{no pictures}
As the night passed in the enclave, the undead preached their songs in the forest, while their masters played with their voodoo magics! Painted blood and bones of animals and elves alike, dress the walls and the dead, while their toll priests wear them as tattoos… with their shadow dances, they pray to old Loa's…
As giant snakes appear around fires, their chieftain smiles as he executes elven prisoners! Fresh blood for their Loa… fresh meat for their tigers… fresh souls for their voodoo… but even with festive dances, the mood is sour…
[My chieftain…]
[speak elder…] replied Kel'gash in a sober mood
[though I understand why you be doing it, Mon… nay… gratefully even…]
[speak without riddles Mon…] demands Kel'gash angrily.
[zul'jin has sent his consorts…they be demanding to know why we be acting without his command…]
Hearing his elder's words, Kel'gash paused, thinking carefully about what to say next, as one misspoken word could easily see, to him being replaced or abandoned or worse… used in a ritual of shorts!
[umm…. Ha… his command you say Mon… ha! Tell him… tell him…. I did it because… they had stepped on our ancestral graves Mon! And had be robbing us of their bodies… I'm sure even he can understand the importance…] said Kel'gash in mockery
[chieftain… I be not sure he will…]
[accept that excuse… HA! He be not having a choice Mon… if he wants to be using our tribe as bait Mon! HA! Tell him that the elves' boldness has finally outweighed their fear of him!] replied Kel'gash as he continued to stare into the pyre fires that overshadowed the forest.
But while he stared into the fires, a pair of troll warriors came into his tent to drop off a pair of night elf sentinels.
[who these be? They be not looking like any blood elves I know... Their skin be purple and pink!] said Kel'gash with interest
[chief, we found this pair of elves… we think they be spying in our territory! What should we be doing with them, my chief?]
[ ha! You be doing a great work Mon, my warriors! It's just a shame… that I be not using them as a sacrifice for our Loa… sigh… you be sending them as a tribute to Zul'jin, it may calm his mood…] replied the Kel'gash as his thoughts went to the edge of his territory…
But even as his thoughts left him, he never let his hand go from the chin of the elf female he had on her knees… feeling such a disgrace to dare touch her chin, the night elf sentinel spat at Kel'gash's face with a hiss.
Feeling the droll-like spit on the side of his face, Kel'gash didn't even bother to look at the elf, as he smacked her across the face! knocking her over and busting her precious lips wide open! However, seeing the night elf trying desperately to set herself upright, Kel'gash noticed the elf was missing a limb and smelled a curse of death on it!
[oh! Little elf… be fighting with them undead! Good… very good… or maybe she be helping the other elves steal from our ancestral graves! Either way, she be making a fine plaything! Though that missing hand may prove annoying…] said Kel'gash, as he licked the dry blood between his tusk in a perverted fashion.
[but chieftain…]
[ I be knowing what you mean, warrior, but Zul'jin be not caring about the condition of his sacrifice, just so long… they be alive for it!] replied Kel'gash with a grin.
[Besides me be itching for some fun after that fight! We be needing to replace the mood of our loss dead! When I be done, you all will have a turn!] continued Kel'gash to a choir of cheers. To the resolved tears of the beauty of an elf.
Dawn of the next day:
As Lanthios woke up, he noticed that Layla was nowhere to be seen, curiously he headed downstairs to find her when he caught the tail of an odd conversation…
[Layla, as a sunstrike, and a mage at that, why do you insist on taking on the captain quest? I don't understand… shouldn't you be Silvermoon studying? The battlefield is no place for a child!]
[ranger Vynna, though I appreciate the concern you have for me… I don't have a choice… it's not like I'm out here because I want to be… it's because I have to be…]
[but why? And even so, why do you not have an escort or at the very least a caregiver? Why is it you and a slave mutt?]
[because that 'slave mutt' is the only one I can trust! And Vynna… call him a mutt again… I dare you!]
Seeing Layla, eyes glow a burning orange, Vynna could only sigh at the sight and say:
[look, I don't mean to offend! It's just that…]
[I know what you mean Vynna, and again I thank you but please… just stay out of our business… just know that I have my reason for being out here and for taking the captain quest… It is important…] replied Layla as she turned to look in Lanthios's direction.
[stay out of your business… ugh… children are such a pain! Can't you see I'm only trying to help you! After all what good is a slave in a fight? Could it really be politics causing you to be out here… but who would involve a child in political affairs now…] thought Vynna to herself, as she stared at the mutt coming down to greet a sunstriker like she is the commoner!
[you! youuuuu! Do…. g…]
[what was that Vynna!] yelled Layla with fire butterflies warping the cold air around into steam!
Seeing the warping of the air, Vynna quickly replied:
[I'm sorry Layla, I forgot myself there for a moment! It won't happen again!]
[I better not! Or I'm going to ask the captain for a new watchdog!]
Hearing a Sunstriker call her a watchdog, hurt Vynna deeply but she ignored it the best she could and nodded her head in compliance.
[Good! So… now… where are we going Lanthios!] said Layla excitedly as she hugged him
{we're going to Dawnstar Spire first before the trolls... There is something there, we need to check out first…} replied Lanthios with great thought.
Confused why they were going to the Spire first, raised a question in Vynna's mind prompting her to ask:
[what's so important in that abandon Spire? The only things left there are old constructs that have probably malfunctioned now due to the lack of maintenance and ghosts…]
{umm… I guess there no harm in you knowing} replied Lanthios as he gave a reassuring glimpse at Layla
{to make a long story short were not here just to hunt trolls, no, our main reason for coming down here is because of the task given to us by the magistrate… as he wanted us to investigate the spire for any clues regarding Deatholme.}
[Then why take the captain quest at all? Couldn't you have just gone to the tower?]
{yes… we could have, but the situation with the troll is as you know… is more of a personal matter…}
[personal matter? Is this about…]
{it's about money… we need travel funds…} replied Lanthios cutting in
[travel funds? But you're a sun…]
{sigh, look we would appreciate it if you would not ask any further!} replied Lanthios cutting in again, much to the displeasure of Vynna.
[how dare a slav…]
Those were the last words Vynna slipped from her lips, as a firebug blew past her face, causing her to pause and grit her teeth audibly.
[fine… 'Lanthios' I will not ask further, but remember I'm not under any obligation to protect you… only miss Layla… do we have an understanding!] replied Vynna through sharp teeth.
{crystal clear, miss Vynna... But remember Vynna… I too am under no obligation to protect a watchdog of the enclave…} replied Lanthios with a snarl and a thud to her shoulder as he walked past her.
[I'm no dog!] yelled Vynna with her bow string pulled.
{Ha! We shall see… now, let's get going! Time is short!} replied Lanthios with stern eyes as he watched the guard's station around grip their weapons.
As the two girls watch Lanthios take the lead, Layla made sure to whisper in Vynna's ear a word:
[I've already warned you three times… miss Vynna… I seriously hope I won't have to do it a fourth time!]
[yes, my mistress… it's just how could he be so…]
[Vynna! I'm not asking you to like him, just work with him! Remember he belongs to me and I would prefer it if you would please treat him as you do me!]
[I… Understand] replied Vynna shaking in annoyance as she walked ahead of Lanthios.
[sigh, this stupid bitch! If it didn't make me look bad or weak, I would have already asked for a replacement! If only I wasn't so powerless…] thought Layla to herself.
With the enclave behind them, the three arrived at the Spire just in time, to see the dawning of the sunlight embracing the crystal-embedded tower walls, and the gorgeous robotic constructs moving in and about the tower as if they were still aware of their purpose.
But they weren't the only ones in the area! For a group of trolls found themselves being slaughtered by old constructs! Seeing the group of trolls fighting the constructs, causes Lanthios to pause and say through whispers:
{why would a group of trolls be here? Don't they know this place has long since been abandoned?}
[umm… I think I may have a reason…] said Vynna interjecting
{oh! And what is your reasoning?} replied Lanthios
[well... These trolls appear to be quite young… I think they were here to prove their strength or maybe just to play.]
[play? Troll risk their lives just to play?] replied Layla confused
[umm… I think you're under a preconception about trolls… remember trolls have a very sturdy body, they can regen from almost any injury but burns and instant death! So, to them, these injuries they are receiving from these slow constructs are but simple broken bones!
That being said, I don't see why there are a few dead ones in the mix, but there could be a power display going on in the background between the trolls themselves… it's hard to say…] replied Vynna
{well, either way, it doesn't matter! Now is the perfect chance to rank in some heads!} replied Lanthios with a drooling grin
[hold up, mu… I mean Lanthios… shouldn't we use this chance to sneak into the spire instead? I mean they are keeping all the construct busy for us…]
{normally I would agree with you Miss Watch… I mean miss Vynna, but I would rather not fight both troll and construct as we make our escape from the tower! Instead, I would rather make use of a surprise attack! Layla! You know what to do!} replied Lanthios with a smile.
As the young trolls felt their sweat, from their game… another felt the blood on his axe and smiled as he pulled it from between the shoulder blades of his former 'friend'! With a hearty laugh, the troll used that very same axe and broke a core piece from a construct!
As the construct fell to lifeless rock, the troll lifted up his axe and cheered to his patriots, only to be shocked by an arrow entering the skull of a friend! With his death, another burst into flames! As she was surrounded by butterflies made out of fire!
Her tormented screams caused him to lower his axe, as he looked up to a gnoll that normally should be slaving away in the mines! Enraged at the death of his friends, the troll screamed as a construct behind him suddenly whacked him from the side! Sending him tumbling across the rocky floor, opening up wounds along the way!
With gashing wounds and a spinning head, the troll stumbled to his knees, as a lightning bolt came! With convulsion, the troll youth continued to scream from the pain as a flame shock and a nature one, imprinted themselves onto his bare chest!
With blood escaping his mouth, the young troll popped the veins on his face as he forced himself to strike down with his axe! But with the numbing of the lighting, his reflexes were slowed! Allowing, Lanthios to slice off an arm and parts of his lungs!
With stumbles and bitter breaths, the troll youth could do nothing as Lanthios latched onto him and tore his throat out with his teeth! Tumbling over, the last thing the troll saw was a gnoll spitting out his neck flesh with the words:
{disgusting}
Seeing the young troll convulsion on the floor as blood poured from his open neck, Lanthios yelled to Layla:
{Layla! make sure you burn this one! I don't want any lose ends coming back to bite us…}
But even though Lanthios yelled those words, Layla did not reply as she was busy fighting off constructs that now were focusing on them!
Wondering why she was taking so long to destroy a some what functioning bots, Lanthios ignored the troll corpse and joined in on the fight and quickly noticed why Layla was taking forever to kill these constructs! For they had high magic resist!
By the time they finally finished off, all the constructs, he had long forgotten about the dead trolls and rushed inside the Spire with the girls to find a dusty journal!