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Exile of a hero	By : fibericon Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 10410 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 11
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- 13
In order to make a living, now that her contracts had been cut, Nessa had set up shop in her own home. A basic laboratory, mostly for show, was set up in plain view of her stock of commonly requested potions and flasks. Her more advanced laboratory was further in, away from prying eyes. As suspicious as some people were, most didn't have a problem buying potions from her. Setting up supply lines from herbalists was a little bit harder, but in the end, gold mattered more than reputation. Furthermore, when she was with the Silvermoon government, she had access to a lot of research that made her very knowledgeable about what could be an improvement or a detriment to specific concoctions.

It was mostly the adventuring types that bothered with her store. She didn't stock medicine, only "quick and dirty" heals and short term boosts. Though she could create antidotes, and even antibiotics, if an order was placed, few people would trust their health care to a warlock when there were so many priests in the city. Thus, the first time a paladin walked into her store, Nessa was equal parts intrigued and suspicious. The woman was armored, but carried her helmet in one hand in order to show her face.

"I need half a dozen healing potions."

"Specifically? I can make them of various potency. There's runic-"

"Stop. Something strong that you have in stock."

"Very well..." Nessa turned to a shelf with red bottles of different shapes and picked up six identical ones. "Runic healing potion is the strongest I stock. That comes to twelve gold."

The woman picked up one of the bottles and eyed it suspiciously for a moment, then reached into a small sack to count out the gold. As she did, a smirk spread across the warlock's face.

"You know, it would be extraordinarily foolish for me to poison a paladin in our current state of affairs."

The paladin looked up and glared at Nessa. "Warlocks don't have the best reputation for resisting the urge to kill. Neither do demons."

Nessa sighed and shook her head, sticking her hand out for the gold. "I signed a treaty. Either accept it or don't."

With a huff, the paladin put the money into Nessa's open palm, stuck the bottles in her satchel, and turned to leave. She stopped at the doorway and took a deep breath. "I apologize for my hostility, Lady Felwhisper. Believe me, I came here with the intention to be civil."

"Well, I suppose we both still have our reservations about this arrangement. You have me at a disadvantage, however. What's your name, paladin?"

Turning back around, the paladin gave Nessa a weary glance. "Tianes."

Nessa raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's a very old name, Tianes. It means... 'heart of magic', yes?"

"Well, you remember the old tongue." Her expression softened a bit and she added, "If you don't mind my asking, is 'Nessa' of the new style of naming we've adapted in the last two centuries or..."

Nessa chuckled, "Can't think of a delicate way to put it? Yes, it's a bastardized old name. Only my wife knows it, I'm afraid."

Karasae, previously silent through this entire exchange, suddenly spoke. "I implored her to hold onto it. Your kind gives out names so easily that I feel out of place guarding my own. At least this way I have another connection to her."

"Our names don't bind us like yours does," Tianes replied. "I actually did want to ask something... no. I should probably go."

"Aw, Nessa! I think she's embarrassed!"

"Oh my," Nessa said, attempting to suppress a grin, "Is it about sex? It's about sex, isn't it?"

"That's always the first place your mind goes. Come now, paladin. Don't be shy."

By this point, Tianes had reddened a bit. It was far from becoming a full body blush - just adding some color to her cheeks. She smirked and replied, "Yes, it's about sex. I just wanted to know if the stereotype about succubi was accurate."

"Unfortunately, my sample size of the succubus population is relatively small," Nessa chuckled, "But before her, I'd never been with another woman. Let's just say that she changed my whole perspective of sex."

"So you don't know that she's any better at sex than any other woman. After all, you've never been with another woman, as you said."

Karasae giggled and covered her mouth with her hand, earning a glance from Tianes. Nessa glanced at her as well, her eyebrows raised. She hadn't intended to reveal that bit of information, but the demon had already given it away. "Wrong tense, paladin."

"Oh..."

"We're very unrestricted in our sex life. I can't remember a single instance where I wanted to try something and she would not."

"Yes, there's... appeal... in that." The paladin was getting a bit redder now, having revealed more than she really wanted to know about Nessa's sex life. She could feel the eyes of the other two on her, however, and she did not want to appear meek. Even if she was burning with embarrassment inside, she was determined to keep up with the conversation, if only out of pride. "So have you been with multiple men, then?"

"No. I have been with multiple women, though."

"Aha. So she does not allow you to be with men, then? I think I'm beginning to see how this works"

"Hardly," Karasae cut in, "Actually, I'm not attracted to men. And since Nessa doesn't run off by herself, I think you can guess why she's never taken part in that particular act."

"Hm, I see. Well then, if you were never with another woman before, then how did this go from a summoner/minion relationship to lovers?"

"Nessa, don't..." Karasae looked away, her head hanging a little.

Tianes looked between the two, uncertain what was going on. Nessa simply took the demon's hand and replied, "She doesn't like me talking about it. It brings back some bad memories of the events leading up to it. I will say this though: she has been around to take care of me at times when I couldn't take care of myself, and showed more compassion than my own people. Simply put, I fell in love with a supportive, caring woman who was with me at almost all times."

"And I married her." Karasae added, looking up and smiling.

"Hmph. I see you're determined to call this sham a marriage with a straight face."

"Ooh," Nessa replied, wincing, "So hostile. I suppose that will be the end of our conversation then. Why don't you come by when you're willing to be nicer? We can have a cup of tea like civilized people and you can unravel all my dirty little secrets for gossip material."

"I don't gossip," Tianes replied, walking away, "But we'll see."

When the paladin was out of ear shot, the vibrator nestled snugly in Nessa's panties suddenly came to life, making her gasp. Her knees buckled and she grabbed the edge of the counter for support. Her eyes narrowed, she turned to face the demon.

"What was that for?"

"For my amusement, Nasha."

"I always hated that name."

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"Tianes, you may not be physically endangering yourself by doing this, but you are, at bare minimum, wasting your time." Another paladin sat at a desk, his helmet sitting next to his arm.

"There is power in information, brother."

"Oh, I won't deny that. No, my concern is that you won't learn anything useful, or worse, you will slowly lose your resolve."

"And how do you propose that happening? We'll know the second she tries any mind altering magic."

"We know she was a diplomat before the Felguard incident. Considering that she managed to talk her way to a good reputation with horde and neutral factions alike, is it that inconceivable that she's a persuasive liar? She's a warlock, not a druid. She didn't help people out of the goodness of her heart. The fact that she managed to avoid prosecution in exchange for a loss of military involvement is also the sign of a politician."

"She's still a living creature. She'll eventually trust me enough to say something she shouldn't."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"She seems very willing to share. I don't think she has anyone other than the demon to talk to."

"What exactly did she 'share'?"

"Her sex life mainly."

"Inconsequential. It's a trick, sister. She shares something seemingly personal, possibly false, so that you are more willing to take what she says at face value. That way, when she does lie, you're less likely to know. That, or she's just a whore."

"Either way, I've been invited back for tea. I'll take her up on it tomorrow."

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As it turned out, Nessa's "punishment" involved her keeping one of Karasae's magical vibrators in her panties at all times with no knowledge of when it would come on. The demon managed to keep her almost constantly aroused. Although Karasae had yet to turn it on when someone else was around, Nessa was worried that she eventually would, and it made her nervous every time someone came to her shop. However, it provoked a different reaction when Tianes walked in. She was dressed casually this time, in dark blue robes that complimented her dark hair.

"You're back," Nessa offered in greeting, "Was there a problem with the potions, or did you decide to take me up on my offer?"

"Actually, the potions were fine. I came here for flasks of endless rage."

"Ah, I can provide those." Nessa crouched to retrieve a flask with orange liquid inside.

"However, tea does sound nice."

Nessa stood back up slowly, seeing Tianes smiling back at her. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, not everyone in Silvermoon is willing to talk about some of the subject matter that you have no problem with, as you are no doubt aware. I can't say it isn't intriguing to hear, even if I am a married woman."

"As am I."

"Most married couples aren't swingers, Nessa."

Nessa laughed, coming around the counter. She beckoned the woman further into her home, to a small table with a view of the shop entrance, in case someone came in. Karasae peeked out from the kitchen, seeing Tianes for the first time that day when the two elves came in. She was suspicious of a paladin so quickly changing tune, but didn't want to reveal this in front of the woman. Going along with it for the moment, she offered to make tea. The demon joined the two elves at the table once the tea was ready, pouring some for them, but not herself.

"Aren't you going to have tea with us?" Tianes asked.

"Ingestion of food isn't really good for me," Karasae replied.

"It's a rather odd thing that I learned to get used to," Nessa chimed in, "So what brings you to my store? Potions yesterday, flasks today, you must be planning something."

"I'm getting called back to Northrend soon. I'll be picking up more potions and such over the next few days, but I hate carrying a lot of glass bottles at once. I always feel like some unlikely accident will smash all of them in a single disaster."

"I could always pack them if you'd like. I have ways of keeping many small glass bottles from getting broken by careless couriers."

"It's quite alright. I pack them into separate aid kits myself." She took a sip of her tea and added, "It's gotten worse since the Wrathgate incident."

"I suppose I should consider myself lucky to not be there right now. I can't imagine it being much worse than Undercity."

"You were at the Undercity during the rebellion?"

"When I was freshly promoted to commander, I was called in to fight along side the honor guard. It got ugly, fast."

"I see."

"But... let's talk about something more pleasant. You came over with a different conversation in mind, right?"

Tianes chuckled, taking another sip of tea. "So how's Wayfarer's Rest for picking up new friends? I haven't been there in quite some time myself."

"Actually, I don't think I've ever been there. I don't drink."

The paladin looked a little confused, and remained silent for a moment. "Then is there... some sort of secret handshake...?"

Karasae burst out laughing at this point, wagging her finger as if shaking her head. "No secret handshake," the demon chuckled, "There's this club in Ghostlands-"

"No!" Tianes interrupted incredulously, leaning closer, "It's real? I thought that was just a rumor!"

"Yeah, it's real. The druids run it, so it's neutral."

"Isn't there racial tension though?"

"Well," Nessa replied, "The type that place attracts is fairly single minded."

"What's it like?"

"It's... popular. And friendly. Very friendly. Some couples prefer to keep to themselves, but you get the impression that some of the people there are just waiting for an excuse to join in."

"Who frequents it mainly?"

"Blood elves and night elves. That's the bulk of the people there. Well, it was last time I was there. It's been a while since we went, what with all the work I've had."

"Interesting. It doesn't sound like my type of place, though. I prefer to keep sex private."

"Ah, so that's why you discuss it with a warlock and a demon?" Karasae smirked.

"What exactly are you getting at?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say that you indeed keep sex private, but that is your comfort zone, not your preferred state. You want to be bold enough to do things like this, but you worry about how your self image will suffer, or what your husband will think of you."

"I bet that usually works. You're used to people crumbling under your will. You'll find paladins to be of stronger resolve than others."

Karasae chuckled and shook her head. "So defensive. Actually, most of the company I keep besides Nessa is other warlocks. A major part of their training is self control for that very reason."

"And yet warlocks fall everyday."

"One could argue that there is no shortage of paladins who have lost their way either. One could also argue that changing the subject to put the person in front of you on the defensive is something that usually works for you."

Tianes didn't like being psychoanalyzed. She was making an effort to not get agitated with the demon, but her choices were getting limited. "Very well, let's get back on track. Would it surprise you to hear that I've never been sexually attracted to a woman?"

"Not really. But I'm not referring to that. What I meant is that you're afraid to be adventurous in general. You don't want to be stuck in missionary position for the rest of your life. Nobody does. But it's easy; it's safe. Waiting for your partner to take the initiative never works, because it's scary to go first. What if they don't like it? What if you just end up feeling stupid? What if it kills the mood? There are a lot of fears that make people convince themselves that it isn't worth the risk to try something new."

As Tianes was pondering the demon's words, Nessa added, "Even if you do something he doesn't like, if he loves you, it won't be a major problem. You can always make it up to him."

"Of course, I don't expect you to act on the advice of a demon. Just know that if you're looking for an expert on being sexually adventurous, you couldn't do much better than a succubus. Good luck finding an elf other than Nessa who could keep up with me."

"Don't sell yourself short, demon." Tianes said, still looking at her hands in thought, "You've given me a lot to think about."

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Lasiri looked at Belestra as the more experienced priest demonstrated a new technique. The movements came so naturally to Lasiri's mentor, her movements fluid. Belestra's protege was more than impressed with her. Though the younger priest hadn't the courage to respond in kind, she had noticed and appreciated Belestra's flirting.

Maybe she doesn't want to say anything direct because she thinks I can't take a hint... or that I'm not interested. I must be embarrassing her by being so meek. This time I'll respond. Okay... be smooth and subtle. Try not to make an ass of yourself, Lasiri.

"Lasiri," the older woman said suddenly, breaking the girl's train of thought, "Pay attention."

"I am..." She took a few steps forward and put her right arm around Belestra's waist, pulling her close. She leaned in, looking her in the eyes. "I've been paying attention to you all along. I'm just not as bold as you."

"Lasiri... you have the wrong idea."

"What-"

"I'm not hitting on you, Lasiri."

"But... but you are! You've been flirting with me all this time!"

"That's just how I am, Lasiri. I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea, but I'm not even attracted to women."

Lasiri pushed the older woman away and took a defensive stance. Shadow energy flared up around her, engulfing her. "You're not sorry! You can't just play with people's hearts like this!"

Light swirled around Belestra and she levitated a bit off of the ground. A bubble of holy energy formed around her as she readied to defend herself. "Be careful, Lasiri."

"Maybe you can do this to people like me and get away with it, but one of these days, you're going to hurt the wrong person. You really were my favorite teacher, you know. I just wish you didn't lead me on." The shadow energy faded and she turned to leave.

"Lasiri, wait!" Belestra suddenly shouted, "You can't go outside right now. It's pouring rain; you'll get sick."

Lasiri stopped and turned, baring her teeth. "What the hell do you care?" she shrieked, "I'm never coming back to learn from you again!"

With that, Lasiri walked out into the heavy rain. Once outside, the noise of it was almost deafening. She sobbed as she walked away, not really sure where to go. She didn't want to go home, and she had no one she wanted to see. Within seconds, she was soaked to the skin. The streets were empty, and the people she could see were hiding under canopies. Most stores that didn't have a building had closed up shop, as few would be going out in this weather. Those that didn't hosted a few people who hadn't gotten home in time to escape the rain.

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"Well, what's the situation?" the older paladin asked, not bothering to look up at Tianes from his paperwork.

"The demon needs to be reclassified. She's more intelligent than we're giving her credit for."

"I'll admit that her Thalassian is better than I would have expected, but that hardly warrants anything like you're suggesting."

"She's better at steering a conversation where she wants it to go than I am, even capable of semi-accurate on the spot psychoanalysis and revelation of motive."

The man stopped for a moment and looked up at Tianes. "Are you saying your cover was blown?"

"No-"

"Then I'm not willing to rule out the possibility that what transpired was a rehearsed conversation. Felwhisper told her what to say and when. She read you like a good politician can be expected to, and ran circles around you, using the demon as her medium. Any seeds of doubt she can plant in our minds work to her benefit. I advise pulling out immediately, but I think we both know that isn't going to happen. Just try not to get yourself killed."

"I'll be careful."

As she left the man's office, Tianes couldn't help but wonder about he had said the day before. It was weighing on her mind heavily. The horrible truth of what she might be getting herself into by walking into the warlock's home made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Nessa hadn't personally been in any of the battles that ended with dead paladins in the walls of Silvermoon, and had always played the role of diplomat, but she knew that those who were truly evil didn't necessarily condone pointless minor cruelties. What really frightened her is that she couldn't simply brush off what the demon said.

They say if a demon's words begin to affect you, indoctrination may have already started. But if her words were fundamentally true anyway, is it still indoctrination? I could simply ignore what she said, but she's right. Where is the line between pleasing my husband and opening up a portal to being a slut? Does the fact that I'm even entertaining such a notion mean that it's too late?

She entered her home, finding her husband waiting for her. He was well toned, a quality that didn't come easily for blood elves. An orc would laugh, but to her, he was well built. Paladin training didn't produce slouches, especially not from the protector academy. Though she had gone the route of healing herself, even she was required to have the strength necessary to wear the heavy armor, and it showed when she wore robes. He looked up and caught her staring at him from the door. He offered a smile and beckoned her to sit with him.

"I don't know what tea the 'Fel Queen' or whatever it is they call her serves, but I thought you might want to have a cup with me when you got back."

"Fel Lady," she corrected, walking over to join him, "And it's black tea."

"How horribly stereotypical. Tell me, does she arrange the leaves into little skulls at the bottom of the cups?" Tianes giggled and took a sip of the tea he poured for her. It was notably less potent, and was more comforting to her. "Your commanding officer asked that I talk you out of this, you know."

"He doesn't see the value of this mission."

"I trust your instinct and willpower implicitly. I just thought you should know."

"My instinct..." a sly smile spread to the corners of her mouth, "Tells me that I need to do something spontaneous."

Tianes stood up and came around the table, deliberately placing one foot in front of the other. She reached down and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him up into a kiss. When they pulled back, he raised an eyebrow.

"I still trust your instinct," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, you really shouldn't."

She guided him to the bed and pushed him onto his back. Climbing on top of him, she unbuttoned his shirt and leaned down to kiss him deeply. His hands found their way to her hips, but she pushed them back to take his shirt off. Off came the cord around the waist of her robe next. She grabbed his left hand first and started wrapping the cord around it. When she grabbed his other hand, he finally spoke up.

"Hey, what-"

"Don't make me have to gag you," she grinned, securing his hands to the headboard of the bed.

She kissed down his chest, her hands working his belt loose. He looked up at his wrists. She hadn't tied him up very well; he could easily work his hands free if this went too far. Her fingers lightly dragging over his crotch through his pants snapped his attention back to her. This was very unlike her, and although he wasn't exactly a strictly dominant person, he certainly didn't consider himself submissive - in bed or anywhere else. She quickly removed his pants, revealing that he was almost fully erect already. Lightly stroking his shaft with one hand, as if it was a wholly inconsequential fidgeting on her part, she looked up at him and smiled softly.

"I do hope I haven't offended your delicate male ego... I just wanted to be a good wife. Am I being a good wife, Xantir?"

Before he could answer, she loosened her hold on his member even more, now merely dragging her fingers up and down. His voice caught in his throat, and his body jerked out of reflex. She lowered her head and took him in her mouth, gently sliding his stiff cock as far as she comfortably could. As she slowly bobbed her head up and down, his cock stiffened fully. She reached down and removed her panties from under her robe before straddling his hips. Using one hand to keep his cock steady, she gently guided it into herself, gasping as he entered her wetness. There was less resistance than she'd expected, mainly because this had turned her on more than she had thought it would. Once he was nestled all the way inside her, she pulled the robe quickly off over her head, the bra going next.

His reflex was to reach for her breasts, but the cord kept his hands from going where they wanted, making him growl and squirm. She placed both hands on his chest and began riding him, slowly at first. But she was long passed the point of self control, and sped up quickly. Her hands went to her own breasts, tweaking the nipples in front of her bound husband, teasing him further. A sudden climax washed over her, breaking her rhythm as she trembled and came, screaming loudly. She slumped forward, quickly putting both hands down on his chest to hold herself up. While trying to catch her breath, she felt a sudden pulse as Xantir purposefully tensed his cock inside her, making her jump.

"Hahh! St-Stop that!"

"Begging your captive?" he chuckled, his own voice betraying that he was a bit out of breath as well.

"Not begging..." she breathed, the sweat dripping from her forehead very much undermining her authority, "Commanding."

She slowly started to ride him again, this time swiveling her hips instead of going up and down his shaft.

"Tianes! Fuck!"

She reached down to rub her clit while grinding on him, soon resuming sliding up and down his shaft. Another screaming orgasm overwhelmed her, but this time, she leaned forward and kissed him deeply. He bucked his hips hard as he came with her, and she held his wrists with both of her hands to keep him from escaping as he did. Their muffled cries of ecstasy eventually faded, and she lay limp on top of him for a moment before untying his wrists. He held her close, stroking her hair.

"You know I'm going to get you back for that, right?"

She giggled weakly, content to lay in his arms for the moment.

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Karasae could barely see through the rain. It was really coming down hard - hard enough that she couldn't fly. She had made Nessa stay home, fearing that the elf would get sick if she walked through the rain. Nessa had been getting chills already, and they were out of tea after having Tianes over for a visit. The demon worried about her, and insisted on going out into the rain to restock. Luckily, the stand nearest their home hadn't closed for the rain, and the demon quickly ducked under the canopy.

"I need some tea," she said, a bit weakly, pressing a gold coin into the shop keeper's hand.

"What kind?" Karasae looked agape at the dozen or so cloth bags of tea. Nessa only ever stocked one, and knowing precious little about food, she hadn't thought that there could be more. "Wait, you're Felwhisper's demon, right?" Karasae nodded and he added, "She only ever buys black tea, but I don't have anything to put it in that will survive in this rain. I usually use cloth bags."

Karasae pulled out a glass jar with a magic seal around the rim and handed it to the man. He looked at it from a couple of different angles before starting to fill it with tea leaves. "It's a bit of overkill for tea, perhaps, but it's what she has sensitive herbs transported in."

"No, these are good. Any chance I could have her make something like this for me on a larger scale?"

"She doesn't make them herself. I think all of the alchemists here go to Magister Dawnblade for this enchantment."

"I'll have to talk to him then. Thank you!" He handed her back the filled jar and some change, which she tucked into her satchel before leaving. He watched her go, the water rolling down her skin, making her scantily clad body that much more appealing. As she entered the rain again, he said under his breath, "To hell with what the paladins say, I'd fuck her senseless."

Making her way back through the rain, Karasae spotted Lasiri, sitting on a bench and crying. The priest was too quiet to be heard over the pouring rain, but her body language was unmistakable. She stood there for a moment, conflicted. One one hand, she didn't particularly give a shit, but on the other hand, she realized that she just might. The crying blood elf reminded her too much of someone who meant a lot to her. She sighed heavily and approached the girl, shaking her head.

Damn it, Nasha. Look at what your soul has done to me.

"Elf!" she yelled, making an effort to be heard over the rain, "You're going to get sick!" Lasiri looked up, surprised to see a demon standing there. "Come inside with me!"

"Just leave me alone!" the woman sobbed.

"It's always a shame when pretty girls die, but enjoy your hypothermia!"

Karasae started to walk away, annoyed that the priest had rejected her offer for help, when Lasiri called out to her. "Wait!"

The demon turned her head and saw the priest approaching. She began to lead the girl to Nessa's home. When Lasiri got close enough, Karasae put an arm around the girl's waist and extended one wing to protect her from the rain. Lasiri pushed away and shouted angrily at her.

"Don't touch me!" Karasae glared silently at her, and after a moment, she came back to the demon's side. "I'm sorry. I'm..."

"Hurt. You're hurt."

"Yes."

They started walking again. They went around to the storefront to avoid tracking water into Nessa's home. Once under the roof, Karasae folded her wing, letting the water pour off of her. Now out of the rain, Lasiri realized just how awkward her wet robes were. When Nessa came out to greet her wife, she gave a confused glance to the priest.

"Welcome to my store. Is this an emergency? That's the only reason I could think of for you to venture through the rain like this."

"No, I..." the priest sniffled.

"She's not really in the best emotional shape at the moment," Karasae interjected, "No reason to add illness to that."

"Right. You're a bit shorter than I am, but I have some clothes that will fit you. Let's get you dried off."

Nessa led the girl to her bathroom and handed her a casual robe. Lasiri meekly thanked her and closed the door. When she went back to Karasae, she found the demon drying off as well, having put the tea and the change on the table.

"So when did you start bringing home strays?"

"Honestly, I don't know why I care. I blame you."

"Me?"

"Before your soul started to have a major influence on me, I couldn't have cared less about some random blood elf. Now I have compassion for women crying alone in the rain. This is all your fault."

"Or you're maturing socially."

"Perish the thought."

Lasiri came out to join them, having dried off save for her hair. The girl's dirty blond hair clumped together beautifully from the water, despite her looking somewhat disheveled. The robe Nessa had given her was white with blue trim - colors she no longer wore.

"Thank you for your hospitality," she said weakly, looking down and twiddling her fingers to avoid eye contact, "I don't want to take advantage of your kindness. I'll leave as soon as the rain lets up if that's okay with you."

"You might have to prepare yourself to stay the night, then," Nessa replied, "Come have some tea with us. You'll feel better."

"Thank you... Lady Felwhisper..."

"Just... Nessa. You're a guest in my home." She beckoned the girl over to the table with a view of the store front, more out of habit than actually expecting someone else to come through that rain.

"I'm Lasiri." The girl sat down, and Karasae brought a warm cup of tea to her and Nessa. "Thank you."

"So my wife says that you weren't doing so well. What happened?"

"Oh... just... a misunderstanding. I read too much into... it's not important. I made a mistake, and it ended up hurting me. That's all."

"Mmm," Nessa replied, sipping her tea, "I was surprised that you didn't show confusion or suspicion when we were given tea and she drank none, especially since you're not a warlock."

"I read things," she raised her right hand palm up briefly and conjured a ball of shadow energy before letting it dissipate and added, "I know it's not exactly the same as your shadow magic, but the field interests me. We received all the standard warnings about mixing different types of shadow magic the first week, though."

"You can theoretically learn cross-class spells without mixing them, you know. The mixing they refer to is actually combining two spells, which could kill you, or worse."

"Worse?"

"We're talking about warlock magic, sister. There are far worse things than death."

"I guess so. Most of the material about warlocks I have access to makes the choice look horrible. It's all propaganda."

"Not all of it. Don't get me wrong - I've never regretted my training, but there are a lot of downsides, the least of which have to do with this whole paladin nonsense. So tell me, Lasiri, which boy broke your heart?"

Odd that you of all people would assume it was a boy, Felwhisper.

The thought made a smirk spread across her lips. "Not a boy. It was my instructor. She led me on. I really thought she was interested in me by the way she acted, always flirty, the way she treated me... it was just a game to her."

"Hm, a priest trainer who acts without caring about other people's feelings." Nessa replied sarcastically, "I wonder who ever that could be."

"Belestra."

"I see that went right over your head, dear."

Karasae suddenly growled, narrowing her eyes. "That bitch. It figures that she would be doing this."

"Calm yourself, Rai'ludae."

"Rai'ludae," Lasiri smiled, trying to change the topic, "That's a beautiful name."

"It's not really my name," Karasae corrected, "It just means 'little demon girl' in Eredun. I suppose you could consider it a term of endearment. Belestra has a beating coming to her. She thinks she can do or say whatever she wants and there won't be any retaliation."

Nessa sighed heavily and shook her head. "She's referring to what happened after the battle for Undercity. I'd been fighting without rest for a rather long time. Even though I was cut up pretty badly, I just wanted to sleep, so she bandaged me and let me rest. I ended up still having to see a healer anyway, and when we went to see Belestra, well, the woman didn't display much tact."

"She scolded us both like children, molested you in front of me, and undermined my authority as your protector. To say she didn't have much tact is a bit of an understatement."

"I see..." Lasiri said, looking down into her tea cup, "Do you think she'll come looking for me?"

"I would, if you were my student," Nessa replied, "I assume that priests have similar claims of responsibility."

Looking up, the priest turned to the demon and asked, "What's going to happen if she comes here?"

"I'm going to leap clean over this fucking table and throw my chair at her." Karasae responded stoically.

Nessa had ceased trying to calm the demon, now silently sipping her tea. Lasiri waited for a moment to see if the warlock would add something before making another attempt to change the direction of the conversation. "La-... Nessa, there's something you should know. Paladins have been approaching priests and asking them to deny healing to any warlock. Many refused, not just shadow priests, but there are others who agreed. Belestra was very vocal about her refusal, but I think that's just because she doesn't like being told what to do."

"That's disturbing," Nessa replied, though not really sounding surprised.

"That's it?" Lasiri said incredulously, "That's all you have to say? They're breaking the treaty! This can only end in war!"

"They've been breaking treaties as it suits them. Quite frankly, while everyone wants to believe their side is 'right' and 'just', warlocks haven't exactly helped keep the peace. I don't believe this will end in war. None of us really want that."

But deep down, Nessa knew she was lying to the priest. The shaman's prophesy had been eerily accurate up to this point, and everyday she had to prepare for the worst. She had actually assumed it would be the warlocks who would get the other classes involved first, but it didn't matter. She only wished there were more details in what the shaman said, so she could know what to expect from the paladins. Protecting her people was her main priority, but she was beginning to wonder if that was even an achievable goal.

"Lady Felwhisper?" a voice called from her storefront, breaking her chain of thought. She looked out from the table to see Belestra, dry inside a protective bubble. "I was wondering if you had seen a student of mine..." She stopped suddenly upon seeing the younger priest, "Lasiri..."

Karasae glared at the woman in the shop. Having not been able to do anything at the time, there was a lot of pent up rage towards the priest. True to her word, the demon stood up, took the back of her chair with one hand, and jumped high over the table, aided with a flap of her wings. She came down hard, swinging the chair down at Belestra. The priest took a defensive stance, with both arms crossed and her head ducked behind them. Another bubble cropped up to protect her from the blow. The chair penetrated the bubble, but bounced away.

Belestra was never very good at combat. The other recruits at the academy compared her to a bird, referring to a bird's hollow bones. Her own bones, of course, weren't hollow. However, she did find herself getting injured much more than anyone else there, and eventually decided to take up healing. The one thing she excelled at that would have been helpful in combat was her defensive barriers. They could reduce a sword swing that could take off her head to a minor cut, or a chair that could shatter her arms to a few bruises.

She knew what was coming next. The demon's whip came down and curled around one of her wrists, burning her flesh with intense shadow energy. Seeing an opening, Belestra unleashed a chain of holy energy blasts at Karasae's chest, knocking the demon over. That's when she saw Nessa, ready to strike. Nessa had been reduced to figurehead of the warlock uprising, but she didn't want to press her luck against someone who she knew for a fact had seen more combat than she ever would.

"Wait!" Belestra said frantically, "I know why you're angry with me, but I didn't know what was going on between you two. No one did - that was the whole point."

As Karasae got up and brushed herself off, Belestra shakily healed the burns from the demon's whip.

"I told you," Lasiri said from the table, "I'm not coming back."

"I'm sorry you took it the wrong way, Lasiri. It wasn't my intention. I guess I just thought no one would ever take me seriously."

"It doesn't matter. I have decided to follow the teachings of Seline. You said yourself that you would no longer be able to teach me if that was my choice."

"You're right... of course. If you change your mind, I won't hold it against you. Please at least let me walk you home so that you don't get wet again."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"That is your choice. I apologize for invading your home, Lady Felwhisper."

Nessa watched the priest leave before returning to the table to sit with Lasiri. She looked into her tea for a moment before asking, "Who is Seline?"

"Natalia Seline, the first major researcher into shadow magic for priests, also the first bishop of the Cult of Forgotten Shadow."

"I see. Lasiri, if you continue down this path, there are going to be things you're going to see in the future that are going to make you never want to smile again."

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"Lady Felwhisper!" Talionia frantically called out, running towards Nessa and Karasae through the crowd, "You need to come with me!"

"Why? What happened?"

"A paladin's body was found with the ribcage split open. The rain last night destroyed any evidence, but we're being blamed because it looks like a ritual killing."

"I need to talk to the Reagent Lord."

"He's in Orgrimar to meet with Thrall."

"What? This is too convenient! Get me a mage!"

"It's too late!"

"It's never too late! I can salvage this!"

Nessa rushed off and found a mage in the crowd, frantically demanding a portal to Dalaran. When the mage began to channel his spell, a paladin charged, striking the man on the back of the head with a heavy swing from his mace. Nessa was too slow to stop the paladin, and she looked agape for a moment at the crumpled mage, bleeding on the stone road.

"How could you?" she said shakily, her eyes wide in shock and anger.

"We can't let you escape, Felwhisper."

An infernal charged from Nessa's left, knocking the paladin several feet and causing him to roll a few times before coming to a stop. A forsaken called out from that side.

"Fel Lady! We have assembled our forces outside the gate! War is upon us!"

Nessa and Karasae ran through the front gates of the city to find the one thing Nessa wanted to prevent more than any other. For just a moment, she really wished she had taken the demon's advice and left Silvermoon for good. Paladins and warlocks faced off to the side of the gate, near the dead scar. They hadn't begun fighting yet, but it was only a matter of time. While the paladins were all blood elves, the warlocks were mixed. Blood elves and forsaken made up the bulk of them, with a scattering of orcs. In all, either side was at battalion strength. Nessa approached the front of the warlocks, seeing Lafaer taking a similar position in front of the paladins. There was no more delaying this, or attempting diplomacy. Nessa had failed as a politician, and her only remaining hope was to succeed as a commander.
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Exile of a hero