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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 9:05 pm 
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"Well aren't you a pathetic sight," said the human. What the human said was not what surprised Kaeev; he understood them. The human was speaking Taurahe; certainly not like a native speaker, but well enough. His eyes locked with the human's at this. "You understand me, then?" asked the human, noting Kaeev's reaction.

Kaeev looked away again. He nodded slightly. Knowing what was likely to follow, he thought he might avoid it with another matter. "I'm thirsty," said the shaman.

The human frowned, and said nothing. The silence was long enough that Kaeev looked at the human for a reply. The human's visage then shifted suddenly from disappointed to hateful. "You might get some water when you answer my questions, Horde scum!" he exclaimed, dealing Kaeev a hard blow across the face with a gloved fist. "What were you doing sneaking around these woods with a bunch of orcs?"

Kaeev's dizziness returned with the blow, but he still managed to keep his nausea under control, making no effort to retaliate. His memory was still foggy from the time that he departed the camp, and so he answered nothing.

The human persisted. "What was your mission?"

Kaeev still did not answer, feeling the side of his head that throbbed anew from the blow. He could feel where blood, now dried, had trickled down the side of his face; this explained the taste of blood he had earlier.

The human hmphed at the shaman's silence. "I suppose the poison on that dart can have that effect on people, making them ill and forgetful. The one for you would have killed smaller creatures.”

Kaeev felt his own neck that was still aching. This explained a lot of things for him. The human smirked as he could see the realization coming to the shaman.

"Perhaps I should enlighten you on what happened,” he began, drawing a dagger and tossing it idly. “We spotted your party, not long after you crossed the bridge over the Falfarren River. Spying on the outpost we had established at Mystral Lake." He then chuckled. "Your leader was a loud one. It didn't take much to dispatch him, especially with surprise on our side. The others panicked after that, and they soon followed your leader in death.” He nodded at Kaeev. “You took an arrow or two yourself, or so these night elves say. I guess you only survived because you were their healer.” Another chuckle. “Your superiors must have been desperate, sending a shaman whose strength was not in his healing. Still, you tried to raise your friends, but the elves put you under before you could finish. We needed one for questioning, after all.”

He laughed as he observed Kaeev’s look of astonishment at his words. “You wonder how I know so much? Your marks--even the faint ones on your hands, are what give you away. Oh yes, I know your kind, you are no stranger to me.”

Kaeev could not in a far better state--let alone his current state--fathom in his mind how a human would be this knowledgeable of him. “Who are you?” spoke the shaman finally.

“I am Knight Darrick Malagan, and I lead the Alliance forces in this part of the land.” answered the human. He then pointed the dagger at Kaeev. “And you would do well to remember my name, shaman, for you--” Kaeev’s chin lifted as Malagan then pricked it there with the dagger. “--are my prisoner. I hold your fate in my hands.”

A look of hatred came to Kaeev’s face, accented by the fresh blood that was beginning to trickle from his chin as Malagan kept the dagger there. The knight only grinned wickedly in reply. He looked back at the night elves behind him, saying something in Darnassian to them before he gave a mocking laugh. They all laughed with him at Kaeev in return.

One of Kaeev’s legs began to pull in, like he was getting ready to kick with it. With a smirk still on his face and with a dangerous tone of voice, Malagan said, “I wouldn’t do that, cow. Besides, I don’t want you dead yet. I still want answers before I do you in or ship you off to Stormwind. So let’s try again, hm?”

The dagger lowered from the shaman’s bleeding chin, and he was able to relax a little at this. “Do you have a name, cow?” questioned Malagan.

The shaman beared his teeth. “I am Kaeevanrash of the Stormspeakers!” he answered in a show of defiance. “And you waste your time, human. I will tell you nothing!”

Malagan frowned only briefly, and turned away from the shaman. “I see,” he said. He then chuckled. “That’s all right, cow. That just means you’ll make this a lot more FUN!”

As Malagan spake these words, he whirled around suddenly and dealt Kaeev a harsh blow to the head again with the butt of the dagger. Kaeev’s sight went dark, and as his face hit the dirt, he lost his inward battle with his nausea right before also losing consciousness.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2010 6:31 pm 
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In the present...

Thanks to his fatigue, Kaeev slept rather soundly in his hiding place. In the dim light of Mu’sha, his consciousness returned at the sensation of something cold and moist prodding his arm. He awoke with a start, causing the visitor to shift backward suddenly with a startled yip. The blurry gray shape growled at him, and the shaman had to blink hard a few times to focus his vision on what he was seeing.

There in front of him was a silvery-white wolf. He stared at it in surprise, while it retained a tense stance with its fur standing up. When it saw for a time that Kaeev was making no sudden or threatening movements, it relaxed a little. The wolf’s fur settled as it paced back and forth with a slow and enthralling grace, the searching gaze of its matching eyes seldom straying from the shaman as it did this. Its coat glowed with a soft, eerie luster as the light of Mu’sha in her fulness leaked through the forest canopy.

Kaeev was fascinated by the beauty of this creature. He had only heard of these beasts before, many referred to them as ‘Ghostpaws’. He then spoke in his own mind and in his native tongue. Though he did not speak aloud, Kaeev hoped that somehow the wolf might understand. He took heart as the wolf’s ears pricked at his words. Please, he said, can you help me?


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2010 6:44 pm 
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The wolf simply stared for a time, while Kaeev only stared back, saying no more and inwardly hoping that the wolf might discern his plight and find some way to assist. It did nothing. Instead, it slowly turned and went its way, occasionally glancing back at the shaman. Kaeev watched in daunted silence as it departed, his face coming to rest a bit hard on the earth as he again brooded on his situation, and gradually drifted back to sleep.

He awoke again as something soft hit his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open and had to focus again. Mu’sha’s light was now blocked by large clouds that rumbled softly overhead. By his shoulder was a slain rabbit. He looked back and forth between it and the small window he had into the heavens. As his gaze fell, he could see that same Ghostpaw again. Their eyes met only briefly before the wolf skittered out of sight, but it was long enough for the shaman to sense the wolf wanted him to follow. He then began to hear the patter of rain on foliage.

He looked at the dead rabbit. It was a small meal, but it would have to do. If the rain were to increase enough, he thought, it might mask the sound of his movements. Thank you, he then thought, and not just to the Ghostpaw.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:23 pm 
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Kaeev made his way through the brush alongside the road as the rain came down in what sounded like torrents. There were not many places where he felt actual raindrops fall on him unhindered. The canopy was thick enough to the point that most of the rainwater flowed down off of great tree trunks, or formed natural fountains as they trickled off branches and large leaves. He took full advantage of the rain, quenching his thirst on said fountains as he passed them, the sound of his own movements muffled. The more he drank, the more his physical pain and fatigue subsided. His physical pains and burdens dissipated almost entirely. The only thing really left to get rid of was the heavy, broken shackles on his wrists.

So renewed felt the shaman, that he almost forgot the need to keep the sound of his movements down, even with the rain. His daydream at the prospect of freedom ended abruptly when he suddenly spotted something in the road ahead from his vantage point.

It was that Ghostpaw wolf again, and it was looking right at him. There was almost a glare to its gaze as Kaeev stared back, entranced once again by the creature. Only moments later, the rain stopped suddenly, and the noise masking the shaman’s movements faded quickly.

Wait, said Kaeev in his mind as the wolf then turned and ran off into the woods again. The shaman was about to step out onto the road and follow the beast when he heard a shout in Darnassian and froze. He knew the voice: it was Malagan.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:29 pm 
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The shaman quietly withdrew back into the foliage, and waited for a few tense moments as he thought maybe he had been spotted. Through the mists, Kaeev could just barely make out the tower at Maestra’s Post. He could hear the human shouting what sounded like commands, and he shut his eyes and thought an incantation.

The shouts became strange echoes as he remained in hiding, while his vision stole down the road toward the post. There was a fog all along the way, but not dense enough to obscure his view completely. The same party of night elves that had been pursuing him was there, armed with bows ready to fire at Malagan’s signal, spread out all throughout the post and the surrounding vicinity. As his vision looked around, he could see no clear path through or around the post, nor any sign of the Ghostpaw he saw in the road.

A feeling of hatred kindled again within the shaman. It felt as if none of this journey back to Splintertree Post was going to be easy. It was clearly evident in whatever commands the human was shouting. He didn’t have to understand them. He knew they were waiting for him. For an instant, his vision met Malagan’s gaze before it returned to his place by the road, hidden away in the trees.

He tensed as Malagan’s voice echoed up the road to him in Taurahe. “I know you’re out there, shaman!” bellowed the knight. “There are sentinels blocking every way, you’ve got no way through. Come out!”

Kaeev clenched a fist and his mane bristled at the next words: “I should have shackled a bell around your neck. It suits your kind!”

The shaman almost shouted back a retort, but he refrained as he quickly realized the insult was nothing more than a bait to betray his position. He looked around as he thought there had to be some way he could slip by.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:41 pm 
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An impression came on what to do. Kaeev swallowed hard, hesitant at the idea. It did not sound easy in the least, but it just might work. He looked around again as he began to chant a call in his mind, Malagan’s continuing insults falling on deaf ears.

As the shaman chanted, his heart began to quicken as he stepped out onto the road. The runoff from the rain rose in a mist that made the existing fog become more and more dense by the second. He crept down the road, the fog becoming so thick that it could be felt and he could only see a few paces in front of himself. Malagan’s insults had ceased, and the shaman could hear him commanding the night elves again.

Another impression came, and he stopped and looked at the ground by his hooves and spied a loose rock. His heart began to pound as he picked up the rock and grasped it tightly, acting on the impression.

Spirits, guide my aim, hasten my step, and show me the path
, he prayed in his mind. Gauging by the vision he had of the camp, he hurled the rock into the void, in what he believed to be the direction to the closest structure in the post.

His fists clenched, his throat began to close, and he held his breath as his whole frame began to tremble. His own throbbing heart was the only sound he could hear while he waited with terrible anxiety.

Thunk!


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:51 pm 
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((I couldn't help it this time. This track seemed to suit the next following bits best. Hope you like! :D ))

At the sound, the shaman ran through the mist with a fear and a determination that combined for a speed that was both reckless and uncanny. He heard the angry hiss of a volley of arrows right as he began. The stone, however, had the effect he hoped it would: it drew the sentinels’ fire, buying a small window of time for him to gain some ground while they prepared to fire again. He could hear faint shouts of the night elves and Malagan, just barely over his own breath and heart. Confusion had ensued, the thickness of the fog making aim more difficult for arrows. This was evident in the erratic hisses of arrows he could hear faintly, few of which sounding like they came close as he bounded through the post.

He heard Malagan shout something--more Darnassian--and the hissing stopped. At another shout, Kaeev instinctively skidded to a halt. One arrow came straight his way but missed, though narrowly. The remaining arrows went across the path in front of him from the left and the right, converging for a moment where he likely would have been had he not stopped. He hopped off his forward hoof before coming to a complete stop and started again, running as fast as he could. There was no random fire this time. He knew another volley was imminent. At the same moment the next shout came, a night elf with his bow drawn taut materialized out of the fog in front of Kaeev, aiming right at him.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:51 pm 
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This time, the shaman skidded into a slide tackle at the night elf. It was easy to do this, as the ground had been dampened by the rain and runoff. The arrow shot harmlessly overhead. The sentinel gave a shout of pain as Kaeev crashed into his legs, dropping his bow as he fell onto the shaman. Oddly enough, the shaman very well might have saved him as the remainder of the volley went over them both, with the odd arrow or two landing close. Not about to wait for a show of gratitude, Kaeev gave the night elf a hefty shove off himself as he scrambled back upright and spied the sentinel’s bow lying on the ground. It made a ‘snap’ and a ‘twang’ sound as the shaman deliberately stepped on it as he began his run again.

The path began to go uphill, but Kaeev pressed on undeterred. More shouts--mostly from Malagan--could be heard again, but they sounded more frustrated and angry, and were becoming increasingly distant. There was only the occasional hiss of an arrow as Kaeev went quickly uphill, but none of these sounded as though they came that close. The path eventually leveled out, and the shaman looked behind him as he kept running. He actually laughed a little, mostly out of astonishment that the whole plan worked and he made it through unscathed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that he had broken out of the fog.

....and as he turned his head to look forward, his laugh then went to a sharp gasp as the sensation of earth under his hooves suddenly vanished. His momentum and brief distraction had sent him careening off a bluff into space.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 9:41 pm 
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Kaeev’s heart and stomach both went in knots as he fell and plunged awkwardly into a pond that had swelled with the rain. It was surprisingly deep, enough to break his fall, but the impact forced out what air was left in his lungs. Panic quickly set in, and the ability to swim briefly forgotten as the water, fatigue and the weight of his shackles all threatened to smother him. He scrambled to the surface, breaking through with another sharp gasp. He made his way forward slowly and noisily until he felt his hooves touch the bottom. Sloshing clumsily to the opposite edge of the pond in a daze, he coughed and spat up water, almost stumbling headfirst into the exposed root of a great tree. Getting on the other side of it, he wedged himself into a niche between some more roots before collapsing.

The shaman could not keep quiet. He had to breathe, and after a run and a fall like that, he could not do so silently, even without coughing. He could hear the Darnassian voices again behind him up on the bluff, which was still fogged over. Whether or not they could hear him, he did not know, but he knew he could not hide here.

Something else, however, crossed the shaman’s mind that induced another flash of panic. He quickly stood and dug into the one pocket on the pants he wore and pulled forth a parchment that had been folded many times, and was now soaked. He unfolded it quickly and haphazardly. The parchment, thankfully, was a more sturdy type made to withstand a little water and, much to the shaman’s relief, the ink written on it had only bled slightly. It was still legible. He leaned against one of the roots, his limbs quivering from the exertion as he carefully put it away in his pocket, and slumped back down again.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:54 pm 
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..Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement up the hill ahead of him.

At its crest stood that Ghostpaw wolf. But this time, the instant their eyes met, it turned and ran off out of sight. Wait, said Kaeev in his mind again, and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from shouting it aloud. He quickly stood up but almost fell again as his legs buckled from exhaustion. Throwing caution to the winds, he pulled himself out from the niche, stumbling on all fours for a few paces before he was able to trot proper up the hill after the wolf. Wait! Stop! he said again, desperation in his mental voice. When he crested the hill himself, he beheld a small clearing, the wolf far off at the opposite end and still running.

Kaeev had to follow that Ghostpaw. He had no idea how he was going to keep up at the the rate their gap was widening, but he knew he must. Perhaps it was delirium masking the futility of this resolve, but he did not seem to care. He wasn’t even thinking of the possibility that night elves could be lying in wait nearby; he plod on anyway, even as the Ghostpaw was becoming more and more of a speck in the distance.

...But as the shaman reached the edge of that clearing, which opened up into a much larger clearing, a strange thing began to occur. The feeling that his legs could give out on him at any moment, faded away. The weight of the shackles on his arms felt lighter. He felt his chest heaving less with his breaths as he continued to run. And the wolf was getting closer, even though it never seemed to flag in its own run.

Thinking he was on a second wind, Kaeev kept running, and continued to close the gap as the clearing narrowed. He then heard howling on both sides of him, and looked both ways as he ran. The shaman was flanked by two more Ghostpaws like the first. They were both some distance from him, but were doubtless running parallel to him.

The shaman could only gape in astonishment. What was happening just didn’t seem real. Was this some sort of dream?

The first Ghostpaw had stopped at the edge of another pond ahead, and two more had joined it in addition to the two that were running with Kaeev. Kaeev stopped some distance away from the waters while the rest went ahead of him and began to drink up without hesitation. He waited there, watching the small pack with disbelief.

Each of the Ghostpaws, save for the first that Kaeev had met several times, eyed him curiously after they had their fill of the water. He tensed as they slowly approached him one by one. But, as they drew near, one by one they merely nudged him on the muzzle with their own, or licked him in the face as a friendly gesture.

Kaeev was silent, even in his mind as he watched them rejoin the first wolf slowly, one by one, by the pond’s edge. The first was then motioning with his head from Kaeev to the water. The shaman understood; he was thirsty, but he still approached a bit nervously.

He felt no urge to cup his hands to drink. Instead, he just thrust his face into the waters and drank. He tensed again and looked up at the pack as they howled, as if in approval.

For what felt like the first time in a long time, Kaeev felt relaxed. He felt safe, the dangers of just moments earlier all forgotten. The pack all then began to run further ahead, but Kaeev remained at the pond. Hold on, let me drink just a little more, he thought as he put his head in the waters and drank again.

He breathed a sigh of satisfaction as he drew his head back, shaking loose droplets from his face. Then, he took a look at his distorted reflection, and blinked in confusion as it settled.

The face of a wolf was what was staring back at him.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 5:17 pm 
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Kaeev jumped back and made as if to shout in alarm, but no words were uttered, only a frightened yip. Instinctively with this failed attempt at verbal speech, his hands--or, at least, what he thought would be hands--went to his neck, but he only felt the leathery press of paw pads and the scratching of blunt claws against his throat. Moreover, he was not prepared for the abrupt loss of balance brought on by this reflex and toppled over on his side.

It was all making sense now--why the weight of the shackles and fatigue almost completely disappeared, why he managed to keep up with the Ghostpaw, or gain the distance he did without being detected by the enemy.

But this...this manner of safety was far more than the shaman bargained for. The ‘dream’ was quickly becoming a nightmare. Reason, gratitude and thoughts of security were all crowded out of the shaman’s mind as panic invaded once again.

What...what have you done to me!? he shouted in his mind and attempted to shout out loud again as he got back on his “paws” and looked around frantically, his companions nowhere to be seen. The attempt was doubly futile; not only did it come out as a pained howl, but even that went without answer, even from other wolves. Turn me back, he pled in his mind, producing a sorrowful whine to match.

There was one physical trait of note that did persist in this new form of Kaeev’s, but it brought him no peace. His eyes were constantly being blinded by hot tears as he took off in an easterly direction, following some desperate hope that the wolves might have departed that way.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:24 pm 
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Earlier that day, in the morning...

Kaeev awoke slowly with a terrible thirst. The lingering taste of bile in the back of his mouth only made it worse. Memory of where he was along with his surroundings quickly registered in his mind again. He was still chained to this stone wall in the midst of a night elf encampment. From where he lay, he could see little more than the night elves that guarded him, or a few that happened to pass in front of where he was being held.

Hopes of escaping slowly came to him, but he wondered how it would be possible like this. He could not see much beyond his sentries. Unless...

The shaman shut his eyes, feigning sleep while he began a call in his mind. It took only a simple plea before he had, in his mind, a hazy image of what he saw with his eyes just moments ago.

His vision went forward, slowly passing the unsuspecting guards and going out into the open of the camp. Tents were scattered around, and a significant number of night elves, many with nightsabers, were standing guard at the camp’s fringes or patrolling the area. Some of the large felines walked beside their masters, while others served as the mount for them. There wasn’t one kaldorei that wasn’t armed and/or accompanied by one of these great beasts. The vision did not look promising.

Nevertheless, Kaeev’s view continued to drift until he spotted a larger, more elaborate tent pitched some distance away. The shaman stretched his neck forward a little as if reaching for it, and his vision went toward it in turn.

Parting the canvas that blocked any view inside, his vision went into the tent. There were two figures inside, one with his back turned to the shaman’s vision and speaking to the night elf across from him as they overlooked something spread out on the table.

Several things then happened at once. The shaman caught a glimpse of what was on the table, and he almost flinched as hope took hold in his heart.

...which was quickly dispelled as the figure turned. Malagan appeared to look right at Kaeev before the shaman’s vision ended abruptly.

Kaeev’s eyes only shut tighter as he remained still and silent. To his inward dismay, he could hear the human approaching, and he relaxed his eyes in hopes the human would think the shaman was only sleeping. It took all the self-restraint he could muster to not tense as he could hear Malagan stop within just paces of him. It was as if the human knew he was being watched. How could he have known? Just who was this man?

“Wake up,” snapped Malagan, rousing Kaeev with a vicious kick to the gut, a foul-mood look on his face. As Kaeev reeled from the blow, he felt the spit of the human land on the side of his head. “Think you’re crafty, cow? You aren’t fooling me!” He then shouted something in Darnassian so that all could hear. Kaeev could not understand the actual words, but judging by the many scowls it brought him, he could guess the human was exposing his intrigue.

“I ought to kill you now,” spoke Malagan to Kaeev again like he really did want to kill the shaman, yet was reluctant. His tone then went sinister. “..but I have a better idea. I never did get the information I wanted from you. And I have a little something I’ve been saving that should help me do just that.”

From within the folds of his cloak, Malagan drew forth a strange instrument. It had a wand-like appearance to it, golden in color and crooked in form. It did not appear sharp, but it had a faint, white glow about it that gave off an ominous crackling or buzzing sound.

Kaeev had not seen such an instrument before and, by the look on the faces of most of the night elves that watched, neither had they. The shaman did not have much time to study it before Malagan, without warning, jammed it into the shaman’s shoulder.


Last edited by Kaeevanrash on Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 10:44 pm 
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The shaman’s vision went blank; the pain was that immense. His whole body, inside and out, felt like it had come aflame. He heard himself scream distantly, as if it was not himself. He came to momentarily, twisting helplessly in agony even as the pain subsided, and Malagan withdrew a pace. The human eyed the curious instrument, almost playing with it while he spoke with complete indifference to Kaeev’s suffering.

“I hear it’s called a ‘neural needler’,” he said, still speaking the shaman’s native language. He added in passing, “Someone in Dalaran created it, supposedly. Odds are we’ll never know for sure, with what happened to that place. I like it, though.”

Kaeev had no idea what the human was talking about, and he didn’t care. He still trembled from the pain that was still lingering, biting his lip nearly to the point of drawing blood as he saw Malagan brandish the ‘needler’ again. His vision was blurring from tears. Por Ah help me, he cried in his mind.

“So, I’ll ask you again, scum,” spoke Malagan, that virulent tone of voice returning. “What were you plotting out in these woods? Your lot didn’t look at all prepared for a fight, so a fight clearly was not what you wanted. What was it?”

Kaeev did not answer. He only curled up tighter, as if that might lessen the pain.

“Tell me!” shouted Malagan as Kaeev felt the needler jab in his back, and the human’s words, along with his own scream, briefly became an echo. The shaman felt himself get up on his hooves and flail blindly like one possessed as the needler’s terrible effect returned immediately. All of the chains that bound him went taut and strained from his exertion.

...Something else also happened. As the shaman screamed, there was distant thunder overhead as clouds gathered, and the earth trembled slightly.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 1:16 pm 
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Malagan stumbled backward from a momentary loss of balance as Kaeev collapsed again, looking up as he noted both the thunder and the quaking. Through his blurred vision, the shaman noticed that the human looked briefly confused. Kaeev also saw that some night elves had been watching. Some had turned away as this torture began, but the eyes of those that tarried were following Malagan’s gaze. Fear could be seen in them. One of the night elves, the same one Kaeev had seen in the tent with Malagan earlier, after regaining his own balance, approached the man and spoke to him urgently in Darnassian, pointing a finger at the needler, and then gesturing with a hand to the earth, then the sky, and then to Kaeev, shaking his head.

Malagan only became angry and shoved the night elf away, snapping something back in the same language. He then turned back on Kaeev. “They hear you, don’t they, shaman?” he said, speaking in Taurahe again with a slight grin creeping onto his face as he snickered maliciously. He motioned with his head upward. “The elements hear you in pain, and they are pained also. I think they want me to stop.” As he spoke, he drew near again, the light movements of his hand making the needler stray close to Kaeev. The shaman scrambled away from it like some frightened animal. “No. Stop. Keep that thing away from me!!” he exclaimed as he backed up against the stone wall to which he was chained.

“Why?” laughed Malagan as he only came closer, deliberately not quite letting the needler touch Kaeev’s face so he could watch with amusement as the shaman squirmed to avoid its excruciating touch. He only laughed more as he continued. “This is the sort of fun I was looking forward to. Just look at you. A soldier of the Horde, a shaman of the so-called ‘children of the Earth Mother’. Reduced to this.”

The needler came to a stop just beneath Kaeev’s chin, and he froze, daring not to move any further lest it touch him. “End your pain," persisted Malagan, "and theirs. Tell me what that lot of ragtag scum called the Horde is doing sending mongrels like you out to spy on us?”

Kaeev lifted his chin a little as the needler raised, but gave no answer. “Even your so-called ‘Spirits’ want you to answer,” said Malagan in an oddly alluring tone as he locked eyes with the shaman in a piercing gaze.

Kaeev then began to feel a little strange. As Malagan spoke, the sound thereof felt like it was seeping into his mind, enough that he heard the words clearly therein, as well as in his ears.

“They’re begging, just like you beg me to stop. They won’t help you.”

For a moment, Kaeev almost believed the man. He knew he had not been very faithful to his calling these past four months. Maybe, he thought, had he been more devoted, he would have been spared this awful predicament completely. That’s what this all was: a punishment. A punishment that would end if he would just tell Malagan what he wanted to know. Yes, it could end, if he would just...

“...No!!” exclaimed Kaeev suddenly, snapping out of the hypnotic trance. His mind cleared, the poisonous thoughts fleeing away. “You lie!!” he shouted in defiance.

Malagan’s countenance took a furious turn at this failed attempt, and the shaman felt the blunt thrust of the needler in his ribs. His agonized cry reverberated through the surrounding land as waves of awful pain rippled through his whole body.


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 Post subject: Re: Between A Tree And A Hard Place
PostPosted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:32 pm 
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And as if it was Kaeev’s cry that caused it, the air and earth both rippled also with thunder and trembling. The shaman was not fully conscious of all that was happening, but had he been, he would have seen the terror in the eyes of the night elves. They beheld the tauren stand and begin thrashing, struggling to break free of the taut chains and keeping his balance, despite the quaking. They beheld lightning from the heavens repeatedly striking and coursing through the shaman’s body, to no harm to him. They beheld their commander turn to get to a safer distance, reaching it by being sent sprawling by the tempestuous force. They beheld the wall to which Kaeev was chained begin to crack under the trembling and strain. They beheld him try to step forward, each step shaking the earth and warping the shackles on his hooves until they finally broke. Then, with one last thrash of the arms, the chains that bound him shattered, leaving only the large cuffs on his wrists. With nothing holding him to the wall any longer, this last effort made the shaman stumble forward and fall on his hands. With the thunder’s last word still echoing in the distance, the lightning and quaking then ceased.

Kaeev got up, one hand on his forehead as his vision returned and his disorientation faded. Unaware of what had just happened, surprise and astonishment came to his face as he felt that his legs were no longer burdened by the weight of shackles. He looked at his arms, finding only the cuffs remaining on his hands. He was not chained anymore. He was free. His prayer had been heard.


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