#alecalius

Xeeta’s finger’s drummed against the plush cushion on the arm of her chair, pink eyes held on the two floating soul shards before her while her other hand was being tended to by a rather scantily clad trolless. Holding up a small brush dipped with pink paint, the red braided troll woman hummed in thought as she looked down at Xeeta. “Dey still not talkin’?”

“No.” The goblin snapped in reply, cheeks puffing up as she glared harder at the shard. “Duroxas’ soul had to go somewhere so there’s no doubt that he was in that mutt’s body… If he’s still there I’m not sure. Duro hated worgen so I don’t think he’d want to stick around in it for very long.. but that would also mean he would need to have someone pull him out. I don’t know of any other warlocks the man knew, plus his pride is impressive, might just stick it out.” Tap, tap, tap. “Neither of these men will talk.. I need ideas, Riz, gimme ideas.”

“Have joo tried markin’ de shards?” The troll hummed as she finished the last finger with a practiced flourish of her hand.

Xeeta sighed, “I don’t want to chance damaging the memory. My last batch of souls seemed to have pretty bad short term memory after I was done and I don’t to risk it bein’ more than that. I can’t risk thir chards cracking either… Hrm..”

“So don’ crack de shards.. crack de bodies.” A sharp toothed grin spread across both women’s faces, Xeeta motioned for Riz to continue. “Put de souls back inta bodies and torture dem dat way. If de body begins ta die, den move dem inta a new one.”

“I can’t waste stock like that.” The goblin hummed, “But I like yer direction.. What if.. What if I put them in Duro’s body? Then it isn’t just them I’m hurtin’. People will take a beatin’ ta keep a friend safe.. but what if it’s their friend that’s takin’ tha beatin’? They just feel all the pain that goes with it.” A shrill giggle shook her body. “I love it. We’re geniuses, Riz.”

“I know.” The troll winked, joining in on the giggles. “Iggy been wantin’ ta know what she should do now.. she’s rada keen on gittin’ in yer good graces… She could be of use.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Xeeta began to blow on her wet nails, “She has been pretty helpful.. Hrm.. Maybe I’ll give her a treat and let her did up some information… I’ve been meaning to take a few days for myself anyway, get a few errands done, this and that. Ya know? Might be a good way to test her to see if she’s ready for my A-Class and get outta tha B-Class.”

“I tink dat sounds fair.. Doh.. ya sure ya wanna leave ‘er alone?” Riz moved to the other side of the chair to begin filing and buffering the other set of nails.

The loud tapping of Alec’s iron-toed boot could be heard well across the docks of Feralas. The jungle behind him was still cooling down from the heat of the day, a thick fog rolling over the water and clinging to everything it touched making it near impossible to see past a yard or two. A Night Elf looked up from another finger of the docks, blue eyes staring straight at the fidgeting warrior while she worked to bind her small fishing boat to the pier. “Inpatients is never an approachable trait, Blood elf. Not many of your kind are seen in this area very often. This is a neutral place for boats but not many see it that way… the favor of these lands is not with Horde.” Her voice was friendly, clearly looking for small talk while finishing up her knot.

Looking up from his fishing rod he eyed the elven woman over. “I can handle myself. The fish I like taste better coming from here than anywhere else.”

The woman shrugged, standing up straight and stretching, “The sun your people praise will be gone behind the horizon soon and the children of Elune will be stirring if they haven’t already. I wish you safe fishing.” With a nod the tall elven woman left Alec to his own devices.

It was almost a serene environment; night time songs from both animal and insects alike were beginning to grow louder with each minute the sun sank behind the waterline. Something was nagging at Alec though, a presence had been following him for some time and he couldn’t pin point from where or by who. When he first entered the jungle he had felt a powerful spike of arcane power but it had vanished just as quickly as it had been sensed. Ever since that moment there was an underlying scent that he knew wasn’t natural to the area, at first he thought it was another one of Duroxas’ imps following him but there was no stink of fel to the aroma. He was waiting now, had been for hours while fishing, for whom ever it was to come out of hiding. He was growing impatient and his foot was tapping now in show of it.

“You have a nice bucket of fish here.” A small voice spoke up startling Alec from the stool he perched on. His body began to fall toward the water with the jerk reaction and a little hand quickly reached out and touched his boot. The warrior vanished, reappearing with his body collapsing against the dock a foot from the edge. “Careful.”

“What the fuck?!” Grabbing his bleeding nose, Alec’s head lifted only for his eyes to catch sight of a pair of child-sized silken slippers. Blinking a few times he quickly got to his knees only to feel the heavy weight of a staff on one of his shoulders before he could get to his feet. Peering at the little gnome woman in front of him he couldn’t help but be impressed with the bright orange mess of hair fashionably toppled atop her head.

“You look much better in person than on paper.” She winked at him, turquoise eyes holding a mild glow. “Please remain calm, I am only here to ask you a few questions and then you can return to your fishing.”

A low growl of frustration rumbled through Alec’s chest as he stared at the gnome, even on his knees he was taller than the tiny woman. It took every fiber of his being to not turn her into a chew toy, then again, the magic emitting from the staff resting on his shoulder made him re-think and put those urges aside. “What would a gnome want to know from someone like me?”

“First, I want to be sure you are the person I think you are; Alecalius Johnathan Streamside? Or have you not changed your surname since getting married?” A slip of paper appeared in her hand as she read from it, eyes squinting as she did so.

“Who are you?” The warrior glared.

“Judging by your reaction I’ll take that answer as a yes. My name is Mango. Just Mango. Now, tell me, do you know a woman by the name of Raysong?” She eyed Alec, watching his facial expressions, “Hrm.. How about Elizabeth? Whitefang? Brookes? Vindliah?” The last name seemed to spark something in the man’s eyes. “So you know her. Do you recall the last time you saw her?”

His head shook, a long pause stretching out as the cogwheels of his mind turned, “Umm… I’m not sure?” His gaze went back to the staff on his shoulder. “I don’t really associate with her very often, mostly for trade. Is she in trouble? What would a gnome want with her?” His nose scrunched.

Mango’s brows raised in curiosity. “She might be. That’s why it’s important I find her. I need to make sure she’s safe.”

Alec’s head shook. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me. There are others that are more aware of what she’s been up to I’m sure.”

“Others?” Mango’s staff lifted, hefting onto her own shoulder only to shrink down a size more suitable to her own. “Care to name those others?”

“Not really.” He rolled his shoulder, rubbing where the staff had been touching before glancing back toward the gnome who looked like she wasn’t going to take that for an answer. “Ask a man named Kroylen… Or Duroxas. I dunno where either of them are but those are the two most common names I’ve heard come out of her mouth.”

For a moment the little mage eyed him over, as if weighing the truth behind his words. “Trade you say?”

“Yes. Trade. You know that thing where people exchange items wi- OW!” The blunt end of her staff bopped the top of his head. “Okay, I get it, you’re a tiny person with a big stick. Sheesh. She trades furs and leathers with me for labor, I move some of her shipments around sometimes when she needs it.”

“When is the last shipment you moved?” Mango inquired hastily.

“I dunno? Several months ago.” He shrugged.

“Damn it.” She hissed. “Do you have a receipt?”

“…Why would I keep that?” Alec looked at her like she grew a second head. “I give any papers handed to me to my husband.”

The little woman huffed in frustration, “Alright, alright.” Her hand waved at him dismissively. “You’ve been helpful. Have a candy.” Pulling something from her robes she tossed the warrior a colorfully wrapped piece of hard candy.

"I asked you for advice, not a lecture..." Duroxas muttered, red eyes focused on the murky waters below the ship’s railing, shoulders tensely drawn up as he leaned forward.

"Well ya got both." Vira shrugged, turning her focus away from him and back toward the same scenery, "I'll try ta keep it short next time. If ya need any more information lemme know. Do me a favor though?" From the corner of her eye she saw his gaze flick toward her then back forward. “Wolfsbane. Ya used ta always keep it on yerself when ya wanted ta make sure I couldn't git close. Keep it to a non-lethal dose, aye?” She gave him a side-long, knowing glance. “He’s jus’ a pup.”

The moment his jaw tensed she knew she hit the nail on the head; he was planning to use the dangerous, potentially lethal, herb. "... You know me well. Of course I wouldn't use too much, though."

Fifteen: My muse removes one article of your muse’s clothing——– “Al, are you done in the bath yet?”Tossing a towel over his shoulder, Alec made his way into the smallbathroom that was attached to their bedroom. Judging by the doctor’sdamp hair wrapped tight into a towel atop his head Alec could onlyassume the answer was ‘yes’. “Hmm.. yeah, water is stillwarm if you wanna soak. Just don’t be in there for too long, I’ve gotseveral appointments today and I could use your help. Nurse Alec.”Al smirked amused. His mostly nude body was bent over the counter topto lean closer to the mirror, a sweet smelling lotion on his hands ashe rubbed it under his eyes.

The harsh sound of a bristled brush against metal vibrated against the outer walls of the outpost that currently housed Alec and Alphaeus. Every so often the warrior dipped his dirty tool into a bucket of slushy water only to return it to the rough surface of his spiked shield. Alec sat perched on a short stool, his brows creased and wavy hair in more disarray than what was considered normal for him. Green eyes were locked onto the rich crimson liquid that stuck to the chips and crevices in the surface of his bulwark, glancing occasionally to the odd symbol that had appeared on the back of his hand. He wanted to be upset with himself, wanted to feel sorry for what he had done, and yet he didn’t. Closing his eyes he let his body keep its rhythm while scrubbing, but as he expected darkness to fill his vision from closed lids, other images took place instead.

~

“Just sell me the damn ore!” Alec’s hands fell heavy against the blacksmith’s counter. He had been trying to haggle with the man for what felt like hours and still the orc refused to give him a reasonable price.

“Will you go away?! I’ve already given you a number and it ain’t goin’ any lower! Take it or get the hell outta my workshop!” The large Frostwolf jutted his tusks at Alec in frustration before turning away to tend to his forge.

Later that evening the elf had run into the same orc outside of the outpost, he was carrying a fresh killed boar over his shoulder and a grin on his face. At seeing Alec he gave him a friendly wave, “No hard feelings, huh? Come by my shop tomorrow and maybe we can work out a de-” The blacksmith didn’t get to finish his sentence, Alec’s large shield met the man’s face. Just as the orc began to get his bearings he was met with another hard slam, the sounds of bone crunching and a pained, angry cry heard over the snowy hills.

It took much of the elf’s physical power to keep the orc down, he certainly wasn’t just laying in the snow surrendering, the black smith had several times tried to nick Alec with a skinning knife. It did little good against the thick armor that his assailant wore, a stern scowl accompanied by lively green eyes being the last colorful thing the Frostwolf had seen. His true last vision being that of one of the spikes sharpened on Alec’s shield embedding itself into his eye before ultimately crushing his skull enough to leave him lifeless in the growing snow drift.

Panting and feeling oddly justified, Alec kicked up the snow to cover as much of the blood around the body as possible then quickly made his way back toward civilization.

~

Alec sprung from his cot, heavy panting and hand clutching his chest. His heart felt like it might burst from his torso making it difficult to calm himself. Points graced his nails and the man quickly ushered himself to the nearest water basin.

All he had wanted to do was lay down for a nap while Alphaeus was running errands, the medical tent scarce at the moment allowing them both some down time. ‘Don't make Us your destroyer’. The voice lingered in his mind, and at the same time it had no definite sound, as if they had been his own subconscious warning him.

In that same respect, he had also felt safe; ‘Allow Us to be your savior’.

It’s good to finally have stable, gainful employment outside of the clinic in Netherstorm. The downside, of course, is the fact that I’m so far away from home, and while I’m here my work with the Consortium’s on hold. But, Alec’s here, and when we get the chance, we’ll head back to Robbie’s for a little vacation time.

The places I’ve seen on the other side of this new portal are so strange, yet hauntingly familiar. I admit, I haven’t ventured far outside of the Garrison. The commander keeps me busy, his followers cycling in and out of my clinic as they return to base from their missions.

Duroxas is here. And Nibras. I know Brick went beyond the portal as well, but no one’s heard from him since. I pray he’s alright.

Svetlaena’s missing. Stolen, I gather. Duro’s a mess over it, I can tell. I’m not sure what I can do to help him, other than lend him the support he needs, even if he won’t always admit it to himself. I know my friend. I’m sure he’s going to go off half-cocked, thinking he has to take care of this himself.

Nibbles is going to offer to help, if he hasn’t already. I hope Duro lets him.