Possibly the only thing she did not enjoy about this beautiful place was the horrid travel to get to where one needed to be. The robes began to feel confining as she ran to the ruins of Ordil’ Aran, and regret seeped in slowly knowing that she had not brought more comfortable clothing. The run seemed to take an eternity, and her mind began to wander as she continued on her way, the shuffling of the robes more distracting than she would have liked. Damos had offered to help her attain her succubus, but she declined his offer. They had grown to know much about each other in the time they had spent with one another. He had been the surviving child of a family of warlocks, the last descendant. Taken in by the Orphanage, and more importantly that Church of Stormwind, he was taught the ways of the Light, and had taken up the hammer and sword in defense of all things that threatened the innocent.
Damos D’Mort had taken his interest of Annaliese and turned it into a fascination, which was clearly unnerving to the young warlock. She found that he constantly wanted to know more of her, to speak of things that hurt too much to even utter, though Damos knew enough. Coincidentally, Damos had repressed memories of his family and their rituals and knew enough of the dark arts to be helpful to her, but he constantly was seeking to give her more. More than she was willing to accept. The warlock’s heart was surrounded by a fortress, one of necessity for herself. If she gave Damos a chance to break through…she feared the effects in the long run. Love and pain were one in the same, she felt now, and every time she looked into the paladin’s sea blue eyes, they seeped with romanticized notions, with a faith in love she no longer had. Every time he tried to hold her too close, gaze at her too long, she found herself building the mortar of the stones around her heart stronger, further defining it to push him away. But, of course, this only seemed to spur him on, and she found herself distancing herself from him.
Which was now why she was here alone, welcoming the solitude. The story that the warlock had told her about the Heartswood was a sad one, the doom and death of Kaldorei lovers during their battle to protect what was sacred to them. The piece of the tree was necessary to summon her succubus, as such demons could be lured by such potent emotions, their last breaths taken where the tree now grew. It solidified her notion of love, hearing this story. Love was a harbinger for loss…and loss was worse than death. Finally coming close to the area she needed to be according to her map, she left the path toward the wild of the forest past Maestra’s Post, and soon spotted a familiar sight.
Warlocks…
She muttered words beneath her breath, focusing on the Nether to pull her companion forth from its place, and soon she found herself gazing upon Hathkath, tendrils of shadow sifting through the grasses as it looked upon her with utmost devotion. The voidwalker was quiet, as usual, but it obeyed her word without question, and she found that she turned to Hathkath more often than she would the hyperactive imp. Especially now since Zigham thought she was a priestess posing as a warlock, intent on exposing the secrets of the their ways. It was utterly ridiculous, and left her with no choice but to use the voidwalker. Beyond that, Hathkath provided her with a shield of shadow, which somehow brought her solace, even in it’s silence. Perhaps it could sense her pain, and quietly took to guarding its master with its mere presence. Or perhaps it was just doing what it was meant to do. To serve.
Annaliese did not have to speak a word, for Hathkath seemed to sense her intention as she gazed at the cultists, and it charged with out verbal instruction. They attacked as one, her curses muttered with each blow her minion inflicted. Streams of shadow streaked across the ruins from the warlock’s hands, and she gasped aloud as she felt the life energies of her enemies drain into her, siphoning their very souls. After more moments of relentless battle, Annaliese found the Heartswood tree, the bodies of the cultists sprawled lifeless around it, her hands trembling with excitement as she held the soul shards within her hands. The shards seemed to sing in her hands, and she had to marvel once again at them before she gently placed them in her pouch with the few others she carried. Hathkath stood near the tree, watching her patiently, ever the quiet guardian. Freeing her dagger from its sheath, she walked slowly toward the tree, letting her gaze travel its massive trunk before she began prying a piece of bark from it.
She swore she could hear the long forgotten whisper’s of Kaldorei, the sorrowful sighs emanating from the tree as she tore into it with the small blade. After prying a piece of the tree, she paused to look up at it, offering a silent respect, a hope that the two found peace in death. Looking over her shoulder once more at the tree as she walked toward the path, Annaliese smiled gently, her thoughts unknown.
“Come Hathkath. Back to the Barrens. Soon enough we will have a new companion,” she replied in a soft, bell-like tone.
The Voidwalker was already ahead of its master.
(A long while later…)
“Well, come on then, lets see her,” Damos said with a large grin, eyeing the warlock with softened eyes. Annaliese merely let out an irritated sigh.
“It is late. I can always do this tomorrow.”
Damos laughed cheerily, propping his feet up on the stool before him, reclining with the his gleaming hammer on the ground at his side. He turned his face to her with those brightened blue eyes, and Anna did all she could to avoid his gaze.
“Procrastination? I never thought a warlock would harbor such a thing,” the paladin chuckled. He put his hands on hers, but she whipped it away as if she had been bitten by a snake. He sat upright in his chair to look on her fully, his tone lowered, full of concern.
“What’s wrong, Anna? Having a bad night?” he said softly, inching toward the warlock. He kneeled before her then, and she still avoided his gaze, remaining silent. He stood to hover over her in the chair, and he turned her face gently to look at him, his blue eyes yearning, wanting.
“Anna…please, don’t be afraid…” he whispered to her, then brushed his lips against hers, his arms starting to close around her. She tensed at his kiss, but pushed him away, much to the discontent of the paladin. Annaliese stood from her seat, and turned a gaze on him, devoid of warmth, but full of sorrow.
“Fine…I’ll summon the succubus,” she said, and walked toward the front of the Inn, brushing past an engaged couple of duelists. Standing near Marshall Medan, she waited patiently for Damos to approach, his manner somewhat concerned, but all in all satisfied. She closed her eyes to focus, letting her hands come to life as the energies streamed around her, her own chants echoing in her mind. Finally, the succubus appeared before them, and Damos clapped his hands loudly for the warlock.
“Very nice,” he said, eyeing the succubus up and down, and she seemed to bristle at his attention, an amused look on the demon’s face. “What is her name…?”
Annaliese gazed at the succubus then, and the minion turned to its master with a wicked smile, sharp teeth dangling on blood red lips.
“Elernia,” the succubus said smoothly, her otherworldly eyes seeming to take in her new master. The succubus’ grin grew wider as she looked upon Annaliese…as if sensing something, and Annaliese turned away.
“Pretty little thing, aren’t you?” the succubus said with a chuckle, walking circles around the warlock, eyeing her up and down. She leaned in close to her master, just behind her, letting her nails travel lightly down the spine, causing Anna to jump. Elernia laughed at the reaction. “Much too innocent, I think…we will have to change that, won’t we?”
The demon turned her eyes next on Damos, her hands running sensually over her own body. She grinned up at the paladin, pleased with what she saw. Annaliese let out a breath, done with her day, and done with the succubus already.
“Ooooh…aren’t you a delicious little specimen, hmm?” she said, her nails trailing down Damos’ chest, her voice like honey. “The things I could do to you…oh…but wait…”
Damos seemed entirely enthralled by the succubus, her tail swaying gently, the whip clasped tightly in her hands against her hip. Elernia gave a mock look of surprise, and turned back to Annaliese with a rather unnerving smile.
“It seems you have an admirer, Mistress. I can smell the desire on him,” Elernia replied with heightened interest. She clicked her teeth as she looked at Annaliese, shaking her head, midnight hair brushing over her shoulders with each movement.
“And you…so…repressed….I don’t think that will do,” the succubus said as she neared her mistress once again, the smile seeming to split her face in two. “Perhaps you need a little…persuasion. Not good for such a pretty little thing to keep so bottled up…”
Annaliese was now backing away from her own succubus as images started to filter through her mind, her blood warming.
‘Release…’ she heard the succubus whisper in her head.
She felt his lips once again on hers, their bodies pressed so close, heated breaths shared between them.
‘Release.’
‘No..’
His arms roamed her body, their passion swirling as their kiss deepened.
‘Release…Anna…’
They burned within, gasps of pleasure surrounding them as they partook of each other.
‘RELEASE!’
“NO!” Annaliese shouted aloud, visibly shaken. Damos ran to her, but Annaliese shrank from his touch. Elernia let out a laugh, and lashed at the ground with her whip. The succubus stared intently at the warlock then, enjoying her little game.
‘He wants to control you, you know. All you are is a piece of meat to him.’
Annaliese looked up to the twisted smile, the smooth, honeyed voice echoing in her head.
‘If you only knew how bad he wanted to get in between your robes. Then you would just be another of his playthings. You think he’s helping you to be nice? Hah! He wants what all men want.’
Elernia’s voice dripped with menace, mocking.
‘I can’t believe you would let him do that to you. Make you feel that way. Weakling.’
‘I’m not…’
‘Then SHOW him! Show him your power. Prove it and take him down for disrespecting you with his invading eyes, his vile lips.’
“Anna?” Damos said. He was greeted by a pair of heated amber eyes, like the glowing embers of a fire.
“Bastard…” she muttered beneath her breath as she stared down the paladin.
“What…?”
“You think you are better than the family you hate. You are just like them, aren’t you? Putting up this façade, pretending you are something other than what you are. You make me sick!” she spit at Damos, Elernia looking on with an amused, menacing smile. Annaliese raised her hands to her sides, shadow intertwining with her fingers as the power built.
“Lets end this.”
“Oh come on, this is ridiculous…”
A shadow bolt hit him straight in the chest as a crowd began to gather around the two, eager for blood. Damos coughed a bit and stumbled back, but he remained where he stood, grounded.
“Anna…”
“Fight me!” she cried, seething. Another bust of laughter erupted from the succubus at her side, and suddenly Damos caught the connection, even as he brushed off the flame she lined him with.
“Anna…your succubus, she is manipulating you…”
“Shut up! She is right, you are just a pig who clings to the church as an excuse for all you do.”
Another shadow bolt streamed toward him, but the paladin side stepped it with hardly any effort.
“Gain control of her, or I will end this,” Damos said, enunciating each word carefully. Cheers and laughs came from the small crowd as they the novice warlock attacked, her bolts only a manifestation of her misguided anger.
“Stop eyeing me, or I will put your eyes out!” the warlock shouted as she released a shadow bolt into his face-right at his eyes. Damos stumbled backwards as he cried out in alarm even as a smug smile spread across Anna’s lips. Funny, he thought. Blinded by darkness…
His vision obscured, Damos bounded for the demon at Anna’s side, wincing as the hammer cracked her in the side, sending the succubus flying to the ground. Elernia gasped as her wings began to curl around her, peering into the face of the astounded warlock, the influence from the mind link fading.
‘Mistress…I was only trying…to help…’ Elernia whispered in her mind even as she dematerialized from the earth. Anna stared a long time at where the succubus once lay, going over what had happened in her mind.
“I’m sorry…” Annaliese said softly to Damos. Recovering from his momentary blindness, he regarded the warlock with an intense stare.
“You have to learn control, Anna. It is important. Especially with Elernia.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.”
And with that, he left Annaliese alone in front of Goldshire, the crowd still reeling from the display.
It would be a long while before the warlock had the strength to summon Elernia again.
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