Khaotic has reached level 40!! Thanks in no small part to dragging her thru dungeons to get her some mail armor. The loot RNG doesn't seem to like her, tho, so Boogga will be making her some armor after I farm up some mats.
I am loving leveling with only one pet, I have to admit. Alti does a fine job with whatever she needs, including tanking an elite or two. I do have to watch her aggro with her MM/Surv spec, but most of the time he does fine. Maelthra is not being totally neglected; she usually comes along on the instance runs and gets her xp that way.
For anyone that might be wondering about the scarcity of regular posts, don't worry. I'm not losing interest in the blog. My #1 reason for starting Spirit Bond, however, was to post my stories, and they can be pretty sporadic. I was trying to do daily posts for awhile, and found myself scrounging for something to say, so I have decided if I didn't have something that I found interesting to post, I just wouldn't do one.
My story-writing seems to come in fits and bursts. I'm having a bit of a dry spell right now, but that usually means that when my writer's block is over, I'll have 3-4 new ones at least in the next couple days, so keep watching.
I believe I am catching a cold or something, my throat hurts something fierce. I'm hoping it's not as bad as the last one, which had me flat on my back for a couple days. We'll see how it goes.
Til next time, Happy Hunting!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Boogga and dragons
Last night my Horde guild didn't have enough people for our normal 25-man Naxx, again.
So,... we went to go pay Malygos a visit instead. I've only been there twice before, once on Boogga which only lasted a few attempts, once on Alanon, which again, was only a couple attempts. I had a rough idea about phases 1 and 2, but for the drake part, I was still pretty much clueless.
First attempt we got him to phase 3, then wiped. I was probably the first to die, since I was still trying to figure which skill was which on my drake. Second attempt, we got him to 4%. 4%!! Third and fourth tries were more wipage, then one of our group had to go AFK, so we waited. He was gone for a long time, and we were about to call it when he came back. Attempt #5.....
I can't describe how awesome this was. I died partway thru phase 3, then the rest of us dropped one by one. Maly was down to less than 5k health, and our rogue was the only one still alive. As he put it in vent, he saw Maly target him and was like, Oh (bleep) and just threw a fireball at him. Then he died, and Maly dropped right after he did. It was intense. :)
I tried to get a good group shot of us and Alexstrazsa, but it didn't work out too well. Oh well.
Boogga has always had good luck with dragons. His first heroic Nexus run, for example, Keri dropped both the trinket and some bracers for him. They must like him or something, even when he's helping to kill them. So, this was a pleasant surprise, too.
After the raid a few guildies wanted to do a speed run of heroic Strat, and I volunteered to go. Turned out Boogga was the only one in the group that didn't have the bronze drake, soooo, yea. :D
His name is Faladormu. :) Boo is still aiming for his red drake as well, he is over 2/3 of the way. Of course, then he'll have to raise the money for it, my Hordies are all kinda broke...
That's it for now, til next time Happy Hunting!
So,... we went to go pay Malygos a visit instead. I've only been there twice before, once on Boogga which only lasted a few attempts, once on Alanon, which again, was only a couple attempts. I had a rough idea about phases 1 and 2, but for the drake part, I was still pretty much clueless.
First attempt we got him to phase 3, then wiped. I was probably the first to die, since I was still trying to figure which skill was which on my drake. Second attempt, we got him to 4%. 4%!! Third and fourth tries were more wipage, then one of our group had to go AFK, so we waited. He was gone for a long time, and we were about to call it when he came back. Attempt #5.....
I can't describe how awesome this was. I died partway thru phase 3, then the rest of us dropped one by one. Maly was down to less than 5k health, and our rogue was the only one still alive. As he put it in vent, he saw Maly target him and was like, Oh (bleep) and just threw a fireball at him. Then he died, and Maly dropped right after he did. It was intense. :)I tried to get a good group shot of us and Alexstrazsa, but it didn't work out too well. Oh well.
Boogga has always had good luck with dragons. His first heroic Nexus run, for example, Keri dropped both the trinket and some bracers for him. They must like him or something, even when he's helping to kill them. So, this was a pleasant surprise, too.
After the raid a few guildies wanted to do a speed run of heroic Strat, and I volunteered to go. Turned out Boogga was the only one in the group that didn't have the bronze drake, soooo, yea. :D
His name is Faladormu. :) Boo is still aiming for his red drake as well, he is over 2/3 of the way. Of course, then he'll have to raise the money for it, my Hordies are all kinda broke...
That's it for now, til next time Happy Hunting!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Barraccus and Quae: Feralas
Quae moved carefully through the ruins on Sardor Isle. The naga were oblivious to her presence, at least until she showed herself by attacking one. She was choosing a new target now, and settled on a female, a spellcaster she knew she could overpower quickly. She mentally ran through her list of spells, then stepped out from behind her pillar and went to work.
* * * * * * *
Barraccus' ghoul wandered through the forest. Barraccus changed its name regularly, usually depending on his mood or some outside influence. Due to the heat in this place, and its rather advanced state of decay, it was currently known as Stinky. It was a very simple creature, only wanting to please its Master. Right now its meager thoughts were taken up with its current mission. It knew its Master was nearby; it could feel Master in its head. There used to be Big Master too, but after Master ran away, he stopped listening to Big Master, so Stinky didn't listen to Him either.
It poked through the bushes and piles of dead leaves while it shambled along. It was supposed to help Master find his Lady Friend, but so far it had had no luck. It saw some ruins a little ways in the distance, and something told it that it would be a good place to search, so it went that way.
The ghoul had just reached the ruins when it heard a hissing noise and the sounds of fighting. Lifting its rotting head to the breeze, it sniffed. Yes! it thought, there is the Lady Friend! But it sounded like she was in trouble! It sped up to a trot and headed toward the sounds.
* * * * * * *
Quae had dispatched the female naga easily, but had not counted on a large male coming into sight just in time to see its companion fall. It charged her with a bellow; she had just enough time to throw up a shield of holy energy before it struck. The naga hissed in surprise when its weapon glanced off the shield, then again as its mind was seared by the shadow energy Quae wielded. She struck again, and the monster swung at her wildly, flailing in pain. The blow was absorbed by her shield again, but it was hard enough to knock her off her feet this time. She landed flat on her back, slightly winded but unhurt.
Before she could get up, she heard a sudden squeal to the side and glanced over. Her eyes widened in surprise as a ghoul charged out of the nearby undergrowth. She prepared a spell that would trap the undead and hold it in place until she had dealt with the naga, but before she could cast it, the ghoul jumped on the naga. A few blows from its claws, and the already weakened naga fell. The ghoul stopped and stood there, looking at Quae curiously. She was about to cast her spell when it tipped its head to one side and inquired, "La- dy?" She stopped. There was only one ghoul she knew that would act that way, and she looked around, searching for its master.
* * * * * * *
Barraccus was aware when his ghoul found Quae, and quickly headed in the direction he knew it was. He broke out from the trees and into some old ruins on the beach, then spotted them and trotted over, one hand hiding something behind his back. The grin on his face at seeing her was quickly erased, however, by the look on her face.
"What did you think you were doing? I had everything perfectly under control!" she shouted at him as he approached. He looked at her in confusion, until she gestured to the pair of dead naga, one sporting fresh claw marks. "Oh," he started to say, but she interrupted. "Do you think now that you have to escort me everywhere, just to keep me safe? How am I ever going to learn anything if you keep coming to my 'rescue'?" she continued. "But I-" he tried again. She stood, hands on hips, glaring at him, then at his ghoul. "I just wanted to find you," he said apologetically. "Stinky just got a little carried away." She raised one eyebrow. "Stinky?" Barraccus opened his mouth, thought better of it, then waved his hand in a gesture at his ghoul. It looked at him for a second, then crumpled, its bones quickly dissolving into the forest floor.
Quae looked slightly sickened, but quickly recovered. "Why are you out here anyway?" she asked, anger still in her voice. "You could have sent me a letter, like usual, and I would have met you at the house." He gave her a very hesitant grin. "I, uh, wanted to surprise you," he said sheepishly, and she snorted. "You did that, that's for sure. What did you want that couldn't wait?" "Well...I...Uh..." Suddenly he wasn't sure what to say. He figured that if he said what he had planned to, she would probably snap at him again. Finally he took a deep breath and blurted, "I was going to, uh, kidnap you for a few days? I've gotten leave-" She interrupted him again. "What? Barraccus, I'm busy here. These naga have been harassing Feathermoon Stronghold for weeks now, they need to be taught a lesson before anyone gets killed!" He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "And no, I don't want you to help me. I've got it under control, Barraccus. I mean it, I'm not going to learn anything if you keep tracking me down and trying to bail me out of everything!" She turned her back on him, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes, or for him to see the tears of frustration in her own.
Barraccus stared helplessly at her for a few moments, then suddenly remembered what he had hidden behind his back. He didn't know if it would be enough to make up for the trouble he was in, but... "Uh, Quae?" he asked, very softly. She turned back to him and saw what he held out to her, and suddenly all her anger drained away. "Oh, Barraccus," she said, then reached out and gently took the red rose from his hand.
* * * * * * *
They walked on the beach for a good few hours. With Barraccus there, the naga had made themselves scarce, and they soon passed out of the ruins and the naga's territory. Barraccus had his arm around her waist as they walked, and every now and then she would lean her head against his shoulder. They stopped just out of sight of Feathermoon Stronghold, and Quae turned to him. "What was that about kidnapping me?" she asked. He cleared his throat. "Remember what I said, back before I went after Rhokk? About going off somewhere, just the two of us?" he asked, and she nodded. "Like I tried to say, I have a few days leave from the Dragonblight, so if you're not too busy..." "Um, yea," she said sheepishly. "I think I can take a break for that." He hugged her closer. "Do you need to go home and pack anything?" he asked her, and she thought for a second. "No, I just need my things from Jaxom's packs. Where are we going?" He gave her a crooked grin, the one that made her forget what she was mad at him for. "How would you like to see Dalaran?" he asked.
* * * * * * *
Barraccus' ghoul wandered through the forest. Barraccus changed its name regularly, usually depending on his mood or some outside influence. Due to the heat in this place, and its rather advanced state of decay, it was currently known as Stinky. It was a very simple creature, only wanting to please its Master. Right now its meager thoughts were taken up with its current mission. It knew its Master was nearby; it could feel Master in its head. There used to be Big Master too, but after Master ran away, he stopped listening to Big Master, so Stinky didn't listen to Him either.
It poked through the bushes and piles of dead leaves while it shambled along. It was supposed to help Master find his Lady Friend, but so far it had had no luck. It saw some ruins a little ways in the distance, and something told it that it would be a good place to search, so it went that way.
The ghoul had just reached the ruins when it heard a hissing noise and the sounds of fighting. Lifting its rotting head to the breeze, it sniffed. Yes! it thought, there is the Lady Friend! But it sounded like she was in trouble! It sped up to a trot and headed toward the sounds.
* * * * * * *
Quae had dispatched the female naga easily, but had not counted on a large male coming into sight just in time to see its companion fall. It charged her with a bellow; she had just enough time to throw up a shield of holy energy before it struck. The naga hissed in surprise when its weapon glanced off the shield, then again as its mind was seared by the shadow energy Quae wielded. She struck again, and the monster swung at her wildly, flailing in pain. The blow was absorbed by her shield again, but it was hard enough to knock her off her feet this time. She landed flat on her back, slightly winded but unhurt.
Before she could get up, she heard a sudden squeal to the side and glanced over. Her eyes widened in surprise as a ghoul charged out of the nearby undergrowth. She prepared a spell that would trap the undead and hold it in place until she had dealt with the naga, but before she could cast it, the ghoul jumped on the naga. A few blows from its claws, and the already weakened naga fell. The ghoul stopped and stood there, looking at Quae curiously. She was about to cast her spell when it tipped its head to one side and inquired, "La- dy?" She stopped. There was only one ghoul she knew that would act that way, and she looked around, searching for its master.
* * * * * * *
Barraccus was aware when his ghoul found Quae, and quickly headed in the direction he knew it was. He broke out from the trees and into some old ruins on the beach, then spotted them and trotted over, one hand hiding something behind his back. The grin on his face at seeing her was quickly erased, however, by the look on her face.
"What did you think you were doing? I had everything perfectly under control!" she shouted at him as he approached. He looked at her in confusion, until she gestured to the pair of dead naga, one sporting fresh claw marks. "Oh," he started to say, but she interrupted. "Do you think now that you have to escort me everywhere, just to keep me safe? How am I ever going to learn anything if you keep coming to my 'rescue'?" she continued. "But I-" he tried again. She stood, hands on hips, glaring at him, then at his ghoul. "I just wanted to find you," he said apologetically. "Stinky just got a little carried away." She raised one eyebrow. "Stinky?" Barraccus opened his mouth, thought better of it, then waved his hand in a gesture at his ghoul. It looked at him for a second, then crumpled, its bones quickly dissolving into the forest floor.
Quae looked slightly sickened, but quickly recovered. "Why are you out here anyway?" she asked, anger still in her voice. "You could have sent me a letter, like usual, and I would have met you at the house." He gave her a very hesitant grin. "I, uh, wanted to surprise you," he said sheepishly, and she snorted. "You did that, that's for sure. What did you want that couldn't wait?" "Well...I...Uh..." Suddenly he wasn't sure what to say. He figured that if he said what he had planned to, she would probably snap at him again. Finally he took a deep breath and blurted, "I was going to, uh, kidnap you for a few days? I've gotten leave-" She interrupted him again. "What? Barraccus, I'm busy here. These naga have been harassing Feathermoon Stronghold for weeks now, they need to be taught a lesson before anyone gets killed!" He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "And no, I don't want you to help me. I've got it under control, Barraccus. I mean it, I'm not going to learn anything if you keep tracking me down and trying to bail me out of everything!" She turned her back on him, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes, or for him to see the tears of frustration in her own.
Barraccus stared helplessly at her for a few moments, then suddenly remembered what he had hidden behind his back. He didn't know if it would be enough to make up for the trouble he was in, but... "Uh, Quae?" he asked, very softly. She turned back to him and saw what he held out to her, and suddenly all her anger drained away. "Oh, Barraccus," she said, then reached out and gently took the red rose from his hand.
* * * * * * *
They walked on the beach for a good few hours. With Barraccus there, the naga had made themselves scarce, and they soon passed out of the ruins and the naga's territory. Barraccus had his arm around her waist as they walked, and every now and then she would lean her head against his shoulder. They stopped just out of sight of Feathermoon Stronghold, and Quae turned to him. "What was that about kidnapping me?" she asked. He cleared his throat. "Remember what I said, back before I went after Rhokk? About going off somewhere, just the two of us?" he asked, and she nodded. "Like I tried to say, I have a few days leave from the Dragonblight, so if you're not too busy..." "Um, yea," she said sheepishly. "I think I can take a break for that." He hugged her closer. "Do you need to go home and pack anything?" he asked her, and she thought for a second. "No, I just need my things from Jaxom's packs. Where are we going?" He gave her a crooked grin, the one that made her forget what she was mad at him for. "How would you like to see Dalaran?" he asked.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Barraccus- what kind of D&D character would you be?
Found this on an RP guild's forum that I've been reading lately. It's a quiz to see what kind of D&D character you would be, only I answered it from Barraccus' POV. It was pretty darn cool.
I'm thinking of starting this as a meme (now that I know what those are), but I'm not going to tag anyone specifically. If you want to give this a try, go ahead and do it, then comment back here with your result (shortened version please :)) or a link to it if you have your own blog.
Quiz is here.
_________
And now, Barraccus' results-
I Am A: Neutral Good Human Ranger (10th Level)
Ability Scores:
Strength-18
Dexterity-16
Constitution-16
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-15
Charisma-13
Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.
Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.
Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.
Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)
Detailed Results:
Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (28)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (30)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXX (3)
Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaos --- XX (2)
Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)
Neutral - XXXXXXXX (8)
Evil ---- X (1)
Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Elf ------ XXXXXX (6)
Gnome ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - XXXXXX (6)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXX (8)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)
Class:
Barbarian - (-4)
Bard ------ (0)
Cleric ---- (-2)
Druid ----- (0)
Fighter --- XX (2)
Monk ------ (-19)
Paladin --- (-17)
Ranger ---- XXXXXX (6)
Rogue ----- (-8)
Sorcerer -- (0)
Wizard ---- (0)
______________
So go have fun with it! And Happy Hunting!
I'm thinking of starting this as a meme (now that I know what those are), but I'm not going to tag anyone specifically. If you want to give this a try, go ahead and do it, then comment back here with your result (shortened version please :)) or a link to it if you have your own blog.
Quiz is here.
_________
And now, Barraccus' results-
I Am A: Neutral Good Human Ranger (10th Level)
Ability Scores:
Strength-18
Dexterity-16
Constitution-16
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-15
Charisma-13
Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.
Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.
Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.
Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)
Detailed Results:
Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (28)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (30)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXX (3)
Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaos --- XX (2)
Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)
Neutral - XXXXXXXX (8)
Evil ---- X (1)
Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Elf ------ XXXXXX (6)
Gnome ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - XXXXXX (6)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXX (8)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)
Class:
Barbarian - (-4)
Bard ------ (0)
Cleric ---- (-2)
Druid ----- (0)
Fighter --- XX (2)
Monk ------ (-19)
Paladin --- (-17)
Ranger ---- XXXXXX (6)
Rogue ----- (-8)
Sorcerer -- (0)
Wizard ---- (0)
______________
So go have fun with it! And Happy Hunting!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Barraccus and Quae
Inspired by this quest, which Barraccus just completed. :)
Enjoy! Also, Zomg they have a fight?!?
__________________
Barraccus stormed into the house, startling Quae as she sat reading a book. Riatha followed him in, saying, “Please just calm down. There’s nothing you can do to change things now.” Quae stood up quickly. “Barraccus? What’s wrong?” He stopped and looked at her; some of his anger seemed to drain away. He sat down heavily on the couch. “I was that close,” he held his hands out about a foot apart, “to possibly finishing Arthas, and I couldn’t move,” he told her. “What?!” she exclaimed. “What do you mean, finishing Arthas? Tell me what happened, please!” Riatha shook her head and went to stand in a corner. He looked at her, then focused back on Quae.
“We were at Westgarde Keep,” he started. “I was sent to this place called Gjalerbron, to kill some vrykul and stop some ritual their queen was performing. Well, I had no trouble with them, but the queen was doing some sort of spell to revive their king, or something. After I killed her, I was about to finish off the king when HE showed up, right next to me!”
Quae stared at him in alarm. “Arthas did?” she asked him, disbelievingly. He nodded, some of the rage coming back. “I couldn’t move; it was like I was frozen. He spouted off some nonsense, and ported himself and that vrykul king out of there.” He clenched one fist. “I could have ended him right then and there, if I could have just been able to swing my axe.”
“Or,” Quae interrupted, “he could have killed you.” He turned to her, startled by the anger he heard in her voice. “Barraccus,” she said before he even opened his mouth. “Why do you have to be the one to kill Arthas? He’s too powerful for one person alone, even if you do think you’re invincible.” He stared at her. “But-" She stood up suddenly, cutting him off, her voice rising. “I know, you want to keep him away from me, from all of us. But have you considered what it would do to me if you get yourself killed, chasing after Arthas like this? Or is it alright if you die, just so long as the rest of us are safe?” She abruptly turned away from him, but not before he saw the tears starting in her eyes.
Alanon came inside at that moment, his hands full of herbs from the gardens. He stopped at the doorway and looked questioningly at Riatha, Is it safe to come in? She shook her head slightly. Unnoticed by the other two, she got up and walked outside, followed by the druid.
Barraccus stood, then went to Quae and hesitantly put his arms around her. She stood stiffly, but didn’t protest. “Quae,” he began softly, then found he couldn’t think of anything to say. She made no reply, but she did gradually relax enough to lean back against him. “Quae,” he tried again. “I’m sorry. It’s just that no one is safe until he’s stopped. When I think of something happening to you….” She finally turned to face him. “But you can’t do everything, Barraccus. I’m not stupid, and Northrend is a long ways away from here. You trust me to take care of myself here; can’t you let me do the same while you’re up there?” He held her tighter as he sighed. “I’ll try, Quae. I really will. I promise.”
Now she finally put her arms around him. As he leaned down for a kiss, she said, “I’m still mad at you.” But she didn’t sound like it.
Enjoy! Also, Zomg they have a fight?!?
__________________
Barraccus stormed into the house, startling Quae as she sat reading a book. Riatha followed him in, saying, “Please just calm down. There’s nothing you can do to change things now.” Quae stood up quickly. “Barraccus? What’s wrong?” He stopped and looked at her; some of his anger seemed to drain away. He sat down heavily on the couch. “I was that close,” he held his hands out about a foot apart, “to possibly finishing Arthas, and I couldn’t move,” he told her. “What?!” she exclaimed. “What do you mean, finishing Arthas? Tell me what happened, please!” Riatha shook her head and went to stand in a corner. He looked at her, then focused back on Quae.
“We were at Westgarde Keep,” he started. “I was sent to this place called Gjalerbron, to kill some vrykul and stop some ritual their queen was performing. Well, I had no trouble with them, but the queen was doing some sort of spell to revive their king, or something. After I killed her, I was about to finish off the king when HE showed up, right next to me!”
Quae stared at him in alarm. “Arthas did?” she asked him, disbelievingly. He nodded, some of the rage coming back. “I couldn’t move; it was like I was frozen. He spouted off some nonsense, and ported himself and that vrykul king out of there.” He clenched one fist. “I could have ended him right then and there, if I could have just been able to swing my axe.”
“Or,” Quae interrupted, “he could have killed you.” He turned to her, startled by the anger he heard in her voice. “Barraccus,” she said before he even opened his mouth. “Why do you have to be the one to kill Arthas? He’s too powerful for one person alone, even if you do think you’re invincible.” He stared at her. “But-" She stood up suddenly, cutting him off, her voice rising. “I know, you want to keep him away from me, from all of us. But have you considered what it would do to me if you get yourself killed, chasing after Arthas like this? Or is it alright if you die, just so long as the rest of us are safe?” She abruptly turned away from him, but not before he saw the tears starting in her eyes.
Alanon came inside at that moment, his hands full of herbs from the gardens. He stopped at the doorway and looked questioningly at Riatha, Is it safe to come in? She shook her head slightly. Unnoticed by the other two, she got up and walked outside, followed by the druid.
Barraccus stood, then went to Quae and hesitantly put his arms around her. She stood stiffly, but didn’t protest. “Quae,” he began softly, then found he couldn’t think of anything to say. She made no reply, but she did gradually relax enough to lean back against him. “Quae,” he tried again. “I’m sorry. It’s just that no one is safe until he’s stopped. When I think of something happening to you….” She finally turned to face him. “But you can’t do everything, Barraccus. I’m not stupid, and Northrend is a long ways away from here. You trust me to take care of myself here; can’t you let me do the same while you’re up there?” He held her tighter as he sighed. “I’ll try, Quae. I really will. I promise.”
Now she finally put her arms around him. As he leaned down for a kiss, she said, “I’m still mad at you.” But she didn’t sound like it.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Barraccus: Vengeance
This is immediately after this part. Short story is short?
____________________
Barraccus allowed Quae to lead him out the door. Once outside, though, he suddenly pulled Quae to a stop. He led her over to the side of the house, where his deathcharger was cropping grass alongside Crison’s. It raised its head and watched as he walked up to it and placed a hand on its nose. Quae stepped up beside him. “Is there something wrong, Barraccus?” she asked him. “No,” he answered quietly. “I was just thinking.” He stood silent for a bit, gathering his thoughts.
Riatha came over while he was thinking and went to the other side, stroking his charger’s neck. He barely glanced at her before continuing. “I’ve never named this horse. He’s been a good mount, but I hardly even thought of him once I had gotten Oscor. I certainly never rode him anymore. But now…”
The deathcharger snorted, then nosed his hand, looking for a treat. He rubbed its muzzle a bit, then let it wander off in search of better grass. “Arthas, the Lich King, has taken everything I cared about. I’ve found other things to care for, and now he threatens to take those too. I’m not the only one either. How many other families have been torn apart because of him? How many orphans and widows have been made? He must be stopped, before he does further damage.” He turned to Quae, and the look in his eyes almost stunned her with its intensity. “He has to be stopped, before he takes more from me,” he said quietly. She started to reach for him with one hand, but stopped herself and let him finish.
He turned back to the dark horse. “So, I thought of a name while we rode back here. And when we reach that final battle with Arthas, I won’t be riding Oscor; I’ll leave him somewhere safe. I’ll be on this horse that he gave me, this horse that I’ve named Dune’adah.”
“Dune’adah,” Quae softly repeated the Darnassian word. She shared a look with Riatha, one tinged with fear. “Vengeance.”
____________________
Barraccus allowed Quae to lead him out the door. Once outside, though, he suddenly pulled Quae to a stop. He led her over to the side of the house, where his deathcharger was cropping grass alongside Crison’s. It raised its head and watched as he walked up to it and placed a hand on its nose. Quae stepped up beside him. “Is there something wrong, Barraccus?” she asked him. “No,” he answered quietly. “I was just thinking.” He stood silent for a bit, gathering his thoughts.
Riatha came over while he was thinking and went to the other side, stroking his charger’s neck. He barely glanced at her before continuing. “I’ve never named this horse. He’s been a good mount, but I hardly even thought of him once I had gotten Oscor. I certainly never rode him anymore. But now…”
The deathcharger snorted, then nosed his hand, looking for a treat. He rubbed its muzzle a bit, then let it wander off in search of better grass. “Arthas, the Lich King, has taken everything I cared about. I’ve found other things to care for, and now he threatens to take those too. I’m not the only one either. How many other families have been torn apart because of him? How many orphans and widows have been made? He must be stopped, before he does further damage.” He turned to Quae, and the look in his eyes almost stunned her with its intensity. “He has to be stopped, before he takes more from me,” he said quietly. She started to reach for him with one hand, but stopped herself and let him finish.
He turned back to the dark horse. “So, I thought of a name while we rode back here. And when we reach that final battle with Arthas, I won’t be riding Oscor; I’ll leave him somewhere safe. I’ll be on this horse that he gave me, this horse that I’ve named Dune’adah.”
“Dune’adah,” Quae softly repeated the Darnassian word. She shared a look with Riatha, one tinged with fear. “Vengeance.”
Friday, May 22, 2009
Delays, delays, delays
Grumpy post is grumpy.
My new computer, as far as I know, is ready. I had hoped I could pick it up on Wednesday, which is when it was supposed to be done. But had to wait for my dad, since he knows the guy that's doing my computer. Dad didn't get home til way after 5, too late to go pick it up that day. So, we were going to get it today, but he couldn't get in touch with the guy. Wasn't at work, didn't answer the phone. So now, since it's a holiday weekend (Memorial Day), gotta wait til Tuesday.
Thankfully my laptop hasn't given me any more issues, though I've been afraid to turn it off so just been setting it on standby. Ugh, I hate waiting...
_________________________
On a different note.....
Alliance guild's raid tonight was Ulduar to start with. We already have Flame Leviathan pretty much down, tonight we tried Razorscale for the first time. And, well, see for yourself. :)
New boss down! :D
We tried Deconstructor too, it was worth it just to hear my guildies response to his voice. *snicker*
And after many painful wipes....
Ignis had fun smushing us into the ground a few times before we quit for the night. Altogether, it was a pretty awesome night! And Alanon picked up a new chestpiece, whee!
That's about it, til next time Happy Hunting!
My new computer, as far as I know, is ready. I had hoped I could pick it up on Wednesday, which is when it was supposed to be done. But had to wait for my dad, since he knows the guy that's doing my computer. Dad didn't get home til way after 5, too late to go pick it up that day. So, we were going to get it today, but he couldn't get in touch with the guy. Wasn't at work, didn't answer the phone. So now, since it's a holiday weekend (Memorial Day), gotta wait til Tuesday.
Thankfully my laptop hasn't given me any more issues, though I've been afraid to turn it off so just been setting it on standby. Ugh, I hate waiting...
_________________________
On a different note.....
Alliance guild's raid tonight was Ulduar to start with. We already have Flame Leviathan pretty much down, tonight we tried Razorscale for the first time. And, well, see for yourself. :)
New boss down! :D
We tried Deconstructor too, it was worth it just to hear my guildies response to his voice. *snicker*
And after many painful wipes....
Ignis had fun smushing us into the ground a few times before we quit for the night. Altogether, it was a pretty awesome night! And Alanon picked up a new chestpiece, whee!That's about it, til next time Happy Hunting!
Barraccus: Oscor
This is several days after the last one. Rhokk is recuperating under Alanon's care, so Barraccus and Riatha have headed back to Northrend.
____________________________
Barraccus liked going up the steep, narrow trail even less than he had liked going down.
He and Riatha had been in Howling Fjord for a few days now. After Alanon had taken over Rhokk's care, they had agreed that until he was better, the less Rhokk saw of the death knights, Barraccus especially, the better. Crison had vanished, going her own way without telling anyone. Quae was staying in Ashenvale to help her brother. So Barraccus and Riatha had found themselves at Westgarde Keep, helping out with everything from lost cannonballs to invading vrykul.
This morning they had found a path down to the beach on the western coast, and Riatha convinced him to go exploring. They had found Scourge necromancers there, turning the murlocs into undead, and had felt it their duty to "take care" of the problem. After several hours, they finally retrieved their mounts and headed back to the Keep.
Barraccus tried to ignore the occasional gravel that rattled down past him, knocked loose by Riatha as she went on ahead. He encouraged Oscor with pats and quiet words as the big saber picked his way up the steep path.
He had no idea what caused it. One minute they were still heading up, where the top of the trail was finally coming into view, then something happened. Loose rocks that slipped from under Oscor's paws, a piece of the trail breaking free, or something. Whatever it was, Barraccus suddenly felt his mount lurch, then he was staring down into space. He had enough time to try to get free of the saddle and tell himself that this was going to hurt, then he hit the bottom and blacked out.
He was only out for a moment, then he slowly blinked back to consciousness. He was on his back, staring up at the sky. He thought he could feel Oscor's warm bulk next to him. He attempted to raise his head; except for a slight headache, it felt fine. When he tried to sit up, however...
"Ooooooh." It felt like at least one rib was broken. He carefully tested his arms and legs and found they still worked. Oscor must have cushioned him somewhat from the brunt of the fall...
Oscor!
He sat up as quickly as he coud despite his ribs. He heard Riatha call from above, and was distantly glad she had escaped the fall. But right now his eyes were fixed on his mount, who lay nearby, eyes closed and sides heaving as he panted. There was blood all over the ground. He knelt by the big cat's head, noticing with a trace of fear the blood staining the fur around his mouth and nose. "Oscor," he said softly. One ear twitched, then the saber opened eyes bright with pain. Barraccus gently touched his head, then looked over the cat's body. He couldn't see where the blood had come from, but it looked like the hind leg on the side he was laying on was twisted. He heard Riatha gasp behind him, and turned. She stared at Oscor just a second longer, her face pale, then said quickly, 'I'll get Alanon." She turned her mount and raced away.
Barraccus unfastened the saddle harness, then sat by Oscor's head and waited. He wasn't concerned with his own injuries; he could heal them himself by killing one of the nearby Scourge and absorbing its life energies. But he could do nothing for his saber except try to make him more comfortable, and keep him company.
The afternoon sun beat down on them, and Barraccus was trying to find some way to shade Oscor's head when he heard wingbeats above him. A large purple bird flew down and landed next to him, then Alanon was bending over the huge saber. Barraccus jumped up and immediately winced as his ribs stabbed with pain. He blurted out what had happened as the druid examined the cat. "He's not injured on this side," Alanon observed. "Let's see if he can turn over, so I can see the other side." He crouched by Oscor's head and began murmuring a calming spell as Riatha rode up, looking anxious. Once Oscor's eyes glazed over, the two of them managed to heave the big cat over. Barraccus winced again.
The hind leg on that side was quite clearly broken, the thighbone jutting from a large tear in the skin. As they settled him on the other side, it started bleeding again. Alanon went to it quickly and began a healing spell, running his hands over the gash. The bleeding slowed, and he had Riatha help him pull the leg out straight, then continued his spell. Once that wound was mostly closed, he examined the big cat further. Finally he turned to Barraccus.
"That leg needs further healing, and he has some internal injuries," he told him. "I can't help him much here, but what I can do is this: I can teleport him with me to the Moonglade, and there I will have help to finish healing him. You won't be able to ride him for a while, but he will recover." Barraccus nodded. "That sounds fine, Alanon. Please do it." "Will you be all right here, Barraccus?" the druid asked. "Yea, I can summon Dune'adah, and ride him until Oscor is better," he replied. "Go on, please. I know he's in pain." Alanon nodded, then knelt by the saber's head and put his hands on him. A faint glow surrounded them, which grew brighter until with a flash, the druid and saber disappeared.
Riatha looked worriedly at Barraccus. "Are you okay?" she asked him. He stood and winced again. "I will be. Let's just get back to the Keep." He closed his eyes and concentrated, calling his deathcharger from the shadow realm. With a swirl and a loud neigh, Dune'adah appeared beside him, and he mounted the charger and followed Riatha back up the cliff, much more slowly this time.
____________________________
There is a story behind his deathcharger's name, too. I'm still working on it, but it should be done soon.
____________________________
Barraccus liked going up the steep, narrow trail even less than he had liked going down.
He and Riatha had been in Howling Fjord for a few days now. After Alanon had taken over Rhokk's care, they had agreed that until he was better, the less Rhokk saw of the death knights, Barraccus especially, the better. Crison had vanished, going her own way without telling anyone. Quae was staying in Ashenvale to help her brother. So Barraccus and Riatha had found themselves at Westgarde Keep, helping out with everything from lost cannonballs to invading vrykul.
This morning they had found a path down to the beach on the western coast, and Riatha convinced him to go exploring. They had found Scourge necromancers there, turning the murlocs into undead, and had felt it their duty to "take care" of the problem. After several hours, they finally retrieved their mounts and headed back to the Keep.
Barraccus tried to ignore the occasional gravel that rattled down past him, knocked loose by Riatha as she went on ahead. He encouraged Oscor with pats and quiet words as the big saber picked his way up the steep path.
He had no idea what caused it. One minute they were still heading up, where the top of the trail was finally coming into view, then something happened. Loose rocks that slipped from under Oscor's paws, a piece of the trail breaking free, or something. Whatever it was, Barraccus suddenly felt his mount lurch, then he was staring down into space. He had enough time to try to get free of the saddle and tell himself that this was going to hurt, then he hit the bottom and blacked out.
He was only out for a moment, then he slowly blinked back to consciousness. He was on his back, staring up at the sky. He thought he could feel Oscor's warm bulk next to him. He attempted to raise his head; except for a slight headache, it felt fine. When he tried to sit up, however...
"Ooooooh." It felt like at least one rib was broken. He carefully tested his arms and legs and found they still worked. Oscor must have cushioned him somewhat from the brunt of the fall...
Oscor!
He sat up as quickly as he coud despite his ribs. He heard Riatha call from above, and was distantly glad she had escaped the fall. But right now his eyes were fixed on his mount, who lay nearby, eyes closed and sides heaving as he panted. There was blood all over the ground. He knelt by the big cat's head, noticing with a trace of fear the blood staining the fur around his mouth and nose. "Oscor," he said softly. One ear twitched, then the saber opened eyes bright with pain. Barraccus gently touched his head, then looked over the cat's body. He couldn't see where the blood had come from, but it looked like the hind leg on the side he was laying on was twisted. He heard Riatha gasp behind him, and turned. She stared at Oscor just a second longer, her face pale, then said quickly, 'I'll get Alanon." She turned her mount and raced away.
Barraccus unfastened the saddle harness, then sat by Oscor's head and waited. He wasn't concerned with his own injuries; he could heal them himself by killing one of the nearby Scourge and absorbing its life energies. But he could do nothing for his saber except try to make him more comfortable, and keep him company.
The afternoon sun beat down on them, and Barraccus was trying to find some way to shade Oscor's head when he heard wingbeats above him. A large purple bird flew down and landed next to him, then Alanon was bending over the huge saber. Barraccus jumped up and immediately winced as his ribs stabbed with pain. He blurted out what had happened as the druid examined the cat. "He's not injured on this side," Alanon observed. "Let's see if he can turn over, so I can see the other side." He crouched by Oscor's head and began murmuring a calming spell as Riatha rode up, looking anxious. Once Oscor's eyes glazed over, the two of them managed to heave the big cat over. Barraccus winced again.
The hind leg on that side was quite clearly broken, the thighbone jutting from a large tear in the skin. As they settled him on the other side, it started bleeding again. Alanon went to it quickly and began a healing spell, running his hands over the gash. The bleeding slowed, and he had Riatha help him pull the leg out straight, then continued his spell. Once that wound was mostly closed, he examined the big cat further. Finally he turned to Barraccus.
"That leg needs further healing, and he has some internal injuries," he told him. "I can't help him much here, but what I can do is this: I can teleport him with me to the Moonglade, and there I will have help to finish healing him. You won't be able to ride him for a while, but he will recover." Barraccus nodded. "That sounds fine, Alanon. Please do it." "Will you be all right here, Barraccus?" the druid asked. "Yea, I can summon Dune'adah, and ride him until Oscor is better," he replied. "Go on, please. I know he's in pain." Alanon nodded, then knelt by the saber's head and put his hands on him. A faint glow surrounded them, which grew brighter until with a flash, the druid and saber disappeared.
Riatha looked worriedly at Barraccus. "Are you okay?" she asked him. He stood and winced again. "I will be. Let's just get back to the Keep." He closed his eyes and concentrated, calling his deathcharger from the shadow realm. With a swirl and a loud neigh, Dune'adah appeared beside him, and he mounted the charger and followed Riatha back up the cliff, much more slowly this time.
____________________________
There is a story behind his deathcharger's name, too. I'm still working on it, but it should be done soon.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tagged:Album Meme
Klinderas got me on the latest meme going around (I'm still not sure what that means >.>) so here is my attempt. The idea is to make up a music album with band name, title and pic.
I hope Klin doesn't mind if I copy/paste the instructions from his blog. >.>
The rules-
1 – Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random… Read More”
or click Here
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2 – Go to “Random quotations”
or click Here
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3 – Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click Here
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4 – Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.
Aaaannd, here's mine :P
It seems so....tame... :/
So now I tag....... anyone that reads this that hasn't been tagged yet! Muahaha!
Go forth and make your albums! And Happy Hunting!
I hope Klin doesn't mind if I copy/paste the instructions from his blog. >.>
The rules-
1 – Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random… Read More”
or click Here
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2 – Go to “Random quotations”
or click Here
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3 – Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click Here
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4 – Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.
Aaaannd, here's mine :P
It seems so....tame... :/
So now I tag....... anyone that reads this that hasn't been tagged yet! Muahaha!
Go forth and make your albums! And Happy Hunting!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Barraccus: Scars
"I don't remember all of what they did to me," Barraccus said. "But what I do remember is more than enough." He stared into space for a little bit, until Quae's hand on his arm broke his reverie. "They didn't torture me just for fun," he continued. "I have no idea why he didn't just kill me outright and then raise me, but he seemed determined to break my spirit first. I don't know if I'll ever understand why.
"They had some healers among them, though calling them 'healers' may be a bit of a stretch. They could mend the body, but often they left the pain behind, so that after they slit your stomach open, then closed the wound, you still felt as though your guts were hanging outside your body. They did that to me often enough." He had removed his armor before, now he pulled his shirt off over his head. Across his stomach was a pale line, looking like a crease in his skin. He twisted around in his chair then, letting them see the raised line that zigzagged crazily across his back, just under his shoulder blades. It almost resembled some kind of ritualized tattoo. "They used a sharpened hot poker, piercing the skin and stabbing it underneath just a few inches. It cauterized the wound right away so there was little blood. I think that was the first one to get infected; they didn't bother much with cleanliness. Also, they didn't go the whole way across at once; it took them several days." He rubbed at his shoulder, where there were other scars; for some of them it was easy to guess how they had happened. He made no mention of them, though, and no one wanted to ask him.
He sat back in his chair, playing with the shirt in his hands. After a bit he pulled it back on. "There are others of course. They whipped me bloody, I don't remember how many times. There are things they did that left no scars, not on the outside, at least. Potions that they forced into me, that felt like fire crawling through my veins. They also had a rack, if you can believe it, and they knew how to use it. But with everything they did, they were always careful not to cripple me in any way. My hands, for example; they did nothing to my hands, or my arms. They broke no bones, although at times it felt like they did. My guess is that he wanted his 'pet' to be as perfect as possible; after all, he already knew what a fighter I was."
He blew out a breath. Quae reached out and took his hand, and he smiled at her. "I was a little surprised, our first night, when you didn't seem to mind the scars. I had thought they might frighten you." Quae gave him a look that clearly said he was being silly. "If you think a few scars would put me off, after I had spent all that time trying to get you to notice me..." She trailed off, then looked at the others and blushed. He grinned, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers. Then he turned back to the group, sobering. "So, on to the mental part of the torture.
"I have one great comfort regarding my family. None of them were raised as undead; there just wasn't enough left of them to raise. That was little comfort at the time, however, as I was forced to see them torn to pieces in front of me, again and again. Closing my eyes never helped, since the images would keep playing behind my eyelids. I thought I would go mad from that alone.” He paused then, his eyes looking someplace far away. “He…. He gets in your head,” he continued softly. “He finds what hurts you the most- crushes any hope you might have- until you will do anything he asks, no matter how terrible, just to make it stop.” Quae, with a worried look on her face, started to reach toward him, but stopped as Alanon shook his head at her. Let him finish, he mouthed at her, and she sat back, though she continued to watch him worriedly.
“I have no idea how I broke free of him. One minute he was there in my head, as strong as ever, then suddenly he was like a faint whisper. I know now that he simply relaxed his hold on us all; after all, he thought we were all about to be destroyed. How could even he have known the paladins would spare us?"
The others jumped slightly as Alanon’s voice broke into the spell that Barraccus’ words had woven. “So you have no idea how you broke away?” he asked, just as quietly as the death knight. “Nothing you can tell us?” Barraccus hadn’t jumped; he still sat as if in a trance. He blinked a few times as he thought. “I…I’m not sure. I know that I was tired of the killing, the wanton waste of life. When I realized that we were losing, I felt like it must end. I can’t remember anything, though, except thinking to myself, ‘Enough!’ It just…happened…” He gave a weak half-shrug as he trailed off. Quae looked at Alanon almost desperately, and finally he gave her a slight nod. She got up and went to the death knight, putting her arms around his shoulders as she began murmuring to him. He seemed to come back to himself, though his eyes still looked haunted. He looked around the room at the others as if surprised that they were all still there.
Alanon cleared his throat. “I think we’ll need to think on this,” he said. “Thank you, Barraccus. I know it was hard to talk about it.” He gave the death knight a wry grin. “Why don’t you take a break? I know Quae has been itching to drag you off somewhere.” Quae shot her brother an indignant look as she blushed. But she wasted no time in taking Barraccus’ hand and pulling him out toward the door.
_________________________
Got a few ideas running around in my head, so the next post may or may not be the next chapter in this story. We shall see. :)
"They had some healers among them, though calling them 'healers' may be a bit of a stretch. They could mend the body, but often they left the pain behind, so that after they slit your stomach open, then closed the wound, you still felt as though your guts were hanging outside your body. They did that to me often enough." He had removed his armor before, now he pulled his shirt off over his head. Across his stomach was a pale line, looking like a crease in his skin. He twisted around in his chair then, letting them see the raised line that zigzagged crazily across his back, just under his shoulder blades. It almost resembled some kind of ritualized tattoo. "They used a sharpened hot poker, piercing the skin and stabbing it underneath just a few inches. It cauterized the wound right away so there was little blood. I think that was the first one to get infected; they didn't bother much with cleanliness. Also, they didn't go the whole way across at once; it took them several days." He rubbed at his shoulder, where there were other scars; for some of them it was easy to guess how they had happened. He made no mention of them, though, and no one wanted to ask him.
He sat back in his chair, playing with the shirt in his hands. After a bit he pulled it back on. "There are others of course. They whipped me bloody, I don't remember how many times. There are things they did that left no scars, not on the outside, at least. Potions that they forced into me, that felt like fire crawling through my veins. They also had a rack, if you can believe it, and they knew how to use it. But with everything they did, they were always careful not to cripple me in any way. My hands, for example; they did nothing to my hands, or my arms. They broke no bones, although at times it felt like they did. My guess is that he wanted his 'pet' to be as perfect as possible; after all, he already knew what a fighter I was."
He blew out a breath. Quae reached out and took his hand, and he smiled at her. "I was a little surprised, our first night, when you didn't seem to mind the scars. I had thought they might frighten you." Quae gave him a look that clearly said he was being silly. "If you think a few scars would put me off, after I had spent all that time trying to get you to notice me..." She trailed off, then looked at the others and blushed. He grinned, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers. Then he turned back to the group, sobering. "So, on to the mental part of the torture.
"I have one great comfort regarding my family. None of them were raised as undead; there just wasn't enough left of them to raise. That was little comfort at the time, however, as I was forced to see them torn to pieces in front of me, again and again. Closing my eyes never helped, since the images would keep playing behind my eyelids. I thought I would go mad from that alone.” He paused then, his eyes looking someplace far away. “He…. He gets in your head,” he continued softly. “He finds what hurts you the most- crushes any hope you might have- until you will do anything he asks, no matter how terrible, just to make it stop.” Quae, with a worried look on her face, started to reach toward him, but stopped as Alanon shook his head at her. Let him finish, he mouthed at her, and she sat back, though she continued to watch him worriedly.
“I have no idea how I broke free of him. One minute he was there in my head, as strong as ever, then suddenly he was like a faint whisper. I know now that he simply relaxed his hold on us all; after all, he thought we were all about to be destroyed. How could even he have known the paladins would spare us?"
The others jumped slightly as Alanon’s voice broke into the spell that Barraccus’ words had woven. “So you have no idea how you broke away?” he asked, just as quietly as the death knight. “Nothing you can tell us?” Barraccus hadn’t jumped; he still sat as if in a trance. He blinked a few times as he thought. “I…I’m not sure. I know that I was tired of the killing, the wanton waste of life. When I realized that we were losing, I felt like it must end. I can’t remember anything, though, except thinking to myself, ‘Enough!’ It just…happened…” He gave a weak half-shrug as he trailed off. Quae looked at Alanon almost desperately, and finally he gave her a slight nod. She got up and went to the death knight, putting her arms around his shoulders as she began murmuring to him. He seemed to come back to himself, though his eyes still looked haunted. He looked around the room at the others as if surprised that they were all still there.
Alanon cleared his throat. “I think we’ll need to think on this,” he said. “Thank you, Barraccus. I know it was hard to talk about it.” He gave the death knight a wry grin. “Why don’t you take a break? I know Quae has been itching to drag you off somewhere.” Quae shot her brother an indignant look as she blushed. But she wasted no time in taking Barraccus’ hand and pulling him out toward the door.
_________________________
Got a few ideas running around in my head, so the next post may or may not be the next chapter in this story. We shall see. :)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 6
Read this part first.
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Now that they were all mounted, they made much better time. They crossed into Ashenvale after just a few more days, and rode into the yard in a light rain. As Crison helped Rhokk get off the deathcharger, Barraccus headed into the house to find Alanon. He found the druid in the kitchen and, after a warm greeting, proceeded to fill him in on everything that had happened in the Plaguelands. “So that’s about it,” he finished. “We didn’t know what else to do, so I’m hoping maybe you can get through to him.” Alanon started to reply when suddenly from upstairs there came a call, "Barraccus?" Barraccus’ face lit up as he moved toward the stairs. Quae came running down and leaped into his arms, and he spun her around, laughing. He set her down as he came to a stop, saying, "See, I told you I'd be back." Her response was to take his face in her hands and kiss him.
Crison came inside then, assisting Rhokk, who was looking around as if in a daze. He looked first toward Alanon as the druid came in from the kitchen, and the draenei’s eyes widened in disbelief. He then turned to Quae, and saw her standing with Barraccus’ arms around her. Something flickered across his face, too fast to see, and he suddenly yelled, surprising them all. All except Crison, who was still holding his bonds. She took a firmer hold and managed to hold him back as he lunged at Barraccus.
"RHOKK!!"
Whsssshht!
When the frost motes filling the air subsided, Rhokk was standing with his lower half shrouded in ice. Barraccus had shoved Quae back and stood protectively in front of her, one hand still held out, frost clinging to his gauntlet. They all stood as frozen as Rhokk for a few minutes, until the druid broke the stunned silence.
“I think perhaps you should wait outside, Barraccus,” Alanon said, watching Rhokk warily. Then his gaze shifted to take in the other death knights. “All of you, please.” As the three filed out the door, he added, “Quae, stay with me. I’ll need your mind-magic.” The priestess gave Barraccus a quick kiss on the cheek, then went to join her brother.
Barraccus found himself fidgeting, unable to keep still. Riatha watched him with some concern, while Crison simply made herself comfortable under a tree and appeared to be taking a nap. Barraccus was startled when she suddenly broke the silence. “So, a death knight and a priestess of Elune,” she said. “You do like to make things hard, don’t you?” Barraccus flushed. “And..? We know the potential problems, and how we deal with them is our decision.” She opened one eye to look at him. “No need to get snappy,” she told him. “I didn't mean anything by it. Heck, I suppose it could be worse.” They all lapsed back into silence until at long last, Alanon came to let them back in. The look on the druid's face spoke volumes.
“We can’t help him, not like this,” Alanon said as they filed inside and stood around him. “We don’t know what is wrong with him, and without knowing what we’re facing, I’m afraid to try anything; we might just make him worse. He seems to believe that you killed us all, Barraccus, and now that he’s seen us he doesn’t know what to think. I hope he doesn’t go comatose on us, like what happened to you.” He sighed, looking as close to hopeless as Barraccus had ever seen him. It shook the death knight, even more so when the druid turned to him with obvious reluctance.
“I think,” Alanon said, as he looked at Barraccus with sympathy, “It might be best if you told us what you went through while you were a prisoner of that necromancer, as much as you can remember. It will probably help us understand what is going on in Rhokk’s head.” Barraccus stared at him for a minute, his expression unreadable. “Let…let me think about it a moment,” he said faintly, and he left them, going out to the porch. Quae looked at her brother almost angrily. “Are you sure it’s necessary?” she asked him. He nodded firmly. “Quae, it might be our only chance. Go talk to him, please.” She gave him an agonized look, but did as he asked.
After several minutes, Barraccus came back in, Quae at his side. He looked at Alanon expressionlessly. “All right,” was all he said, and he went into the kitchen and sat down, staring at the tabletop. Alanon allowed himself a sigh of relief, then looked to the others. “This is important for Quae and I only, but the rest of you can listen in if you’d like. I doubt an audience will make a difference to him,” he told them. Crison immediately went in and leaned against the stove. Riatha also went in, but more hesitantly, and sat down next to Quae, as if to offer emotional support. Barraccus looked around at them all, then let out a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” he said, and began.
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Still working on the next part, though it's almost done. I'll get it posted asap. :)
Also, Barraccus has started on the Wrathgate pre-quests, so look for more stories as soon as Crison and I wrap this up!
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Now that they were all mounted, they made much better time. They crossed into Ashenvale after just a few more days, and rode into the yard in a light rain. As Crison helped Rhokk get off the deathcharger, Barraccus headed into the house to find Alanon. He found the druid in the kitchen and, after a warm greeting, proceeded to fill him in on everything that had happened in the Plaguelands. “So that’s about it,” he finished. “We didn’t know what else to do, so I’m hoping maybe you can get through to him.” Alanon started to reply when suddenly from upstairs there came a call, "Barraccus?" Barraccus’ face lit up as he moved toward the stairs. Quae came running down and leaped into his arms, and he spun her around, laughing. He set her down as he came to a stop, saying, "See, I told you I'd be back." Her response was to take his face in her hands and kiss him.
Crison came inside then, assisting Rhokk, who was looking around as if in a daze. He looked first toward Alanon as the druid came in from the kitchen, and the draenei’s eyes widened in disbelief. He then turned to Quae, and saw her standing with Barraccus’ arms around her. Something flickered across his face, too fast to see, and he suddenly yelled, surprising them all. All except Crison, who was still holding his bonds. She took a firmer hold and managed to hold him back as he lunged at Barraccus.
"RHOKK!!"
Whsssshht!
When the frost motes filling the air subsided, Rhokk was standing with his lower half shrouded in ice. Barraccus had shoved Quae back and stood protectively in front of her, one hand still held out, frost clinging to his gauntlet. They all stood as frozen as Rhokk for a few minutes, until the druid broke the stunned silence.
“I think perhaps you should wait outside, Barraccus,” Alanon said, watching Rhokk warily. Then his gaze shifted to take in the other death knights. “All of you, please.” As the three filed out the door, he added, “Quae, stay with me. I’ll need your mind-magic.” The priestess gave Barraccus a quick kiss on the cheek, then went to join her brother.
Barraccus found himself fidgeting, unable to keep still. Riatha watched him with some concern, while Crison simply made herself comfortable under a tree and appeared to be taking a nap. Barraccus was startled when she suddenly broke the silence. “So, a death knight and a priestess of Elune,” she said. “You do like to make things hard, don’t you?” Barraccus flushed. “And..? We know the potential problems, and how we deal with them is our decision.” She opened one eye to look at him. “No need to get snappy,” she told him. “I didn't mean anything by it. Heck, I suppose it could be worse.” They all lapsed back into silence until at long last, Alanon came to let them back in. The look on the druid's face spoke volumes.
“We can’t help him, not like this,” Alanon said as they filed inside and stood around him. “We don’t know what is wrong with him, and without knowing what we’re facing, I’m afraid to try anything; we might just make him worse. He seems to believe that you killed us all, Barraccus, and now that he’s seen us he doesn’t know what to think. I hope he doesn’t go comatose on us, like what happened to you.” He sighed, looking as close to hopeless as Barraccus had ever seen him. It shook the death knight, even more so when the druid turned to him with obvious reluctance.
“I think,” Alanon said, as he looked at Barraccus with sympathy, “It might be best if you told us what you went through while you were a prisoner of that necromancer, as much as you can remember. It will probably help us understand what is going on in Rhokk’s head.” Barraccus stared at him for a minute, his expression unreadable. “Let…let me think about it a moment,” he said faintly, and he left them, going out to the porch. Quae looked at her brother almost angrily. “Are you sure it’s necessary?” she asked him. He nodded firmly. “Quae, it might be our only chance. Go talk to him, please.” She gave him an agonized look, but did as he asked.
After several minutes, Barraccus came back in, Quae at his side. He looked at Alanon expressionlessly. “All right,” was all he said, and he went into the kitchen and sat down, staring at the tabletop. Alanon allowed himself a sigh of relief, then looked to the others. “This is important for Quae and I only, but the rest of you can listen in if you’d like. I doubt an audience will make a difference to him,” he told them. Crison immediately went in and leaned against the stove. Riatha also went in, but more hesitantly, and sat down next to Quae, as if to offer emotional support. Barraccus looked around at them all, then let out a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” he said, and began.
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Still working on the next part, though it's almost done. I'll get it posted asap. :)
Also, Barraccus has started on the Wrathgate pre-quests, so look for more stories as soon as Crison and I wrap this up!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 5
Rhokk stirred, then slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Crison, who noticed he was awake and spoke quietly to someone nearby. That someone came into his field of vision, and suddenly he was filled with rage. As Barraccus looked down at him he started thrashing around, trying to get free, but the ropes were sturdy and securely knotted. He could barely hear Barraccus' voice. "Rhokk, please calm down. Talk to us, what is wrong?" He finally stilled, and glared at the death knight for a moment before he looked away, refusing to acknowledge either of the others.
After several minutes of trying to get Rhokk to talk to them, Barraccus finally gave up and looked helplessly at Crison. "Now what?" She shook her head, studying the draenei. "We need to make a more secure camp before it gets any darker. I'm sure you don't want to spend the night with the Scourge," she finally said.
They found a copse of reasonably sturdy trees and made a camp. They carefully loosened Rhokk’s bonds so that he could move a little and use his hands. Barraccus expected him to try and break free, but he sat still while they did it. He still refused to look at either of them and ignored the food they offered, until finally Barraccus left it sitting on the ground near him. When he looked back later, Rhokk hadn’t changed his position but the food was gone.
Two days later, Barraccus was at his wit’s end. Rhokk still would not acknowledge either of them. He did eat the food they gave him, but not until they left him alone. Crison was also out of patience, and suggested in a bit of temper that if Rhokk wanted to duke it out, she was more than ready. Finally Barraccus had enough. “I don’t know what else to do here. I think we should take him to Alanon. Maybe he can do something.” Crison agreed. “How are we going to get him there, though?” she asked. “I have another mount at Southshore," Barraccus told her. "Until we get there, we can take turns on yours, and Rhokk can ride mine. He’s steady enough.” “Alright then,” she replied. “Let’s get going.”
They wound up tying Rhokk to the saddle on Barraccus’ deathcharger. “I am sorry about this, Rhokk,” he said quietly. “I wish you would let us help you.” The draenei ignored him, and Barraccus sighed. They headed out, with Barraccus leading his charger by the reins. As they traveled, the death knights tried to make small talk in the hope that Rhokk might respond to something. “Does your charger have a name?” Crison asked Barraccus at one point. He turned to look at it while they walked. “Not yet,” he finally replied. “But I have an idea.” He didn’t elaborate, and after a few minutes Crison changed the subject.
That night after they made camp, Barraccus crouched down next to where Rhokk was sitting against a tree. The shaman turned his head away, not quite hiding the rage and hate in his eyes. Barraccus just looked at him sadly. "He did this to you, didn't he?" he whispered, just loud enough for Rhokk to hear. "Arthas is in your head somehow. I just hope we're not too late, and Alanon can help you." Rhokk stirred a little at that. "Don't say his name, murderer!" he whispered back hoarsely. Barraccus looked at him curiously, but the draenei had gone back to ignoring him, and he finally left him to go find his bedroll.
They reached Southshore just a couple days later, and Barraccus immediately went to the stable master to fetch Oscor. He saddled the saber quickly and transferred the packs over, then they set off toward home.
After several minutes of trying to get Rhokk to talk to them, Barraccus finally gave up and looked helplessly at Crison. "Now what?" She shook her head, studying the draenei. "We need to make a more secure camp before it gets any darker. I'm sure you don't want to spend the night with the Scourge," she finally said.
They found a copse of reasonably sturdy trees and made a camp. They carefully loosened Rhokk’s bonds so that he could move a little and use his hands. Barraccus expected him to try and break free, but he sat still while they did it. He still refused to look at either of them and ignored the food they offered, until finally Barraccus left it sitting on the ground near him. When he looked back later, Rhokk hadn’t changed his position but the food was gone.
Two days later, Barraccus was at his wit’s end. Rhokk still would not acknowledge either of them. He did eat the food they gave him, but not until they left him alone. Crison was also out of patience, and suggested in a bit of temper that if Rhokk wanted to duke it out, she was more than ready. Finally Barraccus had enough. “I don’t know what else to do here. I think we should take him to Alanon. Maybe he can do something.” Crison agreed. “How are we going to get him there, though?” she asked. “I have another mount at Southshore," Barraccus told her. "Until we get there, we can take turns on yours, and Rhokk can ride mine. He’s steady enough.” “Alright then,” she replied. “Let’s get going.”
They wound up tying Rhokk to the saddle on Barraccus’ deathcharger. “I am sorry about this, Rhokk,” he said quietly. “I wish you would let us help you.” The draenei ignored him, and Barraccus sighed. They headed out, with Barraccus leading his charger by the reins. As they traveled, the death knights tried to make small talk in the hope that Rhokk might respond to something. “Does your charger have a name?” Crison asked Barraccus at one point. He turned to look at it while they walked. “Not yet,” he finally replied. “But I have an idea.” He didn’t elaborate, and after a few minutes Crison changed the subject.
That night after they made camp, Barraccus crouched down next to where Rhokk was sitting against a tree. The shaman turned his head away, not quite hiding the rage and hate in his eyes. Barraccus just looked at him sadly. "He did this to you, didn't he?" he whispered, just loud enough for Rhokk to hear. "Arthas is in your head somehow. I just hope we're not too late, and Alanon can help you." Rhokk stirred a little at that. "Don't say his name, murderer!" he whispered back hoarsely. Barraccus looked at him curiously, but the draenei had gone back to ignoring him, and he finally left him to go find his bedroll.
They reached Southshore just a couple days later, and Barraccus immediately went to the stable master to fetch Oscor. He saddled the saber quickly and transferred the packs over, then they set off toward home.
Friday, May 15, 2009
We haz Spirit Beast!!!!
So, it's not the one that I really wanted, but.....
YAY!!!
My sister let me log on Boogga (I'm still using her computer) for tonight's raid, and as soon as I did one of my guildies asked me on vent if I was still looking for a spirit beast. Turned out she had found Gondria, and she watched her for me while I flew out there and tamed her! I love my guild.
Gondria is now a male, renamed Spectre. After some grinding and a run thru heroic Stratholme, he is almost 78 already. Once he hits 80 Boogga will be raiding as BM for at least half the time.
He also tamed a windserpent named Zephthyr for a MM cunning pet, so now he has 2 pets to level. Fun, fun!
The raid tonight never happened because we were missing too many (hence the Strat run) so they did 10-man Naxx instead. Boogga has all the gear I think I wanted from there, so I passed.
I have a date for my new computer at last. The guy that's building it for me says it will be done on Wednesday, so less than a week and I'll have my new machine!! /cheer!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 4
Read this first. Also, fight scene ftw!
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The last thing Barraccus expected, as he approached Rhokk, was for the shaman to jump back to his feet and attack him. He dodged nimbly out of the way, then swore softly as Rhokk's swing hit Crison instead. She dropped, unconscious. Then he had no time to worry about her, as Rhokk was on him again.
The shaman was fast, and his exhaustion was the only thing that kept his blows from landing for the first few minutes. Barraccus fought defensively, blocking Rhokk's attacks but not making any of his own. He jumped back as one strike got through to clang against his armor, then both combatants stood still for a moment, catching their breath. Barraccus tried to reason with the draenei. "Rhokk, what is wrong? I'm your friend, why are you doing this?" Rhokk's face became an ugly snarl. "Friend? Ha! You killed them all!!" With that he leaped at the death knight, resuming the fight.
Barraccus was confused. Killed them all? Killed who? But he couldn't think about it much more as it took all he had to fend off the shaman. Another blow got through his defenses to graze his arm, then Rhokk barreled into him, knocking them both down. Barraccus rolled clear as another strike brushed his head, narrowly missing getting knocked unconscious. He jumped back to his feet, and as Rhokk rushed him again, he whispered, "Please forgive me." He parried Rhokk's next swing, then brought the blunt side of his axe up and struck the draenei hard on the head. Rhokk stood in confusion for a second, then crumpled at his feet.
A couple hours later, Barraccus was letting Crison check the bandage on his arm. The gash wasn't very big but had bled profusely. Rhokk was lying next to them, trussed up so completely that he couldn't move. Barraccus looked at him sadly. "Is all that really necessary?" he asked. "Would you rather have him break free and kill us both?" Crison replied. "You know how strong he is." Barraccus sighed but gave up the argument.
They waited for him to wake.
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The last thing Barraccus expected, as he approached Rhokk, was for the shaman to jump back to his feet and attack him. He dodged nimbly out of the way, then swore softly as Rhokk's swing hit Crison instead. She dropped, unconscious. Then he had no time to worry about her, as Rhokk was on him again.
The shaman was fast, and his exhaustion was the only thing that kept his blows from landing for the first few minutes. Barraccus fought defensively, blocking Rhokk's attacks but not making any of his own. He jumped back as one strike got through to clang against his armor, then both combatants stood still for a moment, catching their breath. Barraccus tried to reason with the draenei. "Rhokk, what is wrong? I'm your friend, why are you doing this?" Rhokk's face became an ugly snarl. "Friend? Ha! You killed them all!!" With that he leaped at the death knight, resuming the fight.
Barraccus was confused. Killed them all? Killed who? But he couldn't think about it much more as it took all he had to fend off the shaman. Another blow got through his defenses to graze his arm, then Rhokk barreled into him, knocking them both down. Barraccus rolled clear as another strike brushed his head, narrowly missing getting knocked unconscious. He jumped back to his feet, and as Rhokk rushed him again, he whispered, "Please forgive me." He parried Rhokk's next swing, then brought the blunt side of his axe up and struck the draenei hard on the head. Rhokk stood in confusion for a second, then crumpled at his feet.
A couple hours later, Barraccus was letting Crison check the bandage on his arm. The gash wasn't very big but had bled profusely. Rhokk was lying next to them, trussed up so completely that he couldn't move. Barraccus looked at him sadly. "Is all that really necessary?" he asked. "Would you rather have him break free and kill us both?" Crison replied. "You know how strong he is." Barraccus sighed but gave up the argument.
They waited for him to wake.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 3
Don't forget to check on Crison's blog here to see what's happening with Rhokk.
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Barraccus wandered through the Plaguewood, searching as he went. He did not get far before he discovered a recently abandoned campsite and found a faint trail, but he lost it quickly. He had to watch out for the packs of undead that roamed the 'Wood as well, but he had no troubles with them; the few Scourge that discovered him he cut down mercilessly. At times he could see his wife's or sons' faces while he swung his axe, but he continued on relentlessly.
He found no more signs that day, and made camp after darkness fell in a small stand of sickly-looking trees. His deathcharger stood guard outside. His last thought, before sleep took him, was that he had never named it.
Rhokk, where could you be hiding? he thought on the morning of the third day. The Plaguewood was big, but not that big, yet he had seen nothing other than a couple more abandoned campsites. Any trails he found were lost after a few yards. He finally decided he had to search closer to Stratholme, which he had been avoiding up til now. Touching his heels to his nameless charger, he moved on.
He came within sight of the ruins of Stratholme shortly after noon, having traveled slowly so he could search along the way. Starting at one side of the lake in front of the gates, he worked his way along the shore. As he went, however, he began to feel uneasy, like he was being watched. He saw nothing, but still tried to keep under cover as much as possible.
He reached the front gates of the ruined city, then finally, he spotted something. He dismounted and crept up as close as he dared, peering through the branches of a tree. There was a huddled shape near the gate, and after a minute's study Barraccus knew that it was Rhokk. Filled with both relief and apprehension, he got to his feet and began walking toward the draenei.
"I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you."
Barraccus whirled, drawing his axe from his back and dropping to a defensive crouch. Sitting underneath a nearby tree was a human. No, he corrected himself, seeing her glowing eyes. A death knight.
Staying in his position in case she attacked, Barraccus studied her, as she studied him. After several tense minutes, something in his mind clicked, and he relaxed his stance, lowering his axe. "You're Crison, aren't you?" he asked her. She nodded. "Very good guess. How did you know?" "Rhokk sent me a letter a few days ago," he told her. "He mentioned you. He said you abandoned him." She narrowed her eyes. "I never abandoned him. But he has gotten too dangerous to be around. He doesn't know his friends from his enemies anymore. I've been watching him... from a safe distance." "What is wrong with him?" Barraccus asked. "Do you know?"
Before Crison could answer, they heard a muffled shout. Barraccus spun towards Rhokk, only to see the draenei climb to his feet and start yelling and shaking his fists at... nothing. Barraccus watched, his concern growing, as Rhokk drew his weapons and rushed at a stand of skinny trees. He began attacking them, felling them one at a time. When the last tree fell, so did Rhokk, collapsing in obvious exhaustion. He curled into a ball and began crying softly.
Barraccus turned in confusion to Crison. She looked back at him with one eyebrow quirked. "You see what I mean now? That's not the first time he's done that, and he's getting worse." Barraccus shook his head and sighed. "But I have to help him. That's why I came," he said quietly. "It's your funeral," the other death knight replied. "But I'll try to help any way I can." Barraccus nodded his thanks then turned back to Rhokk. He gasped.
A blue glow was hovering above Rhokk's body. As the death knights watched, it slowly formed itself into the shape of a wolf. The ghostly animal looked down at Rhokk sadly; Barraccus thought he heard it whine. Then it suddenly looked up at him. As its translucent eyes met his, he gasped again. Then abruptly the wolf shimmered and disappeared. Barraccus stared at the spot where it had stood for several minutes, then turned to Crison. "Has that ever happened before?" he asked, and she shook her head. "I've seen things around him, but never anything clear. That's the first time I've seen what it was."
Barraccus turned back to Rhokk, then started slowly toward him. He couldn't get the look in the ghost wolf's eyes out of his mind.
It had been a plea for help.
Slowly, carefully, the death knight approached the fallen shaman.
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Barraccus wandered through the Plaguewood, searching as he went. He did not get far before he discovered a recently abandoned campsite and found a faint trail, but he lost it quickly. He had to watch out for the packs of undead that roamed the 'Wood as well, but he had no troubles with them; the few Scourge that discovered him he cut down mercilessly. At times he could see his wife's or sons' faces while he swung his axe, but he continued on relentlessly.
He found no more signs that day, and made camp after darkness fell in a small stand of sickly-looking trees. His deathcharger stood guard outside. His last thought, before sleep took him, was that he had never named it.
Rhokk, where could you be hiding? he thought on the morning of the third day. The Plaguewood was big, but not that big, yet he had seen nothing other than a couple more abandoned campsites. Any trails he found were lost after a few yards. He finally decided he had to search closer to Stratholme, which he had been avoiding up til now. Touching his heels to his nameless charger, he moved on.
He came within sight of the ruins of Stratholme shortly after noon, having traveled slowly so he could search along the way. Starting at one side of the lake in front of the gates, he worked his way along the shore. As he went, however, he began to feel uneasy, like he was being watched. He saw nothing, but still tried to keep under cover as much as possible.
He reached the front gates of the ruined city, then finally, he spotted something. He dismounted and crept up as close as he dared, peering through the branches of a tree. There was a huddled shape near the gate, and after a minute's study Barraccus knew that it was Rhokk. Filled with both relief and apprehension, he got to his feet and began walking toward the draenei.
"I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you."
Barraccus whirled, drawing his axe from his back and dropping to a defensive crouch. Sitting underneath a nearby tree was a human. No, he corrected himself, seeing her glowing eyes. A death knight.
Staying in his position in case she attacked, Barraccus studied her, as she studied him. After several tense minutes, something in his mind clicked, and he relaxed his stance, lowering his axe. "You're Crison, aren't you?" he asked her. She nodded. "Very good guess. How did you know?" "Rhokk sent me a letter a few days ago," he told her. "He mentioned you. He said you abandoned him." She narrowed her eyes. "I never abandoned him. But he has gotten too dangerous to be around. He doesn't know his friends from his enemies anymore. I've been watching him... from a safe distance." "What is wrong with him?" Barraccus asked. "Do you know?"
Before Crison could answer, they heard a muffled shout. Barraccus spun towards Rhokk, only to see the draenei climb to his feet and start yelling and shaking his fists at... nothing. Barraccus watched, his concern growing, as Rhokk drew his weapons and rushed at a stand of skinny trees. He began attacking them, felling them one at a time. When the last tree fell, so did Rhokk, collapsing in obvious exhaustion. He curled into a ball and began crying softly.
Barraccus turned in confusion to Crison. She looked back at him with one eyebrow quirked. "You see what I mean now? That's not the first time he's done that, and he's getting worse." Barraccus shook his head and sighed. "But I have to help him. That's why I came," he said quietly. "It's your funeral," the other death knight replied. "But I'll try to help any way I can." Barraccus nodded his thanks then turned back to Rhokk. He gasped.
A blue glow was hovering above Rhokk's body. As the death knights watched, it slowly formed itself into the shape of a wolf. The ghostly animal looked down at Rhokk sadly; Barraccus thought he heard it whine. Then it suddenly looked up at him. As its translucent eyes met his, he gasped again. Then abruptly the wolf shimmered and disappeared. Barraccus stared at the spot where it had stood for several minutes, then turned to Crison. "Has that ever happened before?" he asked, and she shook her head. "I've seen things around him, but never anything clear. That's the first time I've seen what it was."
Barraccus turned back to Rhokk, then started slowly toward him. He couldn't get the look in the ghost wolf's eyes out of his mind.
It had been a plea for help.
Slowly, carefully, the death knight approached the fallen shaman.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Forced AFK
So, my laptop refuses to turn on. Will work on getting it fixed ASAP, plus I will eventually get my new computer. /Sigh. If I get the new one first, I may just chuck the laptop out the window.
I can use my sister's pc when she's not on it, but stuff is gonna be pretty sporadic until this gets fixed. Hopefully it won't take too long.
I can use my sister's pc when she's not on it, but stuff is gonna be pretty sporadic until this gets fixed. Hopefully it won't take too long.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 2
Alanon studied the letter. "I think you were right to show this to me," he said. "Even though I can't make sense of it either. You're sure about going, Barraccus?" The death knight nodded firmly. "Whatever is going on, if Arthas is behind it then I need to stop it. I can't have a repeat of...." He stopped and swallowed hard. "He won't take another friend or family member from me again." Quae, sitting next to him, put an arm around him comfortingly. "It's rather late for traveling today," Alanon said. "You'll leave in the morning?" Barraccus nodded.
That night as they lay in bed, Barraccus held Quae close. With Alanon and Riatha sleeping in the other beds, they couldn't do much more than cuddle, but Barraccus had felt bad about asking them to stay downstairs another night. He was almost asleep when he felt Quae shudder against him. He reached over to turn her face toward his, then gently wiped tears from her cheeks. "Quae," he said softly. "It will be alright. Nothing will happen to me this time." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "It feels like I just got you back, and now you're leaving again," she said, just as quietly. "I know," he replied. "Maybe after this we can go somewhere, like a vacation. Just us, for a week or two. What do you think?" She smiled through her tears at him. "I just wish I was going with you," she said. He immediately shook his head. "You're not ready for the Plaguelands yet. You still have some training to do before then." "I know that," she replied, sounding almost angry, and he placed a placating hand on one of hers. "Rhokk's letter said not to tell anyone. I've already broken that part, but it's still best I go alone." She sighed, then pressed against him, burying her face in his chest. "Just make sure you come back in one piece," she told him, her voice muffled. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll come back, I promise. I will come back."
The next morning he prepared to leave. As he finished fastening the saddlebags to Oscor, Alanon went over some final things with him. "Remember not to eat or drink anything but what you've brought once you get to Tirisfal," the druid was saying. Barraccus turned to him with a wry expression. "Do you think it would really harm me that much?" he asked, and Alanon studied him for a bit. "I suppose not," he admitted with a sigh. Barraccus turned to Quae, who stood nearby. She came forward and hugged him tightly, and he kissed her forehead. When she stepped back, all she said was, "Find him, Barraccus. Find him and get the both of you home safe."
He mounted Oscor and was soon on his way. He pushed the big saber hard, and arrived at Southshore in record time. He left Oscor there; he didn't want to risk his prized mount through the plague-infested lands he would be traveling in soon. Instead, he walked out of the town, then when he was out of sight he stopped and concentrated. Suddenly his deathcharger materialized next to him in a swirl of dark energy. He fastened his packs onto its back, mounted and continued on his way.
He rode north to Chillwind Camp, where he stopped to ask after Rhokk. He found one person that remembered seeing the draenei, who told him that Rhokk had mentioned heading to Light's Hope Chapel, to aid the Argent Dawn there.
Light's Hope. The name brought back memories, mostly ones that he wished would remain buried. He thanked the man distractedly and rode on.
His deathcharger was tireless, unlike Oscor, and Barraccus didn't stop until he was about to fall out of the saddle. He made a hurried camp, left his charger to guard and fell into sleep. He woke after only a couple hours, and pressed on. He reached Light's Hope late that day. It was extremely uncomfortable for him to be there, after all that had happened when he had last been there, but the paladins that remained all accepted him without question. He found a member of the Argent Dawn who had spoken to Rhokk and asked him about the shaman's possible whereabouts. "He hasn't been in for days now," the paladin said. "Last time he was, he headed out in the direction of the Plaguewood. Be real careful, son. He wasn't acting quite right last time. He tried to attack our quartermaster." Barraccus raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't dispute it; if Rhokk's letter was any indication, the draenei was capable of anything now.
He spent the night there at the Chapel, then headed out at dawn. The trip to the Plaguewood did not take long. Once there, Barraccus slowed his mount to a walk and began his search.
That night as they lay in bed, Barraccus held Quae close. With Alanon and Riatha sleeping in the other beds, they couldn't do much more than cuddle, but Barraccus had felt bad about asking them to stay downstairs another night. He was almost asleep when he felt Quae shudder against him. He reached over to turn her face toward his, then gently wiped tears from her cheeks. "Quae," he said softly. "It will be alright. Nothing will happen to me this time." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "It feels like I just got you back, and now you're leaving again," she said, just as quietly. "I know," he replied. "Maybe after this we can go somewhere, like a vacation. Just us, for a week or two. What do you think?" She smiled through her tears at him. "I just wish I was going with you," she said. He immediately shook his head. "You're not ready for the Plaguelands yet. You still have some training to do before then." "I know that," she replied, sounding almost angry, and he placed a placating hand on one of hers. "Rhokk's letter said not to tell anyone. I've already broken that part, but it's still best I go alone." She sighed, then pressed against him, burying her face in his chest. "Just make sure you come back in one piece," she told him, her voice muffled. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll come back, I promise. I will come back."
The next morning he prepared to leave. As he finished fastening the saddlebags to Oscor, Alanon went over some final things with him. "Remember not to eat or drink anything but what you've brought once you get to Tirisfal," the druid was saying. Barraccus turned to him with a wry expression. "Do you think it would really harm me that much?" he asked, and Alanon studied him for a bit. "I suppose not," he admitted with a sigh. Barraccus turned to Quae, who stood nearby. She came forward and hugged him tightly, and he kissed her forehead. When she stepped back, all she said was, "Find him, Barraccus. Find him and get the both of you home safe."
He mounted Oscor and was soon on his way. He pushed the big saber hard, and arrived at Southshore in record time. He left Oscor there; he didn't want to risk his prized mount through the plague-infested lands he would be traveling in soon. Instead, he walked out of the town, then when he was out of sight he stopped and concentrated. Suddenly his deathcharger materialized next to him in a swirl of dark energy. He fastened his packs onto its back, mounted and continued on his way.
He rode north to Chillwind Camp, where he stopped to ask after Rhokk. He found one person that remembered seeing the draenei, who told him that Rhokk had mentioned heading to Light's Hope Chapel, to aid the Argent Dawn there.
Light's Hope. The name brought back memories, mostly ones that he wished would remain buried. He thanked the man distractedly and rode on.
His deathcharger was tireless, unlike Oscor, and Barraccus didn't stop until he was about to fall out of the saddle. He made a hurried camp, left his charger to guard and fell into sleep. He woke after only a couple hours, and pressed on. He reached Light's Hope late that day. It was extremely uncomfortable for him to be there, after all that had happened when he had last been there, but the paladins that remained all accepted him without question. He found a member of the Argent Dawn who had spoken to Rhokk and asked him about the shaman's possible whereabouts. "He hasn't been in for days now," the paladin said. "Last time he was, he headed out in the direction of the Plaguewood. Be real careful, son. He wasn't acting quite right last time. He tried to attack our quartermaster." Barraccus raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't dispute it; if Rhokk's letter was any indication, the draenei was capable of anything now.
He spent the night there at the Chapel, then headed out at dawn. The trip to the Plaguewood did not take long. Once there, Barraccus slowed his mount to a walk and began his search.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Barraccus and Rhokk: Part 1
Starting a collaboration between myself and Crison of Unholy Presence. To read all of the letter Barraccus gets, check it out here.
_______________________________
Barraccus got his mail out of the mailbox, then went inside the Astranaar inn to read it. Quae had already gotten hers; it looked to him like it was mostly notices from the auction house. Most must have sold, from the pleased expression on her face. He glanced through his own mail and found a few notices of his own, then a letter on the bottom of the stack. Before opening it, he paused and looked at Quae for a bit.
She had hardly left his side for the last 4 days, ever since she had braved the Emerald Dream and convinced him to return to his life. He still found it hard to believe sometimes that she loved him, or that he returned the feeling. He knew it was true though; no other reason could explain the way she helped him through his grief over his lost family, or how she nursed him back to health after his self-induced coma.
Quae noticed him staring at her and quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly. He gave her a reassuring smile, then turned back to his letter. He was startled to see it was from Rhokk. He hadn't heard from the draenei since Rhokk had gone to the Plaguelands weeks earlier. He opened it, read through it, and felt the blood drain from his face.
Barraccus I need your help... The words in the letter were scrambled, barely coherent. ...killed so many... Parts of sentences jumped out at him. ... I knew you were a Death Knight... His hands shook slightly as he re-read it. ...Crison...she saved me...left me to die... I've gone insane... His eyes locked onto two words at the end of the letter...Lich King.
What was going on?
* * * * * * * *
Quae watched Barraccus as he turned to his last piece of mail, a letter by the look of it. He had changed since his memory had returned; most of the stuttering and shyness had vanished. He was more self-assured now, stronger, and he was proving to have a stubborn streak to match her own. All told, she rather liked the changes.
But right now she wasn't thinking of all that. She kept thinking of her conversations, with him and with Alanon, shortly after he had woken from his coma. She couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Quae, you do know what this means, don't you?"
"Yes I do. A priestess and an undead, even one that's free of the Lich King. It's anathema."
"And does he know what could come of this?"
"Yes, Alanon. He does."
"A death knight and a priestess, what kind of chance do we have?"
"I'm not sure how long we can really be together."
"I have to go back, and try to finish what was started."
"I want to do whatever I can to make the time we do have, the best possible. This I promise, Quae.”
She watched as he opened his letter and started reading, and sighed. Now she remembered a night long ago, in a small clearing in the Moonglade. She had just started her training as a priestess of Elune, and had discovered a natural affinity to the shadowy side of Her magic. Her trainers had been upset and forbidden her to practice it until she was much farther in her training. Severely disappointed, the headstrong young night elf had run away from the Temple of the Moon and found her way to the Moonglade, wanting to be alone. But when a stray moonbeam found her in an otherwise moonless night, she had learned she would never truly be alone, as Elune Herself spoke to her for several hours.
"You will be my priestess, no matter what they say. I will never leave you, daughter."
Lost in her memories, she didn't notice at first when Barraccus stiffened, but she did notice his face go pale. Alarmed, she stood and went over to him. "What is it, Barraccus? What's wrong?" He looked at her, his eyes wide and full of worry. "It's Rhokk. I think he's in trouble."
_________________________________
To be continued....
_______________________________
Barraccus got his mail out of the mailbox, then went inside the Astranaar inn to read it. Quae had already gotten hers; it looked to him like it was mostly notices from the auction house. Most must have sold, from the pleased expression on her face. He glanced through his own mail and found a few notices of his own, then a letter on the bottom of the stack. Before opening it, he paused and looked at Quae for a bit.
She had hardly left his side for the last 4 days, ever since she had braved the Emerald Dream and convinced him to return to his life. He still found it hard to believe sometimes that she loved him, or that he returned the feeling. He knew it was true though; no other reason could explain the way she helped him through his grief over his lost family, or how she nursed him back to health after his self-induced coma.
Quae noticed him staring at her and quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly. He gave her a reassuring smile, then turned back to his letter. He was startled to see it was from Rhokk. He hadn't heard from the draenei since Rhokk had gone to the Plaguelands weeks earlier. He opened it, read through it, and felt the blood drain from his face.
Barraccus I need your help... The words in the letter were scrambled, barely coherent. ...killed so many... Parts of sentences jumped out at him. ... I knew you were a Death Knight... His hands shook slightly as he re-read it. ...Crison...she saved me...left me to die... I've gone insane... His eyes locked onto two words at the end of the letter...Lich King.
What was going on?
* * * * * * * *
Quae watched Barraccus as he turned to his last piece of mail, a letter by the look of it. He had changed since his memory had returned; most of the stuttering and shyness had vanished. He was more self-assured now, stronger, and he was proving to have a stubborn streak to match her own. All told, she rather liked the changes.
But right now she wasn't thinking of all that. She kept thinking of her conversations, with him and with Alanon, shortly after he had woken from his coma. She couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Quae, you do know what this means, don't you?"
"Yes I do. A priestess and an undead, even one that's free of the Lich King. It's anathema."
"And does he know what could come of this?"
"Yes, Alanon. He does."
"A death knight and a priestess, what kind of chance do we have?"
"I'm not sure how long we can really be together."
"I have to go back, and try to finish what was started."
"I want to do whatever I can to make the time we do have, the best possible. This I promise, Quae.”
She watched as he opened his letter and started reading, and sighed. Now she remembered a night long ago, in a small clearing in the Moonglade. She had just started her training as a priestess of Elune, and had discovered a natural affinity to the shadowy side of Her magic. Her trainers had been upset and forbidden her to practice it until she was much farther in her training. Severely disappointed, the headstrong young night elf had run away from the Temple of the Moon and found her way to the Moonglade, wanting to be alone. But when a stray moonbeam found her in an otherwise moonless night, she had learned she would never truly be alone, as Elune Herself spoke to her for several hours.
"You will be my priestess, no matter what they say. I will never leave you, daughter."
Lost in her memories, she didn't notice at first when Barraccus stiffened, but she did notice his face go pale. Alarmed, she stood and went over to him. "What is it, Barraccus? What's wrong?" He looked at her, his eyes wide and full of worry. "It's Rhokk. I think he's in trouble."
_________________________________
To be continued....
Monday, May 4, 2009
Practicing my director skills
Haven't made a new movie for awhile, so here's a little something I just put together. Boogga needed buff food before a raid, so he decided to give his worm a little exercise at the same time. Enjoy! This was just before the 3.1 patch, so no thunderstomp yet. And yes, I know these are lower-level mobs, I didn't make it to show off, just for entertainment. Music is from the Bourne Supremacy soundtrack.
Edit for Youtube linkage.
Apparently I get a little silly when I'm farming. >.>
On a side note, I'm getting a little bored with doing "So-and-so did this, and got that, and then This Toon did that" kind of posts, so I'm in the process of working out something different. I will get back to regular posts soon, I promise.
On another side note, Spirit Bond now has over 2ooo views! /boggle
Edit for Youtube linkage.
Apparently I get a little silly when I'm farming. >.>On a side note, I'm getting a little bored with doing "So-and-so did this, and got that, and then This Toon did that" kind of posts, so I'm in the process of working out something different. I will get back to regular posts soon, I promise.
On another side note, Spirit Bond now has over 2ooo views! /boggle
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