Grim Views

In a cave high on the hillside behind Shadowmoon village a Trolless lay sleeping. One light blue arm flung over a huge mound of white fur. Karnya Shadowscar and her hunting partner Luxa slept peacefully on the soft dirt floor. She slept the contented dreamless sleep of one satisfied with her lot in life.

Everything here on Outland had gone better than any Horde commander thought possible. The Dark Portal had been secured. Yes, there were still daily battles being fought there, but the line held strong, and unless the Demons came up with a drastically different strategy, they would not break through to Azeroth. Seeing this, Karnya had traveled inland, giving help to the various Horde factions wherever she could. She had watched with humble awe the reunions of her Orc friends and their native cousins. She had stood by, head bowed, as the Warchief himself had come to Nagrand. She had completed her training, and now made ready with the rest of her clan, The Grim, as they prepared to take the battle to its very source.

So asleep was she that even her attuned Hunter senses did not detect or notice the form gathering at the mouth of the cave. A green could of smoke, growing more solid by the second, had come sliding in. It stank of sulpher and exuded a cold calculating intelligence. It floated, watching the sleeping pair. Karnya opened her mouth in a huge yawn, revealing her curved pointy troll tusks. The smoke deepened, filling itself with a cool green fire.

“Taaainted One…” It whispered.

Karnya stirred, a twitch at the corner of her mouth. The massive cat at her side let out a small whimper.

“Wake Hunter…we haaaave much to discussssssss….”

A dollop of green fire dropped from the bottom of the creature and went rolling along the cavern floor; it went straight for Karnya’s back and clung there with a hiss of burning flesh.

The Hunter sprang to her feet with yelp, her hands instinctively seeking the shotgun at her side, she whirled on the creature. Luxa also jumped up with a growl of surprise and turned to face the intruder.

“Thatsssss right…you know I cannot be huuuurt with that weapon…besssst to have a civil conversssation don’t yoou think.”

Karnya’s eyes went wide with surprise, she lowered her gun.

“It has been long since I seen ya Demon, what ya want?”

The mist swirled, the green fire pulsing slightly with each whispered word.

“So cocky…it seemsss you haaave forgotten our bargain and your promisssse. You owe a great debt…we have been watching you…your training issss complete and you are powerful. You must now fulfill yourrrr part of the pact”

Karnya closed her eyes. She knew this day would come eventually.

“What would ya ‘ave me do Demon?” Karnya asked.

“A tasssk particularly ssssuited for you. We want you to kill.”

Karnya opened her eyes, she arched an eyebrow. That sounded simple enough.

“Kill who den?”

The shadow swelled, green tendrils of fire reaching towards the ceiling. It spoke in its eerie whispering voice.

“Everyone.” It whispered.

She narrowed her eyes. “Yer gonna have ta be more specific.”

“I underssstand how you may be confused, but the truth in the rumorsssss are true…..Demons neeed sssouls, lotsss of soulssss. You will get them for ussss, The massster needs soulsss for the army. You will sssstart with thosssse in the town below us, and you will continue to gather until the Master hasss decided your debt is repaid.”

Karnya blinked. The horror of the beings words sinking into her mind. She owed a debt, it must be paid. But the creature wanted to use her to build the demonic army, the same army she had been fighting since she came here, the same Demons that were trying to invade Azeroth. And the last part…..she couldn’t have possibly heard that right…

“What do ya mean da town below…Dat is Shadowmoon Village, it is a Horde town.”

“Verrrrrryyy observant Troll….It is an orc town more precisely…and we have yet to find a better pawn than the orcs in all our travels…..”

The green fire grew brighter slightly.

“Do yoooou not accept thisssss bargain?”

Karnya continued to stare at the being. She thought of all the orcs she knew. Teagol and his wife, Bloodscream, Ashagga…Thrall. The anger in her started to build. The orcs had done nothing but be brothers and sisters to her tribe and all other Trolls since she had been a pup, they were her friends and family. She would not have their honor questioned, least of all by a Demon.

She raised her shotgun back to shoulder level. Luxa saw this and tensed down her muscles, her shoulders bearing down, claws at the ready.

“I think ya should think of a bettah place ta find da souls, and ta watch yer mouth, ya filthy nether whore.” She snarled.

The cloud of fire seemed to pull back, startled. The a pure column of green flame shot out and engulfed Luxa’s face.

Luxa roared in pain and reared back. Karnya blinked; a second later she dropped the gun and ran to the cats side, falling to her knees and started to use her hands to try and smother the flames that ate at her fur. Luxa yowled and tried to rub her head into the dust. After a few moments that flames died down and Karnya struggled to clear the cloud of greasy yellow smoke. She finally got most of it away and tried to survey the damage. Luxa let out a small confused whimper. Her eyes had gone white. Deep milky white. She was blind. The green cloud approached. Karnya’s hands flew over her mouth; she stared at Luxa in horror.

The shape approached, the flames a deep furious green, it towered over the huddling pair.

“NEVER DEFY ME AGAIN! WE HONORED OUR BARGAIN! YOU MUST NOW HONOR YOURS! WE SAVED YOUR FAMILY! YOUR VILLAGE HAS BEEN SAFE FOR YEARS! WE HELPED YOU TO ATTAIN POWER! WE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN GENERIOUS! HOW DARE YOU!”

The whispering voice had risen to a shriek, it reverberated back and forth off of the cavern walls, sending a smell rain of pebbles to clatter along the floor.

“I WILL GO BACK AND TAKE YOUR SISTER, YOUR MOTHER! THEIR FLESH WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE PLEASEURE OF THE PIT LORDS THEMSELVES, AND WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU, YOU WILL JOIN THEM THERE!”

Karnya bared her teeth at the creature, her body shielding the once great cat beside her. She lay there as a wild animal. Tears of green fire rolling down her cheeks.

The green glow dissipated slightly, the cloud lowered itself, it sent a tendril down to whisper along the side of her face.

“Honesssstly, I don’t care where you get the soulsssss from. Just get sssstarted. The Massster doesssnt like to be kept waiting. And I’m sure the regenerative powerssss of you race will come in handy when he decides to find out all the waysssss you know how to sssscream. I am ssssending a servent to make sure of your intentionsssss”

At that moment a small red ravager appeared in the doorway, its claws making soft clicking sounds, it looked towards Karnya and let out a small hiss.

“I will be watching you Troll”

And with that, the cloud dissipated. Karnya looked between the departing cloud and the slowly approaching ravager. Then she buried her face into the charred remains of Luxa’s fur and wept.

To Be Continued……

Eventually Karnya lifted her head and sat up. Luxa turned her sightless head to face her mistress. The small red ravager sat clicking its teeth in the doorway, staring at them intently. Karnya growled and threw a rock at it, it merely hissed again and moved back a few feet away.

“Cmon, we have ta move.”

Karnya stood and went quickly to the mouth of the cave; she leaned out and gave forth several sharp whistles. A loud chirping grunt answered from father down the hill. She turned around and started to gather their things together and shove them back in her bags. This cave would be her home no longer. She found a suitable scrap of cloth large enough and walked back over to Luxa, whose head tilted up to her.

“Dis might make it easier for ya….and keep da dust out…of da wounds…and we don want ta scare Molli…”

Luxa nodded. She wrapped the piece of cloth around the large cats head, taking care around the singed flesh. No sooner had she finished than a large armored raptor burst into the cave, great honking squeaks of greeting coming from between her many rows of teeth. She looked around the cave, taking in Karnya’s tear streaked face, Luxa’s bandaged head, and the tiny red ravager waving its claws and hissing. Molli looked towards her mistress and cocked her head quizzically.

“We ‘ave ta get ta Orgrimaar.”

Molli, being a raptor, said nothing. Only continued to look confused and slightly shocked as Karnya removed a length of rope from her saddlebag and ran it from her pommel to a loop which she tied loosely around the great white cats neck. Why would she do that? Was Luxa going to run away? And what was with the sheet on her head?

The group set out from the cave at a fast pace, down the hill and past the town. The ravager following closely behind. They rode straight to Shattrath where they took advantage of the portal service, arriving in Orgrimaar in several hours instead of several days.

Karnya knew her destination, though she hadn’t been here in some time. The Shaman Baxxter put in plenty of service on the front lines of the Outlands, but he was also an avid dealer of surplus and antiquities and he couldn’t bear to be parted from the auction house for prolonged periods. She only prayed he was spending time in the city. She rode through the drag as fast as Luxa could keep up and came to a skidding halt in front of his shop slightly after dark. The cleft of shadows was just going through its change of shift, the more unscrupulous dealer’s only now opening shop for the night. Their sudden entrance drew more than a few curious stares.

She marched up the stairs and threw the door open, barely bothering to knock.

“Shaman! Baxxter!? Are ya in ‘ere!? I need some ‘elp!”

The carved out building looked almost the same as it had the last time she was here, it was still mostly carved from the cliff wall, and had the same well-worn carpets on the floor. But it appeared Baxxter had been a very busy trader indeed. There were tables covering almost all wall space, with shelves built into the wall all the way to the ceiling. Karnya didn’t have time to gawk, immediately after crossing the threshold she was seized by a mild electric shock. She yelped and dropped the lead she had fashioned for Luxa.

“Good ting I turned it down, Yer ‘air would look worse den it usually does”

The Troll turned from the vials he had been stirring.

“I knew ya was comin, I saw it when ya left Shadowmoon.”

Karnya walked all the way into Baxxter’s house, the guard totems letting off a small buzzing, then falling silent. She led the giant cat over to the Shaman.

“Do ya tink ya can ‘elp her? Can ya make ‘er see again?” She asked.

“We will see wat I can do, while I work, hows about telling me about yer visitor. Da spirits couldn’t tell me...What da! Dat ting is not allowed in ma house!”

Baxxter pointed towards the doorway and Karnya looked backwards to see the ravager standing before the threshold. The wardens had begun to hum again, and the creature didn’t seem stupid enough to try and pass them. Instead it stood there, clicking its claws in frustration.

“Don warry Baxxter, I don want it in ‘ere either.”

He began to unwrap the bandage around the sabers face while Karnya recited the story to him. She had known him since they were small and felt enough to trust him with most of the details.

“I know dat I must uphold da bargain. But I will not take da souls of my Horde brothers and sistas…maybe dem elfies, but only if I had to.”

Baxxter listened closely as he worked. Finally he spoke.

“It sounds ta me like your cause is just and wit honor. And dat now you owe da payment for da services. I’mma business man, I can understand dat. Sounds ta me like ya need ta tink of it as any other merc job. Ya done dose before…”

He stood up, a wicked grin spreading over his face.

“In fact, I know a great place ta get souls….I hear dose ‘humans drop em, Gnomes to I bet, if ya can not eat em long enough. Lots a tings drop souls, all da elfies do…”

Baxxter walked over to a wooden beam in the center of his hut, he reached up and grabbed a lantern hanging from a metal hook about six feet off the ground. He set the lantern on the ground, reached back up and pried the hook from the beam. He then walked towards a fire pit on the far wall, from the wood pile he reached down and grabbed another piece of metal. This one was a long cylindrical tube with some sort of runes etched along the side. He walked back towards Karnya and the doorway.

“S’cuse me”

He walked past her and stopped in front of his front door. Above the door hung a plaque with two swords crossed on it. He reached up and also removed this from the wall. Karnya folded her arms and stared at him.

“What in da nether are ya doin? Dis is not da time fer house cleanin! I need advice and ta know if ya ‘ave a potion fer ‘er eyes or not!”

Baxxter looked back at her, walking to a nearby table, his arms full with the items he had gathered.

“Oh…I cant ‘elp da cat, least not at da moment. Dat demon did a number, lemme tell ya! Woo! But I may ‘ave sometin dat will ‘elp yer other problem.”

He stopped at the table and dropped all the pieces before him; then began to arrange them in some sort of a pattern. Karnya walked over to Luxa, who had curled next to the fire, she knelt and began to gently stroke her head as she watched Baxxter working at the table. The pieces apparently fit together somehow; she could now see one of the blades affixed to the top of the larger tube. The shaman seemed to have trouble with at least one of the other pieces though, Karnya could see sweat forming on his brow, and eventually he grabbed a large hammer next to him and began beating on pieces she couldn’t see.

She was just about to cuss at him again when he turned around. Karnya stood back up, she had taken an involuntary step forward. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Is dat…Is dat a gun!?”

Baxxter held in his hand a weapon that had never been seen on Azeroth before. Karnya had never seen anything like it. It seemed to be made of some greenish black metal, and where the runes had come together, greenish energy flowed.

Baxxter smiled. “I guess it’s a gun…and I bet ya can kill a lot a gnomes wit it. I bin usin it ta decorate. Ya best get started. I’ll take da cat to da stables, she’ should be safe ‘ere…I’m sure I’ll see ya.”

Karnya took the gun, the shaman was right. This was just like any other merc job. She couldn’t afford to worry about the consequences just yet.

Let the massacre begin…