#Kai’eka Sunwhisper

[cebinaruavin]

Survivors

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango / @brent-sunborn . @pariker​ / @nepenthea and @kaiekasunwhisper​ for character mention.))

~*~*~

Shortly after the events of Ny’alotha...

Crash!

The shadows sloppily deposited Brent into his tent in what remained of the Coterie’s camp. The lack of grace wasn’t from wounds or exhaustion… his power was waning. He’d felt it immediately as N’Zoth was destroyed. Ripples had surged through the shadows, wracking everyone linked in any way to the Old God at the moment of his demise; and they hadn’t been the same ever since. Like a wheel spinning off its axis, Ren’dorei could feel the shadows losing stability, falling out of the balanced alignment they once boasted. He brought himself to his feet, and set back the items knocked over by his rough landing; a jeweled vase and golden scarab statuette, both of which he’d uncovered with Nepen’thea in their archaeological days. This tent had been one they shared… and he couldn’t bring himself to change anything about it.

His ear flickered, eyes narrowing as he glanced to the tent’s entrance. He wasn’t alone, it seemed. He drew a dagger - the metal feeling heavier in his hand somehow - as he silently stepped towards the tent flaps. He couldn’t feel anything as clearly through the shadows anymore, unable to tell if it was a friend or enemy he heard in one of the adjacent tents. 

He knew it wasn’t Kai’eka, at the very least. For one, it was much too quiet a noise to be her. For another… he’d watched her die in Ny’alotha. Even without the runes connecting them, the pain he’d felt shoot through his body was paralytic. Intense. Sorrowful. Thinking of it now caused his heart to well up in his throat. He swallowed it down, refocusing on the imminent danger. Was someone ransacking the Coterie camp? Or…

“... Ceb?” he called out in a whisper, hoping it was her.

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sharp senses, Sweetie,” the familiar melodious voice spoke up.

The shape of Cebina’s silhouette formed among the swirling shadows of the rift, before stepping out to meet Brent. She looked healthy and well. Clearly, she hadn’t been anywhere near the fighting in Ny’alotha… or perhaps she had and was just that good. It was hard to say which. It was rare to find the priestess on the front lines of any battle. Like Brent, she preferred to operate through deceit and choosing the perfect moment to strike. 

She could feel Brent drained through the shadow link they shared. They felt significantly weaker since she’d last seen him. It was understandable, given the events that had just transpired. Her own powers had weakened from N’Zoth’s destruction, but only slightly. The Priestess knew better than to draw all of her powers from a single source, and she’d been prepared for the eventual fall of the Old Gods. 

“You look terrible,” she said, walking past him and into the tent.

She sat on the bed, her robes opening up at her thighs as she crossed her legs. Her hand patted the spot next to her.

“Just the two of us left, then?” She asked, head tilting, “Haven’t been able to sense much of anything without the runes.”

The Ghostblade slipped his dagger away, as he exhaled a sigh of relief into his mask. He’d had enough fighting… and enough losing friends… for one day. He tugged his mask down, as he took Cebina’s invitation to sit down beside her on the bed.

“Kai’s dead.” he said, bluntly - though his tone conveyed well his sorrow at that fact.

He looked around the room, shoulders slumped and ears drooping. He’d known this was a possibility - a part of him had even hoped for it. But that didn’t take the sting out of this defeat. He’d failed Nepen’thea. And now, he’d failed Kai’eka. The loss took its toll on Brent, whether he cared for it or not.

“What’ll you do now?” he asked Cebina, eyes finally flickering over to her. “There’s nothing left worth rebuilding. The Twilights are done. You have a plan from here on out?”

Cebina remained quiet and attentive until that moment, keeping her hands respectively to herself. She’d noted that Brent hadn’t sought her out since Nepen’thia’s demise, so she left any physical initiative completely up to him. As expected, the ex-Blackened Blade didn’t take loss very well.

She leaned back a bit, as he asked the question, eyes staring at some unknown point as she thought it over. 

“Well, I still have my little business in Stormwind. That’s going well, so I’ll keep working at that for now. Might make the occasional visit to Silvermoon to play around with an old friend. Nothing much to do now except wait for the next opportunity, hmm?”

She wasn’t speaking of the cult, of course. The Old Gods had been a transitory thing for her. N’Zoth’s army had been good while it lasted, but their fall was inevitable. Even without them, there was still power and knowledge to be found.

“What about you?” she asked, turning her attention back to Brent.

“I…”

He trailed off, going silent. He stared for a moment at nothing, before looking back to Cebina. His gaze was telling; lost, uncertain… scared. 

“... I don’t know.”

His ear flickered. He’d expected it to feel all the worse to say aloud, but somehow he felt… liberated? A weight lifted from him. He didn’t know what to do now, for the first time in years. It was something he’d dreaded for a while, but now it felt… freeing. He didn’t know what to do because nothing was required of him, now. No one had any demands of him. No cosmic force held him in any expectations. 

He laughed. Suddenly, surprising even to him.

“I don’t know!” he repeated, smiling.

He shrugged, continuing to chuckle lightly as he looked at Cebina. Ears perked, shoulders back… completely different than just moments before. The possibilities were endless for him! By the nature of how he worked, he wasn’t tied at all to the Twilight Cult. No implications that would cause him any trouble with the law. None he was aware about, anyway. He’d be honestly surprised if anyone could tie him to the Old Gods. Especially now. 

“I can do… whatever I want, yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Cebina chimed in happily.

She shot him a smile as he finally understood. Brent had been a cultist for years, she’d seen it in his mind when he’d shared how important Nepen’thea had been to him. He’d loved her dearly… to the point where he’d put himself in a prison; two prisons. He was a slave to the cult all the while imprisoned by his love for Thea. Cebina hadn’t bothered to bring it up, knowing he would have never seen it her way; rose tinted glasses.

“Freedom,” she continued, “It’s a powerful feeling, isn’t it? Not having anyone to answer to. No one to hold you back from discovering who you were meant to be.”

“Yeah. It’s… it’s daunting, but…” he nodded. “I’m… excited about it. Is that weird?”

He chuckled again, as he thought more about it. What did he want to do? What should he choose as the next chapter of his life? He had some ideas… but none stood out among the others too strongly. But he liked it! It was a new sensation, such an uncertainty! It fed into his newly-discovered agency to decide for himself! For once, there was no wrong answer!

“I… I want to get back into archaeology.” he declared - of that, he was certain. “But first, I think I want to… interact with people. Somehow.”

He nodded again, firmly. This work had isolated him from all but a few people. And now, with the majority of those people gone from his life, he felt he’d need more. It’d been so long since he made a new connection. That Kal’dorei Death Knight was… possibly one. Before, Cebina was the only other. His eyes flickered to her, as he reached out his hand to take hold of hers. 

“I… want to interact with you more, too,” he told her, firmly, “This shouldn’t be the end of our friendship… right?”

Cebina giggled, laying back on the bed as she looked up at Brent.

“Of course not, silly! There’s no reason for the two of us to stop hanging out because of the cult’s fall. Our friendship goes beyond the will of some Old God, hm?”

Her shadows brushed gently against his, not in an attempt to entice him, but more for him to feel she was telling the truth. There was nothing to hide on the subject. Unless Brent specifically put himself in her way or attempted to hinder her work, there was no reason to terminate the relationship they’d cultivated up until now.

“You won’t be dragging me to any of those digs, though. The desert is TERRIBLE on my hair,” she smirked, “I’m much more comfortable in the city, getting spoiled while I gather up dirt and blackmail on all of  these foolish nobles.”

Brent smiled at that, and nodded. He felt Cebina’s sincerity, even without the shadowy affirmation. It was nice to be around her again; the latter parts of the Old One’s plans had kept him busy. Too busy to visit her casually. He’d see her in passing and give her a nod on occasion, but otherwise... At least, that’s what he told himself. The real reason was much more complicated. Nepen’thea’s death took more than just his professional drive. And while his libido had briefly sparked back with Kai’eka… her demise snuffed it back out. For… the most part.

But Cebina had an unmistakable allure. He felt it even now, just sitting beside her. In part, that’s why he kept himself too busy to seek her out, knowing she’d happily indulge him in a little release. Of course, he knew she got more than just sexual satisfaction out of their encounters, too. The allure, he suspected, was an accessory to her abilities. The bright lantern to draw in her prey… She was good at what she did, of that there was no doubt.

“The city suits you well.” he nodded. “I… won’t stray far at first. So if you need anything I can help you with, you need only ask.”

He brushed her back with his shadows-- or what remained of them, at least. While his sincerity was conveyed just as hers was, he couldn’t hide how broken, weak, and unfocused his shadows had become. He’d invested far too much in N’Zoth… and now he was paying the price.

Cebina took note of his weakened shadows. She would never show it, but she was glad for it. While their shadow connection had its uses, the priestess hated the idea that anyone was able to track her or read her. She kept her mind especially guarded, and having to tiptoe around the rogue as to not give away some of her true feelings and intentions was especially annoying. It had been one of the main reasons she’d kept her distance after Nepen’thea’s death. Had his shadows sought hers at all, any slight slip up would bring her whole ruse coming down. The idea of being able the sever that link once and for all was enticing; having her mind completely back to herself, free of visitors. Brent wouldn’t suspect a thing, assuming the link was lost due to N’Zoth’s fall.

“Well,” she said, sitting up to scoot over a bit closer to him, “You know I’m never opposed to pretty jewelry and trinkets.”

She brought a hand to rest on his lap. Giving him a playful smile.

“You have good taste. If you find anything you’d think I’d like, I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands.”

“Of course, happy to.” Brent nodded, placing his hand over top of Cebina’s. “And I hope you don’t mind if I drop in on occasion to visit. For healing, perhaps? And… maybe other reasons?”

This bout of familiarity was something the rogue needed, now. With so much up in the air, finding things he knew well helped keep him grounded. Feelings. People. Cebina. His hand clenched gently about hers in a light squeeze, as he leaned into the Priestess. She wouldn’t need to read any shadows to guess what he was thinking and feeling, now.

Cebina smiled, ears perking up at Brent’s suggestion. She leaned in with him, bringing her hand over to cup his cheek as their lips met. She pressed in, tongue dancing with his as her shadows swirled in delight. 

“Mmm… it’s been too long, Sweetie. I hope you’re ready for the ride,” she moaned against his lips.

[kaiekasunwhisper]

Island Expedition

One Month Ago

Kai’eka was having a horrible day. Okay, so maybe it had been a horrible week… or two. Perhaps it had been a month? The Ren’dorei had signed on as a mercenary with the Alliance military in order to make her way to Kul’Tiras.

The plan was for her to meet up with the Coterie Seer, Karas, in Stormsong. From there, they were to see what information and artifacts they could uncover that may help their cause. The delay in bringing her brother, Alteris, back to the world of the living wasn’t sitting well with her. Thea and Karas needed more reagents and time to construct a new body. There was no point in ripping his soul free of Captain Starfrost’s head without a vessel to put him in, so she was trying to be patient.

The weeks with Karas were horrible. To say their personalities didn’t mesh well together was an understatement. The old worgen grated on her nerves at every turn. It took everything she had not to knock him into the ground. He always spoke in parables and riddles, sang old Twilight passages and constantly told stories she cared nothing about. He was always watching the skies at night, and speaking of the future in words she didn’t understand. Kai’eka was, by far, the LEAST spiritual member of the Coterie, despite her almost lifelong dedication to the Old Gods. Being paired up with someone like Karas was torture!

That, combined with Brent not being around to relieve her frustrations on… she felt as though she was going to go mad!

She had to get away, just for a little while. A quick decision brought her to volunteer for an expedition to an island rich in azerite. It was supposed to be quick and easy, bring up her standing with the Alliance, and then she could meet up with Karas again to complete their work in Stormsong. If she was lucky enough, they could run into some Horde forces. Nothing helped Kai blow off steam better than crushing bones and spilling blood.

...she just had to avoid beating the living shit out of the annoying gnome and human on the ship as they traveled.

~*~*~

Luck was on her side! Not only was the Horde on the island, but they’d already gathered most of the azerite onto their ship. Now, the Alliance HAD to engage. After some quick deliberating, it was decided that blowing up the Horde vessel and killing its scouting party would be the quickest and most efficient way of dealing with the situation. Sure, they’d lose most of the azerite, but it guaranteed the Horde would get none.

The plan was simple enough. Kai’eka and the Human were to split up on the island cause a distraction. While most of the Horde forces hunted them, the gnome would sneak on board to plant explosives.

And so Kai’eka set off to do what she did best: stomp around in armor, making a lot of noise and smash things. Unfortunately, moving through the jungle in full plate armor wasn’t the easiest thing to do, so she was slow moving. In fact, she went as far as to remove her pauldrons and cloak just to be less hindered by the vegetation. She was noticed soon enough, and she didn’t get too far into the stuffy foliage before the stench of undeath filled her nostrils.

She heard something shift on the branch above, and reacted. Quickly, she tugged her swords free of the vines they had been hacking through to deflect a pair of daggers before the enemy landed on the warrior’s back. Growling, she pushed herself back into a tree, using her weight to crush the assaillant between them. There was a crunching sound, most likely ribs, and another knife fell to the ground… Gods! Rogues always carried around so many!

An arm locked around her neck in an attempted choke hold, though the angle was off, most likely due to the rogue’s disorientation. Kai’eka dropped her swords to grab the undead’s forearm. A twist and a tug rewarded her with snapping off an actual arm, and another slam back against the tree finally freed her from her attacker’s grip. There was no hesitation on her part as she turned and stabbed the undead through the forehead with its own jagged, broken bone of an arm. Her target went limp.

Oh, that felt good!

The Ren’dorei picked up her swords, securing one to her back, before making certain the rogue wouldn’t be a bother again anytime soon. One could never be too certain with Forsaken... A solid hack cut through and severed it’s lower abdomen from his upper abdomen. It was kicked away, far into the surrounding foliage.

One down…

Now, she needed to get back to an open space. She had been noticed and more would come. While the fight had gone well, she needed to be in a place where her mobility wouldn’t be hindered. It forced her to backtrack, but then she had done what she’d set off to do.

KABOOM!

The sound of an explosion sounded out across the island just as Kai’eka reached the beach. She took a look over her shoulder to see a large plume of smoke rising over the treeline. Good. The Horde ship -and hopefully the rest of its crew- was taken care of! Now it was just a matter of gathering what little amount of azerite was left and getting it back to Kul Tiras.

Her ears twitched as a shadow suddenly covered her. A heavy weight pushed her down in the sand from above, pinning her down. She let out a shout, wondering if perhaps a Tauren Druid in flight form had gotten the drop on her. But then… a large tongue came out to coat her armor in saliva with a playful and excited growl… one she recognized.

“DOOFUS?!”

A light headbutt from the stupid animal confirmed it, before the drake hopped off to pad around in the sand in front of her. Kai’eka couldn’t believe it! It had been months since her death at the hands of the Guard. She had feared the rune that connected them had been damaged in her return through the void, thinking her loyal friend lost forever!

Kai’eka wasn’t the emotional sort, but she did get up to close the distance between them, wrapping her arms around the drake’s snout in a very rare show of affection.

“Where have you been, stupid?” she growled, the question earning her another lick, “Bah… it’s fine. Let’s get back to the sh—“

KABOOM!

A second explosion caused Doofus to startle, nearly falling over in the sand as he looked around for signs of attack. Kai’eka’s ears dropped as she stared down the coastline, where the Alliance ship was...

In hindsight, perhaps someone should have stayed behind to guard the ship.

“Well… fuck.”

-------

Part 2

[kidcatgeminiart]

Continuing some sketch art of my OCs. Keeping it simple and quick ((minus the tattoos that took me a few hours x_X )). Here’s my main Alliance World of Warcraft RP character, Kai’eka Sunwhisper, Void Elf Warrior ( @kaiekasunwhisper )

Drawn and colored with Rebelle 3, Photoshop CS6 and Wacom Cintiq tablet.    

~*~*~

Ko-fi | DeviantArt | Commission Info

[kaiekasunwhisper]

Kai’eka Sunwhisper

Race: Ren’dorei 

Age: 600+ years

Sexuality: Asexual / Monogamous 

Profession: Ebon Knight Warrior

Addictions: Smoking

Marital Status: Single

Cold, brutal and aggressive, Kai’eka likes to keep people at a distance. She doesn’t open up easily and is quick to make threats and push people away. As an ex-cultist, she’s always been the secretive sort. After her death in Nyalotha, she’s been raised as an Ebon Knight.

Current Situation: Trying to find purpose after a lifetime of servitude to the Old Gods. She’s now in Maldraxxus, fighting in the Theater of Pain for the Undying Army, determined to help the Ebon Blade in its endeavors to fix the afterlife.

FC: Brooke Ence

[kaiekasunwhisper]

The Ebon Hold

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango / @avehi-the-adamant​ ))

~*~*~

Here she was again; Avehi felt like she spent too much time here. And at the same time, never enough. Acherus was such a fluid constant in her unlife, from the very beginning of it. She was raised in these halls. Conditioned to obey the Lich King’s call here. Then fought that very conditioning. All right here. She hated it, and loved it all at once. 

Memories weren’t the only thing the floating necropolis brought. The Ebon Blade was working tirelessly to uncover the mysteries surrounding the Shadowlands, and the inequality that plagued the scales of the afterlife. The latest on that front; The Lich King himself had become involved. Avehi didn’t know Bolvar Fordragon well; which was to say she’d never met him. But every Knight knew who he was, and what he had become. A sacrifice so great, and a burden so damning. She had reverence for the human. Reverence and caution. 

The Helm of Dominion on his head gave him the potential of becoming an enemy of life itself. So far, he’d shown great restraint. But nothing lasts forever. She was wary of him, to say the least. So upon hearing the Ebon Blade had begun working with him in recent days, pledging Knights to serve him once more… Avehi grew increasingly uncomfortable.

She crossed her arms, examining the training yard on the upper level. Her brow raised, tail flickering as she beheld one of her recent converts - Kai’eka Sunwhisper, a cultist warrior she’d met, killed, and risen. The woman was truly terrifying in that training ring! Other Knights cheered as she bested contenders one by one with her twin blades. The Draenei smiled, as she observed; Kai’eka was a good choice for this. Perhaps her best choice, so far. She turned to come around and down the steps, to speak with the warrior as her final fight came to its predictable conclusion.

Kai’eka beamed. She offered a hand to help the human up, her thanks for a fight well fought, before harnessing her weapons to leave the ring for the next pair of fighters. Being among the Ebon Blade felt good. Sparring against them was much more fun than the living. They held more strength, stamina, and one didn’t have to hold back to avoid a ‘killing blow’. While she still hadn’t grasped exactly how hemomancy worked yet, it didn’t matter as she usually came out of the ring victorious. 

She smiled at Avehi. An actual, genuine smile.

“Avehi,” she greeted her friend, “Was wondering when you’d show up again. Need to figure out how to fix my link with these swords.”

“I can show you. We use runes, not unlike the ones with which you’re familiar.” the Draenei replied, smiling in return. “Come, I’ll take you to the Runeforge.”

She led Kai’eka up from the fighting pit to an ominous, towering forge. The power it emanated thrummed as they drew near, the lich fire flames within crackling strong and bright. As far as skills developed postmortem, runeforging was something Avehi excelled at. She already served the Ebon Blade as a weapon smith early on, and picked up the undeath-unique skill from a fellow Acherian artisan. Now, she was regarded as a seasoned runemaster in her own right.

“You’re fitting in well here, it seems.” she commented to Kai’eka, smiling back to her. “How are you feeling about all this?”

“Never better, actually,” the Ren’dorei replied, “I don’t need to eat, sleep or drink. I don’t sweat, I don’t get tired… Honestly, I haven’t found a down side to this death thing yet.”

She eyed the runeforge as they approached, ears perking up in curiosity. She’s heard of them before, but never seen one up close. She eyed her blades, the cultist powered runes having faded since N’Zoth’s defeat… something she was still trying to wrap her head around. Before now, the Old Gods were all she knew… her ultimate truth. Now that she’d seen for herself the lie she grew up believing, it was time to re-evaluate where she stood and what to fight for. A confusing and frightening concept at first, but after a few days and nights of contemplation, she was excited for her new start to ‘life’ in undeath. 

“So how do these things work? Is it the same runes from a different power source, or different runes altogether?”

“I expect they’ll be quite different than the runes you’re used to.” Avehi nodded once.

She tried to keep neutral on Kai’eka’s cultist past. True, that’s what led to their conflict, and ultimately the ren’dorei’s death, but Avehi wasn’t one to fault anyone for coming to terms with the fact that their beliefs were all wrong. She could relate, after all. Kai’eka seemed genuine in her desire to move past all that, anyway. And Avehi wasn’t about to hold her back.

“They’ll function similarly, but how they bind to us and how they’re etched and forged is a very unique process. Nothing the Living can emulate… and survive.”

She opened the forge’s 'jaws', revealing a small platform. A stand, to hold and imbue the Death Knight’s weapon. Then, the Draenei stepped aside, and motioned for Kai’eka to place one of her weapons inside.

“We’ll start with a simple one, to draw upon runic power. Think of it as a reserve of necrotic energies you can call upon when needed.” she explained. “The rune you draw for it is simple; but by the nature of these runes, it’ll bind the weapon solely to you. No one but you will be able to call upon its power.”

She nodded once to the elf.

“Come, I’ll show you.”

Kai’eka nodded at the explanation, observing the blue flames spouting from the forge in the same cold blue color her eyes now matched. She drew one of her hooked blades as she stepped forward, but hesitated for a moment.

Her eyes left the forge momentarily to the now faded runes on her blades, the last symbol of her dedication to the Ancient Ones. Something about that notion tugged at her unbeating heart. Doubt clouded her mind, as over six hundred years of formation nagged at her mind. What if this was all a test? The final trial before being allowed into her promised afterlife? Eyes closed as she mulled it over… thinking of everything she’d sacrificed in life, all in their name. Her sole dedication, the blood she spilled, risking her life time and time again to obtain artifacts of power in offerings, shortening her own lifespan in ritual to give a more worthy servant longevity, her body as she gave herself in to the Void, Alteris… her own life.

No. If all of that hadn’t been enough, then she was done. Even if what she’d been led to believe was true, the Old Ones  were now powerless after N’Zoth’s fall. Had Alteris still been alive, he’d no doubt be boasting to her about it now.

“I killed my brother,” she said, opening her eyes and starting at her distorted reflection in the blade, “That’s how he died. He… interfered with the cult so…”

She shook her head, sighing. Her earlier good mood having dissipated completely in her contemplation. She wasn’t certain why she was telling this to Avehi now… perhaps because of the Draenei’s faith in her being able to change... 

“He meant the world to me. But that’s how much I fucking believed in the cause…”

Outstretching her arms, she placed the sword onto the platform, her cold gaze never leaving it.

“Never again.”

Avehi knew well when to keep quiet. Kai’eka’s moment of realization was surely one such moment. She watched the elf silently, observing her expression and demeanor change through pensive staring at her blade. The revelation was unexpected, certainly. But clearly it needed to be said. She remembered Kai’eka sharing word of her brother’s death upon their first meeting. Now, with more details given to her, it began to paint a picture of her life, and where her priorities had been. Skewed by a higher power. Muddied by faith. The Draenei’s tail flickered, before she took her place beside Kai’eka. No hand on her shoulder, no comforting embrace. Only acknowledgement of what the elf told her. Acknowledgement, and understanding.

“The Light inspires similar devotion.” she commented, as she drew her hammer from her back. “We’ve done terrible things in its name. We’ve turned our backs on our own people, even after one of the darkest chapters in our history. All because they, too, ‘interfered’ with the harmony the Light instilled within us.”

Avehi shook her head. She recalled such days. Such was her own thought process back then, amidst the fanfare and accolades of serving as a Vindicator. The Light’s chosen warriors, empowered to protect her people. She pondered herself; if she, too, had a meddlesome brother interfering with the Light’s designs, would she silence him as Kai’eka had? Her brow furrowed in disgust with herself, when the answer 'no' failed to clearly and definitively ring out in her mind.

“It’s a harsh lesson on blind devotion. One I had to learn as well.” she nodded. “But now that you’ve learned personally… it’s a mistake you’ll never fall prey to again.”

She lowered her voice, and glanced around.

“Serve no one so steadfastly that you fail to question their intentions. Not even the Ebon Blade.”

Avehi’s words were appreciated, yet surprising to hear. As much as Kai’eka had always despised the Light, it was rare to hear someone describe that side of it. Even more so to hear it from a Draenei. She listened intently, taking in Avehi’s words of wisdom.

A nod of understanding, before she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Avehi set her crystalline hammer into a stand beside the runeforge, head upright. It glowed in proximity to the forge, the same blue flames flickering within the shimmering prismatic weapon. One rune in particular began to glow at Avehi’s command; a simple enough pattern of a semi-circle beneath an acute angle opened left, with a solitary dot nestled in the arc’s cradle. The rune projected from the weapon, enlarging for clarity’s sake before the elf.

“This is the Rune of Reserve.” she explained. “When you are prepared.”

Kai’eka’s ears perked up a bit as she studied the rune. As dark as the subject of her brother was, there wasn’t much that could take away the excitement of rune inscription. Even through a different process than the Coterie, she enjoyed learning about them and what they did. And she looked forward to feeling connected to her blades once more.

“I’m ready,” she informed, “What do I need to do?”

"Draw it."

The instructions were simple enough; Avehi extended her hand, two fingers pointed out as they traced along the rune suspended before them. The rune itself flickered, glowing brighter at the Death Knight's touch. Her hammer, too, exhaled a notable wave of power as the rune was redrawn. She turned her eyes to Kai'eka once again, and nodded.

"Focus your mind on your weapon. You're well familiar with it, yes?" she asked, though already knew it was so. "Focus intently on it. Feel its smooth, cold surface in your thoughts, and trace the rune out before you. You'll feel it as it's etched, both into your weapon… and into you."

The Draenei loosened her gauntlet, before tugging it off and setting it aside. She upturned her hand, revealing the same rune aglow on her forearm. It was identical in every way to the rune etched into the weapon, glowing from beneath Avehi's skin. As the rune on the hammer's glow dissipated, so too did the glow on the rune in her skin - both fading out until they had seemingly vanished entirely.

"This power is a curse on it's own. Unbridled and untempered, it turns lesser Knights to madness. Static, it would burn our souls to dust, from within." she cautioned. "The runes focus the power coursing through us, applying it to greater uses than simply reanimating our corpses. Runeforging transmutes this danger into an asset. This pain into our drive. This curse… into a gift."

Avehi nodded, smirking slightly. She remembered hearing those words for the first time, when she learned runeforging for herself. They resonated deeply with her, then; a lost soul, hoping desperately she could pivot her dark fate into some semblance of salvation. They resonated with her still, but now for a different reason.

"Draw it," she repeated, as she tugged her gauntlet back over her hand. "and embrace this gift. Your power."

Kai’eka’s ears flicked as Avehi explained. It was a rather long winded answer for a simple question. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes and making a snarky comment about it. With Avehi being her only contact in undeath so far, she attempted to keep her more abrasive side in check until they knew each other a little better. 

“Got it. Simple enough.”

She removed her gauntlet as Avehi had, and went to work at tracing the tune in the air in front of her. She felt the inscription almost immediately as it became engraved into her arm and blade; quite a different feeling from ritual tattoos. It burned, but with cold instead of heat. Her lips parted at the new sensation, a grin forming as she felt the bond with her blade renewed, like meeting an old friend after some time apart.

Once the runeforging was complete, she looked down to her arm to admire the new marking.

“You keep saying ‘curse’. What do you mean by that? I haven’t seen or heard a downside to any of this at all.”

“And I truly hope there never is one, for you.” Avehi nodded, replacing her gauntlet - flexing her fingers to situate it properly. “Back in the days of the Lich King, soldiers and warriors were raised without much discerning. People from all backgrounds, brought back from death against their wills. With no consideration for what it might do to them, mentally.”

She shook her head, recalling how horrible that time all seemed back then. Compared to now… it was abhorrent. The entire reason she was so against raising the dead in the first place came from that terrible feeling she got anytime she thought of the early days. Before the Ebon Blade. Before the Lich King fell. But things were different, now. And if she didn’t learn to adapt, and keep her morality flexible, how was she any different than zealots like Argonas? She grunted resolutely, as she looked to Kai’eka once more.

“It’s different, now. I picked you because I thought you’d handle it well. Better than anyone else.” she told the elf. “You don’t need to be empathetic. But at least be cognizant that it’s nowhere near this easy for other Knights. Especially those of us from the Scourge days, who suffer from the Hunger.”

Kai’eka raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more on the subject. She’d heard about the Hunger, but didn’t know exactly what that was about. According to Avehi, it wasn’t something the ex-cultist has to worry about, so she didn’t really care. She assumed it was something unpleasant, nonetheless. And it was true, she’d seen some Ebon Knights walking around that looked half decomposed. She supposed she was lucky to have been brought back right away.

She turned her attention back to her blade, removing it from the platform to admire the freshly inscribed rune a moment, before setting it aside and placing her other weapon in.

“Does the same rune go on each blade? What’s the limit on how many you can have?” She asked, returning to the subject at hand.

“For this rune, they’ll be separate inscriptions so you can draw on one, the other, or both.” Avehi answered, as the impromptu ‘lesson’ resumed. “The limit comes with a balancing. Our power is limitless, like a river. But too many branches in its path will cripple how well it flows, yes? You’ll have to be mindful. Try three or four for now - these two each counting separately - and see how that feels. We can add or remove runes as you please.”

She raised her hand to the hammer, causing the rune they’d drawn before to glow and expand - reference once more for Kai’eka to imbue upon her second blade.

“Fair enough,” she nodded before going back to concentrating on the rune ahead of her. 

Having already gone through the process once, the task was already familiar, though that didn’t mean Kai’eka took it less seriously. Her connection to her blades was important to her, and she kept her concentration on that as her fingers traced the rune once more, ears flickering as she felt the inscription etched into her arm. It felt good, being able to do the runeforging herself as opposed to having to depend on a Speaker to inscribe her tattoos. It was empowering. She felt more in control of herself than she ever had before.

The process complete, she took hold of the blade, and then the other, holding both in each hand as she stepped back from the forge. She smiled, satisfied with her work. Two runes would do for now.

“Gonna have to test these in the ring soon.”

Avehi couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at that. For all she was, Kai’eka was at least predictable. She nodded approvingly as she took Rokaa up from the stand and sheathed it to her back.

“You’re welcome to now, if you wish.” she offered. “I’ve a few more errands around Acherus. Others to check on. Perhaps once I’m done, I’ll even join you.”

She chuckled again lightly, before dipping her head to Kai’eka. Despite their rocky past, Avehi felt good about this one. Emboldened and encouraged to carve her own destiny after having lived a lie, Kai’eka’s afterlife would be much better than Avehi’s ever was. And in the end, that had always been the Draenei’s intent for those she raised. It felt good to see the beginnings of that trend.

[kaiekasunwhisper]

Shadow’s End

(( Co-written with @thefugitivemango / Alteris / @brent-sunborn . @pariker / @nepenthea​ for character mention ))

~*~*~

Alteris gasped as his body materialized once again in a hidden grove just outside Stormwind’s city walls. Despite it happening once or twice already… he still wasn’t used to the sensation of being ripped apart and mashed back together again somewhere else. It wasn’t like teleporting, or slipping through the shadows. It was painful - excruciatingly so! Far from elegant, but effective enough to keep members of the Coterie from dying before their time. And while his tenure with them had been brief, the rune had remained. 

Until now. 

He sat up once he got his bearings, and examined his wrist. The rune was gone. His safeguard spent. He’d have to be more careful from here on out.

He’d underestimated Brent Sunborn, it seemed, assuming the Starfrost Manor would strike those who hunted him as ‘too obvious’. He’d hoped to hide in Gattius’ radiant Light like he did in days past to evade detection. But Sunborn was thorough - he had to give him credit for that. Did he know immediately, he wondered? Or had he somehow tracked him down…? It didn’t matter now. Starfrost Manor was miles away from Stormwind. It would take the Blackened Blade hours to return, if not days. He smirked at the thought, head still rather hazy, as he brought himself upright.

To his surprise, however, the runic marker where he’d been delivered wasn’t quite as he remembered it. Tall ghost iron bars wrapped in ebon chains surrounded the marker. The bars curved inward up top, forming something of a bird cage around the runic circle… and Alteris, as a result. He huffed.

That made twice, now, that he’d underestimated Sunborn.

But all wasn’t lost. Sunborn underestimated him, as well. His little trap only bought him an hour or two, if that, before Alteris would be free. There weren’t too many locks on the chains. He could tap them easily enough. And once he had a length of chain at his disposal, bending the bars would be simple! He shook off the last of his haze, and set to work. Time was of the essence!

“You just has to go and piss him off, didn’t you?”

Kai’eka pushed herself off the crate she’d been leaning against as she waited for her brother to awaken. She knew it was only a matter of time before Brent found him, and when the rune on her neck painfully activated and disappeared, she knew exactly where to go to find her brother. 

She walked up to the prison Brent had so carefully set up and eyed Alteris. Her large blades remained propped up against the crate behind her. She wasn’t in her armor, but in the tank top and pants she often wore when in a dressed down state. Her expression was unreadable, but the exasperated sigh she gave made her disappointment more than obvious.

“You’re such a fucking dumbass, you know that?”

Alteris exhaled a relieved sigh. It was only Kai’eka! He chuckled, giving her a cheeky grin as he shrugged.

“Meh, y’ know me, Kai. Dunnae play well with others,” he sneered, as if it were somehow an endearing trait of his. “Help me outta this thing, aye?”

The Shieldmaiden rolled her eyes, but set to work. Unlike Alteris, she didn’t need the chains to bend the bars. Using her raw natural strength, it wasn’t long before she’d made an opening just large enough for Alteris to squeeze through. 

“You fucking owe me, you little shit!” She growled, moving away to give him the space he needed to get out. She walked back over to the crate, where a well stocked backpack rested on top of it. “I fucking told you to stay out of cult business! You had your freedom! I didn’t interfere with your stupid love affair! I let you be!”

Hurt became obvious in her tone as she continued on her rant. The look on her face as she turned to face him, backpack in hand, complimented her tone. He’d abandoned her, again, and she was more than a little upset.

“I thought we were bonding! I just needed you to be patient! I was going to talk to Thea, but you had to go and pull this… this stunt! She was the Speaker, Alt! And now Brent will never stop hunting you!”

She held out the backpack for him to take, her shaking hand telling how hard she was working at keeping her composure together.

“I can’t protect you anymore,” her voice broke. Gods! Those words were probably the most painful she’d ever uttered.

Per usual, Alteris blew off the gravity of the situation. Her lecture seemed to flow into one ear, and right out the other. It wasn’t that he couldn’t tell his sister was upset… but more that he just didn’t care. He snatched the bag from Kai’eka’s hands as he rolled his eyes. 

“Tch, relax…” he sighed, as he began rummaging through the provided bag. “Yer pretty-boy partner got lucky, ‘s all. Blew m’ main hideout, but I got more. Won’t underestimate ‘im again, dunnae worry.”

He tugged a shirt from the backpack, and pulled it on over his head hastily. Then did the same with a pair of woolen pants. Not exactly the most protective of gear, but inconspicuous enough for his purposes. Aside from the change of clothes, the bag had a few rations and supplies that would help him in his life on the run.

“Figure I did yeh a favor, anyway. Out from under that bitchy harlot Speaker o’ yers, now! Dunnae tell me y’ actually liked ‘er, didja?” he chuckled. “Yer makin’ it out bigger’n it really is, anyway. Cult trash like ‘er dies on th’ daily. Some other scum’ll take ‘er place in a week. Dunnae fret.”

Kai’eka closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Every word out of Alteris’ mouth only made things worse. It only sealed his fate. And the fool had no idea! Every word confirmed everything Brent had said. Kai’eka hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, but she saw it clear as day now. 

Alteris would always be a threat. A loose end. A distraction. How many years had she spent searching for him the first time he’d fled? How many resources had she used up? —to search for him and bring him back both! Now, she was responsible for the death of a Speaker, because she’d chosen her brother over the Coterie. Her brother over her service to the Old Gods. Her brother over her friends… the people she trusted above all else.

One of those friends paid for it with their life. And Brent, her best friend, would likely never recover from losing Nepen’thia.

She opened her eyes to look at a Alteris once more. He was so blissfully unaware… Frustratingly so. But this was so very typical. Alteris hadn’t changed at all, no matter how hard she’d tried. 

She took in a deep breath, both to keep herself calm and to prepare herself for what was to come.

“Where will you go?”

"Oi, cannae tell yeh, can I? An' risk yer sneaky lil' partner catchin' wind of m' plans?" Alteris shook his head. "Y' know how this goes, Kai. When I go hidin' from th' Cult, I hide from the whole cult. Yerself included."

He chuckled at that, too. Like it was a game the two played, or some minute but lovable quirk he had. Unabashed, he gave a careless shrug as he looked at Kai'eka.

"I'll come by'n bother yeh when I need supplies an' such. Maybe check in so y'know I ain't dead in a ditch somewhere." he added a few empty promises, just for kicks. "Maybe we can swap stories 'bout guys we've fucked, aye? Now that y'ain't all square 'bout that kinda stuff."

“Fair enough,” she managed, despite wanting to beat the living shit out of his self-centered ass.

She took a step forward, closing the distance between the two of them and wrapping her strong arms around him in a tight hug from behind. He felt her trembling now, but she didn’t care. She needed this. A final moment with all she had left of her family. With the boy she’d practically raised on her own. The one she’d spent the past couple of centuries trying to protect.

No longer.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a defeated whisper.

Alteris only sighed. She wouldn’t see him roll his eyes again, as he brought his hand up to gently pat her arms where they met across his chest. 

“Tch, dunnae be sorry, Kai. Yeh’ve actually been a big help in all this,” he replied, “But… Gods, quit snivelin’! So emotional, aye? I love yeh, but yer actin’ like a whiney lil’ b--”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Kai’eka’s brought a hand up to grasp the side of his head. The movement was quick and swift, made effortless by her incredible strength. The sound of Alteris’ neck snapping echoed loudly in her ears. Her other arm continued to hold him close as his body went limp.

Her legs felt weak, and she let herself fall to a kneeling position as she cradled her brother’s body in her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his shoulder. 

It was done. Without the rune, he had no failsafe left. His body didn’t vanish in a puff of shadows. His soul didn’t flee into the mind of another. This time, there was no coming back.

Alteris Sunwhisper was dead.

[kaiekasunwhisper]

Island Expedition

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango ))

Part 1

-------------

Part 2

“Well, this mission is fucked.”

Kai’eka’s voice held no amount of disappointment. Frankly, she didn’t care all that much about her ship getting blown up. If anything, it gave her an excuse to stay away from Karas a little longer, and she couldn’t exactly be upset about that. She was on an island with plenty of resources she could survive off of for a while. Besides, she could- fly off the island on Doofus’ back, now that the two were reunited.

The idiot drake paid no mind to the burning ship once the initial explosion had died down. He headbutted the warrior with affection, his tongue stupidly hanging out of his mouth. Kai’eka continued to give him gentle pats and scratches. She couldn’t hide the fact that she had missed the big lug. A few days to relax and reconnect was exactly what they both needed.

For the moment, though, they needed to make certain that none of the Horde crew had survived. That Forsaken hadn’t sailed alone... On top of that, her two allies had failed to return. That wasn’t a good sign…

“Let’s have a look from the air.”

Knowing Doofus didn’t understand her words, a tug to lower his head served as a clear message she wanted to fly. Once the message was understood, the drake lowered down immediately and allowed Kai’eka to climb up onto its back. Flapping his large wings, he took to the sky with a roar. It was time to survey the island from the air.

They didn’t get far, however, before an electric bolt struck them from behind. Doofus screeched. Kai’eka grit her teeth and doubled over onto his back. While painful, the current hadn’t been deadly. It was effective, however, and stunned Doofus enough to cause him to go spiraling down into a boulder.

SNAP!

Kai’eka was thrown off a ways in the sand as Doofus let out a pained cry. The Ren’dorei looked up from her position, immediately noting the awkward angle his wing was bent in as he thrashed around. Most likely broken..

She narrowed her eyes, scanning the area until her eyes settled on the figure of a Pandaren, a glowing totem at her side as she began to channel something…

Kai’eka didn’t wait to find out, roaring as she charged at the Shaman. She wasn’t protective over many things, but Doofus was one of those things. Anyone who hurt him had to die, plain and simple.

The shout seemed to shock the Pandaren, interrupting the casting. Apparently, they hadn’t expected the swordswoman to get back up that quickly. That would be the panda’s last mistake.

Hooked blades danced through the air, coming down on the totem first, knowing that it was only being used to strengthen the Shaman somehow. The object was split in two with a single strike. In the same swing, she worked with the momentum of the blades and spun around. One blade cut a deep gash into the Pandaren’s throat as the other buried its hook into her side. With a sickening twist and downward motion, the fight was over. Blood poured out over the sand as the swords were wrenched free.

Kai’eka growled. She was angry. That fight had ended quickly. Too quickly…

“WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKERS IS NEXT?!” she shouted out in Orcish.

“You face me!” A strong voice shouted back.

Kai’eka couldn’t help but grin as she turned to face a brown skinned Orc. He appeared on the older side, but the strong looking frame indicated he was still in top fighting condition. His hand held a firm grip on a large, well used axe. Behind him stood a large kodo... a companion of some kind? It didn’t matter.

Finally! A challenge!

He stepped forward, further onto the beach - no running, no sneaking, no… it was more like a march. He pulled his helmet from his head as he stopped a few yards away before dropping it beside him in the sand.

“I am Grakkar, son of Grek’thar. Raider of the Warsong Clan. Warrior of the Horde.” he declared in a challenging tone. “Now you know what to tell your ancestors when they ask who brought about your--”

That’s when the kodo lumbered over, nudging the orc’s leg with his big head. Grakkar sighed, and gave the beast a gentle pat in response… though kept his gaze on Kai’eka. She raised an eyebrow. The beast looked to be stupidly loyal, but dumb as a rocks… like Doofus. It was like an odd mirror reflection as the pairs faced off.

...Not exactly, as Doofus was still reeling from the broken wing. He’d stopped screeching, but was oblivious to anything else that was going on as he nuzzled the broken limb. He wouldn’t be joining the fight.

“... And this is Kronk.” Grakkar muttered, tone far less threatening with the addition. “But as I said, you will face me now, dragonrider!” He brought his axe up in front of him at the ready, “Lok’narash!”

Kai’eka stepped forward a few paces, keeping the drake behind her protectively. As the orc has done, she removed her helm and tossed it aside, allowing her braided ponytail to fall at her back.

“Kai’eka Sunwhisper,” she replied, gripping her swords, “Do me a favour. Don’t die too fast.”

She wasted no time, charging at the pair. Enough words had been exchanged. It was time to fight!

Kronk met her in her charge, lowering its head to ram into her with its horns. She had expected as much, and was prepared for it, leaping up before they met and using the creature’s snout and horns to propel herself into the air as the kodo threw his head back. The momentum was enough to close the distance between her and Grakkar. Her hooked blades swung vertically as she came down, aimed at his shoulders.

Grakkar’s grip on his axe tensed; he brought it up in a broad, horizontal swing to meet Kai’eka’s downward strokes. He knocked the twin blades to the side, sending the elf into a spiral during her final descent. He sidestepped quickly, letting her fall into the sand behind him.

“Kronk, relax!” he commanded with a snarl. “This one’s mine!”

A loud groan of protest escaped the beast, but Kronk did as he was told. He stomped off to the side along the beach, before settling into the sand - broad tongue sticking out to lick at some of it. Gross.

Meanwhile, the time it took to issue the command was all the time Grakkar gave Kai’eka to recover. He charged at her, letting loose a loud, intimidating battlecry; the Warsong earned their clan name somehow, after all. His axe, too, made an otherworldly howl as it sliced through the air in a downward stroke over the elf.

The battle cry sent shivers down Kai’eka’s spine; not of fear. No. Of excitement! Her eyes flared as her adrenaline got pumping. It had been too long since she had faced a worthy foe, and this orc proved to be just that.

At least, so far…

She didn’t skip a beat, not even as she hit the sand. She didn’t fight the spiral he sent her in, but used the momentum to roll to her feet, her back to him. Still, her movements didn’t stop. As she turned to face him, the back of her sword picked up sand to throw in his direction. It blinded Grakkar for only a moment; but it was a crucial moment. Her other blade met his axe in a loud crash of metal against metal, knocking it from his hand and into the sand beside him.

She grinned, before jumping up in an attempt to smash her head against his in her signature headbutt. Orc skulls were thick. Hers was thicker. He grunted, reading Kai’eka’s move as her forehead closed in. He had but a split second to react!

*THWAP*

He struck her hard across the face with a heavy backhand; his padded gauntlet softened the blow to his hand, but the coarse and firm exterior of his glove was anything but gentle against the elf’s face. The slap was enough to divert her forehead from slamming into his, but their shoulders still clashed. He staggered back, catching all of Kai’eka’s momentum. Quickly, he brought his arm back under her to scoop her up. With a roar, he lifted the half-plated elf up with a little leap, turning her laterally, before pile driving her into the sand!

Between the backhand and hitting the ground head first, Kai’eka was completely disoriented. Her ears rang, her vision was hazy, and she’d lost her grip on one of her swords along the way. Thankfully, she was MUCH tougher than the average elf, and despite the massive headache she would be getting later, Grakkar’s maneuver hadn’t knocked her out or killed her.

Thankfully, the woman had survived enough battles that muscle memory had set in. Despite her warped senses, her body knew what to do next. Grakkar would either take the moment to search for a weapon, or set up to finish her off. Normally, he would have that time as his opponent regained their senses.

Not with her.

Almost as soon as she hit the ground, her hand tightened its grip around the hilt of her remaining blade. She swung around to face him as she got to her knees, disorientating her further, but it was worth it. Her weapon connected! She couldn’t see or hear it, but felt the connection, the hit knocking the orc back. She staggered to her feet and took a defensive stance as her vision returned.

The Orc staggered back - an unexpected blow, for certain! He kept his footing in the sand, before looking down at his chest - his tabard and harness were cut all the way through, seeping with blood from a wound beneath. He looked at Kai’eka, and chuckled. His laugh was deep and grisly, lips curling to a grin around his fangs.

The side of her face was already swelling, and she spit out blood that had pooled in her mouth, but she still had a smirk on her face. She was enjoying this. Despite the ringing in her ears, she heard the roar from behind her as her companion took a defensive stance next to her. Even injured, the dumb beast was loyal.

“Doofus, sit!” She ordered.

Her ear twitched as she heard the beast huff and back off, taking a seat next to Kronk. She kept her eyes on the orc, waiting for his next move.

“Haha! Good! Good!” he exclaimed, simply ripping his tattered tabard from his body at this point. “You’re a tenacious elf, yeah? Hardy! I didn’t think you’d last this long!”

Like his tabard before it, Grakkar gripped his harness and ripped it from his body - the leather strappings and metal buckles snapping from his hard tug to reveal his muscular, tattooed upper body. The markings flowed intricately between and through all manner of scars, designed intently and almost ritually. The gash Kai’eka carved into his chest oozed a bit over his pectorals. But he didn’t seem at all shaken by it. He’d been wounded thousands of times before. It was clear he was an older Orc… but his body was anything but feeble or decrepit. He took care of himself, maintaining a warrior’s physique. He tossed the harness aside, and rolled his shoulders.

Kai’eka blinked, but forced her serious expression to stay on her face as Grakkar went ahead and ripped his tabard and harness off his well toned and muscular torso. She eyed the tattoo designs and scars that laced his powerful body… It led her to wonder what the rest of him looked like.

‘Fuck…’ she thought to herself as her body immediately reacted.

The Void Elf cursed this new form of hers; of all the inconvenient moments for this need to arise… The way he’d just ripped off his clothes, his attractive physique, his deep grisly laugh...

‘Focus…’

“If only all you long-eared weaklings could last this long. It’d be more fun killing you!”

He clenched his fists, and slammed his knuckles together with a grunt! Then… he raised his fists at the ready. With a brief wave of his fingers, he beckoned Kai’eka on, tauntingly.

“Keep using those overgrown meat cleavers of yours, little elf - if you think you need the edge!”

She raised an eyebrow as and chuckled, unafraid to face him in a fair fight. She tossed her sword aside and tugged her gauntlets off. She’d already shed her pauldrons and cloak back in the jungle, so her chest plate came off next. Like him, she kept her belt and leg plates on, but left her torso bare save for her halter top, revealing her own muscular and tattooed form to him. Like his, her body was fit and well maintained. The tattoos on her upper arms looked like sleeves, the designs looking runic in nature. They moved down her sides, onto her back and hugged her ribcage and hip bones. The only thing she lacked were the multitude of scars her old body had held. Sadly, they hadn’t transferred from one form to the other.

“You’re on!” she replied in Orcish, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders back.

Again, she charged the orc. Despite her muscle mass, he was bigger than she was by nature. That didn’t deter her, though. She welcomed the challenge! She pulled her arm back as she closed in, ready to throw a punch to his face. He growled, bringing his hands up to block - a mistake, as she shifted her punch to an elbow slam. She caught him in his abdominal muscles, the blow only softened as he leaped back. A grimace; he deserved that.

She attempted to follow up with a roundhouse kick to his side with her spiked greaves, but he caught it, bringing his forearms vertically up as he turned to meet the attempt. Her spiked boots sparked as they slammed into the mail padding of his gloves - thankfully woven closely enough to deflect them from piercing him. He turned his hands out quickly, and gripped her leg, Carrying her momentum a step further by catching her centrifugal force, he spun and threw Kai’eka off behind him into the sand. But he didn’t stop there. He gave chase, running after her as she landed, then leaping into the air to drop a punch down onto her directly!

Kai’eka knew to keep moving as she landed, rolling to get back to her feet, but Grakkar followed close behind. It was too late to dodge his fist as he came down, but managed to angle her body so that it connected with her shoulder instead of anything vital. She let out a grunt as she hit the ground under the blow.

This time, she didn’t bother maneuvering to get up. Instead, she brought her legs up to grapple around his neck he reeled his fist back for another punch. He grunted as he was caught between her powerful thighs, bringing his hands up to try and pry her legs apart at the knees as she attempted to choke him off.

It was a struggle; she was stronger than he thought! He stumbled back a few paces, bringing her up with him as he fought against her vice-grip thighs. For a moment, she was certain the battle was won. A shame, though… he would have made an excellent sparring partner had they been on the same side.

But apparently, he still had some fight left in him!

But then he roared, crouching for a split second, before leaping up! He leaned forward mid-air to bring Kai’eka down beneath him. She braced herself, prepared for a hard landing in the sand. What she hadn’t expected was the knee in her back upon landing. It knocked the wind out of her, causing her legs to loosen from around his neck. Damn!

Quickly, she brought her knees up and planted both her plated feet in his face to kick him off before rolling to her side, coughing to catch her breath from the impact.

Grakkar didn’t give her much time to do so. He staggered back from the kick, but scrambled quickly to pin her again. He sat on her waist, and slammed his palms into her shoulders to force her back into the sand. He snarled down at Kai’eka, bringing a large, muscular hand in to grasp about her neck. The other hand came up and reeled back...

Kai’eka grit her teeth, fully expecting that fist to connect with her face… but it never did. Confusion set in as his clenched fist loosened. His heavy breaths slowed, expression softening from his snarl to a grin. He laughed - LAUGHED!

Of all the things Kai’eka had expected to happen, that wasn’t one of them. She propped herself up on her elbows, gasping for air as he sat up and released her neck.

“Hah! A fine fight, elf!” he guffawed, brushing sand from his broad shoulders and firm chest. “You fought with honor. Ferocity! I like that! So much, I want to fight you again sometime.”

A smirk pulled at her lips. Her ears perked up and eyes flared at the thought of another battle with him. There was no hiding her excitement.

“Ha! I’ll be sure... to beat your ass next time…” she replied in between breaths, “Been looking for a sparring partner that can keep up with me.”

He was still sitting on her, but she wasn’t about to complain about it. It gave her a nice view of his torso… she laid back in the sand wiping sweat and blood from her face with the back of her hand… more like smeared it further.

“Grakkar, you said? I’ll try to remember it.”

Grakkar grunted his affirmation, as his breathing came back under control. The excitement - and nearly being choked out - sent his heart rate sky high, like the most rigorous of workouts. He took a moment to recover, before shifting his sitting on Kai’eka’s abdomen to a self-sustaining kneel. He extended his hand to her, in an offering to help the elf up as well.

His eyes wandered, studying her body now that the threat of death was… well, less imminent. The tattoos were fascinating; he’d never seen anything like it. Perhaps some similarities with the Shadowmoon runes he’d seen - but even then, hers were designed in a style of their own. He also took a moment to size up her physique; lean muscle with well-toned definition. She certainly was built like an orc! He liked that about her.

“Kai’eka, you said.” Grakkar repeated. “You are… unlike any elf I’ve ever seen. Are there others like you? Some clan or tribe of physically strong elves with intricate markings I haven’t heard of yet?”

Kai’eka scoffed at the question, “I could break the others of my kind in half if I looked at them too hard, I’m sure. I’m a bit of an anomaly.”

She shrugged, finally going about putting her shirt back in place and dusting the sand off, at least as much as she could. It was everywhere! Her hair was full of it! She undid the braided ponytail and brought a hand through it to shake it out of the long grey locks.

Her eyes moved to over his form as she did so. She noticed he hadn’t been shy about looking at her, so she wasn’t shy to study him in turn. She eyed the pattern of his tattoos. Each orc clan had different markings. What clan had he said he was from again? She hadn’t been paying attention...

“Warsong?”

Again, Grakkar grunted affirmation - this grunt sounding much more proud. Defiant, almost. He scooped up a handful of stand before standing straight up, and simply smeared the coarse grains across his chest and into his laceration. It’d heal eventually on its own; he only cared to stop the pesky bleeding, is all.

“As I said, I am a raider. A wolf-rider of the Warsong clan. Though, since the clans united, they prefer we call ourselves mag’har. ‘Uncorrupted’, in contrast to the fel-tainted green-skinned orcs you’ve seen here.” he let out a scoff, nostrils flaring a bit. “They can call me whatever they want; but Warsong blood flows in my veins. Nothing will change that.”

He grunted again, definitely defiant this time. He stepped away, and scooped his harness up from where he tossed it. After shaking the sand from it, he inspected it - perhaps it wasn’t his best idea to simply rip it off his body like that. Oh well. Grakkar tossed it aside yet again, before reclaiming his axe.

“A shame, you are the only of your sort. A clan of elves as mighty as you would be a clan I would very much like to see.” he chuckled, looking Kai’eka over again. “You are unique. One of a kind, then. In a clan of your own.”

“Heh, I suppose I am.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she turned away to collect the pieces of her plate armor and her swords, bringing them together to rest against a large boulder. She removed her boots and leg plates, choosing to remain in her halter top and pants. It was warm on this island and they were going to be here a while.

“We should make camp,” she said, “Unless you have a way off this island I don’t know about. I think it may take a while for Doofus’ wing to heal.”

She paused, her long ears perking up to listen. The two beasts were oddly silent. As Kai’eka stood up to look along the beach where they’d left their two companions, she realized they were nowhere to be seen.

“Where the fuck did they go?”

“Bah!” Grakkar gruffed. “It’s Kronk. He does this sometimes…”

Grakkar looked at where the two beasts had been, noting the track patterns they left in the sand. He followed them with his gaze up the beach, until they were too far out to see. Kronk ran off… and it looked like Doofus followed.

“When I tell him to stay out of fights, he loses focus. His attention span isn’t… erm… it’s not great.” the orc shrugged, scooping up his tattered Horde tabard. “He wanders off. Looks like your dragon followed him up the coast a ways.”

Grakkar tucked the tabard into his belt, letting it hang down his front like an off-centered apron. He looked to Kai’eka, and nodded.

“Let’s find them. Then make camp. I don’t have any way off this island, now that both ships are destroyed.” he informed her. “To be honest… I was going to just kill you and take that dragon of yours.”

“Ha! That would be entertaining to watch! I’ll bet one hundred gold coins you wouldn’t be able to steer him and end up landing in the ocean,” she chuckled, walking along the beach at his side, “Nothing against your animal handling skills, but Doofus is dumb as a rock.”

Another hearty chuckle emanated from the orc, as he started following the sets of tracks up the beach.

[kaiekasunwhisper]

The Sunwhisper Sister

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango / @gattius-lightmourn )) Few things had brought Gattius much happiness as of late. He used to enjoy pitching in at the infirmary, but lately it felt like a chore. He used to enjoy sitting in command meetings  and discussing the current state of the war on Argus with other high-ranking officials, but now it felt mundane and repetitive. He used to enjoy looking out the Vindicaar’s massive window out at Argus, watching the Azerothian forces advance… but now, it only made him worry. His circle of things that made him happy lately had been reduced to one of two things, as of late; Syrielle, and food. Given Syrielle had already gone to bed, however, Gattius sought out the latter. Talbuk gyros always tasted so good, and reinvigorated him after a long, tiring day. He made his way to the vendor’s small kiosk, and placed his order. “Yer gonna get fat, lad. Round as a Pandaren, if yeh keep eatin’ like that.” Alteris teased, materializing in Gattius’ peripheral beside the kiosk. “Bah, please. I do enough running around this damn ship to work off three times this meal.” Gattius retorted. “Still, yeh ought t’ find something more healthy to eat. I dunno if I wanna live in a mind connected to a frail, deterioratin’ body.” “Would you prefer I just eat salads and drink water?” Gattius frowned. “I don’t just eat for sustenance, Alt; I eat for comfort. And aside from a Sunsail filet, these talbuk gyros are the best tasting food I’ve had in a long time. I need this.” “Oi, suit yerself, lad. Don’t come cryin’ t’ me when--” Gattius suddenly felt a sense of dread wash over him; a sentiment expressed not by him, but by the image of Alteris. The Pathfinder stiffened, eyes wide as he stared off outside Gattius’ field of view.

“Oh, shit!”

He vanished in an instant, much to Gattius’ surprise! That had NEVER happened before. Quickly, warily, the Blood Knight turned to look the direction Alteris was looking before he vanished - he saw a woman, adorned in plate, approaching him… The older woman walked directly over to the captain, her gaze set on him. She was intimidating to say the least. Everything about her; the way she was composed, the way she walked… even the neutral expression on her face almost looked like a glare. Needless to say, everyone made certain to not get in her path as she walked. She stopped a few paces away, a respectable distance. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore no makeup to hide her age, clearly a couple hundred years older than he was, slightly taller but around the same build. There was an obvious scar that traveled across her left cheek and ear; a very old wound. Her dark red armor showed clear signs of recent battle. She stood up straight, tall and proud. Two very large swords were strapped across her back. “Captain Lightmourn,” she stated, eyeing him over… maybe sizing him up a little, “Blood Guard Kai’eka Sunwhisper. I’ve recently put in an application for the position of reservist of the Phoenix Guard.” ‘There’s something familiar about this woman,’ Gattius thought to himself. Not just the composure, or the static glare. He turned fully to her as she approached, eyes narrow as he rested his forearm on the hilt of his blade. He, too, sized the woman up - very much immune to being intimidated by battle-hardened women by now. His brow raised, however, as she rattled off her name and rank - Sunwhisper… A strange coincidence at the very least. His ear twitched, cautiously. “A pleasure, I’m sure.” Gattius responded, casually, as he looked Kai’eka over again. “How long ago did you submit this application? The process takes a few days, and I’ve got much more pressing matters as of late to be reading reservist dossiers.” He met her gaze with his own, frowning a bit. It surprised even himself; perhaps his time in command over the Guard had shortened his patience, and added edge to his demeanor. He felt irritated enough already. But now, this Blood Guard exuding a bad attitude had come up to him inquiring about her application? He didn’t have time to be pestered like this. Still… there was something alarming and particularly interesting about this woman… He sighed. “I’m sure you understand, Blood Guard… Sunwhisper, you said?” he added, tone taking a somewhat calmer and more personable tone. “Is that the same Sunwhisper as Pathfinder Alteris Sunwhisper?” He narrowed his eyes again, watching her reaction - given Alt’s odd behavior, he couldn’t help but ask… She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest as Gattius got on the defensive something fast about the application. He was clearly stressed, most likely about the missing Commander. “Relax,” her tone remained neutral, “I came to tell you I applied. That’s it. I don’t give a shit where the process is at. You’ll get to it when you can. No skin off my back.” She was trying to be nice… It wasn’t something she was good at, however. She tried to think of something to say the would put him at ease. Nothing came to mind. She didn’t want to be talking to him in the first place. Clearly, she was not a people person. She went to turn away, but paused as Alteris was mentioned. She froze, her ear twitched, and she turned her attention back to Gattius, a look of interest now. “He’s my brother. Pain the the ass,” she said, “How do you know him? I haven’t heard from him in years.” Gattius sighed, her response confirming what he had feared. “--Sorry, I’m… I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.” he apologized. “Got a lot on my mind lately. Thanks for following up about that application.” He gave the woman another look-over, appraisingly. She was fit, seemed strong, clearly a capable combatant. But after her retort, he noticed she went quiet, and broke her gaze from him. He sighed, guessing she didn’t interact too much with people. All the more reason he should’ve been patient with her before. What she revealed after was more than surprising to him - Alteris had always told him his family was long dead. A sister, though, still living… he wondered why Alteris never said anything. He wondered why Alteris never sought her out, kept connected to her after so many elves died in the Third War. But most of all, he wondered if it were true… “His sister, aye?” he quirked his brow. “He never spoke of a sister…” He watched her a moment, as if to gauge her. What did she have to gain by lying about this? Was she trying to garner Gattius’ trust? Interest? To what end? The way Alteris responded to her… still couldn’t explain that one. This whole thing raised dozens of questions. Still, he opted to answer hers as best - and plainly - as he could. “Alt and I were partners, for many years.” he explained. “I met him when we pushed through the Dark Portal together, and we were with each other every step of the way since.” His ears wilted, lips pressing to a thin line. “I… I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but… he’s dead. Killed in Action, during the Pandaria Campaign.” This conversation had gotten uncomfortably personal all too fast. She frowned, being told that he had never mentioned her. Part of her wasn’t surprised, given the fact that he had literally run away. He hadn’t wanted to be tracked down, made even more obvious that he had found a Light user to cling to. Smart. She wondered if Gattius knew he had been used in such a way. “Yeah, he rushed through the Dark Portal something fast,” she said simply, finally uncrossing her arms and allowing them to fall at her sides, “That’s where I lost track of him.” She eyed Gattius over again, wondering the exact nature of his relationship with her brother. The word ‘partners’ could mean more than one thing. “At least you’re an Elf,” she concluded, “His ‘partner’ before you was a Dwarf.” Her tough attitude seemed to melt away, though, as Gattius told her of Alteris’ death. Her ears wilted, pain evident in her gaze before she looked away. Hands balled into fists. She had always wondered of his fate. If he had died in Outlands or somewhere else. Where had his adventures taken him? Hope that he was alive and that she’d finally be able to track him down had risen when the Captain had brought him up… Now she knew her final surviving family member had also perished. She turned away, her back to Gattius. “It was good to meet you, Captain.” she managed before walking away. She needed to be alone now. “--Ah, wait!” Gattius insisted, lightly jaunting up beside her as she moved away from him. “Wait, I…” He hadn’t exactly planned how to follow that up; but seeing her react to the news of her brother’s death resonated with him, deeply. He knew how she felt - moreso than anyone else ever could. Alteris was his closest friend, almost family and then some as they cultivated a deeper, emotional relationship. He’d always thought he, alone, would mourn the loss. But now, seeing the sister he never knew Alteris had, he couldn’t let her mourn him alone, as he had. “Listen, I…” he began again, organizing his thoughts on the fly. “When you’re comfortable with it… I think we should get together and talk about it. If that’s okay with you, I mean.” He shrugged his shoulders, reminding himself to be sympathetic. “There’s a lot I don’t know about him, even after the years we were together - clearly, aye? I didn’t even know he had a sister.” he explained. “And it sounds like you don’t know about the later parts of his life, either. I’d be happy to tell you about it. We could honor his memory together, yeah?” Gattius nodded once, offering a comforting smile. “What do you say?” Kai’eka cursed under her breath as she heard the Captain following, holding back the urge to turn on him and tell him to get lost. She had to keep reminding herself that she wasn’t part of the Guard yet, and she never would be if she didn’t manage to navigate this discussion properly. She stopped walking, allowing Gattius to catch up to her, though she kept her eyes ahead of her as he spoke. Her fists remained clenched at her side. “I’m not…” she sighed, rolling her shoulders back, “I’m not good at talking… about things… feelings.” She wanted to be left alone, and some very particular aspects of her life with Alteris were absolutely not up for discussion. She knew Gattius had questions, and she didn’t want to answer them. But at the same time,   after all of these years, she finally found someone with the information she had been looking for. Unfortunately for her, it was someone she wouldn’t be able to intimidate and threaten the information out of. “Maybe.” She finally answered, “Not now, though. Later.” Gattius nodded, understandingly. He knew it was probably the last thing she wanted to hear in that moment. Clearly, she wasn’t a very social person - he knew the sort. Respectfully, he took a step back from her. “Of course.” he assured her. “Take any time you need. I… I know it’s hard to hear news like that. I understand what it means to lose someone.” He fought the urge to keep talking, realizing anything more he said would be best saved for when she was ready to hear it. He regarded her one more time, taking note of her features and demeanor. He believed she was being sincere, quelling his worries perhaps she was simply trying to manipulate him. But he trusted his gut - and his gut told him she was genuine. “--Ah, er…” he fumbled, snapping back to the conversation. “It was good to meet you, Kai’eka. I’ll be around the ship, here, if you need anything. Even if you’re not ready to talk, you’re welcome to come to me for anything you might need. Mending, support, some kind of liaison between you and these Army of Light types… you name it.” He smiled warmly, before nodding his head. He turned from her, throwing a hand out to the side to wave his farewell. Kai’eka finally made eye contact, the look betraying the fact that she was doing everything she could to hold it together. Clearly, she was trying to hide how distraught she was over the news. She gave Gattius a respectable nod of the head. “Thank you, Captain,” she said simply, before continuing on her way. The Blood Guard made her way straight over to the teleporter, steeling herself before being transported to the planet surface. Her ears picked up the sounds of battle not far. She went the opposite direction, to the cliff’s edge. She was finally alone to reflect on the conversation Alone… “Alt…” She had spent years looking for her brother, trying to determine what happened to him. Now, her search had come to an end. And she knew for a fact that she would never see him again. She wanted to scream. Her cold front melted away. Bringing a single hand up to her face, she grit her teeth and closed her eyes; however, it didn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.