//------------------------------// // The Gods of Zul'Aman, Part 1 // Story: Seekers of the Epitaph: World of Azeroth // by Xarmar13 //------------------------------// Raida was in complete disbelief after seeing what she saw. Thanatas had actually convinced someone like Maiev, a warden who never compromised when it came to her pursuit of justice, to a trial agreement to see if the Illidari could behave themselves among citizens of the Alliance and the Horde. On the surface it was a bet to see whether a future event was to occur, but it appeared that their gambit of being passive toward the wardens had paid off and had given Thanatas room to negotiate a probationary period for them. While the warden and death knight were going through the details of the arrangement, she turned to the Illidari who were no less dumbstruck by what they heard. She brought them back to attention, “Alright everyone, it looks like we are being given a chance to prove our usefulness to the Alliance and Horde. Me and our kal’dorei hunters will be confined to Stormwind for a while and I need someone to represent the sin’dorei Illidari to the Horde. Allari, I leave you in charge of them.” “What?!” Kayn protested. “Why choose her when I am higher rank than her?” “Because you are too zealous for your own good. You are a cunning strategist and one of Lord Illidan’s most loyal demon hunters. The problem is that you blind yourself in that loyalty that you can’t see that he is just like the rest of us. Why do you think that I was chosen as his second in command? I questioned his decisions when needed while others simply followed, believing in the end without considering the means. When he attacked Icecrown with the Eye of Sargeras, he didn’t consider the collateral damage this would cause. “You may think that my questioning him is an act of disloyalty, but someone had to rein him in when he was making a drastic decision. I followed him because I believed in the cause. After our disastrous mission to attack Icecrown I saw the man for who he was. We may have been utterly defeated, but he never gave up the fight against our true enemy. That determination in the face of impossible odds is why I am loyal to him. He fought and defeated the Lord of the Nathrezim by himself. He inspired me but I never lost sight of his flaws. Now then, Kayn Sunfury, are you willing to act as tactical advisor to Allari who shall be acting as the Illidari representative to the Horde?” Kayn was stunned to hear all that from the one Illidan trusted the most. Then again, she did raise some good points. He had wanted a figure to put on a pedestal to give him the hope that they would ultimately succeed in destroying the Legion. Though perhaps it wasn’t an idol that he needed but the will to bring about Illidan’s vision. It didn’t matter that he was flawed, it was the vision that every Illidari strived for. He bowed his head to Raida, “I shall accept the position and assist Allari to the best of my ability.” Raida then turned to Allari, “Allari, will you represent the Illidari to the Horde?” Allari nodded, “I shall.” Raida smiled, “Good, now I would like to elect someone among the kal’dorei to represent the Illidari to the Alliance.” The night elf demon hunters looked at each other in confusion before Kor’vas voiced her confusion. “Why do you not wish to represent us to the Alliance, Lady Raida?” “Because I am going to be at the forefront of the major events coming to Azeroth and I won’t have time to handle the politics nor would I ever want to deal with anything political. Me and my friends are going to be facing the coming threats. Since you are the one who spoke first, I leave you in charge of representing us, Kor’vas. Jace can be your advisor.” Kor’vas and Jace were flabbergasted by their leader’s quick decision but decided to just go with it since nobody else appeared to want the position. “Alright, let’s get to Shattrath and get ready to go our separate ways for now,” Raida ordered. Later, the Sha’tari forces spotted the Illidari demon hunters approaching Shattrath either by air or riding cats with bone white armor. The defenders prepared for a fierce battle and gathered outside the city. However, as if reenacting the Scryers, the Illidari dropped their warglaives and kneeled to the Sha’tari. Maiev and her group of wardens moved in front of them and decreed that they were to be brought into the city where portals could be arranged for them to be sent to Stormwind and Silvermoon. The defenders decided to trust the warden and allowed them into the city where the Sha’tari called for several Scryers magisters to open portals to the two cities. Raida found Flutashe and the others in the central chamber hoping for the return of their lost party member. Flutashe was overjoyed to see Raida and rushed over to give her a big hug while the other demon hunters were being escorted through portals. Raida explained to the others about what happened and that she would be confined to Stormwind until Thanatas’ prediction came true. In the meantime, she and her fellow Illidari were going to work on improving their relations with the Horde and Alliance. With their adventures in Outland coming to a close, the time had come for Lokosh’s group and Flutashe’s group to go their separate ways once again. Maiev had to entrust the blood elf demon hunters to Thanatas since the wardens were unwelcome in the Horde cities. The death knight would have to negotiate with Warchief Thrall. Back in Orgrimmar, negotiations went smoothly between the death knight and the warchief, especially when she pointed out that there was a demon hunter among the “mysterious defenders from the future” during the Battle of Mount Hyjal who was in disguise as a rogue. This left Thrall to realize that the rogue’s movements were a bit unusual for one of her profession. It showed him that the demon hunters had the potential to work alongside the Horde. There were dissenting opinions though. While Vol’jin and Cairne were uncertain due to their lack of experience with demon hunters and Sylvanas and Lor’themar had a better opinion since they were still their own kin, the main dissenter was Garrosh Hellscream who brought his Mag’har orcs into the Horde after some negotiations. Garrosh had a strong hatred toward the Legion and the fel that empowered them. Since that same power coursed through the Illidari, he viewed them with strong contempt. Thrall wanted to respect everyone’s opinion so he decided that a compromise was in order for the time being. Since Sylvanas and Lor’themar had a better opinion of them, he decided that they would stay on the eastern continent for the time being. Lor’themar allowed the demon hunters to return to Silvermoon, not only because they were his people, but he also believed that it was a sign that their true ruler, Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider, would soon return as well. The Illidari decided to let Allari give Lor’themar the bad news about the prince’s treachery…when they got back to Silvermoon, anyway. Back in Stormwind, Raida and the night elf Illidari were given fearful and uncertain looks as they were escorted to the castle where Sophia arranged for an audience with King Varian Wrynn. Maiev and her wardens led them through the streets while keeping a close eye on the demon hunters to make sure that none of them wandered off. Flutashe, Bella, Mena and Stella were among the procession which left the citizens as curious as they were nervous. They soon arrived at the keep and proceeded down the hallway into the throne room where Varian sat on his throne waiting for them with Bolvar standing next to him and Anduin on a smaller throne. Sophia stood near the doorway to the castle courtyard. The demon hunters knelt down before Varian and waited for him to address them. Once Varian addressed them, he requested to know why the Illidari were here. Maiev informed him that the Illidari were to be confined to Stormwind while under close guard. Varian raised an eyebrow, “I have heard about the demon hunters from Tyrande and how they have infused their bodies with the power of the Legion. Do you believe that they can be useful to the Alliance?” “I cannot say for certain,” Maiev began. “I have heard that the blood elves and forsaken are allowing the blood elf demon hunters to reside in Silvermoon once more. With their master dead, I had expected them to attack in vengeance. What I didn’t expect was that they showed no signs of resistance in the face of this. That strange blue creature…” She pointed at Sophia. “...and her death knight companion suggested a probationary period to determine if they can keep their demonic natures in check and live among the population under close guard.” Varian hummed while looking at Sophia. “It would appear that they trust that they can be on their best behavior so I can assign two guards to each demon hunter at all times to monitor them.” “I will make sure that any potential corrupt guards don’t try anything foolish to make sure that each demon hunter gets a fair deal,” Sophia offered. Varian nodded, “If you can then please do. I will have Shaw assist you in monitoring them. But tell me, why would the Illidari want to join the Alliance?” Raida answered that, “Your Majesty, we demon hunters have always been hunting down the demons of the Burning Legion. We also know that should they launch a full scale attack on our world that we would certainly fall. We offer our skills and our expertise in demons and the fel in service to the Alliance in preparation for that.” “You do know how most feel about that power,” Varian countered. “It corrupts everything it touches and drives the purest of souls into service with the Legion.” Raida humbly nodded in agreement, “Yes, which is why we need to treat it with respect and caution. It is power that can make many drunk on it if treated recklessly. We Illidari have learned how to wield enough of it to use in combat but the process is very risky at this point in time.” “You believe that you can master that power given time?” “I can’t say for certain but we can refine our rituals and work to reduce the risk,” Jace offered. “We don’t force anyone into the life of a demon hunter, we all volunteered because we wanted the power to defend our homes,” Raida added. The court was silent for a minute while Varian contemplated his next words. “To defend your homes is admirable, but turning to such dangerous power is an act of desperation that cannot be condoned within the Alliance. However, even though such vile power courses within you, you still hold the desire to protect the home that you love, even at the cost of alienating yourself from everyone else to face a seemingly endless enemy. Even if you were to succeed in destroying the Legion, what would come next? Where would your purpose lie once you have fulfilled the goal that you have forever scarred yourselves over?” Another pause. Raida soon spoke her answer with conviction, “Your Majesty, our duty has always been the protection of Azeroth. Even once our initial purpose is fulfilled our duty shall not end there. It doesn’t matter if our enemy is a demon, an undead, a dragon, or even a rogue titan watcher, we will still defend this world with everything we have.” Yet another pause which was broken by Varian’s hearty laughter which threw everyone else off balance. He soon regained himself and smiled, “Good answer! We may yet have gained a powerful ally from this campaign. Now, report to the barracks and they will assign you guards to watch over you. Do your best to get along with the citizens.” Once the meeting was over, the demon hunters were led to the guard barracks where the guards were assigned to them. Sophia and Mathias Shaw kept the situation monitored at all times. Days turned to weeks and into months. Nothing of note had happened in Azeroth, though there had been some reports of naga enslaving the local murloc population at the Isle of Quel’danas where the ruins of the non-functional Sunwell was housed. However, that was not a concern at this time. It was late summer when something happened that caused a stir. Flyers were distributed throughout the Alliance and Horde cities asking for adventurers to explore an ancient troll city near Quel’thalas. The sender received a few responses from adventurers from the Alliance and Horde. Lokosh’s group ignored the flyers since they felt that they had better things to do. However, Thanatas wrangled the group back together and told them that they were going on a field trip to Quel’thalas. They could only sigh in resignation since they had no choice but to go along with her whims. Back in Stormwind, Flutashe had a familiar nightmare, one similar to the one she had experienced before she and her friends faced the Blood Loa, Hakkar. The only difference was that this cry for help came from an eagle, a bear, a dragonhawk and a lynx. This time the visions drew her toward the elven kingdom of Quel’thalas. There wasn’t much knowledge about what went on there. There was a team of night elves who attempted to scry on the blood elves to investigate their connections to the Horde but they were wiped out and the information was lost. With no other means of obtaining information, she went to Sophia in hopes that she or her cousin would have any idea about her visions. “Cries for help from Loa in Quel’thalas?” Sophia pondered. “Well, Thanatas did say she was taking the Horde party on a field trip there. Apparently it’s near the capital city of the forest trolls who aided the Horde during the Second War. The place is called Zul’Aman and it’s home to the Amani Tribe who have a few loa living there. If you are concerned about the Loa there, I can rally your friends so you can explore the place.” Flutashe thought about it for a moment but shook her head. “Raida is still confined to Stormwind, Bella is still trying to catch up on her commissions, Mena is at the cathedral trying to balance her light and void and Stella is at Dalaran working with the Kirin Tor on finalizing their mobile city project, whatever that is. I don’t want to bother them when they’re so busy.” Sophia gave a sympathetic smile to the druid, “I’m sure that it won’t be a bother for them, but if you insist I can convince Thanatas to bring you along on her field trip since they were heading there anyway.” Flutashe gave a small smile, “Yes, thank you.” “If this is what you want, I won’t stop you. Talia should be able to summon you to her position as long as you know how to heed the compulsion. Unfortunately, without Stella you will have to get back on your own power. Are you certain?” Flutashe nodded. With that, Sophia telepathically informed Thanatas of the druid’s desire to join their expedition. Talia moaned in annoyance before casting the Ritual of Summoning spell to bring Flutashe to them. Being pulled through the Nether to another location was a different feeling from using Stella’s portals. She felt like she was being stretched thin and pulled along a stream. It wasn’t painful but it was unpleasant. Upon returning to reality, Flutashe collapsed on the ground and breathed heavily. She shuddered as she struggled to regain her wits. “I take it that Sophia didn’t warn you that being pulled through the Twisting Nether can be unsettling?” Thanatas asked. “Hey, don’t blame that one on me! I have no idea what it’s like to be summoned by a warlock and you didn’t say anything about it,” Sophia protested. Thanatas giggled at her cousin’s flustered state until she could sense her pouting. Once she had recovered, Flutashe looked around. She had heard tales of Quel’thalas but this was the opposite of what she expected. Instead of white bark trees in golden autumn she saw the trees appear a sickly pale color and barren. There were eerie glowing mushrooms and dark green grass. Even though it was daytime when she was summoned, the sky appeared to be in a state of twilight. “This is the Ghostlands,” Thanatas introduced. “When Arthas and the Scourge invaded Quel’thalas this place was hit the hardest. The dead still roam the land and the blighted scar that trails from here to the Sunwell will forever serve as a reminder of what the blood elves lost. When you’re done checking the landscape, meet us at the other end of the pass.” Flutashe followed after Thanatas and her group through a pass that appeared to be walled by troll architecture and hills. As she moved through the pass, she saw more lively trees though they appeared to be oak trees instead of the trees that the elves and Scourge had magically altered. It was as if she was crossing the border into a different region as the grass and trees became livelier. They soon found the camp around some troll structures with a number of orc peons wandering around. They also spotted a group of humans and a female orc off to the side. Figuring that they were the ones putting out the fliers, they headed over to talk to them. One of them was a sharply dressed man wearing a white shirt, wine colored vest, lavender pants and brown boots. He was the first to speak. “So, you’re here about the fliers right? Great! I just lost my latest partners to those savages in the city beyond the wall. Tragic, but treasure hunting is not without its risks. I’m sure you’ve heard of me, Budd Redneck, Adventurer Extraordinaire! And you are on the ground floor to one of the most amazing discoveries ever.” Budd spoke in a flamboyant tone but he was also talking fast and left no room for others to reply. Flutashe suspected that the man was a swindler but kept quiet about it for the time being. He continued, “First thing I need you people to do is go in there and get me my treasure map. While you’re at it, you can help by filling in the empty spots and taking out some flimsy old troll named Malacrass. Would you do that for me? Okay, thanks.” He then walked away without waiting for a reply. “Let’s just head inside and discuss this where he can’t hear us,” Thanatas said. Without another word, the group headed up the steps and into the entrance of the walled troll city. Once they were out of earshot, Thanatas spoke up. “We’re not getting his map for him, all he wants to do is loot this place for all the treasure it's worth and take all the credit for himself. The fool is just begging to have karma bite him in the ass.” “What are we even doing here in the first place?” Lokosh asked. “I’m glad you asked. Since you guys don’t have much to do until the next incident, it’s best to keep you five in top shape. However, I believe that Flutashe has her own reasons for being here.” “Ya know, I’ve been wonderin’ dat myself,” Farra’jin said. With the others staring at her, Flutashe felt a bit of anxiety but quickly swallowed it. “I’m here because the Loa of Zul’Aman are hurting. They told me that their essences have been stripped from them and infused into their fiercest fighters. The essences are possessed by their strongest members. We need to free those essences and set the Loa free by killing the Amani Chieftain, Zul’jin.” “Zul’jin and the Amani aided the Horde during the Second War in hopes of retaking their old lands back from the high elves. When the war turned against the Horde, the trolls quickly abandoned them,” Thanatas added. “So we will be going against veterans of the Second War.” “Since you are bringing us here without the other party, am I to assume that you find these trolls as less of a threat than what we have faced so far?” Feloma asked. “That all depends on you, if you go easy on them then you are likely to end up dead.” Flutashe saw the Horde party roll their eyes at that statement. From what she could tell from their expressions, they didn’t seem all too fond of Thanatas. She was curious about why that was the case but kept silent. The inside of the wall appeared spacious with a large number of skulls, spears and cobwebs. A number of burning braziers served as lighting in this otherwise dark room. They also spotted a number of idols and murals around the room. After turning around a corner to the other side of the room, the party spotted a massive locked gate made of wood that the trolls had likely enchanted to withstand a heavy assault. They found a human staring at the door or wandering around in thought. The man wore a white shirt and a brown vest, tan pants and a worn brown leather hat. His hair was gray. The man noticed the group approaching and addressed them, “Let me guess, another group of Budd’s riffraff? That petulant fool sent four other adventurers to their doom earlier. Take my friendly advice, turn back. This is no place for lighthearted adventurers. This place will chew you up and spit out your bones.” “You could at least introduce yourself if you are going to be giving ‘friendly advice,’” Talia quipped. “Guess my name isn’t well known to the Horde yet. My name is Harrison Jones, professional archaeologist. I came here to study the history of this place. I can handle whatever this place throws at me but I don’t have time to be babysitting a bunch of foolhardy adventurers.” “With all due respect, Mister Jones…” Flutashe began. “Doctor Jones, I earned my degree,” Harrison corrected. Flutashe took a deep breath to suppress her growing irritation. “Doctor Jones, but I have business here. I need to liberate the Wild Gods who are trapped here before the Amani end up killing them. I would appreciate it if you would please help us through this door so we can help them.” Harrison gave a small grunt and scrunched his face before he decided to help them through. “Suit yourself, but I won’t be able to help you with your endeavors. If you think you can handle yourselves then I won’t stop you. Now, come with me to this gong. I need a number of you to help me ring it at the same time to open the door.” Harrison led the party to the gong near the door. He then pulled out a mallet and took aim at the instrument. “On three.” The party shrugged and pulled out their weapons and raised them toward the gong. “One.” “Two.” “Three!” The simultaneous crash of weapons on the metal disc caused a roaring cacophony that rang through the room and caused everyone to hold their hands to their ears in reaction. Thankfully, the sound had the effect they were hoping for as the enchantments on the door faded. Harrison moved toward the door, his expression softening. “I hope that your words match your intentions. I will not allow any dim-witted treasure hunters like Budd to steal what belongs in a museum. If you are here to free the gods from this place then I wish you the best.” The gates parted, opening the way into the capital city of the Amani Empire, or ruins of it. Harrison and the party soon found themselves under attack by a pair of Amani guards before a number of lightly armored Amani fighters moved to attack. “More intruders! Sound da alarm!” one guard cried out. Harrison proved that he was no slouch in a fist fight as he quickly disarmed one guard and delivered an uppercut that knocked him out. Talia called on her fire and demons to take down the lesser fighters while Flutashe overpowered the other guard and impaled him on a nearby decorative spear. For good measure she snapped his neck to make sure his death was as quick as possible. A nearby sentry totem alerted the party that someone was watching them before they heard a voice from far away that was magically amplified to travel all over Zul’Aman. “I knew I sensed a disturbance in da spirit world. It seems da champion of da loa be here to rescue dat which belong to da Amani. I dare ya to try! In da meanwhile, we have other guests who are ready to be sacrificed. Prepare da rituals, ma priests!” “So much for subtlety,” Feloma said. “If we are going after these priests, which way do we go?” Flutashe perked her ears and sniffed the air. “I am picking up the presence of a Loa to my left and to my right.” “We go left first since that is the only route to one of them,” Thanatas said. “The right path will lead us to the other three.” Since they had little time to argue they proceeded down the left path where they were attacked by waves of trolls. Eagles flew in to attack but quickly turned on their handlers when they saw Flutashe. This led to the trolls electrocuting the majestic birds which enraged Flutashe but kept her cool while ordering the eagles to fly away instead so they couldn’t be abused or killed by their handlers. Farra’jin called on his earth elemental which absorbed the lightning attacks while Feloma shot a few of them through their eyes and into their brains. When another group of trolls tried to attack them from behind Feloma struck them with her pheromones and ordered them to attack the last of the defenders before them. The bewitched trolls overpowered the defenders and ran up the stairs to attack the priest atop the altar but were quickly electrocuted to death. The party moved up the stairs to the altar where they spotted a very peculiar looking troll. This one had blue skin unlike the typical green of the Amani. He wore a blue and black garb that was decorated with blue feathers, some brown with red tips. Brown feathers covered his legs while his feet ended in eagle talons. His head was that of a bald eagle. Overall, he looked like a horrific hybridization of troll and avian. “These trolls must be really sick to spawn such an abomination,” Talia commented. “I don’t believe it’s what you think,” Flutashe argued. “These so-called ‘priests’ improperly infused themselves with a Loa’s essence, resulting in a partial transformation.” “At least one’a ya is smart enough to realize that,” the troll quipped. “Your death gonna be quick, strangers. Ya shoulda never have come ta this place. Now ya face da storms of Akil’zon!” When Lokosh charged in, Akil'zon delivered a strong burst of electricity at him which caused his body to lock up for a moment which was long enough for Flutashe to rush up to him and punch him in the chest. The shaman grunted in pain and was forced to use his talons to scrape the ground to avoid falling off the altar. Deciding that Flutashe was the more dangerous target, Akil’zon sent more bolts of electricity at the druid who dodged them with ease. Seeing that Flutashe had the shaman’s attention, Lokosh exchanged his shield for his ax and hacked away at him relentlessly. Akil’zon was soon being attacked by the others behind the warrior and druid. He attempted to dodge some of their attacks but many of them still struck him. He decided to pull Feloma into the air with the wind while creating an electrical storm under her. Groun countered this by growing mushrooms near everyone else which acted as shelters from the small storm. Once the storm ended, Flutashe delivered a quick yet brutal slash to his chest that left deep claw wounds. In desperation, Akil’zon called for a flock of eagles to assist him in the battle but to his confusion, surprise and despair, the very creatures that the Loa’s essence should have allowed him to control were instead attacking him by pecking and slashing him with their talons. “Ya dare betray me, me bruddahs?” Akil’zon growled. Flutashe quickly ordered the eagles to fly away. The troll wouldn’t have it and prepared to electrocute the entire flock but his hands were grabbed by the stones of an earth elemental who slammed its chest into his head and knocked him back. With his head bleeding and his vision blurring, Akil’zon didn’t need sight to know his enemies were closing in on him. “I be da predator, you da prey…” He defiantly stated. “Except when the eagle faces a nightsaber…” Flutashe countered. She then tackled the shaman to the floor where she smashed his beak. Akil’zon tried unleashing lightning on the druid but she jumped off of him which led to him shocking himself. He squawked in pain and squawked his last when Talia delivered the final blow by burning him alive. Upon his demise, the Loa’s essence left the troll’s body and flew away to the east. As the eagle-infused shaman burned to death, the group heard footsteps behind them and spotted Harrison heading up the steps. He ignored the group and began looking around the area for anything that seemed like a valuable relic. He heard the sound of a dwarf nearby calling for help so Harrison broke the lock on the cage to set the dwarf free. He then decided to acknowledge the group, “Why are you still here? There are more altars to clear out.” The party rolled their eyes and backtracked to the south where they would take the route they didn’t take. The voice from earlier took this time to taunt them, “I can see why da Gurubashi were defeated but ya gonna fail all da same. Many try before ya, but dey only make us stronger.” Ignoring the taunt, the party continued toward the south where they saw a group of trolls in front of another bad animal and troll fusion, the animal being a bear this time. Upon spotting them, the bear-infused warrior ordered his guards to attack, “Get da move on, guards! It be killin’ time!” The warrior retreated while the three guards jumped down a ledge to attack them. However, the party had no trouble eliminating the trolls. Flutashe leaped up atop the ledge and helped the others up to make up for lost time since they had no idea when the other hostages were going to be sacrificed. The bear warrior was surprised that the group managed to avoid the nearby bear pen because one of them could clear the ledge. He growled in frustration before turning to more of his guards, “Guards, go already! Who ya more afraid of, dem…or me.” The guards soon realized that Flutashe could be scarier than the loa priest they were supposed to be guarding when she hurled one of them with enough strength to send them into the bear pit that was filled with bears that haven’t eaten in a few days. Because of this, the remaining three guards simply ran away toward the next area. The warrior priest was beginning to grow aggravated, even more so when he saw his guards run away in terror. He ordered his bear riders to attack, “Ride now! Ride out dere and bring me back some heads!” However, the warrior could only stare in disbelief that the bears that they had painstakingly trained had decided to throw their riders off and feast on them. He didn’t even bother to call his final set of guards since the bears among them had also started to rebel once they saw the night elf druid. Seeing this abject failure of a scene, the warrior priest cut down his remaining guards. Since the druid was becoming the biggest thorn in his side he rushed toward Flutashe and grabbed her before throwing her into the altar area while pulling a secret lever that caused a line of spears to cut the others off from the two of them. He glared at the druid who quickly recovered, “Ya be messin’ wit’ da wrong bear, mon. Now I’m gonna make ya pay dearly. Make way for Nalorakk!” Flutashe gave a brief glance toward her party before returning to Nalorakk, “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up soon.” The Horde didn’t hesitate to move on ahead after that. Groun was the only one who lingered the longest before Farra’jin had to tug at the tauren to get him moving. “Whoa…that girl is rocking Queen of the Jungle vibes,” Groun thought to himself. He could hear the faint snickering of a certain twin-souled filly in his mind. The party moved away from the fading sounds of roaring and snarling from what sounded like a lion and a bear fighting each other and moved ahead to quickly find themselves entering a residential area with a number of huts and a fair number of defenders. They also noticed a number of large drums. One of the trolls noticed the intruders and ran toward one of the drums and began beating on it, alerting more guards. Talia called on her demons for assistance while Lokosh switched to his ax and shield combo to protect the others while they took down the defenders. Talia got carried away and set some of the huts on fire which forced Farra’jin to put out some of the flames with his frost magic while his earth elemental pounded some of the defenders into the ground. Groun grew several vines that strangled more guards. This went on for several minutes as they fought their way through the area. Some of the Amani had no issues with setting some of the huts on fire as well to burn the intruders but Farra’jin kept the flames away while the others finished off the guards. By the time they reached the next altar where they would fight the next animal priest, Flutashe managed to catch up to them. “Glad I made it here in time,” she panted. “How did the battle go?” Groun asked. “Nalorakk wasn’t as tough as his build suggested. His attacks were predictable and slow. After he bled out from claw wounds, Harrison showed up and released the hostage. Apparently the Amani have no respect for Darkspear trolls.” As they moved toward the next altar they found the next hostage, an orc who shouted for them to let him out. Rolling her eyes, Talia melted the lock with fire magic and let him out. The orc shook her rotten hand and ran off. The party proceeded up the stairs to the top of the altar where they spotted the next priest. This one was a troll rogue who wielded fist weapons with sharp claws. He appeared to have blue skin from the knees down while the rest of him had a yellowish green color. He had a pair of wings on his back that had the same color with magenta tips. His scaled avian head still revealed a pair of troll tusks. “Come, strangers. Da spirit of da dragonhawk be hungry for worthy souls,“ he said. Once the party entered his lair atop the temple, the priest of Jan’alai breathed a torrent of flame toward them which they jumped away from while the entrance was set ablaze. He did the same to the exit behind him. Flutashe kept the priest rogue’s attention, who swiped at her with his fist claws while she dodged. He was still fast enough that he did get a few scratches on the druid. Flutashe noticed him taking a deep breath and knew what was coming so she delivered a quick uppercut that caused the troll to point his head upward where he sent his breath of flames. Some of the flames ended up trapped and burned his insides. Coughing up smoke, Jan’alai called for his personal hatchers to work on hatching a couple of clutches of eggs that were located at opposite ends of the platform. The hatchers appeared to wear fireproof clothing because they rushed through one of the firewalls and didn’t get burned. They then ran toward the clutches of dragonhawk eggs to begin hatching them. As Feloma and Talia moved to stop them, Flutashe called for them to leave the hatchers be and let them all come. By this point the Horde knew what the druid was capable of and gave a wicked smirk toward the rogue. Jan’alai was confused by this but the voice from earlier called out to him in warning, “Ya fool! Don’t let those eggs hatch, mon! This is just what da intruders want!” However, it was too late. Both clutches hatched and flocks of dragonhawk hatchlings emerged from their shells where they flew toward the center of the arena. Jan’alai thought he had complete control over the hatchlings because of the essence of the dragonhawk Loa within him but soon found that he was wrong. The hatchlings picked up on Flutashe’s aura and imprinted on her. They also decided that Jan’alai was to be their first meal and began pecking and biting at him. The troll screamed and shouted in pain as the young continued to feast on his body. “I burn ya all now!” he shouted before releasing balls of fire all over the platform that glowed brighter with each second, telling the party that they were bombs. The party managed to find places that left wide openings that they hoped would allow them to survive the coming blast. Jan’alai expected to survive the blast because the dragonhawk essence should have made him fireproof. However, he didn’t account for the saliva of the hatchlings that was all over him which took away that protection and made him flammable. Flutashe stared in horror as the hatchlings, being young and too immature to understand commands, obliviously continued to bite and peck Jan’alai right up until the bombs went off and engulfed him and the hatchlings in flames. Since they were hatchlings, they had not developed the fire resistance that adult dragonhawks had and were tragically burned alive along with the troll. Flutashe reverted to her night elf form and began to cry. She was upset with herself for being unable to save the hatchlings from such a grim fate. Groun placed a hand on her shoulder and knelt down in silence. The best he could do for the unfortunate creatures was to give them a moment of silence, a gesture which Flutashe appreciated. Farra’jin looked over the charred remains of the battle and called on some water spirits to wash away the ash when he discovered a small amount of movement. He picked up one of the hatchlings and stared at it for a minute where he discovered that the creature was still breathing. “Hey everyone, ya may wanna look at dis. I think dis one is still alive.” Flutashe quickly got up and moved to the hatchling in the troll’s hands. She prayed that it wasn’t too late and began casting healing spells on it; she didn’t have time to determine the gender of the hatchling at this time. Groun assisted with his healing while Farra’jin added his own water magic to the process. Slowly, the hatchling began to rise. Its wounds may have healed but it still lacked the strength to move around much. Flutashe let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding, grateful that one of the hatchlings survived this disaster. Of course, someone had to break up this moment since they were still in enemy territory and that someone was Feloma. “Look, how about we keep the little one in my pouch for now and I will worry about its well-being. Summer will help raise it. However, right now we still have one more hostage to save and I get the feeling that they will be sacrificed any minute now.” “Right ya are, mon,” the voice taunted. “Da ritual be nearly complete and da last offering will be cryin’ out askin’ why ya didn’t save dem.” the voice then laughed to annoy them further. Not wasting any more time, the party climbed down the temple steps, jumping down the last part of it since time had destroyed half the stairs. The group rushed ahead and took down any Amani who got in their way. The next area featured packs of lynxes who spotted Flutashe and ambushed the trolls. By this point, the Horde party began to understand that the druid was practically carrying them through this adventure. They soon reached a side temple door which was locked shut. This would have forced the party to find a way around to the main entrance but Thanatas decided to help them out this time by freezing the door before thrusting her sword into the ice, shattering it and the door. This took everyone in the temple by surprise which the party capitalized on by taking out the shocked guards before they could recover. One of them recovered much quicker than the others and this one happened to be the last of the essence infused trolls. This one had the head of a lynx while the rest of his body remained troll. He carried a pair of crude-looking swords that looked like multiple weapons cobbled together and enchanted to give off a purple glow. The shaman priest gave a menacing look at the party as the last of his guards fell. “Get on ya knees and bow to da fang and claw!” he demanded. “You first!” Flutashe shot back before shifting into her cat form. “Ya wanna face Halazzi’s claws? Get ready ta bleed!” The druid and shaman began to clash with blades and claws while the others proceeded to attack Halazzi with their usual attacks. Flutashe’s animal instincts allowed her to keep up with the ferocious slashes from the shaman’s blades which served to frustrate the troll. Seeing as his normal attacks weren’t working, he decided to shake things up by unleashing an explosion of spiritual energy that struck everyone heavily but nothing that Farra’jin and Groun couldn’t handle. The explosion also split Halazzi into two spiritual beings, the troll and the lynx. This turned out to be a mistake as the lynx spirit was momentarily separated from the troll which allowed Flutashe to tame the spirit with her alpha aura. The troll spirit was unaware of this which allowed the aura to further weaken his connection to the essence. This gave Flutashe an idea but she needed to ask Farra’jin if he could pull it off. “Farra’jin, can you use a totem to create a connection between spirits?” “I can use ma air totem to link our spirits together to protect us, why?” “Can you use it to link me to the lynx?” “I’ve never tried dat before, mon. There be no tellin’ what may happen.” “I just need enough of a connection to sever his link to the lynx Loa.” “I’ll give it a shot.” Farra’jin summoned his air totem and modified its ability to connect the druid’s spirit to the lynx spirit. The troll became wide-eyed when he noticed what they were trying and called for the lynx to return to him. However, the totem had begun to work and Flutashe ‘s aura was weakening the connection, making the merger more sluggish. The link broke before the spirit could return, turning the troll spirit back into his original form before he was infused with the essence. “My powah! It’s gone!” The troll watched in horror as the lynx spirit faded, its essence returning to its Loa. Despair stacked onto the horror as he soon found himself in a grim position. The poor troll was decimated ten seconds later. Harrison entered the temple a couple of minutes later to inspect the place. He found the hostage gnome and let her out. To his misery he found the gnome was quite the chatterbox as she was going ten words a second, taking a deep breath after a minute of non-stop banter. She then started blasting the large clay vases in the room, revealing piles of gold and other treasures such as a bear harness which would have the archaeologist sticking around for a while to inspect it all. With the Loa-infused priests dead and the hostages rescued, it was time to deal with the leadership of the Amani and save the captive Loa.