World of Warcraft®

Oli Reinhard was a simple man.

He earned his living as a woodsman felling trees, clearing logs, and cording wood for the Northridge Lumber Camp. Oli was good at what he did. It was hard back breaking work, and at times deadly, but well worth while. His work, as you can imagine, made Oli into a large man with thick arms and steel vice like hands. Despite his stature, he was a gentle soul that kept mostly to himself.

Times were hard and so Oli didn't have much. Thing had been hard for a long time now, what with the wars and all the goings on about them. He like so many others lost so much to conflicts he didn't fully comprehend, but times were finally changing. Oli could feel it in the air and so could his loyal gilnean mutt, Shortstack.

Shortstack acquired his name as a pup when Oli took him in. Smaller than the rest of his litter and with short stubby legs the runt couldn't really feed. The lumberjack took pity on the small creature and raised him like a son. When he was old enough to follow Oli throughout the forest he remained at the lumberjack's side ever vigilant of danger or trouble. On one occasion a tree's truck splintered injuring Oli and it was Shortstack that ran to the lumber camp for help.

They were an inseparable pair. Bonded for life.

"What'cha got there boy?" Oli breathed in an excited whisper. Often it was the little things, like an excited whisper, that set Shortstack into a hunting frenzy.

The young mut bounced excitedly in a few circles, tongue lapping out the side of its panting jowls. All the while winding himself up like a little play toy the children bring home from the big cities.

"Get'm. Go get'm." Was all the prompting the mut needed from Oli.

Shortstack drew serious a moment, pointed with his nose. Ears steepled at some brush up ahead. Something rustled some dried leaves and the dog was off as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. Head first he dove into the brush. Oli stood by the woodsman's trail and watched, a child-like grin on his face. Moments later the dog emerged triumphant from the brush, game in mouth.

This time it was a rabbit.

"Atta boy, Shorts!" The praise drew the beast back to his proud companion and he gifted Oli his trophy. The lumberjack took up the rabbit by the ears. "Oh. Look at this. A good size my boy." He tucked the game into a satchel at his hip. "We'll eat well tonight."

In the distance to the east something stirred. Shortstacks left ear steepled while the right ear folded and he gazed through the trees for a moment. Oli stood a moment, silent. He listened and watched. He didn't pay so much attention to the east as he did to the mut. After so much time together the burly lumberjack could read his noble friend. A flinch of a muscle or a twitch of his head and Oli could tell if he needed to worry or not.

The moment passed. It was nothing. The mut twisted its head to glance up at his tall thick companion, and so Oli knew not to worry.

"Come boy. We need to get to that glen soon and start marking before nightfall. Tomorrow has promise of lots of work for us."

The lumberjack strode along the woodsman's path. It lead him south and west from the lumber camp and into the hills bordering Tirisfal Glades. Oli knew well enough to steer clear of them. Those forests were tainted with something awful and an unnatural presence wandered its shadows. The lumberjack wasn't the only one pick up on the eerie feeling. Shortstack refused to go any closer than was necessary.

Oli knew that he could coax the mut into the glades if needs be, but there was no need. So he didn't.

Ever.

The trail wound through the hills, up and down, sometimes around one way or another through a small swale or valley where rainfall flowed into rivulets and the vegetation was the thinnest. Often the way was just easier through them.

Exiting one such swale Shortstack paused abruptly. Oli followed suit. The dog's ears steepled. Both ears. Oli's jaw clenched. The dog's nose worked and his steady gaze fell on a hill just south of them. Oli's gut twisted slightly and he followed its command, lowering the pair of axes that were resting on his shoulder.

"What is it Shorts?" He asked in a calm hushed whisper.

Shortstack responded by lowering his head. His ears twisted back and Oli knew there might be trouble. The lumberjack released the ax handles letting all but one fall to the ground. He kept hold of his single bearded clearing ax. Gripping the ax high at the neck just below the head the lumberjack reversed his grip. He would use the stout wooden handle as a club first, preferring not to kill anything if he didn't absolutely have to.

He stepped forward and the dog followed. "Show me." Shortstack's stubby legs carried him around Oli to lead the way. The trail took the pair to the top of the hill. The sun would soon reach noon day and the light filtered through the trees dispelling many shadows. Three however remained atop the opposing hill.

There were three of them. Oli guessed the to be about the size of an average timber wolf, but these acted differently.

Their fur dark and gray, almost black. Their coats looked matted and unclean. It wasn't until the breeze shifted that Oli knew what they were. "Blasted creatures." He cursed. They were undead, likely crossed over from Tirisfal. If there was one thing in this world Oli, the kind hearted lumbjack, despised most... it was anything undead.

"Unnatural." He spat with a growl. Shortstack mirrored the sentiment with his own low growl. The pair postured atop the hill for a moment staring at the trio. The three wolves stood still for a moment, then turned and disappeared.

Oli breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down and noticed that without a thought he'd switched his grip on the ax handle. He'd been ready to end their cursed existence. The time would come, he knew, when he would have to but he was glad it wasn't today. Killing anything that didn't need killing, alive or otherwise, always dampened his spirits for a time.

Shortstack suddenly charged down the hill, and Oli's heart lept. He reached out as if to pull him back. "Shorts! Where'ya off too?" It was then that he saw something else completely unnatural. Several smaller trees, saplings really, had been felled in a singular direction. The ground had been violently disturbed. His keen eyes followed the destruction from the top of the opposite hill down into the swale.

Close behind his noble companion, Oli kicked off the hill top and slid down after Shortstack.

The mut barked in the distance.

Oli listened intently as he pressed through the tangle of branches and leaves. He wasn't distressed. He was excited, but not in the way he would be if it were a rabbit or small varmint. The lumberjack pressed on, throwing his large frame into the obstacle. Finally the foliage gave way and he stumbled out at a small dry rivulet.

"Shorts!" He called, and the dog barked in response. It came from wherever that path of destruction was leading.

After another moment Oli cleared a sharp bend around the hill and was greeted with a most unusual sight.

A wreckage of twisted metal lay before him. Pieces of it lay strewn in every direction. He approached the mechanical carnage with care. Nearing the wreckage he saw that the block at the center of the contraption was lightly smoking. He sniffed the air.

"This recently happened." He muttered to no one in particular. He looked up at the sun and noted that it had passed noon day. It had happened no more than a few hours ago, he wagered. The distinct sound of something sniffing broke his concentration.

"Shorts." His attention drew to his companion. "Shorts?" He calmly called. From around a large and full bush the squat dog appeared wagging its stub tail. Oli followed him back around to find more debris. This time more of broken limbs and twisted shrubbery with a smattering of strange metallic objects. At the center however laying amidst the twisted remains was something not metal.

It was a body.

Carefully clearing the debris took longer than expected. The twisted fragments of metal proved sharper than expected. Oli was unfortunate to discover as much. A torn shirt, ripped pant leg, and a little bit of spilt blood was little price to pay.

The large lumberjack finally reached the small body. It laid face down in the middle of an all but flattened bush. It looked so much like a little boy, but do oddly dressed. Missing shoes, the size of the feet was his first indication that it was not mere boy. He carefully leaned over the body, careful not to disturb it. The large ears and nose, the full beard, twisted and battered as his features were Oli could tell for certain now that this was a gnome.

An older gnome at that, if he could guess. The little man was in a terrible state however. Oli knew well enough not to move someone so badly injured. Doing so could cause more harm than good. Instead Oli leaned over the body, lowering his ear to the gnome's face. After a long silent moment he sat back on one knee.

"Its faint, but he's breathing." The large man began to glance around the wreckage. There had to be something here he could use to...

"Shorts?" Oli glanced around the site. There was nothing. No sniffing. No bark. No cry. No yelp. Nothing. An unnatural chill crept up his spine and his heart raced. He stood sharply and turned, calling. "SHORTS!"

Startled, the thick lumberjack nearly stepped on the gnome as he wheeled backward with a yell.

Before him stood a lanky creature unlike anything he'd ever seen. It wore the head of a timber wolf as a hood, its pelt as a cape. It wore a strange type of leather dress or robe ornamented with trinkets of bones, tiny heads, small paws and other odd things. His facial features were long, his nose protruded far from beneath its wolf hood along with a pair of wicked looking tusks like those of a boar. Yet unlike any boar he'd ever seen.

Beside it stood a thin, frail looking figure of a woman. Fully cloaked with a deep hood, little else was could be seen of her.

The hooded woman turned. A dry husky yet decidedly feminine voice spoke to the her tall companion. The other towered over her. Oli guessed that it towered over him, the creature was so tall.

"[Do you see them,] Alakkal?"

Oli couldn't understand a word. The hooded woman spoke a strange guttural dialect not unlike the common tongue, but twisted an unfamiliar.

Oli's eyes darted about looking for his ax or for something that could reasonably be used in its place.

"[Yes.]" The other towering creature responded. "[I foun'dem in de box. Der.]" The creature spoke back and gestured off to the side with a single monstrous digit.

Oli's head spun. This was all happening too fast. He couldn't think. Who were these two? What was this tall creature? Oli had been a simple lumberjack all his life. All he had ever known were these trees, the lands of this forest, and the creatures that called it home. This one was not from around here. It was obvious he didn't belong.

And who was this woman, to stand so casually by its side and apparently speak its tongue?

"Shorts...." he muttered. Where was Shortstack!

"[Wa'tis dis one speak of?]" The tall one gestured to Oli. The man clenched his jaw. Surely there was something wrong. Something unnatural was going on here and he didn't like it. He couldn't understand what was being said, but surely this tall one was fixing for a fight. Oli was prepared to give it to him.

If he could only find his ax.
... and Shortstack.

"[He's calling out for his pet, I think.]" The frail hooded woman groaned in a dry dusty tone. Something was off about her voice. It didn't sound quite right but Oli couldn't put his finger on it just yet. He needed his ax and his dog. His eyes darted about again.

It had to be here somewhere.

Both figures quieted. They stared at the large man for a moment and Oli stared back. He clenched his fists and raised them. "Alright. You want a piece of me?" Oli glared at the impossibly tall creature. It seemed like a losing situation, but he wasn't about to back down.

The hooded woman glanced down at Oli's feet. The lumberjack suddenly became aware of the injured gnome at his feet. All the more reason to give these two a fight. He squared his shoulders along with his resolve.

"You misunderstand." The woman breathed. Her accent clear as day. A Lorderanian! Oli's heart eased a little and his jaw unclenched. After all, if this creature was with a fellow countryman then what possible danger could he be? Oli lowered his guard.

"Oh, a fellow countryman." He smiled, though something deep inside knew that a thing, a thing as off about this woman. "Its so good that you came by. Strange, but good. What brings you this far into the woods?"

"We followed the wreckage." The hooded woman explained, her head following the path of the crash.

"Oh, excellent. Then perhaps you can help me move this little gnome. He's just barely alive, and needs a healer quickly."

The hooded woman cocked her head to the side. "I am a healer." She stated dryly. Oli couldn't help but note the distinct lack of emotion. She wasn't sad or horrified at the debris. She wasn't excited or seem eager to help. She merely observed. All too odd.

Oli smiled. "Excellent." He gestured for her to come. He stepped around the debris and offered his hand the help her step near. A darkly robed arm reached out and clasped hold with a thin hand clad in a dark leather glove that reached up her arm beneath the robe. Oli thought her grip felt rather bony.

He helped her near to gnome where she crouched. Her hands extended, fingers lightly touching the battered little body. Soft dry moans came from the cloaked woman. Oli thought at first she sounded as if she were studying the gnome, probing him to discern his injuries, but after a time a faint spark of emotion began to weave its way into her voice. Her soft moans morphed from those of inquiry and study to a strange mixture of pleasure and pain.

Oli stepped backward, unnerved and uneasy clearly not knowing what to make of the spectacle. The moment the lumberjack was about to speak up the woman ceased and stood straight. Her arms disappearing beneath her cloak. She hunched and suddenly looked quite worn.

"It is done." Her voice again dry and void of emotion.

"He will live?" Oli asked. His face reddened like that of a boy at the thought of asking what that moaning was all about. He decided not to ask.

"He will. The light has stopped his bleeding for now, but he can not stay here. We have to move him." Oli detected a hint of hesitation.

"...but what?" He asked. Apparently ignoring him she turned to the towering creature who simply stood where he had been. "[This little one. A strange shadow seeds within him. I need him taken back to my laboratory.]" She glanced back at the gnome. "[Carefully. I need him in once piece and alive.]"

Oli looked between the two, confused. He considered the hooded woman. "I... I don't understand any of..." He scratched his head in frustration. "Look. Have you seen a dog with short stubby legs?"

The hooded woman glanced at the tall creature and gestured with her head. She stepped near the lumberjack while working the the leather glove off her hand one finger at a time. "Oh, well mister..."

"Oli. Oli Reinhard."

"Oli. You see, Oli, there was a problem with that dog."

At the woman's gesture the towering creature took two large steps to the side. Oli followed its movement. His eyes widened at the horror that simple side step revealed in the brush behind.

The twisted remains of a dog. Its abdomen had been opened and the innards in a gory pile nearby. The animal's mouth frothed with a white foam. Its cold twisted eyes painfully stared up into Oli's.

Rage. Horror. Fear. Pain. Greif. Disbelief. All of these emotions, so raw and chaotic, exploded. Tears flooded his vision and on instinct his body lurched forward, arms reaching for his companion. His buddy. His friend.

His son...

A cold bony hand slapped against the Oli's chest. An unusually strong arm held him back a moment, though Oli didn't notice. He couldn't notice, so overwhelmed with emotions.

"You see, it was the problem." Fire raged in Oli's eyes. His head snapped to the side and he glared incredulously at the dark hood of the woman. His eyes asked the question he could not utter through his uncontrollable sobs. "He would have given us away, and then how could we have gotten so close?"

Oli suddenly, painfully, became aware of the cold bony hand that pressed against his chest as clawed fingers dug into his flesh. He cried out and on instinct struck at the owner of the hand at his chest. His fist struck home and the woman's head snapped back. The hood fell back to reveal the head of a mummified corpse beneath.

The woman's dead eyes stared back at Oli, cold and dead. The flesh of her face dried and withered, pulled tight around her lips into an eternal maddening grin. The lumberjack knew then. This was no woman. This was an abomination! Anger and hatred flared as he reached out and grabbed hold of her scrawny shriveled neck with his thick vice-like hands. He made to squeeze what little life she had left from her.

His eyes watered, then they burned. He refused to let go of her. His chest also burned, the muscles tightening. Everything tensed beyond his control from his neck to his toes. Still he refused to let go. Something tugged at him from within. Her bony fingers dug into his flesh, yet it felt as if they were wrapping around his very heart. A searing pain wracked his body. Unable to bare it any longer he released her neck and collapsed to his knees.

She stared down at the large man with those dead eyes and that crazed grin. Her other hand pressed his head back, exposing his neck. Her mouth opened. A hideously dry sound came from within as she slowly drew in a long deep breath.

He could feel it then. Almost see it too. A dark energy emitter from her, almost like an aura. It pulled at Oli, but not at his body. It pulled at something deeper within. Searing pain radiated throughout his body, clenching every muscle. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream.

Helplessly Oli Reinhard knelt at this corpse's feet. He could do nothing but allow this dark creature to do her work.

He understood now what she was doing. She was consuming his life.

((That poor expendable.. Someone save that hunter! I love reading your stories Cail, they're all well written and you make such good pictures))

(( I know, right! Someone help Oli! D:
The more I wrote him the more I liked him. I had a little tear in my eye about his dog and I almost can't bring myself to kill him off. Who knows, maybe a certain exiled (alleged) war-criminal will come along and put an end to this madness. >.> Stay tuned to find out! ))

((Thank you for reading! Comments are always welcomed in my tales. :) ))

...
...
..._Reboot: Initiate
S.I.M.S:operationSoftware:Online
ACS:Online;ContainmentStatus:Intact
ANN:Online;rAN-Net:disconnected[antennaDamage]
DncMtrFnct:Online
SystemsCheck_Run...

Cradled in a nook high within the boughs of a tree, a tiny metallic creature lay motionless. Its tiny arms and legs each in turn began slowly bending and flexing. Little claws spread wide then relaxed. The small torso moved, its long thick metallic tail lifted and as one the body swiveled to its belly.

SystemsCheck[Complete]
Diagnostics
[Running...]
...

The creature sat up on its two hind legs. The tail swiveled more until it was able to balance once more.

SensoryArray_Reboot
...

The tiny head vaguely reminiscent of a small squirrel at first dangled limp to one side. Its mechanical bulb eyes illuminated. The neck actuators engaged lifting the head almost square on its shoulders. The head itself sustained minor damages. Part of the skull was cracked open and an ear was missing. Its left eye sat loose in its socket. As its head moved the tiny motors that drove the system skipped giving its movements a jerky motion. Almost as if the little metal creature were having a seizure.

Audio.Damaged[Offline]
Vision.Damaged[Online]:Left-Iris[Nonfunctional]:Right-Iris[Functional]
DataSystems[Online]
...

The small metal animal turned and sat gripping the wooden branch. From its sky perch two tiny mechanical eyes searched the debris field below. As its head slowly turned the left eye bulb slid out of its socket and dangled by a long wire.

Left-Iris_Nonfunctional
Disengage
...

With a single good mechanical eye it watched as two figures approached from the distance. Its optical sensors were damaged in the crash, however its image capturing capabilities were still online. As the large human, male, approached the site two tiny mechanical eyes snapped still images.

One clear full body image. One clear face image. The creature's head swiveled in a jerky motion to find the canine. One clear image was captured of it.

SurveillanceNetworks:InternalArray_Reboot
...
Online

After a long moment, two more figures were detected approaching from the south.

[Scanning...]

Troll.Male.IdentityUnknown
[ImageCaptured]
File:OpenNew:RegisterImages
Human.Female.IdentityUnknown
[ImageCaptured]
File:OpenNew:RegisterImages

The small mechanical squirrel sat quietly high in the tree observing all the transpired below.

The Troll.Male and Human.Female approached the Canine. Before the Canine could sound an alert the Troll.Male dispatched the animal in a silent manner. The pair proceeded to approach the Human.Male. Conversation was exchanged between the Human.Male and the Human.Female.

Human.Female attacked Human.Male.

WeaponSystems[Offline]
WeaponSystems_Reboot...
WeaponSystems[Offline]:Diagnose
WeaponSystems_Damaged
DefensiveMeasures[Offline]:Reboot:Damaged
Self.Preservation[Engaged]
Loiter...

Human.Female releases Human.Male, bends to figure laying in debris field.

[Scanning...]

Gnome.Male.Identifying...
CailLiamMahlrD.MD
Image.Capture:Analyzing...
Alive.CriticalCondition
[EMERGENCY]
EPSB_Activating...
ExternalSystemsAnalysis:Damaged
ACS.DataCataloging...
ACS.DataEncrypting...
ACS.RetreivalSystems[Online]
ACS.Eject

The small mechanical squirrel lifted its head to the sky. Metal plates around the small damaged body articulated and the skeletal structure of the machine's chassis rearranged itself. Its head slid back and the metal neck opened to expose a small blue glowing source of energy.

Tiny metal prongs and wires disconnected from the glowing exterior shell and like a bullet leaving a rifle the small blue glowing shard is almost silently propelled into the sky. The sun in the afternoon sky obscured the tell-tale blue glow and subsequent energy trail that faded behind its flight path. The shard traveled straight up to a high altitude then immediately angled south.

Perched high on a branch within the boughs of a tree overlooking the debris field, a small metallic corpse sat gripping the wooden branch. Its life source now gone, all that remained was a husk.

...and the tiny emergency beacon in the tip of its nose. A faint red light that blinked periodically.

The corpse stood straight. The flesh of her face, while still pale from death, visibly became more supple. Where once her dead eyes bulged within their sunken sockets, the flesh rejuvenated and she could blink once more.

The thin lips pulled dry and tight across stained bone teeth and jaw slowly relaxed. Muscle once lost filled in the gaunt areas of her face. While she still appeared very much dead, she looked less so. Her face began to return. She worked her jaw discovering she could frown and smile once again, not to say she had much use for either before.

Frail and thin the corpse began to noticeably fill out beneath the dark robes and once again the corpse began to look like a "she" again. Bony hands, made a little less bony, combed over her scalp. Her hair remained much the same in color and length.

She turned with a delightful grin to the tall troll nearby. "[You were right. A certain twist to the spell formula and my body is renewed.]" She glanced over her hands.

"[I can feel the man's essence rejuvenating necrotic flesh.]" She clenched her fists. A pain tingled through her arms. She glanced at the troll with confusion.

"[De process be complete. Da mojo you stole from da man only renew da flesh so far, an' for only so long.]"

She opened her hands and turned them every which way. Quickly the sensation began to fade. "[I'm losing it. Does it really fade so quickly?]"

The troll nodded. The wolf skull cap smiled down at the undead priest. "[You juju be strong. Dis voodoo be yours. A gift for ya help returning des.]" He gestured down to an open damaged crate. Inside sat a few troll artifacts nestled on a bed of straw.

"[Day be sacred items. Understand da mystery of dis voodoo you have an' unlock more secrets, but only if you juju remain strong.]"

The corpse, now looking more woman than corpse, bowed in a rather traditional form. "[It was a pleasure Alakkal. Please send the hag my regards when next you visit, and know if you ever need assistance I will be here.]"

Nodding his gratitude the troll bent to the crate, tucking it under an arm. With long lumbering strides the troll Alakkal disappeared into the forest. Glancing at her hands once more she realized that this was only the first step. It wouldn't ever return her to life, she knew, but that was never her goal. She only wanted to discover a method to preserve her body, and this... voodoo ...was doing just that.

Dead eyes swiveled down to the small form nearby. The old gnome that lay battered and broken amidst the debris. She had sensed it. A thing of shadow guarded his heart, refusing to let it die. It had saved his life despite the extreme abuse.

Was this something he is doing?
Is he conscious of it?
What sort of shadow magic is this?

I must know more.

Bending down to the gnome she pressed her open palms to his chest and head. A flow of light magic tingled as she further stabilized the small creature. Once she was satisfied the old gnome wouldn't die in transport, she carefully hefted the small body into her arms. She thought for a moment that it felt like carrying a sleepy child. Memories of what once was drifted in her mind as she cast a small spell calling her steed.

The hours of the day wore on while she simply stood there, gnome in arms. Finally the partially decayed skeletal remains of a horse trotted out of the brush. She draped the little gnome over the saddle and mounted it herself, urging the undead beast into an easy cantor.

Reaching the main road she pulled the reins east as dusk fell. With any luck she'll be in the eastern forests of Lordaeron by morning. She had need of a new site to conduct her experiments, her previous location spoiled by the blood elf, Yuuko. She knew where it was, and since she couldn't be trusted her labs were no longer safe. Just as well though. She had her sights set on a new location for a while now.

She only needed to make it to the desolation of Tyr's Hand.

((Oli's last name is oddly close to Tyvian's.))

((Tyvian! Welcome back! :)
There was a reason that name sounded so familiar. :P In all honesty though it was pulled straight from a random name gen. Funny.))

((http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/13243434334?page=1#12

A little hint of things to come? :D ))