Brightflame, Dim Memories
Valdrakken
Grimo scowled, sucking down a cigar as he walked through the city with two other members of Savage United. “So now she’s back AND she’s got a godsdamn dragon on her side?! Fuckin' fel that damn worgen keeps gettin' worse…” he snarled, flicking away the butt of the cigar as he finished and exhaling a cloud of foul smelling smoke that made the nose of one of his companions wrinkle up.
Sekhi was with him, the shamaness’ eyes watering at the awful stench of the cigar, but she didn’t want to say anything. Grimo’s song sounded exceptionally angry and scared right now, and she was afraid of setting the goblin off.
Their other companion had no issues with this, but then Grimo only came up to her knees. “Yeah, Mola’raum said that she almost got them from above when they found a village of gnolls that had been wiped out, likely by her. Jaie was with them and she and Mola are pretty sure that the wounds were inflicted by an axe… so we both know who that means.” replied Nitika, the goblin nodding as they thought of Az'arad and his penchant for such weapons. Dissonantia rarely did the dirty work herself, she was a demon summoner first and foremost which meant the actual killing was likely her minions and she harvested the souls as they finished them off.
“Great, well if nothin’ else that means we got a chance to finish what I’m workin’ on. If you guys see a demon, get somethin’ off ‘em. A tooth, a claw, a horn, ANYTHING. Sooner we got that, sooner I can finish it, miniaturize it, and make it portable. Then we got ‘em.” he nodded as the trio wandered past a stage set up in the city center.
“MY FELLOW DRAGONS!” came an excited sounding voice from the stage. A female goblin was standing on it wearing a shiny gold double-breasted suit over her small frame, along with a big pair of sunglasses decorated in rhinestones. She had a string of pearls around her neck and her fingers had enough gem-studded rings to qualify as fist weapons. “Today is your lucky day! My name is the Very Reverend Jezzi Fizcrank and I’m here to tell you the good news about Gold! That’s right, not gods, GOLD! Gold is the source of all happiness in Azeroth, don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise and, for a small small donation to my mission, I can show you all the secret path to everlasting happiness with GOLD! Step right up here and don’t be shy!” she called out as behind her a small choir of goblins sang a rather upbeat song about giving up your worldly possessions to earn more worldly possessions.
“Ugh… freakin’ Fizzcrank is here too… just what I fuckin’ wanted to see…” growled Grimo as they passed, very pointedly looking away from the stage as a few curious Dracthyr walked closer, one of them mentioning that he did like the idea of a nice hoard.
Sekhi looked at him curiously, “Um, ya know her?” asked the Vulpera, her ears flicking. The song was very catchy, but she could tell that like the woman’s suit while it held the appearance of gold it was very much not what it seemed.
“Yeah, little shit is one of the biggest con artists in all of Bilgewater Harbor. She ‘n her freakin’ cult lure in suckers year round ‘n bilk ‘em outta everything they got with th’ promise that donatin’ to her is gonna make ‘em rich.”
Nitika rolled her eyes at his words. She was a ‘priestess’ of sorts herself and Jezzi’s rather energetic sermon did annoy her a bit, but she wasn’t gullible enough to fall for it. “You’re just jealous she has more money than you Grimo.” she smirked down at him.
Grimo snarled and threw up his hands, “SHE’S SELLIN’ SNAKE OIL WITH NO SNAKES OR OIL! HOW TH' FUCK DOES SHE PULL THAT OFF?!” he barked, then fished out a fresh cigar and bit the tip off it, spitting it into the distance as he lit it while letting out a string of curses under his breath.
Sekhi giggled, a small chittering sound in her case, then she slowed as the other two kept going through the city. The vulpera’s ears perked, picking up faint traces of a person’s song reaching her. “Hm?” she yipped softly, looking over her shoulder, then padding off through the city as she followed the sounds.
Her feet carried her through the craftsman’s quarter, around past the bridge to the nursery set up for dragon whelps, and up some stairs until she found it’s source seated on a bench in the Obisidan Enclave. “Oh! Its ya again!” she said cheerfully as the bench’s occupant looked up at her.
Laura Brightflame was seated there, the dracthyr currently in her humanoid guise with her staff resting across her lap. “Oh hello, Sekhi right?” she asked. She had been lost in thought and hadn’t even noticed the vulpera at first.
“Yup!” she yipped cheerfully, “Ya okay? Your song sounded really sad… I could hear it all th' way up from infront of th' big tower…” she asked, cocking her head at the evoker.
“I… do not know…” she sighed, shaking her head, “The others are coping well enough, mostly… but… I cannot remember anything of what happened to us. What we were before we were sealed away. Just fragments and flashes. Nothing more.” she frowned. “I feel… I feel like I forgot something important, very very important… but I cannot recall what.”
Sekhi nodded, sitting on the bench next to her as her feet dangled off the edge. “Hmm… yeah I heard some of th' Dracthyr talkin’ bout that back in Orgrimmar. Guess ya guys were sleepin’ for a really really really long time huh?” she asked.
“… twenty thousand years, yes.” replied Laura. Her mind still reeled at all that had happened during their imprisonment. The fall of the Burning Legion, the defeat of the Old Gods, the arrival of the Orcish Horde… even the Sundering itself! They were imprisoned ten thousand years before the War of the Ancients ever happened!
Sekhi nodded, “That’s a yippin’ long nap, yup…” she replied, “You really can’t remember anything at all?” she asked.
Laura sighed, taking a deep breath, and closed her eyes. “There was… a battle, against a terrible foe. We were an army, under the command of Neltharion. Then… something terrible happened. Something broke, and we broke with it…” she rubbed at her temples, trying to pull on the small fragments of memory she had. “I… remember terror… the sound of thunder… my wingmates scattering in fear… flashes of… lightning… then… Neltharion did something… and…” she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Nothing. The rest is just… it is like trying to remember a dream.”
Sekhi’s ears drooped, the vulpera hearing the dracthyr’s song in her mind. A morose lament of loss and despair. “Um… yeah, wow…” she thought on that, then the flames in a nearby brazier caught in the wind and she heard a faint voice in her ears, a guitar mixed with a flute, and her ears caught the voice of the elements.
“I… might be able to help, but I’ll need to get some stuffs. Can ya, um, can ya meet me…” she looked around, “Um… over there, th' cliffside near that waterfall there, in about a day or so?” she asked.
Laura turned to face her, “Help? How?” she asked, looking confused.
“Well, Imma shaman… not like those Primalist jerks, but a proper shaman! I know some stuffs 'bout magic ‘n spirits ‘n stuffs!” she nodded with a little foxy grin, her tail swishing. “I gotta get some help settin’ up… but I think I can do somethin’!”
The next evening…
Laura flew over the cliffside in her dracthyr form, her wings spread out behind her. The vulpera seemed so certain she could help, but could she really? She was desperate though, she needed help from someone, and Sekhi was willing.
When she landed there were three others there besides Sekhi. A human man stood nearby, wearing elegant robes in a pandaren design and taking notes in a book he had with him using a sharpened charcoal stick. Also there was an orcish woman, but one of the red-skinned variety. She thinks that she heard them called ‘mag’har’ or something, though she didn’t know what the word meant.
Lastly, that tauren woman she’d seen on the boat to the Isles.
In the middle of them all was a large iron brazier with the vulpera fussing over the contents. “Okay… soooo… I swapped out th' dreamfoil from last time with some bubble poppy… ‘n th' branches are from local trees instead'a Mount Hyjal. Th' sand is some I scooped up from th' beach up north. But yeah, should do it… at least I think that’s what th' elements said would work…” she chittered as the mage’s charcoal scratched it’s way along the parchment.
“Interesting interesting…” he muttered. “I swear I’ve learned more about shamanistic rituals from you than most anyone else I’ve known.” he chuckled to her, looking up as Laura landed and resumed her visage form. “Ah, this must be the one you mentioned.” he said, tucking the charcoal and book away in his pouch and walking over. “Nelen Fullmoon of Gilneas, a pleasure.” he nodded to her. “I’m here to observe Sekhi’s ritual on behalf of the Kirin Tor. We’re always eager to see new forms of magic in use.”
Laura nodded to him, “You may call me Laura Brightflame.” she replied, looking somewhat nervous at the assembled group.
“Yeah I know you. You saved my ass when those Primalists came after the camp.” grinned the orc. “I owe ya. Name’s Galdia Grimaxe, you need someone to watch your back just yell.”
Laura nodded, letting out a nervous chuckle. She remembered Galdia from the boat ride over too… and how much damage she’d caused when the alcohol ran out.
“Alright!” yipped Sekhi, “I think we’re ready… so… Laura. Ya need to sit next to th' thingy…” she gestured to the brazier, “'n I’ll light it ‘n start playing my flute. Ya breathe a bit of th' smoke from it, then just try to think back… 'n if it works you should… well… remember somethin’… I hope.” she nodded. It was a variant of what she’d tried in the Shadowlands, but she also remembered how that one had gone awry as well.
Laura nodded, seating herself next to the brazier as the others scooted away. Nitika stood nearby, ready just in case. She had elected to come with Galdia for one very specific reason: if the ritual went badly wrong they would have an angry or panicked Dracthyr on their hands and in terms of sheer physical prowess they were the strongest of their allies. They would try not to hurt her, but their strength may be needed to restrain her.
“Okay!” yipped Sekhi, sitting down opposite Laura on the far side of the brazier. “Just… take a breath, listen, 'n let your thoughts do their thing.” she nodded, clicking her claws together as a spark flew from them to the mix in the bowl, which caught and soon began to smolder.
Sekhi put her flute to her muzzle, then began to play a soft gentle tune as she closed her eyes. After a moment she opened one, then glanced meaningfully between Laura and the bowl.
The dracthyr hesitated, then nodded and leaned in, taking a breath and coughing just a bit from the smoke.
For a long moment, nothing happened at all… then slowly Laura began to feel strangely detatched, as if the world around her was fading away.
“What… is happening…” she muttered, “I feel…” she began, her voice trailing off as her eyes drifted shut.
She thought she heard someone calling her name, her true name, over and over…
Then her eyes flew open, but she was in her true form once more, and all around her was chaos.
“LAURELGOSA! THE RELIC IS DESTROYED! WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!” cried another dracthyr, shaking her frantically. They had crimson scales and were wearing hooded robes.
There were dracthyr everywhere, some wounded, others dead, most of them in states of panic, and above them the sky exploded with lightning.
“DEATH TO THE SLAVES OF THE TITANS! DEATH TO THE DEFILERS OF AZEROTH!” roared a furious voice above them as Laurelgosa’s head snapped upwards.
Above them was a massive protodrake with violet scales, it’s body crackling with electricity as it unleashed a blast of elemental fury at the ground before it. A bolt of lightning so huge it was more akin to a laser cannon than a simple storm strike.
“Raszageth…” she whispered, her eyes wide. That’s right, they were fighting the Incarnates when it all went wrong.
“Laurelgosa! Focus!” shouted the other dracthyr. “Raszageth destroyed the Oathbinder! We must gather the others and escape while we can!”
“Oathbinder? I… I don't…” she stammered out, her eyes wide.
“Damn it all! You're still in shock from the control breaking! I will explain all later, but now we must…” the dracthyr snarled, then suddenly looked up as the sound of thunder rolled, “She's coming back! Laurelgosa! LOOK OUT!” they shouted, spreading their wings and flapping as hard as they could, shoving her away from them.
Laurelgosa let out a loud cry, flying backwards as the dracthyr flew away the other direction… and then came the lightning. She felt her chest catch as she saw a beam of energy slam down into the ground inches from where the crimson dracthyr was, hearing a scream of agony.
She ran forward as the beam dissipated, Raszageth flying into the air and cackling above her at the chaos spreading below, and saw the crimson scaled dracthyr laying in a pool of blood. Raszageth’s breath had shattered the ground around them, sending rock flying everywhere, and it had shredded their wings and scales. The extreme heat of her breath had scorched what wasn’t bleeding, one of their eyes was gone entirely.
“Laurelgosa…” they gasped, reaching out a clawed hand. “Leave me… run from here… don’t… let them…” they whispered hoarsely.
Laurelgosa’s eyes widened, but the crimson dracthyr suddenly coughed. a horrible wet sound, and Laurelgosa saw a jagged shard of rock protruding from their chest. Their arm fell to the ground, the light going out in their remaining eye.
“Jakrostrasz!” she gasped, thrusting her hand out infront of her, then yelping and pulling it back, stuffing her thumb in her mouth as she burned it on the brazier as the others cried out in alarm. Sekhi dropped her flute in her lap in shock as Nitika winced in sympathy to the burn, Galdia snorting a bit and standing ready to grab the dracthyr if needed.
“AUGH!” gasped Laura, shaking her hand and looking around. She was back in the present now, or had she ever truly left? She couldn’t tell.
“I… I remember…” she whispered, “We fought..." she hesitated, the Horde and Alliance were keeping the truth behind the leaders of the Primalists secret to avoid causing panic among their populace, "... a deadly enemy twenty thousand years ago. I was in shock, something had broken and… it had freed me from… something? I…” she shuddered, remembering the dracthyr’s face, “I… saw my clutchmate die right infront of me. He was wounded, but I could not think clearly… and… I could not save them.” she whispered, staring at the burn mark already swelling on their thumb.
Nelen had his notebook out, the charcoal stick moving like a blur. “Astounding… so the dracthyr were sealed following a battle with a major foe, but what was that about being ‘freed?’” he asked, looking up at her.
She shook her head, “I cannot recall… my clutchmate, Jakrostrasz, seemed to know what had happened. I just remember…” she screwed up her eyes, “A feeling of… order, perfection, we were all united somehow… then the battle came and…” she hesitated, trying to hold onto the memories, “He said something about a relic being broken. I can recall no more.” she shook her head, looking to the brazier… perhaps another breath.
Sekhi yipped, then shook her head, “NO! I mean, no… it ain't safe to do it again so soon! Th' elements are telling that’s really dangerous, like ya could get lost in your memories bad!” she insisted, slapping out a rhythm against her thigh with her hands. When she did a sudden miniature rainstorm appeared above the brasier, just long enough to extinguish the burning within. “We can try again maybe in a few weeks, but ya gotta wait.”
She nodded, “I see… then, I will wait.” she replied, rubbing at the blister on her thumb with her fingertip. Inside however she wanted to dive back in right away. Jakostrasz had been trying to tell her something before he died, but what? What was he talking about when he said ‘freed?’ Freed from what?
Would she ever know the answer now?
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DWC2021-3 - Romance/Compromised.
- [ Music ] -
Orgrimmar.
That is where Kou had met him. Had met them.
Ker and Kujiro were oddities to the blind fox and Kou found them strange but endearing. He had found himself liking both for vast differences of reasons, but his first had been Ker. “The Boys”, as Kou always referred to them, was a loving pet name, one that he still used even now. While their adventures had brought them all closer together, it wasn’t all that long ago that they were fighting just to spend a bit of time together.
It was a morning that Kujiro had left the camp early with intentions to spend the day with Ainkai, leaving Ker and Kou to remain curled up together in the endless sea of pillows. Though Kou awoke before Ker, who had surprisingly slept in, the blind fox cuddled a bit closer to the ruffian, one arm wrapped around the monochrome todd to hug on and let his mind wander.
The Jade Forest… That is where it had begun. Kou’s first performance had him nerve-wracked and anxious, no matter how calm and collected he pretended to be. It had gone well but it had left Kou exhausted from the illusionary magic he used in his storytelling - Ker had offered to stay with him. It was a moment just light this, both curled up together and finally alone… For once, uninterrupted. It was romantic falling asleep in a place that the kitsune finally felt safe in, away from the mercenary company he had traveled with, away from the chaos of his Tower or journey to go home. It was the first time he’d felt peace.
That was, until morning.
“Hello? Anyone in there?” A familiar voice sounded out, disturbing the two from their whispered sweet nothings and near first kiss, pausing them completely. They had been so close to a confession of feelings and a mutual acquaintance had invited himself in to join…. Only to take Ker away once another random Vulpera invaded the tent as if she lived there.
What was even going on?
When Ker returned, he saw the female Vulpera sitting upon Kou, nuzzling in an attempt to sway him to bed her. The worst timing of it all had been that Kou had snagged her sides with the intent of pushing her off him, rendering a visually compromising position. Breakfast was ruined, the morning ruined and both tods were silently stewing in jealousy and frustration.
It had begun to rain.
How fitting, Kou thought.
Ker was the first to leave in a huff, unsure why he felt so threatened, trudging through the rain and away from Kou and the woman. The blind fox, having lost love before, felt no need to hesitate and do such again. Pushing the female out, he wished her a good life and ran after his Knight.
“Wait--!” Kou looked around to listen, the rain drowned out his sense of smell and hearing, leaving the white fox vulnerable and in the middle of the road. “Cur! Wait!” How dare something beautiful that had begun to bloom could have possibly been ruined so quickly. How such would stain the cloth fabric for a while to come…
“Mm… What ya daydreamin’ on?” Ker’s voice was groggy as he rolled to curl his arms around Kou, hugging the small Vulpera closer to his chest. It had pulled Kou from his aimless gaze and mind wandering through the past.
“Kissing you in the rain,” Kou mused sweetly, letting his eyes close to nestle into the warmth.
“Ya? Was a good kiss, heheh...”
“One of the best, yes yes.”
@daily-writing-challenge
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