Blade's Edge was known for a few main things. Demonic encampments were here, along with the remnants of untainted orcs, experimentation from Alliance engineers, as well as one of Illidan's prime allies: Gruul. Rather, late ally, for the adventurers of Azeroth in their assault had dispersed of him as well.
Kelgorm started to understand the land for something more, though. It was fiercely hostile. Upon being placed on a goose chase by an arakkoa, he had little expections once he made arrangements and organized payment for a flight to Blade's Edge Mountains. It was thrilling to fly above the towering, imposing spikes that made up the "mountains", knowing that at any moment impalement could potentially follow. In the distance, Kelgorm could even see the decayed corpses of dragons -- the unfortunate prey of Gruul and his children, it seemed.
The land was harsh, yes, but most important it was unsuspecting. Kelgorm landed in Toshley's Station and hired a rather eccentric gnome to escort him to the near, and abandoned, demonic camp. It was known only as Forge Camp: Anger. Sure, the adventurers may have dismantled one potential hope from Kelgorm in slaying Illidan, but in their crusade of demonic forces all about Outland, they left behind camps of potential understanding.
There was a familiarity Kel had with this sort of gathering of knowledge. The Legion gathered tomes, magical items, and sometimes mortal of worth in corrupting or manipulating. The extent of knowledge that the gnome had was limited, perhaps as significant as the average adventurer that had participated in the assault of one of the three Forge Camps in Blade's Edge:
"There's nothin' there, I'm sure of that," she had said as they both carefully walked along the trail going north towards the camp. "Bomb after bomb blowing it all to bits, demons dead. You'll just find the stench of lingering fel, pal."
The elf nodded, not hearing the gnome at all. The possibility he could find a vulnerability, or the answer he has hunted for was the only thought sticking to the inside of his skull. Not the girlish voice of the gnome, or even the grumbling, bestial sounds from the hostile creatures nearby. The gnome was none the wiser to her not-so-captivated audience.
"Only a matter of time 'fore we pull out of here anyways," she paused for a length to pull out her rifle preparatively. A raptor was getting confidence in its stride and seemed to be bounding towards the pair. That was until it caught the scent of a wounded meal, and bound in the opposite direction. The gnome eased up and continued, "people're gettin' anxious back in Azeroth, Kael'thas is rumored to have been aided in revival by the Deceiver."
Kelgorm now listened partially. Certainly, it should peak his interest. However, it also furthered his unsatiable desire to find answers; a way to obliterate the Legion.
"That is why my work at the Forge Camp is all the more important, no? I was sent to catch wind of their operations and plans."
The gnome gave a shrug. "I'll drop you off and wander around to be sure the way's clear going into 'nightfall' -- this place can get rather wild when its dark. Think that'll be enough time for your search?"
Kelgorm nodded his head distractedly again. His thoughts, once again, on visions of possible wonder, in a base of utter chaos.
Kelgorm did not want to admit to the gnome she may have been right in the uselessness of the encampment. The elven scholar had managed to find fragments of metal from structures long demolished, as well as medallions with various symbols on them. They often made up random words, some meaning perhaps to the demon that possessed it, some paramount to rituals they may perform.
Four medallions, Kelgorm translated them as, 'death', 'summon', 'eye', and 'tome.' Though he may as well have not known their meaning, for in any sort of variation, there was little use for it.
He had spent too much time at the front of the camp. He did not want to admit it, but it was because of an omnious humming he had heard beyond a large structure in the center. The structure itself was a demonic teleporter. However, the humming was undoubtedly not coming from the teleporter; there was something else, perhaps another structure still humming with almost-spent energy?
When the medallions were all gathered, scraps of metal observed for the third time, Kel suffered from boredom and disappointment now. That humming, however, seemed more and more odd as time had passed. It seemed less as the lingering hum of chaotic machinery, and more as if it had called to him. As if it could only speak a gibberish tongue that cried for the elf's eyes to witness.
He found himself wandering towards it distractedly. When finally it was revealed, Kelgorm saw a floating green crystal. It floated ten feet above the ground and was quite large, perhaps under half the size of the towering teleporter. It was the source of the humming, but had something disturbed it to create that sound?
The gibberish had cleared itself considerably when Kelgorm was close. The humming was no longer in his ears, but now ringing in his head with a cacophany. It had dragged Kelgorm to his knees in growing agony and insanity, until finally a deep voice rumbled his core.
You were a fool to come here. You'll be both of our deaths, elf.
Kelgorm had to catch his breath as the pain subsided. He now had to bear through the irritation of an invader in his head. He knew to keep his composure -- it was not the first time something like this had happened. Instinctively, he spoke aloud, though quietly.
"Why am I a fool? Who are you? Are you in the crystal?"
The voice was silent for a length. Then, They are here.
"Who is here?" Kelgorm shot his gaze around, to the hills, the peaks of the mountains. He looked over the crystal to see if trickey was done to divert his attention. All that had caught his eye was shining crystals, looking jagged yet as colorful as a rainbow below the contrasting sickly green of the fel-prison.
It was in that instant Kelgorm saw only stars, then felt the merciless harshness of the hard, tainted ground; he had been knocked unconscious.
Two orcs and a human, all decorated in robes and adorned with bones, stepped from their hiding behind the teleporter. A fourth robed orc appeared from seemingly nowhere, location revealed at first from a cloud of green mist.
"No more interruptions," he said in a weak voice, "are we prepared to release the prisoner?"
From behind Kelgorm, a brown-skinned orc -- the clobberer of the elf -- motioned a hand towards the colorful crystals below the prison. "Right there, master. We still don't have a suitable source for it, though."
The three cultists that had hidden themselves positioned equidistant around the crystal. They were silent, and prepared for their deeds, it seemed. The other, the one who had appeared in a cloud of mist, had pointed an unkempt, pointed nail at the intruding elf.
i swear one day i went to band and the door usually has like band related memes. right. while i was walking in i found a tumblr post. tumblr has reached onto the band doors.
I'm following a bunch of you guys from @quiznaks-archive, which will be my new main blog. I'm going to change the URL soon to just quiznaks and this account to quiznaks-archive, so keep an eye out or something
