World of Warcraft®

Getting back to her feet, Celesa looked for her assailant and saw Faruzia standing next to her voidwalker and imp on her shoulder.

Wiping the blood from her mouth she smiled. “Shadow seems to have an effect on me. That explains why I couldn’t sense that thing coming.” She said getting back to her feet.

“So you are the daughter of the lost demon hunters who helped in the experiment? You’ve spent a long time looking that demon haven’t you?”

“My parents, they were lost in the warp, but did not die. They both live and are with me now in the form of my guardians. I will find a way to free them one day and then we will destroy the demon that caused their torment. If that means helping destroy you first, so be it. Your tricks will not fool me; I can see your true form.” Faruzia said

Celesa laughed at that. “Well, I have to hand it to you; you can see part of me, but not all of it. You got in a lucky shot for which I should reward you. You are looking for that demon that took your parents, well; I think I can help with that.” She said as a dark aura formed around her.

The shadow that surrounded Celesa began to become more visible as the aura grew around the small form of Celesa. The form that had protected Celesa was now fully clear and towered over even the voidwalker. The childlike image of Celesa was now nearly invisible as the current form was. As Faruzia looked at this new form it finally dawned on her that she had seen this before, but only as a child. It was then she realized what was before her, the banished demon that took her parents. A dreadlord.

Celesa’s voice now boomed to match her size. “Yes, look hard at me now. Your parents did not fail in their banishment of this demon. Their only failure was where it was sent. I fought long and hard to prevent this thing from taking me and I won. My body however, could not handle the power left behind and with the only escape available; I took control of the dead demon taking its power. That came at a cost though, my body did die, but so long as I remained part of the demon it stayed preserved. I could not fully contain the demons power while in my body and some of that power showed itself as an invisible form which I could control. As the last surviving member of those hunters, I should thank you the only way I know how.”

Extending one hand, a ball of energy had formed and within the ball a small spark of fire formed. Faruzia started to back away as she recognized the spell that killed the two elves. As the ball of ice formed in the attack, it circled the fire. The spell was then fused with an aura of shadow and grew large in her hand before launching it at Faruzia.

In a panic Pipyap, Faruzias imp leapt off of her shoulder. “Yeah, not stickin’ around for this, see ya!” he said in a puff of smoke. Faruzia stood in place frozen in fear as the spell came towards her. The size of the spell prevented her any chance of escape and she could only watch as it came closer to her.

Just as the attack was about to hit her, Zangkresh her voidwalker moved to intercept the attack and took the blast head on. Fighting as much as he could, the spell had been stopped, but the effects could be seen on the voidwalker. Though the spell was stopped, the strength of it damaged him so much he could barely keep his form as he faded in and out of existence.

Celesa stood surprised. “Well that was unexpected. So shadow can stop one of these attacks. I’ll have to make a note of that for the future. Well, I suppose I’ll have to up the ante.” She said charging the spell again, one in each hand.

Seeing this the voidwalker clenched its fists adding power to his form. Turning, he looked at Faruzia and tried to speak.

“S-s-sac-ri-fice…” It tried to say.

Faruzia looking at Zengkresh couldn’t believe what she heard. “No, I-I can’t do that, not to you.”

The voidwalkers face twisted into a sterner face and his voice was angrier. “Sac-rri-Fice!” he said again as Celesa launched both spells. Again, the voidwalker attempted to take the attack. As he struggled to hold them, Faruzia could see behind the first two, a third spell was coming.

Struggling to hold his form Zengkresh turned to Faruzia again. “Sacrifice!” He screamed at her.

With tears in her eyes she looked at Zengkresh “Please father don’t ask this of me.”

Somehow he managed a smile through his fading strength. “I-I will a-always be here t-to protect.” He said as the spells began to overpower him.

Through her tears she reached out to her father and touched his face. “Please forgive me.” She said placing her other hand on Zengkresh. Focusing her power she cried out.

“ZENGKRESH! SACRIFICE!” She yelled as the spell caused Zengkresh to be reduced to a cloud of fel smoke which surrounded her as a shield. At the same time, the three spells he had held back stuck Faruzia. Though protected by the shield, the force of the spells threw her into the woods slamming her into a tree.

Unable to see her opponent, Celesa turned her attention to the remnants of the group. “Five down, three to go. I do hope you prove to be more fun than the others.” She said.

Wulfgrin slung his rifle over his back and pulled out his fist weapons. Turning to Kera, who was still tending to Rose, he placed a hand on her. “You had best leave her, we cannot fight her alone.”

Giving a sharp whistle, his wolves came to his side. Kera shielded herself in ice and called forth an elemental of water. Taking a last look back both moved forward leaving Rose behind.

(((())))

Standing in a field, a young Rose looked on with a puzzled expression on her face. The warm hand of her father tapped her on her shoulder
.
“Have you learned yet what you are?” Marico said

With unsure eyes, Rose looked at her father “I-I don’t understand, what am I?”

Smiling, Marico looked on “Why my dear, you are fire and fire consumes everything it touches. It is always hungry and is never satisfied.”

“But if it is always hungry, what does it eat?” Rose asked

“Rage, rage is what feeds it.” He replied quietly.

(( Can't believe it's been almost seven months since I last posted anything. I'm such a slacker...))

Drip…Drip…

“Rage? How can a fire know what rage is? A flame is just a thing, it cannot know hunger or have feelings, those are things we as people feel.” Little Rose said.

Marico sat silent for a moment, his eyes focused on the campfire he had built.

“This is true, fire itself cannot have these things, but we still respect it as though it were alive. If we fail to respect the flame it can hurt us or others. You have the ability to control fire, but without training and proper understanding of what you can do, you are just as wild as a nonliving, unfeeling flame. A flame only knows destruction and yearns to spread and consume everything it touches.”

“But I would never harm anyone.” Rose said defensively.

“No, I don’t think you would, but your emotions would fuel your powers and what you want and what actually happens will differ. Kera has told me about how your training came to an abrupt end the other day. Something about you setting her hair on fire?” Marico said with a slight smirk.

Roses face blushed at that. “It was only a little. She had to cut her hair short to make it look right again. If she hadn’t pushed me so hard I wouldn’t have been so mad.”

Drip…Drip…

“Ah, but there it is. You got mad and lost control of your abilities for a moment. Even if it was a small accident, you still caused harm. You are like this campfire here. We keep a ring of stone around it to prevent the flames from escaping to spread. Your emotions act the same as these stones, as long as the circle is intact, the flames can do no harm save for what we allow it to.”

Marico took a stick and removed several stones. “Taking a few stones away may seem as though nothing has changed and for a time that thought would be correct. However, given enough time…” He paused as the campfire shifted causing a log to roll outside of the fire ring. The flaming log rolled until it came to a small pile of leaves setting them on fire which slowly began to spread until Marico put the fire out.

Replacing the stones, he sat back down. “Had we not been here, this whole forest could have burnt down. A small flame can destroy everything it touches all because of a few misplaced stones.”

Drip…Drip…

“It’s so hard though. The way Kera teaches is so frustrating and hard it makes me mad. Why can’t you teach me?” Rose said kicking the ground softly.

“You know why. I’ve been so busy with the project I barely have time to visit home anymore. I also do not have the skills to train you and Kera has her academy training which she can use to help you. You have to become stronger than these stones, Kera may be strict, but it is to make you stronger and safer.”

Rose sat silent for a moment staring at the ground. “You said rage is what fuels the fire within me, what is rage?”

Marico paused before speaking. “Rage is an emotional point in one’s mind where anger is surpassed and all you feel is pure hate for whatever caused it to rise. Imagine stubbing your toe, all thoughts of reason has left your mind and all you focus on the sudden pain and nothing else. For a regular person this is normal. For someone like you it can be dangerous. All of your training and lessons of calm can be forgotten in an instant and like the missing stones in the fire ring, all of your power over flame escapes. Set free to be as destructive as it can.”

Drip…Drip…

“I don’t think I could ever be that angry no matter what Kera does.” Rose said

“Again I don’t think so either, but we must prepare for that moment. I will do what I can when I’m around and Kera will focus on honing your skills. In time, even stubbing your toe won’t bother you.” Marico said standing. Helping little Rose up, he turned to walk away.

“Now come, I feel a storm is coming and we do not want to get wet do we?”

Rose stopped and looked towards the sky noting there were no clouds anywhere.

“But, I don’t see any-“She said as two drops hit her face. Whipping them away as she looked at her hands seeing the drops were not drops of rain, but blood.

Unsure of what she was seeing, Rose looked up. “D-Daddy?” She said looking towards her father who was now far away walking into their home. Before she could move, the house exploded into flames. The heat and brightness where so intense it caused Rose to cover her eyes. Another explosion shook the ground knocking her down. All sound around her faded save for a phrase that started silent but was growing in strength.

“Rose, wake up! Rose, wake up! ROSE, WAKE UP!”

((((()))))

Opening her eyes quickly, the first thing she noticed was her vision was clouded and dark red. Whipping her eyes clear, Rose saw that her face was covered in blood and that she was nose to nose with Wulfgrins wolf Dawnshadow. The life in his eyes were long gone, but somehow he still stood.

Above the wolf, Rose could see a large shape coming down fast on top of the wolf. The impact of the blow caused Dawnshadows body to shake violently and again he still stood. It wasn’t until the second blow that Rose realized it was Celesa who was trying to stomp on Rose and Dawnshadow was protecting her from the blows.

Escaping from the blows, Rose finally stood and looked around the battlefield. She could not find many of her companions save for Wulfgrin who lay unconscious with both Meatbag and Darkpaw standing over him snarling.

Taking her focus from the wolves, Rose finally saw Celesa before her. She was no longer the small child they first saw when they came onto the field. Now she was in a massive demon form and in her hands was a struggling Kera.

“It is so good of you to finally wake up and join us.” Celesa said as she stopped attacking Dawnshadow.

“I was beginning to fear all of your friends would be dead before you could even see them suffer. I’ve saved the best for last though. The one whom I trusted to be by my side, who would be more understanding than anyone in what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, yet she would deny me.”

Holding Kera high in the air, Celesa held her tightly with one huge hand keeping Keras hands pinned in front of her.

“What should I do with her? She and the Dwarf put up a good fight, but fell as the others did. I could squeeze the life out of her; I could snap her neck like a twig. What would be fitting for our fair sister?”

Rose stood shaking before them. Deep inside she could feel something growing. It was warm, powerful, it felt wrong.

“Please, just let her go. I can’t do this anymore. I have only just found you both and this; this can’t be how we are can it? Everything is so backwards; I don’t know what to do.”

Before Celesa could respond, Kera spoke first, though each word caused her pain. “R-rose, with your mind as it is, you are innocent in this—“

Celesa squeezed harder at that. “Innocent? After all she has done, you call Her, innocent?”

As Celesa rambled on, Kera struggled to gain voice over her. “Rose! Listen to me. You Are innocent in this, but you must fight. She will kill us all and go on to harm others. You have to fight, you have to stop her. Let go of your feelings and FOCUS!”

Looking between her sisters, Rose backed slowly away. “I-I can’t. Please, let her go!” She pleaded again.

The look in Keras eyes were that of defeat. “Then I have no choice but to make you…”

After she spoke, what happened next was so fast even Celesa did not see it, but only felt it. In a rapidly flashing light that shined through Celesas hand that held Kera; half a dozen shards of ice broke through her hand slamming in several places in Celesas large demon body. Kera had launched the spells through her own body to attack the undefended Celesa.

Rearing back in pain, Celesa let go of Kera as she staggered back from the force of the attack. Kera fell to the ground lifeless before Rose. Rose stood trembling at the sight.

Like a match taking life for the first time since its creation, Rose ignited in a bright pillar of flame. Screaming from the intense pain, the flame grew in power and brightness. Bleeding heavily from the ice shards she had removed, Celesa shielded her eyes from the flame backing slowly from them. The emotions that poured from Rose were like nothing she had ever felt before, even stronger than the night of the fire that started this all.

The screams slowly stopped as the flames began to die away. When they had all but vanished, there stood Rose. Calm, collected and her whole posture seemed different. It was as though someone else was now standing there.

Rose looked at her hands and stood staring at them as she opened and closed them. It was as though she was looking at an old friend whom she had not seen in a long time. A smile slowly spread across her lips as she looked up at Celesa.

“Finally, the priests’ wall is broken and now I can have some fun.” She said vanishing into nothing only to reappear in front of Celesa.

Looking up at the massive form, Rose smiled again. “I hope you know what you are doing. Once I’m done with you…” She started to say as flames began to pour from her eyes.

“…I’m going to set the world on fire.”