Ship Wreck (Interactive Story)

[Melikar]

The Blood Elf watched as the orc warlock took a hold of Dispaya. He watched as a strange silence filled the area around the tribe, Coranda's crying turning to distant sniffles.

Whatever it was Dergash was doing, it seemed as though he and the undead mage could not be disturbed. He felt something poke his shoulder and for the first time, he looked elsewhere. The shaman he knew as Oryx was standing close by and quickly explained the need for healing from as many sources as possible.

Kardwel only nodded once, noticing Coranda slip a weary hand into the other Tauren's. The paladin came to stand on the other side of Coranda, grabbing her other hand. It appeared she didn't even notice, but he felt a reaction as her hand slightly tightened around his. And like the tauren, he too closed his eyes and concentrated. The energy he felt at that moment uplifted him beyond what he could imagine. A surge of healing power so great came from Coranda that he couldn't even resist his own sudden urges to heal.

Holy light flashed outward from his free hand, time and time again. The holy shocks slipped over the bodies of every tribe member, fallen or not. Kardwel could sense a sudden heightened life from Coranda, but at the same time, he could hear her calling within his mind for continued help. His own healing energies washed over her and Oryx as he felt their chains of healing link to him as well.

The chains only powered his ability to use holy energy even more. He found himself reaching out even farther than he thought he could, using his will-power and the energy of those around him to do so. He couldn't explain how he was able to heal this strongly. He only knew that at this moment, he could. And he would continue to do so. Energy only continued to emanate from his body, both his hands lighting up. One controlled energy flowing to Coranda and Oryx, the other went out to every person he could get to. He felt some of the connections long and distant, others were very close by.

He bathed in this magical and holy glory, not knowing if he could stop. Part of that was because he didn't think he could let go even if he tried, the other was because he knew he simply didn't want to. As his light flashed from one person to the next, his mind focusing on each, he finally reached one that was almost beyond him. But not so far that the power flowing through him couldn't reach.

A healing stream flowed into what he recognized as Dispaya. And for one brief moment, he was no longer standing among the tribe in the mountains. He was standing in a small clearing, a woman standing before him, her frame turned slightly away. But Kardwel had seen enough. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the beauty of the human before him. Never had he seen her in such a way, and it only made his heart beat faster...

Over too soon. The image was taken away from him and he felt harsh reality flowing back to him. Like being cut off from a sudden source of light in a dark room, the paladin could feel the energy diminishing too quickly. He heard voices, felt the cold, could sense the light's ultimate power fading from him.

His eyes finally opened. He was on his knees, sweat slipping down his forehead, his breath almost ragged. Coranda lay in a slump beside him and both Dispaya and Dergash's bodies lay unconscious. He could feel his own last bits of energy quickly dropping. He glanced up, noticing the frame of Zlinka for a brief moment before everything around him disappeared in a void.

[Krell]

Krell was caught in some sort of dream...where two seperate images were overlapping each other. In one, stood a dark figure with a long flowing cloak who stood before him with an outstretched hand. Though he could hear no voice, Krell understood the message being transferred to him. "Come to me. Serve at my side. I will show you the meaning of the word peace."

In the other vision, Krell could make out several figures that were vaguely familiar to him. In his vision these figures were in need of help, and many were suffering. Out of this group stepped the figure of a female Troll....she strode confidently forward until she was looking directly into his eyes. Then she opened her mouth and he heard her say, "Will you stay with us Krell?"

Inside his mind he felt torn as to what he should do, and he had let his mind guide him in many of his decisions over the last few decades that he decided to follow something else. Something that he had shoved down and locked away since it was smashed so many years ago. He would follow his heart.

Krell opened his eyes and tried to shake off the cobwebs of his slumber. From his position laying prone in the snow he could make out several figures standing, sitting, and laying all about the area. "Yes."

[Guest]

Karnma watched with awe as the Undead Rouge downed the potion, jumped to his feet, and ran off daggers flashing in the wind. He seemed as though he was ready to fight...though Karnma could see no foe. "...okie..dokae..? Mi guess hi fried more den jus' some flesh wit dat move deh.." Looking around he noticed Dispaya laying in Dergash's arms, who seemed to be in some sort of trance.

Looking around he noticed as a few others fall into this trance as well. "Wha be 'appenin..?" Karnma was one of the few, as far as he could tell maybe even the only one, not affected. Glancing around the area he began to pick up a few pieces of wood from the wreck and put them together in a pile. Turning one hand into magma he placed his palm on the center piece and held it there untill the fire spread. "okie...now dat we got a fiah goin'..." Walking around and grabbing those closest to him, he dragged thier bodys closer to the fire to keep them warm, awaiting the outcome of this strange trance that seemed to have spread out from dispaya's scream.

[Dispaya]

A shadow appeared on the horizon. Something was coming through the clouds. To the Ironsongers who had suffered through so much this day the shape at first looked like a great Frost Wyrm swooping in for one final killing blow. This time it would succeed. They had nothing left to fight with.

The shadow morphed and changed as it came closer until finally, a great goblin airship poked it's nose through the clouds. The tribe looked at each other and smiled...and then finally cheered!

The ship came in lower until finally stopping above the clearing. Two great rope ladders dropped down and a familier wave came from the deck above.

[Anca]

((Better late than never))

Anca lay on her back, gazing up at the clouds, naming the shapes things like "rabbit," "leaf," and "Mopey."

Upon the hill some distance away, the girl could see the silhouette of the Beast Lord and her Battleboar, her general's cloak blowing in the breeze. The valley was safe under her watch.

As the girl gave the name "Tom-tom" to a particularly poofy cloud formation, she heard the faint scrape of approaching footsteps. She looked up to see...something she'd never expected.

Not ten feet away came an orc girl, carrying a matched pair of axes, covered head-to-toe in dull, wet blood.

"Get up," the bloody girl croaked. "Get up...NOW."

Anca threw her head back down to see the clouds again. "No. Anca naming clouds. Go way."

"Get up. We got works to do."

"Nope. Anca busy. You leave Anca lone."

Another scrape, and the girl raised a bloody axe high above her head.

Above the valley, the General leaned heavy on her rifle. The cold wind blew back her hair from her never-changing expression.

---------------

Anca's eyes flew open with the sudden shock. Her chest heaved as she gulped in breath after breath. Her gaze darted around to all the familiar faces around her. She sniffed once, catching the scent of something very wrong.

One swift motion and her spare gun was in her hand, already loaded and ready as usual. Another tug and it rested lightly over the shoulder of Coranda, who had leaned down to comfort the girl. One pull of the trigger and the shot rang out, piercing the brain of one last hound, that had been slowly limping into leaping range of the group. It slumped in the snow, twitching, and Anca slumped, exhausted.

She smiled as she dropped the gun and put her hand in Lucinther's.

[Dispaya]

The zeppelin now fully loaded it slowly made it's way back toward Venomspite. It's crew of passengers were weary and exhauted. It would take some of them a long time to recover.

THE END

**RP EVENT** This Thursday Moot in Venomspite
"AFTER THE SHIPWRECK"
See you there!