WoW RP Part 08
<...A few days later...>
The talbuk gracefully jumped the small river, continuing on towards the main road. The nearby basilisk snapped its' jaws at the mounted rider, but the speed proved to be too much, and it settled back near the bank.
Ahrk patted one of the horns of her white armored talbuk, smiling. "Nice one."
The beast grunted, sprinting onward towards the grand city.
The last few days had not been good for the druid. She had refused to go on any adventures with anyone anymore. Besides not being able to shapeshift into her combat forms, she found that her other forms were slowly becoming unavailable. Her flight form was the first to go; she no longer could take to the air in the new frontier of Outland. Her cheetah form no longer sleeked across the landscape, and even her aquatic form refused to aid her in her swims.
And so, she was left as a night elf, still able to cast healing and offensive spells, but utterly useless as a druid.
Clearing the bridge to Shattrath, she waved to the peacekeepers and continued down towards the Scryers' bank.
Dismounting and hitching her talbuk at the entrance, she strode into the building quickly and quietly, checking her mail at the back behind the blood elves. She had no intention of meeting anyone she knew; she had yet to let anyone else know. Twilightt, the High Priestess, and the Archdruid were the only ones to know of her condition, and she would prefer it stay that way.
Leafing through the letters promising her easy riches, she came across an elegant script. Tyrande Whisperwind?
'Dear Ahrk,
Please come to Darnassus at once. I have much to discuss with you. I believe I have the ability to cure you of your condition brought upon by Illidan. After much research, I believe I know what he has done. Contact me at once as soon as you enter the city.
-High Priestess Tyrande'
Ahrk blinked, the letter sinking in. 'She can cure me??'
She finished her mail quickly, all but sprinting out towards her talbuk. She was going to be cured!
It all happened in slow motion.
As soon as she came in range of the beast, it erupted in a cry of terror and struck her with its' front hooves, sending her flying back to collide with a tauren shaman. He angrily shoved her off, glaring. She shook her head clear, staring in shock as her talbuk bucked and strained against the hitch. With a snap, its' reins split and it sped off.
Ahrk continued to sit where she was flung, panting and still in shock. What had just happened?
~~~
Twilightt flew her gryphon acrobatically, weaving and ducking through the trees of Terokkar. She had been keeping an eye on the purple-haired druid ever since the news, but she had lost her after spotting a mining vein. For all her tracking skills, she couldn't track someone halfway across the zone away from her.
She pilotted the bird down into the city, thudding lightly in front of the neutral flight master. He reported that she had not contacted him for a gryphon ride, so that meant she was either still in the city, or she had gone to Azeroth.
A cry of surprise had her turning to spot a white talbuk almost careening into a group of training draenei, their cries of alarm resounding over the platform.
'Hey, isn't that..?' She dismounted, quickly whistling and calling her loyal pet Masamune. He stealthed, sniffing.
'Masamune, easy on that one, it belongs to Ahrk.' The cat instinctively understood, coming upon the talbuk in stealth and pouncing it, stunning the beast while Twilightt aimed. Her arrow flew true, and the talbuk reared and fell into a deep slumber.
"Not quite a Wyvern Sting, but it does the job." She smiled as Masamune came back to her side, her fingers immediately stroking his ear. He purred loudly, a low guttural purr that stirred in her bones.
His ears twitched at the sound of rapid footsteps. Ahrk came around the corner in a hurry, spotting her talbuk. "Oh my god!"
Twilightt stepped in front of her. "Woah woah easy. I just put it to sleep, that's all."
Ahrk leaned on her knees, panting. "Thank god. It was running amock throughout the city. I don't know what happened."
"It was scared of something, but what could scare it in the city?"
Ahrk shook her head. "I have no idea." She straightened, staring sadly at her talbuk as it slept on.
A loud growl startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to stare at the large striped cat, the feline crouching low, hackles raised.
"Masamune...?" was all she could ask before he charged. The large paws struck her shoulders, knocking her flat on her back, the wind rushing out of her as his weight settled on her. She was aware of large teeth pricking the side of her face before the cat suddenly whimpered.
"MASAMUNE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Twilightt bellowed, gripping his fur behind his neck. "Get off her this instant!"
The cat continued to growl as he was pulled off forcefully, standing in front of the hunter in between her and the druid.
Ahrk simply sat up, staring fearfully. "What the hell...?"
Twilightt pushed the large cat backwards, appeasing him with a snack of clefthoof meat. "I have no idea. He has never done this before. I've always kept complete control over him."
Ahrk stood up slowly, watching the cat's glaring eyes as he finished his meal. "Twilightt..."
The hunter turned away from frowning at her feline companion. "What?"
"You have him set with orders to attack anything hostile...?"
"Well yes but, the city is a sanctuary, so he knows better."
Ahrk stared at her hands, her mind finally registering. "The talbuk... Masamune... it makes sense now..."
"What makes sense?" Twilightt intervened.
Ahrk dropped her hands, slowly looking up with fear. "My demonic aura. It's gotten so bad, even the animals are hostile towards me."
Twilightt gasped, turning to stare at her large pet as he continued to growl endlessly at her best friend.
Ahrk turned and ran for the central area, leaving behind a confused hunter. Hot tears stung her eyes as she kept running past draenei and adventurers, past the large crystallized beings of light, and felt the pull of arcane magic as she was teleported to Darnassus.
Once inside the temple of the moon in the grand night elf city, she collapsed to her knees, crying softly. She couldn't travel with Twilightt any longer, not with Masamune ready to attack her at any move she made. She couldn't even ride her talbuk, and she was sure her nightsaber would be the same way. She couldn't shapeshift into anything; she was completely and utterly useless.
"Ahrk, my dear child."
The druid looked up, tears rolling down her face as the High Priestess came down the spiral stairway towards her.
"What ever is the matter, my dear?"
"I..." she sniffed, wiping her face clear. "I can't even travel with my companions anymore. Everything is slowly becoming hostile to me."
The Priestess kneeled in front of her, stroking her hair. "There there, it's alright. I can help you."
Ahrk gazed into her eyes. "Truly? You mean it?"
Tyrande smiled. "Of course I do. I wouldn't have alerted you if I couldn't."
They both stood, the druid gaining her composure back. "So, what do I have to do?"
Tyrande turned and held out her hand, motioning to the gigantic fountain statue behind them. "You must enter the sacred shrine, and be purified in its' waters."
Ahrk looked up at the statue, the face calm and serene as the water flowed from the dish the night elf held high. She walked forward slowly, her body almost willing her not to. What if this didn't work? But she stilled any fears with a strong sense of hope. She will be purified; this will help her.
Coming to the edge, she leaned and stared at her reflection. She was still the same Ahrk; nothing about her had changed. She could recall how Illidan looked, his monstrous horns protruding from in front of his ears on his skull, the runes all over his body glowing with demonic energy. His eyes were covered by a thin scrap of cloth, but she could still see them burning through it. Such hatred in those eyes...
"Go on, my dear." Tyrande turned, and began singing a calming prayer.
Ahrk steeled herself, slowly reaching her hand out to the flowing water...
~~~