The Burning

Chapter Two

"A Warlock?" Arsika asked, as if she hadn't heard Advisor Duskingdawn clearly say those exact words. The Mage was sitting at a table set up outside, on the grass, eating breakfast with another Blood Elf, in the town of Tarren Mill, a Forsaken outpost. Arsika had been asked to come here by the Advisor, for something important, and when she had asked what that something was, the Advisor had responded with the same words Arsika had just spoken.

Nodding, the golden-haired elf speared some sliced Tel'abim banana off her plate with a fork, and delicately consumed it. She waited until she was done chewing and swallowing before speaking further. "Yes, we are having a problem with a Warlock by the name of Gath'remal." The Advisor didn't say anything further for a few more moments, waiting for Arsika to say what she was no doubt thinking. That this was not a matter for which she should have been dragged out here, and that any number of others could have dealt with it easily. Arsika, however, remembered her manners, and only politely nodded, before speaking.
"What is it this Warlock is doing exactly?"
"Well, he stole from us a very valuable article and has killed several members of the Horde, and we have reason to believe that he is summoning a number of demons in preparation for an assault on Tarren Mill," Duskingdawn replied as she sipped at some melon juice.
"How awful," Arsika replied blandly, having dealt with this sort of thing before, and not being terribly impressed.
"Indeed."
"And, please forgive me for asking, but what is it about this Warlock that you are not telling me?" Arsika smiled politely and tilted her head to the side as she looked Duskingdawn in the eyes. Both pairs of pure-green eyes stared unblinking for several seconds, before the Advisor shook her head and smirked.
"I suppose I should have known you would see right through me. From everything I've seen of you, you are exceptionally intelligent and perceptive."
"I appreciate the compliments, but they don't answer my question," Arsika verbally nudged the Advisor back on track.
"Ah, yes. Well, until recently, this Warlock was a member of the Horde, and rather trusted as far as anyone trusts Warlocks. He has apparently gone recalcitrant, and decided he would be better off working on his own."
"With our things."
"Yes."
"And he is powerful enough to be a threat?"
"With the object in his possession, yes."

At this, Arsika sat back in her chair and went quiet. So this Warlock was in possession of an item of power. Something strongly magical, and capable of doing a lot of damage in the wrong hands. And they needed someone strong enough and experienced enough to stop the Warlock, and recover the item. And Duskingdawn had requested her specifically. Arsika nodded her head and then turned her attention back towards Duskingdawn who was finishing up her breakfast.
"Alright, I will help you. Do you know where he is located?"
Duskingdawn nodded and answered, "Yes, there is a cave to the north-east of Hillsbrad, where some Yeti lived, called Foothills Cave. He is residing there."
"'Lived'? The Yeti don't live there anymore?" Arsika inquired.
Quietly, Duskingdawn replied, "They don't live at all."
"I see." Arsika took in this information, and decided upon a course of action. Pushing back her chair and getting to her feet, she walked around the table slowly and said, "Is it alright if I call in a couple others to assist me in this endeavour? I usually work alone, but in this instance, I'd like to have someone watching my back. You know how treacherous some Warlocks are."
"Oh, certainly. And they will receive the same reward you do," Duskingdawn said. Arsika, however, shook her head.
"I'd rather they not receive ALL of the reward I do."
"Oh?" Duskingdawn arched a long, golden eyebrow. By this time Arsika had maneuvered around behind the other Blood Elf's chair, and placed her hands on the woman's shoulders, massaging lightly, and allowing her hands to glide down to the upper swells of Duskingdawn's generous chest, before retreating. The blonde sat up a bit straighter at this attention, as Arsika smiled down at her.
"Yes, I would like a little something extra just for myself." The red-haired elf leaned down to nibble on one of the other woman's long, sensitive ears, eliciting a shiver, before Duskingdawn smirked and said as calmly as she could, "I believe something can be arranged."

With breakfast overwith, and something pleasant to look forward to on her return from the cave, Arsika returned to her room and checked her equipment, gathering up and putting on the things she had left behind before. She then cupped her hands together, and a ball of violet light formed between them, as the elf forged a link between herself and two others. Once she knew she had their attention, she spoke into the ball, saying, "Sorry to bother you, but I have a job for the three of us. It involves a Warlock, an item of power, and a reward for each of us. Interested?"

After a brief pause as her message was transmitted across the vast distances between herself and the others, a reply in the affirmative was received from both. "Excellent. Meet me on Darrow Hill. You'll know where to find me when you get here." Closing the connection, Arsika set out to the cave once populated by Yeti, to do battle with a Warlock.

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In Sunfury Spire, the dwelling of the acting ruler of the Blood Elves, in Silvermoon City, there were two Blood Elves. This was not particularly noteworthy, but the fact that they were both skilled Mages, and seemingly packing away half the library and the mystic laboratory of Silvermoon into a couple bags each, enchanted to accomodate such things, raised a few eyebrows. The two Elves were both women, and as flowing robes swished around the two, they hefted their bags and began striding towards the chamber of the regent. They were not going there for an audience however. Merely "passing through", as it were. The first of the woman was called Aerai, and was the more quiet of the two, though by no means shy. The raven-haired woman merely gave off an air of being detached from things, while she was actually observing everything and taking mental notes. Her magical specialty was a bit ambiguous, as she seemed to dabble in everything. The second Elf was Arrwynn. She was completely different, outgoing and energetic, with an optimistic outlook on life. She divided her studies between ice and flame magics, and thus wasn't quite as skilled at either as one who specialized in one or the other. She had hair that was silver like woven moonlight. Two sets of glowing green eyes looked upwards at the platform above their heads, at the end of a number of staircases. On it was an Orb of Translocation, once merely a trinket for conveying oneself from one place to another, and now a treasured artifact of the past. From the time before the Scourge.

Aerai looked to Arrwynn, and said, "I really would have preferred to stay here and study a bit more. There are some permutations in the mana fields of Duskwither Grounds. There are students out there that should be warned of the instabilities--" However, Arrwynn interrupted in a light tone.
"You sent a letter to the instructor there, didn't you? What else do you think you can do? Come on, Arsika needs our help. Would you rather play nanny to some dabbling children, or have some fun on an adventure?" Arrwynn didn't seem to realize the level of the distortions at Duskwither Grounds, but Aerai realized she wouldn't make her understand without showing her the diagrams and charts, and by then it would be too late to actually go out and do anything that day.

Resigning herself to the inevitable, the black-haired woman sighed and said, "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can return to studying. You spend more time at the Auction Houses than you do at being a Mage." Arrwynn shrugged and followed after Aerai as they ascended the stairs, to the elegant bronze frame with the rotating rings, surrounding a crimson orb. The mechanics were rather advanced by the standards of the time, which showed just how far the Blood Elves had fallen in their pursuit of magical knowledge, since Arthas betrayed and invaded them.

Aerai and Arrwynn nonetheless knew enough to make the proper hand gestures as they focused their Mana, and embedded their minds in the crimson orb, as it spun and glowed, causing the world to swim nauseatingly before resolving into a different location entirely...

--------------End Chapter Two--------------