#dalran

Firstly, the reason Toukata’s wings are so simple in comparison with their parents’ is genetics! Think of it like the rex gene in rats; one inherited rex allele gives the rat pup wavy fur, but two rex alleles results in a hairless, or partially hairless rat.

“I don’t like this Vels...its too vague. Something smells wrong.”

“That would be the sewage you’re standing in, love.” Veline pulled up her cloak and stepped over a rat covered in glittering sewage. She grumbled. Really hated Dalaran. 

“Veline...” Sebbastian almost growled out in concern. He stood nearly invisble in the shadow.His ankles and his blue and red eyes were all that was seen. He gave a snorting sigh through his snout, his claws resting uneasily on the hilt of his sword. 

“Sebbastian, in this line of work, no names are better. No questions. I have no problems cutting down a crazy mage. Some bitch juiced up on conspiracies and magic crack. Easy. and fun. We’re professionals. I trust you. Why is this suddenly eating at you?” She turned, covered in her hood, purple and black. A floating shadow, a ghost. 

Sebbastian took her hand and pulled her close. She was so small compared to his worgen form. He eyed her. Her heart sank. something in his face said it didn’t feel right. It made her uncomfortable. A small pale hand touched his muzzle. She smiled and wriggled her nose. 

“Is this because of the baby?”

“No. I wanted to let you work. I know you’re not invalid. Besides, you’d have gone off on your own anyway. Stubborn arse.” He smiled, fangs and razors. It faded. “This just feels wrong. like a -”

“If you say trap one more time...”

“a trap.” He stared stubbornly. He was never wrong when it came to traps. Worgen. Villain. Vigilante. Gilnean. Everything he was screamed of caution and paranoia. With reason. Veline sighed, flipped her hood off and stared at him before sighing and pacing in the sewers. 

“Damnit Radolfus.” Veline rarely questioned his claims of a trap. He was rarely wrong.

“A third person in a massively crowded place, wearing a mask. not only do we not have the actual client, we don't even know who the third party is. Or how many more are lined up between host and face. On top of that, all we know is a high value target. In Dalaran. and we have a mysterious amulet to guide us, no name. For fucks sake we could be killing Jaina. You said crazy mage.”

“Oh. Yes. Let’s kill Jaina Proudmore. In Dalaran. I’ve got a pretty dagger I’d love to coat with her blood. The world honestly could do without Jaina and her constant conspiracy plans. Crazy bitch.” Her tone was obviously sarcastic. 

Both turned behind them, down a darkened tunnel. The sound of something clicking and the change in the flow of the water behind them. A shuffling of robes in the darkness then a faint sound of rushing wind. The sewers remained quiet and dark. Both looked at each other. Sebbastian snarled annoyed with an “I told you” look as he dropped to all fours and ran down the tunnel to investigate. 

Veline sighed and rolled her eyes, sitting her hands in pockets while she waited. A ringing filled her ears and a stinging on her hands. The medallion in her pocket lit up bright and burned. She flipped her hood up and looked around. A group of shrouded figures were looking about suspiciously and headed for the grate she stood at. Sebbastian wasn’t back yet and she had no idea if she would get this chance again or not. She grit her teeth and shuffled out of the way, to hide in the darkness and follow. Maybe learn something about the target. 

“These tunnels should be cleaned out. They’re filthy.”

“They’re not used daily as secret passages.”

“If they were clean, more people would use them.”

“I doubt the state of their cleanliness would deter or invite others to use them. Rogues use these tunnels all the time.”

“Then why exactly are we walking this way.” 

“Because you need to be protected, m’lady”

“Right. After the recent attacks and rumours. We have proof now, the Legion is returning?”

“After we failed to listen to ramblings previously of invasions. Orcs. Portals. Legion. Time traveling dragons. We trust no one. We need to confirm.”

The group rattled on about information Veline already suspected. She felt a hand, a claw, grip her hand tightly, but saw no one. She knew who it was. Her other hand held a dagger under her cloak. ready to strike. This was her target. She had to wait for an opportunity if it came. The figure behind her, held her close, keeping her from moving. 

One of the members of the group seemed more on edge than the others. They looked around, as if waiting for something. Their robes seemed dirtier than the others. As if they’d been down here longer. Veline furrowed her brows. 

A trap.

She closed her eyes and dropped to a squat, to wait for the group to go away. Another person came running in from behind them. Ported in with a bright mage’s flash and bumped right into Veline. She threw a smoke bomb and scurried to get away. Two rogues were no match for five mages. Two mages called on a torment of arcane bullet. One called a continuous spam of exploding arcane auras around him. The other stood in front of one, [presumably the target, and called down a storm of icicles. Vel and Seb couldn’t move without running into something that would blow their cover. Seb growled then stepped through the shadow, knocking one unconscious. The blizzard stopped as the man fell down in a slump. but not dead. Veline was trapped between a barrage of arcane explosions and unrelenting arcane bullets. 

Suddenly there were three times the mages. 

A room full of mirror images all exploding with arcane energy and bullets. They’d managed to avoid detection so far. Maybe if they waited long enough the mages would go away. Veline grit her teeth and with a flip of her blade set off in a zig zagging pattern around the room, hopping between shadows, a dance almost, sapping mirror images and the occasional actual mage. One of them caught her seemingly random pattern. As she appeared behind him, he cast out a nova of frost. Her stealth was broken and her feet frozen. Two blades in hand. Caught red handed. 

“Where’s the other?!” A woman flipped her hood. None other than the one she’d joked about. Paranoid and crazy Jaina Proudmore. 

“I work alone. You have me. I failed. Spare the mess of your friends. I go willingly.” She threw up her hands, daggers clattering to the ground. Her hood remained up. She stood just as shrouded as everyone else there. 

“Unlikely.” She turned suddenly and the room lit with a blindingly blue white light. No shadows could possibly survive.

Sebbastian found himself covering his eyes as he tried to dart down a tunnel before being seen. If he could get away, he could sneak in and rescue Veline. Still had a chance to walk away from this. Instead, he found himself baa’ing and pacing. 

The wolf became the sheep.

He stared in horror, unable to move his own limbs, as Veline was knocked on the back of her knees and dropped to the floor. 

“Whats your purpose here, rogue?”

“I can answer that.” one of the mages, the one with the dirtier robes who was looking around suspiciously, pulled a box from his pocket and opened it. The box played back Veline’s voice. What she’d said earlier in sarcasm. Killing Jaina. Her blades needed to be covered in blood. Sebbastian screamed. His polymorph shimmered under his sheer rage. The mages turned and readied an arcane cell. As soon as the poly broke he ducked a prisoning spell and darted around the shadows, sparing no one this time. This was a set up. more than just the last five minutes. or job for anyone. This was a set up specifically for these two. 

Daggers found their way into the backs of several mages. Any who woke up from his attempt at sparing them, quickly found themselves back on the ground, bleeding in agony this time. He was too fast to see. any spell seemed to just disappate into the shadows around him. 

The room lit with a bright cracking flash. 

Sebbastian paused, snarling, shadowy tendrils creeping from him. pure bright mage light fought the darkness around him. his eyes burning red as an ember and as black as pitch. Blood dripped from his claws. He hopped in front of Veline. With a quick flick of his wrist a small dart shot into the neck of the last standing robed mage. He counted then realised all mages were down. Including Jaina. His eyes went wide as he dropped to quickly find the important mage. Crazy as she was, if she died, he knew the implications. He found no body.  He turned to Veline.

She wavered and stood rather blank faced. His nose wriggled. He knew the smell of blood. Knew hers best. His eyes shot to her stomach. She took a step back, staggering. She removed her hand from her stomach. There was little blood. But the shot of light had burst into her. But not all the way through. It truly would have been an easy enough wound to heal if they could get away fast enough to treat it. But Veline stumbled back again and fell backwards.

Into someone’s arms. 

“Let her go! This was a set up! A trap! We had no intention of killing you. I felt something was wrong and actually wanted to walk away. We fought self defense. You attacked us first. He -” he pointed to the mage with the box in his hand “- is a part of it. He was in here before you were.”

“We have her threatening the Guardian. and slandering her.”

“A set up! She needs healing!” He growled as two more mages appeared behind him, knocking him to his knees and freezing him in place. 

“No. If she dies in prison, saves us a trial. We have witnesses and evidence.”

“You’re going to let her die?! without dignity?”

“She spared us none.”

“It was a bloody fucking trap! You attacked us first. we were on our way out!”

The mage waved his hand, Veline fell unconscious and floated by the mage. The other two, nervous of Sebbastian as he tensed and growled. The shadows tendriling from him again. 

“She’s pregnant. Please. The child is innocent...” He hung his head and stopped fighting, he could break out as easily as he could break out. As much as he hated breaking that secret. He knew she needed to be taken care of. 

The mage turned with a hesitant look then turned to the floating veline. He put a gloved hand over her belly and turned to Sebbastian who growled and tugged at the men behind him. The mage sighed and waved his hand. 

“Take her to the infirmary. I want no less than two guards on her at all times. Send him to Violet Hold” 

Sebbastian sighed in relief then grit his teeth as his unconscious wife was levitated out of the sewers. He heard a woosh and felt a sting and ringing in his head. The ground rose to meet his face quickly, the sludge ran over his tongue. He remembered the foul taste. Remembered the robed figures taking his wife and child away. Remembered the hate in his heart for whoever set them up. Remembered the look of pleasure on Jaina’s face as she appeared from the shadows, her mirror images fading, and the woman turning into someone else. Remembered the other human mage who faded into a forsaken mage, a dark ranger. He remembered the look the two shared with each other, disgust but a mutual satisfaction. He remembered who kicked him in his gut. and who in his face.