[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Thirty-Five
Appearing Characters: Annibeth Lansing, Arthas Menethil, Gilveradin Windrunner, Hedanis Poisonbloom, Kala, Kel'Thuzad, Lance Beckett, Maraad, Nazgrim, Remnii, Seria, Sigilith Avernicious, Tehd Shoemaker, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Victor Prestor
October 14th
As the Scarlet Crusade rode off, defeated for the moment, Lansing turned and noted Vel. She walked past Vel.
She headed back toward the town hall. Vel and Uther exchanged a look, and they headed after her and caught Remnii and Gil along with them. The situation in the square had fallen into some semblance of peace as a strange calm fell over the city.
The office was very utilitarian. Guards secured the door, and she sent her men to mediate any problems that emerged. Lansing closed the door and sat down as she regarded those who had arrived.
Vel explained that, as had been priorly mentioned over the sending earlier in the week, the source of the plague had been the grains shipped from Capless Feather Grains, as well as a variety of cultists sent by a man named Heigan Capless. The solution that she had come to was effectively to remove the contagion by liberating their minds, as the magic was contingent on eliminating whatever was impeding free will.
Lansing acknowledged the stunt seemed to have worked for the time being, and she wanted to know who they all actually were, and where they had come from. Vel admitted that her real name was Velameestra Windrunner.
Lansing’s glowing, unliving eyes widened.
Lansing loosed a raspy, broken laugh.
Uther spoke up that he was also supposed to be dead, and Lansing correctly presumed he was the “wayward prince”. She said that it went without saying that she had no intention of sharing such a revelation beyond the conversation they were presently having, outside people that she knew she could immediately trust. She noted that Uther didn’t seem to be friends with the Scarlet Crusade, and given the display she had given them, she doubted that any of them would be interested in being friends with her now either.
Lansing steepled her hands.
She looked over at Vel, who confirmed that, provided her assessments were correct, Lansing and her fellows’ lucidity should last indefinitely.
Vel explained they were working in tandem with the Torchbearers, and they were dispersed to help stop the spread of the grain that had left Andorhal. Lansing said she only hoped they were successful, as Andorhal couriers were known to be rather swift given it was the reputation she had built for the city.
Lansing asked what they discovered about Capless Feather Grains, and Vel said that it was headed by a man named Heigan Capless out of Venetia. Lansing was not familiar with the city, and Vel explained it was a hidden mage city on the northern edge of the Lordaeron kingdom. Lansing admitted she was not keen on the notion of a hidden city existing so close to her own, especially one she had no idea of, but she was willing to offer whatever aid she could to help them bring retribution upon Heigan Capless.
Lansing then asked about their plan for dealing with the Crusade. Vel looked at Uther, and Uther explained that they were dealing with a number of crises. In the short term, he wished to mitigate the damage that was being dealt to his people. He looked at Vel, and he said that he had reason to believe the man on the throne in Lordaeron was an imposter. However, once that was resolved he hoped the Scarlet Crusade would be handled.
Lansing asked if the stunt with Arthas appearing at the gates wasn’t just an illusion then, and it was confirmed that it was a combination of magics, but ultimately the Arthas that had appeared was in fact Arthas. Vel also said that Jaina had returned to the capital and was actively looking into things herself. In regards to the Scarlet Crusade, the Torchbearers had mentioned beliefs that there was something untoward going on beneath the surface of the organization, and their focus now was trying to figure out what those secrets might be.
Lansing said that she wished to help them in what ways Andorhal could, given it was the least they could do in repayment for the solution given. Vel thanked her, and related the elves were going through a similar shift, thus Lansing could be assured that she intended on advocating for her people just as readily as Vel would her own.
Vel asked what had become of the other barons of the Eastweald following the fall of Stratholme, and Lansing explained that the last time she saw Aurius Rivendare it was when Daval Prestor was crowned High King in Lordaeron. However, she was unsure what happened to him after the fact. Othmar Garithos had decided to champion the cause of the Scarlet Crusade and donated a great portion of his wealth as a great deal of his lands had been lost with the invasion of the orcs. The other barons were divided, and they and the kin of those who had fallen had gathered in Capital City to try and weather the winter.
Vel then asked how much direct contact Lansing had with the leadership of the Crusade, and Lansing admitted most of her contact with Taelan Fordring. Sally Mograine she had never spoken to at length until earlier the same day, and she had never spoken to Renault. She had spoken with Dathrohan briefly from time to time, but not since the formation of the Crusade. Vel asked more about Fordring, as the Torchbearers had mentioned he might be a sympathetic ear in the Crusade. Lansing said he was instrumental in repelling the orcish invasion, and that he and herself had been allies for a long time. For a time, his father and her own had entertained a marriage arrangement between herself and Taelan. It never went anywhere, but the two of them had stayed on good terms since. They wrote to each other once a month to keep each other apprised, and he had frequently stayed in Andorhal as an honored guest.
She said that he stopped in Andorhal once after the formation of the Crusade. She admitted he seemed troubled, specifically the condemnation of members of the Silver Hand for not falling in line. He found it an ill time to create such a schism, but he believed in the core beliefs of the Crusade. However, if they were involved in something untoward, she did not think that Taelan would be involved. She said if they could find some dirty laundry, he would be a strong ally to share it with.
Vel mused that, given Hearthglen was in the direction of Venetia, Fordring likely wasn’t a bad person for Uther at least to speak with. Lansing said she would send a letter with them bearing her seal, which she assured them would be enough to get an audience, provided Uther wasn’t going to simply reveal his identity. Uther said that was well appreciated.
Lansing also gave them some monetary assistance to help in their cause.
Vel told her that, before they left, she would do what she could to equip Lansing and her people with what information she could give concerning their new condition, as well as the means to awaken undead if any more was found. Lansing thanked her, and said she suspected some of her people might try to reach out to the Crusade in this time of unknowns and terror, but she was going to do what she could to prevent it.
Vel asked if it would be alright for them to send any other people they were able to secure back to Andorhal, and Lansing confirmed, but she was unsure how long they’d be able to stay in Andorhal themselves.
Vel assured her that she would keep in correspondence concerning what is unfolding with the Sin’dorei. Lansing chuffed.
The meeting was adjourned, and Lansing told Vel to take care of Master Avernicious, as she supposed he rendevouzed with her after he left her custody. Vel confirmed.
Vel promised her they would, and Lansing later provided them with a personal writ of passage that would give them free passage in and out of Andorhal, as well as a letter signed with her family’s seal to be given to Taelan Fordring.
As the group started to head back to the mansion, Vel fell back a bit behind the group and also gestured her brother back to speak with her. She asked if she could ask him something, and he confirmed she could.
Vel nodded, her suspicion confirmed.
She sighed, searching for words.
Gil’s voice shifted, now more curt.
Remnii had turned back to look at them. Gil grit his teeth.
Vel firmed her voice.
Her shoulders slumped, resigned.
It was clearly an end to the conversation.
Gil took a hard left and said that he was going to check for any stragglers or rats that needed to be called. Vel watched him go before looking at Remnii with a resigned, but tired expression.
Remnii’s shoulders sank.
Remnii squeezed her shoulder as the elf passed by. Kel’Thuzad loomed in the back of her mind.
Gil went off to try and find stray rats to cull while he tried to figure out what he was going to do. He opted to stay out until he was recalled, and he didn’t find much given the city had been put on lock and largely controlled.
Remnii approached Maraad and asked what he thought of everything, and Maraad admitted he didn’t know. He said that he believed, had he been in charge of containment, he would have ensured none of the risen dead could harm the living. It would have been simpler, faster, and would have saved more lives.
But he could not say that was the correct decision, as the humans were not his people, and had anyone done such a thing then what Velameestra accomplished would have never happened, for better or for worse. But he ultimately did not know.
Remnii nodded, looking solemn. She leaned against Maraad, and he put a hand on her shoulder.
Remnii put a hand over Maraad’s hand and interlocked their fingers.
Remnii sighed.
Maraad assured her he was, and he thanked her. He said he would be more alright once they put an end to the evil schemes of the mastermind, and ultimately, everyone there were better people than him. There was comfort in sharing a common foe.
Remnii leaned her temple against Maraad’s shoulder and they overlapped their tails and sat in silence.
Seria had settled into a meditative state, and she felt her mother’s spirit manifest. Kala asked how Seria was doing, as what happened was heavy. Seria said she was fine, and Kala asked if she actually was, or if she was just trying to make her mother not worry.
Seria said they helped a lot of people, and Kala mused she wondered what they would have thought if they knew a troll helped. However, the old wars were history, and the fact someone like Seria could help them was much better than when she was Seria’s age. Kala said she was proud of Seria for everything she did.
Seria said there was something she had been meaning to ask, and she gestured at Kala’s manifestation.
Kala smiled. It was neither happy nor unhappy.
Seria couldn’t read what her mom was thinking.
Seria frowned, but did drop it, and Kala’s face softened. She apologized for raising her voice, and she said she didn’t want her to worry about her because Seria had enough to worry about herself. Seria said it wouldn’t stop her worrying, and Kala said she knew that. She wrapped her arms around Seria, and she promised everything was going to be okay.
Seria could almost sense a pit in Kala’s stomach, but she couldn’t tell what it was. There was some sort of regret even if she didn’t regret what she did.
Gil was trying to organize his thoughts and focus his mind. He was burning bodies of animals, and he was staring into the fire. He heard a voice behind him.
A chill ran down his spine. It was a voice he hadn’t heard in a while. He turned to look around, and standing at the end of the alleyway was High King Daval Prestor. He started to step closer to Gil, demanding that Gil had something that was his. Gil said he wasn’t there, and Daval Prestor held out his hand. He said he was as real as the pendant around his neck.
Gil raised his bow and swung it right at Daval Prestor. Daval Prestor raised his wrist and the bow clacked into the side of it. The hallucination didn’t vanish. His eyes flickered with malevolent rage, and Gil’s heart froze in his chest. Daval Prestor was actually there.
Daval Prestor spun around and reached out for Gil. His arm transformed into a massive claw, and he grabbed Gil by the throat and pulled him close to him.
Gil closed his eyes out of genuine fear and confusion. The voice transitioned into Victor’s voice, and he felt magic wash over him. It was Remnii’s magic, and he had failed the saving throw from [Calm Emotions]. Victor was holding Gil by the shoulders and shaking him. Gil’s cheek was sore from where Victor had slapped him.
Remnii also called out Gil’s name as he took a second to get ahold of himself. He said He was there, and Victor asked who he meant. Gil said Daval was there, but Victor assured him that whatever Gil saw wasn’t real. Gil felt his throat, but had calmed down with the aid of the spell.
Remnii asked Gil to name five things around him. Gil did so. She then told him to name four things he could touch. He did. She continued through the exercise, and then clasped Gil’s hands in hers.
Remnii explained she and Victor had come to check on him as they were leaving, and Gil said he appreciated it.
Gil shook his head and said it only happened once before. He described the last instance it happened.
Gil said he never tried.
Gil confirmed they did, and Remnii asked if they would help him share the burden given what he saw. Gil hesitated, but then said they would if they needed to.
They started to bicker for a bit before Remnii interrupted it, and Victor said Remnii was right. He told him not to be afraid to rely on the Scales if he needed to. Remnii also said they would want to help, and they were there because they wanted to be. Even Zagarra. Gil asked if Remnii knew her, and Remnii confirmed.
She cupped Gil’s face in her hands.
Gil nodded and said it was reasonable.
Remnii nodded.
They started to head back. Gil told Victor that he’ll see them there, and he hopped on Ara’shel and took off. Victor said he wasn’t going to chase him, as he was not going to sprout wings and dive through the streets. Plus he wasn’t going to abandon Remnii, so he supposed Gil won that.
The group gathered back together in the afternoon and they headed north to find where Lance Beckett had died. It was about a half mile away, but then did find where they believed the man had died. They had found his old cart, which was empty. The remains of the horse, whose bones were picked clean, were also there.
Vel opened her portable hole on a tree to pull Lance Beckett’s body from it. He had repaired his corpse in what ways she could using magic, and had also mended his clothes as much as she was able to. He was laid in the area he had been slain.
The ritual for [Raise Awakened Undead] was very similar to the ritual she had performed in Andorhal, though it was much more drawn out given the length needed for the casting of what was effectively a variety of resurrection.
The incantation was entirely in quietish, and magic amassed around her as she left the spellbook on the ground, the spell once more seeking out the onyx in her palm for use as a catalyst for the spell while linking with the sympathetic magic of the site where Lance Beckett had died.
At the end she said his name, and proclaimed that his will was being returned to him.
As the ethereal light manifested in Lance Beckett’s body, it started to twitch and writhe. He almost seemed to scream as his body and soul were rebound. The disharmonious scream had a resolution where it became a full, sung note. He jolted up and looked up and around.
He rapidly patted his own body and then began to laugh before noting Vel standing over him.
He had started to touch his face as well.
Vel offered that he still seemed capable of holding a note, and Lance nodded and said he had a body too, and that was far better than being a disembodied spirit stuck in some strange gray world. He pulled himself back to focus and introduced himself as Lance Beckett to the rest of those present. Other introductions were made, and Vel extended a hand to help Lance to his feet, which he took.
He looked around and saw the rotting corpse of the horse. He asked if Vel was going to finish it, and she replied it was all his. He thanked her graciously and walked over to start breaking off bones so that he could start snacking on the rotting bone marrow inside.
Vel was unphased. Hedanis recoiled with a vocal expression of disgust, but Lance patted his stomach contentedly as he mused the horse hit the spot.
Lance asked what he could do for all them, and Vel explained they were hoping for his help in finding Venetia. He said he’d be happy to, but then he realized he didn’t have his badge and he needed it. Vel produced it to hand over, much to his relief. He explained that if any Freemen found them, it would be helpful.
Vel asked what the Freemen were, and Lance explained they were a group of “independent contractors” that patrolled the Twisting Meadows and he described them as little more than “glorified bandits”. However, the Freemen claimed that it was their sacred duty to protect Venetia. He said he just thought they were smart enough not to fuck with the Mage Lords, so if you waved around one of their symbols they typically would just leave you alone.
However, he then mused that he sort of wished they would start something, as the group seemed to be pretty tough. He started to ask Vel a question, but trailed off, and Vel observed a flash in his eyes that clearly indicated that Lance was considering trying to eat the Freemen.
Vel agreed, as she could understand the drive, but if there was no further benefit then there was little reason to. Vel asked if he knew where Heigan Capless resided, and Lance confirmed, as most people knew where the Mage Lords lived. He also said that Capless had a warehouse, which he could definitely get them into as that was where he worked.
Though the entire group would probably draw eyes.
Vel asked if there was anything about Venetia they should know, and the first thing Lance offered was that they should all keep a close eye on their wallets. He also said that none of them should be afraid to show off their magic, as magic of any sort would help them out, and the more magic they knew, the more respect they would demand. However, the less magic they had, the harder it would be to get people to listen to them.
Arthas audibly groaned.
He said the only laws were don’t piss off the Mage Lords, and the only government was the Mage Lords. There were about two dozen at any one point, but the numbers shifted as Mage Lords rose and fell. He said the entire city was effectively an aquarium with a bunch of sharks at the top, and everyone wanted to reach the surface, but if you weren’t another shark you were just going to get eaten.
However, just about anything could be found in Venetia, from magic items to narcotics. He described there was one place a few of his buddies had gone to where they took thought strands made from people who died, and people could then pay to experience the deaths without the consequence. There were also tons of pleasure houses from shapechangers to elementals to astral entities to demons and anything they could think of.
The food was also great, and he said he could take them there. The pizza was also very delicious and a lot of people ate it by folding it in two. But then he realized he had started to veer quite off topic.
He said he could also make some introductions and could talk to a foreman if they wanted to get into the grain production warehouse. Unfortunately, he said he could do little to help them talk to Capless himself.
Vel gave Kel’Thuzad a mental acknowledgement, and then told everyone they had best be off. She told Lance he could finish eating if he wanted, and he said he didn’t want to hold them up so he could just take it to go. To punctuate the statement, he broke a few bones off the corpse and shoved them in his bag.
He said it would be about a week’s travel, and Vel said that wasn’t an issue, as they had means to travel more quickly. She looked at Seria, who started to conjure up the [Wind Walk] spell.
Hedanis sidled over to Lance and tried to mention that he had something on his cheek, but then just cleared it away with magic. However, he said, impressively, Lance had quite a voice on him. Lance immediately recognized Hedanis and said he had hoped that Hedanis would have done a show in Venetia, but now Hedanis was there in the flesh. They talked a bit and Lance asked for Hedanis’s autograph, and after some dancing around, Hedanis agreed and offered to see what kind of chops Lance had on him.
Vel was watching the interaction to make sure Lance adapted well enough once he came out of his shock, and Tehd also strolled over to help him get some of the ropes. Tehd now had a pigeon familiar named Midge.
As they were headed, Kel’Thuzad chimed into Vel’s mind.
Vel asked who they were, and Kel’Thuzad that they were acquaintances that were also acquainted with each other.
Vel recognized the name, and Kel’Thuzad confirmed he was the same.
Vel said that was what she expected of Venetia from what she heard, and Kel’Thuzad said that was wise.
The other person was Obrahiim al Alrahaala. Kel’Thuzad knew little about him, but he was one of the first people Kirtonos put in contact with Kel’Thuzad as he was a gifted architect. He was ominously successful. Supposedly, he was responsible for building the foundation of Venetia, which was possible given his nature.
Vel surmised he was not living, and Kel’Thuzad confirmed and said he kept his body hidden under a great deal of cloth. Given the style of the dress, he had to wonder if Obrahiim once hailed from the lands across the sea, as he had similarities to the songstresses from the desert of Kalimdor.
However, regardless, he was a mystery, and it was unclear how one would contact him. All that Kirtonos said was that when a need arises, and when a foundation needs to be built, one need only reach out to him at the crossroads, and he would come. It was a cryptic rhyme, but it was one that Kel’Thuzad believed they could seek.
Vel mused that it would be worthwhile to get a read on the relations between the various Mage Lords, and Kel’Thuzad agreed, and he said that given Kirtonos was a Mage Lord, it wouldn’t be difficult to track down his domicile, even if speaking with him might require another degree of cleverness.
Kel’Thuzad said that Uther could also just walk straight through the front gates and say the prince of Lordaeron wanted to do business with him, but that would have been playing a fair number of cards. Vel asked if he was a man who liked curiosities, and Kel’Thuzad said that he did, particularly morbid curiosities, given his prior fascination with death.
They agreed that such an angle was one that they could likely utilize, and they would have ample means to gather information, as Venetia was a city that never slept.
As they flew north over Andorhal, they soared over fields and woods as they rose into the Hearthglen Hills. The trees had started to get more evergreen, and in the distance they could see the Thorondril River and the distant fortifications of the Bulwark.
The pathways below had started to become more treacherous, and it was clear why Hearthglen had gotten its reputation for never falling to siege. There were watchtowers all over the hills, and they bore both the symbol of Mardenhold and the Scarlet Crusade.
As they reached Hearthglen, they saw a fortress of a city that was sprawling out. There were heavy walls barricaded by heavy walls. It was well-equipped for a siege, and it also seemed to be prepared for one as well given the presence of orcs in the hills. The city was not quite the size of Andorhal, but it was large all the same.
They found an old, abandoned collapsed watchtower within one of the rings, and they decided to settle down in the area. Uther gathered his things and informed Vel that he would send her in two hours. He then headed off into the woods.
Vel looked over at Lance as she prepared to conjure the manor, and she asked him if he had any room preferences. Lance was flabbergasted she could just conjure a mansion in the middle of nowhere, as that was very powerful magic.
He asked if she could make food in the manor, and Vel confirmed. He asked what type of food she could make, and she said whatever he wanted. He started to ask another question, but then caught himself and walked closer to her to whisper it in her ear instead, and he asked if she could make something that tasted like people. She said she could arrange it, and he thanked her, then hastily apologized as such a request was probably weird.
Hedanis asked Vel if she could make a room with good acoustics, and she informed him he could utilize one of the rooms of requirement to do so. He said that she really thought of everything, and it was something he could really get used to. He mused he should figure out how to make such a manor himself, and soon after entering, he dragged Lance away from the food so that he could see what kind of singing voice he had.
Sigilith opted to tag along to offer some background chords.
Gil had gone into the room along with the musicians to listen to what was going on and strum along in the meanwhile. Remnii also materialized to listen for a while. She clapped along and enjoyed the situation, but Remnii had been watching Gil through the evening, up until the group dispersed for the night.
Gil agreed and said he had time.
Gil said he wished he knew how to answer that. Remnii nodded sympathetically.
Remnii looked at the door, and a mana wyrm wiggled over to close it for her.
She held out a hand with her pinky extended, a question on her face about if she was doing it right. Gil took the pinky with his.
Remnii sighed.
Gil nodded and Remnii explained the krokul more in-depth and how their people shunned them.
Gil thanked her, and Remnii nodded.
Remnii’s brow went up and said she imagined the experience was complicated. Gil confirmed, and Remnii gave him a nod to continued.
Remnii nodded, no surprise on her face.
He gave her the gist of everything else that happened, including the encounter with Thal’ena. He said there was a skinny purple eredar with them as well, and Remnii bore a curious expression. He also mentioned Nyxxa was the most pleasant.
Remnii sighed heavily.
She leaned forward.
Remnii took off her headband to massage her temple.
She explained that warchief was more than a clan leader. He was in charge of the entirety of the orcs. Remnii had paled, and she thanked Gil for the information. She said she was thrilled, but she also didn’t look happy. She admitted she didn’t anticipate kindness being directed toward Arthak, but the fact he was warchief gave her hope.
Remnii sighed again.
Remnii looked at Gil curiously.
Gil nodded, and Remnii told him to keep his compassion and to take things day by day. They pinky promised again.
In the meanwhile, Vel had been working with Tehd on his magic. It was starting to get to the point where it was not quite time to worry about Uther, but there was something else worrying her in the back of her mind.
There was something else about the watchtower that bothered her. There was something strange about it. She told Tehd she would be right back, as she needed to check on something. He promised her he wouldn’t set anything on fire unless he was trying to, and she coated herself in [Invisibility] before slipping into the night. She looked around the watchtower. She wasn’t an expert on architecture. The tower had been ruined for a while. However, as she looked at the rubble, it seemed newer. There was no dust, the moss had been disturbed, and there were scrapes on the side that looked recent.
It looked like it collapsed recently, despite being ruined for a while.
She continued to look around, and she saw blood on the underside of one of the stone structures. She looked around, searching for any sign of people. Seeing none, she tried to revitalize the blood with [Recomposition], and then she used [Analyze Blood] to get a vision of how the blood was spilled.
She saw the rubble shortly after it had fallen. There was a creature buried underneath it, and there was another figure there with a weapon drawn. She dove deeper into the divination of the spell. She was able to divine the creature was alive, was a humanoid, specifically an orc, his name was Nazgrim, he had no poison or disease in his blood, and he was within 20 miles of her location.
Vel frowned and looked around her again. She pieced together that, potentially, this Nazgrim had been fighting with a human, and when he had slammed into the tower, the building had collapsed. But he had clearly moved, as he was no longer anywhere to be found.
Vel slipped back into the manor and called for Remnii. Remnii heard her call and quickly responded, inquiring if she was okay. Vel informed her that she had been outside investigating the tower as there had been something about it that bothered her, and in the process she had discovered blood that revealed there had been a fight with an orc. She mentioned the orc’s name was Nazgrim.
Remnii knew that he was a powerful leader of the Ironmarch. She didn’t know his original clan, but she knew that he was part of the Ironmarch, which was the expeditionary scouting legion of the Horde. Vel wasn’t familiar, as she only knew of the clans Remnii had priorly told her of, and what snippets she had gotten from intel gathered from various elven factions. Remnii gave a brief overview, explaining that the Ironmarch were instrumental in the conquest against the ogres before they were called back to the Horde for the opening of the Dark Portal.
Vel said that the divining had revealed he was nearby and still alive, and she was going to scout out the area. Remnii said it may be wise to take Seria, and Vel requested one of the servants fetch her.
Seria and Vel slipped out of the manor and started to circle around the area after taking flighted forms. Within the ruins of the tower, tucked away in an alcove, Vel got the scent of blood on her nostrils. Seria, likewise, got the scent of earth and sweat, and they were able to triangulate his location beneath a piece of rubble.
They saw a male orc with tealish skin. He didn’t have a fire, but he shifted, showing he was alive. He was under a series of heavy blankets, some of which didn't seem to be orcish. He had messy black hair and sideburns. His torso was bandaged, his armor off, and nearby was a heavy, black steel axe that had red marks along the blade. There were holes in the blade that would probably make it whistle when swung.
Vel’s eyes flashed magenta as the idea of simply killing the orc while he was weak entered her mind, but the thought passed quickly in favor of a less short-sighted approach. She exchanged a look with Seria, and then dove down to where the orc was.
She shifted from the bat form she had taken and instead manifested her humanoid appearance, her heeled boot pointed on the handle of the nearby axe so that the orc had to move directly toward her to grab it.
Her eyes were still bright magenta, but she spoke sternly and coolly.
Seria also manifested next to Vel in the form of a bear. The orc’s eyes had widened as they transformed, his hand having instinctively reached for the axe that Vel was now guarding. He looked up at her.
He grunted, then put his hands up as he then looked at Seria.
The orc got to his feet slowly. Vel could tell at a glance that the man likely had some broken ribs and was otherwise nursing critical injuries. She frowned, and looked at Seria with an inclination of her head. Seria’s eyes flashed with druidic magic, and the healing energy washed over the orc. He winced for a moment, but then realized his ribs, at least, were remedied. His broken arm was still in a sling, but he could at least walk better.
He looked at Vel.
The orc chuffed.
Vel heaved the axe up from the ground and handed it to Seria, who took the weapon in her jaws.
Vel shot him a glance.
She gestured her head in the direction, and he grunted at her and started to move.
