Demonic Embrace

Author's Note: Many, many apologies for extreme lateness. More people need to kick my ass on AIM so I get these things done, please. No sex in this chap (awww), but things get MOAR interesting.

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

Dareum stepped out of the bath, warmth dripping off his form. The air felt colder, and he shivered slightly. Thankfully, Ratchet was warm and humid enough to keep him from freezing, but the temperature change was enough. He padded across the floor quickly to retrieve towels, wrapping one about his waist and using a second to dry off his hair. Dareum paced around the small room, glancing into a mirror as he continued to remove the excess water. He looked a lot better after a decent sleep in a hospitable place, even if had had been sleeping on the floor.

Click, click.

The warlock turned his head to the doorway where Aezlek stood, leaning against the frame. The noise had been his feet, more like hooves than anything else, making contact with the floor in his casual, relaxed step. The demon’s arms were crossed smugly, wings tucked in, with a smirk on his face. Both his cyan eyes were glowing brightly, eyeing Dareum with an air of superiority. His mouth opened to deliver sarcastic speech.

“I won.”

“Like there was any contest.”

Dareum finished drying himself off, casting the free towel aside. He removed the one about his waist, ignoring Aezlek but knowing that the demon was still looking at him. Dareum turned away from him, fetching clean clothes he’d sent the inn staff to purchase for him. His standard robe needed repairs and a good cleaning, as did most of the rest of his gear. Dareum pulled up a simple cloth to his waist before tugging on some crimson pants, similar in color and material to a sleeveless shirt that went on next. After running his hands through his hair to style it as best he could, Dareum turned back to Aezlek.

“Well, let’s go find a tailor. Someone has to know how to fix my clothes.”

“You can’t do it yourself?” Aezlek’s thin eyebrow raised. Dareum had his own way with a needle, able to craft things when he had the time or the volition. At least, he’d know how to patch his own clothes up. The warlock shook his head in response, walking past Aezlek and towards the room’s front door. His servant followed after.

“No, not the way I want to. I don’t have the knowledge to repair the cloth and restore all the magic that it bore. We need a professional.”

He led the pair out the door, down the stairs, and out of the inn entirely. Outside the building, Dareum paused, gazing out over Ratchet. They were at the edge of the Barrens, all the soil tinged red. There was little foliage, few traces of wildlife, and only a moderate number of people. Most of those people were goblins, the majority of the rest were Horde of some variety. Dareum noticed a few glaring at him and many who gazed at him curiously.

Dareum cocked his head at Aezlek, only to have his blood pressure rise. The demon was transparent, the warlock able to see everything through Aezlek’s body. His servant had gone invisible on him, utterly vanished to everyone but Dareum, and any warlocks who had the sense to look for him. That was the meaning of the stares. Dareum looked to be a young, foolish human who had wandered into Ratchet, alone. The warlock made a note to check his back often.

“You’re a bastard, Aezlek.”

“Cry more.”

Grumbling, Dareum walked away from the inn, conscious of Aezlek following after him. He wasn’t really alone, of course, and the demon would step in if danger approached. Still, Dareum contemplated summoning someone else, to put on a display of power. Perhaps a Felhunter would show the Horde that he wasn’t as defenseless as they might think. Lost in his thoughts, Dareum found his way to the marketplace, asking for a tailor.

He eventually found one, handed over all his old clothes, and was told that the repairs would take several days. Dareum’s eyes narrowed as he rummaged about to slam a few gold pieces on the counter. After that, the little goblin smiled and said it’d be done the next morning. Dareum returned the false smile, walked away, and muttered expletives in Demonic.

Bump.

Dareum glanced up, looking into blue eyes that simultaneously turned downward. The man was human, taller than the warlock, and far broader. He was blonde, with black fuzz along his jaw. Dareum tried to step around him and keep walking; no need to apologize. As he did so, a strong hand caught his shoulder. The warlock paused, defeated.

“Yeah, excuse me. Whatev-“

“Would you be Dareum, perhaps?”

He turned around again. How did the stranger know his name? Aezlek was creeping up behind the large man, hand dropping towards a coiled whip at his side. Dareum made a slight motion with his head, ordering Aezlek not to attack. The demon frowned and resigned to standing behind the blonde, foot tapping silently, impatiently. He would have been able to attack if it’d been an orc grabbing at his master.

“Perhaps. And you are?”

“Unimportant, but I know somebody who’s looking for you. Well, two people, actually, but only one is here.”

Dareum was forcibly spun again to face out towards the dock. His eyes widened in surprise, and expression returned by the one he saw. A night elf was stepping off the docks and into the town itself, apparently following after the burly human. It was Orran, alive, and Dareum felt the man’s hand on his shoulder release him. At that, he took off, racing towards the druid. Aezlek snorted behind the blonde, causing him to jump, before the demon stalked off after Dareum.

“Orran! You’re alive!”

“And you as well!”

They stopped a short distance away from each other, smiling. Dareum was thrilled; his partner was alive and seemed to be well, albeit tired from his time at sea. Aezlek pulled up alongside Dareum, still invisible, staring at the druid. Was it really whom his master had been worried about? The demon sighed quietly. Night elves weren’t worth the effort to care about. Unfortunately, Dareum seemed to be friendly with this one, so Aezlek would have to make due.

“I washed up north of here and managed to get escorted to shore by some Horde. A small miracle, but one I’m thankful for. How did you survive? I couldn’t find you after we went overboard.”

“Nor could I find you. I transformed and swam for my life, until I was picked up by a passing ship. In fact, I believe you’ve met the captain…”

“Ceos.” The blonde stepped around Dareum and over to Orran, standing authoritatively. He met Dareum’s eye, though he had to peer down, and felt a clash. The warlock didn’t like people who thought it necessary to be in charge, and the captain didn’t like those who didn’t follow such orders. But Orran was a middle party, and both ignored first impressions for his sake.

“You already know my name, so there’s no need to repeat it.” Dareum waited, letting a smile appear as he looked at Ceos. “You said there were two people looking for me. Who might the second be?”

“Shouldn’t you know?” A pause. Nothing. Ceos sighed. “Would you happen to be familiar with Lieutenant Colonel Luenmos th-“

“the Bastard?” The warlock visibly bristled, puffing his small frame up in apparent anger. Orran and Ceos exchanged glances but said nothing. Ceos nodded and Dareum responded, his voice rising in pitch and volume. “Yes, I know him, and you can tell him that I’m fine, if he’s so worried. Also, you can tell him to go rescue someone who actually needs rescuing for once, that he’s a pompous idiot, and that I’m far happier without-“

Dareum was muffled by a pale, clawed hand that materialized from thin air. Aezlek’s hand covered the warlock’s mouth gently, unmoved by the smaller hands that tugged at it. The demon lowered his lips to his master’s ear and whispered furtively. “Dareum, going off on a rant is not in your best interests now. Nor is it wise to delve into matters that don’t require delving into. Just stay calm.” His hand pulled away and Aezlek released the human completely, standing at his side.

Ceos had gone white while Orran had turned a lighter shade of violet. A demon had appeared from behind Dareum, silencing him without so much as a hint that he’d been there before. Furthermore, the species was unrecognizable; it was not a standard of warlocks, one the two would be familiar with. It bore resemblance to a succubus, if the fact that it appeared to be male was looked past. Color returned to the two after Dareum spoke, calmer than before.

“Orran, Ceos, meet Aezlek. Aezlek…Orran and Ceos.” The warlock pointed at the two in time. His demon gave a small wave, shifting weight onto his right foot. He would have preferred staying invisible, but Dareum would have been annoyed if he’d been allowed to continue. There were things Aezlek believed Orran and Ceos didn’t need to know. At all. “He’s an incubus, brother race to the succubus, and my servant.”

“And why do you have an incubus?” It was Ceos, inquisitive.

“Because succubi have a tendency of seducing their masters, eating their souls, and wandering about as psychotic killers. Aezlek won’t be seducing me anytime soon.” Dareum and Aezlek resisted grinning at the lie. Only hours before, they’d woken up, bodies entangled and smelling of sex. Aezlek wouldn’t be seducing Dareum because he didn’t have to. Dareum had taken that initiative a long time ago.

“That makes sense, I suppose. Is that really a problem for warlocks?” Orran now, nervously looking from Aezlek to Dareum. The incubus’ aura was a great deal more irritating than the imp’s had been, and while he thought himself accepting, demons had a universally bad reputation. Dareum let out a laugh, nodding his head.

“You’d be surprised. There are many, many stories about old warlocks who get a little too lonely. The succubus takes advantage, devours their eternal soul, and runs off. Even a few younger warlocks have been claimed.” He finished with a yawn, looking between Ceos and Orran. What else was he supposed to say? Now that Orran was safe and with him again, they could head northwest for Felwood. Ceos just had to leave. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ceos.”

“Yes, and you as well.” The pirate smiled at his own words, making Dareum glower. The man was up to something. “However, I don’t think I’ll be leaving just yet. You see, if I understand correctly, the two…three of you will be off to kill an infernal, right? I’m sure you could use some extra muscle. The Dawn would actually prefer that I go with you, in fact.”

Lies, lies, all of it, but Ceos didn’t care. Luenmos would be angered if he found out that Ceos had let Dareum go off to another potentially deadly situation with just a druid for back up. While normally, Ceos wouldn’t have bothered with Luenmos’ unspoken wishes of protecting everyone from themselves, Dareum seemed special, particularly after the warlock’s outburst. There was history there, and even though Dareum spoke as though he hated Luenmos, Ceos believed that the exact opposite was returned.

Aside from that, the pirate was still intrigued by Orran. In their ride to Ratchet, the two had sorted a few things out, with Ceos promising to not get physical. Orran was, truly, uncomfortable with that idea, but open to ‘warming up’ to it. That meant the man had to stick around and give Orran reason to return his attraction. And, on top of everything, Ceos knew Deiha wanted a turn at playing captain for a bit. She was practically running the ship for him anyway, and it would stroke her ego nicely to succeed in his absence.

Dareum tapped his foot impatiently as he crossed his arms. He did not want anyone with the Argent Dawn to accompany him, especially someone tied with Luenmos. However, at Ceos’ mention of coming along, Orran had looked pleased, as though the trip would be more enjoyable. True, it would be safer with a burly brute like the captain to take the Infernal’s sucker punches, as well as anything else that came their way. Dareum might like watching the blonde get tossed around while Orran kept him healed and fighting. It would relieve stress, if nothing else.

“Alright, that’s fine. You can come if you want to, Ceos.”

“Then I shall. When will we be heading out?”

“Orran?”

The druid had been watching the other two exchange words in their own arrogant ways, staying silent. His opinion hadn’t been asked up until that point, but there hadn’t been much that required it. He scratched his purple hair with a hand and rolled his eyes to gaze into the corner of his sockets. Perhaps a day to rest in a real bed and gather any supplies he needed from the shops and the auction. Yes, that sounded like enough.

“How about tomorrow, maybe around this time? I need to restock a few things I lost in the water, and I’d like to sleep somewhere that doesn’t rock, and then I’ll be set. What about you two?”

“My real clothes are being repaired. Otherwise, I’m set.” Dareum shifted, smiling at Orran and relaxing the way he stood.

“I need to oversee the re-supply of my boat, then I’ll be ready as well. Where are you staying, Dareum?” Ceos watched as the warlock cast a finger to the largest inn in town, on a small ridge. The pirate had stayed there many times, and, like Dareum, found it the most accommodating place in Ratchet. Alliance had a habit of staying there due to the quality, which tended to scare Horde members away from it, and that only made it more attractive to the pink and purple skinned races. Ceos nodded in acknowledgement. “Alright. Orran, will you go get two rooms while I take care of my crew?”

“Sure. See you later, Ceos.” Orran returned the pirate’s wave as the blonde separated from the rest of the group. Dareum and Aezlek said and did nothing to Ceos as he left, both watching the human coolly. The demon knew Dareum didn’t like him, but only because he’d been reminded of Luenmos. Orran seemed to pick up on that as well, and was quick to draw Dareum’s attention away. “Dareum, can you lead me to the tailor you found? I have things requiring repair as well.”

“Yeah, follow me.” They were off, turning away from the docks.

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

“Oh, that was very close, very close indeed.”

He ran a hand through platinum hair, traces of yellow only appearing near the ends of each spiky strand. Emerald eyes burned in his skull, but they were partially hidden behind crates that littered Ratchet. The elf had crouched behind the empty containers a long while beforehand, moving slowly and carefully to stalk the warlock as he left the inn. For a boring while, the human had done nothing of interest, and his follower had almost left him alone.

Then there was the chat with the night elf and the second human, as well as the appearance of a demon. That was what it had been, the faint smell that had permeated the warlock. It had been a good thing he’d followed in the shadows, or the warlock’s keeper most certainly would have spotted him. The elf remained unmoving after that, eavesdropping without shame and catching few useful bits of information. Just the party’s destination and their plans for the next twenty-four hours.

Boring, boring, boring. Why had he followed the boy in the first place? Yes, there had been a reason, and he was reminded as the warlock passed by him without noticing the one who hid. The elf could taste the mana leaking off the human, a magic that overflowed about him so wonderfully. It was not merely saturation from the constant companionship of demons, no. The feeling was truly arcane, something a warlock was not supposed to have so much of. And yet, to the elf’s keen sense for such things, it was nearly overwhelming.

He could feast for weeks if he was capable of catching the warlock. Had the boy been alone, it would have been easy. A smack to the back of the head, a few cords around his wrists, and no one would have been any the wiser. But he had comrades, however tense their situation seemed to be. The night elf and the second human were supposed to leave him eventually, though, leaving only that demon as an issue. The incubus would fight on after its master’s incapacitation, and that would stall or injure the elf. It wasn’t like punting an imp out of the way. It would require more finesse. Finesse was his specialty.

He slinked through the shadows, quietly laughing to himself.