She could go no further. Ayu collapsed in a shuddering heap, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. She had rode as far as Navala could take her, and when the great wolf had succumbed to exhaustion, she had kept going on foot. Nothing mattered now but the desperate need to flee from the horror of her own memories. Not the aches in her legs, not the scratches and scrapes she had received from her mad dash to escape. The terror and the confusion were gone, replaced by a numbing weariness that stretched through her muscles and mind. With fatigue replacing fear, Ayu was at last able to think clearly again.
She was so tired that, at first, she didn't spare a thought to where her hectic scramble had taken her. Only after long minutes crumpled on the soft earth did she finally look up and take stock. Judging by the fetid swamps and withered, sickly trees barely visible through the omnipresent haze of fog that surrounded her, Ayu guessed that she must have fled straight through the Dun Morough mountains and had finally stopped somewhere in the Wetlands. Exactly where that was, she had no way of knowing. Ayu could not even be certain of how long she had been in flight. Time had lost all meaning.
She had much more troubling questions on her mind, though. Namely, what was happening to her. Her thoughts were still plagued by the echoes of the ghostly voice that whispered in her ear. A hideous, frightening presence shadowed her, and she could catch glimpses of a demonic visage in the corner of her eye. In all of her years of experience in her dark and often dangerous art, Ayu had never come across anything like this feeling.
She was being possessed. Haunted, maybe. Something, someone, was forcing its way into her mind.
Ayu needed time. She had to discover the intruder's identity and purpose quickly. Whatever it's intentions, there was little doubt that allowing it to continue would be the most fatal of mistakes. Time, however, was a luxury that she did not possess. The forest, which had been silent and empty, grew loud with the rustling of many bodies moving about the underbrush. For a moment, Ayu feared she might be attacked by wild animals, but it was a fate far worse.
Eyes peered out from the mist, from behind the gnarled trees, from beneath withered bushes. The irises glowed a brilliant royal purple, and they focused in on her with a hunger beyond that of a starving predator. Ayu had just enough time to gasp before they struck.
With a feral screech, the first attacked. It looked like a gnome, though Ayu had never seen a gnome this savage before. He wore a dark, tattered, and mud-stained robe. His expression was twisted with rage, his face was thin and pale, and his teeth were jagged like broken glass. He leapt at Ayu with a madness that was mirrored in his saucer-sized violet eyes. Ayu reached for the nearest object on hand, a decaying tree limb, and brought it down with all the force she could muster. It shattered on the gnome's skull, merely stunning him, but her troubles were not over.
More figures were approaching from the mists, skeletal frames of dwarves, humans, gnomes, and even some Horde races. They lurched forward malevolently, with a balding human in the lead. He cackled as he reached for Ayu, but his glee suddenly changed to fear. As his hand came into contact with the blood elf, a shimmering aura surrounded her. Ayu's own eyes changed from fel-green to the deep purple of her attackers. A spell came instantly to her mind. She had never before learned this skill, but the knowledge was simply there. A single phrase was all it took.
"Katra zil shukil."
The human's face turned white as it drained of blood. He knew what was coming next. He let out a blood curdling scream as the bones in his hand caught fire, searing the flesh from the inside out. His arm came next as the magical fire spread through his bones, setting alight his ribs and heart before bursting out of the skin. The stench of cooking meat filled the air as the human attacker became a human torch. In seconds, his charred corpse fell to the ground, turning quickly into a pile of ash and dust.
The death of one of their own shook the others, but they didn't seem frightened of her. Rather, they now looked at Ayu with awe, some going so far as to bow down reverently. She got unsteadily to her feet, keeping a wary eye at the loose circle of beings that held her in such esteem.
"What... what is going on here?" She said in a small voice, but her whisper was drowned out by the rising chants of those gathering around her. She hadn't expected an answer, but a voice from behind her called out in a comforting voice.
"Isn't it obvious? You're one of us." Ayu whirled around, seeking the owner of that voice. Standing just outside the circle of was a regal looking high elf. His robes were a deep blue, pristine and seemingly untouched by the muck. He stood straight and tall, with a noble bearing and a commanding presence. The wretched, animal-like beings shirked away from him, as if terrified. The only thing he had in common with their kind was the same glowing, lavender irises. The elf inclined his head in a short, respectful bow that one would give a superior, though that did nothing to allay Ayu's suspicions of him.
"Us... and what, exactly, are we?" In response, he smiled faintly and tapped his head. Ayu thought back to the demonic knowledge that had filled her mind just moments ago, and that shadowy presence that continued to haunt her. The newcomer nodded, recognizing Ayu's growing recognition.
"We have a... shall we say, mutual agreement with a very powerful benefactor. Each of us here, and I guarantee you that there is a great many of our number, have entered into a binding contract with Him. We provide our services, and in exchange..." The mysterious elf's eyes lit up, shining beacons in the dark swamp. "In exchange, He grants us some... unique talents."
"Contract? I've taken no oath, my will is my own!"
"You are only half right, my Lady. Your will is certainly your own. But you have most certainly accepted the contract." For a moment, his impartial expression was broken and his face showed all of the longing of the less human beings around him, who still groveled at Ayu's feet. "I can see it as clearly as the noonday sun. You must know, this contract is not the same for each person. The power we receive from Him is limited only by our mortal bodies, and by our connections to His realm."
He gestured to the cringing, gibbering folk at their feet. "Some have a strong connection to the otherworld, but their minds crack under the strain of His presence. Thus, even the strongest of us have our limits."
"But you..." He shuddered, as if under the influence of some mind altering drug. "If my power was that of a torch, yours would be the hottest bonfire. I feel... charged with energy just standing near you. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. You are His favored child, His Chosen, and your power is limitless."
"You're saying I'm some sort of magic battery for these... things? That I have a demon with a personal interest in me?"
"I am saying, my Lady, that you are the embodiment of all we aspire to be. You are our idol, and your wish is our command."
That last part appealed to Ayu. "Oh, really? You would follow me to the depths of hell, if necessary?"
"Why, my Lady... that is the very place we hope you'll lead us."
It was an interesting proposition. She was being offered a potent force, entirely devoted to her and her alone. Ayu thought of her friends within the Horde, struggling for their lives in a pitched battle against a horrendous foe. A thought came to her. She might be able to help them. This single thought was a catalyst. Suddenly, an explosion of information pounded into her head.
No, there was no 'might'. There was only certainty. She would help them.
In the depths of Dun Morough, surrounded by stone in the city of Ironforge, there were those who had accepted the contract. Their eyes were His eyes, and His eyes were her own. In her mind, Ayu saw the destruction of the dwarven city. She saw the pitched battle, and the tabard of Rend Fate on soldiers embroiled in combat. There were members of her own guild in trouble nearby. This was her chance to make a difference. She would accept this contract, this lesser evil, to fight for the greater good.
"What is your name?"
"I am Elth'raine, but my Lady may call me Shade."
"Well, Shade... gather up as many of our kind as you can. We are heading for Ironforge. The Chosen commands it."
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Asterius sat crosslegged on the cold metal deck of the Tram, as still as the stone that lay in front of him. The stone didn't remain immobile, however. His eyes still serenely closed, the druid raised a single hand. The stone shuddered from the force of the tauren's will. Gradually, ever so slightly, the stone began to hover. It floated a full foot off the ground, lazily spinning in a slow circle. Asterius' tranquil expression was broken with a slight grin. He had begun to unlock the trapped magic of the mountain.
"High Tinker!" The voice shattered his concentration, and the stone fell to the ground. Asterius sighed as a gnome came running in as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.
"What is it?" Mekkatorque grumbled as he extricated his head from the machine that had continued to refuse his best efforts to fix it.
"There's someone here to see you!"
"In truth," Ayu said, striding into the Tram room confidently, "I'm here to see him."
She was pointing to Asterius, who was appraising her and her cabal with a raised eye. "And who might you be?"
"I am Ayu, of Rend Fate. I am here to help."
