#a prelude to the new xpac boyos

[dangreth]

War

Self inventory in the morning: My strength of will? Precarious. My dignity? Absent. My motivations? Selfish. My pride? Oh, my pride.

The bunker shook slightly with each round of cannonfire, even with the distance between Hillsbrad Foothills and Lordaeron. The Alliance wanted blood, and blood they would get. Meanwhile, those within Magetank Industries tried to keep busy, a neutral party in all of this warfare. The blast doors were sealed tight, the technomage’s irritated steps making his way past Dangreth to assess the integrity of the seals. So far, no one had made an attempt to break in or even set foot outside. The threat of the Forsaken was at the forefront, the undead possibly making their way to Arathi and raze everything in their path if they were to lose Undercity. But Sachiel wouldn’t let it happen. Horde or Alliance, anyone who set foot near this bunker would be shot or blown to bits.

Another round of cannonfire shook the compound, Dangreth’s ears catching mutters across the workers and employees nearby. “Amberblade, how are the mines looking outside? Anyone to report?” one of the workers asked, knowing Dangreth’s spectral sight could see through the door. The demon hunter peered through rock and steel, tracing each buried landmine and looking for anyone unfortunate enough to step close. “Nothing. Everyone must be focused on the war right now. No stragglers yet.” Sachiel said nothing, stepping past Dangreth again to check on the other defenses. For now, everyone was just sitting ducks. Passing the time with menial tasks or keeping tabs on their weaponry was their only option. Frowning, Dangreth began to make his way lower into the bunker, another shake of its walls making his head spin.

Everything was supposed to end after their trip to Argus. Returning to more war made Dangreth grit his teeth in disgust, remembering several wars that came to pass in the eleven thousand years he had been alive. While his people fought satyrs and demons alike in the past, the Alliance and Horde were perfectly content with fighting each other, wounding the land heavily. But now, the kaldorei sought blood, their lovely home of Teldrassil burning to the ground. Dangreth felt nothing to Darnassus, being cast out by the night elves before he made a home there. Seeing it burn however made him feel for his people, the other races doing nothing but destroy everything they built. As he made his way lower into the bunker, the telltale sound of a blade on stone caught his attention, the sound angry and full of rage.

Solelin Shadebough, a sentinel angrily sharpened knives and axes, shaking as the need for vengeance shook her very core. Her home was in ruins. And the Horde were to blame. Dangreth could hear the arrows in her quiver shake from sheer rage, but he also could feel great sorrow seep from her movements. It was too dangerous to return to Kalimdor now, and it was rightfully theirs. The thought of Dangreth’s former home in Darkshore made him wince a little, realizing it was most likely destroyed by Horde forces. Still, he could not feel vengeance like his friend did, and in passing, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Darnassian fell from his lips to keep the conversation mostly private. “Do you plan on joining the battle nearby?”

“I must. For my--our people. I won’t rest until every drop of their blood is spilled.” Dangreth sighed as he heard Solelin drag her knife across the stone angrily, and he turned to leave her be. “Be careful. You will cut yourself if you sharpen those so aggressively.” The woman sneered, but slowed her movements regardless. The demon hunter stepped carefully towards the den, but a particularly loud cannon blast rocked the bunker once again, his knees nearly buckling. All the noise made it difficult to see, jostling his vision all over the place, Instead, he placed his hand against a wall, and allowed it to guide him further in. Was peace truly unobtainable? Sure, Dangreth would have to continue his consumption of demons to survive, but that wasn’t much of an issue. He longed for the days where the only thing he had to worry about was a splinter in his fingers, and not whether or not his friends would end up in mass graves. Friends. Dangreth’s eyes widened in sudden realization of the situation, his allies now all in turmoil. In his time of being illidari, most of his friends were sin’dorei, the men and women providing excellent support in defeating the Legion on Argus and the Broken Shore. With the war in full swing, it was likely their alliance would be severed, and the kaldorei  panicked lightly. He feared for their safety, praying they all would make it out of this alive. Glancing around, Dangreth leaned against the wall, and pulled the speechstone from his pocket, speaking quickly and quietly. “Vyndoriell, this is Dangreth. Do you copy?” No answer. “Karthuro, if you’re dead, I am going to be really fucking angry.” No answer. “..Ana?” No answer.

Dangreth gritted his teeth, the fear now spreading through him like mad. “Acario. Sideburns, where the hell are you?” Nothing.

Dangreth’s back straightened against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. He really shouldn’t panic, but he felt he was letting Medas down in some way. The kaldorei promised the small elf that he’d keep Karthuro out of trouble, and the others as well, but he was breaking it already. Medas was one of the only people who gave the demon hunter a chance, and letting him down made his stomach ache. If any of them ended up dead, Dangreth would see the blood on his hands. With a sigh, Dangreth placed the speechstone back into his armor, and continued on his way.

The sound of tinkering caught his attention, ears perking up a little. Working while all of this was going on? Turning the corner, Dangreth spotted the telltale sign of goggles and a variety of enchantments. Sivy tried to focus on the object in her hands, but yelped at each and every bout of artillery going off in Lordaeron nearby. The kaldorei could hear the shake in her hands, the lack of focus in her work. Distracted. The elf had been here prior to the battle nearby, hiding from what Dangreth figured was a threat to her well-being. He never questioned it, knowing Sachiel had everything taken care of, but he still worried about her. Elune, he barely even knew Sivyraithe, but she had a heart of gold as far as he knew. Carefully, Dangreth made sure to make noise to signal his approach, knowing a demon hunter suddenly nearby would scare the daylights out of her.  “D-Dangreth! H-Hi!” She pressed the goggles from her face and forced a smile, but stopped as soon as Dangreth placed a hand on her shoulder. She bit her lips, staring at his feet. Calmly, Dangreth spoke, and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, I’m afraid for them too.” Sivy looked up at the demon hunter, eyes shielded away so it was hard to gauge what he was thinking. “I-I really hope they’re all o-okay. And...I’m really sorry with what happened to Darnassus. M-Must have been terrible…” The young woman turned around to tinker once more, the bunker rumbling once again. Dangreth blinked, unused to such nice words despite his lack of care for the night elven home. But still, she was kind to offer condolences. Smiling, he gave a gentle shrug. “In the end...it’s just a tree. My people are strong, and will rebuild once more.”

Dangreth finally made his way to the den, where his facade of clarity finally fell. Lips pulled into a tight frown, and the kaldorei leaned against a wall, only to slide down and hug his knees. A hand reached to rake his nails through his hair, an exhausted sigh escaping him. This war was going to last for a long time, wasn’t it?

Vyndoriell, Karthuro, Ana, Medas, Acario. Be safe. Please be safe.