Kirenestus: Whispers of Shadow
The first hint that Kirenestus had that things weren't right was the smell. The stink of sulfur and smoke was light, but it was present in the darkness. It was a smell he long associated with demons and darkness, with Shadowmoon Valley where he'd been until the last days of the war. It was the stench of that volcano, spewing lava that burned green with fel fire. The smell that clung to every scrap of clothing, every minion, every body that still called Illidan master. Caught in a dream, it was easy to forget that he wasn't back in the last, desperate days of that war. He wasn't safe in his bed in the Ghostlands. He was a world away.
Kirenestus pulled himself to his full height and glared up at the sky. High above, dwarves on their gryphons circled, raining bullets on the demons below. The blood elf raised his staff and cried out in Thalassian. Fire rained from the sky as the warlock's form blurred and was gradually lost in the shadow of a winged demon. Dwarves and gryphons screamed as they fell from the sky.
Strangely, Kirenestus could still hear shrieking as he woke up. Small hands insistently shook him and a high-pitched voice chattered angrily in his ear. He lashed out, and it was the feeling of claws striking a small body that woke him fully from the dream.
He pushed himself to a sitting position among charred and ripped sheets. Around him, his bedroom smoldered as the last of the unnatural fire flickered and died. his body felt strange, off balance and heavy, and he struggled to his feet with sheets still tangled around him. That's when he saw the imp, Gelnar, crumpled against the far wall. Fel green blood pooled around him, and he was split open as if from a large demon's claws. Kirenestus looked down at his claws, at his hooves, and at the wings that were still tangled in sheets. He shrieked in Eredun, and the bedroom door opened. Aegnas was in the room long enough to see the winged demon slowly disappear, like smoke, and Kirenestus crumpled to the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Has that ever happened before?" Aegnas sat across the table from Kirenestus in the manor's kitchen. He'd made coffee for Kirenestus and, despite the warlock's protests, a light breakfast of fruit and toast.
Kirenestus hadn't had the energy to fight the death knight on the matter. He sat in his chair like a ghost with a fresh blanket pulled around his shoulders, and he nibbled at the fresh fruit. He shook his head at Aegnas and mumbled, "No. Never. I always have control when I change, but this was different."
"You've changed form like that before?" Aegnas raised an eyebrow at Kirenestus. Something the warlock said obviously bothered him. The air around him grew colder and he ran a hand over the runes on one of his maces absently.
Kirenestus pulled the blanket around him tighter and nodded. "Yes, of course. It's just a spell. A temporary change, in order to cast fel magic more efficiently. Spells in that form are more powerful, perhaps because of the demons' natural ability with that type of magic."
Aegnas rolled his eyes and made an exasperated noise. "For a scholar, you are the dumbest...We've already had this discussion. You know what I think about you continuing to use fel magic to that degree."
"I have control of it," Kirenestus protested.
"For how long? You know what happened to those who grew too close to the demons. You've killed just as many of those poor fools that followed Kael'thas as I have. How long until that happens to you?" Aegnas slammed a fist on the table. "You're using more and more fel magic and you have no idea of the consequences."
"I know what I'm doing." Kirenestus pushed himself to his feet and looked down at Aegnas. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to finish."
Aegnas gave the warlock an unfriendly glare. "By all means, don't let me keep you."
Kirenestus pulled himself to his full height and glared up at the sky. High above, dwarves on their gryphons circled, raining bullets on the demons below. The blood elf raised his staff and cried out in Thalassian. Fire rained from the sky as the warlock's form blurred and was gradually lost in the shadow of a winged demon. Dwarves and gryphons screamed as they fell from the sky.
Strangely, Kirenestus could still hear shrieking as he woke up. Small hands insistently shook him and a high-pitched voice chattered angrily in his ear. He lashed out, and it was the feeling of claws striking a small body that woke him fully from the dream.
He pushed himself to a sitting position among charred and ripped sheets. Around him, his bedroom smoldered as the last of the unnatural fire flickered and died. his body felt strange, off balance and heavy, and he struggled to his feet with sheets still tangled around him. That's when he saw the imp, Gelnar, crumpled against the far wall. Fel green blood pooled around him, and he was split open as if from a large demon's claws. Kirenestus looked down at his claws, at his hooves, and at the wings that were still tangled in sheets. He shrieked in Eredun, and the bedroom door opened. Aegnas was in the room long enough to see the winged demon slowly disappear, like smoke, and Kirenestus crumpled to the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Has that ever happened before?" Aegnas sat across the table from Kirenestus in the manor's kitchen. He'd made coffee for Kirenestus and, despite the warlock's protests, a light breakfast of fruit and toast.
Kirenestus hadn't had the energy to fight the death knight on the matter. He sat in his chair like a ghost with a fresh blanket pulled around his shoulders, and he nibbled at the fresh fruit. He shook his head at Aegnas and mumbled, "No. Never. I always have control when I change, but this was different."
"You've changed form like that before?" Aegnas raised an eyebrow at Kirenestus. Something the warlock said obviously bothered him. The air around him grew colder and he ran a hand over the runes on one of his maces absently.
Kirenestus pulled the blanket around him tighter and nodded. "Yes, of course. It's just a spell. A temporary change, in order to cast fel magic more efficiently. Spells in that form are more powerful, perhaps because of the demons' natural ability with that type of magic."
Aegnas rolled his eyes and made an exasperated noise. "For a scholar, you are the dumbest...We've already had this discussion. You know what I think about you continuing to use fel magic to that degree."
"I have control of it," Kirenestus protested.
"For how long? You know what happened to those who grew too close to the demons. You've killed just as many of those poor fools that followed Kael'thas as I have. How long until that happens to you?" Aegnas slammed a fist on the table. "You're using more and more fel magic and you have no idea of the consequences."
"I know what I'm doing." Kirenestus pushed himself to his feet and looked down at Aegnas. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to finish."
Aegnas gave the warlock an unfriendly glare. "By all means, don't let me keep you."