Barraccus and Quae: Dalaran

Moonlight and the light from the Dalaran streetlamps made their room in the Hero's Welcome as bright as day to night elven eyes. Barraccus lay next to Quae, watching her sleep. He wasn’t quite ready for sleep himself, not yet. Right now, he was content to simply look at her.

He loved her so much it sometimes took his breath away. She made him feel alive, like no one had before. He missed her when they were apart, and usually didn’t even realize how much until he came back and saw her again. But it was more than that, too. He knew that everyone he met didn’t necessarily see him when they looked at him; they saw a death knight. Even Alanon and Pitch, for all that they liked him and wanted to help. Riatha at times was worse. He had come to regard her as a sister, but she was a constant reminder of what they both were. But Quae was different; he knew that she didn’t care one whit about what he was, she saw him for himself. He thought that if he ever lost her, it would probably be his end.

At that less-than-pleasant thought, an image suddenly popped into his head, of his wife being torn apart by rotting ghouls. But it wasn’t Luraniel’s face that looked at him as she died. It was Quae’s.

He banished the image savagely, his face twisting into a silent snarl. He couldn’t quite hide his body’s violent twitch, but all Quae did was make a small sound in her sleep. He kept silent, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder while he regained his composure.

He had meant what he had said, about vengeance on Arthas. But it was more than that; he was deathly afraid that if the Lich King was not dealt with, then at some point he would come after Quae, and Barraccus couldn't stand that thought. He couldn’t even mention this to Quae; he knew she would likely get upset again over his protectiveness.

Looking at her now, he wondered at the strength of his own feelings. He and Luraniel had hardly known each other when they were wed. He had grown to love her, in his own way. She had been his wife, his friend and partner. But he felt a deeper connection with Quae. He wasn’t the romantic type, not really, but he was growing sure that in Quae, he had found his soulmate.

He remained absorbed in his own thoughts, until at last he was too tired to keep things straight. He moved in closer, slipping one arm around her, and gave himself over to sleep.

* * * * *

The view from Krasus’ Landing was breathtaking. Barraccus watched as Quae looked out on Crystalsong Forest far below, delight spreading over her face, and wished he could share her happiness. He had come to a decision about his thoughts from last night, and he wasn’t looking forward to the discussion he knew they had to have. Finally he reached out and touched her arm, drawing her attention. She looked over at him, and her grin faded at the serious expression on his face. “We need to have a talk,” he told her softly, and led her over to a quiet spot to the side. Once there he turned to her.

“I’d like to tell you some things, but please, don’t interrupt me until I’m done, okay? I don’t think you’re going to like all I have to say, but it needs to be said.” He paused and studied her, noting the sudden fear on her face, and gave her a comforting grin. “I love you, Quae. I don’t want to leave you,” he said softly, and she relaxed, returning his smile. Finding a spot under a young tree, he settled down on the grass, pulling her down next to him. Then he sat silent for a minute, gathering his thoughts.

“I know you think I’ve been too protective, and you’re right. But I didn’t go to Feralas to try to ‘save’ you, you just assumed I did. We need to come to an understanding about this. I don’t like arguing, and it seems we’ve been doing too much of it lately.” He looked up at her, holding her gaze for a minute.

“I wanted to die,” he said quietly, then held a hand up to forestall her response. “When my memories came back, all I could think of was that I had betrayed everything I held dear. I couldn't live with that, and tried to escape it all. Then you found me and convinced me to give my life another shot. Now, I want to keep living. I’d like to see how far all of this takes us. I know you fear for me, but believe me, I’m not going to go flinging myself at Arthas until one of us is dead. I won’t say that I’ll pass up any opportunities that come along, but as far as seeking him out, well, I’m not suicidal," he paused and gave her a teasing grin, "no matter what you might think."

He sobered then and studied her again, knowing she probably wouldn't like what he said next. "Quae, I do love you. You make me feel like I'm alive again, even when others all are afraid of me, of what I am. If anything ever happened to you, my life is over. I've lost one family, I couldn't go through that again, do you understand?" She started to frown in protest, but she stopped herself and finally nodded. "There's no guarantee that we will win against Arthas and the Scourge," he continued. "Every day we get is a gift right now. I don't want to spend half of our time together fighting." He paused and looked at her, giving her a chance to speak if she wanted.

She sighed and said, "I don't want to either. I'm sorry, Barraccus. I suppose I've been a bit too touchy lately." She looked down at her hands, then reached over and took one of his. "Let's try this, then: I promise not to snap at you again, if you can pretend you're not protecting me, deal?" He grinned at her. "I couldn't have said it better myself, m'lady." She grinned back and swatted at him.

* * * * * *

He walked with her to the portal that would take her to Darnassus and home. She hugged him, then pulled back and looked at him for a moment. "Come home with me," she said, and after a second he nodded.

They rode into the yard in good time, and Alanon came out to greet them. He smiled up at the death knight. "Barraccus, you have excellent timing. I have a surprise for you," he said, then nodded his head toward the side of the house. Curious, Barraccus swung down from Dune'adah's back and walked around the house, only to be pounced on and nearly bowled over by 800 pounds of saber cat.

"Oscor?" he said dazedly, as the big cat gently batted at him with one forepaw and butted his broad head against him. He got the saber calmed down after a few minutes, and gave him a brief once-over. Except for a large scar on his right hind leg, Oscor looked the same as he had before the accident. Barraccus patted his head, glad to see him again, while the huge cat treated him with a throaty purr.

Alanon and Quae came up as he finished brushing the dust off himself from Oscor's enthusiastic greeting. "He's healed up fine and is as good as new," the druid said. "I was about to post you a letter, but you've saved me the trouble and yourself a trip. He's been lazing about here for a couple days, and I imagine he's ready for the road now." "Thank you, Alanon," Barraccus replied. "He looks great. I'm sure Dune'adah wouldn't mind a break." He gave his mount a final pat, then turned to the others.

Together, the three walked back to the house.

Khaotic: Altiuiqo

I hadn't originally planned on making a story for Alti. His tame just kinda happened, nothing special about it. But, well, you know how things just happen, plus I was bored at work. >.>
So, here's his story. Enjoy!
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Khaotic studied the small pride of lions clustered underneath one of the few trees here in the Barrens. Kaled stood behind her, his gaze divided between watching the lions and scanning the surroundings for any danger. Ashkeyana sat next to his master looking like he was about to fall asleep, until he abruptly got up and nudged under Khaotic's arm for a scratch. She obliged him, but her attention remained on the big cats below, especially on the young, dark pride leader.

She had discovered him yesterday and had immediately sent word to Kaled, who had gone on further south. He had returned right away, eager to see the strange cat. They had been studying the unusual black lion all day now, and Khaotic was finally sure that she wanted him for a companion. She guessed his age to be about 18 months, very young for a pride leader, even if his family was a small one. Given the number of bachelor males in the area, she knew his pride wouldn't be leaderless for long, so that was one concern out of her way. She just had to worry about taming him, now.

Kaled crouched down next to her on the rock, putting one hand on her shoulder. "You're sure about this?" he asked softly, not wanting to alert the lions below. She nodded, her gaze not leaving her target. He patted her shoulder. "Good luck, love. We'll be waiting here, for both of you." She finally looked away from the black lion, to smile at her husband. Then, without a word, she stood and started toward the great cats.

* * * * * *

Khaotic walked back up to the rock where Kaled waited, pride and love making his eyes shine. Beside her paced the young black lion, looking a little dazed by the twist his life had just taken. He stopped and growled when he saw Kaled, still wary, until Ashke came and began nuzzling him. The older cat's attentions soon had him calmed, and he lay down next to his mistress while she sat on the rock and stroked his mane.

"I'll call him Altiuiqo," she told Kaled. He grinned at her. "That's a bit of a mouthful, love. Got a nickname for him?" She swatted at him, also grinning, then stared down to her new pet's green eyes. "Alti will work," she said. "Let's take him home now, love. He has a lot to learn."

Another milestone for Khaotic

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!

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!

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- 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.
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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)
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So go have fun with it! And Happy Hunting!

Barraccus and Quae

Inspired by this quest, which Barraccus just completed. :)
Enjoy! Also, Zomg they have a fight?!?
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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.