns towards her friend.  The draenei's face was contorted as he fought to gain control of himself, but it was for naught.  One of his cloven feet stepped forward.

Biting her lip so hard it almost drew blood, Xazureja lifted her hands away from her sides.  She knew what she had to do.  Her commitment was to reuniting her family, and she had to do whatever she could to save them.

Even if it meant going through one of her best friends.

Fire starts to swirl around her arms and hands and her green eyes start to fill with tears as she whispers, "I'm sorry, Xynii."