Post by Shari'Adune Forestsong on Aug 7, 2018 9:02:38 GMT -5
((A xfaction RP co-written with 'Kar'zuk' Hordeside. Credit goes to him for the wonderful troll character, and the great troll speech. i took/am taking the chatlogs and swapped them up a bit to create a semi coherent story. What you read is what happened to Shari during the time she was kidnapped. The story editing is ongoing as it's a bit long- so i will be adding updates in chapters.))
Chapter 1- Shad'ra's Brew
Kar’zuk waited, his 7’9 form poised having spotted the small druidess wandering alone down the paths of the forests. His sharp amber eyes watched her as she made her way seemingly aimlessly over the hills to fall to her knees in a large patch of purple forest flowers. A few glittering moths were startled free, which she watched with tired eyes.
Not far away, the reignited war between the Alliance and Horde rose to a head in Darkshore, the battle proving to be too much to handle for her small form. While her Kaldorei kin and friends battled, she sought refuge to reclaim her strength to begin the battle anew when she woke.
The troll, who was not a part of the Horde by choice, enjoyed his status as an outcast and grinned darkly thumbing the hilt of one of his twin blades. Orgrimmar’s high command was busy at war, but offered a price upon proof of felled Alliance soldiers. The exiled Bloodscalp profited greatly from this, and waited patiently for the druidess to be completely vulnerable. He was a careful hunter, saving the thrill of the hunt, not in any rush. The moment would present itself. It always did.
Wearily, she peeled off her worn leather gloves and helm before laying her staff at her side. Waves of teal green hair spilled down over her thin shoulders, the wind eager to play with the feathers that were intermingled with the three small braids she had woven into her mane. Moving with a methodical pace she was still clearly in shock from everything happening in her home lands.
Carefully, she brushed her scarred fingertips over the flowers, her lips pulled into the thin line of someone trying not to cry.
A dark smile touched his lips as he inched closer, watching her bow her head. Opportunity winked at him and he winked back.
Sucking in his lip, he used his fanged and sharpened teeth to pierce the skin. Blood trickled onto his tongue and he swallowed it, making his eyes spark suddenly with deep crimson as he went into a blood rage. Senses sharpened, he emerged liquidly from the shadows behind her with a dagger in one hand and a skin of liquid in the other. There was a deep growl from him as he pounced, trying to force the liquid into the druidess’s mouth while bringing the knife threateningly close to her neck.
Her mind had been elsewhere- leaving her defenseless... Not that she could have done anything had she pointedly seen him coming. He was almost eight feet of coiled Bloodscalp muscle- and grabbed her as if she were nothing more than a little doll leaving her only time to yelp and flail in the air as her head was forced backward -the mouth of the vial pressed roughly between her lips.
Through a strangled cry she coughed and tried to scream. She knew better than to swallow, the liquid was sharp, yet somehow sweet. Moments after it touched her lips her tongue began to feel numb.
The poison that the Shadra-worshipping troll brewed was a hefty hallucinogen that was designed to calm and disarm hostile leanings, making one lazy, and lethargic... but not outright unconscious. The troll held her against his broad chest as he pressed the flat end of his blade to her neck, “Ya a good elfie…” he spoke in Orcish with a sick grin across his lips. Once she had swallowed enough to his satisfaction, she was pulled harshly into the flowers, back first. He held her there, blade pressed to her neck as he looked levelly into her terrified eyes. “Jus’ ya wait… soon et gonna be all okey—” a smile spread slowly.
Head swimming, tongue numbing, the tension in the small Kaldorei’s body began to slip away. Riding an amused thought she realised she knew what he was saying- he was speaking Orcish, but little known to him she spoke it very well. Her heart swelled for a moment with memories of a happier time when she had spent time hidden among the Horde and soon, she felt herself floating on a soft cloud surrounded by them. The look of terror gave way to calmness, and she relaxed into the bed of flowers.
The troll waited, watching as her demeanour and visage shifted as the drug took hold of her mind. He nodded, satisfied with what he saw and leaned off of her, tucking his dagger back to his waist. His skin tight leathers creaked softly as he did. Reaching an arm under her shoulder he pulled the girl easily up to her feet, spinning her slowly to face him.
Stooping a bit so he could clearly look at her, he waved a finger in front of her eyes with a blink, “Can ya hear me girl?” he asked, not expecting verbal response but he gauged her for what she may do… trying to ensure she was not given too big of a dose given her small size.
Peering at him with eyes that now glowed a bit dimmer than they had been moments ago; she blinked blearily as if she had not slept for weeks. On her lips however, she wore a dopey smile, her posture almost as hunched as his was. At his question she nodded simply. “ Mmhmmn.. “ and uttered a silly chuckle.
Nodding he kept his arm threaded under hers, reaching around to her other shoulder he began to lead her away from the area and into the more back woods of the forests where the troll had set up his camp. He gave her a little pat, encouraging her to follow. It took little encouragement from him to make her want to tag along, her eyes sparkling with whispered promises of an exciting new adventure.
Stumbling on her way, like someone high as a kite, she followed obediently humming as she wobbled along with him, randomly pointing at various things that caught her attention, mumbling and carrying on like an excited hen.
He raised a brow at her occasionally, though for the most part kept his eyes forward. Though the Horde were taking over Ashenvale and enjoying a secure foothold, the Kaldorei were not above appearing from the trees and bushes without warning at this point.
The small incline they came to was home to the troll camp. Grunting he reached out and pulled back some bushes to reveal a small clearing that housed a leaven tarp above a bed roll, with what looked to be a fire pit and some stakes in the ground. Kar’zuk pulled some leaves over the fire area to keep it dry as he began to pile wood in the small hole. He pointed over to tinder for the fire, and looked to the elf.
“Get dat.” he stated in a low tone waving it over to him, indicating he wanted her to bring it.
Shari seemed enthralled with the little camp, regarding everything with child-like wonder. She watched him carefully, and even in her dopey-eyed state, she seemed oddly keyed into wanting to please and do what he wanted. When he pointed over to the tinder she giggled musically and skipped over to it, grabbing an armful before stumbling back to him, blinking up into his face before flopping into a careless sit.
Kar’zuk took the materials and arranged the fire, lighting it with a few clicks of his flint stone. It warmed the cool forest around them, as the sun was setting over the green canopy of Ashenvale. It was hard to tell, due to the dense trees, but it got colder at night… much colder than a Jungle troll is used to. As the fire was lit and singing happily, the male loosened his shoulder pauldrons and positioned them near enough to the fire to keep them warm and dry yet not too close as to have the leather crack. He motioned for the elf to come close. “Here”, waving to the spot next to him.
When he shed his shoulder armor, she mirrored the action. Battle armor was not really her favourite thing to be in anyway, and certainly didn't suit how she was currently feeling. As he motioned for her to move closer she broke out into a bright smile and drug herself over unable to properly crawl on her hands and knees with her robe in the way. Once in the spot allocated she attempted to lean into him again, much like a contented cat.
Kar’zuk tangled a three digited hand into the elf’s teal colored hair and guided her to face him slightly so that she spilled over into his lap. “Still,” he said simply, and placed a flat hand on the back of her head to note this.
He was quite massive compared to her fragile 5’5 form, even more so when he wasn’t stooped over presenting a perfect picture of intimidation, coupled with long sharp tusks one of which was painted red- the other carved with designs and adorned with three golden rings.
Imposing though he was, it seemed entirely lost on her as he took a knife, and slowly began cutting away at her clothing. The knife made soft ‘sssht, sssshht, sssht’ noises as it sliced through the leather.
Slowly, layer after layer was desecrated, left to become mere rags upon the forest floor leaving her naked, bare and giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world. The troll then reached for her hair and pulled her off into a sitting position to his side. He stepped over her and moved to his bed roll area, where he began to shift through a bag.
Staring down at her flat chest she then studied how her hips flared out graciously, leaving a very soft seat for her to be sitting upon. Indeed her form was strange for one of her kind, though somewhat normal considering the affliction she was born with. Blink-blinking at him she watched his further actions curiously. Then as if it was the most natural thing in the world she leaned forward a bit, both brows raised, speaking Orcish- albeit with a strong Kaldorei accent, “What are you doing Sir?”
There was some metallic jingling as he shifted through the bag. He had noted that she followed, but paid little mind to it in the moment. At the sound of her speaking he blinked, and glanced at her, “Oh – ya… speak?” he asked rather curiously. Turning toward her with a wicked grin crossing his lips he reached over with a big hand and smoothed it over her emerald hair.
“Ya gonna’ bring good fortune ta Kar’zuk… ya be his now…” he noted, raising a finger for her to wait.
Swiveling back to his worn, dusty bag, he pulled a metallic collar out made of steel, with the troll’s name across the front of it in Zandali script. He used his dagger in the other hand and placed the flat end of it under her chin, and lifted it upward gently. “Look up now, girlie” he spoke lowly.
One eye blinked before the other, she felt so very tired for some reason. A smile touched her lips. She was… his? Her eyes darted from the collar to the trolls face, digesting the situation.
As he brought up his left wrist within her field of vision she tried to grab it clumsily to hold it still, checking to see if he happened to bare the mark of the Order- a mark that would pair with her own. He was having none of the touching however, and when she tried to grab his wrist he growled lowly and furrowed his brow, eyes becoming red, darkening as he reached immediately for her throat with his left hand making her gasp in surprise.
Holding her in a tight squeeze he shook his head, “Ya ain’ touchin’.. Less ya ask,” he punctuated his statement with a tighter grip, making her wheeze a gasp. “Ya understand me?” he maintained his growl, menacing teeth on display. “Ya bettah be a quick learnah… else… Kar’zuk find a use fa’ya.” he warned and let up only so that he could place and lock the collar around the elf’s neck.
The large hand around her throat made her wheeze softly--- then burst into a fit of giggles. Her fingers danced in the air like little spiders before she nodded dumbly, becoming still again as the collar went about her neck...bringing an odd smile to her lips. Softly... very softly she began to hum.
Kar’zuk grinned seeing the drugs still having hold of the elf. “Good.” he declared and came to a slow stand. As he did, he gave her a pat on the head and made his way to the warm fire to heat himself. There was a small pile of wooden shafts by the fire that the troll began to sharpen on one end. The knife he held clipped against the wood, and the shavings were dumped into the fire pit to fuel the warmth.
Swaying from side to side for a minute or two Shari continued to hum, now caressing the collar with her scarred fingertips, eyes closed. Finally she looked around to notice he had seemingly disappeared again. Glancing over her shoulder however placed him back into her field of view. Seeing him she laughed.
“Ppppffftttt! You're faaast!” she exclaimed, swatting at the air in his direction, before crawling over toward him on her hands and knees, long hair dragging on the ground as she did so, tendrils creating silken fingers across her vision.
After each piece of wood was sharpened, it was stacked into a pile to his side. He put it all down as she crawled over to him and he smirked at her gesture. “Course Kar’zuk be fast… dat be why joo” he poked her nose making her grin and giggle, “be ‘es and not de othah way ‘round” he’d note with a grin. Raching to his side he pulled out a canteen of water and held out near her, “Drink… et ain’ good ta be spending too much time all loopy… watah be helpin ya wit dat.” he nodded.
“Hmmmmnnn? “ Staring at the canteen a moment she flicked her numb tongue in her mouth. “As you say. “ Drinking was interesting, and she ended up wearing more than she got in her mouth unable to entirely feel where her lips were to put them around the mouth of the canteen properly.
“What is the wood for? “ she asked smacking her lips, head tilted almost comically to the side, causing her body to lean with it to the point where she almost fell right over. Upon righting herself in fast slow motion her hair was nothing more than netting about her.
He smiled, “Be makin’ ya home, lil’elfie.. leas’ for da night. Tomorrow, ya carreh it wit ya,” he noted with a nod.
Licking at her lips as if she were trying to catch snowflakes in the air she grinned at him in a silly way. “But- I am home. We are in Ashenvale. Mmm-mmm.. Ash-en-vaaaale...Whoooo!”
The Bloodscalp grinned, “Mm.. ya.. don’ ya worreh, Kar’zuk be makin’ ya new home” he nodded with a smirk, reaching over to pat her head with a grin.
Suddenly he grabbed her bony shoulder and pulled the elf toward him laying her down in his lap, spinning her over so her head faced up. Then he took the canteen and poured a little into her mouth at time and then lifted her so she could swallow. She flopped in his lap and began poking at his chin. Some of the water slid down the corners of her mouth and trickled into her ears making her squeak and squirm.
“Ya be stung bad by Shadra’s brew… jus’ hopin’ ya ain’ cravin’ et… don’ need no drug addled elfie,” he teased and then pet her back. Satisfied, he pushed her off his lap and returned back to the sharpening of the wood as he gave her a smirk. “Ya want more water?”
“No...” she whined knuckling at her ears, “Have enough in my ears right now...” Bending sideways she attempted to shake her head as if the water would easily pour back out.
He watched as she moved about trying to get the water from her ears and he just shook his head, “Why ya drinkin’ et in ya ears then, elfie” he sighed and stuck a finger into each of her ear canals to flick the water out. “Here… sit now.”
“Ack!” His fingers were very thick but he was still more successful in helping than the time she had been having. Smiling gratefully she nodded and laughed softly, “But you cannot make a new home with a few pointy sticks...” She actually seemed partially convinced that maybe he could...somehow.
Positioning her next to him on one side, with the sharpened sticks on the other he raised a brow. “Joo tell Kar’zuk when ya ain’ feelin’ funneh no more, ya?”
Nodding to his words she made a funny face not sure what he was talking about- feeling funny- she felt wonderful, just tired... and wet. She stared down at her chest swiping at the water droplets.
A short time later, it was as if a heavy morning fog began to dissolve to make way for the sun. Her head began to clear, allowing fear to slowly trickle in like water through a small hole in a dam.
Tension began to ebb its way back into her body, and the glow of her eyes began to become brighter until she was coiling her muscles and ever so slowly inching her way away from him.
She didn’t get far- the moment she started scooting, he snorted and grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her roughly back so that he could inspect her eyes.
Noting the change he grinned, “Ahh.. yes.. dere you are, my elfie.”
He stood picking up the sticks with his other hand and began to drag Shari over toward his bedroll. She yelped and clasped her hands over his against her head to try and alleviate some of the pain from her hair threatening to come out by the roots.
Unceremoniously he released her onto his bedroll, leaving her to stare at him with a wince rubbing her burning scalp.
Stooping, he began to fix the sticks in between the stakes in the ground. As she watched it dawned on her what he was doing. It was to be a cage. It seemed as if there was a large ball of cotton in her throat as she tried to swallow.
After fussing with his project a bit more he nodding looking at it, considering how secure the tee-pee enclosure would be. Testing it with a shake or two, and finally an absent kick he grunted and turned around to face her, grabbing her long hair again- it made a great make shift leash.
The troll hauled her in close- so close she could smell his warm, rancid breath. “Ya gonna be de one ta decide ef Kar’zuk gonna have ta cage ya tonight… ya understand?”
His tusks were long reaching at least two and a half feet from the corners of his mouth- acting like immobile arms right now on either side of her head. It dawned on her the red colored tusk was likely painted with someone’s blood.
“i.. i d-don't wish to be c-caged...” she squeaked helplessly.
Every moment that passed was another jolt of adrenalin to her system. She wondered how fast he was- if she could risk trying to shift into her raven form and fly away--- if he grabbed her wrong he could break an appendage- she shuddered and whimpered softly.
“Good – and neither do aye… so we gonna improvise…”
She was given a severe look of warning before he released his grip on her hair and moved to a nearby center stake that had a ring through the top and a rope tied to it. He moved back to the elf and tied the free end of the rope into a metal ring that was forged into the side of her collar.
“Ya try an run? Ya take de stake out… der be poison set around,” he gestured around the area, “Ya don’t know where it be, so you step on it, de gas come up… ya gonna fall like a ton a’ bricks… Den I wake up and make ya pay fo bein stupid. Got dat?” he growled once more, standing over her and leaning down to form an imposing presence that caused her to bury her face into her knees.
“Ya Kar’zuk’s now.. and dat ain’ gonna change on my watch.”
It seemed this guy thought of everything. He struck her as somehow being much more... fierce than she remembered trolls being... of course how she remembered them, was when she looked like one. Her body shuddered as another helpless whimper vibrated in her throat. To cast she would have to speak- and to speak she would need to breathe... and she couldn’t do that inhaling poison gas. Her shoulders slumped. “You d-do not belong to the Order. Y-Your ownership is not absolute.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, soft, non-confrontational.
The tone didn’t matter, it was the words that she spoke of that caused him to grab her neck and pull out his dagger. Eyes darkening and he let out a low menacing growl that made her instantly regret opening her mouth, “What Ordah ya speakin’ of girlie?”
Another yelp sprang forth. Her nostrils flared, breath panting in and out before she could find her words. “Th-the Order of the Thorn!” she swallowed hard, “Th-there is a ritual... a m-magical bond- a Collar-“ she pointed to her ankle where the bell was - the leather strap partially covered a tattoo. “ i am m-marked, th-those of the Order are m-marked too...”
“Ef ya be refuting Kar’zuk claim den he gonna have ta show ya dat et be de truth” The blade of the dagger was shone up into her eye making her squint. “Ya want Kar’zuk to do dat to you?”
“No- no! “ she squeaked shrinking, “i a-am just telling you the t-truth!”
Her words did not satisfy the Bloodscalp. He pressed the knife to her throat and looked her dead in the eyes drawing her close again, making sure she could count every one of his sharpened teeth as he snapped, “Tell Kar’zuk again dat he be lyin’… dat joo ain’ his… dat some Ordah be nullifyin’ him… I -dare- ya.” He grit his teeth, pointed teeth scraping against their paired partners, “Ya ain’ gonna last long ef ya keep running ya mouth like dat elfie…”
He spat into her face making her react as if it had been acid. She winced and turned her face to the side similarly as if she had been slapped.
Kar’zuk thrust her backward disgustedly and stashed his dagger at his side.
Staring down at her a moment he snorted then was upon her like a rabid panther, grasping another handful of her hair- pushing her face roughly into the ground. Without looking- he grabbed a pair of metal cuffs from the nearby sack.
The woman huffed into the earth- rustling death leaves as she panted out terrified breaths. Her fingers curled into the soft ground as she sobbed quietly. He looked like the fierce trolls on the battle field- the ones who were ready to kill for no reason other than that you were in their way.
"i am s-sorry... s-sorry...p-please...i-" she twisted and writhed in her prone position.
Lost in the veil of rage, he interpreted her actions and disobedience. “Ya want Kar’zuk ta prove et? Den he gonna…” he purred and sat on her upper legs and pulling each hand behind her back roughly. Cuffing each wrist tightly in the iron restraints he grasped her head with one hand, and pushed her face mercilessly into the dirt to muffle her.
It was then she felt the burst of pain blossom across her face- moments before feeling the warmth of blood, tasting it as it began to run down the back of her throat making her choke and gag against the unforgiving soil.
Lips peeled back from his teeth in a sadistic grin as his free hand reached for his dagger slashed the bladed end against her bare back with a surgeon’s skill eliciting a piercing scream from her. It was not a deep wound, but it served a purpose.
Jerking her up to kneel she coughed and wheezed, blood pouring down face where the dirt hadn’t already become packed and smeared. He twisted his tall form to stare into her eyes. “Joo-” he’d state, and pointed a finger roughly into her chest, “are Kar’zuk’s… do ya understand?”
The blood running down the back of her throat made it hard to breathe- and every time she swallowed she felt her stomach heave threatening to make her retch. With tears in her eyes, streaming down her soiled cheeks she could only nod her head meekly.
There was a grin on Kar’zuk’s face. He drew the blood stained dagger up to his mouth and before her eyes he drew his tongue against it, lapping up her fresh blood. With a triumphant huff he stowed the dagger away and stood reaching to his neck where he wore a string of Kaldorei ears.
Shari wasn’t able to see very well through the pain, and her face was already beginning to swell. She was nothing more than a broken doll at this point.
Purring he narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Good elfie…”
Grabbing the elf by her hair again he drug her to the wooden cage he had made and threw her inside it.
As she lay crumpled into a pile within, he grabbed the final stakes and thrust them into the ground, burying them deep and secure with his trollish strength.
With trembling arms she pulled herself over to the side of the cage and gripped at the bars, staring at him with pleading eyes until he slowly disappeared from her view from dead leaves and debris he dumped over the cone, blotting out the light from the fire.
For the first time in Shari’s life she deeply regretted not being in tune with her more feral forms for surely if she had been, this cage would have been nothing to a bear. But--- a bear she was not... she was... just a little bird locked in a cage. Inhaling deeply, the smell of earth was all about her now, offering no comfort.
Through the throbbing pain in her face, echoed by the pain on her back she strained to see through the swelling to view the necklace she now wore, plucking at it daintily. Being able to see in the dark, it was gruesomely clear what the items were... her scream echoed through the forest, startling small nocturnal creatures and bringing a sly grin to Kar’zuk’s face.
“Yell all ya want elfie… ya jus’ gonna get me more slaves… and ef dey gonna be more useful den joo,” he began kicking the leaves a bit at her prison, “Ya jus gonna’ be dinnah for a troll.”
Licking his lips he dusted his hands together, satisfied with his work for the night. Disrobing from his tunic and other leather wares, he sat upon his bedroll with a grunt. The fire was still sparking, dying down but there was still warmth spread to him from it which brought a contented yawn from his lips as he laughed and stretched out to sleep for the night.
The necklace was wrenched from her neck with a retching gagging sound. This couldn't be happening. Why wasn't she sitting safely inside Darnassus right now...where she should be. Clapping a hand over her mouth she realized he was right. If she called attention to them- he would capture whoever came. And worse yet- what if more Horde came? She hugged her knees to her chest and began to sob before clawing at the steel collar he had put around her neck earlier. It wasn't her collar- there must be a way to get it off. She had to get it off. She had to get out--- just then she froze. The gas... There was nothing she could do... and yet…
He was satisfied that he had calmed her down for now, seemingly so. He could hear the whimpers and panting from the cage, but no words… no more yelling. His heavy eyes finally laid to rest. Until she spoke.
"Please Sir...Please set me free. If you were of the Order- i would be yours without ques--" Hissing she curled back against one of the walls. Maybe he was asleep and hadn’t heard.
Flashing amber eyes snapped open as he grumbled and kicked the cage sending smaller leaf particles showering down over her head. “Are ya gonna make me wake up outta bed ta shut joo up elfie… or are ya gonna be good? “ there was a pause before he snarled, “Gonna cut out ya tongue -AND- feed ya joor teeth if I gotta get outta bed… so I suggest ya shut de f*ck up.” Exhaling deeply he closed his eyes again.
He would hear nothing else for some time... and then... a faint whisper... and a green glow would shine through the leaves followed by the sound of softly swirling wind.
Kar’zuk was asleep by then, the green light shining through the leaves and over his eyes caused him to enter a semi-lucid state… soon to follow with a snore which helped to hide the sounds of soft rustling around inside the cage.
<to be continued>
Chapter 1- Shad'ra's Brew
Kar’zuk waited, his 7’9 form poised having spotted the small druidess wandering alone down the paths of the forests. His sharp amber eyes watched her as she made her way seemingly aimlessly over the hills to fall to her knees in a large patch of purple forest flowers. A few glittering moths were startled free, which she watched with tired eyes.
Not far away, the reignited war between the Alliance and Horde rose to a head in Darkshore, the battle proving to be too much to handle for her small form. While her Kaldorei kin and friends battled, she sought refuge to reclaim her strength to begin the battle anew when she woke.
The troll, who was not a part of the Horde by choice, enjoyed his status as an outcast and grinned darkly thumbing the hilt of one of his twin blades. Orgrimmar’s high command was busy at war, but offered a price upon proof of felled Alliance soldiers. The exiled Bloodscalp profited greatly from this, and waited patiently for the druidess to be completely vulnerable. He was a careful hunter, saving the thrill of the hunt, not in any rush. The moment would present itself. It always did.
Wearily, she peeled off her worn leather gloves and helm before laying her staff at her side. Waves of teal green hair spilled down over her thin shoulders, the wind eager to play with the feathers that were intermingled with the three small braids she had woven into her mane. Moving with a methodical pace she was still clearly in shock from everything happening in her home lands.
Carefully, she brushed her scarred fingertips over the flowers, her lips pulled into the thin line of someone trying not to cry.
A dark smile touched his lips as he inched closer, watching her bow her head. Opportunity winked at him and he winked back.
Sucking in his lip, he used his fanged and sharpened teeth to pierce the skin. Blood trickled onto his tongue and he swallowed it, making his eyes spark suddenly with deep crimson as he went into a blood rage. Senses sharpened, he emerged liquidly from the shadows behind her with a dagger in one hand and a skin of liquid in the other. There was a deep growl from him as he pounced, trying to force the liquid into the druidess’s mouth while bringing the knife threateningly close to her neck.
Her mind had been elsewhere- leaving her defenseless... Not that she could have done anything had she pointedly seen him coming. He was almost eight feet of coiled Bloodscalp muscle- and grabbed her as if she were nothing more than a little doll leaving her only time to yelp and flail in the air as her head was forced backward -the mouth of the vial pressed roughly between her lips.
Through a strangled cry she coughed and tried to scream. She knew better than to swallow, the liquid was sharp, yet somehow sweet. Moments after it touched her lips her tongue began to feel numb.
The poison that the Shadra-worshipping troll brewed was a hefty hallucinogen that was designed to calm and disarm hostile leanings, making one lazy, and lethargic... but not outright unconscious. The troll held her against his broad chest as he pressed the flat end of his blade to her neck, “Ya a good elfie…” he spoke in Orcish with a sick grin across his lips. Once she had swallowed enough to his satisfaction, she was pulled harshly into the flowers, back first. He held her there, blade pressed to her neck as he looked levelly into her terrified eyes. “Jus’ ya wait… soon et gonna be all okey—” a smile spread slowly.
Head swimming, tongue numbing, the tension in the small Kaldorei’s body began to slip away. Riding an amused thought she realised she knew what he was saying- he was speaking Orcish, but little known to him she spoke it very well. Her heart swelled for a moment with memories of a happier time when she had spent time hidden among the Horde and soon, she felt herself floating on a soft cloud surrounded by them. The look of terror gave way to calmness, and she relaxed into the bed of flowers.
The troll waited, watching as her demeanour and visage shifted as the drug took hold of her mind. He nodded, satisfied with what he saw and leaned off of her, tucking his dagger back to his waist. His skin tight leathers creaked softly as he did. Reaching an arm under her shoulder he pulled the girl easily up to her feet, spinning her slowly to face him.
Stooping a bit so he could clearly look at her, he waved a finger in front of her eyes with a blink, “Can ya hear me girl?” he asked, not expecting verbal response but he gauged her for what she may do… trying to ensure she was not given too big of a dose given her small size.
Peering at him with eyes that now glowed a bit dimmer than they had been moments ago; she blinked blearily as if she had not slept for weeks. On her lips however, she wore a dopey smile, her posture almost as hunched as his was. At his question she nodded simply. “ Mmhmmn.. “ and uttered a silly chuckle.
Nodding he kept his arm threaded under hers, reaching around to her other shoulder he began to lead her away from the area and into the more back woods of the forests where the troll had set up his camp. He gave her a little pat, encouraging her to follow. It took little encouragement from him to make her want to tag along, her eyes sparkling with whispered promises of an exciting new adventure.
Stumbling on her way, like someone high as a kite, she followed obediently humming as she wobbled along with him, randomly pointing at various things that caught her attention, mumbling and carrying on like an excited hen.
He raised a brow at her occasionally, though for the most part kept his eyes forward. Though the Horde were taking over Ashenvale and enjoying a secure foothold, the Kaldorei were not above appearing from the trees and bushes without warning at this point.
The small incline they came to was home to the troll camp. Grunting he reached out and pulled back some bushes to reveal a small clearing that housed a leaven tarp above a bed roll, with what looked to be a fire pit and some stakes in the ground. Kar’zuk pulled some leaves over the fire area to keep it dry as he began to pile wood in the small hole. He pointed over to tinder for the fire, and looked to the elf.
“Get dat.” he stated in a low tone waving it over to him, indicating he wanted her to bring it.
Shari seemed enthralled with the little camp, regarding everything with child-like wonder. She watched him carefully, and even in her dopey-eyed state, she seemed oddly keyed into wanting to please and do what he wanted. When he pointed over to the tinder she giggled musically and skipped over to it, grabbing an armful before stumbling back to him, blinking up into his face before flopping into a careless sit.
Kar’zuk took the materials and arranged the fire, lighting it with a few clicks of his flint stone. It warmed the cool forest around them, as the sun was setting over the green canopy of Ashenvale. It was hard to tell, due to the dense trees, but it got colder at night… much colder than a Jungle troll is used to. As the fire was lit and singing happily, the male loosened his shoulder pauldrons and positioned them near enough to the fire to keep them warm and dry yet not too close as to have the leather crack. He motioned for the elf to come close. “Here”, waving to the spot next to him.
When he shed his shoulder armor, she mirrored the action. Battle armor was not really her favourite thing to be in anyway, and certainly didn't suit how she was currently feeling. As he motioned for her to move closer she broke out into a bright smile and drug herself over unable to properly crawl on her hands and knees with her robe in the way. Once in the spot allocated she attempted to lean into him again, much like a contented cat.
Kar’zuk tangled a three digited hand into the elf’s teal colored hair and guided her to face him slightly so that she spilled over into his lap. “Still,” he said simply, and placed a flat hand on the back of her head to note this.
He was quite massive compared to her fragile 5’5 form, even more so when he wasn’t stooped over presenting a perfect picture of intimidation, coupled with long sharp tusks one of which was painted red- the other carved with designs and adorned with three golden rings.
Imposing though he was, it seemed entirely lost on her as he took a knife, and slowly began cutting away at her clothing. The knife made soft ‘sssht, sssshht, sssht’ noises as it sliced through the leather.
Slowly, layer after layer was desecrated, left to become mere rags upon the forest floor leaving her naked, bare and giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world. The troll then reached for her hair and pulled her off into a sitting position to his side. He stepped over her and moved to his bed roll area, where he began to shift through a bag.
Staring down at her flat chest she then studied how her hips flared out graciously, leaving a very soft seat for her to be sitting upon. Indeed her form was strange for one of her kind, though somewhat normal considering the affliction she was born with. Blink-blinking at him she watched his further actions curiously. Then as if it was the most natural thing in the world she leaned forward a bit, both brows raised, speaking Orcish- albeit with a strong Kaldorei accent, “What are you doing Sir?”
There was some metallic jingling as he shifted through the bag. He had noted that she followed, but paid little mind to it in the moment. At the sound of her speaking he blinked, and glanced at her, “Oh – ya… speak?” he asked rather curiously. Turning toward her with a wicked grin crossing his lips he reached over with a big hand and smoothed it over her emerald hair.
“Ya gonna’ bring good fortune ta Kar’zuk… ya be his now…” he noted, raising a finger for her to wait.
Swiveling back to his worn, dusty bag, he pulled a metallic collar out made of steel, with the troll’s name across the front of it in Zandali script. He used his dagger in the other hand and placed the flat end of it under her chin, and lifted it upward gently. “Look up now, girlie” he spoke lowly.
One eye blinked before the other, she felt so very tired for some reason. A smile touched her lips. She was… his? Her eyes darted from the collar to the trolls face, digesting the situation.
As he brought up his left wrist within her field of vision she tried to grab it clumsily to hold it still, checking to see if he happened to bare the mark of the Order- a mark that would pair with her own. He was having none of the touching however, and when she tried to grab his wrist he growled lowly and furrowed his brow, eyes becoming red, darkening as he reached immediately for her throat with his left hand making her gasp in surprise.
Holding her in a tight squeeze he shook his head, “Ya ain’ touchin’.. Less ya ask,” he punctuated his statement with a tighter grip, making her wheeze a gasp. “Ya understand me?” he maintained his growl, menacing teeth on display. “Ya bettah be a quick learnah… else… Kar’zuk find a use fa’ya.” he warned and let up only so that he could place and lock the collar around the elf’s neck.
The large hand around her throat made her wheeze softly--- then burst into a fit of giggles. Her fingers danced in the air like little spiders before she nodded dumbly, becoming still again as the collar went about her neck...bringing an odd smile to her lips. Softly... very softly she began to hum.
Kar’zuk grinned seeing the drugs still having hold of the elf. “Good.” he declared and came to a slow stand. As he did, he gave her a pat on the head and made his way to the warm fire to heat himself. There was a small pile of wooden shafts by the fire that the troll began to sharpen on one end. The knife he held clipped against the wood, and the shavings were dumped into the fire pit to fuel the warmth.
Swaying from side to side for a minute or two Shari continued to hum, now caressing the collar with her scarred fingertips, eyes closed. Finally she looked around to notice he had seemingly disappeared again. Glancing over her shoulder however placed him back into her field of view. Seeing him she laughed.
“Ppppffftttt! You're faaast!” she exclaimed, swatting at the air in his direction, before crawling over toward him on her hands and knees, long hair dragging on the ground as she did so, tendrils creating silken fingers across her vision.
After each piece of wood was sharpened, it was stacked into a pile to his side. He put it all down as she crawled over to him and he smirked at her gesture. “Course Kar’zuk be fast… dat be why joo” he poked her nose making her grin and giggle, “be ‘es and not de othah way ‘round” he’d note with a grin. Raching to his side he pulled out a canteen of water and held out near her, “Drink… et ain’ good ta be spending too much time all loopy… watah be helpin ya wit dat.” he nodded.
“Hmmmmnnn? “ Staring at the canteen a moment she flicked her numb tongue in her mouth. “As you say. “ Drinking was interesting, and she ended up wearing more than she got in her mouth unable to entirely feel where her lips were to put them around the mouth of the canteen properly.
“What is the wood for? “ she asked smacking her lips, head tilted almost comically to the side, causing her body to lean with it to the point where she almost fell right over. Upon righting herself in fast slow motion her hair was nothing more than netting about her.
He smiled, “Be makin’ ya home, lil’elfie.. leas’ for da night. Tomorrow, ya carreh it wit ya,” he noted with a nod.
Licking at her lips as if she were trying to catch snowflakes in the air she grinned at him in a silly way. “But- I am home. We are in Ashenvale. Mmm-mmm.. Ash-en-vaaaale...Whoooo!”
The Bloodscalp grinned, “Mm.. ya.. don’ ya worreh, Kar’zuk be makin’ ya new home” he nodded with a smirk, reaching over to pat her head with a grin.
Suddenly he grabbed her bony shoulder and pulled the elf toward him laying her down in his lap, spinning her over so her head faced up. Then he took the canteen and poured a little into her mouth at time and then lifted her so she could swallow. She flopped in his lap and began poking at his chin. Some of the water slid down the corners of her mouth and trickled into her ears making her squeak and squirm.
“Ya be stung bad by Shadra’s brew… jus’ hopin’ ya ain’ cravin’ et… don’ need no drug addled elfie,” he teased and then pet her back. Satisfied, he pushed her off his lap and returned back to the sharpening of the wood as he gave her a smirk. “Ya want more water?”
“No...” she whined knuckling at her ears, “Have enough in my ears right now...” Bending sideways she attempted to shake her head as if the water would easily pour back out.
He watched as she moved about trying to get the water from her ears and he just shook his head, “Why ya drinkin’ et in ya ears then, elfie” he sighed and stuck a finger into each of her ear canals to flick the water out. “Here… sit now.”
“Ack!” His fingers were very thick but he was still more successful in helping than the time she had been having. Smiling gratefully she nodded and laughed softly, “But you cannot make a new home with a few pointy sticks...” She actually seemed partially convinced that maybe he could...somehow.
Positioning her next to him on one side, with the sharpened sticks on the other he raised a brow. “Joo tell Kar’zuk when ya ain’ feelin’ funneh no more, ya?”
Nodding to his words she made a funny face not sure what he was talking about- feeling funny- she felt wonderful, just tired... and wet. She stared down at her chest swiping at the water droplets.
A short time later, it was as if a heavy morning fog began to dissolve to make way for the sun. Her head began to clear, allowing fear to slowly trickle in like water through a small hole in a dam.
Tension began to ebb its way back into her body, and the glow of her eyes began to become brighter until she was coiling her muscles and ever so slowly inching her way away from him.
She didn’t get far- the moment she started scooting, he snorted and grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her roughly back so that he could inspect her eyes.
Noting the change he grinned, “Ahh.. yes.. dere you are, my elfie.”
He stood picking up the sticks with his other hand and began to drag Shari over toward his bedroll. She yelped and clasped her hands over his against her head to try and alleviate some of the pain from her hair threatening to come out by the roots.
Unceremoniously he released her onto his bedroll, leaving her to stare at him with a wince rubbing her burning scalp.
Stooping, he began to fix the sticks in between the stakes in the ground. As she watched it dawned on her what he was doing. It was to be a cage. It seemed as if there was a large ball of cotton in her throat as she tried to swallow.
After fussing with his project a bit more he nodding looking at it, considering how secure the tee-pee enclosure would be. Testing it with a shake or two, and finally an absent kick he grunted and turned around to face her, grabbing her long hair again- it made a great make shift leash.
The troll hauled her in close- so close she could smell his warm, rancid breath. “Ya gonna be de one ta decide ef Kar’zuk gonna have ta cage ya tonight… ya understand?”
His tusks were long reaching at least two and a half feet from the corners of his mouth- acting like immobile arms right now on either side of her head. It dawned on her the red colored tusk was likely painted with someone’s blood.
“i.. i d-don't wish to be c-caged...” she squeaked helplessly.
Every moment that passed was another jolt of adrenalin to her system. She wondered how fast he was- if she could risk trying to shift into her raven form and fly away--- if he grabbed her wrong he could break an appendage- she shuddered and whimpered softly.
“Good – and neither do aye… so we gonna improvise…”
She was given a severe look of warning before he released his grip on her hair and moved to a nearby center stake that had a ring through the top and a rope tied to it. He moved back to the elf and tied the free end of the rope into a metal ring that was forged into the side of her collar.
“Ya try an run? Ya take de stake out… der be poison set around,” he gestured around the area, “Ya don’t know where it be, so you step on it, de gas come up… ya gonna fall like a ton a’ bricks… Den I wake up and make ya pay fo bein stupid. Got dat?” he growled once more, standing over her and leaning down to form an imposing presence that caused her to bury her face into her knees.
“Ya Kar’zuk’s now.. and dat ain’ gonna change on my watch.”
It seemed this guy thought of everything. He struck her as somehow being much more... fierce than she remembered trolls being... of course how she remembered them, was when she looked like one. Her body shuddered as another helpless whimper vibrated in her throat. To cast she would have to speak- and to speak she would need to breathe... and she couldn’t do that inhaling poison gas. Her shoulders slumped. “You d-do not belong to the Order. Y-Your ownership is not absolute.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, soft, non-confrontational.
The tone didn’t matter, it was the words that she spoke of that caused him to grab her neck and pull out his dagger. Eyes darkening and he let out a low menacing growl that made her instantly regret opening her mouth, “What Ordah ya speakin’ of girlie?”
Another yelp sprang forth. Her nostrils flared, breath panting in and out before she could find her words. “Th-the Order of the Thorn!” she swallowed hard, “Th-there is a ritual... a m-magical bond- a Collar-“ she pointed to her ankle where the bell was - the leather strap partially covered a tattoo. “ i am m-marked, th-those of the Order are m-marked too...”
“Ef ya be refuting Kar’zuk claim den he gonna have ta show ya dat et be de truth” The blade of the dagger was shone up into her eye making her squint. “Ya want Kar’zuk to do dat to you?”
“No- no! “ she squeaked shrinking, “i a-am just telling you the t-truth!”
Her words did not satisfy the Bloodscalp. He pressed the knife to her throat and looked her dead in the eyes drawing her close again, making sure she could count every one of his sharpened teeth as he snapped, “Tell Kar’zuk again dat he be lyin’… dat joo ain’ his… dat some Ordah be nullifyin’ him… I -dare- ya.” He grit his teeth, pointed teeth scraping against their paired partners, “Ya ain’ gonna last long ef ya keep running ya mouth like dat elfie…”
He spat into her face making her react as if it had been acid. She winced and turned her face to the side similarly as if she had been slapped.
Kar’zuk thrust her backward disgustedly and stashed his dagger at his side.
Staring down at her a moment he snorted then was upon her like a rabid panther, grasping another handful of her hair- pushing her face roughly into the ground. Without looking- he grabbed a pair of metal cuffs from the nearby sack.
The woman huffed into the earth- rustling death leaves as she panted out terrified breaths. Her fingers curled into the soft ground as she sobbed quietly. He looked like the fierce trolls on the battle field- the ones who were ready to kill for no reason other than that you were in their way.
"i am s-sorry... s-sorry...p-please...i-" she twisted and writhed in her prone position.
Lost in the veil of rage, he interpreted her actions and disobedience. “Ya want Kar’zuk ta prove et? Den he gonna…” he purred and sat on her upper legs and pulling each hand behind her back roughly. Cuffing each wrist tightly in the iron restraints he grasped her head with one hand, and pushed her face mercilessly into the dirt to muffle her.
It was then she felt the burst of pain blossom across her face- moments before feeling the warmth of blood, tasting it as it began to run down the back of her throat making her choke and gag against the unforgiving soil.
Lips peeled back from his teeth in a sadistic grin as his free hand reached for his dagger slashed the bladed end against her bare back with a surgeon’s skill eliciting a piercing scream from her. It was not a deep wound, but it served a purpose.
Jerking her up to kneel she coughed and wheezed, blood pouring down face where the dirt hadn’t already become packed and smeared. He twisted his tall form to stare into her eyes. “Joo-” he’d state, and pointed a finger roughly into her chest, “are Kar’zuk’s… do ya understand?”
The blood running down the back of her throat made it hard to breathe- and every time she swallowed she felt her stomach heave threatening to make her retch. With tears in her eyes, streaming down her soiled cheeks she could only nod her head meekly.
There was a grin on Kar’zuk’s face. He drew the blood stained dagger up to his mouth and before her eyes he drew his tongue against it, lapping up her fresh blood. With a triumphant huff he stowed the dagger away and stood reaching to his neck where he wore a string of Kaldorei ears.
Shari wasn’t able to see very well through the pain, and her face was already beginning to swell. She was nothing more than a broken doll at this point.
Purring he narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Good elfie…”
Grabbing the elf by her hair again he drug her to the wooden cage he had made and threw her inside it.
As she lay crumpled into a pile within, he grabbed the final stakes and thrust them into the ground, burying them deep and secure with his trollish strength.
With trembling arms she pulled herself over to the side of the cage and gripped at the bars, staring at him with pleading eyes until he slowly disappeared from her view from dead leaves and debris he dumped over the cone, blotting out the light from the fire.
For the first time in Shari’s life she deeply regretted not being in tune with her more feral forms for surely if she had been, this cage would have been nothing to a bear. But--- a bear she was not... she was... just a little bird locked in a cage. Inhaling deeply, the smell of earth was all about her now, offering no comfort.
Through the throbbing pain in her face, echoed by the pain on her back she strained to see through the swelling to view the necklace she now wore, plucking at it daintily. Being able to see in the dark, it was gruesomely clear what the items were... her scream echoed through the forest, startling small nocturnal creatures and bringing a sly grin to Kar’zuk’s face.
“Yell all ya want elfie… ya jus’ gonna get me more slaves… and ef dey gonna be more useful den joo,” he began kicking the leaves a bit at her prison, “Ya jus gonna’ be dinnah for a troll.”
Licking his lips he dusted his hands together, satisfied with his work for the night. Disrobing from his tunic and other leather wares, he sat upon his bedroll with a grunt. The fire was still sparking, dying down but there was still warmth spread to him from it which brought a contented yawn from his lips as he laughed and stretched out to sleep for the night.
The necklace was wrenched from her neck with a retching gagging sound. This couldn't be happening. Why wasn't she sitting safely inside Darnassus right now...where she should be. Clapping a hand over her mouth she realized he was right. If she called attention to them- he would capture whoever came. And worse yet- what if more Horde came? She hugged her knees to her chest and began to sob before clawing at the steel collar he had put around her neck earlier. It wasn't her collar- there must be a way to get it off. She had to get it off. She had to get out--- just then she froze. The gas... There was nothing she could do... and yet…
He was satisfied that he had calmed her down for now, seemingly so. He could hear the whimpers and panting from the cage, but no words… no more yelling. His heavy eyes finally laid to rest. Until she spoke.
"Please Sir...Please set me free. If you were of the Order- i would be yours without ques--" Hissing she curled back against one of the walls. Maybe he was asleep and hadn’t heard.
Flashing amber eyes snapped open as he grumbled and kicked the cage sending smaller leaf particles showering down over her head. “Are ya gonna make me wake up outta bed ta shut joo up elfie… or are ya gonna be good? “ there was a pause before he snarled, “Gonna cut out ya tongue -AND- feed ya joor teeth if I gotta get outta bed… so I suggest ya shut de f*ck up.” Exhaling deeply he closed his eyes again.
He would hear nothing else for some time... and then... a faint whisper... and a green glow would shine through the leaves followed by the sound of softly swirling wind.
Kar’zuk was asleep by then, the green light shining through the leaves and over his eyes caused him to enter a semi-lucid state… soon to follow with a snore which helped to hide the sounds of soft rustling around inside the cage.
<to be continued>
Founded April 26, 2005