The house in Auberdine. They had been there many times before, but had not returned since the father of Reveria and Dianesh had been slain. The part that was odd, was the report they’d received from Reveria herself, flying over the house. “There is light coming from the shed Vel…” So they had made their approach quietly and, in fact, there was light coming from between the cracks of the wallboards of the shed. Velerodra wanted to throw a rock to see if anyone was about while Dianesh wanted to approach in the shadows to peak in the shed door. They debated for several moments before Vel said something that was likely intended to be sassy but ended up having a completely different meaning. “Walking up to the door is just as dangerous as throwing the rock, stardust.” 

Dianesh had been completely pulled from her professional focus. “Did… You just call me Stardust?” Vel had shushed her with a “Focus.” The sentinel couldn’t help but smirk as she felt her heartbeat quicken for a moment. Vel got what she wanted, even if Dianesh felt like the monkette had saved that name for just such a moment, to get what she wanted. “Throw your rock.” Vel had been quick about it, like she knew her little name would get the result she wanted. The rock sailed through the air and shattered a window, drawing four robed and hooded figures from within the shed to investigate. 

The number of people was enough for surprise, as the shed was tiny and likely not able to hold four people comfortably. It was decided the pair would split up, seeing as the four were searching in pairs. Velerodra took the two near the house, Dianesh, the pair by the shed. “You said you’re good at snatching, yes?” Vel was right. Dianesh had been a commander of the forward scouts and infiltrators for the Sentinels and this was just the kind of work she’d done for so long. Vel went through the broken window, making noise to draw the pair inside before hiding in the bathroom. The sentinel nearly killed the first person that she took with the sudden jolt to their person as she violently drug them in to the shadows, choking them into unconsciousness. Not a sound had been made, leaving their partner clueless. 

Velerodra had brought chain weapons today, ever the master of odd weapons. The pair in the house split up, one going down a hallway, the other wandering the open living and kitchen spaces. Vel got the drop on the one in the hall but luck was not on her side and her intial attack missed, an attempt to wrap his neck with her chain weapon. She struggled yet slithered away as Vel tended to do, only to eventually knock first one, then the other assailant out. Once Dianesh had taken her second, the pair met up and donned the robes of those they had taken down and moved into the shed. 

The reason for the number of people was soon revealed. A trap door, seamless in the floor was standing open. A flight of stairs led the pair to an underground passage, lined with torches that eventually opened up into an underground cavern. A massive idol to a god or goddess of death sat in the rear of the place, elegant, beautiful almost, with six arms that all held severed heads. Braziers with emerald flame roared on either side of it as a dozen or more robed and hooded.people searched workbenches, desks, shelves, crates, and more for something. A massive person with the voice of a man was bellowing orders to the rest before spotting Vel and Dia. Stalking up to them, he asked what the noise had been. Vel lied cleverly that it was a bird flying into a window but as she moved to walk away, the man grew suspicious. “What is the flavor of fear?” Vel had considered and then offered confidently “Sweet.” The next thing the pair knew, Vel was sailing through the air to land in a rough pile in the center of the cavern. Dianesh shadowstepped to the monkette as the massive cloaked figure bellowed. “Can you taste it brothers and sisters?! What is the flavor of fear?!” The choir like response from the cultists gathering around Vel and Dia was in unison. “Sublime, my brother.” 

It was clear that there were few or now options at this point. They could fight, which wouldn’t go well with how outnumbered they were. They could easily run but if these people were looking for something, Vel and Dia had an obligation not to allow them to find it. Dianesh looked around at all the hooded figures, daggers at the ready as Vel summoned claws of mist. Except those claws slowly turned bloody as she drained her own life fluid into them. With a violent flick the claws burst into a red mist as Velerodra summoned an ally that was not a part of the harbor. 

Once Vel had flicked her claws, the cultists charged forward. Dianesh blurred into a column of smoke, whirling around Vel as she took blow after blow. For as many as she took, she blocked just as many. Blood splattered across the monkette, Dia’s and others as the sentinel worked to keep Vel safe. A shield of mists formed around Dianesh, Vel’s way of helping her. It was overwhelming though and Dianesh was starting to feel the weight of blow after blow. Just when it seemed the cultists might close int completely, the ground bubbled with blood that formed into a circular puddle. From the puddle rose a heavily armored draenei, wielding a scythe that shimmered with ruinous powers. Blood shot out and turned into spears, goring over half the cultists with their own life fluids or those of Dianesh. 

“What a disgusting creature you are… Such wasted efforts…” The armored woman sneered from beneath her helmet as her scythe swung for the large man, who threw his robes back to reveal an amalgamation of bone and flesh formed into the shape of a man.”I need it.” Vel had said to the woman, who snorted. “Of course you do.” The rest of the cultists had rallied and charged once more at Vel and Dianesh. The monkette began to turn to mist as she spoke to Dianesh. “Follow my mists. Don’t breathe in though.” With that the monkette plummed into a cloud of mist that encircled the remaining foes. Dianesh followed that lead and billowed into smoke, intertwining with the mists to create a cloud of death. The pair worked together, Vel appearing as an apparition before their foes to distract them as Dianesh, while half half formed, shadowstepped and slit throats, leaving even more smoke in her wake. 

The last two cultists suffered terrible deaths as the hands of Velerodra. One was choking on the smoky misty mix, allow Vel time to shove a fist made of mist into the mouth before letting it burst to suffocate them completely. The pair soon separated, Dianesh’s billowing smoke coiling back together to reveal her and Vel, left with a mixture of mist and smoke, wound herself back together in a crackling display of emerald and jade light with flickers of shadows. Once she reformed, the mist lingered and revealed a form she rarely showed anyone. Needless to say it had claws of mist which she used to rip out the throat of the last cultist. Once done, the mist faded and Vel was just Vel once more. 

Both women fell to the ground at this point, Dianesh feeling every wound she’d taken despite the healing that melding as smoke and mist with Vel had done. It was almost as if the monkette could sense this as Dia drug herself over. No sooner had the sentinel reached her before Vel put her hand on Dianesh and sent a surge of healing mists throughout her entire body. While most of the small cuts and injuries to her internal organs were healed, there was only so much a mist spent Vel could do and a tired body could accept. She saved Dianesh’s life, stopping the terrible bleeding and seeing her organs restored. Vel was no slouch when it came to healing. The rest of the time was spent interrogating the flesh golem, with an introduction between Dianesh and the armored woman. “Oh, right… Dia, Koru. Koru, Dia…” Vel offhandedly said as Dianesh sized the woman up. “Velerodra has spoken highly of your skills.” Dianesh gave a slight nod as Koru looked over her, as if Velerodra had never once mentioned her. She otherwise played it off well for what time they spoke. Eventually, she faded into another pool of blood and vanished, leaving Dianesh and Velerodra to find whatever it was the cultists had searched for. 

It took some time and some puzzling but after a time the pair limped from the cavern and out into the fresh night air of Darkshore. Smoke billowed and plumed from the shed, signalling the fires that Velerodra had lit in the cavern. They walked about with two new things, a skull etched with death runes that Koruzziona had told them held the soul of whoever the person was it belonged to in life, and an obsidian tablet, with script chiseled in the language of the dead up it. Once they were a safe distance away, Velerodra turned and smiled at Dianesh. 

“We should go on more dates like this, stardust.” 

(Part 2 of 2) (Part 1 HERE)

The sound of the jungle was loud tonight. Insects chirping and chittering, creatures calling out to their kin, the breeze rustling leaves, the taller trees creaking as they swayed. Devastelin had told Le’Rassa he’d needed a few moments, something he had to do, it wouldn’t take long before he returned. 

It wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. He did need a few moments. Perhaps more. The bladedancer found himself wandering deep into the jungle, a difficult task for a blind man. The plethora of hidden life more than provided his spectral sight what it needed to guide him though. It was probably fifteen or twenty minutes from Reveria’s home that he finally stopped. The sound of a babbling stream giving him pause. 

Squatting beside the flowing water, his fingers dangled within and felt the cool rush of liquid. ‘You must think this is a joke right, darlingggg?’ The voice was suddenly in his mind like an unwelcome guest. It cooed and droned in feminine tones as his lips curled up into a snarl. ‘You think you could be with her? That she will accept you for what you are? Do you forget so easily that you are beyond salvation?’ With a sudden whip of his head, Dev bashed his horns into a nearby tree, growling as he did. ‘She is not even an Illidari... She is just a weak little whelp hoping to rise alongside you.’ Another bash of horns into the tree, this time splinters shattering and spraying everywhere. 

“Shut your whore mouth demon! Who was consumed by who? Who yet walks this world? You hold no power over me!” If anyone had been nearby, they’d have heard what might sound like the one-sided rantings of an insane man. Water began to sizzle on Devastelin’s skin as his body heated with Fel energies. He heard a long low cackle in his mind before hearing the reply. ‘Oh darling... I have all the power. Do you forget how I broke you when you were only my pet? Look how you still struggle. You want to let me be in control... You want to let me run wild in this world... Don’t you...? Just look at how they treat you... They think you’re just a sex-crazed idiot. -She- won’t even give up what you require. Such a prudish little thing... Any of the others would have spread their legs by now... Let me take control... I will take what I want. What I need...’ 

The man could feel the demon pressing on his soul, reaching out to let him hand off the reigns. His lips were locked into a snarl as he could feel change begin to come over him. It might seem slow but it happened quickly. His form grew in size, four additional arms sprouted, his body shape became something altogether more androgynous. Sitting there, squatting at the water’s edge in a demonic form, he could feel her tugging, yanking, clawing for control. It would be such a simple thing to just... Give in. To not fight it. To give up hope.  There was an honest moment of thought given to it before something flashed in his mind. 

“Going somewhere?”

“It may take some time, but I may be able to get you released from here...”.   Vel said in a weak voice, her blonde head pressed against twisted iron bars that separated herself from a Kaldorei woman.   

“If you could do that, why not free yourself?”   The words were heavy with suspicion, but not enough to hide the notes of desperation.

“Though we share adjacent cells, our circumstances are not the same.   You are a prisoner, I am more of a novelty...”.   As her words trailed off, Vel’s dim eyes met the woman’s.  “...Just trust me...  what do you have to lose”?  

Eventually the Kaldorei, Anorasmira, accepted Vel’s offer.   A deal was made.   A bargain forged. And a shadowy tether bound the pair.   More precisely it bound Anorasmira’s soul to the monks.  

This did little to prevent the Legion’s inquisitors from tearing through the the druidess’ mind, and tormenting her before finally allowing her to wander the ruined wastes of Argus.   

Had Vel not intervened at that point, Anorasmira likely would have simply gotten herself killed.   However the monkette’s will imposed itself on Anorasmira’s mind and steered her to safety.   Though, the druidess’ mind remained in a state of disarray.  

Vel’s newest trick, to posses another creature’s soul and impose her will upon it, required practice.  She could only maintain her grip for so long before requiring rest. 

It took her the better part of a month before she’d actually managed to build up the ability to occupy the druidess’ form for several hours without loosing her grip.   With time, it became easier and easier.  Eventually she could spend days as Anorasmira.   Which provided her with a welcome form of escape from her own situation.   

Arcanist and monkette!

Send me a "♛" and I'll summarize our muses relationship in one gif.

“We will see if there is anything of interest in the city and if not… We can visit the old house.” It was a fairly typical way for Dianesh and Velerodra to approach a night in Stormwind. The city had its ups and downs and more often than not as of late, there was little that held the peculiar interests of the pair. Velerodra had been especially restless herself of late, ever since finding Haeshia and getting her to safety. The mysterious figure Vel simply referred to as ‘Koru’ was caring for the risen woman, though Dianesh had yet to meet her. Haeshia was a risen kaldorei woman, the circumstances of her raising still shrouded in mystery for the pair. Vel speculated that she was the daughter of Feril, though they had yet to confirm that with one hundred percent certainty. 

They came across Yurissa in their wanderings, who they spoke with for a time before wandering off once more. Arguments were had with the human woman Airid and Dianesh, in a rare moment of emotion, lost her cool. The master steward and this woman had been ‘making fun of’ a man that was having issues deciding on a name for a coming child. Most topics never saw Dianesh give more than a blank look but this one, this one hit all the closer to home. Only Eilithe and Velerodra had known prior to this night the reason why. Needless to say, despite her attempts at offering the alternative view, the abrasive Airid had insisted naming a child wasn’t hard. Frustration saw Dianesh walk away, an attempt on removing herself from the situation. The woman had followed though, and Dianesh lost her cool. She hissed out the reason for her position. ‘Giving birth to a stillborn child and then needing to decide on a name so that the grave marker might show who it was for is the most difficult thing in this world.’ 

She’d vanished into the shadows after the woman’s retort, which came off just as callous as the rest of her words. Solace was found in the graveyard, in the place she and Velerodra often took time to sit and talk. She wept, something that never happened, as she sliced a mark on her right forearm, one long line to underline all the other rows of marks she’d cut into her flesh over time. Velerodra had found her and verbally slapped her to get her out of the frame of mind she was in. In fact, the monkette completely turned the conversation in a different direction, which saw Dianesh become even more emotional. It was a moment that saw her say something she knew Velerodra may get squeamish with, something that she’d never said before and had never expected to say. “I love you…” The monkette’s reply was what Dianesh could have expected, as Vel ran fingers through the sentinel’s hair. “Of course you do. I am quite lovable. You are… Acceptable…” It was the tone of her words though and the way she choked up that Dianesh knew Velerodra shared her emotions on this. The deep rooted care for each other was there, even if the odd couple showed it in strange ways. 

After passionate kisses and an agreement to talk things out with Airid, they had gone in search of the woman, only to find she was no longer in the city. They came across Endessa who, for her part, helped lifted Dianesh’s spirits. Just as Dianesh was about to allow herself to eat a sweet treat, Velerodra wandered off, leaving Dianesh to play catch up. “Vel, where are you going?” The monkette’s reply came over the seal. “You know me Dia, where do you think?” (Part 1 of 2)

Tagging @velerodra-valesinger​ for mentions!