The fog of Darkmoon Island was thick, casting Javinth's shop and the walkways into dreary shadows of faded reality. The normal theme of creeping gloom put on for atmosphere was all too true that day. Potential customers shied in and out of the fog, footsteps echoing against buildings he couldn't see. Noises came from all around he couldn't pinpoint.
In anyone else it may have made them anxious, paranoid, wondering about every new figure silhouette he glimpsed flickering through the air.
For Javinth however, he could only think, 'Someone is certainly feeling overdramatic. I can't remember the last time someone put in so much effort to be so unimpressive.'
'Patience,' Zof laughed, soft in his head and oddly pleased. 'Our visitor is putting on a show. Let them have their fun.'
Javinth rolled his eyes and turned a page, sketching out an idle idea for a new idea while Harbinger floated around his stall, poking at his inks questioningly. "Don't knock those over, 'Binger."
The multi tentacled, highly magical mind stealing void being from beneath the waves swiveled around and did its very best to look sheepish, tentacles tying around themselves as if to say, 'No, I wasn't touching anything, really!' which Javinth allowed with an inclined head and a small smile.
He continued flicking his pencil across the paper, the scratching sound of the lead unnaturally loud, the creak of his chair splintering the empty wasteland of the Faire. 'VERY dramatic.'
Zof didn't answer him, the blade's attention arrested by something - someone - else. He didn't look up until he finished his sketch, ignoring the faint tetchiness from the blade as his attention refused to waver. When he did glance up, his visitor didn't appear angry or even impatient from where he leaned against the corner of the stall. Instead, he was being studied intently by a blood elf who hardly looked terrible imposing at first glance. Broad shoulders, average height, and extremely dark red hair that was so perfectly messy it was obviously a product of vanity.
The only thing arresting about him was the color of his eyes, not something Javinth would generally have noticed - except they were, at first glance, black. A few moments of study and he realized they were in fact an extremely dark purple… with the faint glitter of what could have been stars in them. He blinked, cutting off the all consuming force of them and watched his visitor more shrewdly, noting his new smirk. "Interesting effect."
"Mmm-hmm. But not one you were taken in by for more than a moment," his visitor returned, stepping forward. "Funny. Eyes tend to be one of my specialties."
"Strange, I thought Yogg-Saron was more fond of teeth?" Javinth retorted, smile pleasant.
"Is. He is fond of them." Hands were splayed across the desk in front of him, the expression he was given only more considering. "You know who I am?"
"Only who you're attached to. It's easy to see, when you've known enough of different sects and cults. Our gods can be possessive of their tools - they leave marks. And don't tend to encourage much in the way of cross-contamination, as it were." Javinth raised an eyebrow in obvious inquiry.
"Well. Our Gods are locked up and appreciate all efforts on their behalf. I think Yogg-Saron would forgive me getting a little contaminated by you." His visitor smirked at him, the illusion on his face too perfectly handsome.
"It wouldn't be the first time they worked together," Javinth threw out, watching the other intently. There was only the briefest flicker - frustrating. He couldn't tell if he knew what he was surprised by his knowledge of it, or ignorant entirely. And his talents only showed him there was honest surprise, not what it was about without digging deeper. "You have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid. You know me, but you are…?"
"Corandes." He flicked a glance over the stall, the inks, the floating squid. "...No one thinks anything of this and your… pet?"
"It's the Darkmoon Faire. They expect to see weird. Part of the charm." He flicked an eye over all the designs he had from the fantastically whimsical to the dark flickers of what was hidden in the deep. "And for the rest… there are worse designs for temporary tattoos or body paint."
"Better things they could use to change themselves," Corandes observed.
Javinth tilted his head back at him, curious. "Like the illusion covering your scars?"
He wasn't expecting the way Corandes' expression froze. They weren't that terrible looking, really, he couldn't imagine why the man hadn't healed them long ago with the void's powers raging through him. Considering his vanity - Javinth paused, his confusion turning to clarity as he leaned closer. He ignored the way the other jerked back, because he could feel that. "Are those Light-infused?"
"Yes," Corandes snarled, shoving backward. "Some stupid priestess bitch gave them to me before I was strong enough to get rid of them. By the time I was - "
"You were stuck," Javinth breathed, standing to reach out. He ignored the way Corandes tensed up as his fingers came near. He brushed the scars with just the very pads of hins fingers, humming at the tingle of energy off of them. Something about it was… faintly familiar. Specks of it came away as he retracted his hand and he inspected them with furrowed brow. "Very strong, she is."
"Was. Long dead. How - How is that not hurting you?" Corandes asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it is a little but… Light and Void are just two sides of the same coin. If you can use one…" The sparkles turned dark, midnight black that sucked in the light around them. "Then it isn't so hard to use the other."
'Excellent. You've got him impressed.' Zof sounded immensely satisfied and Javinth glanced up to see Corandes didn't look tense anymore, or lackadaisically arrogant with his own power. His eyes were narrowed, everything about him focused, observing, cataloging.
Good. Zof was obviously wanting them to have an alliance and Javinth would have murdered him before daring to treat with someone without basic comprehension about both their natures. "You came here for a purpose, I believe?"
"Yes," Corandes said, words clipped as he sat down. "You're known for being a deft touch with spreading power… even if your follow through is lacking."
"Once they have the Void, either they'll listen… or they won't." Javinth shrugged. "I leave others to break potential allies. I prefer mine to want to come to me."
"Different philosophies, but not so incompatible. You aren't going to interfere in someone else doing the forcing from power you helped put there?" Corandes, asked, testing.
Sitting back down, Javinth let the black sparks sink into his skin, not missing the way Corandes' eyes followed them. "No - I happen to think its not useful in the long run but its none of my business. I assume you want my help bringing a few people to see the benefits of power?"
"People might not even be the right word." Corandes grinned, stars in his eyes sparkling among the dark void. "What do you know about phoenixes?"
The air around Javinth and Corandes was dark and thick with the power they channeled. It wasn't the first time they had done this together - but it was when Corandes planned to infect his test subject's guardian. Through the spell Javinth had caught only fogged glimpses over time. The hybrid elf-phoenix Corandes had ranted over had gone to Firelands. The exact reason wasn't known - Corandes was eager to believe it was because they were running scared but Javinth wasn't sure. Even through spellwork usually he could get a feel for someone's emotional state.
Not so with the ones on the other side of Corandes' spell. It was as if something was blocking him - his paranoia normally would have backed off just from that alone. Except the girl and her guardians seemed completely unaware of the tendrils of void Corandes had managed to hide at a soul deep level - mostly because he was channeling through a child himself. A girl whom Javinth had an unshakeable feeling of familiarity whenever he stared at her too long. It was something in the shape of her face, the way she frowned, even the shade of blue of her eyes. He just… couldn't put his finger on it.
Nor did it matter. Corandes needed her as a focal point, nothing more. Their spells didn't even affect her themselves. Javinth kept his mind and his power on their work. Zof was eager to see Corandes' plan through and the augmented power coursed through him, almost euphoric as he twisted it through Corandes' design.
"We have him!" Corandes crowed, triumphant as the surged of void went through the poor child on the other side and slid right through into her guardian. Zof's own joy echoed through Javinth and it was that moment as he traveled with the void power, urging it to hide the seed deep inside that the fog lifted just a moment.
A breathless, horrifying moment where he could see exactly who Corandes was after - and knew without a doubt his own blade had betrayed him. It wasn't their victim that had hidden himself from him. It was Zof.
He ripped himself from the spellwork - too late, much too late. "No - ! Zof, we had a deal!"
Corandes' voice rose but he wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He grasped at the dagger sheathed by his spine and ripped it from its enclosure. Fury and desperation raced through him in equal measure. "The one thing - the one thing I asked from you for decades was that we would leave my siblings out of it!"
'The opportunity was too good to pass up. We can't allow your sentiment for a brother who doesn't even know you to let this pass us by.' Zof sounded faintly annoyed and not at all apologetic. Not that Javinth had really expected it.
"It doesn't matter now," Javinth said, decision weighing him down. "You broke your end of the bargain so I - "
His voice let out mid syllable. His throat no longer moved no matter what he tried to say. Between one blink of Corandes moving toward him and another his vision went gray, then black. He recognized the symptoms - he was the one who sometimes did this to others. He could feel the mental box he had been neatly tucked into, obviously prepared ahead of time. The walls were seamless at first attempt - but there was always a weakness.
'You will do nothing when you're so emotional. You'll stay here until you've calmed down and are thinking rationally. If you believe ending our bargain is so simple as all that then you have not been paying attention my friend.' Zof left him with the mental equivalent to a pat on the head.
Javinth didn't have teeth to grit but the sensation was there, the emotional need to gather himself and lock down his fury still present. He didn't care what his blade said - he certainly wasn't going to stay well behaved in a box in his own mind. No matter how well crafted there was always a weakness.
Zof had taught him that.
It was not the kind of realization that led to feeling a lot of hope.
------------------
Zof'ethazel opened Javinth's eyes to find Corandes staring at him from several paces farther back than he had been last they had seen them. Trying a friendly smile only made the elf lean back and narrow his eyes. A smart one, this favored one of Yogg-Saron's. He spoke before Zof had quite remembered how vocal chords worked. "You're not Javinth."
"No, I've had to take over for him for awhile." Zof flowed to their feet, cocking their head as Corandes took a step back and glanced down to follow his gaze. Ah, right, the legs were used for that. Retracting the ever so helpful tentacles back inside they inspected Javinth's skin to see what gave the changed identity away. The runes on javinth's skin that were invisible the majority of the time were not in the visible spectrum but were - "glowing darkly" was an oxymoron but even the elven language had limits. Yet, that alone couldn't be enough. "How do you know I am not Javinth?"
"Besides the tentacles, the eyes, the fact your skin changed color there for a minute, and the light absorbing runes? Javinth's a fucking priest. Of the void, sure, but he feels like a priest. Belief, faith, the power of something else they all leave marks. He has his own power but he's also very obviously touched by something else. You don't feel touched by something else. You feel like you are that something else." Corandes stepped closer now, thirst for knowledge overriding his survival instincts. "You're not N'zoth, obviously. But you're… more than I've felt off of most of the Faceless and Void creatures."
Zof felt their new elven lips twist into a delighted grin. "Yogg-Saron really lucked out with their favored ones, Corandes. This is why I couldn't let Javinth's little moment there ruin your work. Of course… he'll get out eventually. But until he does you have something much closer to the Void to make use of. We'll have to find you some long term allies a bit less attached to your end goal."
"He… mentioned siblings. Lyren only had a sister." Corandes scowled. "A thankfully dead sister."
"Ah, Javinth was an indiscretion of their shared father's. A lovely young shadow worthy priestess herself, his mother Jamira was just bitter enough about the entire situation to re-enter Javinth's life long enough to tell him all about the twins his father did decide to keep. It didn't work quite how she wanted." Zof's lips curled downward. "On the one hand, they made an easy tool of manipulation. On the other hand… now we have this situation."
"Why does he care if he never even met Lyren?" Corandes demanded, crossing his arms. "He doesn't seem that… easy to get attached to someone."
"He did meet him. Them. A small handful of times while they were growing up. Often disguised." Zof tapped one of the only two rings Javinth wore, the stone a bright glowing gold… now with the tiniest shifting drop of dark purple flicking in the midst. "Long enough. You have no idea how difficult it was to block him from seeing with this on his hands. He should be thanking you - now the mystery of the time it was cracked and dark for several days is perfectly explained."
"That tracks Lyren." Corandes' gaze was intent - and obsessed. Zof chuckled, and shifted left. Ah - a little too far. He appeared on Corandes' other side and the elf jumped back, power roaring up to defend him.
"Peace - an accident. I am not used to having this form to run amuck in." They rolled their shoulders, darkness rolling with their muscles and dripping off their clothes. "Mmm. Interesting. Now, as to the ring - it won't work for you. It won't even work for me, for all that I am using Javinth's body. My wielder is very cunning with the things he feels are precious."
"Given enough time, I could undo it." Corandes sounded very sure. Zof felt a spark of irritation and didn't realize they must have done something until Corandes' eyes went wide and he bowed his head. "Forgive me… Great One. I meant no disrespect."
Zof waited a moment, stared at that bowed head. He had meant disrespect. He felt Javinth was weak because of what Zof had done, his magics easy to unweave. It was tempting, to simply do away with Yogg-Saron's favored for the insult. The Old God might be annoyed at the loss of a minion more useful than the average madman but not enough to truly make an effort. Mere moments and Corandes would know the folly of underestimating Javinth - or Zof.
Ah, but then what would become of his plans for the the phoenixes? Zof's gaze roamed, spotting the female that hadn't moved from where Corandes had ordered her to stay. Despite the going-ons around her she was perfectly obedient. They sighed, turning away from Corandes. "It would be a waste to destroy you now when you have done so much. Gather your focus. We will find you tools of power, allies worthy of your greatness. And… Perhaps introduce you to Javinth's newest little makeshift apprentice along the way. She could use another perspective if Javinth proves… difficult."
"Apprentice?" Corandes muttered but to Zof's pleasure he did go and pack up his things and the girl, ordering her into bird form with only a word and loading her cage onto the small floating disc he was using to transport his things behind their mounts. "I've done well with my brothers' resources and minds so far."
"Of course. And you should continue to use those. But there is more out there, and you will want the best preparations won't you?" In truth Zof only had a vague inkling what they were looking for, a mix of something Javinth's had likely long ago overheard (or more likely picked out from someone's mind) and the intuition of the Void.
It didn't matter that they didn't actually know. All that mattered was Corandes followed, and Javinth stayed in his box. The latter wouldn't last for long.
On the Subject of Accidental Murders and Voices in One’s Head
There was blood on his boots. Javinth allowed himself a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose and gaze skyward, an eternal plea of "why me?"
Of course considering all the deities possibly related to the skies, very likely the answer was apparent in and of itself. He had liked those boots too. Now he was going to have to burn them and strew the ashes along several rivers.
'Did anyone ever tell you you're fairly paranoid? Oh my, there's a dead body. Have you killed someone? Why would you do such a thing?' The voice that echoed in his mind only caused him to sigh in aggravation. Of course this would catch his erstwhile traveling companion's attention.
"He surprised me," he muttered, stretching his senses to catch any signs of life in the area. The nearest seemed to be a street over. He had time - assuming no one was hiding from his type of magic in the shadows. It seemed unlikely.
'He… surprised you. Leaving aside the point of the difficulty in surprising you, you may want to rethink your automatic reactions to being surprised. What if you get a surprise birthday party? Will you slaughter all of the party goers?'
"Considering the amount of living souls that know when my birthday is can be counted on one hand and I'm in contact with none of them - yes. Now if you're not going to be helpful then please, my dearest Zof, be quiet." Dragging the body was out of the question. While this particular alley was out of the way and close enough to Murder Row that he could get away with that to a certain degree, carrying it out of the city would gain attention instantly. He had no wish to make his case to any magister or instrument of justice.
Jail cells made him him itchy. Call it a mild allergy.
'I don't know what you expect me to do. I can't do anything to the dead. The living are much more malleable. If you wanted a necromantic companion you should have become a death knight. I hear the ghouls tell the best jokes.'
"No one volunteers to be a death knight," He scoffed and considered his own appearance. Besides his boots and daggers, no blood had been spilled on his clothes. His boots were dark enough he could make due with a quick exit. "You want to help? Help me pick out someone weak minded nearby."
'Oh? Oh! I see. Well now, that is certainly a much more productive use of our time. It likely won't last long, you realize, without more preparation. One decent mind healer - '
"I don't need it to last long. In fact it'll be better if it degrades on its own. Less likely to be traced or found out. Shush now darling, and concentrate."
He sauntered out of the alley, one hand on the strange looking weapon on his hip.
-
Sometime later, the blubbering cries of an elven man admitting to an accidental murder was lovely background music. He strode with arrogant purpose out of Silvermoon, his clothes of fine enough quality to let him pass for any minor noble with an oversized ego.
'Burning your boots may be overkill. Separating the ashes most certainly is.'
Not allowing his public facade to drop even a moment he snapped back, 'All it would take is one mind healer asking one decently skilled blood mage to trace it right now. I have half a day before the magic degradation becomes obvious enough to make that likely. Remember our last visit to Undercity?'
'In my defense, they would have rather recruited you than arrested you. AND you would have had two days before anyone realized it was mind control if you hadn't set it to self degrade.'
'Or that amount of semi-permanent magic changing his mental state would have had anyone sensitive instantly knowing something was wrong and I might have been caught before I left the city. No trace, no blood, no problem.'
There was a sigh in his mind. 'Except for instead of staying in comfort and safety we will once again be wandering the wilderness until you're satisfied the ashes of your boots are a satisfying distance from each other. Javinth. Darling. The salvation of my unending existence. NO ONE is going to bother trying to trace your BURNT BOOTS to their ashes for killing a no name thief. Even considering the hypothetical situation where someone WOULD, the likelihood of an individual possessing the skills to trace the ashes of your boots back to YOU is vanishingly small.'
'And by separating the ashes I make that impossible,' he responded, struggling not smirk.
'YOU are impossible,' the voice hissed back and then went silent with the distinct sensation it was most definitely sulking and also that Javinth was a Terrible Person™.
He did not feel bad. In fact, as he exited Silvermoon City, he began to hum a cheerful little ditty.
