"Emerald Tidings" 1 - New Crossover Story, GLC/WoW
Posted: 2009-05-11 01:14am
Yeah, I'm utterly mad. Or rather I'm so burnt out on my serious writings that I broke down and decided to write something fun and entertaining. And I hope you'll all be entertained even if you aren't familiar with the other half of the crossover. 
And now for the tale of a new Green Lantern Corps, raised on a new world, a new universe, where the forces of Light need all the help they can get.
And so we begin....
"Emerald Tidings" Part 1: "Emerald Dawn", Prologue!
The fabric of reality bent and twisted. Pure energy pulled at its skein, pressing indomitably until the skein gave way and the nether beckoned. From black to black the object came, rushing onward past the great yellow orb to the smaller blue pearl circling it. A pearl that teemed with life of so many variable kinds, a pearl where the skein of the dimensions was torn, a pearl surging with power.
The object plunged into the pearl's sky, a beacon of red against the sea of stars its occupants stared upon every night. It was remarked upon. The superstitious saw it as both promise-giver and harbinger, bringing good tidings or doom with its passing. Others simply thought of the shining star as another spectacle of the night sky, not to be considered in any way.
It hit the ocean that lay between the planet's two great continents and sunk deep into the depths. For a time the water above simply bubbled with activity. Then light began to erupt from the ocean's depths. Water rushed away and an chunk of land rose, a magnificant ancient construct preserved by the sea. And from within streaks of light came as the island shined emerald rays upon the horizon.
The shooting star had not gone unnoticed, even in the dank cells of those who called themselves Scarlet Crusaders. From within one a pair of blue eyes spied the sign of the shooting star from within the bars of her cage. The woman turned to face her companion, who was strewn about on the floor in remnant agony for what had been done to her.
The woman who knelt to tend to her priestly duties was a fair-skinned lady, little more than a girl in some ways, with blonde hair of golden hue and her blue eyes that sparkled with the benevolence of her heart. Her robes, adorned with the symbols of the Light both she and their tormentors worshipped, had been cut at by the Scarlets when she and her companion were overtaken and thrown in here, revealing the simple cotton brassiere and shorts she wore underneath with the lovely body that they provided further modesty for. Her name was Larissa Edoya, Priestess of the Light, trained within the confines of Stormwind Cathedral itself.
Her tan-skinned companion was less well off. Danniela Ortis was as lovely as Larissa certainly, though where Larissa's body was smooth and soft, Danniela's was firmer, harder, muscles developed from years of training her body to fight in rank. She was trained in the fashion of Stormwind militia and had left her regiment to pursue the call in her heart for adventure and danger, a call that saw her fight as a free gladiatrix in the arenas of Stranglethorn and Dire Maul before she had by chance met the priestess who now tended to her wounds. The armor she had worn was long stripped away, her only clothing remaining being the scraps of cotton vest and brassiere and leggings that had survived John Vishas' best work.
There were many reasons why the warrior-gladiatrix had left the glories of the arena and comfort of champion living for the life of a wandering priestess. Perhaps the most powerful reason was to be seen when Danniela's green eyes met Larissa's blue and their lips met softly. A soft, sympathetic kiss between lovers who now faced their darkest hour.
The wounds on Danniela's body were not yet healed when the cell door opened wide. Men in the white tabards of the Scarlet Crusade entered and their intent was clear. "I will go again," Danniela said, trying to stand, not willing to see her beloved endure the tortures she had suffered earlier.
"You are still not recovered. I cannot let you," was Larissa's answer to her, standing as the two men came and took her by the arms. "I am not afraid."
"Leave her alone! Take me, you Light-damned savages!" Danniela turned from where she lay as she saw them take Larissa away, and she howled once more. "Take me!"
But they were already gone. The warrior collapsed, fearing that her lover would be dead before the night was out.
She remained laying upon the cold stone of the cell floor for a time, trying to recover her strength, listening for the distant screams that might belong to Larissa. Danniela's eyes focused upon the cell door the entire while.
But then light came from the window. She looked over at the shining streak of emerald as it neared her and heard it began to speak to her...
Larissa looked straight ahead as she was escorted into the Chamber of Atonement. One man stood out among the tabard-clad Crusaders and he came directly toward her. "You are the heretic who tried to lead our laymen astray," he said to her haughtily.
"I came to redeem the followers of the Light in these lands," Larissa answered.
"Or to spy upon us for the Argent Dawn." Vishas took Larissa by the chin. "The penalty for heresy is death. But first we will have your full confession."
"Would you torture me then? I wear the robes of the Church of Light, have you degenerated so far as to lash out at a priestess of the Light?", Larissa asked calmly.
Vishas glanced at his attendants. They seized Larissa and with knives drawn cut and tore the robes and clothes from her body. "Now you're in the dress of a harlot," Vishas crowed, pointing out the skimpy and revealing nature of her remaining undergarments. His men laughed.
At his command Larissa was brought to an open rack. Her ankles were fixed into the wooden stocks as the tough ropes were tied around her wrists. One man manned the wheel that would stretch her limbs out and dislocate them over time while Vishas secured a metal poker from a fire pit, glowing red hot. "Now, you will confess to your heresy. Confess to the treason of the Argent Dawn and its supporters, to their aide to the Undead and how they have abandoned the Light."
"I will not lie." As a bloodcurdling scream came from one of the Forsaken prisoners in the next chamber over, the creaking of the wooden wheel was barely audible, but she could feel her arms tighten as they were pulled. "I forgive you for your trespass against me, but I cannot forgive you for abandoning the Light."
"Shut your heretic mouth, harlot, I'm not yet ready to remove your lying tongue," Vishas barked as he brought his torture implements closer.
The wall suddenly broke. Stone and mortar flew inward from the impact against it and a single object passed by, a streak of emerald light that circled around Vishas and up to Larrisa. And as the object passed by her wrists, severing the ropes binding them in the process, a voice spoke out.
Larissa Edoya, you have the ability to overcome great fear.
The streak smacked into the head of the man holding the rack wheel, throwing him into the far wall. It came back around and smacked into Vishas' hand, causing him to drop his poker.
I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe.
It came back to her as Larissa brought her hands down to try and free her ankles. She extended a hand toward it and it slipped onto her right middle finger, revealing the simple emblem of a circle with two lines on its top and bottom edges.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.
Vishas stared at her with widened eyes before he began to cry out for help. Larissa looked from the ring on her finger to the wooden stock still holding her ankles to the torture rack.
I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Armed with that knowledge of the workings of the ring, she mentally thought of removing the stock and a beam of emerald energy struck out from the ring, enveloping the stock and pulling it apart. With Vishas' cries for aid being loud, she turned toward him and knocked him out, her ring striking him with a beam of pure green.
Larissa stepped out into the Chamber of Atonement, as it was called, and confronted the guards watching the halls. They raised weapons and ran toward her. By habit she called upon the Light to protect her, giving her the temporary protection of a bubble of pure light around herself, but it would not last that long. Not normally.
But the ring on her finger reacted to the command of her Shield word. She had been thinking of protecting herself with a field, and so it did, and the field of light around her was suddenly enlarged and strengthened by the green light of the ring. Sword and mace blows fell upon it, then fireballs from the conjurers of the Scarlet Crusade, but all dissipated harmlessly against the field with it showing no sign of weakening.
The need to attack was made moot as green energy lashed out from the direction of the cells. Danniela rounded the corner, a ring on her hand as well and a scowl on her face. "Where did you take her?!" she screamed at a fallen Crusader as he looked up wide-eyed. "Where did you take..."
"Danni!"
The priestess' call to her beloved won the warrior's attention. She turned toward them just as the conjurers began to change targets. Before the two women could strike out, Danniela brought her hand up and her ring's power lashed out, two solid beams grabbing the conjurers' by the wrists and then slamming them into each other, knocking them both down for the moment.
Larrisa was usually not one to lash out, preferring to heal. But for the moment the righteous anger she felt toward what the Crusaders did boiled forth. "PAIN," she hissed, though she didn't make use of the scarier shadow aspects that had been taught to her as an adept. Instead she could feel her ring reacting to her will to hurt her attackers. At the command the ring's energy shield shifted, bolts of green power striking the two Crusaders hard in the mid-section and knocking them down.
With their immediate attackers down Larrisa and Danniela embraced each other. "Your wounds," Larrisa whispered as the embrace ended, just to be silenced when it became an intense kiss by an euphoric Danniela happy to see her beloved had not been harmed. When it was over she was able to ask, "And you received one of these... 'power rings' too?"
"Yes." Dannie grinned widely. "You came here to see if the Crusade could be redeemed. It's obvious they don't want to be. What do you want to do now?"
Larrisa frowned and took Dannie's hand. "Let's free the other people held here. I would not abandon any to the cruelty of these insane heretics."
Vishas appeared from the doorway now. And other Crusaders were starting to arrive, drawn by the sounds of battle. "I do not know where you have gotten such devilish powers," Vishas rasped, "but you will not be permitted to leave here alive! Brothers and sisters, kill the heretics in the name of the Light!"
With their backs against the wall, Dannie and Larrisa held hands for a moment before grinning with confidence. The intensity of light in their rings grew and green auras surrounded them. Their tattered clothing was changed to reflect sleeveless uniforms of black and green, a skin-tight body suit in Larrisa's case and a back-baring and loose skirt in Danniela's complete with a plunging cleavage-showing neckline, the symbol that was on their rings prominent on Larissa's chest and over Danniela's heart.
The light of Larrisa's ring created a field around her. Danniela was more offensive minded, as she created a sword of green light to hold in each hand. Smiling at Larrisa, Danniela shouted a battle cry and charged forward with her green light-swords at the ready.
Suffice to say, the zealots of the Scarlet Crusade did not enjoy what came next.
A world away the sun of Azeroth sent its rays through the thick forest canopy of Ashenvale, giving some light to the undergrowth of the ancient wood and the creatures and beings that dwelt within.
But all was not peaceful within the tranquil wood, specifically upon its edge. The forest gradually cleared away in the southeast, where fallow dust was accompanied by stacks of lumber and timber while Orc labourers of the Warsong Clan continued their slow devastation of Ashenvale, aided by the constant machinery noises of Goblin lumber machines.
Ashenvale continued to be a source of lumber for the Horde, though not the only one these days. The Horde presence in Ashenvale, especially the Warsong lumber operations, were a point of pride and honor to be maintained no matter what blood was shed or what damage it caused.
Among the figures overlooking the increasing clearing of the forest was a scowling man, an Orc of light greenish complexion - one that spoke of minimal demonic effect upon his bloodline as the complexion was almost to the natural brown of the Orcs of Draenor - wearing a leather vest and pants with a powerful longbow upon his knee. A Barrens cat, a 'lion' in Human parlance, remained still beneath him.
Nearby one of the officers of the Warsong was watching him as he surveyed the edge of the Warsong Lumber Camp. "So will you hunt this elf witch?" was the question, more of a demand. "Her strikes have grown too bold and none we have sent into the forest to kill her have survived. Even the Forsaken have failed to end her..."
The scowl became a snarl. "Indebting yourself to the Forsaken is not the way to deal with this 'Ghost Huntress'," was the grim reply. "I will find her, do not worry. Though it brings me no joy to end the life of such an exceptional hunter..."
"The Warsong know her skill enough, we have the slain warriors and workers to prove it! If we are to maintain our place here we must restore the confidence of our Goblin mercenaries and our own labourers, we must have her head, Kurkosh."
"You will have it then, but only because the Warchief has agreed to end her," Kurkosh responded. In truth he had little love for the Warsong's activities here, but an order from the Warchief was such; the raids of the unknown Night Elf hunter upon the Warsong had to be ceased and an example made to prevent further such attacks.
"Do not forget the services we of the Warsong have provided the Horde," the officer said, sensing Kurkosh's contempt. "Our lumber expands the power of the Horde, Hunter, and we guard the northern frontier of our homeland from Alliance incursions."
"You mean the lumber that does not go wasted because you cut far more than you can deliver, and the northern frontier that would be perfectly secure if you were not antagonizing the Night Elves," Kurkosh corrected with some sarcasm.
"Do not forget that it was Grom Hellscream that vanquished the demon Mannoroth and freed us from our curse, hunter, the entire Horde and Warsong owe him...."
Kurkosh's keen senses heard the low sound in the air, the familiar low whistle of an arrow in flight, the instant before a steel-tipped arrow lodged itself in the Warsong's throat.
Almost immediately the Orc hunter strung his own bow, looking toward where the shot came from. He could sense that his unseen foe was already stringing her bow - and it was most likely a her, given how the different sexes of Night Elf behaved - and did the same with his.
A distant glint caught his eye and he turned toward it to let loose with his arrow. His arrow and his attacker's met in mid-air and struck each other dead-on, both arrows falling backward and to the ground from the impact.
"Thulk, go into the trees, find my attacker," he ordered his cat. The great cat bared its fangs, its mane of brown hair billowing out a bit, as it began running. An arrow came out to take Thulk, but this time it was Kurkosh who fired a shot in deflection, hitting his foe's arrow perfectly to save his cat from attack.
Thulk began to slip around a great tree still standing at the perimeter of the Lumber Camp. As he did so Kurkosh nocked another arrow into his longbow, letting it fly the instant he heard a rustle. As before his arrow was met by another and both hit the ground.
A roar came from the trees. Thulk flew backward with a great Ashenvale bear roaring out after him. The savannah prowling cat was well-trained by Kurkosh, of course, and jumped up to clamp its jaws into the bear's shoulder. Roaring in anger and pain, the bear swatted Thulk hard to try and get him off. Taking some cover behind a lumber pile, Kurkosh aimed an arrow at the great bear to aid Thulk.
As he released the arrow his opponent's arrow whizzed over the top of the lumber pile, nearly scratching the surface of the wood. The arrow connected with his longbow, forcing it downward and throwing off Kurkosh's aim. The arrowhead splintered the string of his bow so that he would not get another shot, the arrow meant to aid Thulk being low and wildly fired.
This Ghost Huntress truly is magnificant, Kurkosh thought, quite awed by his adversary's skill. He looked at his de-stringed longbow, seeing if he could repair the cut to make it work again.
That was when the green light hovered over him.
Kurkosh of the Frostwolves, you have the ability to overcome great fear...
The bear Teynar swatted away the Barrens cat again but not without cost. A chunk of flesh had remained in the jaw of the cat and the wounded bear, bleeding profusely, sought sanctuary in the wood and his master.
The bear limped up to the lithe figure crouched between two great trees of Ashenvale, an arrow nocked in her bow and ready to be fired. The shining white eyes of the Kaldorei woman turned back to see her charge and the gaping wound in his shoulder.
Suddenly there was a bright green light and a shower of shining green arrows came down around them. One pierced the woman's right shoulder, eliciting a cry more from startlement at the sensation than the pain of it, while another knocked her ancient longbow out of her hand. The arrow in her shoulder faded moments after it hit, leaving a gaping hole in her flesh that thick red blood began oozing out of. She grabbed the wound and began to run into the forest, her wounded bear beside her.
A wall of green energy suddenly materialized in front of her and Teynar, forcing her to come to a stop. The Orc she had attempted to kill, the Orc sent to kill her, hoved down from above, a green ring shining on his right hand now and the emblem upon it now appearing in green light on his vest. "So this is the Ghost Huntress that has terrorized the Warsong for so long," Kurkosh rumbled, looking over his quarry.
The Kaldorei woman looked every bit the trapped beast with her angry snarl, if she also maintained an unyielding silence. Her purple hair was long and disheveled, her skin complexion of a lighter purple tone than the hair and visible around the areas covered by a pair of hunter's trousers and a loose leather tunic.
"It was smart of you to come after me so quickly, but your war against the Warsong and the Horde ends here." He brought his right fist up and the ring shined, creating an arrow in midair.
The silent Huntress immediately jumped to the side to avoid the arrow. But it was clearly not a mere projectile but an extention of Kurkosh's will, and so it followed her, aimed directly for her throat.
There was a thunderous roar from behind Kurkosh, disrupting his concentration enough that the arrow construct disappeared before it could strike Syrande. The sinister sound of rocks being ground against each other and the ground told both veterans of the Third War that a new player had entered their private quarrel; an Infernal.
Not just an Infernal, though. Upon turning Kurkosh found himself faced with several of the demonic beings that infested Felfire Hill, a mixture of Infernals, Felguards, and Succubi.
The Huntress slipped away as Kurkosh's attention was brought to maintaining his defense from his demonic attackers. She motioned for Teynar to make a break for it and began to run as well.
She only managed a few steps when the lash of a succubus wrapped itself around her neck. She let out a strangled cry as she was pulled back toward the Sayaad demoness. A wicked cackle came from the Succubus as she pulled the Night Elf's head further back. "I always enjoy screams of torment from your kind," she cooed sadistically before tightening the lash's grip.
Syrande Moonrunner, you have the ability to overcome great fear.
A bright green light zipped past Syrande's vision and hammered the succubus straight between her horns. She let out an angry howl and slackened her grip on the lash around Syrande's neck.
Pulling the lash off, the Night Elf huntress watched the green light come back to her and neatly slip itself onto the middle finger of her right hand. I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.
The emblem shining on the ring appeared over Syrande's leather tunic at the centerpoint of her chest. In a low voice she raised the question, "What is this ring? What is a 'Green Lantern'?"
I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Seeing the succubus that had attacked her beginning to recover, Syrande brought the ring up. She remembered that the Orc had managed to make arrows with the ring he was given and so ordered the ring to use the same. A series of arrows materialized in mid-air and struck the succubus simultaneously, killing the foul thing.
There was a great rumble in the air. An Infernal crashed along the ground nearby and dissipated, leaving a pile of inanimate rock. Syrande's attention tracked to where it had come from.
Her Orc adversary was in mid-air, protected by a bubble of green light around him. A bubble that was enduring the pounding of the remaining two Infernals and one Felguard. It was not clear whether the Orc could survive the attack he was facing even with the strange power ring.
She could leave, of course. Syrande had no love, no love at all, for the Orcs that had slain so many of her friends, the race that had desecrated her people's ancient forest homeland, that had slain Cenarius, and perhaps worse off, had slain her own beloved mentor Keldra and left Keldra's daughter an orphan.
In the end, though, Orcs were Orcs... and the Burning Legion was still worse.
Syrande's ring projected a tri-blade ballista weapon and sent it at one of the Infernals. Green light met green fire, which extinguished as her blow left the Infernal lifeless.
The momentary reaction of the Felguards and Succubi to the fall of the second Infernal bought Kurkosh the moment he needed. The protective dome around him faded and was replaced by a larger-than-life Barrens cat modeled after his own Thulk. At his mental command the cat swung, its claws of green light slamming a pair of Felguards and a Succubi to the ground.
Another ballista construct came from Syrande's ring, this one firing a disc that ripped through more of the smaller Legion warriors. Behind them the Infernal took a powerful blow from Kurkosh's weapon, throwing it forward. With plenty of time to react Syrande created a construct of a Sentinel sentry with sword outstretched. The green light impaled the Infernal. Its death rumble echoed in the forest as it collapsed into a pile of rock.
At this point the remaining Legion opted to retreat. Syrande and Kurkosh did not give chase, for the two were now staring each other down quite intently. As if sensing their intentions, both rings spoke to their wielders: Cannot comply with attack intentions; fighting between Green Lanterns is forbidden.
"I don't need this ring to slay you, Orc," Syrande remarked angrily in Darnassian.
"Of course not," Kurkosh replied with a smirk.
At that reply Syrande's eyes widened. "What kind of Orc speaks the language of my people?"
"I heard you speak in my own." Holding his hand up, Kurkosh inspected the power ring now on his finger. "These rings are for more than combat I see." Turning his attention back to the Night Elf woman, he added, "I was sent to claim your head for the Horde. But it seems a different destiny awaits us. I am Kurkosh, son of Hormmash, of the Frostwolf Clan." He gave her an expectant look.
Syrande didn't react immediately. Still scowling she finally relented to a basic introduction. "I am Syrande Moonrunner," she answered simply.
"Then, Syrande, we should be going. I believe these rings are quietly trying to bring us somewhere," Kurkosh said.
"That they are, though I have little desire to see it. My place is here in Ashenvale, safeguarding the forest."
"You are not the least bit curious to see what this 'Green Lantern Corps' is?"
And, Syrande would have to admit, he had her there, for her curiosity as to the origin of the mysterious ring on her finger was becoming great. And while she rarely left Ashenvale it certainly wouldn't hurt to investigate as the Warsong would still be here whether she left or not. "I will not turn my back to an Orc," she informed him bluntly.
"Nor would I turn mine to you, Ghost Huntress of Ashenvale," Kurkosh retorted with some dark amusement.
Along the winding path leading up to the Scarlet Monastery a cloud of dust came rising, produced by the pounding hooves of an armored charger. Atop the great mount was a squat and stout figure, a Dwarf of Ironforge, clad in the holy armor of a paladin. A shining blade was hanging from his waist and a shield made in the shape of the Shattered Sun Emblem was slung on his back. A helmet covered a head of neck-length white-gray hair and obscured the usual Dwarven beard, of the same color, and green eyes.
Rhysdav Steelbeard had been helping the Argent Dawn in its long struggle with the Scourge when he heard the reports of a priestess of the Church of Stormwind, with her traveling companion, having gone to parlay with the Scarlet Crusade at Hearthglen. Investigating he'd discovered that they'd been arrested nearly on sight and sent to the Scarlet Monastery to be interrogated and probably executed. Not one to leave a priestess to the "mercy" of the Scarlet Crusade's Inquisitors, the Dwarf had immediately turned his charger around and made for the Scarlet Monastery, intent on rescuing the priestess and her friend or, if too late for that, avenging them.
A pair of scouts challenged him first, prompting Rhysdav to dismount. They were nothing to him in skill or strength, providing only a half minute, at most, of diversion before he left them behind, one dead and the other unconscious from the blows of his shield.
"Whitemane, stay here," he remarked to his charger. "I'll walk alone from here."
He began ascending the hill toward the monastery. Another scout came to challenge him and fell swiftly, nary an effort prompted from the experienced paladin.
The entrance loomed closer when there was a sudden burst of green light from one wing of the monastery, facing the monastery's graveyard. Rising clouds of dust accompanied by a rumbling sound in the air was enough to make it clear that the structure was collapsing somewhere.
Rhysdav began jogging into the entrance and the chamber that led to the pathways deeper into the Monastery. He didn't get far, though, before running into a crowd of figures in tattered clothing, mostly Forsaken from the look (and smell!) of them, that were hell-bent on fleeing. He did nothing to impede their escape, in part from a certainty of the brutality they suffered and from the rather more practical concern of being trampled.
A green light suddenly appeared near him, surrounding a ring of the same color. It seemed to speak to him as it found its way to the second finger on his right hand. Rhysdav Steelbeard, you have the ability to overcome great fear. I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe.
His first instinct, as the ring spoke, was to think Fel magic! and seek to pull the ring away. It was because of the shining green color of the ring, normally associated with demonic energy and the Burning Legion. But in the following seconds he came realize that the light of the ring was not Fel magic. His senses told him that the ring contained a pure form of energy, not a tainted one.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps. I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Having willingly accepted the ring, his armor shifted in color, becoming a combination of green and black.
The stampede of fleeing prisoners ceased and permitted Rhysdav to come to the entrance to the Monastery's four wings. Spotting two Crusaders the moment they spotted him, Rhysdav reached for his shield and concentrated. It glowed with holy energy for a second before he made a throwing motion, casting the holy light off the shield and sending it careening into the two Crusaders. One went down for the count from the blow.
The other charged toward him, sword raised. Rhysdav deftly parried the blow with his sword before making a blow of his own, striking the shield of the Crusader. The ring is supposed t' obey my mental commands, eh? Deciding to test that, Rhysdav focused his mind and imagined a Dwarven goat-head battering ram slamming into the Crusader.
The power ring came to life, projecting a thin beam of green light that expanded to form the very thing his mind was constructing from memory, a battering ram he'd seen in one of Ironforge's war museums (complete to the individual nicks in the wooden shaft). The ram smashed into the Crusader and sent him flying back into the wall.
For a brief moment he was taken aback by the exertion he felt on his mind. The ring's power demanded not just his mental thoughts but his very will, sapping at it like any other act of mental or physical exertion. A less-willful person might have even been exhausted by this, but Dwarven Paladins were, obviously, about as willful as they came.
With no enemies remaining there were two sealed doors before him. Rhysdav was about to open the one on the right when the one on the left blew open. A pair of Scarlet Crusade warriors flew through it, struck by a blast of green energy.
Looking in the open door Rhysdav saw a single figure, a young blonde-haired woman in a skintight suit with the same colors and emblem as his own newly-fashioned armor. Her right hand had a ring just like the one he had just received shining upon it. "Dwarven Paladin, may I ask whom you are?"
"Rhysdav Steelbeard at yer service," was the reply, joined by a respectful bow. "And ye be t' priestess Larrisa?"
"I am, noble paladin." She smiled at him. "I see that my Danniela and I are not the only ones to have been gifted with these rings..."
A distant shout came from behind Larrisa, sounding very much like a war cry in a clearly feminine, if tough, voice. "I came t' aid or avenge ye, Priestess, but it appears I was nae required."
"We could always use another stout heart sworn to the Light in dealing with these sadistic heretics," Larrisa remarked, turning away from Rhysdav and toward the corridors behind the broken door.
Rhysdav followed the priestess toward the Monastery Cathedral, going down a narrow hall in which Crusaders were strewn, dead or unconscious. A great hole in the wall showed where they had come from fighting their way from the graveyard wing of the monastery.
Blood was in the fountain of the courtyard beyond. On the upper level, approaching the cathedral door, flashes of green came as did the sounds of battle. A mage of the Crusade went flying over the short waterfall of the courtyard pool, landing and not moving again.
"These rings do not limit us to the ground, Rhysdav." Larrisa looked up at the second level and her feet left the ground. She flew herself up toward the second level.
Dwarves aren't meant for flyin' was the first thought in Rhysdav's head, but he nevertheless gave the thought of flight and his ring answered. He moved off the ground, using only a fraction of the willpower needed for actually making items with the ring, and followed Larrisa to the upper level.
The sight was of her companion Danniela finishing off the last of the guards outside the Cathedral gates. The tan-skinned warrior, green blades in each hand, had not a scratch on her body despite the skin showed by her flattering suit.
"Does th' lass ken th' point of armor, priestess?"
Seeming to giggle, Larrisa explained, "Danni was a free gladiatrix before I met her. Armor is not always desired in their combats. Nor has she needed it very much. But it would appear that the rings form suits for us based upon what is in our hearts and minds, and Danni can be very immodest and proud."
With a shout of triumph Danni sent her blades into the last of the Scarlet guards. They disappeared from her hands as she turned to Larrisa and Rhysdav. "Another ring-bearer?" Danni made a fist with her right hand, showing her own ring off. "This just became too easy."
"Battles are ne'er tae easy, lass," was the reply she got. "And we're all on th' same idea?"
"High Inquisitor Whitemane personally oversaw my interrogation," Danni replied coldly, "and ordered Vishas to humiliate my beloved Larrisa when he took her to be tortured. I'm looking forward to evening that score."
"There'll be justice for Whitemane an' 'er followers this day, lass, but it'll be a pure justice as the Light sees fit."
"Justice for Whitemane, dwarf, would be for her to suffer upon the rack and the hot coals as I and many others have," Danni replied angrily. "As it is my intention is to simply drive a blade into her dark heart, a mercy compared to what she truly deserves." And with that she turned away to look over the door.
"Quite a vengeful lady as well, an' ye picked her t' be yer travelin' companion?"
"Danniela's passions burn hotly, though I have tried to re-direct them into more acceptable roads," Larrisa explained. "As it is, it was not her own suffering that has stoked her anger but the thought of what Whitemane and Vishas would have done to me."
"She's quite protective of ye, priestess, that much I can tell. Is tha' why ye have her as yer companion?"
"No, my dear paladin." Turning her head to face Rhysdav, Larrisa smiled happily. "At my request Danniela willingly gave up the life of fame and glory as a champion gladiatrix to be my companion... because she and I are in love."
That prompted a bit of a bewildered look. "Love, ye say? Ye dinnae mean... Like a pair o' Night Elf ladies?"
"The women of Darnassus are not the only ones to have love such as ours, Dwarf. Though they tend to be more... accepting of it."
"The door is tightly sealed," Danniela remarked suddenly, breaking up the conversation. "And I think they're barricading it further from the inside."
"Aye, well then lasses, let's give 'em a knock on th' door?"
The three stood in front of the door and lifted their arms in unison, pointing their rings toward the door. Rhysdav made his battering ram construct come alive again while Danni, never one to be outshone, picked an entire Dwarven siege tank construct. Larrisa's was the least detailed as her ring projected a simple shape. As one they smashed their constructs against the protected door. It bent greatly but did not break. "Again!", Danni shouted, and the tank, battering ram, and square pillar of green light all collided with the door again.
This time it did give way. They ran into the room to see some of the Scarlet chaplains and monks were strewn around what was left of the door. Standing down by the altar were the twin overlords of the monastery; the High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane, an attractive woman of white hair with a leotard top that bared her shapely legs, and the Scarlet Commander Renault Mograine, a man of light reddish hair adorned in armor and the tabard of the Scarlet Crusade.
"The infidels attack us with demon magic!" Mograine pointed an accusing finger toward the three. "In the name of the Scarlet Crusade and the Holy Light, destroy them!"
A good two dozen unarmed and armed Crusaders rushed toward them with the Abbots of the Cathedral hanging back, prepared to aid their allies with healing magic. Danni let loose a ferocious battle cry before plunging toward them, her ring forming her a great zweihander blade this time. She came in from the right wing with the blade swinging, cleaving through armor and flesh where she made contact.
At the center Rhysdav nearly went for his sheild and sword from habit before bringing the ring up, just in time for it to grant him a protective dome as nearly half the attackers came at him. Several blows were absorbed by the protective dome before a pillar of green light came out of Larrisa's ring, slamming into some of his attackers and sending them flying.
The Abbots were beginning to cast their healing magics to help those injured by Danni and Larrisa, but the priestess gave them no opportunity. She went into the air and generated a simple light beam from her ring, slamming into the Abbots one by one and sending them flying to the ground.
Given a moment's opening, Rhysdav shifted to the offense. The field disappeared and a line of Dwarven riflemen appeared, linked to each other and to Rhysdav's ring. As one they lifted their weapons and fired, pellets of green light lashing out and striking Scarlet Crusaders left and right. The left wing of their formation collapsed utterly, leaving the center.
Here the two Human women took over. Danni took to the air and got rid of her weapon. She reached her arm out, her hand in a fist, and her ring formed a solid wall of green light. Larrisa did the same from her place in the air and the two sent their walls flying toward each other. The Crusaders still standing were crushed between them to the point of unconsciousness.
"Renault Mograine, as a Paladin o' th' Light I charge ye with heresy an' conduct unbecomin' a paladin! Ye will answer for ye crimes now!" Rhysdav drew his sword and shield. "Th' ring wud make this tae easy, lad, so come on then!"
Bringing his mace up, Mograine answered the challenge with, "Have at you, infidel!"
The two paladins charged and met at the halfway point of the cathedral. Renault was quick with the mace, using it to block an attack by Rhysdav's sword and attacking the next instance, a blow deflected by the powerful Sunward Crest shield on his left arm.
"Whitemane!" Danni hit the ground running, projecting her favored zweihander blade again with her ring to swing with as she dashed toward the High Inquisitor. "Your head is mine."
"We were right about you both!" Whitemane's retort was answered by a movement of her hand, prompting a lash of holy energy to hit Danni just before she could swing her blade. She flew backward into a nearby column, landing with a pained grunt. "You think to use rings of demonic power against those chosen by the Light? I will send you to burn in the Twisting..."
The green form of a priest's hammer appeared before Whitemane, smashing her in the face and sending her flying over the altar. Afterward Larrisa went over to Danni and helped her up.
Whitemane pulled herself back up to her feet and summoned a shield of light to protect herself just in time to prevent a dagger construct from Danni's ring from going through her head. Danni made a growl and leapt to her feet, flying across the distance and plowing into Whitemane with enough force to break the Light-shield she'd summoned.
Whitemane was thrown back against the wall by the impact. Danni ceased hovering and reformed her favored zweihander. She made another war cry before plunging the blade of green light into Sally Whitemane's chest. It cut effortlessly through rib and lung alike. A gurgle came from Whitemane's throat, followed by blood, which gushed out as Danni removed the zweihander and allowed it to fade. She glared down at the form of the dying High Inquisitor of the Scarlet Crusade and snarled. Bending low and close to Whitemane's head as the white-haired woman grasped the bloody wound, the blood from it bubbling from the air escaping her lungs, Danni spoke low and harsh. "It wasn't my suffering that earned you that, Whitemane, but what you ordered done to my beloved. And you do not deserve the mercy her heart would have given you."
Her words were about the last thing Whitemane's senses felt. And the only reply she gave was the death rattle.
Danni stood over Whitemane's body for a moment before looking to Larrisa, now standing beside her. The young priestess' blue eyes betrayed the pain she felt. For all Sally Whitemane had done, for all those she had hurt, Danni knew that Larrisa's heart still abhored her death. Even if her mind told her that Whitemane's hands had too much blood on them to ever be redeemed, even if her soul resonated with righteous fury over the crimes of the Scarlet Crusade committed in the name of the Light, Larrisa's heart was simply too gentle and forgiving to permit her to have willingly killed Whitemane directly. This gentle and kind nature, so full of mercy and compassion, was a key element in why Danniela had fallen in love with the younger woman, and it was why she was determined to, whenever possible, keep Larrisa's heart and hands unstained with blood... even if it meant putting it upon her own. She extended an arm and brought Larrisa into a close and sympathetic embrace.
As Danniela comforted Larrisa, Rhysdav and Mograine were still locked in their duel. The dwarf had clearly gained the upper hand over his human foe, several cuts and wounds dripping blood from Renault's body while Rhysdav had not even a nick.
Seeking to be healed, Renault called out to Whitemane. "Sally! I am wounded!"
"I'm afraid th' High Inquistor canne help ye, lad, for she's dead," Rhysdav pointed out in a rather cold tone.
"What?!" Renault turned quickly, forgetting the duel, to check on Whitemane. He saw what Rhysdav had already noticed: Danniela and Larrisa embracing with Whitemane's motionless legs visible from behind the altar.
"Sally.... no...." Renault turned back to Rhysdav, screaming, "NOOOOO!" and charging with his mace raised high.
The enraged attack ended the duel, for Rhysdav easily sidestepped it and struck out with his sword arm. His sword plunged through Renault Mograine's stomach, its enhanced strength sundering Renault's armor in the process. Mograine cried out in agony and fell, clutching his side.
Rhysdav put his shield and sword back into their places as his two newfound Human compatriots approached him. "I'd say our work is done."
"Yes. Their dungeons are now empty and their torture chambers leveled," Larrisa said. "I don't see them being able to hurt more people here."
"Not to mention the fact that Whitemane and Vishas are out of commission. Which begs the question of 'what now?'" Danniela looked meaningfully toward them.
"The rings themselves seem to have an answer." Larrisa looked to her's. She could feel the ring's connection with her and its quiet insistance on departing for somewhere in the Great Sea. At command she had the ring create the image it was showing her, a green-light depiction of the three continents of Azeroth - the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, and Northrend - with a marker shining roughly between the three and well north of the Maelstrom. "Something is waiting for us there."
"Then, lasses, let's not keep them waitin'."
The three turned away from the dead and wounded Scarlet Crusaders and toward the open door and night sky beyond. Almost at the same time they left the ground, flying in mid-air off to the west.
As they pulled away Renault began moving. He was barely alive, burning with rage at his defeat. The new life he'd been building for himself, freed of his cursed family, had been coming together so perfectly until...
There was movement at the opened door. Renault was still trying to get to his feet when he heard the footsteps and turned to see who had entered. "Traitor," he rasped angrily, a split second before he saw what the figure was carrying. "No... are you trying to torment me, even now?!"
With some surprise at his brother's reaction, Darion Mograine stepped toward his brother, the corrupted blade Ashbringer in his hands and beginning to glow brighter as it neared Renault...[1]
(AAAAAAAAGH! CHARACTER LIMIT?! SDN HAS A CHARACTER LIMIT?! STEVE SMASH STUPID CHARACTER LIMIT!!!!
*goes off grumbling*
And now for the tale of a new Green Lantern Corps, raised on a new world, a new universe, where the forces of Light need all the help they can get.
And so we begin....
"Emerald Tidings" Part 1: "Emerald Dawn", Prologue!
The fabric of reality bent and twisted. Pure energy pulled at its skein, pressing indomitably until the skein gave way and the nether beckoned. From black to black the object came, rushing onward past the great yellow orb to the smaller blue pearl circling it. A pearl that teemed with life of so many variable kinds, a pearl where the skein of the dimensions was torn, a pearl surging with power.
The object plunged into the pearl's sky, a beacon of red against the sea of stars its occupants stared upon every night. It was remarked upon. The superstitious saw it as both promise-giver and harbinger, bringing good tidings or doom with its passing. Others simply thought of the shining star as another spectacle of the night sky, not to be considered in any way.
It hit the ocean that lay between the planet's two great continents and sunk deep into the depths. For a time the water above simply bubbled with activity. Then light began to erupt from the ocean's depths. Water rushed away and an chunk of land rose, a magnificant ancient construct preserved by the sea. And from within streaks of light came as the island shined emerald rays upon the horizon.
The shooting star had not gone unnoticed, even in the dank cells of those who called themselves Scarlet Crusaders. From within one a pair of blue eyes spied the sign of the shooting star from within the bars of her cage. The woman turned to face her companion, who was strewn about on the floor in remnant agony for what had been done to her.
The woman who knelt to tend to her priestly duties was a fair-skinned lady, little more than a girl in some ways, with blonde hair of golden hue and her blue eyes that sparkled with the benevolence of her heart. Her robes, adorned with the symbols of the Light both she and their tormentors worshipped, had been cut at by the Scarlets when she and her companion were overtaken and thrown in here, revealing the simple cotton brassiere and shorts she wore underneath with the lovely body that they provided further modesty for. Her name was Larissa Edoya, Priestess of the Light, trained within the confines of Stormwind Cathedral itself.
Her tan-skinned companion was less well off. Danniela Ortis was as lovely as Larissa certainly, though where Larissa's body was smooth and soft, Danniela's was firmer, harder, muscles developed from years of training her body to fight in rank. She was trained in the fashion of Stormwind militia and had left her regiment to pursue the call in her heart for adventure and danger, a call that saw her fight as a free gladiatrix in the arenas of Stranglethorn and Dire Maul before she had by chance met the priestess who now tended to her wounds. The armor she had worn was long stripped away, her only clothing remaining being the scraps of cotton vest and brassiere and leggings that had survived John Vishas' best work.
There were many reasons why the warrior-gladiatrix had left the glories of the arena and comfort of champion living for the life of a wandering priestess. Perhaps the most powerful reason was to be seen when Danniela's green eyes met Larissa's blue and their lips met softly. A soft, sympathetic kiss between lovers who now faced their darkest hour.
The wounds on Danniela's body were not yet healed when the cell door opened wide. Men in the white tabards of the Scarlet Crusade entered and their intent was clear. "I will go again," Danniela said, trying to stand, not willing to see her beloved endure the tortures she had suffered earlier.
"You are still not recovered. I cannot let you," was Larissa's answer to her, standing as the two men came and took her by the arms. "I am not afraid."
"Leave her alone! Take me, you Light-damned savages!" Danniela turned from where she lay as she saw them take Larissa away, and she howled once more. "Take me!"
But they were already gone. The warrior collapsed, fearing that her lover would be dead before the night was out.
She remained laying upon the cold stone of the cell floor for a time, trying to recover her strength, listening for the distant screams that might belong to Larissa. Danniela's eyes focused upon the cell door the entire while.
But then light came from the window. She looked over at the shining streak of emerald as it neared her and heard it began to speak to her...
Larissa looked straight ahead as she was escorted into the Chamber of Atonement. One man stood out among the tabard-clad Crusaders and he came directly toward her. "You are the heretic who tried to lead our laymen astray," he said to her haughtily.
"I came to redeem the followers of the Light in these lands," Larissa answered.
"Or to spy upon us for the Argent Dawn." Vishas took Larissa by the chin. "The penalty for heresy is death. But first we will have your full confession."
"Would you torture me then? I wear the robes of the Church of Light, have you degenerated so far as to lash out at a priestess of the Light?", Larissa asked calmly.
Vishas glanced at his attendants. They seized Larissa and with knives drawn cut and tore the robes and clothes from her body. "Now you're in the dress of a harlot," Vishas crowed, pointing out the skimpy and revealing nature of her remaining undergarments. His men laughed.
At his command Larissa was brought to an open rack. Her ankles were fixed into the wooden stocks as the tough ropes were tied around her wrists. One man manned the wheel that would stretch her limbs out and dislocate them over time while Vishas secured a metal poker from a fire pit, glowing red hot. "Now, you will confess to your heresy. Confess to the treason of the Argent Dawn and its supporters, to their aide to the Undead and how they have abandoned the Light."
"I will not lie." As a bloodcurdling scream came from one of the Forsaken prisoners in the next chamber over, the creaking of the wooden wheel was barely audible, but she could feel her arms tighten as they were pulled. "I forgive you for your trespass against me, but I cannot forgive you for abandoning the Light."
"Shut your heretic mouth, harlot, I'm not yet ready to remove your lying tongue," Vishas barked as he brought his torture implements closer.
The wall suddenly broke. Stone and mortar flew inward from the impact against it and a single object passed by, a streak of emerald light that circled around Vishas and up to Larrisa. And as the object passed by her wrists, severing the ropes binding them in the process, a voice spoke out.
Larissa Edoya, you have the ability to overcome great fear.
The streak smacked into the head of the man holding the rack wheel, throwing him into the far wall. It came back around and smacked into Vishas' hand, causing him to drop his poker.
I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe.
It came back to her as Larissa brought her hands down to try and free her ankles. She extended a hand toward it and it slipped onto her right middle finger, revealing the simple emblem of a circle with two lines on its top and bottom edges.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.
Vishas stared at her with widened eyes before he began to cry out for help. Larissa looked from the ring on her finger to the wooden stock still holding her ankles to the torture rack.
I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Armed with that knowledge of the workings of the ring, she mentally thought of removing the stock and a beam of emerald energy struck out from the ring, enveloping the stock and pulling it apart. With Vishas' cries for aid being loud, she turned toward him and knocked him out, her ring striking him with a beam of pure green.
Larissa stepped out into the Chamber of Atonement, as it was called, and confronted the guards watching the halls. They raised weapons and ran toward her. By habit she called upon the Light to protect her, giving her the temporary protection of a bubble of pure light around herself, but it would not last that long. Not normally.
But the ring on her finger reacted to the command of her Shield word. She had been thinking of protecting herself with a field, and so it did, and the field of light around her was suddenly enlarged and strengthened by the green light of the ring. Sword and mace blows fell upon it, then fireballs from the conjurers of the Scarlet Crusade, but all dissipated harmlessly against the field with it showing no sign of weakening.
The need to attack was made moot as green energy lashed out from the direction of the cells. Danniela rounded the corner, a ring on her hand as well and a scowl on her face. "Where did you take her?!" she screamed at a fallen Crusader as he looked up wide-eyed. "Where did you take..."
"Danni!"
The priestess' call to her beloved won the warrior's attention. She turned toward them just as the conjurers began to change targets. Before the two women could strike out, Danniela brought her hand up and her ring's power lashed out, two solid beams grabbing the conjurers' by the wrists and then slamming them into each other, knocking them both down for the moment.
Larrisa was usually not one to lash out, preferring to heal. But for the moment the righteous anger she felt toward what the Crusaders did boiled forth. "PAIN," she hissed, though she didn't make use of the scarier shadow aspects that had been taught to her as an adept. Instead she could feel her ring reacting to her will to hurt her attackers. At the command the ring's energy shield shifted, bolts of green power striking the two Crusaders hard in the mid-section and knocking them down.
With their immediate attackers down Larrisa and Danniela embraced each other. "Your wounds," Larrisa whispered as the embrace ended, just to be silenced when it became an intense kiss by an euphoric Danniela happy to see her beloved had not been harmed. When it was over she was able to ask, "And you received one of these... 'power rings' too?"
"Yes." Dannie grinned widely. "You came here to see if the Crusade could be redeemed. It's obvious they don't want to be. What do you want to do now?"
Larrisa frowned and took Dannie's hand. "Let's free the other people held here. I would not abandon any to the cruelty of these insane heretics."
Vishas appeared from the doorway now. And other Crusaders were starting to arrive, drawn by the sounds of battle. "I do not know where you have gotten such devilish powers," Vishas rasped, "but you will not be permitted to leave here alive! Brothers and sisters, kill the heretics in the name of the Light!"
With their backs against the wall, Dannie and Larrisa held hands for a moment before grinning with confidence. The intensity of light in their rings grew and green auras surrounded them. Their tattered clothing was changed to reflect sleeveless uniforms of black and green, a skin-tight body suit in Larrisa's case and a back-baring and loose skirt in Danniela's complete with a plunging cleavage-showing neckline, the symbol that was on their rings prominent on Larissa's chest and over Danniela's heart.
The light of Larrisa's ring created a field around her. Danniela was more offensive minded, as she created a sword of green light to hold in each hand. Smiling at Larrisa, Danniela shouted a battle cry and charged forward with her green light-swords at the ready.
Suffice to say, the zealots of the Scarlet Crusade did not enjoy what came next.
A world away the sun of Azeroth sent its rays through the thick forest canopy of Ashenvale, giving some light to the undergrowth of the ancient wood and the creatures and beings that dwelt within.
But all was not peaceful within the tranquil wood, specifically upon its edge. The forest gradually cleared away in the southeast, where fallow dust was accompanied by stacks of lumber and timber while Orc labourers of the Warsong Clan continued their slow devastation of Ashenvale, aided by the constant machinery noises of Goblin lumber machines.
Ashenvale continued to be a source of lumber for the Horde, though not the only one these days. The Horde presence in Ashenvale, especially the Warsong lumber operations, were a point of pride and honor to be maintained no matter what blood was shed or what damage it caused.
Among the figures overlooking the increasing clearing of the forest was a scowling man, an Orc of light greenish complexion - one that spoke of minimal demonic effect upon his bloodline as the complexion was almost to the natural brown of the Orcs of Draenor - wearing a leather vest and pants with a powerful longbow upon his knee. A Barrens cat, a 'lion' in Human parlance, remained still beneath him.
Nearby one of the officers of the Warsong was watching him as he surveyed the edge of the Warsong Lumber Camp. "So will you hunt this elf witch?" was the question, more of a demand. "Her strikes have grown too bold and none we have sent into the forest to kill her have survived. Even the Forsaken have failed to end her..."
The scowl became a snarl. "Indebting yourself to the Forsaken is not the way to deal with this 'Ghost Huntress'," was the grim reply. "I will find her, do not worry. Though it brings me no joy to end the life of such an exceptional hunter..."
"The Warsong know her skill enough, we have the slain warriors and workers to prove it! If we are to maintain our place here we must restore the confidence of our Goblin mercenaries and our own labourers, we must have her head, Kurkosh."
"You will have it then, but only because the Warchief has agreed to end her," Kurkosh responded. In truth he had little love for the Warsong's activities here, but an order from the Warchief was such; the raids of the unknown Night Elf hunter upon the Warsong had to be ceased and an example made to prevent further such attacks.
"Do not forget the services we of the Warsong have provided the Horde," the officer said, sensing Kurkosh's contempt. "Our lumber expands the power of the Horde, Hunter, and we guard the northern frontier of our homeland from Alliance incursions."
"You mean the lumber that does not go wasted because you cut far more than you can deliver, and the northern frontier that would be perfectly secure if you were not antagonizing the Night Elves," Kurkosh corrected with some sarcasm.
"Do not forget that it was Grom Hellscream that vanquished the demon Mannoroth and freed us from our curse, hunter, the entire Horde and Warsong owe him...."
Kurkosh's keen senses heard the low sound in the air, the familiar low whistle of an arrow in flight, the instant before a steel-tipped arrow lodged itself in the Warsong's throat.
Almost immediately the Orc hunter strung his own bow, looking toward where the shot came from. He could sense that his unseen foe was already stringing her bow - and it was most likely a her, given how the different sexes of Night Elf behaved - and did the same with his.
A distant glint caught his eye and he turned toward it to let loose with his arrow. His arrow and his attacker's met in mid-air and struck each other dead-on, both arrows falling backward and to the ground from the impact.
"Thulk, go into the trees, find my attacker," he ordered his cat. The great cat bared its fangs, its mane of brown hair billowing out a bit, as it began running. An arrow came out to take Thulk, but this time it was Kurkosh who fired a shot in deflection, hitting his foe's arrow perfectly to save his cat from attack.
Thulk began to slip around a great tree still standing at the perimeter of the Lumber Camp. As he did so Kurkosh nocked another arrow into his longbow, letting it fly the instant he heard a rustle. As before his arrow was met by another and both hit the ground.
A roar came from the trees. Thulk flew backward with a great Ashenvale bear roaring out after him. The savannah prowling cat was well-trained by Kurkosh, of course, and jumped up to clamp its jaws into the bear's shoulder. Roaring in anger and pain, the bear swatted Thulk hard to try and get him off. Taking some cover behind a lumber pile, Kurkosh aimed an arrow at the great bear to aid Thulk.
As he released the arrow his opponent's arrow whizzed over the top of the lumber pile, nearly scratching the surface of the wood. The arrow connected with his longbow, forcing it downward and throwing off Kurkosh's aim. The arrowhead splintered the string of his bow so that he would not get another shot, the arrow meant to aid Thulk being low and wildly fired.
This Ghost Huntress truly is magnificant, Kurkosh thought, quite awed by his adversary's skill. He looked at his de-stringed longbow, seeing if he could repair the cut to make it work again.
That was when the green light hovered over him.
Kurkosh of the Frostwolves, you have the ability to overcome great fear...
The bear Teynar swatted away the Barrens cat again but not without cost. A chunk of flesh had remained in the jaw of the cat and the wounded bear, bleeding profusely, sought sanctuary in the wood and his master.
The bear limped up to the lithe figure crouched between two great trees of Ashenvale, an arrow nocked in her bow and ready to be fired. The shining white eyes of the Kaldorei woman turned back to see her charge and the gaping wound in his shoulder.
Suddenly there was a bright green light and a shower of shining green arrows came down around them. One pierced the woman's right shoulder, eliciting a cry more from startlement at the sensation than the pain of it, while another knocked her ancient longbow out of her hand. The arrow in her shoulder faded moments after it hit, leaving a gaping hole in her flesh that thick red blood began oozing out of. She grabbed the wound and began to run into the forest, her wounded bear beside her.
A wall of green energy suddenly materialized in front of her and Teynar, forcing her to come to a stop. The Orc she had attempted to kill, the Orc sent to kill her, hoved down from above, a green ring shining on his right hand now and the emblem upon it now appearing in green light on his vest. "So this is the Ghost Huntress that has terrorized the Warsong for so long," Kurkosh rumbled, looking over his quarry.
The Kaldorei woman looked every bit the trapped beast with her angry snarl, if she also maintained an unyielding silence. Her purple hair was long and disheveled, her skin complexion of a lighter purple tone than the hair and visible around the areas covered by a pair of hunter's trousers and a loose leather tunic.
"It was smart of you to come after me so quickly, but your war against the Warsong and the Horde ends here." He brought his right fist up and the ring shined, creating an arrow in midair.
The silent Huntress immediately jumped to the side to avoid the arrow. But it was clearly not a mere projectile but an extention of Kurkosh's will, and so it followed her, aimed directly for her throat.
There was a thunderous roar from behind Kurkosh, disrupting his concentration enough that the arrow construct disappeared before it could strike Syrande. The sinister sound of rocks being ground against each other and the ground told both veterans of the Third War that a new player had entered their private quarrel; an Infernal.
Not just an Infernal, though. Upon turning Kurkosh found himself faced with several of the demonic beings that infested Felfire Hill, a mixture of Infernals, Felguards, and Succubi.
The Huntress slipped away as Kurkosh's attention was brought to maintaining his defense from his demonic attackers. She motioned for Teynar to make a break for it and began to run as well.
She only managed a few steps when the lash of a succubus wrapped itself around her neck. She let out a strangled cry as she was pulled back toward the Sayaad demoness. A wicked cackle came from the Succubus as she pulled the Night Elf's head further back. "I always enjoy screams of torment from your kind," she cooed sadistically before tightening the lash's grip.
Syrande Moonrunner, you have the ability to overcome great fear.
A bright green light zipped past Syrande's vision and hammered the succubus straight between her horns. She let out an angry howl and slackened her grip on the lash around Syrande's neck.
Pulling the lash off, the Night Elf huntress watched the green light come back to her and neatly slip itself onto the middle finger of her right hand. I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.
The emblem shining on the ring appeared over Syrande's leather tunic at the centerpoint of her chest. In a low voice she raised the question, "What is this ring? What is a 'Green Lantern'?"
I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Seeing the succubus that had attacked her beginning to recover, Syrande brought the ring up. She remembered that the Orc had managed to make arrows with the ring he was given and so ordered the ring to use the same. A series of arrows materialized in mid-air and struck the succubus simultaneously, killing the foul thing.
There was a great rumble in the air. An Infernal crashed along the ground nearby and dissipated, leaving a pile of inanimate rock. Syrande's attention tracked to where it had come from.
Her Orc adversary was in mid-air, protected by a bubble of green light around him. A bubble that was enduring the pounding of the remaining two Infernals and one Felguard. It was not clear whether the Orc could survive the attack he was facing even with the strange power ring.
She could leave, of course. Syrande had no love, no love at all, for the Orcs that had slain so many of her friends, the race that had desecrated her people's ancient forest homeland, that had slain Cenarius, and perhaps worse off, had slain her own beloved mentor Keldra and left Keldra's daughter an orphan.
In the end, though, Orcs were Orcs... and the Burning Legion was still worse.
Syrande's ring projected a tri-blade ballista weapon and sent it at one of the Infernals. Green light met green fire, which extinguished as her blow left the Infernal lifeless.
The momentary reaction of the Felguards and Succubi to the fall of the second Infernal bought Kurkosh the moment he needed. The protective dome around him faded and was replaced by a larger-than-life Barrens cat modeled after his own Thulk. At his mental command the cat swung, its claws of green light slamming a pair of Felguards and a Succubi to the ground.
Another ballista construct came from Syrande's ring, this one firing a disc that ripped through more of the smaller Legion warriors. Behind them the Infernal took a powerful blow from Kurkosh's weapon, throwing it forward. With plenty of time to react Syrande created a construct of a Sentinel sentry with sword outstretched. The green light impaled the Infernal. Its death rumble echoed in the forest as it collapsed into a pile of rock.
At this point the remaining Legion opted to retreat. Syrande and Kurkosh did not give chase, for the two were now staring each other down quite intently. As if sensing their intentions, both rings spoke to their wielders: Cannot comply with attack intentions; fighting between Green Lanterns is forbidden.
"I don't need this ring to slay you, Orc," Syrande remarked angrily in Darnassian.
"Of course not," Kurkosh replied with a smirk.
At that reply Syrande's eyes widened. "What kind of Orc speaks the language of my people?"
"I heard you speak in my own." Holding his hand up, Kurkosh inspected the power ring now on his finger. "These rings are for more than combat I see." Turning his attention back to the Night Elf woman, he added, "I was sent to claim your head for the Horde. But it seems a different destiny awaits us. I am Kurkosh, son of Hormmash, of the Frostwolf Clan." He gave her an expectant look.
Syrande didn't react immediately. Still scowling she finally relented to a basic introduction. "I am Syrande Moonrunner," she answered simply.
"Then, Syrande, we should be going. I believe these rings are quietly trying to bring us somewhere," Kurkosh said.
"That they are, though I have little desire to see it. My place is here in Ashenvale, safeguarding the forest."
"You are not the least bit curious to see what this 'Green Lantern Corps' is?"
And, Syrande would have to admit, he had her there, for her curiosity as to the origin of the mysterious ring on her finger was becoming great. And while she rarely left Ashenvale it certainly wouldn't hurt to investigate as the Warsong would still be here whether she left or not. "I will not turn my back to an Orc," she informed him bluntly.
"Nor would I turn mine to you, Ghost Huntress of Ashenvale," Kurkosh retorted with some dark amusement.
Along the winding path leading up to the Scarlet Monastery a cloud of dust came rising, produced by the pounding hooves of an armored charger. Atop the great mount was a squat and stout figure, a Dwarf of Ironforge, clad in the holy armor of a paladin. A shining blade was hanging from his waist and a shield made in the shape of the Shattered Sun Emblem was slung on his back. A helmet covered a head of neck-length white-gray hair and obscured the usual Dwarven beard, of the same color, and green eyes.
Rhysdav Steelbeard had been helping the Argent Dawn in its long struggle with the Scourge when he heard the reports of a priestess of the Church of Stormwind, with her traveling companion, having gone to parlay with the Scarlet Crusade at Hearthglen. Investigating he'd discovered that they'd been arrested nearly on sight and sent to the Scarlet Monastery to be interrogated and probably executed. Not one to leave a priestess to the "mercy" of the Scarlet Crusade's Inquisitors, the Dwarf had immediately turned his charger around and made for the Scarlet Monastery, intent on rescuing the priestess and her friend or, if too late for that, avenging them.
A pair of scouts challenged him first, prompting Rhysdav to dismount. They were nothing to him in skill or strength, providing only a half minute, at most, of diversion before he left them behind, one dead and the other unconscious from the blows of his shield.
"Whitemane, stay here," he remarked to his charger. "I'll walk alone from here."
He began ascending the hill toward the monastery. Another scout came to challenge him and fell swiftly, nary an effort prompted from the experienced paladin.
The entrance loomed closer when there was a sudden burst of green light from one wing of the monastery, facing the monastery's graveyard. Rising clouds of dust accompanied by a rumbling sound in the air was enough to make it clear that the structure was collapsing somewhere.
Rhysdav began jogging into the entrance and the chamber that led to the pathways deeper into the Monastery. He didn't get far, though, before running into a crowd of figures in tattered clothing, mostly Forsaken from the look (and smell!) of them, that were hell-bent on fleeing. He did nothing to impede their escape, in part from a certainty of the brutality they suffered and from the rather more practical concern of being trampled.
A green light suddenly appeared near him, surrounding a ring of the same color. It seemed to speak to him as it found its way to the second finger on his right hand. Rhysdav Steelbeard, you have the ability to overcome great fear. I am a power ring sent by the Guardians of the Universe.
His first instinct, as the ring spoke, was to think Fel magic! and seek to pull the ring away. It was because of the shining green color of the ring, normally associated with demonic energy and the Burning Legion. But in the following seconds he came realize that the light of the ring was not Fel magic. His senses told him that the ring contained a pure form of energy, not a tainted one.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps. I am programmed to obey your mental commands provided they do not violate the code of the Guardians.
Having willingly accepted the ring, his armor shifted in color, becoming a combination of green and black.
The stampede of fleeing prisoners ceased and permitted Rhysdav to come to the entrance to the Monastery's four wings. Spotting two Crusaders the moment they spotted him, Rhysdav reached for his shield and concentrated. It glowed with holy energy for a second before he made a throwing motion, casting the holy light off the shield and sending it careening into the two Crusaders. One went down for the count from the blow.
The other charged toward him, sword raised. Rhysdav deftly parried the blow with his sword before making a blow of his own, striking the shield of the Crusader. The ring is supposed t' obey my mental commands, eh? Deciding to test that, Rhysdav focused his mind and imagined a Dwarven goat-head battering ram slamming into the Crusader.
The power ring came to life, projecting a thin beam of green light that expanded to form the very thing his mind was constructing from memory, a battering ram he'd seen in one of Ironforge's war museums (complete to the individual nicks in the wooden shaft). The ram smashed into the Crusader and sent him flying back into the wall.
For a brief moment he was taken aback by the exertion he felt on his mind. The ring's power demanded not just his mental thoughts but his very will, sapping at it like any other act of mental or physical exertion. A less-willful person might have even been exhausted by this, but Dwarven Paladins were, obviously, about as willful as they came.
With no enemies remaining there were two sealed doors before him. Rhysdav was about to open the one on the right when the one on the left blew open. A pair of Scarlet Crusade warriors flew through it, struck by a blast of green energy.
Looking in the open door Rhysdav saw a single figure, a young blonde-haired woman in a skintight suit with the same colors and emblem as his own newly-fashioned armor. Her right hand had a ring just like the one he had just received shining upon it. "Dwarven Paladin, may I ask whom you are?"
"Rhysdav Steelbeard at yer service," was the reply, joined by a respectful bow. "And ye be t' priestess Larrisa?"
"I am, noble paladin." She smiled at him. "I see that my Danniela and I are not the only ones to have been gifted with these rings..."
A distant shout came from behind Larrisa, sounding very much like a war cry in a clearly feminine, if tough, voice. "I came t' aid or avenge ye, Priestess, but it appears I was nae required."
"We could always use another stout heart sworn to the Light in dealing with these sadistic heretics," Larrisa remarked, turning away from Rhysdav and toward the corridors behind the broken door.
Rhysdav followed the priestess toward the Monastery Cathedral, going down a narrow hall in which Crusaders were strewn, dead or unconscious. A great hole in the wall showed where they had come from fighting their way from the graveyard wing of the monastery.
Blood was in the fountain of the courtyard beyond. On the upper level, approaching the cathedral door, flashes of green came as did the sounds of battle. A mage of the Crusade went flying over the short waterfall of the courtyard pool, landing and not moving again.
"These rings do not limit us to the ground, Rhysdav." Larrisa looked up at the second level and her feet left the ground. She flew herself up toward the second level.
Dwarves aren't meant for flyin' was the first thought in Rhysdav's head, but he nevertheless gave the thought of flight and his ring answered. He moved off the ground, using only a fraction of the willpower needed for actually making items with the ring, and followed Larrisa to the upper level.
The sight was of her companion Danniela finishing off the last of the guards outside the Cathedral gates. The tan-skinned warrior, green blades in each hand, had not a scratch on her body despite the skin showed by her flattering suit.
"Does th' lass ken th' point of armor, priestess?"
Seeming to giggle, Larrisa explained, "Danni was a free gladiatrix before I met her. Armor is not always desired in their combats. Nor has she needed it very much. But it would appear that the rings form suits for us based upon what is in our hearts and minds, and Danni can be very immodest and proud."
With a shout of triumph Danni sent her blades into the last of the Scarlet guards. They disappeared from her hands as she turned to Larrisa and Rhysdav. "Another ring-bearer?" Danni made a fist with her right hand, showing her own ring off. "This just became too easy."
"Battles are ne'er tae easy, lass," was the reply she got. "And we're all on th' same idea?"
"High Inquisitor Whitemane personally oversaw my interrogation," Danni replied coldly, "and ordered Vishas to humiliate my beloved Larrisa when he took her to be tortured. I'm looking forward to evening that score."
"There'll be justice for Whitemane an' 'er followers this day, lass, but it'll be a pure justice as the Light sees fit."
"Justice for Whitemane, dwarf, would be for her to suffer upon the rack and the hot coals as I and many others have," Danni replied angrily. "As it is my intention is to simply drive a blade into her dark heart, a mercy compared to what she truly deserves." And with that she turned away to look over the door.
"Quite a vengeful lady as well, an' ye picked her t' be yer travelin' companion?"
"Danniela's passions burn hotly, though I have tried to re-direct them into more acceptable roads," Larrisa explained. "As it is, it was not her own suffering that has stoked her anger but the thought of what Whitemane and Vishas would have done to me."
"She's quite protective of ye, priestess, that much I can tell. Is tha' why ye have her as yer companion?"
"No, my dear paladin." Turning her head to face Rhysdav, Larrisa smiled happily. "At my request Danniela willingly gave up the life of fame and glory as a champion gladiatrix to be my companion... because she and I are in love."
That prompted a bit of a bewildered look. "Love, ye say? Ye dinnae mean... Like a pair o' Night Elf ladies?"
"The women of Darnassus are not the only ones to have love such as ours, Dwarf. Though they tend to be more... accepting of it."
"The door is tightly sealed," Danniela remarked suddenly, breaking up the conversation. "And I think they're barricading it further from the inside."
"Aye, well then lasses, let's give 'em a knock on th' door?"
The three stood in front of the door and lifted their arms in unison, pointing their rings toward the door. Rhysdav made his battering ram construct come alive again while Danni, never one to be outshone, picked an entire Dwarven siege tank construct. Larrisa's was the least detailed as her ring projected a simple shape. As one they smashed their constructs against the protected door. It bent greatly but did not break. "Again!", Danni shouted, and the tank, battering ram, and square pillar of green light all collided with the door again.
This time it did give way. They ran into the room to see some of the Scarlet chaplains and monks were strewn around what was left of the door. Standing down by the altar were the twin overlords of the monastery; the High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane, an attractive woman of white hair with a leotard top that bared her shapely legs, and the Scarlet Commander Renault Mograine, a man of light reddish hair adorned in armor and the tabard of the Scarlet Crusade.
"The infidels attack us with demon magic!" Mograine pointed an accusing finger toward the three. "In the name of the Scarlet Crusade and the Holy Light, destroy them!"
A good two dozen unarmed and armed Crusaders rushed toward them with the Abbots of the Cathedral hanging back, prepared to aid their allies with healing magic. Danni let loose a ferocious battle cry before plunging toward them, her ring forming her a great zweihander blade this time. She came in from the right wing with the blade swinging, cleaving through armor and flesh where she made contact.
At the center Rhysdav nearly went for his sheild and sword from habit before bringing the ring up, just in time for it to grant him a protective dome as nearly half the attackers came at him. Several blows were absorbed by the protective dome before a pillar of green light came out of Larrisa's ring, slamming into some of his attackers and sending them flying.
The Abbots were beginning to cast their healing magics to help those injured by Danni and Larrisa, but the priestess gave them no opportunity. She went into the air and generated a simple light beam from her ring, slamming into the Abbots one by one and sending them flying to the ground.
Given a moment's opening, Rhysdav shifted to the offense. The field disappeared and a line of Dwarven riflemen appeared, linked to each other and to Rhysdav's ring. As one they lifted their weapons and fired, pellets of green light lashing out and striking Scarlet Crusaders left and right. The left wing of their formation collapsed utterly, leaving the center.
Here the two Human women took over. Danni took to the air and got rid of her weapon. She reached her arm out, her hand in a fist, and her ring formed a solid wall of green light. Larrisa did the same from her place in the air and the two sent their walls flying toward each other. The Crusaders still standing were crushed between them to the point of unconsciousness.
"Renault Mograine, as a Paladin o' th' Light I charge ye with heresy an' conduct unbecomin' a paladin! Ye will answer for ye crimes now!" Rhysdav drew his sword and shield. "Th' ring wud make this tae easy, lad, so come on then!"
Bringing his mace up, Mograine answered the challenge with, "Have at you, infidel!"
The two paladins charged and met at the halfway point of the cathedral. Renault was quick with the mace, using it to block an attack by Rhysdav's sword and attacking the next instance, a blow deflected by the powerful Sunward Crest shield on his left arm.
"Whitemane!" Danni hit the ground running, projecting her favored zweihander blade again with her ring to swing with as she dashed toward the High Inquisitor. "Your head is mine."
"We were right about you both!" Whitemane's retort was answered by a movement of her hand, prompting a lash of holy energy to hit Danni just before she could swing her blade. She flew backward into a nearby column, landing with a pained grunt. "You think to use rings of demonic power against those chosen by the Light? I will send you to burn in the Twisting..."
The green form of a priest's hammer appeared before Whitemane, smashing her in the face and sending her flying over the altar. Afterward Larrisa went over to Danni and helped her up.
Whitemane pulled herself back up to her feet and summoned a shield of light to protect herself just in time to prevent a dagger construct from Danni's ring from going through her head. Danni made a growl and leapt to her feet, flying across the distance and plowing into Whitemane with enough force to break the Light-shield she'd summoned.
Whitemane was thrown back against the wall by the impact. Danni ceased hovering and reformed her favored zweihander. She made another war cry before plunging the blade of green light into Sally Whitemane's chest. It cut effortlessly through rib and lung alike. A gurgle came from Whitemane's throat, followed by blood, which gushed out as Danni removed the zweihander and allowed it to fade. She glared down at the form of the dying High Inquisitor of the Scarlet Crusade and snarled. Bending low and close to Whitemane's head as the white-haired woman grasped the bloody wound, the blood from it bubbling from the air escaping her lungs, Danni spoke low and harsh. "It wasn't my suffering that earned you that, Whitemane, but what you ordered done to my beloved. And you do not deserve the mercy her heart would have given you."
Her words were about the last thing Whitemane's senses felt. And the only reply she gave was the death rattle.
Danni stood over Whitemane's body for a moment before looking to Larrisa, now standing beside her. The young priestess' blue eyes betrayed the pain she felt. For all Sally Whitemane had done, for all those she had hurt, Danni knew that Larrisa's heart still abhored her death. Even if her mind told her that Whitemane's hands had too much blood on them to ever be redeemed, even if her soul resonated with righteous fury over the crimes of the Scarlet Crusade committed in the name of the Light, Larrisa's heart was simply too gentle and forgiving to permit her to have willingly killed Whitemane directly. This gentle and kind nature, so full of mercy and compassion, was a key element in why Danniela had fallen in love with the younger woman, and it was why she was determined to, whenever possible, keep Larrisa's heart and hands unstained with blood... even if it meant putting it upon her own. She extended an arm and brought Larrisa into a close and sympathetic embrace.
As Danniela comforted Larrisa, Rhysdav and Mograine were still locked in their duel. The dwarf had clearly gained the upper hand over his human foe, several cuts and wounds dripping blood from Renault's body while Rhysdav had not even a nick.
Seeking to be healed, Renault called out to Whitemane. "Sally! I am wounded!"
"I'm afraid th' High Inquistor canne help ye, lad, for she's dead," Rhysdav pointed out in a rather cold tone.
"What?!" Renault turned quickly, forgetting the duel, to check on Whitemane. He saw what Rhysdav had already noticed: Danniela and Larrisa embracing with Whitemane's motionless legs visible from behind the altar.
"Sally.... no...." Renault turned back to Rhysdav, screaming, "NOOOOO!" and charging with his mace raised high.
The enraged attack ended the duel, for Rhysdav easily sidestepped it and struck out with his sword arm. His sword plunged through Renault Mograine's stomach, its enhanced strength sundering Renault's armor in the process. Mograine cried out in agony and fell, clutching his side.
Rhysdav put his shield and sword back into their places as his two newfound Human compatriots approached him. "I'd say our work is done."
"Yes. Their dungeons are now empty and their torture chambers leveled," Larrisa said. "I don't see them being able to hurt more people here."
"Not to mention the fact that Whitemane and Vishas are out of commission. Which begs the question of 'what now?'" Danniela looked meaningfully toward them.
"The rings themselves seem to have an answer." Larrisa looked to her's. She could feel the ring's connection with her and its quiet insistance on departing for somewhere in the Great Sea. At command she had the ring create the image it was showing her, a green-light depiction of the three continents of Azeroth - the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, and Northrend - with a marker shining roughly between the three and well north of the Maelstrom. "Something is waiting for us there."
"Then, lasses, let's not keep them waitin'."
The three turned away from the dead and wounded Scarlet Crusaders and toward the open door and night sky beyond. Almost at the same time they left the ground, flying in mid-air off to the west.
As they pulled away Renault began moving. He was barely alive, burning with rage at his defeat. The new life he'd been building for himself, freed of his cursed family, had been coming together so perfectly until...
There was movement at the opened door. Renault was still trying to get to his feet when he heard the footsteps and turned to see who had entered. "Traitor," he rasped angrily, a split second before he saw what the figure was carrying. "No... are you trying to torment me, even now?!"
With some surprise at his brother's reaction, Darion Mograine stepped toward his brother, the corrupted blade Ashbringer in his hands and beginning to glow brighter as it neared Renault...[1]
(AAAAAAAAGH! CHARACTER LIMIT?! SDN HAS A CHARACTER LIMIT?! STEVE SMASH STUPID CHARACTER LIMIT!!!!
*goes off grumbling*
