This Thing Don't Look So Tough

[Strazio Rockwell]

All that remained of the severely underprepared cultists were a couple stragglers and the tawny-furred beast. While the death of one beast was enough to send most of them running it merely sent the other beast into a frenzy. Its howl filled the battlefield with grief as the monstrosity examined its kin’s corpse. Strazio almost felt bad for it, but considering he was on the business end of its teeth a few moments ago his empathy was in short supply. As he approached the beast it snarled and reared back on its hindquarters. At the base of its chest a misplaced mouth stretched open, revealing rows of fangs. A thick rope-like tongue launched out from this toothy abyss and careened towards the mage. He swore and jumped to the side, but found that the tongue was quicker than he had imagined. Like a muscle-bound tentacle it wrapped itself around his leg and yanked him off balance. He hit the dirt and the beast’s biological winch began to reel him in. Scrambling to break free the mage grabbed at the off-pink vine and tried to claw his leg free. His eyes glanced towards the voracious chompers that waited hungrily. White-hot magicks sizzled in his palm and he fired a blast at the fleshy cord. Dirt was sent flying and the scent of seared meat filled the air, but the animal’s thick tongue showed little more than a few singes.

A blur of wings and blades and wrath rushed past the fallen defender. Flourishing his curved blades the night elf carved through the beast’s tongue. Strazio thrashed about in the muck, struggling to get his footing. A horrid wail escaped the creature’s mouth as every heartbeat pushed thick black blood out of its severed tongue. Rockwell spit out some dirt and glanced at his savior.

“Thanks,” Strazio muttered, “but who are--”

The defender’s words were drowned out by the monster’s screaming. Claws dug deep into the dirt and with a surge of tightened muscles the beast lunged forward. Illidan took a step back, ready to sidestep the charging beast. Strazio stepped forward, clasping a hand on the demon hunter’s shoulder and pushing him aside. The defender’s body lit up with sparks as he eyed his target. These sparks crackled across his forearms, covering his skin with charred pock marks. With the monster only a few feet away Strazio threw his arms forward, forming a diamond with his hands, and thrusting his palms outward. Magick arced across his fingertips and his hands turned bright white. A massive burst of destructive magick tore forth from his hands, swallowing the monster with explosive malice.

“Fuck off!” Strazio screamed with his blast.

As the final surge of magick left the mage’s arms he let them fall limp. Blood trickled down his arm and dribbled off his fingertips. Magick demanded a price be paid its currency was flesh. But a few lacerations were nothing to the maniac that was Strazio Rockwell. All that remained of the cultist’s abomination was a smoldering hunk of charred meat. Strazio chuckled and turned around to face his companions.

“So, anyways,” Strazio said, between breaths, “who are you?”
Shang answered for the night elf, “Illidan.”

Strazio’s eyes went wide and he glanced over at the winged elf. Standing before him was the menace of Darkshire. How many innocent lives had he taken? Too many, far too many for Strazio’s liking. Rage washed over the defender like a tsunami. Reaching a flashpoint Strazio rushed the winged marauder. A flash of white light ripped across the avatar’s body as his flesh was torn away to reveal a fiery endoskeleton. This burning force of hatred tackled Illidan to the ground.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

The duo tumbled to the ground, with Strazio ending up on top. Blow after blow rained down upon the demon hunter like a hail of stones. Strazio’s rage-fueled screams underpinned the entire event. Illidan swiped at his assailant, cutting a line across the frenzied beserker. Strazio leaned back to avoid another swipe and Illidan used this half-second of instability to throw the avatar aside. Like a feral animal Strazio scratched about in the mud and righted himself, but the nimble night elf had already sprang to his feet. Wasting no movements Illidan began to charge an orb of green magic and after a few seconds fired the projectile at the charging avatar. Strazio’s momentum evaporated as Illidan’s telekinesis enveloped him. Gravity disappeared and the rage mage was thrown backwards on Stormrage’s whim.

“You should learn to temper your anger,” Illidan quipped.

“FUCK YOU!” Strazio screamed through a distorted voice and thrashed against Illidan’s telekinetic vice.

“I’m not here to fight you,” Illidan addressed the others.

“FUKKEN LIAR!” the avatar screeched.

“Yo, yo, yo, motherfucker,” Gamzee said, stepping between the two, “if you ain’t here to tussle, what’s your game tall, dark, and wicked?”

"Illidan Stormrage, Lord of Poenari Castle. I seek to vanquish the beast that lurks in the Moors. And I believe I will not be sufficient to take it down alone." Illidan answered.

“You mean the Tarrasque,” Shang noted and glanced at the roiling ball of rage several meters away. A slight smirk teased his lips, “I think we have to take any help we can get.”

“SHANG YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!”

“This thing’s the real motherfuckin’ deal ain’t it?” Gamzee asked Shang.

Atelos answered for him, “it is a force of destruction, rivaled by none.”

The troll nodded and turned towards his mentor. Illidan’s grip on the avatar of rage loosened and he bounded across the crater. Illidan readied his blades and braced himself for impact, but Gamzee stepped between them. Strazio nearly struck Gamzee down, but stayed his fiery hand. For a moment the two locked eyes.

“Move,” the avatar demanded.

Gamzee shook his head and clasped a hand on Strazio’s shoulder, “come on brother, we’re not here to fight him.”

“No,” Strazio seethed, “but I’ll gladly take the detour.”

“Listen, we run outta steam fighting him, and we won’t have a motherfuckin’ thing left for that Trasq thing,” Gamzee said, “we gotta prioritize bro, he ain’t going anywhere, but I’ve gotta feeling that if we don’t stop Trasq, it’s going straight to Darkshire.”

For a moment Strazio stood and fumed. His body shuddered and a flash of electricity coursed across his frame. He exhaled and his eyes flashed green. After a few moments his flesh began to rematerialize and wrap itself around the avatar’s endoskeleton. He stepped past the troll and pointed a finger at the demon hunter.

“Once this is over,” Strazio growled, “I’m ripping your throat out.”

“Once this is over,” Illidan said, narrowing his eyes, “ we will have other matters to discuss, matters that affect all of us, after that you can exact your pound of flesh… if you can.”

“Oh trust me I won’t stop at a pound,” he responded.

With that Strazio turned his back on Illidan and stepped outside of the semi-circle they had formed.

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