09-01-2015, 09:49 PM
Raal’s eyes would have watered if they could, as he lay next to a jagged spire of rock. The damage Raal’s body had taken was extensive… but survivable. He’d managed to claw his way to a small, ice-encrusted cave in order to recuperate.
Now, he merely needed to hope nothing found him, as he entered a healing trance. It was similar to sleep for a human, and produced the same results - healing to his decaying body, though no faster than that of an ordinary human.
A pale light appeared around Raal, as he redressed his cloak. How he’d found his hood, he couldn’t accurately recall, but he was now covered in his robes, his hunched-over position would have made him appear more like a clothesrack than an undead warlock, if not for the two unblinking red eyes that glowed beneath the cape.
It Was Raal’s hope that no one found him like this. The healing trance was not easily roused from, like traditional human sleep. If he was caught like this…
Raal relented, and allowed his eyes to lose focus, the pale light around him shrinking to a few soft glimmers of red light upon his robes. His survival was now up to chance.
-----
Raal awoke, after what he assumed was many days, to an unfamiliar lodging. Wood surrounded him on every side, as he found himself in a bed, his ribs back to normal and his Truncheon mysteriously missing…
Panicking, Raal’s hands quickly gripped the soft, furred bedding beneath him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.
Immediately, what felt like a heavy knife saf at the back of Raal’s neck it’s edge creating a sharp scratching sound as it scraped his vertebrae.
“I’d not be movin’ so fast if I were you, sorcerer. Th’ boys only just told me I couldn’t dissect ya, corpse. they might change their mind if ya turn violent.” A husky voice informed him. The threatening tone held no traces of fear or jokery, so Raal stopped moving immediately.
“Who are you?” Raal asked his unknown assailant, making sure to keep his voice even.
“I be going by the name Zae’jin. A witch doctor under Zul’jin.”
“Zul’jin!” Raal yelled. “Hey there, corpse, don’t be getting so excited.” Raal felt his bones pushed on just a little harder, and realized his excitability could get him killed.
“...I see.” Raal said after a moment. “that means you would be a troll, then. You’re certainly not an orc, and I highly doubt a goblin has that strong of a voice. Why, then, have you accosted me?”
“So you know Zul’jin, then.” Zae’jin said with a sneer Raal could feel verbally. “Tell me what ya know of ‘im, then. And be sure not to leave anythin’ out.”.
Raal took a few seconds to contemplate what he said next, aware his life was very close to ending right here. He would need to be careful.
“Zul’jin was spoken of oftenly and glowingly by a companion I made in the first war against Azeroth by the name of Senwe. He later joined our horde with the clans of the forest trolls under his leadership, and helped secure us many victories against the alliance. I’d heard the humans killed him, and that it took ten knights to do it.”
Zae’jin’s knife did not leave Raal’s throat, and the faint scent of a pipe being lit caught Raal’s attention.
“Wait, smelled?” Raal realized. He hadn’t smelled anything in quite some time. Perhaps this was an effect of being brought here by omni. He thought to check for breath, but such a move would likely be considered too much movement by his captor.
“Alright, Venjo.” Zae’jin said in a softer tone. “the spirits, they tell me he does not lie. You were right.”
A troll wearing furs and holding an axe bigger than Raal’s torso appeared in front of him, a dark forest green marking him as a forest troll - the most common kind Raal had ever seen. his face was covered in red paint and his eyes were a piercing grey. He was easily Twice Raal’s size and more, powerfully built for a troll
“Still, why the hell d’ya want him alive. The orcs, they betrayed us.”
“the new orcs, Thrall’s orcs, betrayed us. Death knights never listened to him, Zae’jin.”.
Raal pondered at the conversation, venturing to ask a question. “Thrall? I’ve never heard of him. Are you saying someone with such a lowly name leads an orcish faction now?” Raal asked, confused and curious. Still, the way these trolls talked, the horde still existed… though Raal couldn’t imagine why they’d betrayed the trolls. Moreso than the brutish ogres, Untrustworthy goblins, and enslaved, nonsense-spouting dragons, Raal had found the trolls more kin to the Orcs than any race on azeroth. strong, fierce, bloodthirsty, and intelligent, an orc establishing a rapport with a troll was easy, and the two were in spirit and drive akin to one another.
Venjo laughed, a throaty laugh that seemed to fill the room. “Omni’s played a cruel joke on you, ya, if you don’t even know that. Thrall don’t lead just a faction of orcs. He’s the warchief.”
Raal’s gaze creased. “Why would the warchief choose to betray the trolls.”
“to protect the alliance wit’ his precious humans?”
Raal’s red eyes widened for perhaps the first time in his life. “What?!”
Venjo laughed again, though softer.”That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a skull gape. But frankly, I don’t doubt Zae’jin’s gettin’ impatient with me, so I’ll explain quickly. You seem t’be from somewhere about the second war. Omni, he don’t seem to care about time… or whether you’re actually dead in the first place. So you wouldn’t know… but this Thrall, he reunited the horde under his own banner. A banner that apparently decided humans w’re more important than us.”
“Blasphemy! The horde would never allow such a pompous weakling to lead them!”
Venjo quirked an eyebrow at that. “You’re still like the orcs of old then. Good. Maybe you’ll be useful.”.
Raal thought about that. “The Dwarf. Before I killed him, he mentioned a war with you…
Venjo smirked. “Yeah, we watched most o’ that go on. That ol’ fishermen had been a thorn in our side before now. The only reason we didn’t just rip your skull off it’s spine when we found ya is me recognizin’ what ya are, and that you killed one of our enemies here soon as ya could. Y’dont be getting off scot-free here, though. The trolls don’t often give survival to the other races, much less hosp’tality. ”.
Raal contemplated this. “So you saved me to serve your purposes. I understand.”
Venjo smiled. “Even if we killed ya, a prime could always come back. Then again, right now, most of the boys here don’t trust ya. Zae’jins a good example. “
“An orc is an orc. and he seems treacherous.”
Raal smirked at that, an ugly expression on his rotting features. “Treacherous? I am. But not to my own. The trolls and orcs were allies once. I shall honor that, for what it’s worth. Particularly since we seem to share a goal.”
“The exterminatin’ of the dwarves.” Venjo responded blandly.
the long-dead orcs smile did not fade. “I can tell just from speaking to you that the Trolls want more than that. As do I.”.
Venjo smiled. “The cullin’ of the kingdom that betrayed us, and the humans that serve it.”.
Zae’jin interrupted. “Fine then, interloper. But first you’ll have to prove yourself to us. Become one of us in truth, an’ then we’ll talk about killin de’ humans.”.
Raal took a few seconds to respond, idly feeling for his own powers. They had grown a little stronger, but he was still much weaker than he was, he knew. He would rectify that soon.
“What must I do?” he asked.
Surprisingly, it was Venjo that responded, not Zae’jin, his mouth curling into a smile. “If you’re truly like the death knights I remember, even as a new prime this shouldn’t be too hard for you. The first part’s simple. We need the skull of a dwarf from ya. Not the one you already killed, we’ll call that one your entrance fee.” Venjo’s lips curved into a wide grin at the last sentence. He was apparently proud of his little joke, the warlock mused. “I assume that’s not all, or you wouldn’t be creating such an elaborate show of this ritual.” Raal stated bluntly.
Venjo chuckled. “Spirit. An’ you’re right, that’s not all. We also be needin’ the teeth of a giant, and the scales of a dragon. Then return here, along with your guide.”
“Guide?”
Venjo Smirked. “More of a jailer, really. Makin’ sure you don’t skimp out on the oath, and bringin’ ye to the best places to get this done quickly.”
“And to whom am I assigned.”
Rather than answer directly, Venjo called out a single name.
“Zul’kis!”
Raal turned his head as a young troll entered the tent through the small, leather-covered doorway. The troll was a pale blue, and held his twin axes with a looser grip than Raal would expect from a warrior in a time of war. His Mohawk of emerald hair seemed almost a little crooked, and Raal resisted the urge to smirk. Ven’jo rushed over to him immediately, and Raal finally saw the old brown troll that had crept up behind him for the first time. He’d never seen such a long beard on a troll before, or such long, yellowed tusks. Still, power radiated from the electricity sparking from his eyes, and Raal was surprised despite himself. Witch doctors, yes, he’d heard of them, but to think they possessed magic, and so much magic… It seemed a lot had changed since last he’d seen trolls.
Venjo smiled. “If you’re ready to go an’ prove yaself, Death Knight, I’d advise ya go. Zae’jin be impatient to get you outta his house. I’ll inform the others you got a temporary pass.” Venjo stated, before pulling a small device out of his pocket.
“...What is that?” Raal asked.
Venjo grinned.
Now, he merely needed to hope nothing found him, as he entered a healing trance. It was similar to sleep for a human, and produced the same results - healing to his decaying body, though no faster than that of an ordinary human.
A pale light appeared around Raal, as he redressed his cloak. How he’d found his hood, he couldn’t accurately recall, but he was now covered in his robes, his hunched-over position would have made him appear more like a clothesrack than an undead warlock, if not for the two unblinking red eyes that glowed beneath the cape.
It Was Raal’s hope that no one found him like this. The healing trance was not easily roused from, like traditional human sleep. If he was caught like this…
Raal relented, and allowed his eyes to lose focus, the pale light around him shrinking to a few soft glimmers of red light upon his robes. His survival was now up to chance.
-----
Raal awoke, after what he assumed was many days, to an unfamiliar lodging. Wood surrounded him on every side, as he found himself in a bed, his ribs back to normal and his Truncheon mysteriously missing…
Panicking, Raal’s hands quickly gripped the soft, furred bedding beneath him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.
Immediately, what felt like a heavy knife saf at the back of Raal’s neck it’s edge creating a sharp scratching sound as it scraped his vertebrae.
“I’d not be movin’ so fast if I were you, sorcerer. Th’ boys only just told me I couldn’t dissect ya, corpse. they might change their mind if ya turn violent.” A husky voice informed him. The threatening tone held no traces of fear or jokery, so Raal stopped moving immediately.
“Who are you?” Raal asked his unknown assailant, making sure to keep his voice even.
“I be going by the name Zae’jin. A witch doctor under Zul’jin.”
“Zul’jin!” Raal yelled. “Hey there, corpse, don’t be getting so excited.” Raal felt his bones pushed on just a little harder, and realized his excitability could get him killed.
“...I see.” Raal said after a moment. “that means you would be a troll, then. You’re certainly not an orc, and I highly doubt a goblin has that strong of a voice. Why, then, have you accosted me?”
“So you know Zul’jin, then.” Zae’jin said with a sneer Raal could feel verbally. “Tell me what ya know of ‘im, then. And be sure not to leave anythin’ out.”.
Raal took a few seconds to contemplate what he said next, aware his life was very close to ending right here. He would need to be careful.
“Zul’jin was spoken of oftenly and glowingly by a companion I made in the first war against Azeroth by the name of Senwe. He later joined our horde with the clans of the forest trolls under his leadership, and helped secure us many victories against the alliance. I’d heard the humans killed him, and that it took ten knights to do it.”
Zae’jin’s knife did not leave Raal’s throat, and the faint scent of a pipe being lit caught Raal’s attention.
“Wait, smelled?” Raal realized. He hadn’t smelled anything in quite some time. Perhaps this was an effect of being brought here by omni. He thought to check for breath, but such a move would likely be considered too much movement by his captor.
“Alright, Venjo.” Zae’jin said in a softer tone. “the spirits, they tell me he does not lie. You were right.”
A troll wearing furs and holding an axe bigger than Raal’s torso appeared in front of him, a dark forest green marking him as a forest troll - the most common kind Raal had ever seen. his face was covered in red paint and his eyes were a piercing grey. He was easily Twice Raal’s size and more, powerfully built for a troll
“Still, why the hell d’ya want him alive. The orcs, they betrayed us.”
“the new orcs, Thrall’s orcs, betrayed us. Death knights never listened to him, Zae’jin.”.
Raal pondered at the conversation, venturing to ask a question. “Thrall? I’ve never heard of him. Are you saying someone with such a lowly name leads an orcish faction now?” Raal asked, confused and curious. Still, the way these trolls talked, the horde still existed… though Raal couldn’t imagine why they’d betrayed the trolls. Moreso than the brutish ogres, Untrustworthy goblins, and enslaved, nonsense-spouting dragons, Raal had found the trolls more kin to the Orcs than any race on azeroth. strong, fierce, bloodthirsty, and intelligent, an orc establishing a rapport with a troll was easy, and the two were in spirit and drive akin to one another.
Venjo laughed, a throaty laugh that seemed to fill the room. “Omni’s played a cruel joke on you, ya, if you don’t even know that. Thrall don’t lead just a faction of orcs. He’s the warchief.”
Raal’s gaze creased. “Why would the warchief choose to betray the trolls.”
“to protect the alliance wit’ his precious humans?”
Raal’s red eyes widened for perhaps the first time in his life. “What?!”
Venjo laughed again, though softer.”That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a skull gape. But frankly, I don’t doubt Zae’jin’s gettin’ impatient with me, so I’ll explain quickly. You seem t’be from somewhere about the second war. Omni, he don’t seem to care about time… or whether you’re actually dead in the first place. So you wouldn’t know… but this Thrall, he reunited the horde under his own banner. A banner that apparently decided humans w’re more important than us.”
“Blasphemy! The horde would never allow such a pompous weakling to lead them!”
Venjo quirked an eyebrow at that. “You’re still like the orcs of old then. Good. Maybe you’ll be useful.”.
Raal thought about that. “The Dwarf. Before I killed him, he mentioned a war with you…
Venjo smirked. “Yeah, we watched most o’ that go on. That ol’ fishermen had been a thorn in our side before now. The only reason we didn’t just rip your skull off it’s spine when we found ya is me recognizin’ what ya are, and that you killed one of our enemies here soon as ya could. Y’dont be getting off scot-free here, though. The trolls don’t often give survival to the other races, much less hosp’tality. ”.
Raal contemplated this. “So you saved me to serve your purposes. I understand.”
Venjo smiled. “Even if we killed ya, a prime could always come back. Then again, right now, most of the boys here don’t trust ya. Zae’jins a good example. “
“An orc is an orc. and he seems treacherous.”
Raal smirked at that, an ugly expression on his rotting features. “Treacherous? I am. But not to my own. The trolls and orcs were allies once. I shall honor that, for what it’s worth. Particularly since we seem to share a goal.”
“The exterminatin’ of the dwarves.” Venjo responded blandly.
the long-dead orcs smile did not fade. “I can tell just from speaking to you that the Trolls want more than that. As do I.”.
Venjo smiled. “The cullin’ of the kingdom that betrayed us, and the humans that serve it.”.
Zae’jin interrupted. “Fine then, interloper. But first you’ll have to prove yourself to us. Become one of us in truth, an’ then we’ll talk about killin de’ humans.”.
Raal took a few seconds to respond, idly feeling for his own powers. They had grown a little stronger, but he was still much weaker than he was, he knew. He would rectify that soon.
“What must I do?” he asked.
Surprisingly, it was Venjo that responded, not Zae’jin, his mouth curling into a smile. “If you’re truly like the death knights I remember, even as a new prime this shouldn’t be too hard for you. The first part’s simple. We need the skull of a dwarf from ya. Not the one you already killed, we’ll call that one your entrance fee.” Venjo’s lips curved into a wide grin at the last sentence. He was apparently proud of his little joke, the warlock mused. “I assume that’s not all, or you wouldn’t be creating such an elaborate show of this ritual.” Raal stated bluntly.
Venjo chuckled. “Spirit. An’ you’re right, that’s not all. We also be needin’ the teeth of a giant, and the scales of a dragon. Then return here, along with your guide.”
“Guide?”
Venjo Smirked. “More of a jailer, really. Makin’ sure you don’t skimp out on the oath, and bringin’ ye to the best places to get this done quickly.”
“And to whom am I assigned.”
Rather than answer directly, Venjo called out a single name.
“Zul’kis!”
Raal turned his head as a young troll entered the tent through the small, leather-covered doorway. The troll was a pale blue, and held his twin axes with a looser grip than Raal would expect from a warrior in a time of war. His Mohawk of emerald hair seemed almost a little crooked, and Raal resisted the urge to smirk. Ven’jo rushed over to him immediately, and Raal finally saw the old brown troll that had crept up behind him for the first time. He’d never seen such a long beard on a troll before, or such long, yellowed tusks. Still, power radiated from the electricity sparking from his eyes, and Raal was surprised despite himself. Witch doctors, yes, he’d heard of them, but to think they possessed magic, and so much magic… It seemed a lot had changed since last he’d seen trolls.
Venjo smiled. “If you’re ready to go an’ prove yaself, Death Knight, I’d advise ya go. Zae’jin be impatient to get you outta his house. I’ll inform the others you got a temporary pass.” Venjo stated, before pulling a small device out of his pocket.
“...What is that?” Raal asked.
Venjo grinned.