Leyu'jin sat on top of one of the huts at Zhu's Watch, watching the supernatural rain fall down from the heavens and spatter the earth. Although the malaise that had permeated the outpost had been lifted, he still remembered the despair and hopelessness that had pervaded the town before he and other members of the Horde had arrived to correct it. That is, correct the problem which they seemed to have caused in the first place.
Never before in his career as a soldier and servant of the Horde had he been so rattled as when he was in the Jade Forest, where the battle between General Nazgrim's forces and the Alliance had summoned that... abomination out of thin air. The Sha. And everywhere through Pandaria, he could see tangible evidence of the effects of the Horde's war on this formerly peaceful land. He had fought lesser manifestations of the Sha throughout his travels in this new land, and every time he could not extricate himself from the knowledge that it was the actions of his people that had brought this about. He had seen these spirits come out of the General himself just moments after their disastrous arrival in Pandaria. Of course it was not solely the fault of the Horde, but it could not be blamed on the Alliance either; it was their conflict which was causing this nightmare to materialize in the realm of reality.
Behind him lay the Valley of the Four Winds. No clearer distinction could be made between the beauty of peace and the wages of hatred, vengeance and war. Leyu'jin admitted to himself that he had faltered before, and perhaps now was not the time to go down this road again, but this foreign land was forcing him to look into himself in a way he could not avoid. He didn't sigh, he didn't look forlorn. The troll simply continued to stare out into the rain and the wilds laid out before him.
Nika took her time as she moved through the dense underbrush of the forest. Although she had been exploring these new lands for several days, she traveled entirely on foot. These days, being seen by most any one was a risk, regardless of what color tabard they happened to wear. So, to be safe, she avoided the roads. Traveling parallel to them instead, and keeping always to the shadows. This method of exploration was much slower, of course, but she didn't mind. She wasn't in any particular hurry. Now and then, she would hear the drumming of hooves approaching along the road and she'd stop moving to hunker down and wait for the traveler to pass.
She had hardly noticed the rain when it first began. The drops filtered down through the leaves above, easily ignored at first. As she neared this part of the Krasarang Wilds, the rain began to slowly increase. She squinted as she glanced up towards the sky, reaching to brush a tendril of wet hair from her eyes. Through the trees, she could just make out the huts of Zhu's Watch up ahead, so she hurried in that direction. Stopping beneath one of the huts, she noticed a shape on the rooftop of another across the way. Immediately, she recognized that familiar silhouette, and her eyes widened in shock. Leyu'jin. She rarely saw him, these days. And certainly never outside Orgimmar.
Leyu'jin might hear the leaves stirring in the tree near the hut he was sitting on. Although it was hard to make anything out through the shadows, something caused the branches dipped and swayed as she climbed higher until she was able to see him more clearly. The leaves rattled as she settled herself, and then went still.
The troll warrior continued looking out across the green expanse. "Lovely view, ain't it?" He said. "A lil bit differen' den wut dose crazy island trolls call 'ome, but beautiful none da less." "Donna know if ya kin undahstand me tho." The troll chuckled softly to himself.
Nika held very still when Leyu'jin began talking. But he seemed calm at the moment. His voice sounded serene as he kept looking off into the distance. His words piqued her curiosity, though. Who did he think was there? Reaching out, she pressed a hand to the branches in front of her face and pushed them down slowly. The leaves parted, and Leyu'jin could just make out her shape through the shadows. Though he probably couldn't see her too clearly, he may recognize her voice.
"Why are you sitting on a rooftop in the rain? That seems more like something I would do.." She studied him closely, watchful for any subtle shift of movement that might indicate he'd move suddenly. It was why she positioned herself in the tree to begin with. On even ground, she couldn't have a hope against him. But should he decide to attack, the branches of the tree might slow him enough for her to slip away and escape.
She doubted that would happen, though. He never seemed particularly inclined to harm her before.. although, most times she'd encountered him was within the safety of Orgimmar. Being out here in this unfamiliar territory left her unsure of a lot of things.
Leyu'jin stiffened slightly, his long ears shifting from their languid repose to point skywards. He remained in his sitting position, and spoke now in a cautious tone. "Ah. Well, it looks like joo kin undahstand me." Without moving his head, his eye flickered towards the tree. "Well miss, sumtimes a troll 'as a need ta pontificate, ya know. Even us knucklehead warriahs." Leyu'jin could only barely make out a slim humanoid shape nestled within the leaves.
Dat voice do sound familiah. The troll couldn't quite make out who it belonged to, though. It was someone he'd heard some time ago. The fact that he recognized the voice put him more on edge than if it had been someone he didn't know at all. Even if it had been an Alliance soldier, that wouldn't scare him, he'd handled enough of those in his days to last a lifetime. But an acquaintance meant someone from his past, and he wasn't sure how many enemies he had by now that deserved some payback against him. He continued, keeping a watchful eye open. "Dis land certainly be one ta bring a mon second thoughts." Pausing again, he tried to look more closely at the figure in the trees. "If ah hav wronged joo in da past, ah regret ma actions aginst joo. Ah mean joo no harm, tho ah ain't redy ta giv up ma life ta ya jus' yet."
The figure in the tree was silent for several moments after Leyu'jin finished talking, but he could feel her eyes on him. Nika stared at the troll, puzzled by his words. She couldn't quite make out if he realized who she was yet or not.. but she found it odd that he might be chatting with random humans. While his words might seem benign on the surface, she noticed the stiffness in the way he held himself.. it was clear to her that he was on guard. "Give up your life?" Her voice sounded equally cautious, but confused, as well. "Leyu... you know this is Nika you're talking to..right?" With some hesitation she reached up and pushed the leaves aside, revealing her face as she peeked out through the branches at him. Her eyes searched his face, alert and hardly blinking. She knew well the fierceness of speed he could move in when he wanted to, and she hadn't the slightest idea how he'd react to her, now. A small frown turned the corners of her mouth downward. "I heard you're leaving.."
As the rogue Nika poked her head out from the branches, Leyu blinked in surprise. Although he knew she had shadowed him at times in Orgrimmar, he certainly hadn't been expecting to see her here in Pandaria. The fact that she was one of those figures who he felt regret over was tempered by her innocent, if cautious reaction to his own words. Seeing the former human's trepidation put him to mind of a spooked wolf, so he relaxed himself to put her more at ease.
“Mmm. Well, dat be troo.” He looked back towards the forest. “Ah doubt ah be much use ta da Mandate now, da state ah’m in.” He held up a gauntleted hand, looking at the inferior armor that clad his body, and snorts. “Prolly sumting wrong wit’ da world when one o’ da Grim’s mos’ dedicated slayahs spends mo’ time plowin’ fields den killin’ Alliance.”
Nika frowned faintly, and something in her expression reflected.. disappointment. She shifted a bit in the tree, edging herself slightly closer on the branch she was perched on. Her eyes fell briefly to the space next to him on the roof, but she remained where she was. Despite what she wished, she couldn't help but keep her guard up. "But why? I heard.. you and Ashenfury are both leaving. I thought The Grim and the Mandate was important to you both. Why leave now? What changed?"
The troll warrior looked back towards the rogue and raised an eyebrow. "Ah, joo be a bit outta da loop den, Nika." He paused. "Ashenfury be ded. Ah donna quite undahstand it ma'self, but e' carried out a shamanic ritual dat transferred 'is soul ta da spirit world. Sumting aboot fightin' a war out der." Leyu chuckled briefly and shook his head. "Leave it ta Ash ta keep fightin' even in death, yah?"
Looking away again, the troll continued. "So, donna joo worry aboot Ash's dedication. Dat Orc couldna' leave da Mandate if 'is head wuz cut off." He narrowed his eyes. "As fo' me tho... Well, ah have a history o' desertion o' da Horde's service, ah guess. Left Thrall's forces several yeahs ago ta go back ta ma village. Ah 'ad doubts aboot da war even den. Guess even da Grim couldna' forge dat outta me."
Leyu'jin looked at Nika. "But it nevah wuz so tested as it be now. Ah wuz righ' der when dat Sha manifested in da Jade Forest, Nika. Ah saw bot' da forces o' da Horde an' da Alliance, an' der allies bot', decimated ba da verra emotions dey unleashed upon dis land. An' now, da mo' we fight, da mo' dese Sha appear. An' it ain't only pinkskins like joo an' greenskins like us dat be takin' da wors' o' it. Dese peaceful people wuz only farmin' an' protectin' der own befo' we came, Nika, an' now we be tearin' der land assundah. Pittin' brotha aginst brotha!"
He slams his open hand against the roof tiles. "Ah could accept da Mandate's trooth so long as we wuz fightin' aginst da Alliance alone. But who kin win when battlin' da enemy be like strikin' a mirror?" Clenching his hand into a fist, the troll looked down. "A mirror dat fo' every blow, strikes back at joo?"
Nika's entire body stiffened when Leyu'jin spoke of Ashenfury being dead. Her fingers curled around the branch she was sitting on, tightening against the damp wood. She began to voice a question, but forced herself to wait, listening as Leyu'jin further explained.
Once he had finished speaking, there was a pause. The branch she was sitting on dipped and swayed, sending some leaves to fall to the ground as she began to move. Moments later, she landed on the edge of the rooftop he was sitting on with a soft thump. She remained in a half crouch near the edge, and her eyes flickered briefly to his axe. Her gaze rose to meet his own, watchful and cautious, but also concerned.
"Wait.. Leyu'jin.. what exactly is this going to mean for you? If you're leaving for the reasons you said.. do they know? Are you going to be in danger from them, now?"
"Ah, dey will sho'ly take der blades an' staves an' blast me inta a million pieces." The troll laughed, being transparently sarcastic. Sobering from his outburst, Leyu said, "Ah'm not sho, but many hav come an' gone from da Grim, an' we ain't gone huntin' dem all down. Waste o' time, an' not our purpose. We 'ere ta kill Alliance, not each otha."
He looked over at Nika, raising an eyebrow. "Wut aboot joo? Wut joo bin up ta?"
Nika looked startled by Leyu'jin's words, until he began to laugh. Slowly, a half grin formed on her face and her body relaxed a bit. "I thought you were serious for a minute.. it's not exactly that crazy, considering half of them would kill me, given the chance." Rising from her crouch, Nika moved a few steps closer to where Leyu'jin was sitting and lowered herself to sit on the damp roof, as well. Her brow furrowed lightly as she regarded him. "But all joking aside, Leyu'jin.. if your leaving would put you in some kind of danger- from them, or anyone else for that matter.. I'd help you out, if there's anything I can do." She paused to think over his question for a moment, tucking a tendril of wet hair behind and ear before shrugging. "I'm not up to anything, any longer. I pretty much live in the shadows these days. There's no real place for me anymore. Most everyone I used to know in the Alliance would kill me on sight if they saw me, and plenty of people over here would do the same. But.. what were you saying about Ashenfury before? First you said he's.. dead.. but then you said he's fighting in the spirit world. So he's not really dead then, is he?" She looked at him, her eyes dark with concern. "Can he come back?"
Leyu'jin let out a whooshing breath that whistled softly. "Aye, e' tol me e' could. His spirit be anchored ta da war drum included in 'is ritual. So, unbelievable as it be ta me, yes, e' kin come back."
Nika closed her eyes, and looked greatly relieved. "Thank you." She said, softly. She looked back over at him again. "Even though Ashenfury considers me an enemy, I don't think I'd handle it well if he was actually, permanently dead."
Leaning back on her hands, she looked Leyu'jin over. "I've got mixed feelings about you going, too. Even though you and I barely speak now.. I hate to see you leave. But on the other hand, you leaving... Ashenfury leaving, or fighting in the spirit world, or whatever he's out there doing- it had an expected effect on me. I feel like I can let go of The Grim now, and finally move on. I've been so unhappy for the past year, and I can't tell you how many times I wished I never came clean about being Sizzlespark. I wished I had kept that secret, and just lived as that identity, because I was a lot happier. Even though I could never fully support the Mandate, I did fully support many people in the guild. But now, most of those people aren't around anymore. Or they're moving on, like you and Ashenfury. I feel like that's allowing me to move on, too. I can finally let myself do that."
She fell quiet for a moment.
"I don't know where you're going, Leyu'jin. Or what you're going to do next.. but I hope this isn't the last time I'm going to see you."
The troll drummed his fingers on the rooftiles. "It be gud dat joo kin let go now. Joo al'ays bin stuck in-between, Nika, an' dat ain't easy, yah?" Leyu chuckled. "It be kind o' joo ta miss me, too. But ah wonna be dat hard ta find." He drew a stave out of one of his magical bags, and rolled it around in his hands. "Ah'm stayin' 'ere, in Pandaria, at one o' da monasteries. Ah'm trainin' ta become a monk."
Nika smiled, her expression warming as Leyu'jin drew out his staff. "A monk.." She nodded. "Yeah. I can see that. It suits you." Rising back to her feet, she tipped her head at the troll. "I'm glad to hear you aren't going far. I thought maybe you'd return back to your village, or go traveling, or something. Maybe we'll cross paths again, one day." With that, she stepped back and saluted Leyu'jin with a smile, and then turned to go.
"Nika!" Leyu'jin called to the rogue's back. "Ah hope joo find a place o' belongin', an' a path dat resolves joo two sides. Joo deserve as much, sistah."
(( Jointly written by Leyujin and Aureliya ))
