#robed men

Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII

Still one of my proudest pieces. 👨‍🎨

((Been really slow at doing anything with the Nira/Asharin plot so this bit took way longer than it should have. @sirdolraan and @johndempsy for mentions.))

I smiled for once as I gazed upon Shari, her energetic presence was always a delight along with the young girl’s curiosity. Always wanting to know everything about anything she came across. Such enthusiasm was at times even hard for me to keep up with. The little Draenei was holding up a small mechanical raptor, one I’d built for her but she was showing me the colors she’d painted it.

I felt something wet suddenly spray across me, even hitting my face tasting copperish. Blinking as I looked down to see the blue blood, my gaze going back to Shari only to see her dead eyes looking back, the energy gone as an orcish axe pierced her from behind. Vainly I reached out trying to grab her, only to watch Shari’s form collapse. Orcish war cries resounding all around me, even as my own screams of anguished pierced the sky and shook the ground.

Lightning lanced out from my fingertips, burning holes through the green monsters, only to see them twist in form until they resembled humans, dwarves, and gnomes. I didn’t care if it was a trick, they were all going to burn. The ground trembled and swallowed hordes of them, even as red skinned Draenei appeared and began to attack the alliance troops that’d butchered Shari.

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Asharin let out a scream that caused the wind to buffet around the camp sending fabric everywhere in a swirling vortex as she jumped onto her hooves. Bed roll being kicked away as lightning crackled around her hands. Eyes darting back and forth as she let lightning lance out, several small trees explode into splinters.

“I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them all!” She shouted out before trying to storm off, only for Dacianna to step in her path.

“Asharin, calm down! What’s wrong?” The vindicator questioned her voice sounding rather concerned though her eyes were wary due to the draenei’s behavior.

“Nnnngaah! Get out of my way! They all need to burn!” Asharin shouted back at Dacianna before promptly turning around and attempting to go the other way. Only to nearly run right into a pajama wearing Vasily, night cap flitting back and forth from the gusts of wind that arose every so often.

“Friend Nirahsa, this is not how one reacts to bad dreams!” Vasily remarked with a brief yawn, “Come we can discuss this over some hot chocolate.”

“No you stupid fool! All of them have to die, humans, dwarves, gnomes…orcs, tauren…shrivel into ash and be blown across the land!” She retorted right hand crackling to unleash a blast right at Vasily. Dacianna grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her hand upwards as a lightning bolt shot lanced into the sky.

“Something isn’t right, she has no reason to be that aggressive towards anyone except Orcs,” Daci stated frowning even as Asharin screamed and threw a punch with her other hand which the vindicator shrugged off.

“You are right, this is most unusual,” Vasily nodded, “Asharin, the humans and other races of the Alliance have not done anything to you.”

Asharin struggled before her body surged with current, burning into Daci as Asharin tried to get her to let go. The vindicator maintained her hold despite the pain of the electrical surge, “Let me go, they have to pay for killing her!”

The sky above crackled and thundered as the shaman’s distress grew and the elements began to act on it as a massive bolt of lightning caused a tree to explode before its splinters caught fire. Rain drops began to pour down in sheets even as Asharin screamed.

Even as Vasily’s pajamas became soaked the priest observed the distressed shaman, “The Alliance didn’t harm Shari my friend.” The priest called upon his own abilities casting his magical senses out into the surrounding area, almost immediately picking up on the small almost imperceptible tendril of shadow that creeped through the air linking to Asharin its source nearby.

“Friend Dacianna, there is something that requires your well trained talents!” Vasily spoke while subtly motioning towards the source of the shadow magic that was currently affecting Asharin, “I will attempt to calm our friend down.”

Dacianna looked reluctant to release Asharin right now given her current behavior but knew from Vasily’s words and motions that he had most likely spotted the source that was making the shaman act out in a fit of rage. She released the shaman and quickly moved off towards where Vasily had motioned.

Asharin immediately crackled with more energy as the wind picked turning the downpour into sleet, the shaman tried to move away only for Vasily to impede her progress, “Friend Asharin, there are no alliance here, and you promised to be on your best behavior. No killing, even of trees!”

“You stupid twit! You just want to stand their while they mock us, kill all of our people, yes yes!” Asharin spat out while looking frustrated at Vasily’s movements that kept her relatively in place.

“They do none of these things, someone is affecting your mind,” Vasily replied calmly still wearing a friendly smile despite being drenched in water by now.

The sound of a scuffle nearby distracted Asharin, and a few seconds later she jolted backwards as if hit by something before wobbling back and forth taking several moments to regain her balance. Blinking before looking around, the rain suddenly stopping and the dark clouds above while continuing to look ominous ceased thundering causing the wind to slow.

“Well this has given us something useful,” Daci stated as she returned dragging a robed man with her, keeping him in an iron grip. He struggled against the vindicator who was also keeping a hand over his mouth not so much to silence him from speaking but to stop any attempt at an incantation.

Asharin’s eyes locked onto him and she snarled, “You twist my memory, trying to use me! I’ll kill you!”

The rage returned as Asharin advanced towards the man only to be bear hugged by Vasily rather suddenly and lifted off the ground. Asharin kicked her hooves into the air, “Put me down, he needs to die for trying to sully that memory! I’m going to slowly sear his skin off, yes yes!”

“Friend Asharin, as I said you promised no killing, best behavior!” Vasily reiterated to Asharin while the smaller Draenei continued to squirm in his grip, her long tail lashed back and forth like a whip.

“No no, he has to die…I’ll make the earth slowly pull him underground, leave him to think about how he’s going to be buried alive and swallow dirt before perishing! Yes yes!” Her rage only grew with her frustration.

“Asharin, would Nirahsa want you acting like this? You’re just going to hurt her by taking your anger out on him.” Dacianna stated even while she bound their captive.

Asharin’s squirming intensified as she screamed in frustration clearly not enjoying the words she was being told by both of them. After several seconds she went limp in Vasily’s hug and sighed, “Fine…”

Vasily slowly set the shaman back down while observing her carefully, though Asharin simply slumped her shoulders like a kid told they couldn’t have something while glaring at the robed man.

“Good Friend Asharin, with him we can find more information about those that did this! Though I do believe I will be needing fresh pajamas after that sudden downpour!” Vasily remarked even as he finally acknowledged the fact that he was soaked to the bone.

The shaman eye rolled even as her gaze returned to the man as Daci removed her hand from his mouth in order to bind him more effectively. The Vindicator did however keep alert for any sudden tricks.

“What do you want with me pinkskin?” Asharin spit out the words the air crackling around her briefly.

The robed man gazed back with narrowed eyes, “Nothing, you were an unexpected result. Careful planning gone to waste all because you are too chaotic.”

“How do we undo what you and your cohorts did?” Dacianna asked even as she tightened the prisoner’s wrist bonds enough that they became extremely uncomfortable.

“She may be worthless for what we wanted to accomplish…but she can still be used to cause damage, so I have little reason to tell you that.” He remarked before starting to chuckle only to get interrupted when Daci jerked him upwards and onto his feet again.

“I won’t be anyone’s pawn! I’ll incinerate your flesh starting with your limbs before letting you die slowly! Yes yes!” Asharin growled.

“Friend Asharin I will get the hot cocoa so we can talk about this!” Vasily stated cheerily, no doubt solely to remind Asharin that he was still in earshot, however he was most likely going to get the cocoa anyway.

Asharin groaned balling her fists in frustration before stamping the ground with her hoof causing it to rumble briefly.

“I’ll see to making sure our new friend gets comfortable and doesn’t go anywhere,” Daci stated as she drug the man off.