Pearlhunt in Blackfathom Deeps

[Mantigora]

It was a big group and they were walking in pairs behind each-other.
As they came nearer, I could count ten of them.

When they had reached us, a female Dwarf approached us and asked with her harsh voice:
What is this then? Who is in charge here?! And stand to attention when you address your Captain!
The Rogue quickly moved to the front and said: "Yes Captain!"

"Loitering with the new recruits, now, are we, Lieutenant?"
"No Captain! I mean, yes Captain!"
"When I return, I do not to want to see any trace of that fire, do you understand?"
"Yes captain!"

"You there, see to it, that they carry out my orders without any delay and escort them to the Temple!"
"Yes, Captain Loreseeker!" said an Undead guy with a big two-hand Sword in the back.
"And you, Dismissed!"

The big group went on their way, leaving one of their sword-wielders behind.

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[Mantigora]

When they were out of earshot he said: "Must be my lucky day! Heheheheh!
Good riddance! That kind will be around till the end of the world! Mark my words!
Not meaning any disrespect to the higher Ranks, of-course, Sir!" he said to the Rogue.

The Rogue, staying in-character, said in a commanding tone: "You have heard the Captain!
Make the Fire disappear without any trace and get ready to move on!" making it sound just as how she had said it while giving us a wink.
We got the hint and went to work.

"Heheheheh. I can see you are my kind of Officer, Sir!" said the Undead.
Hey, you, Troll Lady!" he went on.
"You were there at the Affray at the Warrior's Training, weren't you? Don't you remember?
I remember you, we were the smallest among all those big Orcs and Tauren. But we showed them, didn't we'? Heheheheh!
We used our noggin instead of rushing in, like the fools they were!"
This guy was certainly talkative!

While we were busy, he continued:
"So, you finally found out that those fools of the Burning Blade have nothing to offer compared to what we can get here at the Twilight Hammer, didn't you? Endless Rage, they gave you, but only on their command!
Hah! We can have Endless Rage whenever we want! And so much more!
We have the favor of the Old Gods!"
In a way, he was his own version of the crazy-talk that the female Tauren had been delivering.

He went on:
"All the big plans of the Shadow Counsel will amount to nothing when the Twilight Hammer ushers in the Hour of Twilight!
Their silly scheme of wanting to overthrow the leadership of the Horde! Pathetic! WE will bring an end to the World!
They think they are so clever and powerful, getting all the Warriors of the Horde under their command, but no matter what they do, it will all work out in favor of the Old Gods anyway! Heheheheh!

Not even those mighty Demons are aware that their fixation on conquering Azeroth is due to the Influence of the Old Gods! They have fallen in the most devious trap of all: they hunger for it and can not let go of their desire, even after having been defeated several times! If that is not irony in it's purest form? Heheheheh!

No-one can withstand the Power of the Old Gods! They can exploit every weakness.
They have planned it all, from the beginning of Time!
Oh! I just can't wait to see this World burn!
Then finally, I will be freed from this rotten corpse! Heheheheh!"
He was beside himself of joy and his fat, dark, laughter ended in what sounded like a death-rattle.

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[Mantigora]

Coughing loudly, he recovered himself and asked: "But why don't you introduce me to your Friends?"
"Do you know how long before the Captain is due to return here?" asked the Rogue.
"Oh, one hour, two if we are lucky." he replied with a big fat wink.
The Rogue looked in my direction and I shook my head, two hours were not enough for the Portal Spell to be ready.

"Then we better get ready," he said with emphasis, looking at all of us, "we don't want to have another run-in with the Captain and give her any more cause for displeasure, now do we?"
"Very wise Sir!" groveled the Undead. "Once we are in the Temple, we might be able to avoid her the rest of the day! Heheheheh."

"You certainly are a slacker, aren't you?" said the Rogue. "Lead the way, man!
You and the Warrior go in front. She can answer all your questions, she is smart enough for that." he said with emphasis again, looking at Wilani.
"Certainly Sir!" he said. "If you would follow me, please. It is not far."
And so we set out to the Temple of the Twilight Hammer Cult and an uncertain future.

What would await us there?

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[Mantigora]

Wilani was only walking slowly and the Twilight-guy seemed to be happy with the slow pace.
Sure, why rush, if you can draw-out an assignment with no Officer to reprimand you. He was indeed a slacker, if not worse!
But that meant that we had to go even slower, to keep some distance from them, in order to exchange some urgent whispers.

"Do you really want to follow that guy into their Temple?!" I asked the Rogue in a hushed tone.
"I don't know!" he whispered back.
"Don't you all agree that staying in-character is the best for now?" he asked.
"I would feel bad, killing a fellow Undead, just like that, who does not attack me." whispered Gregory.
"Yes, it is always best to not kill unnecessary." replied Dawnstrider.

"What if there is a way to escape?" I asked. "What do we do with him then?"
"The Earthmother will provide guidance, if we pay attention." whispered the Shaman back.
Hm, the Earthmother again. But since there was no clear alternative, we might just as-well go with this.
"I guess." I whispered back. "We can see what we do when the situation presents itself."
"OK. that is the plan then, for now." whispered the Rogue. "Can you go take Wilani's place? Then we can inform her."
"OK." I replied and went to the front.

"Warrior!" I said, trying to act formally. "The Lieutenant wants to have a word with you, I am here to take your place."
"Yes, Mage!" said Wilani, with a big grin and went towards the back of the group.
And I was left with Mr. Slacker.





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[Mantigora]

I felt great reluctance talking to this guy and settled for a very neutral "How far is it to the Temple?" to keep his attention on me. I wished one of the others were here in my place. Why had we not asked Greg to chat with him? He was an Undead too.
But Gregory was still a bit inexperienced and might give away something, unknowingly.

I listened with only half an ear to the stream of words that had erupted as a consequence of my question, taking care to insert an "Aha" or "Hm hm" at regular intervals.
It was Eternal Twilight Talk all over again and I failed to see what could make such a future so attractive, but I took care not to utter a question like that, as it would mark me instantly as an unbeliever.

How could someone long to see the World end? Did they all hate Life so much?
It did remind me of the Naga: they also had such Hate, for everything, it seemed.
And the Humans hated the Undead and the Undead hated all the Living.
There was also lot's of Hate, even among us Trolls, with our endless fights.

I never had thought in ways like this, but the talking of Mr. Slacker somehow made it so obvious that there is too much Hate in the world. But why? Everyone would say: "It has always been like this." But what if it wasn't?
The Undead had not always been Undead. They said so themselves, they used to be Humans.

"... Liberated from the Flesh." I heard Mr Slacker say. His endless stream of words had flown past me and I had no idea what he had been talking about.
"I'm sorry", I said, could you repeat that please?"
"Then we will be Liberated from the Flesh." he said.
I could only just prevent myself from asking what he meant by that.
It sounded ghastly, macabre even, but the Liberated part somehow struck a chord. To be free is good.
"To be free from fear is good too." said my inner voice. "Yes, I know, no fear, no fear!"

My mind drifted away, thinking of something about fear I heard long ago. Only vaguely remembering some words.
... that after the fear had gone, I would still remain ...



I had lost track again of what he was talking about. It was difficult to keep my attention on that unending stream.
Instead, I forced myself to look at where we were going. This playing along, to be one of them, gave an unjust feeling of safety and a lack of attention.
We were possibly in greater danger than all that we had faced up until now.
There was just no immediate danger.
I told myself to be vigilant.
But this endless talking! It drowned my Mind.






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[Mantigora]

There was a curve in the tunnel and it opened up into a wide cave. It was enormous!
In the middle of it, a complex of lanes and corridors and pillars, with water surrounding it.
All in the same style as the ruins we had seen before, but here, most of it was still intact.

We had already reached the Temple!
It shook me awake more than I myself had been able to make me pay attention.
This was a big place. I could see how you could easily get lost here or avoid you commanding Officer, for that matter.

I turned around, looking for the others, wanting to connect and share my feelings and saw them come round the bend. There were definitely surprised reactions from them too!
"Let's wait a bit for the others." I said, feeling reluctant to enter the Temple alone.

What were we to do now? Trying to get rid of the Undead Slacker was out of the question, here in plain sight of the Temple.
That meant we had to go inside where it would be full of Twilight Zealots!
Sooner than I had expected, the situation had changed and our possible choices had evaporated.
We would have to stay in-character and go on with it, it was our only hope.


"Awaiting your orders, Lieutenant!" I said with emphasis, when the others had reached us. Hoping to make clear what my view of our situation was.
"Fall in line and take my place!" said the Rogue, picking up on it immediately. "I will go in front and make a decent patrol, you lot! Warrior in the back with the Priest!" he commanded.
We all took our places and advanced towards the entrance of the Temple.





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[Mantigora]

I was walking in the middle, besides Dawnstrider. Looking up to him, wanting to draw his attention.
Talking was out of the question, walking right behind the Undead in the front.
He looked his own calm Self, as he had been for most of the time. No gloominess or anything was showing on him.
I felt much better next to him than walking besides Mr. Slacker!
It was not just that Mr. Slacker was a loathsome Undead who was a dangerous Zealot, no, this Tauren had become so familiar, in the time we had been here underground.

I thought of the time at the fire, when I had been 'away' in that weird 'dream'. He had been there, making sure I was OK.
And his long story, that he had shared with us. So much had happened!
It felt weird, to think that we had been just strangers, when we had set out from Orgrimmar.

Orgrimmar! We should definitely take the first opportunity to make a Portal!
The Mind is a peculiar thing. That last thought brought me instantly back to our current situation: We were nearing the guards that were standing at the entrance.

One was a Troll caster.
He held a simple looking Staff and there was nothing that gave away what kind of Magic he could make use of. And who knows what extra powers would have been given to casters who were not Mages ?
It made me feel quite uneasy.

Even more so than the Human female did, who was wielding a beautiful Two-hander. I had seen enough Swords by now and had endured plenty of Wilani's talk to be able to recognize it for what it was.
Would we be able to handle her if she were to go instantly into a burn-up frenzy like Lani had experienced?
And Gregory! I could only hope his hatred for Humans would not take over again.
Too many thoughts! We were there already!


The Human stepped aside to let us pass while Mr. Slacker said "Hello." She did not answer.
The Caster seemed zoned out and was not paying us any attention at all.
We all went by and nothing else happened!

A sigh of relief escaped me, releasing the energy of all those many thoughts that had been inside me. I really was a master in stressing myself out!
"Where were you, with your No Fear! No Fear! ?" I asked my inner Self. But I knew I had not left any room for such thoughts.
I promised myself to pay more attention.





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[Mantigora]

We were in a long corridor now and small groups of Cultists moved to and from passageways on either side.
Not what you would call a quiet and private place.

When we reached the first on the right-hand side Mr. Slacker said: "Well Sir, if you don't need my presence anymore, can I be excused? You just need to go this way to reach the Moonshine Sanctum." and he waved his bony hand towards the right.
"Yes, you are dismissed!" said the Rogue. "Go make yourself useful somewhere else!"
"Is that an order, Sir?" wanted Mr. Slacker to know.
"Just go!" said the Rogue and I could tell that the stretched patience in his voice was not only from acting in character.
"Heheheh, thank you, Sir!" chuckled the Undead and he finally left us alone.
"We too should find a quiet place." said the Rogue.
And we went into the new corridor.



A flight of steps led us to a more open space with big pillars here and there. Not a quiet room, but at least we could see if any cultists would come near.
"So, we got rid of him without a fight. Good!" said Wilani. "My blood begins to boil again, if I have to think of any more fighting!"
Wow, I thought. If she gets so affected, I must be even more careful of this oppressing influence! I could feel that here in the Temple, its effect was stronger than before.
I said: "We should not forget to have Dispel casted on all of us again soon, so it won't get too strong."
"Yeah, yeah," said the Rogue, "but what we really should do is stand behind that big pillar, and keep out of sight as much is possible." And we followed him going there.
"And stay in-character!" he added. "Just to be sure."



"That is a lot of water, over there." said Gregory, pointing to the water surrounding the Temple complex.
"Yeah, best make sure you don't fall in, Greg", said Wilani, "I think I saw a Thresher there below!"
Threshers lived everywhere along the coast, where the water was deep enough. They were no real threat for a group like us, but if you were alone, in the water, things could turn nasty quick, especially if there were more than one and there were almost always more than one...

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[Mantigora]

A Warlock casting Unending Breath is what a group really needs when taking on those monsters.
I thought again of that Warlock-girl that we ended up not taking in our group.
But then the Rogue would not have been with us and he had played a decisive role many times already.
If only he were not enjoying to boss us around so much ...

I checked my Portal Spell, but the cool-down was still not finished.
I knew he would correct me and say: "The Spell is still not ready, Lieutenant!", so I decided to be the wiser and he was right after-all, it was best to play safe.
So I said: "Lieutenant, the cool-down is still not finished yet." and I managed to not feel annoyed by it.
That made me feel pretty pleased with myself!

"Thank you, Mage." he said and I was hoping to hear a tinge of surprise in his voice, but no such thing. And my freshly gained happiness was already back on the way down. And I had to smile.
How ridiculously my feelings were depending on the reactions of others!
"What do you think of this?" I asked my inner voice.
"I think you are making great progress, dear," said my inner voice, "to realize is the first step on the path of change."
"Where did you get that from?" I wanted to know.
"I don't know." replied my inner voice airily. "It seems such a logical thing to think, won't you agree?"
And my smile became a lot bigger.
This is actually quite fun, being friends with myself.





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[Mantigora]

"So many Tauren!" sighed the Shaman, watching the many groups of Cultists that could be seen here and there. "Possibly even more common than Humans. Although it is miraculous how they all seem to get along with each-other. I see they even allow Gnomes among them!"
Although Tauren were relatively tolerant to the races of the Alliance, their Druids even meeting up with Night-Elf Druids at times, they had great dislike for Gnomes, who they saw as terribly misshapen, being so unbelievably small of stature.

All the races of the Alliance were smaller than us Trolls, of-course, the Night-elves least so and Dwarves only as tall as our young-ones, but Gnomes were even shorter than them! It was hard to believe how such small creatures could pose any serious threat, but their Rogues were feared for being almost impossible to catch and in order to cast Spells you did not need to be big either. And if that was not enough, they loved all kinds of machines, that would make up for their small size. Luckily they were not very numerous and I can not remember having encountered one of them alive, myself. I also failed to see any of them in the groups of cultists, but Tauren, originating from the wide open plains, had better eyesight than us Trolls, therefore I did not doubt him spotting them.

"Would now be a good time to cast Dispel on everyone?" asked the Priest.
"Yes, please!" I answered quickly.
"Make sure to do it out-of-sight as much as possible!" said the Rogue. "We should not draw any unwelcome attention."

I was the first one to receive a Dispel and my Mind was immediately a lot clearer. "Don't forget yourself, Greg!" I said. "I don't know what we would do without you here!"
"Probably become just as crazy as all those Twilighters!" scoffed Wilani.
"Shh h!" hushed the Rogue. "You never know who might be listening!"
"Oh! That is much better!" said Wilani, when she received the Dispel-treatment. "Yea, sorry, we have to stay in character, I know." She whispered in return.

The Priest went on to cast Dispel on the Shaman and the Rogue and finally on himself.
So, now we would be good for a while, even though it had not been a very long time, the effect of the Dispel was definitely noticeable.
I checked my Portal-spell again, but it was still not ready...
The only thing we could do was wait.




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[Mantigora]

"Well, well, who have we here!?" said a strange voice and an Undead appeared behind the Rogue.
"Morgrin! So good to see a fellow Rogue."
"Master Charles!" said the Rogue startled.
"Always watch your back, Morgrin!" said the newcomer.

Where had this new guy come from? How long had he been here, unseen?
And what might he have heard!? Enough to know that we were not real Cultists?
A stream of questions ran through my mind.

"Master Charles!" said the Rogue again. "I would have never expected to encounter you here!"
"We all have our own reasons, Morgrin." said the newcomer.
"And a Lieutenant, I see." he went on approvingly. "Well, I would expect no less from you."

"I can't say how happy I am too see more of our kind." he went on. "The number of Casters here is too damn high! Shadowmages! they call themselves, as if they know anything about Shadow!"
And he spat on the ground in front of my feet.

"And Acolytes, Loreseekers and what have you, Elementalists, no, listen to this: Aquamancers! Hehehehehehh!"
A fat, dark laugh interrupted his discourse.
"Our good Lord Kelris would do better to have some decent melee, at least a few skilled Rogues in his throne-room. But all you see here are those stupid Reavers, waving big Two-Handers in the air without any Finesse!"
And somehow he made the word sound like a very sharp blade sliding out of its sheath.

This guy was definitely the most dangerous person we had come across so far. The way he spoke made my hair stand on end and signs like that can not be dismissed!
So far he seemed unaware of our ruse, but it could all be just play!
He must be a much higher-level Rogue than our Rogue, that he was able to sneak up on him, undetected!

He continued: "You were on your way to the throne-room with these new recruits, I take it? Having a little rest before meeting the big boss himself, hm m? There is no need to worry, our dear Lord Kelris has only the best in mind for all of us.
Unless he is in need of pet-food, heheheheh!"

Pet-food?! I thought, what would he mean by that?

"But jokes aside," he went on, "let us talk, while we walk. I can spare some time before I have to return to the Undercity.
Nathaniel can take care of the shop for a while when I am not there, but if too many customers have to hear that they have to come back later when they need my, er hm, expertise, that might draw attention."
And he lead the Rogue, our Rogue, who he called Morgrin, along, to where the throne-room would be.
And we, as befits obedient recruits, followed behind.




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[Mantigora]

As out of habit we were walking like before, me next to Dawnstrider, behind the Rogues and Wilani and the Priest at the back.
It made me feel uncomfortable to see how easy something could turn into a habit, even things you didn't want to be a habit!
I don't like it at all, to have no choice in what I do! I could do all kinds of things, of course, but that would be all stupid, so that meant that there was not a real choice.
"You can still choose what to think." said my inner voice.

A good point. What should I think?
I looked at the Shaman, who was walking next to me. What would he think? Something about the Earthmother, probably.
How could he be so easy in accepting things? "... Her task has not been completed."
That may be fine for him to say, but I did not have any task, other than to make sure we would get out of here alive.

And, thinking of the Earthmother, I made sure not to cast any more Sheep-Spells unexpectedly!
I had seen what good that had done!
That crazy Dwarf had escaped while Sheeped and had later killed the Priest and the Druid had died because of it and all the Turtles had left, leaving us exposed to the Naga. Creating hazardous situations each time!
And still he had called me blessed! "... certainly blessed!" even!

I didn't feel particularly blessed right now, more like being led to the slaughter.
And these surroundings were not making things any better. This part of the Temple looked older and there was water everywhere. It even came from the ceiling and where it fell, the stone had worn away, creating a path for its flow.
I could see Aquamancers with their pet Water-Elementals. They must feel right at home here, I'd expect.
All that water! I had seen more than enough water here, when would it end?





You can read the whole story in one piece here: https://mantigora.net/bfd

[Mantigora]

I tried to think of the Sun.
It felt like such a long time that we had been here, underground, that even thinking of the Sun proved difficult.
With effort of will I imagined the Sun in the sky.

That blistering Sun, scorching the lands of the Barrens, such that you longed for the evening even though it was just afternoon and you still had to go for many hours...
Just walking, with nothing but the hot winds and the scream of an Eagle, high up in the sky, for company.

Winds that leave you so thoroughly hot, through and through, like some dried out three, ready to bust into flame if you only looked at it.
In a land that made travelers grateful to encounter a Mage who could conjure Water with little effort...


We had stopped.
It was very crowded here with lot's of Cultists. They all came from this older Temple, or whatever it was.
This must be the Moonshine Sanctum that Mr. Slacker had told us about.

All of them hurried past us, this to great amusement of the Undead Rogue.
"Hehehehehehh!" he laughed, "They don't seem to be so eager to stay around when the Boss starts his Meditation!
Useless lot! One more reason to have some deft Rogues in there, I'd say.

But time's a-wasting, I must be going back to the Undercity.
Here is Lord Kelris' throne-room.
Let them in, guards."





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[Mantigora]

"In or out?" asked one of the guards. "Make up your mind, because the doors won't open again until after the Meditation.
"Should we not wait?" asked the Rogue, looking at the Undead Rogue.
"No, no, no, our good Lord Kelris takes delight in company!" ensured the Undead Rogue lightheartedly. "And I would like nothing more than to see you all safely inside."
"Follow me, then!" said our Rogue, Morgrin, firmly and lead us all inside.


We were in a corridor again, where a small creature came running towards us.
"Out of the way!" it squeaked. "Wait!"
It was a Gnome! I turned round to see him go, between the closing doors, just before they slammed shut.
The tiny straggler had at least managed to escape and my first encounter with an alive Gnome couldn't have been shorter.
What a squeaky voice it had!
It was not important. I had to keep my attention to my thoughts!

"No Fear! No Fear!, right?" I asked my inner Self, but I felt a stone in my stomach. Somehow it was not working.
I took a deep breath and looked at the cool-down of the Portal-Spell. It should be about ready by now.
It wasn't, but it could not be long.
And it better be ready soon, because here the influence of the oppressive force was stronger then ever before.

"This is not a good place." rumbled the Tauren, looking at the stone of the walls.
"It's power has been corrupted for a very long time.
I can feel the pain of the Earthmother.
What Task needs to be completed here?
I long for clarity and would like to sit down to meditate, but not here.
Can we please move on a little?"

It gave me a bit of a shock, seeing him so uncertain.
"Can you now finally make a Portal, again, dear?" asked Wilani. "I don't want to sit and wait again!"
"No, but it should not be long, now." I replied.
"It better not be." said the Rogue.
"What do you mean by that, Morgrin? I retaliated. "It wasn't my fault it failed that time!
And why did you lead us inside, so hastily?"

"In front of the guards was not the place to make a scene, now was it?" said the Rogue.
"What should I have done? Say: No, we will not go inside?
You don't know Master Charles! He would smell a rat and not let go! He certainly would have found us out!
He might even have done so already.

I would not put it past the old fox to let his dear Lord Kelris deal with us. Who knows, we might even get rid of him!
Master Charles has no love for anyone. He always has his own reasons and is loyal only to himself.
That's why he is still alive, after so many years!" exclaimed the Rogue.

"I will be over there, meditating." rumbled the Shaman and moved towards the end of the corridor, where he vanished around the corner.
"Can you guys please stop it?!" said the Warrior loudly. "I have it up to here, with your constant bickering!"
"This is not good!" said the Priest and started to cast.






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[Mantigora]

I readied myself for what would come, but did not expect a Dispel Magic!
The effect was dramatic! "Oh!" I groaned. "Thanks!
Do the others too!"
He casted Dispel on Morgrin and I could see how the stance of his body changed.
"Thanks Greg!" he said with a deep voice.

It was Wilani's turn and I looked to see if I could see a change in her too.
It was not very clear, but she did not look annoyed anymore.
"Don't forget yourself, Greg." she said kindly.
"We should get to Dawnstrider!" he said, after he had finished the cast.

That was a good idea.
"Do you have enough Water?" I asked him. "We cannot risk you running out of Mana. You have to keep casting Dispel on us, that is clear." And I handed him a generous amount of Conjured Water.
"Thanks, Mawhani." he said.

We felt like a group again, instead of a bunch of distrusting strangers.
"Yes," said Morgrin, "let's see where he went."
We went along the corridor till we reached the corner.



Looking around the corner, we saw an enormous chamber, it's ceiling supported by four colossal pillars.
The Shaman was sitting a few paces away from us.
But he was not the only one sitting there in meditation.
An Orc sat in front of a towering statue of a Naga, situated in the middle of the room.

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[Mantigora]

My breath stopped for a moment.
That statue! A Naga female, snakes draped around her neck, it seemed wrong, somehow.
Worse than wrong! It was if it was inviting all evil to erupt and present itself in front of her.
Was this the Old God that they had been talking about?
It felt as if her vile gaze too, was emanating all kinds of evil and her many arms were as snakes themselves!

I could feel the influence of the Oppressive Force upon my chest. Nauseating as it was, my gaze was drawn to it regardless. Only with force of Will, could I avert my eyes and look at the Orc.
That then must be Lord Kelris.
The long-dreaded encounter was finally here!

With a bit of a grunt, my breathing resumed and whispering hoarsely I asked the Priest for another Dispel Magic.
This place was the worst!
I checked the cool-down of my Portal Spell for the umpteenth time and yes! It was ready to be cast again!

"Morgrin!" I whispered urgently, "Get Dawnstrider over here! The Spell is ready!"




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[Mantigora]

"Finally!" whispered the Rogue back and started to sneak towards the Shaman.
"Great!" said Wilani quietly, "can't wait till we are back in Orgrimmar!"
"Why is he not getting up?!" said the Priest.

The Rogue had reached Dawnstrider and was trying to make him get up but the Shaman gave no reaction.
He even tried to pull him by the arm, but the big Tauren was like a statue.
What was wrong with him? That didn't look like Meditation to me.
He gave up and quickly returned to us.

"He must be in some kind of trance!" he said. "I could not get him to move at all!"
"Argh!" said the Warrior. "Just when we are ready to leave! Can we not just go without him?"
"Wilani!" said the Priest and quickly casted a Dispel Magic on her.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "Did I really say that? I must be getting crazy in here! The sooner we are gone the better."
"Yes, I too can't wait to be back in Org." said the Rogue, "but we have to find a way to get him through the Portal.
And please keep casting those Dispels, Priest, we can't be too careful.
Can you not make the portal in front of him, so that we can push him through?" asked the Rogue.

My gaze had been drawn to the statue of the Naga. It really reminded me of something!
His question and a new Dispel broke me loose and I was back at the situation at hand.
"Theoretically, ...yes", I said hesitantly.
"But...?" he asked, "I feel a 'but' coming."
"Oh, I just don't know!" I said irritated. "And I don't know anyone who has done such a thing!
And what if it doesn't work!? Then we will again be stuck for a long time!"

"If we could carry him, that would work." said Wilani. "I have seen wounded been transported to the Healers that way.
But they were always sure to cross the Portal quickly..." she added.
"Do you guys think you can carry him? I mean, I have to make the Portal, of-course." I said with a bit of a smile.
"If you three can manage, then I can safely make the Portal."
"I think we can handle that." said Morgrin. "What do you think, Warrior? I can throw him over my shoulder and you can keep his feet from the floor."

"But what about 'our good Lord Kelris' over there?" said Gregory, pointing at the Orc in front of the statue.
"We will just have to be very quiet." answered Morgrin.
"That's easy enough for you to say!" said Wilani, "I am not a Rogue and we Warriors are not exactly silent.
"You will have to stow away your Mail Gear, of-course." said the Rogue.
"Ehm, I don't know. I will be pretty much useless then, if something goes wrong." said Wilani. "You remember the start of this adventure, right? I was killed like that!" and she snapped her fingers.

The high-pitched sound echoed off the walls and between the big pillars.
Our hushed voices had not at all carried like this sound did!
The Orc in front of the statue stirred and looked around and bellowed:
"Who dares to disturb my Meditation!!"





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[Mantigora]

He got up and quickly came towards us.
"Why are you here?" he demanded to know. "This is not the time for dealing with new recruits!
You should know better, Mage!!" he said with a booming voice.

Shocked, I blurted out: "I am not in-charge, he is." and I pointed at Morgrin.
"Him? A Rogue?!" he said incredulously. "I can't think of a reason why I would ever have a Rogue made a Lieutenant!
How did you get this?!
Perhaps you sneaked up on someone and stole it hm m? That's just what you Rogues would do!
Give me that!

Here, you should wear it. Your Intellect is strong.
Strong enough to melt mountains!" he exclaimed and he gave the Insignia to me.

"And now, you will all be quiet and wait.
You will see what the Old Gods have in store for you!"
And he casted a Sleep-Spell on all of us.




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[Sinrek]

Getting closer to a full-fledged machinima screenplay!! Keep it up!

[Mantigora]

Getting closer to a full-fledged machinima screenplay!!

Who knows? It might happen, perhaps, but who can see the future in such detail?
However, would it not be a bit long for that? Just speaking all the dialogs already takes a long time.

[Mantigora]

I was still in this old temple and I was alone.
Alone with the Statue.
And the Naga looked down on me and said: "Ah! More kindling for the fire."
"Are you the Old God?" I asked.
She laughed loud and shrill. "Cursed are the Names of the Old Gods!"

Slithering down from her plinth to come closer, the coils of her long body seemed endless.
Towering above me, she shouted "Everyone Hates the Old Gods! They Hate themselves the most!
And you too will use your Burning Hate to do what is yours to do and Destroy the World!"

Her words brought up a wave of sorrow, deep from within me; it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I averted my eyes while the dark clouds of despair rose around me.
"Don't be weak!" she cried out. "Use your Hatred and Anger and Burn! Burn everything!"

The dark clouds swirled and enveloped me.
Fires everywhere lit up the night and an endless sea of the peoples of all the Races became visible.
They had brought their own fires, the fires of War and Destruction.
Witnessing it, the Sorrow in me became a whirlpool of poison.
I spat it out, unable to bear it and it burned with green fire where it fell.

"Green", I thought, "it should not be green! No! This can't happen to me! I am a Mage, not a Warlock!
Our Fire is red!!"
That thought was like a dam breaking.
With the force of a Dragon, waking from its Eternal slumber, streams of red Fire shot out of my eyes.
My nose wrinkled as it burned a swath of land in front of me, indiscriminate.
No matter where I turned my Gaze, there was incineration.
It was terrible!


I remembered Wilani, how she had said that her Rage was burning her up inside, how she could not refrain from killing.
There she lay, to the side of me, her corpse black and smouldering.
I was beyond Sorrow now and I turned my Burning Gaze onto the Mountains.

And the Mountains melted and streams of red glowing rock covered the warring sea.
Exhausted and drained, I collapsed in total blackness.





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[Mantigora]

I woke up to the sound of Drums. (Only later I realized it came from a Tremor-totem placed by the Shaman to counter the Sleep-spell.)
I felt filthy, worse even, defiled.
I looked up and while the Drums were going on in my head, I saw how a big Tauren was talking urgently to a shaky Undead.
What was going on?

The Undead started casting, on himself and onto others that were lying around.
And on me! I braced myself for what was going to hit me.

It was as if a flash of Lightning went through my head!
I broke through the surface of the sea of defilement and could realize myself again.
Ooh, never before had I been so lost.

Shivering and with trembling hands, I reached for some firewood. It was not due to cold, my Spirit, it felt depleted.
I saw Wilani. She was alive, but she looked half dead. I wondered what she had been dreaming about.
With a crackling sound I shot a fire-spell into the wood and it was fully ablaze instantly! This was not the casting I was used to!

"What are you doing, Mage?!" roared Lord Kelris.
"Please refrain from using the gifts of the Old Gods until the Meditation is finished!" and he casted again a Sleep-spell onto us.

For a moment, it clouded my head but then it was gone.
Dawnstrider renewed the Tremor-totem he had planted, to be ready for any more attempts on our consciousness.
"Don't forget to replenish your Mana!" I reminded him and the Priest since now both of them were crucial to our mental defence.

Lord Kelris threw another Sleep-spell onto us, to no avail.
"I see now, how you recruits are not worthy!" he spoke ominously.
Then he roared: "You will feel the Power of the Old Gods!" and began lighting one of the braziers that stood around the statue.

Rising up again, he shouted "We, who are worthy, will not suffer when the Hour of Twilight comes!"

"We will be bringing the suffering! The Power to Destroy is ours!"




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[Mantigora]

"Get ready to go through the Portal, Shaman." said Morgrin, "She will open it as soon as she can."
"I can not risk it with him casting Sleep-spells on us!" I said urgently. "We have to take him out."
"Sheep him then." replied the Rogue.
"Can you not Sap him instead?" I asked in return. "My Sheep-spells have not brought much good, so far."
His answer was drowned in a loud rumbling and grinding noise.
We looked up, towards the back, where an opening appeared between two colossal doors.

As the opening got wider, first smaller and then bigger Crabs poured through. They ran around like mad, bumping into us and attacking whatever they hit.
"Protect the casters!" said Morgrin loudly.

To cast Sheep now at Lord Kelris would be futile, with so many crazy Crabs running around; the Spell would break the moment the Sheep would be hit.
What to do?
I kept my eye on Lord Kelris while I shot Fire-bolts at the smaller Crabs that could be taken out quickly.
The Shaman had put down a Fire-totem which was a great help, shooting bolts of Fire all by itself.
I let Wilani and Morgrin handle the bigger ones.
Dawnstrider and Gregory had to divide their attention between healing and keeping up the Totems and the Dispels.



The rumbling noise had stopped and we could hear Lord Kelris speak, again about Twilight and the Old Gods etc.
There were only a few Crabs left and I readied myself to Sheep him.
"You will not escape the vengeance of the Old Gods!" he said loudly.
"The Gates of Wrath will open and you will receive your chastening!" and proceeded to light another brazier.

I shot a Sheep-spell onto him and poof! I got him!
"Guys!" I shouted, "Get ready!"






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[Mantigora]

But then my voice was drowned-out by renewed grinding and rumbling noise; the doors started to open further!
Even bigger Crabs now and other Crustaceans piled through the opening and thundering footsteps could be heard above it all. Something enormous was approaching!

I targeted every animal that in their distress ran close to the Sheep, in order to keep the Spell from failing. But the chaos was just too great. It would be only a matter of time until Lord Kelris would be freed.
And I could not use any of my Spells that acted on a big area, or I would damage the Sheep myself.

Ow! A fear-crazed Crustacean ran straight into me and I had to deal with it until the Rogue picked it off and managed to kill it.
But after it had been taken care of, I could no longer spot the Sheep! Where had it gone?

It must have walked off the plinth and since it was not very tall, I could no longer see it.
"I have to get to the Sheep!" I yelled at Morgrin and I climbed onto the steps.
If only the Rogue had just Sapped him! Then he could not have walked away.




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[Mantigora]

Walking past the Statue, it was so close now, my stomach churned.
Was this wise, to risk going here? Only for the chance to keep the Sheep-spell up?
But wait! Every time Lord Kelris had lit a brazier the doors had started to move!
Those two braziers on the other corners were still not lit and I do not want to be around waiting to see what would happen if they were!
First, I had thought we only needed a few undisturbed moments to get out of here, but now, preventing Lord Kelris from lighting the other braziers had become so much more important.


The grinding of the opening doors had stopped again. And there! I saw the Sheep!
It had wandered off, disappearing behind the dead Crabs that were lying around everywhere.
Walking in and out of view randomly, there was no way I could time the casting of a new Sheep-spell. It could run out any moment now! And I had asked the Rogue to Sap him!
To rely on Sheeping in a place like this is madness.

I looked around. From here, on the platform, I had a good overview. There were not too many Crustaceans left alive.
"Guys!" I yelled. "We have to keep Kelris from lighting any more of those braziers!"
But I was not sure if they took notice, because they were all very busy.

"You!" roared Lord Kelris. "Why are you up there, Mage!?
"You must have lost your mind! And if not, I will make sure you will!"
and he casted Mind-Blast onto me.

It hit me like a rock between the eyes! I clutched my head in my hands and sank on my knees.
Getting up again, I saw Lord Kelris nearing the plinth with the braziers!
I needed something instant.
With trembling hands I managed to cast Frost-Nova on him, freezing him on the spot.


"You must be Insane, to forgo on the Powers the Old Gods offer." said Lord Kelris with a low voice.
"What a waste of such a powerful Mind! But it can still be made use of, he, he, heh."
And he casted Mind-Control on me!





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[Mantigora]

My Mind was in a grip, as strong as Steel.
Not even the blinking of my eyes were left under my control. I could only watch.

A tremendous Power, that was not mine, made my hands go through the motions to cast the greatest Fire-spell a Mage can make: Pyroblast! A Spell so powerful, it could sometimes kill someone in a single hit.
And I was unable to do anything!
I felt the corrupting Power of the Old Gods being channeled through my arms, filling the impending Pyroblast with more destruction than I had ever thought possible.
And it was directed onto the rest of the party!

I wanted to scream, but no sound came.
What did come was a Dispel Magic! It freed me just before the Pyroblast was due to be cast.
There was no time to cancel the Spell! All I could do was to change the direction of the cast and the Great Ball of Fire left my hands and slammed into that cursed Statue of the Naga!

I was thrown off the platform by the explosion and the heat of the Blast set fire to many of the dead Crabs and Crustaceans.
With a loud crash, the Statue came down onto the Plinth breaking in many pieces.
If I had been there, I would certainly been crushed!


I tried to get up. Breathing was painful and there was no part of my body that did not hurt. My head most of all.
Looking around, I saw fire from burning corpses everywhere. The smoke and the stench were almost unbearable.
The broken pieces of the Statue lie everywhere and had smashed at least one of the Braziers.
But where was Lord Kelris? And what about the others?
Between the fires, I made my way to where the rest of the party must be.





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[Mantigora]

I saw the great form of the Shaman emerging from the smoke. He was putting down totems again.
He, at least, seemed to be OK.
"The Earthmother showed me the destruction of this Temple, but I did not expect to be there to witness it." he said, with a bit of a chuckle. "That was some blast!"
He looked scorched, his fur a bit shorter in places than I remembered.
"If I hadn't stood behind Dawnstrider, I would have been lit on fire!" exclaimed the Priest.
"Why girl, that was just not real!" said Wilani. "You used to say: 'You take the big ones and I take the small ones', no-one is going to believe that now!"

A loud noise came from behind the doors.
"It was not me doing that!" I exclaimed. "He did Mind-Control! And we have to prevent Kelris from lighting any more Braziers!"
I wanted to say more, but the din was just too great.
"There you have your Big One!" I shouted at Wilani.

We looked towards the big doors, where the noise was coming from.
Lord Kelris was inciting an enormous Monster, to break open the doors.
It made tremendous noise and the Temple shook and rumbled. We stood transfixed in horror, unable to speak.
But even more powerful was the stench that came from it.
A vile, poisonous, miasma that overwhelmed the smell of the burning corpses.


He turned his attention to us and yelled: "You will all receive your due reward! And especially you, Mage!
Why did you have to come here and destroy this place?
You will be the first one to feel the Vengeance of the Old Gods!" and he casted Mind-Blast onto me again!
My head nearly exploded and I stood swaying on my feet.

"We have to bring the fight to him!" yelled Morgrin. "Follow me!" and he ran towards Lord Kelris.
"Wait! He can do Mind Control!" I exclaimed weakly over the din.
The others followed, but Wilani stood by me and asked: "Hani, are you OK?"
I replied: "He can do Mind Control! You have to warn the others!"

She sprinted away. Knowing each-other so well, not many words were needed between us.
I followed her as quickly as I could.





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[Mantigora]

I reached the Priest and the Shaman, who stood surrounded by Totems and shot Lightning Bolts at Lord Kelris who was shouting at Wilani and the Monster. Wilani used her Trident to ward off the heads of the Monster that prevented her from attacking its master.
I could not see Morgrin.

"Where is the Rogue!?" I shouted at Dawnstrider.
"We did not see him when we reached here. He must be in Stealth." he answered.
"He might be MC-ed!" I replied.
"The Earth-totem is needed against the Sleep-spell. And I have no Totem to ward-off his head-splitting Mind Blasts." he added. "It is a dire situation!"
I nodded in reply and casted an Arcane Explosion. Beng!
With Gregory here, I could not risk the more effective Flame-strike.

"Gregory!" I yelled. "Be sure to cast Dispel on the Rogue, as soon as you see him. He might be MC-ed!"
"I am not surprised if he is!" he replied. "Our 'good' Lord Kelris is just too strong! I could not MC him myself!"
Beng! I added another Arcane Explosion to the already deafening noise.
"And his Mind-blasts are just terrible! We have to get out of here!" he yelled over the noise.

Yea, I thought, and how bad would it be, if Kelris was not dividing his attention between MC-ing the Rogue and shouting at the Warrior. There was only one way to find that out.
And I began to cast some serious Fire-bolts onto him.


As long as Kelris was able to cast, we could not risk to make a Portal. Perhaps the Rogue was on his way to Sap him, but perhaps not. We could not depend on that. Only hope.
That reminded me to cast an Arcane Explosion again.
Now all three of us were occupied with intermittent actions to keep ourselves safe.

I thought of asking the Priest if he could, perhaps, cast some damaging Spells onto Lord Kelris.
But those would be then of the Shadowy-kind, I suppose. I couldn't imagine an Undead Smiting with Holy Fire!
Better to leave him be and not distract him from his healing and the Dispels.

Beng! Another Arcane Explosion and still no Rogue. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.
I shuddered to think, if it would have been the Shaman or the Priest! We would have been in an even worse situation!
"Is that a useful thought at this present moment?" asked my Inner Self.
"Oh! Yes, you're right!" I replied. "Thanks!"

I looked to see how Wilani was doing and saw her jumping over the small stream of poison that had dropped from the maws of the Monster. If not for the size, it mostly resembled a colossal Hydra! Nasty creatures, those were, with their poison!
They roamed the beach of Zoram Strand and were only twice taller than us Trolls.
This Monster was gigantic!




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[Xantros]

Aku'mai, the Devourer, Pet of the Old Gods, has been summoned! Tremble Mortals and Despair! For The Hour of Twilight is Come!

PS.: Christmas Present for Mantigora

[Mantigora]

This Monster was gigantic!

It is indeed gigantic! Lord Kelris is just tiny, compared to the Hydra.
Thanks for the nice present, Xantros.
You have outdone yourself with the statue! That was really a surprise!

Thanks again and I look forward to your upcoming work. You keep getting better all the time.

[Mantigora]

Bolt after Bolt flew towards Lord Kelris, all without doing any noticeable damage. How could he be so strong?!
This Power of the Old Gods appeared to be more real than expected!

Don't forget your Arcane Explosions!
Beng! They did cost too much Mana, being cast all the time like this!
We have to think of something! I can't keep this up forever!

"Nothing lasts forever, dear." said my Inner voice. "Everything will pass."
What if Gregory could Wand in-between his castings? I thought.
"You have already thought about him. You are running around in circles." said my Inner voice again.
"I know!" I replied. "There is just no way out!"

"You must agree that there has to be a way, because this will not go on forever, right?" said my Inner voice again.
"Of-course it will not go on! We will run out of Mana and get killed!" I yelled back.
"It is not like you did not die before..." started my Inner voice again.
"Yes! But we will ALL die here and become pet-food!" It was so obvious now, what Master Charles had hinted at, back then.

"Well, in that case you will have to see if the Earth-Mother has a new Life for you, I guess." concluded my Inner voice. "Unless you do something, of-course."
"But what! I have thought of everything already! And I don't want to find out about the Earth-Mother just yet, all She makes me do is cast Sheep!" I said again.
"Perhaps that is what you should then." replied my Inner voice. "But at least tell the Shaman to stop casting, before you do."
"I can't DO that! He will be back with full Health and Mana once the Sheeping ends!" I replied desperately.

At that moment, a big stone block rumbled down from the top of the doorway and one of the doors creaked open further.
"DAWNSTRIDER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "STOP CASTING!!"
And I shot a Sheep-Spell at Lord Kelris.





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[Mantigora]

Poof! Where Lord Kelris stood was now a fluffy Sheep. But this time there was no quiet moment; the gargantuan Hydra became even more enraged! Wilani had to jump backwards as the Monster managed to squeeze further.
"Wilani!!" I yelled, "Come here! I am making the Portal!"

"Raaaaahhhh!!" came a noise from the back of the great room. "LOK'TAR OGAR!! roared the Rogue as he came running, foaming at the mouth, in true Berserker-style, waving his arms in the air.
If he would hit the Sheep, it would all be over!

As he ran past us, the Sheep stepped in the small stream of Poison that had come from the monstrous Hydra and instantly turned back into Lord Kelris.
Standing in the acidulous stream, he lost his balance and fell face-down into the terrible Poison!

"AAAAAHHH!" he screamed, raising himself up on his hands. His face unrecognizable and smoke coming from his clothes as they fell apart.
"Aaaaahh! To die in the service of the Old Gods! I am lucky, as my death will be quick!
After me, there will be a new servant to the Great Aku' mai! The favorite of the Old Gods!"

We could not hear what more he said, because the Great Aku' mai went into a terrible frenzy, making thunderous noise and shook the doors and walls of the Temple.
It could be felt through the floor even!

The Priest managed to cast Dispel Magic onto the Rogue, saving him from Honorable death.
Another big block of stone broke loose from the doorway and came crashing down on the floor of the Temple.
I yelled: "MORGRIN! WILANI! I am going to cast the Portal NOW!!"


As I started to cast, I saw them coming running towards us.
And there was the Portal!
"Quick now!" I yelled over the noise and the Shaman, dragging the Priest along, went through the Portal.
"Hurry!!" I howled, as I saw the Warrior and the Rogue running towards me.
Another terrible crash shook the ground.
Wilani went through.
And as soon as Morgrin had passed, I too stepped through the Portal.

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[Mantigora]

Bewildered and with squinting eyes, we stood in the early morning light of Orgrimmar. The morning of which day was anybody's guess.
It was that time when the late ones had finally gone to sleep and the early ones were about to get up, so the streets were as quiet as at no other time.
But the party was not quiet at all! They were all talking at the same time.

"I need a drink!" said Morgrin, "But I should go to the High Command immediately!"
"Where were you all the time?!" asked Wilani.
"Just as I went into Stealth, he MC-ed me!" replied the Rogue. "He just made me walk away as far as possible. Even when I hit the wall in the back it did not stop! He must have really disliked Rogues, or he would have known that I could easily be made to kill the Priest or the one of the others. After that, everything is like a red blur. That Oppressive Force must have squeezed all thoughts from my mind! It was terrible!"

"Not half as terrible as that giant Hydra I have been fighting, I think!" said Wilani. "Look what it did to my Trident!! There is no repairing that can fix this!"
The metal of her Weapon looked eaten away and one prong of the Trident was missing.

"I can only go sell it for scrap!" she went on.
"Luckily, I saved this for you!" I said and I took her 2-Hander from my bags.
"My old Axe!!" she exclaimed. "You kept my old Axe!? Oh Hani! You're the best!" and she gave me a big hug.
"Ow! Anytime dear!" I replied, slightly squashed.


No-one talked about the terrible fate that had befallen Lord Kelris and our lucky escape.
We were still too overwhelmed by all that had happened.





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[Mantigora]

"It was indeed a terrible situation we found ourselves in." said Dawnstrider. "We had the good fortune to escape the great danger that this Aku'mai presents. A danger that must be taken care of, this much is clear.
The Earth-Mother had showed me the destruction of the Temple, however, the task was not ours to accomplish.
I will have to go and speak to the Elders of the Tribe about this."

"We should all go and inform those who are in command!" responded Morgrin.
"Wait! What if your Master Charles sees me, when I am in the Undercity?!" wanted Gregory to know.
"He will know I have escaped! He is a dangerous Rogue! He could kill me like that!" and he snapped his bony fingers.

"Yea, I guess it would be best if you come with me to the Orcish High Command." said Morgrin.
"Perhaps they can send a message to the Undercity. And the Warrior should come too.
They must be informed about what they done to you and the other Warriors!"
"I will wait for you here, Wilani!" I said.

"I too must be on my way." said the Shaman, after the other three had left.
"We will meet again!"
"Take care, Dawnstrider!" I replied.
That left only me.
And I went to look for someone who could tell me what day it was.





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[Sinrek]

No-no-no-no-no… this can't be the end!!