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Dawn of the Dragon	By : RotSeele Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 3875 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Ten
Karidormi dodged left and right, trying to stay aloft as much as she could. The thunderstorm raging about her made it difficult for her to completely avoid the boulders launched her way, because she barely saw their shadows until they were nearly right on top of her. She had made it down from Alterac into the Hillsbrad Foothills, and taken a few hours to change shape and get some rest in Tarren Mill, which was as safe a place she could find. She'd gotten the feeling someone was watching her about the time she decided she'd go to the inn and try to sleep, so she slipped out the back and hurried toward a secluded area to transform. She burst into the air just before a shot rang out, and she'd felt something rip through the soft membrane of her right wing.
Now, whoever had fired that shot was flinging boulders her way, trying to bring her down. She had hoped that the storm would conceal her as she rushed for Arathi, but all it seemed to do was hinder her.
All the breath was forced out of her as a boulder scored a hit on her stomach. It pushed her upwards and disrupted the rhythm of her wings. She couldn't even recover; Karidormi saw the ground rushing up at her and braced herself for impact. She hit hard and rolled talon over wing, coming to a hard stop. She gasped and fought through the pain, forcing the transformation. She struggled up and tried to run, but something hit her in the legs. Karidormi hit the ground hard and rolled, flinging a spell behind her, in the direction the attack had come from. She heard a grunt, which told her she'd hit someone or something, then kicked her legs to free them. She was struggling to get up and run, and made her way toward the road.
She never made it.
Karidormi felt something hit her from behind, and her world upended. The last thing she saw was a blood elf male standing over her, the dagger in his hand held backwards.
Things came back into focus slowly. First, her vision, the blurry images slowly coming into clarity. Then her sense of hearing. Noises were muddled for a few minutes, but then she was able to make out voices. She was moving, but on the back of something. A beast? No. It was hard, and felt like wood. A cart then.
Karidormi blinked slowly and raised her head. She was in a covered cart, a small little wagon meant to carry goods rather than people. Outside, she could hear voices. Muddled at first, they became clearer as she became more aware - two females, harsh and deep, and three males, of similar voice. Orcs. Karidormi shifted as the wagon bounced over a rut and was able to twist her arms out from behind her back to her front. She looked at the spellbound rope with distaste; the fact that her captors were using it meant they either believed her to be the Mage she was pretending to be, or they knew exactly what she was and didn't want her going anywhere. She shifted again, this time able to pull back a bit of the canvas covering the cart.
Her suspicions were confirmed as she caught a glimpse of several orcs walking beside the cart. They were dressed like shaman, but not like any shaman she had seen before. With a sinking feeling Karidormi realized these shaman were what was left of Garrosh's Korkron Dark Shaman, and she realized why they were all the way out here in Arathi.
They knew where she had come from, and had decided to stop her from getting to her new destination.
The canvas at the back of the cart opened suddenly. Karidormi jerked back and looked sharply at the newcomer - and was surprised to see a blood elf standing there, half inside the cart. He looked just as surprised to see her awake and looking at him. He had bright green eyes and short blonde hair that stuck up in defiance of gravity. He was dressed in black leather, and she spied two sheathed daggers at his hips. She didn't doubt for a second that those daggers were poisoned, because everything she saw about him in those few moments told her he was a very accomplished rogue. He seemed to have made the same assessment about her, because he stepped into the cart cautiously and moved to stand over her.
"Hungry?" He asked, his voice young despite his worldly look and the confident way he stood over her. He crouched then, holding out a piece of bread. "It's not poisoned. I swear."
"I learned early to never trust a rogue." Karidormi said. "Especially one that looks like you."
The rogue smirked, but there was a coldness to it that made Karidormi wonder about her sanity in pushing him. "Well, right now, I'm the one person you can trust. Blood elf to blood elf, we have to stick together out here."
Karidormi cautiously took the bread he offered. "But you're working with them." She tilted her head to indicate the voices outside.
The rogue let out a quiet sigh. "Well, even I need to eat. And they're not that bad once you get past their desire for revenge and to reinstate the Dark Horde and their rightful leader."
"They're trying to destroy the world."
"Aren't we all?"
"I'm serious. Help me escape. I need to get to... to the Dark Portal. It's of the utmost importance that I get there."
He raised an elegant brow. "Seriously? I just got done telling you that I'm working with those guys and you want me to betray them? On just your word alone? Are you that stupid?"
"So sue me for trying to appeal to your obviously shriveled black heart." Karidormi spat.
Now the smirk had more humor. "You've got backbone, Mage. That might just save you in the end."
"It would be over faster if you'd free me."
"No, don't think that's gonna be happening." The rogue moved to the cart's rear, opening the canvas to jump out. "Just eat up. You're going to need all the strength you can get."
Karidormi watched him go, her nails digging into the crust of the bread he'd given her. Eventually, she raised her hands and took a small bite of the bread, turning her focus toward the rope that bound her wrists and her current predicament. It was obvious she wouldn't get out of here without a fight. And it was best she kept the reason for her travel a secret, even though she had an idea that the shaman at least knew what her quest was. If she could take the rogue's words at face value, then she could safely assume they all believed she was simply a mage, and that the bronze dragon they had shot down was her mount. It was plausible, especially since many adventurers had "adopted" wayward bronze drakes as pets.
The cart bounced suddenly, and Karidormi heard the grunts of wolves. They had left the road and were now traveling on grass. She finished the bread and shifted, trying to peek out at her surroundings again. All she saw was grass and stone. She sat back, trying to figure out where in Arathi these Dark Shaman would have their base. They couldn't use Hammerfall, or the outlying farms. Those places were controlled by Vol'jin's Horde, and they would find no peace there. Which left the ruins of Stromgarde, if they could get the denizens of the place to let them use it. There was also the Thandol Span, the broken bridge that led into the Wetlands.
The cart heaved to a halt. Karidormi heard a gruff voice order someone to retrieve "the prisoner". Karidormi tensed, waiting for someone to grab her from the cart, and was surprised that it was the rogue that stepped inside. Without a word, he hauled her to her feet, then helped her down from the cart. Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard the raging river below and looked up at the towering ruins of the Thandol Span. She also got a better look at her captors - all Dark Shaman, there were two females and three males, and all of them were leering at her like she was nothing better than the stain of mud on their boots.
"Bring her." One male snapped. He wore the skin of a wolf over his face, and his robes were richly embroidered with purple thread. He seemed to be the leader, because the others bowed their heads as he passed, then turned and followed him inside the ruined bridge, one by one.
"Shall we?" The rogue cupped her elbow and led her into the building. He was careful not to give her an opportunity to run - or kick him. Karidormi went along because she had to, but she was already planning her escape. She was careful not to let it show on her face because the rogue was watching her, as was one of the female shamans. Karidormi met the shaman's eyes and glowered at her, only to get a toothy response and a harsh, bark of a laugh.
Her eyes adjusted quickly as she was brought from bright day into the dreary inside of the stone building. She could see that the orcs had already transformed it into something suiting them - and the bloodstains on the walls were about as decorative as it was going to get. The rogue pushed her into a corner of what looked to be a dining room that had been made over into a prisoner's cell, then left her there, alone. Karidormi's suspicion was confirmed when one of the male shamans came to tower over her, and she felt the stone beginning to move. A weight wrapped around her ankle and Karidormi looked to find that a shackle of solid rock had encased her foot.
"That'll keep you quiet." He said, laughing.
Karidormi narrowed her eyes. "Just what do you think you're doing? I'm on an important mission for the Horde!"
Guttural laughter came from the door to the room. The shaman that had locked her up stepped aside, allowing the leader, the one wearing the wolf hood, to step forward.
"I know what mission you're on, blood elf." He said, his teeth bared in a grin. "And I'm here to make sure that you don't succeed."
A cold fist settled in Karidormi's stomach. "If you don't let me go, the whole of Azeroth will be destroyed! Do you really want that?"
"You seem to be under the impression I care." He replied. "This is very much about revenge and all that fancy talk, just as it's about realizing the dream of our Warchief. The fact that the new era will be brought about by a corrupted traitor is just poetic justice."
"You know what kind of condition Go’el is in?" Karidormi asked quietly, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Of course I know. I'm the one who began his transformation."
Before Karidormi could press for more information, one of the female shamans appeared in the doorway. "Khargol, they're coming."
Khargol looked away from Karidormi for a minute. "You know what to do. Take Worluha with you. And tell Garekk to keep an eye on the rogue."
"You still don't trust him?"
"Do you?"
The female was silent for a moment. Then her eyes turned to Karidormi. "What about her?"
Khargol returned his attention to his prisoner. "There's nothing she can do. As long as we keep her here things will progress as I've planned. Of course, if she tries to escape, kill her."
The female grinned and left them. Khargol smiled down at Karidormi. "As long as you behave yourself, no harm will come to you. And when Garrosh is leading the Horde once more, I'll ask him to show you mercy."
"Gee, thanks. How considerate of you." Karidormi replied dryly. As Khargol turned to leave, Karidormi asked, "Why? Why corrupt Go’el like the Old Gods corrupted Deathwing?"
"Why not?" Khargol replied.
"I'm asking seriously."
He stopped at the threshold and turned to regard her. "Then I suppose you deserve a serious answer." He paused, considering his next words. "Because the irony of the Old Horde's greatest hero becoming its downfall pleases me. It also keeps my followers safe from retaliation, because I'm sure you are the only one embarking on a quest to stop Go’el’s corruption somehow. And once Go’el falls completely, no one, not even the heroes of the Alliance and Horde will be able to stand against him and survive."
"How do you hope to control him?" Karidormi asked.
"Who said I was going to control him?"
She watched him leave, and shivered. Karidormi didn't know what to make of her captor. He seemed to have everything figured out, and knew what to do before his enemy could even react. She understood how he was corrupting Go’el - everyone had heard the story of how Garrosh's Dark Shaman had twisted the elements so normal shaman couldn't use them, so it stood to reason that Khargol was using the corrupted elements to "poison" Go’el, so to speak. The corruption wouldn't have taken Go’el more than a hour to fight off, and then locate the corrupter if he hadn't possessed the powers of the Earth Warder. Since he did, Khargol could direct his Dark Shaman underlings to corrupt the elements all over Azeroth, leaving Go’el no way to counter the multi-sided attack. Especially if he didn't know it was coming. And, as she'd seen, by the time he realized something bad was happening, it was already too late. And since Go’el and Aggra had no idea how to fix it, or where the source of the corruption was coming from, they had no way to counter it. Karidormi was the only one now who knew the truth, and despite that, she didn't know the first thing about healing the elements.
What she had to focus on was escaping. If she could get out of here, then she could... Could what? Warn Aggra that Go’el’s corruption was being caused by Dark Shaman? What good would that do, except allow Khargol's corruption to further its hold on Go’el? She could send a message, but that wouldn't do anything but lead Khargol's cronies right to Aggra. Karidormi looked at the spelled rope binding her wrists. If, no, when she escaped, she would have to fly faster than she'd ever flown in her life to the Dark Portal. Time was of the essence, and she had very little of it.
The spelled rope was her first obstacle. Any magic she tried would simply be absorbed and the rope would pull more tightly, making it nigh impossible for her to escape on her own. But it was a rope. More importantly, they believed she was a Mage, and so she figured an experiment was in order. Of course, if it backfired, she was in some real deep trouble, so this had better work, she prayed.
Karidormi lifted her wrists to her lips and took a deep breath. She held the air in her lungs for a moment before she exhaled on the rope binding her wrists. A fine golden mist, much like the sands of time, clouded the air as she breathed, coating the rope with a golden hue. As she watched, nervous, Karidormi watched the rope start to fray. She had only used a little power, the same power she'd used on Go’el in hopes she could slow the spread of the corruption for a time. Still, that little bit of power seemed to do the trick, because the rope was still fraying, still wearing away as its "time" was sped up. It didn't last long, and Karidormi hadn't expected it to. She knew she had to do this in stages. If she did it too fast, Khargol would catch on and probably do something to her in accordance to what he felt was the best punishment. She also knew that Khargol wasn't her only enemy. He had four followers at the least; he probably had more than that, considering he seemed to be the de facto leader on the Dark Horde now that Garrosh was no longer in power. She had no idea how many enemies she would face on the battlefield outside this door. She had to be careful.
Especially with the blood elf rogue, who she saw lurking outside her prison door, regarding her with an expression that Karidormi didn't like.
"What?" She bit out. "Your Dark Shaman friends kick you out of their club meeting?"
He twitched. "I was never part of their club. They just happen to have a deep purse."
"Oh, good. I'd hate to think you were with them because you actually want what they do."
His eyes narrowed. The green orbs burned with some fierce emotion Karidormi wasn't sure she could name. "I'm with them to make a living."
"Even though you know what they're doing is putting all of Azeroth in danger?"
Now his jaw tightened. "You don't know that."
Karidormi raised her bound hands. "Don't I? You were lurking there when Khargol was laying out his plan for me. You heard everything. So you tell me, what don't I know?"
The rogue's jaw worked. “Go’el could come back from it on his own."
"That's about as likely as Kael'thas returning from the dead and telling Lor'themar to give back rule of Silvermoon."
The rogue's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you know of Lor'themar?"
"Beyond the facts and history everyone knows, not much. I do know he fought in the Siege of Orgrimmar, right at the beach, with Sylvanas and Rommath and a whole bunch of heroes."
The rogue watched her for a moment, then he spun on his heel and stalked off. Karidormi waited until she was sure he was gone, then raised the rope to her lips again. She had to escape, and she needed to do it soon, or else she was certain there would be no recovering from the devastation about to befall her world.
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Dawn of the Dragon