The Hollow Eye
Musty, chilled air hung loosely about the grand cavern. The scent of mold prevailed as a single emerald eye gazed out along the stony walkways standing above deep, motionless pools of water. Some were dark blue, some had a taint of green. Others were red, yellow, or just black; signs of a dark force at work down here, so far from the sun. The single eye of jade shifted, carefully watching the various beasts that populated the stale-aired subterranean world. It had been two weeks since he had become trapped. The only known means of egress had been sealed off by a powerful quake. The hunter was growing impatient, restless. He felt the absence of the sunwell and it pained him tremendously. What was more, he could feel the urge rising within him. Perhaps it was good he was sealed off from the rest of the world. Maybe in a few decades he would come to think of this place as his home. Or he would simply die here. Options he wasn't terribly fond of picking between.
He sighed quietly and continued his vigilant watch over the region from his make-shift camp, holed up in a small alcove of stone. Concealed mostly by moss hanging from overhead, the elf watched, waiting quietly for some opportunity to present itself. Finally, a glimmer of gold emerged in the unearthly glow of the cave, weaving and bobbing this way and that until it made its way slowly towards the hidden sanctuary. Hitoh leaned back as his little spy fluttered in, landing in an outstretched hand, reaching the full length from the tip of the man's fingers to the heel of his palm. The gilded moth fluttered there for a brief moment as it passed on what it had seen to its master. It had flown through the caves extensively, practically mapping out the various tunnels and chambers for the scarred elf. He narrowed his only good eye as he watched the memories unfold in his mind. There wasn't much that would be of any real help to him. It was beginning to look as though there was no means of escape to be found.
That is, until a curious gash in the stone wall in a distant corner of the caverns caught the elf's attention. He was no expert but he had seen such marks and formations before. It was a narrow opening connecting the complex collection of voided rock to what appeared to be a former waterway. If it was what he thought it might be, he just might have discovered the exit he sought. Either way, further examination was required. And that meant he would have to leave the marginal safety of his little hideout.
"Erebos, on your feet. We've ground to cover, and plenty to kill to cover it."
A large, grey-furred beast with claws of pitch black rose with a growl of satisfaction. The wolf glared through the moss at the nightmares patrolling the depths of the earth. He had already tasted the blood of a fair number of them, as well as taken a few of his own wounds. He was eager to dole out a little more death to quiet his own desires. Just as Hitoh was about to step forward through the vegetative veil, the last few images his moth pet had collected flashed in his mind. A figure stood out amidst the distorted, perverted lifeforms, slender and fair. It was a woman, a Draenei, fighting for her life and from the looks of things, she had been trapped there just as long as he had. Suddenly, things grew more complicated. She was between him and his possible escape route.
He grumbled and resumed his exit, stepping forward from the moss, preparing for battle should he have drawn too much unwanted attention. His winged friend fluttered off into the air to watch from high above. Erebos snarled quietly as the first of what would no doubt be many foes rampaged towards the pair. Hitoh simply smirked and drew his bow as his lupine companion lunged forward, fangs gleaming in the eerie light.
Elsewhere, a slender, pale blue feminine figure stumbled slowly through the caverns, out of breath and frustrated, tired from combat. She was running low on supplies and had long ago used the last of her first aid materials. At long last, she found a quiet spot to rest, sitting down in a small alcove to catch her breath. With a little luck, she might have time to regenerate enough strength to make use of a few minor healing spells. That blasted earthquake came at the worst possible time. Her clothing was tattered and torn in places. Her dagger was badly in need of repair. And more than anything else, she had only a precious few drops of clean drinking water left. If she didn't find a way out soon, she would likely die.
There the young lady sat, panting as she watched carefully for any creature that might dare to assault her, recuperating slowly. As she began to feel more and more secure, she chanced to let her eyes drift shut. She had been working on so little sleep it was taking its toll. Her vision would blur on occasion. Her body ached horribly. A voice cried out in the back of her mind incessantly, her own voice, screaming for rest, begging to be freed of exhaustion. Discipline and training kept her from submitting to it. But training would only carry her so far.
Her ears twitched, catching the faint sound of battle. Growls and snarls followed by a heavy, earth-trembling thump came from a distant corner of the cave. A battle cry echoed along side it, signifying that whoever was causing such mayhem had to be more than a mindless monster. Was it friend or foe? She could not tell. It quickened her heart once more, her brief relaxation ending all too quickly.
The battle was going well for Hitoh. A few well placed arrows, a strong clamping bite from the wolf, misdirection, traps, and of course the use of poison at just the right moment would send any beast to fall by the wayside. Normally, the hunter would let his canid pet take few mouthfuls from his kill. With the progress they had made thus far and how much more required, he instead pushed onward, felling monster after monster as he crossed towards his hopeful exit. The sounds grew louder as he approached the destination in question.
Once he was close enough, the Draenei woman caught sight of the source of her uneasiness; a blood elf and from the looks of it an especially violent one. With every last ounce of strength she could muster, the woman stumbled to her feet and began to run, making an escape from the much more fit male. Up the craggy walls she tried to climb, slipping time and again until an ear-splitting crash of a grand trunk-like foot slammed down directly in front of her. She lifted her gaze to see a massive beast covered in sickly yellow mold snarling down at her. A terrifying, deafening roar claimed her senses and her will as the monster lifted its arms, ready to bring its formless fists down atop her head. She lifted an arm in futile defense, unable to think of anything else to do but await the inevitable.
No thunderous, crushing blow came. Instead, the soft, almost inaudible whistle of three arrows tickled her ears. Out of curiosity, she looked up. What she saw baffled her. Three out of the countless eyes the plant-beast possessed had been pierced by the hunter's volley. In a delayed shock response, it reached up and wrapped his hands around its face, howling in pain as a dark blur rushed past the woman, latching onto the spongy flesh of the beast that had attacked her. The wolf growled viciously as he ripped chunks of material from the abomination. More arrows rained down upon the hideous thing until it stumbled backwards and fell, lifeless and quiet. The Draenei was speechless.
A single emerald eye gazed over the woman, the owner looking at her with disdain, an arrow knocked at the ready but pointed down. He awaited her reaction. Should he be forced to, he would put that shaft directly between her eyes. Silently, the woman swallowed in a nervous stare before giving the hunter a slight nod, a thank you of sorts. Hitoh relaxed his posture and stepped closer, sizing the Draenei up, looking over her closely to determine if she was really a threat and if she was worth slaying.
His instincts told him to end her life no matter the case but something in her eyes told him it would be pointless. Silently, he stepped past her, climbing onward towards his goal. The woman's eyes followed him, before finally falling on a pair of dead, milky-white orbs glaring back into hers. It was all the female could do to keep from screaming and running. Surely that would only drive the wolf to attack. So she remained as still as possible, trembling softly as she looked the beast over, finding patches of fur missing, boils bubbling up under its skin, and a faint smell of decomposition about it as it growled. An undead wolf. It struck her as a strange match for a blood elf but such thoughts were pushed to the side as she continued to grow more concerned over the large teeth coated in drool before her and how easily they could tear into her form.
A sharp whistle split the relative silence occupied only by the wolf's growl. Erebos turned his head, his vocalization abating. Seeing his master leaving without him, he gave a youthful bark and darted after him. Again, the woman was left baffled. Perhaps knowing they were both trapped together had brought him to spare her life. Did this mean she should follow? Did he know of another way to the surface? The woman wanted to find out.
Hitoh trudged onward, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of a hand, removing a small spattering of some sickly blue secretion that had splattered on him during one of the last few kills. The smell was unpleasant and it seemed to burn ever so slightly on his skin. The sooner he got out of this place, the better. Silently, the female he saved followed at what she considered a safe distance. His sharp ears had not missed this. In fact, he had planned on her joining him.
Eventually, after leaving a trail of several more corpses behind him, the hunter reached his destination. The gash in the wall was indeed an opening to a deeper passageway and from what he could see through the narrow crevice, it had been made by rushing water. The smell of decay and acrid dust prevailed. Through all of this repulsive air his nose detected a hint of coolness, almost too faint to notice. Fresh air. It connected to the surface. There was hope after all. Without any delay, he began removing rocks from around the opening, hoping it might be wide enough at the bottom to slip through. The deeper he dug, the finer the rocks became, as one might find at the bottom of a stream or brook.
Much to his irritation, the mouth was still too small. He growled and gave the wall of stone a firm kick, ignoring the sting shooting up his calf that came from striking something so solid. He turned and sat down only a few feet from the slit, wishing there was something roaming nearby so that he could alleviate his rage by killing it. Erebos wandered over to his master after clawing away at the entrance in futility. He slipped around behind the green-eyed fellow and laid down, his head on his paws, whimpering softly. The hunter sighed and lifted a hand only to rest it on his decaying friend's skull, scratching ever so slightly behind his ears.
"Don't worry. There's a way through it. We just need to be patient." Unfortunately, patience wasn't his strong suit, especially while in such a state. The two sat together in quiet frustration, awaiting that which Hitoh expected. The sound of a few pebbles rolling along the stone floor echoed softly, accompanied by a gentle, repeating clop. She was a timid one this Draenei and it was beginning to annoy. Judging from the quiet movements, he guessed she was hidden out of sight behind one of the several formations he had passed scaling the shallow grade of the path. Feeling particularly sadistic, he grinned and knocked an arrow, aiming carefully before loosing it towards the rocks. It struck hard and the head embedded itself with a loud 'thunk'. A soft cry of surprise came from the general area, helping him locate her more easily. He snickered and pulled back once more, firing at another formation only to hear another yelp. Each one helped him refine his aim, slowly homing in on her until finally he struck the very rock she stood behind.
A scream filled the air and the pale blue woman leapt out from behind her hiding place, terrified that she was almost struck. She lifted her hands to cover her head, hunching forward to present as small a target as possible without giving up mobility. Seeing her reaction, Hitoh burst into laughter, slapping his leg in sheer amusement. Erebos lifted his head and looked to his master quizzically, producing a soft, curious vocalization. Again, the blood elf's hand moved to caress his pet's scalp, ignoring the oozing regions as he made contact with them. The woman heard the laughter and saw her would-be attacker with his bow down, grumbling quietly at him. A bolt of energy streaked through the cave and struck the stalagmite just to Hitoh's left, startling him visibly. His laughter was silenced quickly as he pulled back once more on his bow. The woman smirked defiantly as a few thin trickles of steam rose between the fingers of her outstretched hand. It served him right for scaring her just for laughs. The hunter glowered slightly and relaxed his posture, returning the arrow to his quiver before tapping a stone across from him with the end of his bow.
The young lady tentatively approached him before sitting down atop the smooth rock he had pointed out for her. In Hitoh's mind, there would be a language barrier between them. He knew nothing of the Draenei tongue and he was fairly certain she was in a similar situation. So, the two sat in silence, staring at one another, coldly calculating what the other might be capable of until finally, the silence was broken.
"Was not funny," She spoke bitterly. Hitoh paused a moment as he let the word roll around in his head. The woman lifted her hands to make the motion of pulling back and firing a bow, "Shoot rock hiding, was not funny." She could speak orcish. It was broken and inaccurate to a degree but he could understand the point she was conveying. He narrowed his eyes at the woman and looked her up and down once more.
"How is it you know the tongue of the orcs?" Silence came again as his 'guest' attempted to translate in her mind. After a moment, she seemed to piece it together and responded.
"Father knew orcs. Spoke. Taught me. Need practice."
Hitoh considered her explanation, coming to two conclusions; one, her father was of great influence among her people and had been alive during the brief time both Draenei and Horde shared a truce, or two, she was lying and had been watching the race long enough to pick up some of the language. Neither seemed to worry or impress him very much.
"Well, it makes things much easier for us. I won't have to try and act out my request. Do us both a favor and blow a hole through this blasted crack so we can get out of this reeking cave," His words came quickly and harshly, too quickly for the woman to decipher. The expression her face contorted into showed that she was having a difficult time understanding him. He sighed and calmed himself, making another attempt at communication, this time slower and his enunciation more pronounced, "This hole," he pointed, "use your magic and blast it open," and upon the word 'blast' he performed an explosive gesture with his hands. Thankfully, she understood that time. The woman sighed and shook her head, searching for the words to explain.
"Can't. No magic left. Need to rest."
Hitoh's shoulders drooped, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips as he began to grasp her situation. She had been down here so long she would not have survived another fight had he not come along. At this point, in his mind, the conversation was over. He stood quickly, crossed the short distance between them, and took her by the arm. She protested, afraid he might try to harm her as he all but dragged her along the stone wall. With a light shove, he pushed her towards a small, recessed groove in the path, just deep enough to partially conceal her. The Draenei looked up at him with a shocked expression before he spoke up.
"Rest here. I'll stand guard."
Her expression softened as she comprehended his words, adjusting her posture to suit a more relaxing position. Her eyes never left the blood elf's back as he sat, facing away from her, carefully watching all the movement around them. He really was watching out for her welfare, a member of a race she considered a mortal enemy protecting her while she regained her strength. In truth, she could probably take his life when she was strong enough, then blast her way out but something about it just didn't sit right with her. He was showing a great deal of trust keeping his back to her. And yet, she didn't even know his name. The woman sat up, scooting closer to the hunter, wanting to keep her voice fairly low. After all, it would have been quite unfortunate if their conversation drew any unwanted attention.
"What name?" Immediately she frowned, knowing that something was wrong with her sentence. One of Hitoh's long, sensitive ears twitched softly at her question. He honestly did not want to speak any further. The less he knew about her the better. He didn't want to end up forming any sort of friendship or bond with the Draenei woman. Much to his displeasure, she seemed to insist, repeating her question, frustrated that she wasn't fluent. Her attempts were indeed valiant, "What...what is...your name?" She was learning quickly. The scarred fellow refused to turn around, speaking gruffly.
"Hitoh." He answered in hopes that it would placate her into being silent. It did not.
"I...I am Morie. Th-thank...you...for h-helping m-me." Her voice was soft and delicate, yet it seemed to carry a hidden defiance, a stubbornness that would only show if drawn out. The interaction was somewhat pleasant. He was not alone, having Erebos to keep him company but the undead canid lacked the necessary capacity, physical and mental, to speak in his tongue. The banter was a nice change of pace after being trapped down in the caverns for so long.
"Don't thank me yet." He said no more on the matter, unintentionally sounding ad though he might turn on her. Morie lowered her chin indignantly, feeling a little hurt by the blood elf's rather ungentlemanly attitude. Still, he was guarding her in her time of need. That commanded respect. Her eyes gazed along his fiery locks of hair, catching but a hint of one of many scars lashed across his body, some self-inflicted. Her mind seemed to ignore these, instead drawn to the black strap wrapped about his head, the strap that held his eye patch in place. A hand lifted to feel over her own right eye, as if able to feel the vacant socket hidden behind his black covering. The idea that he had lost part of his sense of sight plucked at the strings of her heart. Something urged her to inquire.
"How did you lose your eye?" Impressive. She managed a full sentence without stuttering or pausing to ponder pronunciation. Hitoh turned his head slightly, able to catch but a mere glimpse of Morie from the corner of his good eye, only a sliver of the jade hue visible to the woman.
"I caught a night elf in Silvermoon. We fought. He took my eye, I took his life." It was a short approximation of what occurred. He didn't enjoy revisiting the events of that night. For the most part, he tried not to let his mind wander back to it whenever possible. He shifted in his seat, his body language hinting at the nature of his emotional state attached to the memory. To anyone who knew the hunter, it would be clear that the best course of action would be to change the subject and quickly. Morie however, did not know him.
"Does it still hurt?"
A quiet growl rose in the man's throat, prompting Erebos to join him with his own agitated vocalization.
"Yes, now sleep." It took him a great deal of restraint to reduce the steady boil to a low simmer, hoping she might get the idea from the tone of his voice. Her lips closed just as she was about to ask another question, silenced by his nonverbal message. A soft nod was all she offered, laying down and adjusting herself so that she could find at least something of a comfortable position in the shallow hole. It wasn't the most glamorous of beds but after going so long without rest, she was quite pleased with the accommodations. Her softly glowing eyes closed as she turned onto her side. She pressed her hooves lightly against a small, intrusive stone that she opted to use as a sort of anchor, something to push against should she need to evacuate quickly. Sleep came for the woman, but not as easily as she expected. Her body was exhausted, aching terribly, and yet a great deal of time passed before the darkness of a deep, dreamless sleep claimed her.
Hitoh listened for the tell-tale signs as she slowly drifted off. Finally, he heard a steady, slow breathing. He turned his head again to glance back at Morie, checking to confirm his suspicion. She had indeed finally fallen asleep. Silently, he rose to his feet, commanding his lupine companion to remain as her guard. Back down the path he walked, taking care where he placed his feet, each step thoughtful and calculated. The base of the winding ledge came in short order, and with it a nasty scaled beast, hissing and drooling, crouching low to the ground to protect its tender belly. Slowly, the hunter stripped of his clothing save a simple loin cloth, his body marred by old wounds and cuts.
The urge was growing, threatening to claim his mind and drive him forward. Hitoh narrowed his eye and drew only but a small dagger, leaving his bow on the pathway behind him. There would be no attacking from afar. He wanted the visceral satisfaction of slaying this monster in a much more grueling fashion. He gripped his knife tightly as the flesh on the armed limb began to distort, fading from a soft tan to a sickly brownish grey, skin pulled tight across his sinuous structure. The urge was quite strong indeed. A battle cry echoed throughout the cave as he lunged forward, the black patch over his voided right eye quivering softly. An unearthly pale light began to seep forth around it, offering a glimpse into the doom awaiting the armored basilisk before him.
Hours passed in darkness. The Draenei woman remained motionless as she slept. After some time, the smell of smoke tickled her nose until a gentle cough shook her from her sleep. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her eyes as the sounds of the subterranean world began to fill her ears. The crackling of a small fire joined it as the scent of flesh crisping over an open flame mixed with the musty, stale air. Her stomach growled immediately. It had been quite some time since she had a decent meal. Her vision cleared and focused as she shook herself of the cobwebs of unconsciousness until the sight before her sharpened. There sat her bodyguard, almost completely nude save for his loin cloth, smeared with blood, holding a thick, formless slab of sickly pink flesh, tearing chunks from it with his teeth and chewing unceremoniously on it. His only good eye, jade, glowing softly in the low light, turned to gaze over at her as she stirred.
"You're finally awake. Good. Eat." The blood elf then pushed a smooth, thin slab of stone towards her, heated from the fire and carrying a few chunks of cooked basilisk meat. For a moment, Morie was taken aback, somewhat turned off by the unappetizing presentation but the smell got the better of her. She reached forward and pulled the slab of stone closer, picking off small mouthfuls of meat from the larger whole in an attempt to maintain some semblance of civility. The taste wasn't anything worthy of a master chef to say the least, but it was edible. As she partook of her breakfast, her eyes drifted about the cavern, examining the area. Not much had changed. All that was different was Hitoh; mostly naked and badly needing a bath.
"You killed this while I was asleep?" Her immediate impression was one of gratitude, thinking perhaps he had indeed acted in her defense. The slender, muscular male nodded silently, gnawing away harshly on his serving, "It came up this far and attacked?" Her impression began to seep through into her voice. He shook his head, refusing to speak while he ate unless absolutely necessary. Morie began to sense a mild nagging at the back of her mind to just eat and be quiet but she could not stop from wondering further, "You went down and killed it?" By now, she had lost some of the admiration she had begun to feel, now somewhat annoyed with his behavior. Hitoh nodded before finally offering a few words.
"Before you get mad, Erebos stayed behind to stand guard." With that, he returned to his meal. That seemed to shock the woman somewhat. She was certain he was a hunter and yet he entered into combat without his pet.
"You killed this monster all by yourself? Without your," she paused for a brief moment trying to find the best term to refer to the canid gnashing away at one of the larger bones, "...wolf?"
Again, Hitoh nodded, lifting his hunting knife to show her the weapon he used, the broad, curved blade coated in a thick crimson. Offering her but a quick glimpse, he dropped the dagger back into the pile of his belongings, returning to his meal. Morie fell quiet again as she resumed eating, but her silence was short lived. As she ate, she gave her protector a few casual glances. With his clothing removed, it was quite easy to see the collection of scars he carried. From the placement and size of many of them, it was clear he had been in combat with countless, large, fierce creatures and somehow managed to survive. It made her shudder to imagine how each wound was made.
After the fourth stomach-turning mental picture, she pushed all imaginings of his past battles out of her mind as best she could. What caught her attention and thoroughly changed the course of her train of thought was the scar on the left side of his chest, shaped in the form of the horde crest. This was a wound that required skill. It wasn't some random injury from an errant slash. The act that caused this was purposeful and calculated. Unable to stop despite her better judgment, Morie found herself speaking once more.
"Did you do that yourself?" She lifted a hand, pointing to the crested cut. Hitoh paused his consumption to glance at his chest, not fond of discussing it.
"Yeah." He answered in a quietly curt manner, hoping she would read the tone. She did, spending the rest of the meal in stifled silence. When she had eaten her fill, she pushed the stone plate away and took stock of herself. She tended to wounds she had not managed to heal yet, and determined how much more time she might need to rest after restoring her physical state. Thankfully, much of the damage was superficial and required only minor attention. When she was finished with her scrapes and scratches, she stood up, adjusting her clothing.
"Thank you for looking out for me while I recovered. If there's anything I can do for you, please just ask." She offered her thanks with honest sincerity, not daring to think of what might have happened had he not come along. The elf, still quite without clothing looked up at her, a quiet, stolid look on his face as he spoke.
"Just where do you think you're going?" His voice was harsh, snapping both woman and wolf to attention. Morie froze in place, worried that her savior might not be as honorable as she originally thought.
"I... I was going to go look for a way out. That's what I was doing when you found me."
Hitoh stood, closing the distance quickly between the two of them as he corralled her closer to the stone wall behind her, the gash in the earth he had been interested in only arm's reach away.
"You're not going anywhere. Now that you're all rested up, you're going to use your magic and blast a hole in the wall right here. With any luck, this will open into a tunnel that will take us to the surface. I'm going to get dressed, put out the fire, toss the remains off the cliff, and gather up my things. You go ahead and do whatever you need to prepare but do not do anything until I'm ready. You got that?" It was a lengthy little speech, and he spoke fast. The Draenei woman failed to understand portions of it but she managed to grasp the point of his rough, irate monologue. Quietly, and with fear visible in her eyes, she nodded, not daring to speak lest she incur his wrath, "Good." He pushed roughly on her shoulders, half to impart one last sense of dominance, half to push himself away from the woman.
He refused to admit it, even to himself, but he found her scent intoxicating. She was quite lovely, for a Draenei, and it had been quite some time since he had managed to slake his lust. He shook the thought from himself and began layering his clothing back over his well battered form. Hitoh repeated over and over in his head that he would just wait until he could get back to Silvermoon and find some willing female. Hell an unwilling female would do in a pinch. No. No, last time he tried that he was left unable to lay down on his back for a week. Damn rogues and their irritating habit of being in the right place at the right time. If only Sarhu had been there to back him up; one of the perks of having a boyfriend. Either way, it mattered little. It wasn't too much longer, if he could just hold out.
Morie watched the elf go about his business, his sizable wolf growling quietly at her, his ghostly eyes seeming to peer straight into her soul. He lost interest in the woman quickly and turned his attention back to his master. The loyal undead beast moved in close and nuzzled here and there, lapping at the elf's flesh to clean the smears of the basilisk's blood from his skin. The act both garnered respect for their relationship and brought a sickened sensation to her stomach. The drool transferring from the undead lupine to his master made her look away in disgust. She turned her attention instead to crack Hitoh had told her about. Her hands ran along the smooth opening, made that way by decades of running water. With so little stone eroded away, either it was a recent occurrence, relatively speaking, or it was very dense, very hard rock. Luckily, she knew something of the earth and its various shapes and forms. A cursory examination of the wall told her everything she needed to know. It was going to take a good deal of work to break through.
After only ten minutes, Hitoh had disposed of the reptile's remains and put out the fire. It was odd how he did away with the carcass, slung over the edge of the cliff and hung there by a vine. It was as if he wanted it to serve as some sort of distraction for some carnivorous beast. He adjusted his belt and moved to the pale azure lady's side, grateful that she understood not to do anything just yet.
"We're ready. Tell me you can blast through it."
Morie nodded, running her hands along the smooth crevice blocking their way to freedom.
"I can. It's very hard rock though. It will take some doing. Two, maybe three good blasts. At least."
The blood elf frowned deeply.
"No, you do it in one. Understand?"
The woman shook her head, taking the elf's hand and putting it to the wall for him to feel.
"It's not that simple. The rock is too strong. I can't do it in just one shot. Two or three, minimum."
Hitoh growled and pulled his hand back, turning and walking towards the cliff to gaze out over the area. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, trying to determine a way out of this problem. He didn't want to take any longer than necessary to get through the wall.
"How long do you need between each to recharge?"
Morie furrowed her brow, oblivious to the danger they were in.
"Less than half a minute. Why?"
"Get started." He beckoned Erebos closer, scanning the lower areas as the woman nodded, readying for the exertion to come. With such especially dense material, she would have to use her strongest abilities to cut through it. She spread her arms wide, eyes closed as she summoned the necessary energies. As she chanted, a sphere of deep violet formed just before her chest. The light grew more chaotic as she continued to chant until it rocketed forward with blinding speed. The sphere struck the stone and dissipated quickly into it, throwing dust in every direction as several large cracks formed in the wall. An earsplitting boom filled the chamber and the cloud faded. The wall showed just as she predicted, fractures but no clear path through. She panted softly from the sheer drop in mana at her disposal. Hitoh turned to look over her work, disappointed that she was unable to clear a way as quickly as he had hoped.
"Making progress. Sorry for the noise."
"It's not me you have to worry about," Just as he ended his sentence, a roar echoed through the caverns, then another, then a third. Whatever it was, it was close, and very large, and it wasn't alone, "It's that. Keep going!" It made sense now. He wanted to avoid attracting unwanted attention before they could slip through. Fear seeped into Morie's heart as she heard the roars, turning back to the stone wall, trying to focus and cast the spell again. When she felt the energy returning, she spread her arms wide once more and repeated the action. Again, a violet ball of light rocketed forward and struck the rocks, creating a similar explosion, this time sending fragments of stone through the air. Quickly, she lifted her arms to shield her face. When the dust settled, she examined her work. The gap had been widened considerably. It would be easy enough to explore now.
"I'm through!" She lunged forward into the tunnel, dagger drawn should there be any creatures within laying it wait. She paused once through, looking about to secure the exit before peering back out, "Come on! Let's go!"
Hitoh stood there at the edge of the cliff, unmoving as the source of the roars came into view. It was massive, covered in thick, broad scaled plates, and clawed its way towards the small party, three mouths hanging wide to show rows of glistening, pointed teeth. It was the hydra of the deep earth. The Draenei had heard mention of a beast like this somewhere down here, and she had attracted it with her attempts to get through the narrow gap.
"Get ready to use it again. We need to seal the tunnel behind us."
Morie nodded, reaching forward to grip his arm.
"I understand but come on! I'm not going to leave you behind!" She tugged for him to follow, the elf seeming immobile, as if he refused to join her. In truth, he was debating hurling himself at the monster to see just how long he might last, let her seal him down here once and for all, away from others he might harm. Yet she continued to pull on his arm, yanking him out of his morbid fascination with the monster clawing its way up the cliff face towards them, "Hitoh!" What followed was an unintelligible series of words from the woman's native language, no doubt swears as she all but dragged him towards the opening. Finally, he came out of his stupor and turned towards the opening, climbing inside.
"Move! And get ready to close up the tunnel!" He pushed onward, shoving dark thoughts away for the moment as he fell into a state where his body seemed to act on its own, knowing what to do and where to go. Morie nodded, turning back towards the shallow incline, climbing as quickly as she could across the water-smoothed floor, littered with miniature stalagmites. The roars grew louder as the hydra closed in on them, reaching the opening and bashing at it with a powerful set of claws. Clearly, Hitoh's diversion had been for naught. With barely any effort, it tore the opening wider and shoved one of its heads in, snapping at the trio in futility. Hitoh and Morie continued their ascent, careful not to slip as they ran while Erebos leapt this way and that with virtually no effort. The elf turned now and again to fire an volley of arrows at the monster, hoping to slow it down. Seeing him in his efforts, the woman decided they had gone deep enough.
"Keep it busy! I'll collapse the tunnel on it!"
The elf nodded, commanding Erebos to stay back and guard the Draenei. He fired again and again, his attacks only serving to anger the beast as a second head attempted to break through and join the fight. Morie worked as quickly as she could, already winded from the first two blasts. She summoned forth another sphere, working to pour more energy into this one than the first two. She grunted, her efforts taking a toll on her as Hitoh shouted back to her.
"Hurry up! It's gonna chase us to the surface if we don't stop it here!"
She struggled to speed the concentration of energy along, finally reaching that critical moment.
"Duck!" As if they had worked together for years by how closely timed their movements were to one another, Hitoh leapt out of the path of the beast as Morie fired. The sphere rocketed forward, sinking into the ceiling where it burst, shattering much of the rock above. With the supporting structure now much weaker, rubble began to fall, striking the hydra in numerous places. It roared in anger and began to retreat. The collapse quickened as new cracks formed further along the tunnel. Hitoh took note and continued climbing, hurrying along as their attacker found its access to them cut off. The ground ceased to tremble and when all finally grew still, the opening the two had used was now thoroughly covered by dirt, rock, and dust. It would be almost impossible for anyone or anything to get through.
"Alright, now let's get the hell out of here. C'mon." The elf paused when he heard no response, turning to locate the hoofed woman. What he found was Morie collapsed in a heap just up the path from him, panting heavily, looking as if she were about to pass out. He moved to her side and rolled her onto her back, "Can you walk?"
She shook her head, heavily out of breath.
"N-no...I...I put ev-everything...I had...into that blast. I-I'm too weak."
The elf grumbled and slung his bow about his shoulder, scooped the woman up, and stood, continuing up the slick tunnel floor. The path provided anchorage in the form of small mounds of stone left there by the steady dripping from above. They were young, only having been started perhaps thirty or forty years ago. From the looks of the tunnel, it was going to be a long walk to the surface but with every step, the faint scent of fresh air grew stronger. The wolf followed only a few steps behind as Morie recovered. Within minutes of collecting her, she had fallen asleep, leaned against the strong hunter's chest.
Hitoh was torn. She was his enemy. Everything he knew, every fiber of his physical being told him that he should slit her throat, empty her purse, take anything she might have that he could use or sell, and leave her for dead. And yet, he could not deny this strange attraction, drawing him to her. Normally such a meek, easily spent thing would disgust him, and to a certain extent it did but something about her vulnerability touched him. Nothing between them could possibly stand. He knew that. The thought probably had not even crossed her mind. And yet, if he knew this already, why was he still afflicted by this magnetism? It was that drive clawing at the back of his mind. Things could go bad very quickly. He needed to get rid of her fast.
The air continued to smell mildly rancid but the humidity dropped the further Hitoh walked. A musty, dry aroma began to tickle his nose. He had smelled this before. There was only one place this tunnel could emerge and it made sense. The machinery built at the larger bodies of water; the massive structure in the middle of Serpent Lake; it all had to be connected to the dead mire. Perhaps there were similar tunnels leading to the remaining lakes. If he took an interest in such things, he might investigate further.
Finally, after half a day's walk through long, twisting tube of stone, light shined through the dusty clouds surrounding Hitoh. He had made it. He emerged in the bottom of the dried out pool, patrolled by wandering, shuffling mold-riddled creatures, far weaker than those he had fought down in the depths of the reservoir. Without even bothering to stop, the elf turned toward one of the gentler slopes and trudged his way through the parched dirt. The fungal behemoths seemed to ignore him, possibly because of the smelled of their brethren's blood on him or because Erebos took to growling noisily at the monsters should they approach too closely. It seemed at least the pair had won a break from constant terror.
A short search found a secluded little spot away from the usual roads most travelers used to cross Zangarmarsh. Hitoh set his traveling companion down to rest against one of the many giant mushrooms shading the area. He wetted his hand from one of the many nearby sources of the fresh, clean water and splashed it lightly on Morie's face, attempting to wake her. She had been talking in her sleep, calling out various names. He assumed they were family and friends, until he heard his name called. Perhaps she had grown fond of him after all. The woman winced softly and slowly opened her eyes to see the world above ground greeting her. A tired smile crossed her face as she drank it all in, welcoming the pungent aroma of the marsh over the stale cave. In the distance, both could hear the sound of metal twisting and falling into water. Some enormous structure had just been destroyed. No doubt it was connected to why they were trapped in the first place.
It made little difference. They were free.
"We made it. We're out. Thank you Hitoh. I would have died down there if you hadn't come along when you did. I even managed to remember how to speak proper Orcish again." She chuckled quietly at the last comment, lifting a hand to rest it against the elf's forearm. Her eyes gazed long into his, still tired from the ordeal but elated to finally be rid of that dreadful place.
"If you hadn't gotten trapped down there with me, Erebos and I would still be stuck in that damned cave. I guess it's good we ran into one another."
Morie smiled softly, trying to gently pull the hunter closer.
"Maybe it was more than just random chance."
"You think we were trapped down there for a reason?" The thought had struck him on the long trek back up but he pushed it away as frivolous and stupid, a naive man's wishful thinking. Thinking that everything happened for a reason was foolish in his eyes, but he could see the possible truth of it this time.
"I think we were destined to meet. I don't know why. But... I'm glad we did."
Hitoh nodded, still looking into her eyes. Those torn feelings deep within bubbled closer to the surface, driving him, begging him to believe it. Morie herself was troubled by this odd closeness that had come about from their meeting, but she was not about to drive it away. She only hoped that she was not the only one claimed by them. They both stared at one another in silence for some time, ever so slowly drawing closer. Gradually, their eyes drifted shut and their lips met. It was soft and gentle, almost ethereal.
Just as tenderly as it began, the kiss ended, both remaining close, neither daring to gaze at the other. Not yet. A heat began to build within the blood elf. Light began to seep ever so softly from around the black patch covering the empty cavity. It was coming. He should pull back now if he wanted to keep from succumbing. But he couldn't. He pushed closer, mashing his lips to Morie's with a firm strength. She was taken by surprise, tensing softly in his grasp before slowly melting into his form, giving way to his desires. She felt an attraction between the two of them and her curiosity drove her to explore this possibility. The Draenei allowed Hitoh to command her, push her into the ground as their passion swelled.
But, something disconcerting mingled with the pleasure. There was a strange sensation beginning to course through Morie, a soft fatigue. Building. Oh so very slowly. It felt as if the rest she had gained during the long trek out of the tunnel was melting away. After but a few moments, it grew uncomfortable, a strange, mild pain passing up her spine and through her chest. Her eyes clenched shut. Her brow furrowed in displeasure. Whatever he was doing, she was not enjoying it.
At last, she dared to open her eyes. What awaited her was a ghastly image. Strands of light waved this way and that, licking at the edge of the dark patch covering Hitoh's missing eye. There was something behind it, demanding to be unveiled. A hand reached up and clawed at the covering, tearing it from the blood elf's face and tossing it away. An orb of pale blue stared back at her, veins of azure reaching around from behind. In the center rest a circle of pitch black, a ring of dark iris around it. Somehow, the whole feature was still transparent, letting Morie stare deep into the back of the elf's socket. It was the eye of a ghost, as if the missing eye had a spirit of its own and returned to its owner, angry and vengeful for having been taken.
She tried to pull back but Hitoh would not let her. He pressed harder against the frightened Draenei, pinning her to the ground as she felt the draining sensation grow further. A strange light came forth from all around, pulling from the source into the center of this horrifying eye. The strands of demonic energy surrounding the socket waved and grew before coming together as if grasping Morie, but at the same time, they did not. Instead, it seemed to link the two together, creating a conduit between them. It was in this moment she came to realize just what was happening; he was draining her of mana. The face accompanying the eye had changed as well. His warm, softly browned skin was now an ashen, sickly, sooty earth tone. His muscled figure now looked as if his flesh had been pulled taut, exaggerating his skeletal frame. He had become a wraith of his former self.
The fatigue continued. The pain in her chest and back growing and spreading out along her limbs as her body was put into powerful withdrawal. It had been so used to the radiant magic energy inherent in every fiber of her being. Now, it was struggling to maintain itself as that power was removed forcibly. The indigo hue of her skin began to pale, fading to a dull grey as she felt the life slipping away from her. If she had been any other race, she might survive such a violation. Unfortunately, she relied on such energies to live. Their lips parted as he began to howl in twisted satisfaction as he was filled with the woman's power. Radiance left one and was consumed by the other as Morie's eyes grew listless and soulless. The world around her darkened and she could not even find the strength to beg for Hitoh to stop.
At last, she lost consciousness, her form looking as if it had been dried and chapped by the sun. Her flesh felt soft and without structure. The last breath escaped her lips and she was gone, luminescence still flowing between them, a storm of magic as her life was finally surrendered, no longer able to resist the draw of all of the energy housed within her frail, fallen form. It all escaped in one great burst, immersing the elf in a great cloud of wild, free, lustrous magic.
The light swirled around Hitoh as he leaned back, pulling away from the fallen woman. His form trembled; his eyes wide open. Strength coursed through his body, unfettered power saturating his every sinew as the turbulent energies freed of their corporeal vessel sought to escape the new prison of flesh consuming them. The blood elf bellowed as the last vestiges of mana were drawn into the vacant socket of his ghostly eye. The world around him had taken on a strange, pale blue sheen since it had claimed him, objects that would be considerable sources of magic seeming to be surrounded by a curious aura. Morie had been enveloped in the strongest light he had seen yet. The sheer volume of energy he had absorbed was far greater than he was accustomed to during these fits. That change was having quite the effect on him.
A tightness formed in his abdomen. His hands moved quickly to cup over it as he hunched forward, feeling the tight knot turn into a cramp, painful and hard. Frantically, he turned and crawled to the water's edge before retching, coughing, and sputtering for several minutes. The glow of his stolen eye faded as his mouth cleared, his skin returning to its mildly tanned hue. The gaunt, stretched appearance returned to the original toned figure. Hitoh gasped for air, his chest heaving. When he had collected enough oxygen, he moved along the waterline and pushed his face into the pool. Only a scant few seconds did he soak himself in the water. He pulled his head out with a swift, jerking motion, sending droplets into the air. His hands lifted and cupped over his cheeks, then his eyes. He was finally beginning to settle but the odd 'magic vision' still lingered in a soft, wraithlike overlay atop his normal sight.
Blindly, he groped about for his eye patch. He found it only a short distance from Morie's lifeless body. It was quickly collected and returned to its position. With his vacant socket covered once more, he gazed over the Draenei. Her dull, colorless figure showed no sign of life, no rise and fall of her chest, no gentle throbbing of veins near the surface of her skin, no movement of any kind. The sight brought no sorrow with it, though, perhaps a mild regret. She was cold to the touch now. He preferred warmth when it came to satisfying his carnal needs, and even then it would carry with it the risk of making him an unwilling father. The idea brought a shudder to his form and he stood, summoning his lupine companion to him.
"Let's get outta here Erebos," The thought crossed his mind again, being entrusted with the care of a helpless infant. The need to empty his stomach returned but he suppressed it, "Damn women... that does it... I'm sticking with guys from now on." The slender man turned, trying to push the recent memories out of his mind in favor of thoughts of tending to his 'business' upon returning to Silvermoon. If he was lucky, he might run into Sarhu. They had been apart so long, Hitoh had begun to forget what his face looked like; never a good thing to admit to one's lover.
The time he spent in the cave crossed his mind one final time before he began repressing it. Maybe it would have been better for him to have been sealed down there forever. Fate let him escape. Perhaps fate would choose to claim him another way. He could only imagine how Morie's father would react. If he was still alive.