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Lightdragon
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Bài gửiTiêu đề: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:42 am

Of
the Glories of War




Chapter 1

The first wave of soldiers was cresting the hills and Rylai had the honor of
being among them. When the call had gone out for heroes everywhere to come
defend the World Tree from the Scourge, Rylai had jumped at the opportunity to
do some good in the world. This, finally, was a chance to be a hero, to combat
among valiant friends against an evil which, she had been assured, would earn
her great glory. This would be a glorious war, and she, Rylai Crestfall, would
be able to tell her grandchildren how she had been at the forefront of the epic
struggle of good against evil.

Though one of the most powerful spellcasters in the world, the self-styled
Crystal Maiden had never actually been involved in battle before. For that
reason she had been placed with a more experienced commander, the famed Lina
Inverse.

Rylai glanced uncertainly at her companion, who had not proven very talkative.

"So, we're fighting animated ghouls and necromancers?" questioned
Rylai, "When we fight shall I run behind the druids to shoot my spells at
them?"

Lina looked with contempt at her partner, "We're not fighting mere
soldiers here, girl; the Scourge has sent its most powerful champions to defend
its cause. Nightmarish abominations which will take certain pleasure in
inflicting the most horrible tortures on you and will certainly take no pity on
you, no matter your innocence."

Not so innocent, Rylai thought, as she looked at the soldier who was coming
their way. She found herself smoothening her skirt as he arrived.

"We've found a defensible position, commanders, and recommend fortifying
ourselves there. We're still close enough to the outpost to retreat there if
need be and..."

"Place your soldiers in position then," Lina cut him off, “make sure
you've got someone protecting the girl here during the battle.”

"Why are you so harsh to everyone?" Rylai asked, frustrated,
"I'm not a girl, I'm a warrior like you, and just because you..."

"This isn't a fairy tale, girl, this is a battlefield," Lina interrupted,
"I won't hold your hand for every spell you wish to cast, so you better
accept that, or go back to your dolls."

Rylai was storming off to the side of the marching soldiers when a monster, all
gnashing teeth and claws thrust out of the underbrush and into Rylai. The
Crystal Maiden screamed and was knocked over, when a fireball incinerated the
creature to ashes. The only person who looked at Rylai was Lina, who spared her
a contemptuous glance as she gave orders to the surprised soldiers.

***

"And did you see the look on the sorceress when they gave her that girl to
watch over?" Rhasta was laughing as he related the day's gossip to his
friend.

"Well who else were they going to entrust her to, that devil spirit?"
his companion shot back.

"Hey, the night elf's not so bad. Course, she's a little creepy but that
doesn't mean..." Rhasta mused.

"If you don't know whether someone's dead or alive, I suggest you stay
away from her. Especially if she's an elf." Raigor did not like devil
spirits and Raigor did not like elves. Raigor certainly did not like devil
spirits that were elves.

"How about the girl? She's pretty nice, you know especialy for a..."
Rhasta was not to be deterred from adressing the attractiveness of his fellow
commanders.

"She's not tauren," Raigor grunted, amused by his friend's interests.

Rhasta continued to babble until they reached the top of the hill. What
stretched below was an expanse of dead trees and corrupted ground which
enfuriated Raigor more than anything else. What set his warrior's heart racing,
though, was the column of figures which could be made out traveling the road
carved out in the forest. Quickly, Raigor assumed control of the situation,
ordering the soldiers into defensive positions on the hill.

It wasn't until a few hours later that the first onslought of ghouls came
charging up the hill, bloodcurdling battlecries emanating from their mouths.
Behind them came men in masks, which Raigor had heard tell of as necromancers.
As soldiers and walking horrors met in bloody combat, Raigor charged to the
center of the melee, slamming his totem down and causing a shockwave of
destruction as the might of the champion of Clan Stonehoof was channeled into
that which he was most in tune with, the utter destruction of his enemies.

It wasn't until after the carnage was over, as Raigor sidestepped a necromancer
with one of Rhasta's glaives in his throat, that Raigor realized what had been
missing.

Where were the much vaunted about Scourge heroes which soldiers talked about in
whispers around campfires and then laughed at under shining daylight?

***

The young druid trotted to keep pace with his commander. His name was Lial, he
had told her, and this was his second venture into Scourge territory. He had
served under the command of the Keeper of the Light, he had told her, as if
that would impress her.

The truth was, Shandelzare simply did not care about his petty problems or
stories. Why did he keep bothering her, when she so obviously payed no
attention to anything he said?

"...and that's when I decided that I didn't fight because I was payed too,
or for dreams of glory. We're fighting for good, and that's what's worth dying
for, you know? The World Tree is the..."

"Do you even know what we're fighting?" Shandelzare suddenly interrupted,
annoyed at this young elf's persistence.

"Well, the veterans of the last raids say that there have been people
disappearing. There's something out there, that kills. It's relentless and
noone knows what it is, but it's out there, and some of the patrols have
disappeared; patrols which...."

"That's right, there's something out there, something hidden, and you
won't know its near you until you feel its dagger, buried in your back, and
then you'll hear it laugh, a cold sound; that's when you'll fall, and beg for
mercy, even as you know that the poison that runs through your veins has
already killed you."

"Well, that's a bit graphic, but it seems to fit with what some of the
others said about..."

"No, this is a different evil. This evil has a name."

"What name?"

"Mortred."

"How do you know?"

"I know," Shandelzare looked past Lial as she said this, into the
shadows of the forest, "She's here. I can feel her."



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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:46 am

Chapter 2

This was the third day of fighting, and soon it would be night, by the looks of
it. Rylai felt bone-weary as she gazed down sadly at another soldier dead. How
young he was, too young to die...

"Come take a look at this, Rylai," the sergeant sounded puzzled,
"this is one of our men, but look at the arrows next to him."

“Burning arrows,” the young witch was puzzled, “What kind of Scourge creature
shoots burning arrows?”

“I don't know, but the commander better know about this,” the footman picked
out the remnants of the burnt arrows.

"You're right, Marc," the Crystal Maiden answered him, "I'll go
tell Lina about this."

"I'll tell her myself," Marc sounded remorseful, "She asked me
to attend on her."

"What?" Rylai Crestfall couldn't believe her ears, "I'll
definitely go talk to her!"

As she stomped to the self-styled "Slayer's" tent she reviewed what
to say. Lina's scandalous behavior was now as well-known in the camp as her
brutality. She had showed mercy towards neither enemies nor comrades. When men
said Lina ate her wounded, they were only half-joking.

Shoving open the tent flap, Rylai found she was almost shouting at her comrade,
"What is this I hear about you summoning Marc?"

"What's this girl, have you already found the man of your dreams?"
Lina didn't even look up, too busy polishing her scepter was she.

Rylai blushed in spite of her best efforts, "What Marc and I have in
common is..."

"Listen, princess, I'm not here to listen to your temper tantrums, as your
superior in every way, you will now treat me as such,"now Lina was
standing up and her eyes blazed as she spoke.

Rylai assumed the tone her mentor had used when he was furious. Her voice was
brittle ice as she said, "And you, sorceress, would do well to treat me
with a little respect. Too long has your tyranny gone uncontested, now you will
treat me as an equal not a..."

Without a word the Slayer produced her scepter and shot it at the Crystal
Maiden. Reduced to a frog, Rylai could do nothing but watch with growing horror
as the Slayer picked her up with a burning hand.

“At dawn, your lover will be sent with the first wave of scouts to find the
enemy and if possible engage them. If he survives, take that as a lesson. If he
does not, then...” Lina's lips quirked in a cruel smile.

Why? Was all that Rylai could think of as despair washed over here. This
wasn't discipline, this was murder! Lina was willing to kill to make a point!


“We all have to make sacrifices in war, princess. Hopefully, your temper will
be one of those.” Lina released the frog, and Rylai Crestfall the Crystal
Maiden, powerless and despairing, fled the tent.

***

Pure terror overwhelmed Raigor, the mighty Earthshaker. He was a warrior, and a
warrior knows no fear, not of death nor enemies but now, no training or
experience could save Raigor. Where was Rhasta, where were the others?

Dead or fleeing was the most probable answer. For three days Raigor and Rhasta
had led their expedition deeper and deeper into enemy territory, dispatching
the few ghouls and necromancers sent to fight them. The werewolves and vampires
the men had feared had not shown their faces as cold steel hacked apart old
bones and teeth for three days and nights.

Until now. Raigor did not know what monster was back there, what horror could
have killed off the human soldiers with such ease. The Lich King truly did rule
the night.

Where was Rhasta? He had abandoned Raigor, years of friendship thrown aside to
save his own worthless skin. No, that was not true, they had all run when the
thing had come, tearing apart the tents to destroy all life it met. In the
confusion, Rhasta must have done what everyone else, including Raigor, had
done: run for their life.

Moonlight brushed down past the true, and a scream rent the air. There was
something behind him, and that something was feeding.

It was hunting him. Raigor could feel it. Whatever was back there was hunting
him, and taking pleasure in the hunt too. Raigor ran faster, tearing through
the forest.

A shape lurched behind Raigor at an incredible speed, leaping on the tauren's
back. Sharp claws dug into the Earthshaker's skin, and then suddenly let go.
The thing fell back into the shadows of the haunted forest and skeleton trees.

Run, run! The tauren's thoughts were consumed by animal terror, there
was nothing to do but run, run! Run as far away from the creature as possible,
never stopping!

I am a warrior! I must stand my ground! Raigor fought to reassert
control over his terrorized mind.

Raigor turned as the monster crashed through the dead vegetation. The tauren
swung his totem forward, but fear overran his defences. Paralyzed by abject
horror, the Earthshaker missed completely and felt the demon's claws dig into
his stomach. There was no escape, he was going to die here!

With an animal cry of terror, the tauren turned to run again, hearing nothing
but the cackle of whatever demon hunted him.

After what seemed like days of running, running, running, the tauren slowed
down. He was dying, he knew it, soon, soon death would come to take him. Why
was it still night, was the world trapped in a neverending night?

A light, look it was death. A white tauren, calm and peaceful, awaited him,
swinging the lantern with which he guarded the gates of the underworld.

Raigor stumbled to the gatekeeper. A white tauren's face, how long had it been
since he had seen another tauren? How long since he had seen anything but the
shadow, the shadow of the nightmare which had killed him.

“You are dying, Raigor Stonehoof” announced the white tauren. Such a calm and
peaceful face it had. The face of death. “Who killed you?”

The night, Raigor thought wildly. The Lich King. Rhasta. Everyone. And you,
Death.

“No, it was your friends who killed you, Raigor, when they left you to die
alone.”

He was right. They had all left me, they had left me to die to the demon,
offered me to save their own worthless hides
!

“Are you ready to die, Raigor, mighty warrior of the Stonehoof clan?” The white
tauren was sad. Death does not want me to die.

I don't either, the warrior thought. They left me, left me to die,
but I won't. I want to live! I want to take vengeance! I don't want to die
tonight, it's so dark, so cold
.

“No” the Earthshaker summoned his last bit of strength for that.

“Then take my hand, Raigor” Death stretched out its hand to Raigor Stonehoof.

***

Night had overtaken Shandelzare and the warriors too soon. Mortred, that fiend
had led the night attack. Shandelzare however, had fought back with
single-minded hate and determination and she and her soldiers had repelled the
attack. Mortred had fled but the vengeful spirit was not content to leave it
there.

Mortred had fled. That was all that mattered. Mortred still lived, and so
Shandelzare had given chase. She had left the soldiers back at their base, what
did she care about them, and had started the hunt as soon as she realized
Mortred was running. She could sense her, always she could sense her. The fact
that Mortred lived fed her hatred and her hatred fueled her strength. Hate for
Mortred. Mortred would die.

The young druid had followed her. She did not know why, but he had caught up to
her and insisted he come with her.

“We have to stop” he panted between breaths. “You'll run yourself to death.”

Death means nothing. Only Mortred matters, Shandelzare realized she had s
aid this aloud.

“We have to stop now. We'll sleep here, and then wake up at dawn to go after
Mortred. She has to stop too you know.”

No, she'll never stop. She'll spread her evil everywhere, and continue killing
and murdering until I kill her. Reluctantly, Shandelzare accepted Lial's
suggestion.

As they ate the meager food Lial had thought to bring with him, he suddenly
asked, “Why are you so determined to kill her?”

“She killed me,” Shandelzare replied. The druid already knew that. Everyone
did.

“That doesn't explain it. This goes beyond vengeance, you're willing to kill
yourself to kill her.”

“I made a vow to Elune. I have only one reason to live, and that is to kill
Mortred.”

“So what will you do after you kill her?”

Shandelzare shrugged. She had never thought about that, and neither did she
care. She could think about that later, after Mortred was dead.

“I don't want you to die” the young druid said after a moment of silence.
Neither of them talked as they lay down to sleep.



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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:48 am

Chapter 3

Rylai was back at camp, though she had lost a part of herself since she was
told that Marc Silversprings, sergeant in the human branch of the Sentinel
army, had died valiantly on a reconaissance mission. Nothing more could be said
about his death except for “twisted magic suspected as cause of death”.

Rylai had lost a lot of the cheerfulness and vigour she had exhibited the last
time she had been in camp. She no longer responded to the greetings of Sena or
Beazel, and brushed past the soldiers carelessly.

Lina was dead, slain in action by some skeleton horror shooting fire. Burning
arrows, Rylai thought grimly. She had forgotten to tell Lina about the burning
arrows. How ironic. Marc would think it was funny if he was still alive.

As Rylai made her way back to her room she thought about what she had gotten
into. Where was the glory, the honor which she had come for? What had happened
to the epic battles she had dreamed about, where were the valiant knights that
should be fighting by her side?

Opening the door, the Crystal Maiden sensed something was amiss in her room. It
wasn't until she had closed the door, however, that she noticed the demon
perched on her bed.

Summoning her magic to freeze the demon, Rylai did not notice that the succubus
did not budge a finger as Rylai let loose her a devastating freezing spell
against the enemy.

The succubus disappeared.

“Now that I hope you're done with that, we can maybe have a civilized
discussion without resorting to encasing me in a block of ice” a voice coolly
interrupted. The succubus sat with its arms crossed near the window.

“I just killed you demon!” Rylai then noticed the axe right next to the
succubus. My Manta Style! It was of course, ridiculous to get angry at a demon
for petty theft, Rylai reminded herself. “What do you want demon?”

“Well for one, you could stop calling me demon, honey.” The succubus was almost
purring as it said this, with an oddly feminine voice, “You can call me
Akasha.”

“Akasha, that is an elvish name, not fit for a demon like you!” Rylai readied
another spell in case the succubus attacked.

“I was once an elf, human, and you cannot imagine how much it hurts to be
considered demon now,” the thing called Akasha sounded genuinely remorseful,
“When the Lich King took my spirit, that was a more horrible torture than any
you could imagine.”

“You seek to sway me with honeyed words, demon, but I won't fall for them. The
Lich King's lies will do you no good before my magic!” What does this thing
want from me?


“I...no longer serve the Lich King, Rylai. I managed to...sever the connection
between us and I went to the only place I could go...here” Akasha seemed to be
crying, though the strange sounds the succubus emitted were hard enough to
interpret.

“Go on” Rylai was curious to find out this pathetic creature's story.

“As a night elf, I had to come here, but I knew that my own people would kill
me on sight, so I came to you, Crystal Maiden.”

“Why me, and how do you know who I am?”

“There was a soldier named Marc. He was captured and...tortured. He talked
about you. It was later, when I broke free from Ner'zhul's control that I
decided to come to you.”

“Why?”

“You are not like the others here. You have not learned yet about the
Sentinel's dark secrets.”

“Still you lie, demon.”

“I speak the truth, there is nothing else left to me.”

“What secrets do you speak of?”

“The Lich King is trying to destroy the World Tree. If he does so, this entire
world will cease to exist. He must be stopped. The Sentinel however, are
willing to sacrifice everything to stop him.”

“It is war” How hollow that sounds. That is what Lina would have said.

“The Sentinel are summoning a being of massive evil. A secret weapon which
though they do not know it, will turn on them, and destroy our world.”

“Find a better lie demon, this one's not working.”

“Do you not see, you are the one surrounded by lies? Everyone lies to you,
manipulates you, controls you. You are nothing but a fighter, expendable in the
name of victory. A victory which comes at any cost, even if it means abandoning
the ideals you fight for...”

“You lie, Akasha, you lie!”

“...Still you are shuttled between others, like a dangerous dog, to be
controlled and aimed towards the enemy, but always watched, to make certain
that you do not stray from the task you were given, the task of killing.”

“What we are fighting for is the security of our world!”

“Then fight for it! Find the demon in your midst and destroy it before it
destroys you!”

“There is only one demon here and it is you!” Now Rylai was really ready to
kill the creature and end this farce.

“Please, you must believe me!” Akasha the once-elf was sobbing, “There is a
creature in these dungeons, a creature that is the embodiment of hatred. The
Sentinel think they can control it, but they can't. If they let it loose it
will grow until it destroys this world to satiate its hunger. You must stop it,
for us all.”

***

Where am I? Raigor had no recollection of what had happened after the
white tauren had taken his hand. Am I dead?

“Hello Raigor. You are alive.” It was the white tauren again. With light
shining down through the windows he did not seem like death anymore.

“The demon! I felt it...it killed me!” Who was this mysterious tauren and what
did he want with Raigor? What had happened that night?

“No, it never killed you. You thought it killed you, but it did not.”

“But I was so sure!”

“Yes, Balanar likes to play his little mind games like that.”

“Bala...what?”

Raigor looked around the room. He was in a bed, a plain bed like the humans had
in their cottages. Around him was a plain room, which had once seen a different
function. This had once been a cottage, but now it seemed just like one of the
rooms in the officers' barracks. Light shone through the windows.

“I am Barathrum and I have saved you from death.”

Raigor looked at the white tauren. Barathrum was really quite young, not at all
like the ancient white tauren who acted as the messenger of death. By day,
Raigor could not understand how he could have mistaken Barathrum for Death.

“We found this item in the woods. We thought it might belong to you.” Barathrum
grabbed a necklace from a nearby desk. A glowing jewel in the center seemed to
hum imperciptibly.

My Mekansm pendant! “Where did you get this?”

“We cornered a troll who dropped this. It hexed a hunter and then shot
lightning at the others, killing them. Then it escaped. We thought that maybe
the pendant might be yours, seeing as the troll did not seem very familiar with
its use.”

Bullocks. Rhasta has seen me use it a hundred times. In the confusion of the
night attack he must have seized it and made off with it. Oh, the cur!


“It is yours then, Earthshaker?”

Raigor grabbed the pendant and put it around his neck. Friend, he called me,
but the whole time he deceived me, the whole time he called me that to gain my
trust, to betray me!


“Your friends abandoned you, Raigor. Now there is only one path left.”

Vengeance. Raigor felt the rage building in his heart.

“There is only one being that can help you avenge your honor and betrayal.”

“Who?”

“The Lich King.”

What? Was this the choice he had to make? “I will die before I give my life to
Nerzhul.”

“Your life is no longer yours to give, Raigor. You accepted the pact when you
gave me your hand, Earthshaker.”

“I won't fight for evil.”

“Then go, Raigor, if that is how you think. Sometimes, you must choose between
two evils. In this case, the Scourge is the lesser evil, but you have already
made your mind. But before you leave, take this gift from me.” Barathrum took a
helmet from a table. The helmet glowed blue and delicately carved runes were
inscribed on the outside. The helmet radiated magic.

Raigor looked suspiciously at it.

“Take it, to remember the last of Spirithoof Clan.”

That was too much for Raigor. That demand was one of the most powerful things a
tauren could say. Raigor accepted the helmet and placed it on his head. Slowly,
he turned and walked out the door.

Outside the Scourge was waiting for him. Ghouls and necromancers turned their
heads to look at him, surprised by his unexpected sortie. What really caught
the tauren's attention however, was the demon standing in the middle of this
nightmarish tableau, staring curiously and with growing recognition at the
Earthshaker. A demon who's shadow had haunted Raigor and driven him to forswear
his oath of allegiance.

Raigor felt hate rushing through his blood. Whether it was the sight of the
demon, or the helmet on his head, or everything that he had gone through,
Raigor saw only one way out. To kill the demon for what he had done to him.

Power rushed through the tauren warrior's arms and his enchanted totem was
raised high, crashing into the stunned demon's chest. At this outrage the
Scourge took possession of their senses and rallied, attacking with fierce
cries, but Raigor didn't care. This, this was battle, and a furious lust for
blood dominated the Earthshaker's mind. With a savage blow, he knocked the
demon to the ground.

“Not so strong without the night to hide behind, are you?” Raigor laughed, a
harsh, terrifying laugh.

Finish him off! Was that Barathrum talking to Raigor, or his own
conscience? Was it the Lich King or some other being communicating through some
arcane curse?

Raigor didn't care and laughed again as he smashed his totem into the ground
with such force that the very earth cracked around him, sending shockwaves into
the milling masses of screaming monsters around him. The Earthshaker raised his
totem one final time and brought it crashing down on the demon's face.

Are you mine, Raigor?

I am yours, Nerzhul.

***
Shandelzare floated in the dream world, far, far from the mortal vessel she
inhabited by day. Elune, give me guidance! What must I do?

Since Elune, the most blessed goddess of the moon, had granted her back a body
she had thought only of one thing, lived for only one purpose. Until now.

In a matter of days the druid had succeeded in making her question everything
she lived for. Not only that, but she felt for him what she had only felt
for...

You must find your own path.

With these enigmatic words in her mind, Shandelzare woke to a new day strangely
bereft of the calls of singing birds.

“Ah, you finally wake up, Shandelzare. Of course, you were always a heavy
sleeper, weren't you?” The voice cackled, the same mocking laugh that had
haunted the warden since her rebirth.

Shandelzare turned slowly, as if staving off the moment when she confronted the
inevitable could make it any less true. Her heart raced in her chest.

Mortred sat, with a knife to a terrified Lial's throat. The ex-warden grinned
at Shandelzare, the same grin she had that night, as she plunged her dagger
deeper and deeper...

“I can't say I approve of your new taste in company, Shandelzare. This fellow's
all skinny and weak. Your life's definitely taken a turn to for the worst since
you, err, lost it, eh?” Mortred laughed again, unimaginably amused by her own
wit.

“I will kill you, Mortred!” Shandelzare felt rage coursing through her veins,
yet it was not fury that appeared in her eyes, it was fear and despair.

“What's the matter? You don't like it when I do this?” Mortred pushed Lial's
face further back as she applied pressure to the dagger at his throat.

“I care nothing for the druid, kill him, he has outlived his purpose.” The
tears came unbidden to her eyes, and a tremor shook her voice.

Mortred laughed again. “Maybe I will, eh Shannuck?”

Shandelzare stiffened at the name, all the harsher for the cruel misuse to
which it was being subjected. She felt her hatred welling up and silently
summoned the powers which had been granted to her from beyond the grave.

Mortred was flung back as a mass of raw magic was flung at her, knocking her to
the ground and enveloping her in tendrils of smoky power.

Shandelzare strode forward, flinging more, more of the magic, the power, her
very essence at the hated being writhing on the ground.

Mortred looked up at Shandelzare, a smile forming on her lips. The next second,
she was gone. One moment, she had been there, surrounded by smoke and gleaming
magic, the next, she just disappeared.

Shandelzare cursed to herself. There was nothing now but to continue the chase.

“Much help you were Lial,” the angered elf turned to her partner, “let's go
now.”

It was only then that she noticed the dagger buried in her lover's back.
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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:48 am

Chapter 4

“I am Davion and this is Sven, a new hero to join us.” The knight pointed to
the blue-skinned youngster by his side. “Finally, this is Gondar. He is one of
the mercenaries that are working with us.”

Gondar was a brooding fellow who answered his introduction with a quick grunt
and bow before leaving. An unsavory character, thought Rylai. He had the eyes
of a hardened killer.

Knight Davion was a pleasant fellow, though he had shifty eyes, as if he had a
deep, terrible secret to hide. If Akasha's words were true, he probably did.
Sven on the other hand reminded the Crystal Maiden of herself. He's me
before I met Luna
. Young and filled with dreams of glory and honor. He
carried his great blade as if he had never used it, thought Rylai dryly.

“So, I'm to be your new superior seeing as how the Slayer has regrettably
fallen to the enemy. Her sacrifice will not be forgotten. To Lina Inverse!”

Sven echoed the knight as he raised his cup, “To Lina Inverse”.

Rylai did not touch her goblet as the fighters drank to Lina's sacrifice.
Anyone who had known her would never have mourned her. She wouldn't have
mourned you, anyway.

Davion sat sampling the delicious banquet set out in front of them, to
celebrate the arrival of the new heroes, and the return of the troll Rhasta
from his expedition. Rylai had barely seen the troll, he had spent most of the
day locked in his room and even now sat at the other end of the table, silent
and brooding. Like me. The Crystal Maiden looked at Knight Davion,
forcing herself to listen to whatever he was saying.

“...and we'll have more fighters coming soon from all over the land to fight
for our cause. Sven here swore his entire village was ready to march over to
the Frozen Throne and knock it down unaided, isn't that right? And we have some
of the brightest minds, the best tacticians, the wisest loremasters,
weaponsmiths and wizards all collaborating here to bring us closer to victory.”
Davion's face beamed around him; the fool seemed totally enamored with the
sound of his own voice.

“So Davion, these brilliant minds, do you know what new weapons they may be
constructing for us?” Davion was after all, a high ranking officer in the
Sentinel, it stood to reason he would know about Akasha's dreaded demon.

“We've been experimenting in the dungeons, I won't tell you anymore except that
we're aiming to summon a...” The imbecile realized he had said far too much and
his face contorted as he tried to recall his last words.

“Summon what?”

Davion glared back at her. “Nothing you should preoccupy yourself with, maam.”

“Maybe I should.” Something in Rylai's voice alerted Davion that she was more
than curious.

“If I were you, Miss Crestfall, I would find other things to do, am I
understood? Tomorrow, we're going to march again, so perhaps you should go grab
some sleep while you can.” Davion dismissed her, turning back to talk to Sven,
who seemed to have missed their little confrontation.

Rylai stood up and sped out of the room. Instead of going to her room however,
she marched down the stairs to the dungeons. Farther and farther she went, the
torchlight appearing by irregular intervals and illuminating cold, dreary
corridors. Chains hung from some of the walls, but all the cells were empty. We
don't seem to take many prisoners.

There, the last cell seemed to be strangely lighted. Strange magic seemed to be
emanating from it, Rylai could feel its tug on her own magic. She walked over
and yanked the door open.

A strange being stood in front of a portal, pulsing magic which seemed to
reflect the strange color of the creature. Near the portal stood some bent elf,
digging into a stack of scrolls. The elf straightened as he noticed the Crystal
Maiden.

“Hey, what are you doing here? This is a private space and...” The elf never
finished his sentence as the creature, whatever it was, simply turned and
consumed the unfortunate man. There was no other word, as magic covered the
elf, cutting off its movement and voice, crawling into its nose and mouth and
eyes, until it consumed it entirely. Nothing remained when it was done; the elf
had been totally obliterated.

“I'm here to kill you demon,” the words seemed to give Rylai strength, though
she felt a deep uneasiness as she stared at the creature. It looked back at her
with dead eyes, curiosity and hunger etched in what she guessed to be its face.

Without a sound, the creature slid over to her and attacked. The magic that had
eerily lighted the room disappeared and all Rylai saw was darkness. She felt
the demon, she felt its hate, she felt its anger, its fury concentrated on her.
She felt the hate, pouring into her body, she could do nothing, not against
such a creature, it was so evil, it hated so much, it felt like she would die
from the hate.

The pulse of magic awakened her from her torment, she felt the magic trying to
consume her. No, she was stronger than this, she would survive! She raised her
staff, not knowing where to aim, not knowing where the hate came from, just
expelling her magic at the room. The hate redoubled, she must have hit
something, she raised her staff again, and the world broke apart.

She felt the room, the room was no longer there, or was it? There was no wind,
no sound, nothing but she felt it tearing at the very fabric of the world. She
felt pulled, pulled like no mortal could ever hope to pull, attracted to
whatever the demon had summoned. The door hit her on the back and then flew
forward, and she felt countless other objects, creatures, rats flying through
the air at the source of the hate, the evil. Was it the creature doing this or
something else?

She couldn't think straight, her magic couldn't protect her, the pull pulled
even harder and her feet grinded against the ground as she called on her magic
to resist, resist! It tore at her, tore at her clothes, her body, everything.
No! She thought. She concentrated, if she was going to die, she would not die
like this. Not even knowing what it was that killed her. Not suffocated,
constricted, annihilated like the elf. She felt her control over her own magic
slipping.

She channeled all of her anger, her despair, her power into raw magic which she
pushed, shoved at the room. She couldn't control it, it didn't matter, she was
dying anyway. Around her ice exploded everywhere, pure power let loose to
destroy. Still she was dying, the thing was closer, it drew her in and no
amount of magic could save her. She felt the darkness close in.

***

Raigor ran, Barathrum at his side, taking pleasure in the wind spurring him
along. It was almost like he was back home, and Barathrum his little brother,
galloping through the plains as tauren do. Now Barathrum was his brother, his
adopted relative, not only his savior but also his friend.

Barathrum too, regarded him as a brother, Raigor realized. The spiritbreaker
was a shy creature, and Raigor didn't know how long it had been since he had
greeted another tauren. Now he was his only friend, and one which the earthshaker
knew would never betray him, no matter how pressed.

Unlike some. This cold thought brought the sprinting tauren back to
reality. The two were off on a mission for Ner'zhul, to seek the smuggler
Leragas the Vile, and to obtain an enchanted item. After having made his
personal pact with the Lich King, an envoy had been dispatched to give the
tauren their directions. Mercifully, the messenger had been an elf, Raigor did
not know how he we would have reacted facing another demon or ghoul.

“So Barathrum, why did you join the Lich King?” Raigor had been wondering about
that since the white tauren had first revealed his allegiance to him, and had
finally mustered the courage to ask.

The spiritbreaker slowed down as he ran, a sad look crossing his face. “Once, I
was part of the Spirithoof clan, but the clan was distrustful of planeswalkers
and eventually I left them to find my own way in life. I always loved them
though, even after what they had done to me, but when I came back to them, I
found the entire clan dead. That was the saddest moment of my life.”

Raigor held his tongue, he had heard rumors of the massacre of the Spirithoof
clan but now was not the time to open the wound further.

“I retreated to the ethereal plane, where I became something less than tauren.
I did abominable things, but the Lich King found me and saved me. He promised
me a new life, a new family, a new chance to redeem myself. After that I became
his personal assassin, adopting my savior's enemies as my own out of the great
love I hold for him. Then I met you, Raigor, a tauren on the other side of the
battlefield.”

“Yes, and showed me the treachery of my comrades. Here in the Scourge, there is
no backstabbing, no deceit, none of the things which Night Elf lies assured us
existed here.”

“Night elves!” Barathrum's face contorted in rage. “There is nothing lower or
more base than night elves, scheming cowards, hiding behind the protection of
their dupes and collaborators.”

Though he did not share his friend's fiery hatred for the elves, Raigor did
recognize his accusations. It was perfectly possible in fact, that Rhasta had
not acted on his own, that the elves themselves were responsible for his
backstabbing.

“This is the place,” Barathrum nodded and slowed to a walk as he reached a particular
tree, obviously noticing there some particular symbol which marked it as the
entrance to the smuggler's domain.

“Welcome,” an enthusiastic though shrill voice greeted them, “How may I be of
service.”

Raigor turned to look at the salesman, a hooded, stooped figure cloaked in
tattered robes which had obviously seen much wear.

“The Lich King has sent us to assemble a soul gem.” Barathrum was not
comfortable around this figure, though if the human noticed it, he ignored it.

“My life for Ner'zhul” he intoned, “let me show you my wares. Follow me, and
don't stomp too hard.”

Raigor followed his example as Leragas walked further into the trees until he
reached one which he greeted with a satisfied nod.

“Ah, my humble shop,” the smuggler grinned as he seized a branch and pulled it,
opening a secret cache filled with weapons, gems, and scepters. Leragas
explained the value of each item as he took hold of it and held it up for
inspection. “This here is Messerchmidt's Reaver, the famous axe wielded by the ogre
general of the same name, this bow, Eaglehorn, is a relic picked up from the
ruins of Quel'thalas, enchanted with powerful magic. This massive sword is
Demon Edge, one of the artifacts left behind by the Burning Legion, who knows
what powerful sorcery flows through this steel?”

“Well we have here a scroll for the...”

“Yes, a soul booster, I know. It's a dragon's soul, you know? Very powerful
stuff, though the dragons don't suffer you to gladly wear it. Be careful, as
there are more than a few in these woods.”

“We know. We've got the gold here for you, three and a half thousand pieces. Is
that enough?”

“Enough to make me happy. Now, for our master I have here the pieces to
complete your recipe. This is a gold dragon's heart, and not just any gold dragon
but that of An'arajek, the desert king. This is an enchanted gem, purposed to
grant immortality to the Chosen Ones, to this poor heart, it might simply give
it rebirth. And finally, orb, an artifact of the Kelani Magi, and whose magical
energies are necessary to bind the gem and the heart. Would you have me
assemble the gem personally or give you the parts to reconstruct later?”

“Make the gem and give it to us.”

“Not very talkative are you? Well, give me a day to work my magic and it'll be
ready tomorrow. I'll accept your gold up front, and as a token of my good faith
I give you this scroll, to speed your way back to my welcome abode.”

With this rapidly uttered parole, the mage smuggler closed his secret vault and
disappeared into the forest, leaving the two tauren behind to glance at each
other uneasily.

Raigor was the first to break the silence. “You think he'll do it?”

Barathrum answered reluctantly. “It wouldn't be like him to scam us. Anyways,
he wouldn't dare cross the Lich King; that vile peddler knows a lot more than
he lets on.”

The two tauren turned to walk off, where they had come from, back to the
Scourge base for their new assignment.

As Raigor looked at his companion, he realized Barathrum really was a lot like
his little brother.

“Barathrum?”

“Yes?”

“When all this is over, I'd like you to see my home. My family, my chieftain,
the spirit walker, would gladly accept you into the clan.”

“Thank you Raigor.”



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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:49 am

Chapter 5

Shandelzare ran through the haunted forest, the devastated specter of what had
once been a rich, living jungle. Behind her, terror chased her.

Somehow, the chase had gone wrong. Somewhere, the hunter had become the hunted
as a new evil had entered the game. An ancient evil, this one, toying with its
prey. Fear, that old friend, that old lover, once again surged through the
warden's veins, an emotion unfelt since her death.

She was haunted, haunted by the specter of her past, by the fear of the
present, by lovers, dead and living, by vengeance, by hatred and by broken oaths.
It seemed she had been running for an eternity, always running, but soon, soon
she would no longer have to.

It would seem that before she died, Shandelzare would be made to feel again.
First had come love, and now terror. Death would come soon, but this time,
there would be no second chance.

I don't need a second chance. Shandelzare realized. The need to kill
Mortred was gone, somewhere along this futile chase she had lost it. All that
was left was regret, regret for this absurd, accursed life.

Shandelzare slowed as she ran into the clearing, the ominously silent forest a
pale reflection of the resignation that entered the warden's heart. She knew
death waited here, but she walked to greet it regardless.

Mortred smiled from the other end of the clearing, glad to finally end the
chase.

There was no use for resistance, the end was preordained. Already gone from
this world, Shandelzare's vision grew fainter as her spirit fled her body.
Dimly, she felt a dark presence appearing behind her.

Elune, I come.

No, child, you gave me a promise. I deny you entrance to my realm. You owe
me a death.


With a shock, Shandelzare's spirit was thrust back into her body. She looked
across the clearing at the dark figure and realized she was looking at herself.
But that wasn't her spirit floating away, those were Mortred's sightless eyes
gazing lifelessly at her. Behind her the dark figure looked up at her, red eyes
glaring balefully.

Shandelzare felt demented laughter bubbling inside her. The entire farce seemed
absurdly hilarious to her. Vengeance has claimed the wrong victim.

Again, Shandelzare's view of life disappeared as her spirit rose one last time.

May I come, goddess?

You may enter, Shandelzare. Your oath is fulfilled.

Peace at last.

***

Raigor and Barathrum charged into the melee, weapons flailing left and right as
they devastated the enemy lines. Through the hazy sounds of battle Raigor
detected a familiar voice. His brow furrowed as the battle madness cleared from
his eyes and his sight focused on the troll standing on the hill giving orders.

“RHASTA!”

The troll turned, surprised, to look into the eyes of a charging, maddened
tauren.

“Raigor! What are you doing? You are mad, to be with the enemy!”

“You brought me here, vermin, with your spineless backstabbing!”

The troll blinked in consternation. “What? I did nothing! We thought you were
dead, I even led the search party for you.”

“You scum, you turned your back on me when I needed you. You stole my life and
my honor. For that, you will die, traitor.”

Tears trickled down the troll's eyes as he saw what his friend had become.
“That night, everybody ran. There was only fear, and the need for survival. I
swear to you, Raigor, I would never have betrayed you but that night, I
abandoned everything I ever stood to defend, we all did! But, my friend, you
have turned to evil, and its lies are poison in your ears.”

The earthshaker's heart hardened as he prepared to do his duty. “No troll, it
is your lies who are poison in my ears. Now you will die.”

The troll dropped his head in resignation, then suddenly jerked it up in
defiance. “Then my friend, as you kill me, ask yourself why I do not fight
back. You know the answer Raigor, you knew it all along.”

The tears kept falling long after Rhasta's corpse stopped twitching on the
ground.



Hours later, Raigor confronted Barathrum.

“Barathrum, who destroyed the Spirithoof clan?”

The spiritbreaker looked up, confused and caught off guard. “ Why, the night
elves of course. The Lich King told me...”

“The Lich King lied. It was no more night elves that slew your people than it
was Rhasta who betrayed me. I'll tell you who massacred the Spirithoof. It was
a raiding party, a group of skeletons led by a deathknight.”

“The Lich King...”

“Yes, the Lich King.”

As he stared at his only ally, Barathrum's eyes burned with rage and hatred.




The tauren charged into the masses of bewildered ghouls and necromancers. The
lich, taken aback, did not respond as two fighters threw aside their opponents
like dolls. The tauren lay left and right with mighty blows and hits, ignoring
the damage dealt back to them.

Like two great beasts, overrun by swarms of insectlike ghouls and skeletons,
the warriors roared out their fury and pain to the uncaring sky.

One final thought flitted through Raigor's head before he died, I wish I
could have shown Barathrum my home.


***

Dully, Rylai heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. Uncaring, she raised
her head to look into the eyes of Gondar.

“I have to kill you now, girl. You've become a threat to the Sentinel and you
must be put down.”

The bounty hunter raised his blade, the Crystal Maiden not even flinching at
the cold steel bared. Then the dranei's eyes widened as he dropped to the
floor, barely struggling against the dagger planted firmly in his back. For a
second, Rylai thought she saw Akasha's face, grinning at her from beyond.

More steps sounded, loud clanging steps heralding the arrival of soldiers.
Their bootsteps echoed through the dungeon, but still the Crystal Maiden did not
budge.

Vaguely, she noticed Davion and Sven and others crowding around her, their eyes
uneasily glancing at Gondar's body to the side. They assured her that it was
all right, that the bounty hunter had acted on his own, that she had done the
right thing by killing the demon. Lies, anything to cover their own failure.
Soon, they said, she would be put back into the field, with her own command,
wasn't that what she had always wanted, and did she need any medical attention.

She laughed, laughed at the absurdity of life, at these so-called heroes
crowding around her, at her own failure.

Heroes, let the heroes go seek their glory on the field, to bleed out their
valor under the harsh, uncaring sun. Heroism, a myth, told to the naïve about
war, but what heroism was there in butchery, in lies, in tragic death. Life,
life had no place on the battlefield, not in a warcamp, not in this cold,
heartless place.

She had come here for glory and fame, to find loyal companions and find her
destiny. What she had found, was tragedy.

Rylai calmed herself down, muting the voices buzzing around her. She was ice.
Ice had no emotions. Marc's face flashed in front of her, followed by Lina.
Akasha, she remembered, and the faceless demon she had fought. Further back,
her father, and Raishali, her mentor, and his beaming face when she had asked
to go to war. No, no more memories. She was ice. She felt nothing as she looked
at the men around her, men who she would watch die without any feeling. Her
entire life was a lie, but she no longer cared. She was past that point. She
was ice.
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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 10:50 am

Hết rồi ó
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Bài gửiTiêu đề: Re: DotA Story   DotA Story EmptyMon Mar 03, 2008 8:47 pm

nhứ hai con mắt...........
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