[Bleeding Tales] - Servant, Not A Toy

Post by Behelich

To all people of the board who spend their time to read my works and/or whom I roleplay with, and mostly to Neonhyper, whose fics are probably the second best thing L&RP has after the forumers themselves.

The pyre was still far from dying when on a patch of snow where the rune had been a circular pillar of red light some several inches higher than the death knight appeared. Mordanna opened his eyes just in time to see the light subside and a slender blood elf to step out of it. A complex knot of charcoal black hair that crowned her face with sharp features made Mordanna look as tall as her (if not shorter) and casted deep, dark shadows that clashed with the sinister radiance her ruby-like eyes emitted. The arsenic gray robes with runic embroidery that the elf was wearing carried eleven crimson gems of various sizes - gems that looked strangely like her eyes and exactly like the gem topping Narathel's hilt.

Mordanna's gaze seemed to be fixed at one point of interest on the elf's body, and she didn't hesitate to comment on that. The elf raised her small hands with long, thin fingers that made them look like white spiders to her bosom and asked jocosely, "Should I feel flattered or offended by the fact that you stare at these?"

"I see that the eleventh bloodstone has been forged successfully, lady Argona. Congratulations," said Mordanna coldly.

Blood Princess Argona looked down at a particularly large gem resting on her chest, as if noticing it only now, and smiled.

"You've noticed! How cute. Yes, the eleventh stone's taken its place, and that means I now only have to drain two adults per month," she replied, literally purring at the word 'drain'. "And the senses are returning, too! I ate an apple two days ago, and it was sour," Argona added cheerfully.

"You almost look alive," Mordanna uttered, knowing full well it was what the lady wanted to hear. "Do you feel the same, milady?"

The smile faded instantly, its place taken by a mask of sorrow with little to no wrinkles. Argona shook her head.

"Sometimes I forget to breathe, you know... And knowing that I still cannot have progeny is killing me," she said, then added quickly, "figuratively speaking, of course."

"I feel offended," echoed Narathel's voice in the death knight's head. Mordanna winced behind his helmet, since Argona's ability to hear the runeblade - his runeblade - violated the sacred bond between a death knight and his weapon. The Blood Princess tilted her head, looking now at the sword's hilt that loomed over Mordanna's right shoulder.

"Ah, Nari," she smiled again, making Mordanna wince even stronger. "How're you doing? Is Mori treating you well?"

"I kill, I feast, is there anything else I can ask for? I'm fine, mother, thanks for asking."

"Good boy," Argona nodded, facing the death knight again. "Last time we've met you weren't wearing a helmet," she pouted.

"Last time we have met we were not in the enemy's territory, milady," came a reply.

"Is that so?" she asked, tilting her head and looking somewhere near the death knight's neck. Only now did he realise that the moment the helmet was mentioned his hand shot upward, trying to cover his right cheek. Even though that kiss had been months ago, even now Mordanna thought sometimes he felt it burning. Loathing himself, her, the world in general and himself, the death knight slowly lowered his hand and spoke, managing to keep his voice unchanged.

"Yes, milady. I could have been followed by an assassin."

"Speaking of which, is Hassib Sardakaun dead?"

"Apparently, his sanctum was connected to his very life force, thus creating a chain reaction leading to facility's self-destruction immediately upon his death, milady."

"Don't you try to scare me with such expressions, Mori," Argona replied, shaking her finger at the death knight.

"The intelligence made a mistake, milady. Hassib Sardakaun was a formidable opponent even by my standarts."

"Don't be so tedious, Mori, I knew you'd like fighting h... Oh, rats," she lowered her head, her chin almost touching the bloodstone. The hair remained unmoved.

"You knew."

The death knight's voice was the same, and only him forgetting to add 'milady' hinted of the anger boiling inside him.

"Yes, death knight, I knew," said Argona coldly, her ever-changing spectre of emotions fading away suddenly. "I can feel the hatred inside you. Harness it, make it useful, lest it overwhelms you."

"There is no hatred," Mordanna exhaled, struggling to regain control of himself.

"Oh, you sound so angry, Mori, I almost think you want to hurt me - or even to kill me," Argona pouted again, the mask returning as if it had never been gone.

"You know the sole reason for that."

The words came out automatically, and only Argona's reply made Mordanna realise what had he just said - and shiver.

"Tell me again."

'Can she read my mind?' he thought almost in horror, and then finally took hold of himself.

"No she cannot," Narathel snickered, but Mordanna was speaking already.

"You gave me the runeblade, milady. You made me complete."

"And I thought we were friends... And I know you better than anyone else. I don't have to read your mind, I read you yourself."

"That is not essential, milady. My next assignment is."

"Your next assignment'll take you away from Northrend, to a distant settlement in Kalimdor."

"Do my ears deceive me? Just when we are ready to end the Nexus War and begin the final onslaught on the king, I am called away?"

"Exactly. You see, the Horde's and the Alliance's forces are concentrated here - and by the time they'll notice what's happening back home, the losses will be too big."

"Very well, what is it?"

"A druid that had awakened from millenias of slumber and... Let's say his mind is bent the way it should not be. Here, I've drawn you a map."

Mordanna suppressed a sigh and took the rolled piece of parchment.

"I'd love to stay and chat with you for a while but, you know how it is, Zeramas won't operate itself. Ciao!" the Blood Princess smiled and began walking away. The death knight saluted and turned back to the pyre.

'I loathe her. The order does not need the likes of her.

But you two are the only thing I have,' he thought, when a shout came.

"Mori!"

He didn't move a single muscle.

"Oh come on... Speak to me, death knight!"

He turned around just in time to catch a signet ring bearing a neatly carved image of a black horse's head with red eyes.

"His name is Caran. Happy Winter Veil, Mori!" Argona shouted, and vanished in a flash of a red light. Mordanna put the ring on and smiled.

"Looks like it's the three of us now, not counting her."

"I dare that Caran to talk. I'm the sinister voice here."

Meanwhile, halfway across the world...

A hairy hand grabbed one of the victim's chins and pulled the body closer to a large nose that seemed to be the only thing lacking thick green hair that covered Eryn Dreamwalker's body. After two sniffs he let go and spat on the ground.

"Filthy lesser beings... I smell rot! Metal! Pain! Corruption!" he growled, brushing off invisible dust of his leather kilt as if simply being close to the village's denizens made it dirty.

"But not for long... I will cleanse! Restore! Improve! Cure! And you will be beautiful..." the druid continued, smiling blissfully at the sight of vines tearing through the bodies that pulsed and drained their victims' very essense.

A tall, hunched figure limped up to the druid. Eryn turned around to look at his fist servant - a being that vaguely resembled a rat, an orc and a tree at the same time.

"Whatshallwedonowmaster," it howled eerily.

"Now... We will wait! Bide! Prepare! Gather! Soon we will be ready..."

Post by Behelich

Writer's comment

Let's find out how good (or bad) I am at making female characters, shall we? Since "Servant, Not A Toy" is not only the last installment of the year but also (almost) a Christmas edition, I tried to make it special.

I hope that I succeeded, but as always, it's up to you to decide.

List of the previous parts
The random ones

Blood Rites
Blood Boil
Blood Ties
Blood Freeze
Blood Fall

The ones that follow a single plotline (with flashbacks!)

Quest: General Sardakaun
Under Stars Non-Existant
This Is My Runeblade...

Post by 470415

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Post by Behelich

I don't like her.

Good, I was hoping you'd say that.

Lets not play favorites :P

You know how much I wait for each page of Eclipse, don't you?

Anyhow, thanks for feedback and see you in the next year!

[Bleeding Tales] - Servant, Not A Toy

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