Ayemae- Trial of Combat

[Ayemae]

Ayemae closed her ledger abruptly and tapped the quill in agitation upon the table. This council of the nobles had taken up most of her day with mindless dribble, posturing, and the other trivialities of politics, and the fact that the nobles rarely accomplished anything of import in these meetings didn't help matters.
“It is my duty to be present.”
She thought silently to herself, attempting to mask her agitation.

This normally wouldn't have been an issue had she not already made prior obligations to partake in a patrol later that evening, but today was different. Having recently pledged her loyalties to that of The Grim, she was anxious to attend a patrol and see their skill in combat. Though she rarely took part in combat herself, tending to let her tools do the fighting for her, she would need to gauge their skills, and there is little other way to do this without her presence.

“Thank you all for coming to today's meeting! I believe that should
conclude matters for today and we will meet again soon I hope.”

Ayemae's ears perked up suddenly at the announcement. Finally it was over and she could tend to her personal matters. Her home was located near the Court of the Sun, which made the journey quite short, but so was her time. She stood, straightening her robes, whipped her hair behind her shoulder in true elven flourish and nodded to the council as she left, stopping only long enough to wave a dismissive hand at her personal servant to gather her master's things and return them to her home.

Outside the council chambers was a madhouse. Crowded into the great halls were each of the gathered noble's retinue, servants, and any wishing to bend the ear of one into their favor. Generally navigating this maze took upwards of sometimes hours, but she just didn't have that kind of time today. Surveying the mob, Ayemae rolled her neck and sighed in frustration before grabbing the shirt of the nearest retainer.

“If anyone so much as breathes on me today, I will gut you myself. Is that clear?”

His skin immediately went pale and a cold sweat appeared upon his brow. “Y.. Y.. Yes Mistress... Abundantly.” Satisfied, she released his collar and began to walk behind her shield of bodies. Early on, a few attempted to approach the elf, but they were quickly intercepted by her guard as she hastily returned home.

“I should take that approach much more often, it was exceptionally effective.”
she smiled to herself as she turned to another of her servants.

“Ismeria. You are to prepare my things for a patrol. Have the stables prepare my horse as well.” she commanded.
“Yes, Mistress. Should I have your retinue prepare to march as well?”
“No. I will be leaving alone, my reasons are my own. Do as I say and nothing more.”
“As you wish, Mistress” complied the girl with a bow.

Ayemae proceeded to gather any personal effects, scrolls, potions, and armor that she thought might be of use, pausing for a moment as her hand landed on a satchel of healing potions that had been gifted to her by Malanath.

“I doubt I should ever need these. It isn't my job to be on the front lines, there are warriors for that!” she scoffed. “Though I suppose I should pack them as a show of favor for Malanath's efforts.” she shrugged as she placed the satchel over her shoulder as she turned to leave, having finished her preparations for the evening's patrol.

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Ayemae arrived at the meeting place in time to see a few others straggling in and sighed that she hadn't arrived too late. Dismounting her horse, she walked to greet the others and take her place in ranks among them, though obviously a bit out of place. Having grown up a noble priestess in Silvermoon, combat was rarely a requirement of her and even then she was never among the rank and file soldier.

Khorvis Bloodstar the Irredeemable stepped into view before her. The orc was obviously battle hardened and fierce, a true asset to one such as herself. She smiles wryly and ran her tongue along her teeth at the thought of the carnage he could cause.

Looking to her left was Malanath, her most useful tool and the closest thing to an “ally” that she could claim to have.

Ayemae felt the earth shake and stir beneath her and her attentions turned to her right as two massive Tauren stepped up beside her. One had a massive bow slung over his shoulder and the other smelled earthy and unkempt.

“Feeling safer already.” She thought to herself securely.

“Hail, Well met!” The Orc proclaimed with a grunt to the assembled group before him.
“I hope you are all prepared, many alliance will die at our blades this night!
Peace through Annihilation! Move out!”

With that he turned, took his mount, and turned to leave without hesitation for the rest to join him. The others were already mounting and beginning their charge as well, and Ayemae, realizing this a bit belatedly, snapped into action and ran to her mount and kicked it into a full run to catch up. She, being a bit out of breath, wasn't so accustomed to running, as it was rarely practiced inside city walls.

The battles waged on as expected... The orc and others near the front as her and whom she came to know as the druid Swifthoof stayed near the back. A few times a well placed shot from the hunter Mohan felled a foe who would break the line, but truly little threat to herself, as she had planned to be the case. They had traveled all over Azeroth in defenses, from the Arathi Highlands to Alterac Valley and even over to Gilneas. Hundreds of Alliance soldiers had fallen in their wake.

Briefly they decided to stop for a rest and discuss the next place for the patrol to visit. Each watered their mount and sat down for a quick rest as the orc cleaned his blood spattered blades.

“There is talk of conflict beyond the great portal,” began the orc. “We ride there next, to the eye of the storm of conflict.” Placing a crude map onto the ground and pointing at it with the tip of a dagger that looked more like a full on sword to Ayemae, “It is said to be located here. Mount up.”

This time not wanting to repeat her prior mistake she hastily grabbed her horse and rode with the group, the portal reminding her of times long past, times best left forgotten. A time before the shadows.


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The battle was intense. There was not one point that needed defense, but FOUR! Her small team was stretched thin defending them all. Lightning arced through the air and the nether twisted and swirled below as the clanging of metal echoed into the nothingness.

The towers were important for a variety of reasons, One contained a vast array of information collected by mages over a millennia, the second an armory of exotic weapons from across the Outlands, and the last two were historic ruins of valuable information, one of Blood elf descent and the other of Dranei. Just as they would secure one area, another was attacked. The small team rode from tower to tower bolstering their defenses and felling alliance soldiers by the dozens.

They had just finished fighting back an assault on the weapons facility, and Ayemae's face was caked with dust and sweat. Her fingers ached from weaving spells and her parched throat screamed for water, lest she lose the ability to speak her holy words of power.

“A moment, I must drink.” She said to the group and turned for her water skin that was lashed to the side of her mount.

She heard a response, but couldn't quite make out what it was as she drank from the skin as if it were the nectar of the Gods themselves. Quickly she finished and re-secured it to her bags, coughing out what was now mud in her lungs.

When she turned around she realized, to her horror, that she was alone. Desperately alone. There was no wall of bodies before her.. no retinue.. not even a damned servant to catch an arrow. She gasped and wove a sending spell.

“Where are you?” she sent to all of them.
“We are defending the mage ruins, hold your position.”

The orc's words caused her skin to pale slightly, but not nearly as much as the sight before her. A Deathknight approached swiftly.

“I am under attack here. A deathknight is headed this way!”

“Hold him off. We will return when we can.”

She bit her lip and began to do the only thing she could. Looking within herself, she summoned forth shadows that wrapped and enveloped her body, her holy aura that hid her true motives on day to day excursions faded as the shadows belied her true self. She quickly began to weave a spell to barrage the deathknight's mind with images of horrors, but it was cut abruptly short as a piercing pain shot through her back, taking away her breath. The spell was lost, but her shriek of pain sent forth a wave of energy still and sent both the deathknight and the rogue who had ambushed her running momentarily. Losing sight of the knight, she focused her anger on the other attacker. She wracked his mind with dark energy, flaying the very fabric of who he was. Sensing he was near his end and catching a glimpse of the deathknight returning, she quickly blasted his mind with a final wave of shadow and watched him pale and fall lifeless to the ground. Smiling and gaining confidence, she turned to face her new foe.

She began in a similar fashion to the rogue by attempting to flay his mind, but found it nerve wrackingly resilient. As the gap between them closed she summoned a powerful force of shadow stuff and blasted his mind with it, showing only minimal effect. Now she was getting truly unnerved. As she finished her third spell, the deathknight began to glow with a fell green aura and her spells ceased to have any effect whatsoever. Ayemae screamed in horror at her discovery and searched her mind for something... anything. If she didn't find something soon, she would be dead.

Finally she thought of something, a spell rarely she needed or used, save breaking wards on documents not meant to be seen. Fingers aching she wove together not a spell.. but a dispell. The shield dissipated, but too late. His blow hit her body like a wall of force, the icy touch of death shot through her body and it's talons grasped her heart. He swung again as she, taking a page from his book, conjured a shield of protection to deflect his blows. As he battered upon her shield she wracked his mind with images again that gave him a moments pause... long enough for Ayemae to reach into the satchel from Malanath and drink one of his potions. She coughed and heaved as her most severe wounds closed.

“I need help!”
She screamed into the minds of her companions.

“We will be there as quickly as possible!”
Khorvis assured her.

“I am the only one here, our defenses will fall, I can't hold much longer!”
she gasped.

Another blow slammed into her, knocking her to her knees, her hands clawing the dirt catch herself in time. In her plea for help, she had failed to notice her shield had finally given way. The human looked into her eyes and smiled as he took a mighty swing at her, knocking her against the wall of the tower as she crumpled to the ground.

“I.. need..”
she whispered to the blackness.

Shadowstuff began to swirl around her body, the tendrils caressing her softly. They lifted her up as she floated off the ground and wings sprouted from her shoulders. The deathknight watched in horror then doubled in pain. The shadowstuff was leaching life from him to heal her. Shadow energy blasted from her body into a huge halo that enveloped the entire area.

Her spells became like second nature, requiring little effort to cast, and shadow poured from her very pores. She summoned the tendrils to hold him in place as she blasted him again and again with hateful energy. She cursed him with the pain she had felt moments ago and tore apart his sanity as if it were a child's plaything. Her hate writhed like a living beast, feeling the joys of his fear an agony. She took pleasure in his torture, minutes passed like hours in her mind, savoring every bite of his soul. Finally, sensing his life force fading, she cursed him with one fowl and final curse; A curse of death. Ripping his soul from its husk, she tore it into infinite pieces and cast it forever into the nether. Smiling at the shrieks that only she could hear.

A sound behind her, she turned prepared to strike.. her reinforcements had arrived.