#pt.vi

[kat-hawke]

Returning Home

(Following [The Not-So-Dead] & [Strangers and Old Habits])

The walk from Stormwind to the cabin on the far side of Elwynn was a bittersweet feeling of familiar. The light-hearted conversation passed the time as Kat occasionally glanced at the dagger Riley carried, careful not to be obvious with her wandering eyes. Odell, as always, napped in the treeline at the end of the clearing. The fox lifted his head to inspect the pair as they approached the front porch, huffing as he curled up again. Kat paused as she began to open the door, staring at the handle in her hand with a nervous breath before forcing it open. The home was still in disarray. The level of dust had grown since Riley's last visit. Slowly Kat stepped into the main room, her eyes sweeping over the mess in silence.

"Can I get you that drink?" Riley offered from the doorway as she unshouldered her bag.

"More like a bottle," Kat muttered as she kicked an empty glass on the floor with her boot. With another anxious breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. "Wot a fuckin' mess..."

Riley retrieved two bottles from her bag with a small grin, holding each by the neck in either hand. "I've got ya covered there," she mused, stowing one of the bottles in the crook of her opposite arm so she could deal a reassuring squeeze to Kat's shoulder with the free hand. "And it's nothing that can't be fixed, yeah?" 

Kat mirrored the smile, weak as it was, as she glanced over at Riley before eying the bottles. "Ya've never disappointed, luv'."

She leans down to pluck an empty bottle from the floor to deposit into a waste bin on her way into the kitchen, the resulting 'clunk' seeming to echo through the otherwise quiet home.

Moving into the center of the room, Kat watched Riley make her way towards the kitchen in the far corner, an empty bottle plucked from the floor along the way, and dropped into the waste bin, resulting in a 'clank' which echoed in the cabin. 

"It's no' about that, it's just—" Kat let out another heavy exhale, nudging and empty bottle on the floor with her boot. "—yeah, the place can be fixed. But can I? I hardly remember any of this. It's all flashes like a skipping record. What I remember most was the feeling of being empty, and how intoxicating it was as I drowned m'self in whiskey and azerite."

"I think," Riley paused, uncorking one of the bottles, "after everything you've been through, the fact that you're even standing there, to begin with, is proof enough that you've got what it takes to get there - where ever 'there' is." A gentle shrug was offered, but not in any dismissive way - her tone was genuine, as was the sentiment behind it. "I can't imagine what that must have been like." She shook her head gently, taking a cloth to the two cleanest glasses she could find. "And I'm not gonna try. But I gotta wonder what it was that led you there, to begin with..." The question is gently probing but understandably pointed.

"An Old God," Kat answered in a monotone, "by the time I knew it was too late. I took lives, traded pieces of m'self for power. It's funny because the subtly and level of manipulation makes me feel... Envious?" Kat dropped into the seat, pushing several depleted azerite crystals and shards from the couch to the floor. Thinking, only for a brief moment, if she too could achieve such a subtle level of manipulation. "I can't undo some of th' things I've done, the people I've hurt."

"Ah. Right." Riley nodded, knocking back the contents of her glass before refilling it immediately. She takes the other glass by hooking a finger into the rim to carry in-hand with the bottle, pausing to drop the glass off on the coffee table. "I could sit here and feed you the whole 'It gets easier with time' bullshit, but you and I both know that's all the line is." She offers this as a gentle tease, though there's some obvious truth in the statement. "What I can say is if there's anyone that can find a way to navigate that path, it's you. Never known you to back down from a challenge, doubt that'll change anytime soon." She adds the last bit with a hint of a familiar smirk, helping herself to a healthy pull from her glass.

"Too stubborn for m'own good sometimes," Kat added with a faint smirk of her own. "Challenge is wot started the who mess, but I appreciate the sentiment all th'same." Scooping up the glass, she quickly knocked back the contents, holding out the empty vessel for a refill. Pulling her eyes from the mess littering the floor, Kat looked to Riley. 

"And you?" She gently probed. "I sat on the roof across from your shop every Wednesday, watching the dust collect on the windows."

After refilling Kat's glass Riley slumped onto the couch, ignoring the dust that flew into a plume around her, focusing instead on her drink. "I thought about that," she murmured, huffing a sigh as the weight of Kat's words settled onto her shoulders. "About the fact that you had no way of knowing what happened, and I had no way of telling you." With another large swig from the glass, Riley paused, setting her gaze on the amber contents as the drink was gently swirled. 

"I know I told you my family was all dead - that I'd lost them all before I came to live in Stormwind. That's not true. I've got a brother. The kind of brother you grow up never talking about - not even with those closest to you." Riley sat forward in her seat, pursing her lips to the side for a moment as she looked up to meet Kat's gaze. "I've got something he wants, as it turns out. And while the 'what' and the 'why' of it all is lost on me, it took him a long time to figure out that I wasn't lying every time I said I didn't know what the fuck he was talking about." 

She rolled her shoulders in a shrug, a pained attempt at a smile taking residence on her features. "I'm sorry I put you through that. I really am."

"I could have helped..." Kat spoke above a whisper, leaning forward and placing a hand on Riley's arm. "I didn't know where t'look or where t'start, but I wanted anything and everything to help." Exhaling out a sigh of her own, Kat took a generous swig from the glass and sank back against the cushion. 

"And I'm sorry I put you through the same. As we agreed, though, never again." Her foot nudged Riley's leg, and the faintest of smirks touched her lips. "Where is he now? Will he be a problem again? Is there anything I can do?"

"We didn't exactly part on good terms," Riley paused for a split second. "I imagine he'll reach out again at some point, but I doubt he'll go about it in the same way. I can give you enough information for one of your files, that way you'll know where to start if it turns out he is foolish enough to pull that shit again." She met Kat's gaze then, reclining back into her seat with as relaxed a sigh as she could manage. "I should have told you about him a long time ago. Just one of those things I thought I could bury and forget about until it simply... faded into obscurity, y'know?" A chuckle rumbled within her throat at the thought.

"Anything is better than nothin'. The file can wait until another time. But if he dares touch ya' again, I'll bury my blade in him. Personally." The signature tone of a threat hung in Kat's voice as she looked towards the cold hearth. Killing the last of her whiskey and shaking her head as she promptly refilled the glass. "I know th' feelin', of ignorin' and tryin' to forget about something. Pushin' it deep and hopin' it becomes obscure and lost t'time. Take from me, luv', that shit just doesn' work." In a blink, her eyes shifted back to Riley. 

"I'm sorry ya' had t'see all this." A finger lifted from the glass to indicate the cabin which sat in disarray. "This is where ya' found—" Kat nearly choked on her words in the abrupt pause. "—her?"

"I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to start this conversation, so I'm glad you're the one to bring it up," Riley paused to empty her drink down the back of her throat. Setting the glass aside before her hand fell to the hilt of the dagger, Kat had been eyeing all evening and removed its encasing sheath from her hip. 

"Ya' know me. Right t'the point." Kat tried to joke, the fake smile faltering in a pained expression as Riley removed the dagger.

The backs of Riley's wrists rested against her knees, the sheathed dagger draped across open palms, brow furrowed with inner conflict she didn't even try to hide as she looked down at the dagger and then back up to Kat, who eyed the blade with apparent anxiety and shifted in her seat. The nail of her forefinger dug into the side of her thumb, hard enough to draw a drop of blood. The lower lip was tugged inward by teeth, and breath hitched as a lump in Kat's throat. Water welled in the eyes, and she had to look away. 

"She's still alive, then?"

Riley's dark brows pulled a little tighter together, and her voice was hesitant in tone when she finally did speak up a moment later. "Do you... remember what happened?" Her uncertainty appears honest, as does her desire to tread carefully. "Any of it..?"

Kat winced. Face scrunching as lips were curled inward, shifting in anxiously again in her seat, one arm wrapping tightly around her core, still looking away towards the bedroom door. "Wot—" Kat's voice broke, she cleared her throat and tried again. "—Do ya' know? Wot did she say?" With a trembling lower lip, she hesitantly looked towards Riley again, locking their eyes together. The pain and guilt ran deep into Kat's core, and she couldn't hide it.

"Enough to understand why you're looking at me like that..." it was meant to be a gentle jab - an attempt at levity -, but there was no denying the seriousness of what they were about to get into. "I may have coaxed more information out of her than she wanted to give, but you know what they say about old habits. Whatever you're still holding onto that's making you anxious about what I'm thinking - you can go right ahead and let go of it. I'm not here to judge." Riley shook her head. "And whatever happened between the two of you - despite what happened between you - you should know that she's been desperate to find you this whole time. I couldn't have done it without her help - she's been my guide through all of it, really."

Kat's nervous twitches continued as Riley spoke, her thumbnail now raking across the fingertips, pausing at each one to pick at the skin. "It wasn't me...not completely." She finally breathes out in a shaky voice. "Towards the end, memories become patchy. I've been worried, afraid she didn't survive." Reaching for the bottle, she inhaled a gulp of whiskey from the container directly. "I know that regardless of wot I say, I can't make it right."

"No one's asking you to," Riley offers gently, pausing her thought with a sigh. "Least, not either of us - I can only speak honestly about the things I know, and I imagine that's just a drop in the bucket with all you've dealt with, but you've still got folks in your corner. You don't have to go through it alone." Reaching out across the space between them, Riley places her hand atop Kat's. 

"I know..." Kat whispers between gulps of whiskey. Her hand stopped the nervous twitch. Instead, her fingers were gently gliding across Riley's. "Thank you..." 

A moment of heavy silence hung between them before Riley gently spoke. "Do... do you want to talk to her?"

Kat looked anxiously towards the dagger, unsure what to expect. A fight, empty apologies, bitterness, acceptance. The overwhelming pressure was enough to warrant another massive gulp of whiskey. 

"Do ya' think I should?"

"I do," Riley affirms, offering a nod. With that, Riley takes hold of the blade within its sheath, breaking contact with the hilt after a small hesitation to hand it out for Kat to take. "I know she's desperate to hear your voice again..."

An amused huff broke the guilty expression as Kat shook her head, biting her lip again as she glanced down at the dagger. With a deep breath to calm the nerves, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the blade.

Immediately the familiar sensation of connection pummeled into Kat's consciousness. The ability to feel the lifeforce, the soul, bound within the dagger, left her dazed and twisted with emotions. Riley sank into the couch with a quiet sigh of relief, content to sit, and carefully monitor the situation at hand for the time being.

"Hey..." Alyssa's voice broke the awkward silence, echoing within Kat's skull and threatening to bring tears to her eyes again.

With another slow exhale, Kat cracked her necked and responded in an equally lackluster, "hey."

"Think I'll win some kinda magical award or something for figuring out how to put a dormant soul back together?"

"I'll put something together for you, but I never had my doubts you'd figure it out." The anxiety and guilt Kat harbored was nearly palpable as she covered up the lie. There was no plan when she ejected Alyssa through the scroll of recall; the only concern was removing her from inevitable destruction. "I was worried you didn't survive."

"I'm glad we both survived," Alyssa's replied, her overwhelming emotional state is pure relief at the moment. "It's good to hear your voice again. Really good. I...don't know if I would have, without Riley. You pick good friends."

"She's..." Kat trailed off a bit as her eyes shifted from the dagger in her lap to Riley at the end of the couch, who was finishing off another glass of whiskey. "...yeah. Glad she ain't dead, and that she's the one who found you." 

Kat drew the dagger from the sheath and spun it over in her hand. A thumb running over the edge of the blade as she sat in silence, inspecting the dagger and the glowing engraving. "It looks like she's taken great care of the blade. You two playing nice?"

"I think so. She's been... We both needed someone to lean on during this. I owe her dinner when—" Alyssa paused abruptly "—If." She leaves the rest of that unsaid, but Kat knew where the thought was going "We've been worried. She's probably said everything I'd want to say. We thought you were gone."

"She's said a lot. But we all know there aren't enough words to describe how we feel." 

Kat's eyes narrowed skeptically, looking to Riley again as she inquired. "She ask ya' t'kill anyone?"

"Oh yeah," Riley responds, nodding a few times before standing and making her way over towards the kitchen. "Couple of times." There's an air of acceptance to her words, even while offered up in mild jest - she seems neither disturbed by the admittance nor surprised by the inquiry.

Kat's tongue pocketed in the corner of a cheek as a low hum rolled in her throat, skeptically concerned about that answer as she focused on Alyssa again. 

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"I can't say I understand why things went the way they did." Alyssa responded with a mix of emotions, "I think you know after everything we went through, though, that I don't hold it against you. Thank you for saying it." 

There was another pause as Kat's emotions churned again with guilt and grief, tying knots in her stomach and threatening to send the whiskey back up. "I don' know wot I know anymore. I hardly remember things towards the end."

"A lot of things got said. I remember it all, but I don't know what was real and what wasn't. It was in both our minds by then. It's over now. We both came out on the other side."

"Did we?" There was a pain in Kat's words. "The things I did, there's no going back from that. For months my actions weren't my own. Even now, I feel as if I'm waiting for a veil to be lifted, and this all to be another trick of the mind."

Alyssa was taken aback, and a long pause followed before she replied. "Months... I never knew how long— This is real though, Riley and me, we won't let it not be.  Maybe you can't come back from all of it, but we're here."

"It was there, in my mind, whispering and goading me on when I—" Kat choked and couldn't finish the sentence. Her legs curled up on the cushion, and her head dipped, forehead resting on the dagger's pommel held tightly in a fist at the top of her knees. "Some of us are more here than others, and that's the problem. I don't know how to fix my biggest mistake."

It wasn't until Kat curled up that Riley stepped away from the cutting board in the kitchen and moved to stand beside Kat's seat, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is probably a stupid question, but are you alright?"

"I've missed her," Kat whispers in the curled-up state. 

"We'll figure it out," Alyssa attempts to reassure, "hell, I'm an expert in soul magic and near as I can tell, even without it's influence you seem to be too.  If anyone can—"

"And if it does more damage? Or worse..." Kat interrupted

"What's worse?" Alyssa challenged. "...nothing worth doing was ever easy, right?"

Kat sucked in another uneasy breath, looking out to the cold hearth as Riley's hand squeezed her shoulder. "If I can find a way, what does it mean for us?"

Alyssa hesitated in her response. "What do you want it to mean for us? Can we rebuild that we had?"

"I'm asking you." 

Kat's teeth clenched before she glanced over her shoulder towards Riley and painfully whispered again. "I don't understand."

"That seems perfectly understandable to me..." Riley's uncertainty is palpable in her tone, though she offers another reassuring squeeze to Kat's shoulder all the same.

"You might not remember the last moments. I said, I love you, and I meant it." Alyssa's tone ached. "We can rebuild."

Kat paused there, wetting her lips and looking to the floor. "I said it too, and I meant it..."

"Then we'll try. If we figure this out. I'll get clean, and we'll go from there." Alyssa spoke in faint relief.

"Yeah... Yeah, maybe..." Kat's attention pulled back into reality as Alyssa echoed back the same response, sounding unhappy with the way Kat had said it.

To Kat, it didn't make sense, with how easily Alyssa seemed to let it go. It played on her paranoia, and her mind raced with a dozen scenarios of freeing the woman from the dagger. Some tragic while others were wholesome, but Kat's returning thoughts of abandonment plagued each projected outcome, even the fear of becoming the dagger's next inhabitant out of spite.

"It started right there," Kat pointed the dagger at the empty hearth, addressing Riley again. "Our voices raised, I shoved her against the stones. Then it ended over there," the dagger pointed towards the dining table next. "That's where I plunged this blade into her gut, after beating her with a candelabra." Kat's voice cracked and broke as she relived the scene, tears beginning to fall, all while maintaining a simple conversation with Alyssa in her head. "And she just...forgives me? I don't understand."

Riley followed the narrative; her gaze was tracing each location the dagger highlighted. "I know this doesn't need to be pointed out - least of all by me - but she loves you. Regardless of... how things progressed, she knows it wasn't all you there. At the end." Pausing, Riley gave herself a moment to breathe a sigh. "I wish I knew what else to say... but she never gave up on you."

"She tell ya' why I did it?" Kat's watery gaze shifted towards Riley again, lips pursing in a mix of self-loathing and sorrow.

"She didn't talk about it a lot. What happened, anyway," Riley reached up with her free hand to deal an idle rub to the back of her neck. "From what she did say, though, it seems like you did it to save her. That's how she explained it in a roundabout way."

"Yeah," Kat stated coldly as she wiped away a tear. She was making the conscious decision to change the narrative in hopes of clearing her guilt. 

"The fel was gettin' the better of her. Got to th' point where it would have been her or me." Pushing up to her feet, Kat paced slowly across the rug, eyeing the hearth. "Said before she'd get clean, but didn't. Told me about someone she loved and killed, how else was I supposed to react when the fel comes out in an argument?" Arms lifted with the rhetorical question. 

"If I put her back into a body, she'll walk out on me and go right back into hurtin' people. Tryin' to play us..." The pacing stopped, and Kat chewed on her lip again before firing a loaded question. "Let me guess; she told ya' to kill someone so she could regain strength? To repurpose th' soul?"

"I mean, yeah... but it was all with helping you in mind," Riley interjects, brow furrowed. "She was there with me when I found you in Uldum. She took what we were able to collect and did... whatever it is you do with soul energy... to see if we could bring you back. Somehow." 

Kat shook her head a bit, to make it more apparent how crazy it sounded even if she knew the truth.

"I felt what she felt, Kat..." Riley motioned faintly towards the dagger. "She probably could have made me do whatever she wanted once that link was established. She didn't. She left it up to me."

"That's the thing about manipulation. Feels like yer choice, until it isn't." Kat pointed the dagger at the table, the spot of the murder, again. "Felt like my choice at the time, but in reality, I was watching as it happened, helplessly through m'own eyes. Until I was finally left with my thoughts as I held her body." 

Nesting the weapon in two hands, Kat looked down upon the glowing engravings of the dagger. "But I still love her..."

"I know you do..." Riley responded gently.

Pacing again, Kat scooped up the whiskey bottle in one hand, tipping the bottom skyward in a deep chug. Her emotions and expressions were scattered, fingers pressing to the side of her head as the dagger hung upside-down and ran parallel to her wrist. 

"I've missed you." 

"I missed you too. I love you, Kat." 

"I love you." Kat echoes back with emotional strain. "I don't know what'd I'd have done if you didn't make it."

"Tell me I'm just paranoid." Kat's voice broke again as she looked back to Riley, sounding more like a plea as she choked on the final syllable. She was tearing herself apart from the inside out, slipping right into her self-destructive nature.

"Hey..." Riley stepped forward, gently coaxing the bottle from Kat's grasp and setting it aside. Taking Kat's face into both her hands to meet and hold her gaze with a sense of gentle purpose, she spoke softly. "I can't tell you what I don't know. You could be right - I obviously don't know Alyssa as well as you do, but I know I trust my gut, and it led me to trust her." She paused, exhaling a small sigh. 

"She never even mentioned returning to her former... self, until I brought it up - she only ever seemed keen on finding you." Riley let her hands slip from Kat's face, falling then to her shoulders. "You've been through the fucking ringer, Kat. There's a lot to unpack here, just give yourself a break."

Kat's eyes clamped shut as she listened to Riley with several nods, pulling in her lips, which dragged slowly over the teeth until pursed again. "Yer right, luv'. Yer right. And I trust ya' more than anyone else these days, so..." Dropping her arm, Kat tossed the dagger onto the hearth's mantle beside them, looking at the blade for a second longer before returning her attention to Riley again. 

"I need a break, yeah. We both know I'm bad about that, and we both need one." Glancing down at the whiskey bottle only inches away, Kat plucked it up by the neck without too much movement, waving the alcohol in the space between them as a smirk touched the corner of her lips. "So. Let's get drunk together so I can kiss ya' and then blame it on the whiskey."

[ @blue-eyedraven​, @alyssa-ward​ ]

( [Chapter I] [Chapter II] [Chapter III] [Chapter IV] ) ( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[kat-hawke]

Desuetude

(Following [Opprobrium])

The carriage continued to race through the inverted Gilnean city streets as the world beyond the windows continued to bend and fold within itself. The non-euclidean landscape shifting every minute as buildings seamlessly tore apart and melded together, cobblestone streets an ever-changing labyrinth. No matter how many abrupt turns the carriage took, there seemed to always be part of the city above and below them. 

Watching from the small window, she let the sound of hooves upon cobblestone fill the silence. Knowing the mustached man’s gaze never left as his fingers slowly drummed upon the top of his cane in the opposite seat. The longer it dragged on, the deeper the chill in her spine seemed to stretch, a void where her heart once seemed to beat.

The pain of what transpired in the Cathedral was still fresh, yet she broke the silence.

“I expected death to be more simple than this.” Kat’s voice hoarse from the earlier screams, a syllable in the middle breaking as she swallowed down the last sob and wiped a finger beneath an eye.

“You, of all people, Miss Hawke, should know that nothing is so simple.” The other passenger spoke plainly, his head lifting slightly as he did so. “You are rather hard to kill after all, and you have so much to answer for.”

Kat’s nose wrinkled at that, biting her tongue as she shook her head, attention turning from the window to the man. “And when the clock reaches the end of its backward count?”

He simply gave her a knowing look with the faintest hint of a smirk on the corner of his lips. She already knew the answer.

“Good.” She huffed, defeated. “I’m done with whatever twisted game this is. We’ll just sit here and ride the rest of the time out.”

“Oh, that’s not how this works, Miss Hawke. You should know better.”

Before Kat could retort, his cane slammed into the carriage floor, the vehicle turning sharply and turning over. Ejected again from the seat, she flew through the open door, defiantly grabbing hold of the iron handle. Swinging her weight upward, she found the brief moment of victory to be in vain, as her boots found cobblestone instead of the wooden floorboards. The carriage vanished from sight, folding away in waves of tiny tetrahedrons as the Gilnean marketplace appeared instead.

“Fuck!” She cursed beneath her breath, looking skyward to find the adjacent part of the city still looming overhead instead of the moonlit sky.

Exasperated, she let out a breath, fingers pulling through the tousled raven hair. Eyes scanning the now stilled streets of Gilneas, contemplating what pain this place would soon bring her.

A subtle dripping echoed in her ears, and her stomach dropped. Freezing for a moment and swallowing hard before casting her gaze in the direction of the sound. A small puddle of blood was pooling within the indentation of the stones, and as much as she wanted to refuse, her eyes still peeled upward to the source.

Knees buckled, and her throat went dry as she stared up upon the bodies of her agents, operatives, and informants. Vynette, Sarida, Quinn, and all the others, even Riley. Each impaled upon the streetlamps, stretching from one end of the market to the other. One hand clenched upon her chest, the thundering of a heartbeat lacking in her ears as she examined the horror and questioned what this was to be.

“Even the ones you cared about, you neglected. Used only when needed, cast aside when not. Empty promises and high hopes are all you were ever good for.” A spiteful voice called from behind her.

Pivoting on one leg, Kat spun around, instinctively reaching for weapons but found none. Her eyes narrowed in search of the familiar voice, its source stepping out from behind a closed market stall.

Tristana, the youngest of her agents, whom she made promise after promise to and never delivered.

“So self-absorbed, you’d say whatever you could just to keep people on your side.” The blonde spat out, motioning a hand to the corpses above. “You told me lie after lie, and I wasn’t the first nor the last. I gave you countless chances, and still, you fell short of your word.”

“That’s not fair, you were brash and reaching for power without hesitation.” Kat stood her ground, eyeing the armor the young agent wore, the very set from the siege of Lordaeron.

“And yet you dangled the promises of teachings in front of my face like a carrot on a stick! Let me have a taste and then turned your back on me. Again.”

“I wanted to protect you!”

“No! You were scared of me.” Tristana stuck a finger in Kat’s direction. “You were afraid I would surpass you, find someone else more willing and less guarded to show me. Afraid that I could have grown beyond you and take your power for myself.”

Kat recoiled as the girl struck an accurate nerve. “You were being reckless, ran off once. How was I supposed to tr—”

“Don’t even talk about trust!” Tristana snapped back, cutting Kat off. “I had every reason not to trust you, every reason to walk away, every reason to betray you. Yet you want to stand there like our conversation at the docks never happened? Like I never followed you to Lordaeron, where you nearly got me killed. Where I threw myself in the open to draw the attention away from you?”

A sudden gust of wind ripped through the marketplace as the earth trembled faintly. The gale carrying the words ‘not stable’ in a piercing whisper.

With a sudden loss of words, Kat just shook her head as the young agent scoffed.

“How long until they figure it out? Probably too late, if I had to guess.” Tristana pointed again to the bodies above, specifically to Quinn. “She’s going to trust your empty promises. She might even look up to you to learn from you. And then you’re going to let her down, neglect her, let her sit on the hook for months to a year with just scraps of pity attention. Then when she wises up to it, you’ll make it out like she misunderstands.”

“That’s not what I want. Not what I wanted...” Kat whispered, eyes pleading through the pain.

“But it’s what you do, and what you did. Eventually, they will figure it out, all of them will. That you’re nothing more than a manipulative, self-absorbed, bitch.”

Again the earth shook, violently this time, sending Kat to the ground and bouncing off the cobblestones. Quick to roll over and prop herself up on her knees, she found that Tristana was gone, as were the impaled bodies. Another roaring wind that carried words, ‘crashing again,’ tore through the open market. Banners and flags ripping from their poles and whipping away towards the horizon.

Beneath her, the street began to shift, curling upward as the marketplace started to invert. Desperately she grasped at the cobblestones and streetlamps, searching for a handhold to prevent the inevitable fall. The wrought iron post snapped off in her fingers and sent her tumbling towards a vacant market stall. Crashing into the boards just as it felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs, and dropped once again within the speeding carriage.

“A lot to unpack with that one, Miss Hawke?” Amusement practically danced on the mustached man’s tone.

“Fuck you, Charles.” Kat managed to get out between gasps for air.

“The young girl isn’t wrong, of course. I can almost relate, except you didn’t slit her throat as you did mine once you were finished with her.”

“You were working against me.” Kat snarled in response.

“No. You just made yourself believe that to make the decision easier. You hold regret with her, but not for me.” He straightforwardly stated.

Hanging her head, Kat put elbows upon knees, fingers weaving at the nap of her neck. The Catherdral bell tolling one o’clock now. Defeated, tired, and helpless, she sat in silence as the carriage continued its course. Tears falling to the floorboards, each one welling beneath the eyes in searing pain. The familiarity of her heartbeat was suddenly missed.

She prayed for this purgatory to end.

[ Mentioned: @tristanasneak, @lovelydeadlysocialite, @quinn-varden​, @blue-eyedraven​ ]

( [Chapter I] [Chapter II] [Chapter III] ) ( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[kat-hawke]

Uull lwhuk h'iwn

(Following [Ul basha krix])

Only a few days had passed since her previous trip to Uldum, but the spread of darkness had shifted as if it had been a year. Stretching further across the sanders, the sky was now littered with platforms and towering structures of obsidian, all of which held that red glow and carved scripture. The sight alone sent chills running over Kat’s shoulders and down her spine, the power in the air nearly tangible.

"Kat...” Alyssa spoke up, no doubt feeling the shift in environmental power. “I think it's time to tell me what your goal is out here. I can't help if you don't."

"The same as it was before. There's already souls out here for the taking, little to no effort." Kat’s answer was vague as she stared at the gateway to Ny’alotha at the opposite end of the river.

"You're building to something.  You need them for a reason.... My soul is as dark as yours.  You can trust me.  You have to, or I won't keep doing my part in this."

Annoyance quickly swept over her emotion at the vague threat. Pausing for a moment as her gaze shifted to the twisted fields below. Attempting to simply force the warlock into submission would likely yield poor results and she was right, some trust had to be given.

"Saving your soul will require quite a bit of power and untained essence to weave in the damaged parts that the fel would leave in it's absence. There's also the matter of my own, which... I'm still unsure of, I've tried in the past but was never successful." An honest answer, though lacking detail.

"Okay." A pause, as if she’d let the conversation end there. "Your soul has changed, noticeably. I'm concerned. Don't just dismiss it."

"It's always changing, a constant flux. I step too close to a Ren'dorei or Lightforged it spikes one way or the other." Kat clearly dismissive, against Alyssa’s warning.

"Not like this Kat.  The outline has changed, the dark is darker.  I've seen what more or less looks like. This is new."

A quiet exhale against the mask pulled up over the lower face as her gaze dropped to the stone beneath her feet. Alyssa was right and she knew it, everything she experienced during the dagger’s absence put the risks in a true perspective and her fears were becoming a reality.

‘Gag yoh'ghyl og hoq uul'gwa.’ The clawing whisper interjected.

"It's fine." She dismissed the topic, again, as she set off to descend upon the site of torment cells.

"Stop saying that!"  Alyssa's voice comes with more force this time, anger bubbling up in it. "What did you say the other day? 'I should have listened to you?' Get out of your own ass and listen to me, I'm trying to keep you alive."

"What do you want me to say?!" She snapped back, nearly losing her footing on the crumbling walkway. "That this shit scares me? You think I don't know the risks? Or that I'd be out here for someone other than myself? I know, okay... I know. I'm trusting you to keep me safe, do I need to say that?"

"I want you to accept that this isn't normal, that you can't keep going the same way you are.  Something came back with you from Uldum."

"Yeah, I uh...” Previous denial began to crumble as Alyssa spoke, realizing the folly in her former plan and giving into the whispers of the obelisk she restored within her own home. “I stole one of the cultists tomes. It's back at home though." Another half truth.

"Maybe that was it, but it's stuck to you more than just that."  Alyssa held a hint of that fear in her voice. "It hears us and sees us. I'm sure of that."

"Darling, if you could see the world right now you'd understand just how much of an understatement that is." There was a hint of amusement in her tone, but no less serious than she typically was as she scanned the horizon of growing appendages. "It's rather grotesque."

"What do you want?"  The way Alyssa asks is off.

"What?" Confusion and annoyance apparent as raven brows pushed together. "Are you serious? I already told you..."

No response came, just silence. Kat huffed softly as eyes rolled, muttering a quiet ‘whatever’ into the mask as she snuck across the rooftops of the abandoned farm hovels. 

Dropping along the back wall she kept herself pressed to the bricks, side stepping to the corner as a knife pulled from the waist. Spinning the blade over in the fingers her grip tightened, peering around the corner to gauge her timing until the lone cultist would draw near. The internal clock ticked away, gloved fingers flexing one by one with each second that passed until the figures shadow approached the desired mark.

Pivoting out on one leg she struck, the blade darting through the air like lightning and plunging into the chest of the cultist, a female orc whose skin turned violet from the corruption. Kat’s free hand grabbed hold the robes, dragging the victim back around the corner and out of sight. 

The slight misjudgment in height caused her blade to miss the heart by a mere inch, giving the orc the opportunity to struggle. The massive hand reaching out and locking onto the Director’s neck, constricting with the brutish strength. The runes on her bracers sparked and flared faintly in the moment, immediately triggering alarm as adrenaline began to flow.

“Buy a girl a drink first.” She spat out from beneath the choking hold, her knife repeatedly stabbing the orc’s chest in several quick bursts. The brute strength began to wane, the other arm spinning over to free her throat from the weakened grasp. Without hesitation she rushed forward in a headbutt to the orc’s nose, the bone breaking in the collision as it collapsed to the ground, life seeping away into the sand.

Rubbing at the leather around the neck Kat took a few larger breaths, the sense of alarm fading away as she stepped over the body. “Sorry, no’ my type.”

Sheathing the bloodied knife at the waist again she quickly inspected the bracers, concerned still by the flare. There had been no outward use of magic from the orc, yet they resisted something. Whatever it was had been unseen and it only incubated the growing fear in her mind. Swallowing the lump in her throat she moved along the building again, settling in between the two to further scope her destination.

Two torment cells, housing captured Ramkahen citizens, were now unattended only a few yards away. Their position along a low stone wall provided her cover to allow Alyssa to work, but patrolling beheaders and worms above were still an obstacle of timing. 

Before she could move the bracers flared again, stronger and brighter this time, enough to cause pain in the soul as if something or someone had snuffed a cigarette against her very core. Panic and fear grew tenfold at the very thought of her bracers failing, allowing not just an outside influence to touch her soul but the enchantments held her in a balance.

‘Iilth ma paf'qi'ag sk'halahs.’

Fingers fumbled as they searched for the azerite crystal around her neck, pulling the chain to free the stone from beneath the leather armor. In a tight grasp she drew power from the crystal, expending over half its charge to fight back against whatever unseen force was attacking her only safeguard of the soul.

The opposing force diminished until it was nothing under the backlash, the flare in the runes of the bracers vanishing. With a relieved breath she fell into the wall, catching herself with one arm as her gaze quickly dropped to inspect the bracers, hairline cracks running from end to end. Her heart skipped a beat as the apparent damage had been done, minor as it was, a chink in the spiritual armor was a fatal risk.

"Kat..." Alyssa suddenly spoke, sounding drained.  "You're right...you're going to get me killed."

"That—” It suddenly clicks in Kat’s head, anger and confusion mixing in an instant, thoughts reeling as she tried to make sense of it. “Was that you? I thought something was attacking my bracers. I didn't know what. I panicked, we'll both be dead if they fail."

"Maybe, I was fighting whatever this thing attached to your soul is. It says we'll betray each other, that it will await in the dark, that it wants us to see the truth...” There were hints on uncertainty. “Kat I don't know how to fight this. It felt like it started to draw my space into the Sleeping City again."

Suddenly it made sense, her gaze cut across the horizon to the Ny’alotha gateway again. "It's just fucking with your head, Alyssa. That's what it does. It was goading you to fight, don't you see? It wanted you to lash out, to break the safeguards I have around my soul."

"Guess it's good I couldn't reach my felfire then." Guilt hung in Alyssa’s words.

"Yeah..." Kat let the single word trail off as she began to isolate her emotions again. Realizing that if her counterpart could no longer separate the illusions from reality then she couldn’t keep her safe, that the way she fought would only open a more detrimental doorway.

"How do you know what's real?"

That inquiry was the confirmation she feared she would receive. Frozen in place by confliction she stared across the empty field at the torment cells, unable or just unwilling to answer the question.

"Already know 'be careful' isn't useful. We're riding the edge Kat. I don't want to die. Do better."

"You do better." Anger began to win the struggle as she retorted. "You realize what would happen if my bracers shattered, here, of all places? Not even you could prevent what would come next."

"I'm doing the best I can with the limited information I have."

"And I'm not?" Kat’s jaw clenched and the teeth ground. 

"Nevermind," an irritated tone from the warlock quickly came in response. "We survived it. It's fine."

"What do you want me to say?" Also irritated now, Kat leaned further against the wall, forced to wait for a group of writhing worms overhead to pass. "I can't always tell what's real either, okay. I need you."

"I don't know Kat! I'm dead, I'm stuck in a damn knife, I don't know where I am, or what’s going on, and the only person I can talk to is one of the least open people I've ever met. I'm frustrated, angry, and confused, and I'm trying to focus on the one thing I can do which is try to keep you alive."

"Yeah, alright, fine. I'm sorry." Responding quickly she was caught off guard by the other’s response. Her jaw shifted from one side to the other as guilt and anger swelled again. No apology would ever be enough for what she had done.

"I need to recharge.” Alyssa finally broke the long silence. “I'm going to just...do that for a bit.  Call me if you need me."

Another sudden realization of her insensitively struck, shifting that swelling anger and guilt into remorse and regret. Drawing Alyssa’s dagger from the sheath at the thigh the blade turned over in her hand, cradled in both palms as she stared down upon the weakened glow of the engravings. Hanging her head for a fleeting moment she didn’t think twice before expending one of her two vials of liquid azerite, pouring the blue and gold fluid over the engravings.

Unsure if it would even work there was a pleased breath as the substance was absorbed and the dagger’s illumination returned to full strength. Kat didn’t expect a ‘thank you’ or any sort of gratification, the fact her aid had not been rejected was enough. Swallowing a bit of her pride she broke the silence.

"Let's just go home. I'll find another way. I know I'm not the most open person, I just...I don't know how to be anymore. I hate this, the fighting. I thought you were gone and it was my fault, and I couldn't handle that. Then you came back and I just— It made me realize how much I needed you and now I'm out here fucking it all up again."

When Alyssa didn’t respond there was a brief feeling of pain across the heart, lips pulling to one side beneath the mask as she sheathed the dagger again. Perhaps that was deserved, after everything she’d done. Glancing upward towards the torment cells again she stared for a moment, shaking her head before turning away to retreat to the desert once more.

It didn’t seem to matter how many times Kat said something, the silence she continued to get in response was near deafening. The lack of conversation made the trek back to the secluded oasis camp seem long, more so by the fact she had to detour as a swarm of cultists and faceless ones had migrated into the path she originally took. 

“I’m sorry.” Alyssa’s sudden return carrying like an echo on the wind. “I didn’t mean to snap like that I just... You keep saying you’re going to help me but then you don’t. I’m starting to doubt you really want to save me, or just use me like everyone else.”

That cut deep, deeper than Kat thought it would to hear. Pressing on through the sands she kept her head down, biting the lower lip as swallowed pride again to allow some honestly.

‘En'othk uulg'shuul.’

“Helping you get away from the fel was always my intention, that much has been true since I said it. Where to start is a mystery I’ve yet to solve. The risk of damaging you, killing you, I just can’t take it. Not again. Most of the rituals I’ve found would consume the dagger in the process, and by extension you.”

“But you still hesitate to collect enough power for a true effort?”

“It’s not that simple, Alyssa.”

“Quit making excuses, Kat. Don’t be a prisoner in your own body. I know you hold yourself back, I can see it. You’re afraid I’ll leave and disapprove but I’m just as dark as you. I still love you.”

She was right. Again. Kat held back out of fear, fear of abandonment and of the darkness taking control. Refusing to admit it she stormed around the corner of the cliff face, coming to a sudden halt as her eyes landed upon the large obsidian construction before her. A massive platform with stairs leading up from either side. Another pair of stairs upon the platform met at a single point before a dark altar, a towering obelisk on either side that stretched upward for nearly half a mile.

Several whispers invaded the mind as she stared upon the twisted writings in the blood red glow of the stones. Disorienting at first but her feet continued to move, step after step she drew closer to the blacken stone. Her heart beat faster, pounding in the ears as the boots climbed the stairs, subconsciously moving as if in a fog. 

Pain seared across the shoulders, the carved scripture in her flesh breaking through the glamour, illuminating through the leather armor in a matching hue to the sigils of obelisks. Her methodical advance coming to a halt before the altar between the obelisks, gaze turned upward as the mask pulled away to collect around the neck.

A sudden weight pulled against her very core, like trees falling in a forest against her back it forced her to the knees. Fog of the mind clearing as the pain from the burning scripture across her shoulders was now her’s to bear in full, dragging a scream of tortured pain through her throat.

[ @alyssa-ward​ ]

(Chapter I: Dark Secrets) (Chapter II: Descent) ( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[kat-hawke]

Open Doorways

(Following [Blurred Lines])

Slipping back into the city and her role was easy enough, gone just long enough to not raise suspicion among her peers. It wasn’t uncommon for the Director to shut herself in for several days at time, always the black sheep in the group of unit leaders. Her reputation for unorthodox methods, callous approaches to mission completion, and alcoholic tendencies would always make her the odd one out from the others. 

In a way, it made things easier; to be feared rather than loved.

Vynette had cast an inquisitive look when returned, one which Kat met with a solid stare. There was no true worry that the operative would begin to question and pull at the strings of the carefully constructed tapestry of lies, the elven woman had been loyal to a fault in the year of employment. Hiding her true identity was a risk to them both, a particular debt the Director never failed to remind her of.

Yet the trickles of paranoia swept across the back of her mind, subtle but no less troublesome as the sinister whisper crept into her thoughts.

‘They will all betray you. Stand in your way. Deny you the power deserved.’

The deep voice boomed within her skull, it had become louder and more present than before since her trip to the Vale. A thumb dug into the inner corner of an eye as it pinched shut, attempting to ignore the dark call as the glass of whiskey on her desk was inhaled.

‘Destiny awaits within the Sleeping City.’

Looking up as the voice echoed in the eardrums a shadowed silhouette stood in the home office doorway, a perfect mirror image of herself. Lips curled as she bared teeth, a growl of anger rolling up through the throat. In a hasty stand the empty glass flew across the room, striking the illusion center mass. Shadows evaporated on the impact, seeping into the walls and floor as the glass crashed into the wall beyond the door, shattering to pieces.

‘Your anger—’

“Fuck off!” She protested, grabbing the azerite crystal at her neck. The energy pulsed, pushing the documents on her desk a few inches before it surged through the body. The blue and gold sparks igniting the fingertips and encircled the irises as the euphoric sensation washed over her. Silence at last came as the Director rode out the energetic high, hands shaking a bit a she caught her breath.

Hands planted upon the heavy wooden surface of the desk as she stared where the shadowy doppelganger had been. With a deep breath her gaze shifted to the rack in the corner where her gear had been discarded, eyes dropping to the illuminated Gilnean dagger that hung in it’s sheath from the peg.

Immediately she recalled the conversation with the warlock trapped inside and her anger flared further. Kat would never truly admit when Alyssa was right, always abruptly ending the conversation but it didn’t change the facts of the matter.

Progress would always require pain.

She reminded herself, taking another few long breaths as attention turned towards the board on the adjacent wall. Eyeing over the forgotten and forbidden runes and ritual measures that were collected from ancient texts and observations in the Vale.

Her plan had always been to return again, like Nazjatar, slipping in and out every few days to harvest souls already lost. But now there was something else, a feeling she couldn’t quite shake or place a finger on at her core, a desire to return. Like a boat in the current she felt a subtle tug to travel to the Vale, a cold twitch at the base of her spine.

[ Mentioned / Relevant: @alyssa-ward​, @lovelydeadlysocialite​ ]

(Chapter I: Dark Secrets) ( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[kat-hawke]

Al'ksh syq iir awan?

(Few days following [Failed Bargains]) Content Warning: Horror, Blood, Self-harm, Death

It had been days but the events that unfolded back in the cave still haunted the recesses of Kat’s mind, slipping into thoughts while she worked. The one line repeating constantly in her mind. ‘Lilth ma paf'qi'ag sk'halahs.‘; You are a prisoner in your own body. Something she always said in half jest when someone would ask about the bracers she never removed. A fact she had come to terms with, or so she thought. Hearing it from the dark entity made it too much more of a reality. Could it have seen her for what she truly is?

Spending more nights alone, sequestered to her home, she repeatedly asked herself the question. It was a vicious cycle, to allow others in behind her walls before inevitably becoming distant and reconstructing the defenses they’d broken through. Repair the emotional armor to protect herself as much as them from pain.

Easy enough to distance Sarah, their paths crossing only so often. Claim work kept her busy, the blonde wouldn’t question it. Alyssa though, a bit trickier, having to carefully construct reasons as to why she’d need to be alone, breaking their habitual cycle of a spending a few nights together, skipping a training session every few weeks with solid excuses pertaining to her occupation.

Harder to explain was the crafted coin the red head gifted her, which laid in pieces upon the mahogany desk. What was a thoughtful gift used for purposes beyond it’s construction, barely to survive the strain of housing two parts of a soul. The token shattered under the pressure of returning the shard of her soul to the body.

That shard she’d cut away to protect the thread of another’s soul she carried with her. A bond that was left dormant for months, a bond that carried more weight than the Director was willing to admit. Her failed attempt to sever it once before only dug that hole deeper. Despite the pain, guilt, and fear that sun-kissed woman on the other side still held importance to her.

‘Ywaq gag fash ilith.’

Another dark whisper tugged at her thoughts of the women. She did her best to ignore it and clear the mind, refusing to give the darkness another foothold. Focusing instead on the ice cold water that poured from the shower faucet and raced across the scared flesh of her muscled figured. It mattered not how fast or strong she’d pushed herself to become, for it would never close the gap of mental weakness.

With a piercing screech a handle turned and water ceased. Bare feet stepping from the shallow basin to the tiled floor. Soft pads of wet feet echoing in the silence as she approached the mirror mounted above the porcelain sink. One of three reflective surfaces in the entire home.

Staring into her nude reflection the self-loathing stirred at the back of her mind. Eyes trailed from scar to scar, searching for answers where none existed. It was then something shifted in the reflection, catching her attention in a blink of an eye. A dark mass clung to the ceiling behind her, twitching and convulsing, a single orange orb focusing on the Director.

Fingers of the right hand flexed as an orb of Holy Light sparked to life. Spinning around her arm ready to launch the magical assault. Eyes widened to find the ceiling bar, as it should have been. Stark amber hues frantically darted from wall to call, corner to corner, searching for any sign of intrusion but came up short.

With a deep and steady breath the orb within her grasp died off, the body twisting to face the mirror once more, checking the same spot to find nothing. Hands planted on either side of the sinks edge, damp raven tresses cascaded around the face as her head tilt downward, focusing on the drain rather than her reflection.

Eyes clamped shut with an attempt to purge the mind, practiced breaths deep and slow, seconds between the intake and exhale. Lashes parted as lids peeled open, eyes quickly focusing on a single crimson droplet splatter against the pure white basin. Fingers moved to the growing warmth that rest just above the cheek, wiping beneath the eye. Blood painted tips of the digits, the thumb rolling over the congealed fluid in disbelief.

Quick up-righting her stance attention returned to the mirror, the sight nearly sent the Director toppling backwards, just barely catching herself with a hand planting against the towel bar. Despite the physical world around her remaining unchanged, the mirror told a different tale, like a window to a new reality.

Blood pooled at the lower lid like tears in her eyes, pouring with each blink down the cheeks. The room around her in the mirror was replaced with a creeping darkness, the walls coming to life with dark flesh that pulsated in synchronization with her growing heartbeat. Her tanned skin tone was replaced with an ash grey coloration, dark brambles protruding from the flesh.

Fear and panic took root at her core, like a sheet of ice growing across the surface of a lake. Glancing down at the hands the reality in the mirror began to unfold. Her fingers withered to the bones as flesh paled, void toned spurs pushed outward from the skin.

Her heartbeats pounded in the ears.

Hastily pushing from the wall she sought an exit. Brittle fingers painfully grasping the door knob, twisting to throw the wooden barrier open and flee to the main space of the cabin. Instead she was met with nothing but endless darkness, feet sliding to a halt, preventing what appeared to be an endless fall into oblivion.

Chest heaving with heavy pants as the sense of helplessness grew, she searched the darkness, looking for anything but finding only distant stars swallowed by the Void.

Stepping back the door slammed shut, spinning around in hopes of finding another escape. Instead she was met face to face with an eldritch creature that twitched and jerked, the entire head made of nothing but thousand toothed maws.

A scream released at the sudden sight, just as the horror descended upon her, the thousands of needle point teeth consuming her, pain searing before everything went dark.

A deep gasp filled the lungs with chilled air, sheets flew as the Director sprung up. Cold sweat clung to the skin, the damp black tank top sticking to the body as she moved. Hands lifted before her gaze, turning over rapidly as she inspected the surfaces. Fingers slipped over the leather bracers and up the arms, finding purchase at the shoulders as she stared at the foot of the bed.

Just another nightmare.

Wiping the sweat from the lips the palm rested at the base of the throat as she caught her breath. The tongue rolling over dried lips as she looked to the door, the desire for alcohol clawing at the mind. The addiction had to be sated.

Feet dove into the set of slippers as she stood from the bed, pulling the black robe over the body. Silently she transitioned from the bedroom to living space, a hastened path straight towards the liquor cabinet. Along the way a sparring glance was given to the broken coin that lay on the office desk.

A satisfying pop broke the silence as the stopper pulled from the crystal decanter. A clink following shortly as it briefly grazed the glass and amber liquor poured.

A chill ran down the spine as she felt a muscle at the back of the neck twitch.

‘Vwah oou kaaxth zz ywaq iiyoq Ag'xig fhssh I on'ma.’

The empty hand rubbed the top of the spine, the neck rolling as if something crawled between the flesh and bone.

‘Sk'shgn eqnizz hoq.’

The glass tipped upward and whiskey shot back, effortlessly flowing down the throat.

“Shut up.”

Pouring the second glass she felt another presence. Eyes drifted upward to the cabinet head before feet moved to spin her around. A human silhouette dark as the night lingered in the air, eyes of a deep amethyst tone bored into her. With a bone chilling cry it raced towards her position.

Fingers of the right hand twitched but nothing came, something or someone had sapped her magic. Thinking fast she reached for the only bottle of wine in the cabinet, pulling the cork to reveal the stiletto blade hidden inside. Pivoting on a leg the steel swung through the air, finding it’s mark in the concealed dark being which dissipated into shadowy smoke upon it’s demise.

With a heated snort she intended to return to the drink, watching the smoke at it faded away, though not completely. It moved, as if it lived, coiling in the air to the kitchen and converged into a humanoid form once more.

As it stood and stared insect like chattered began to overtake the silence. It was as if a locus swarm buzzed about in Kat’s head, making it difficult to focus. One after another the maddening chatters repeated in rounds, while the ominous figure multiplied like a cell, splitting in half over and over.

Fighting through the disorienting sounds she dove to the center of the room, a pair of short swords hidden along the underside of the table quickly claimed. Standing her ground a shadowy figure was dispatched, one after another. The assault was endless, for each one she cut down another three of four took it’s place. The chattering grew louder every second, she could feel the warm trail of blood beginning to flow from her ears.

Hopelessness grew in tandem with fatigue. Overwhelmed and running out of options, the cold dark fingers of the shadows began to grab. The blades swinging in defense, but the reactions slowed. It was over, but Kat refused to succumb to the sinister intentions of the Void.

Finding a second wind she pushed through the sea of dark beings, towards the rack at the door where her equipment hung. One blade plunged it the wall, skewering two silhouettes in one motion. Releasing the handle of the blade she reached for the holster hanging from the hook, fingers firmly wrapping around the grip to tug the six shot firearm free.

The searing touch of shadowy hands burned at her back as the outnumbering forces drug her down. Without an hesitation the safety popped off as the end of the barrel wedged under the jaw.

The weapon fired off and blood painted the ceiling above, the lifeless body collapsing on the floor. With nothing left to claim the silhouettes began to vanish, one at a time, like smoke rolling the breeze.

An empty bottle clattered against the floorboards as she awoke with a startled jolt in the living room chair. The whiskey glass breaking against the ground as it fell from her hands. Sweaty and panting she quickly looked around, everything seemed normal.

Nothing out of place, alcohol consumed. The broken coin still in pieces upon the desk.

With a soft thud she pressed back into the upholstered seat, fingers pinched beneath the eyes. Hesitant to open them, she was uncertain if this was real or another layer of a nightmare.

[ Mentions: @tirasiantrouper​, @alyssa-ward​, @shewolf-jacqueline​ ]

( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[kat-hawke]

Unexpected Freedom

( Immediately following [Those We Least Expect] and [No Return] )

"Fair enough, lass. Can't blame me for being curious though." The captain shot a sly grin, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword though his body language remained passive, a low snort forced from his nostrils. "Hope the crew is strong, if she manages to get lose while ye move her it'll be a mess. Just keep her away from any azerite until she's in the ring."

“Is it too much to ask that you give us a few minutes alone, Captain?” Alexa spoke, throwing the words over her shoulder, all while fingertips wrapped carefully around the cold iron. She let out a slow breath, a concentrated look coming over her face while she contemplated how exactly she was going to pry Kat out of here.

The Captain shifted his gaze to the members of the crew who stood about the space, sniffing idly before rubbing the hairs on his chin. "Aye, fine, but only a few minutes. My men will be right outside incase she ain't as friendly as ye seem to be hopin'." With a quick nod to the side, he and members of the crew shuffled out of the room, those that were armed let their gazes linger on both the caged woman and Alexa before departing. Ambers flicked to the side as everyone left. Once everyone was out, Kat stood and slowly approached the bars, silent, the only sound were the clinks of the iron shackles at her wrists she moved. Her gaze looking through the confining iron to meet the other woman's.

“Kat…” Alexa muttered once the men were out of earshot, quickly leaning into the bars and raising up another hand to drip iron with its partner. Azure hues cut through the darkness to peer back at her, there was no fear present here, no clear need to run or hide form the raw energy that skirted the form of the Director.

"Alexa... Wot are ya' doin' here?" She whispered back, almost in disbelief, her own fingers wrapped around the bars just before her waist, only able to span two bars with the restraint at her wrists. Her gaze scanned the Admiral, uncertain if she was really here or just an illusion of the mind.

“Business, at first, but I saw you in the ring… what have they done to you?” Persian blues searched her visage for a few lingering moments, before Alexa glanced over her shoulder with a low breath. “I’m not sure how long they are going to give us, can you walk?”

Amber hues diverted to the ground at the initial question, unsure how to answer. She looked back up, giving a low and contemplative hum. "I'm standin' now, ain't I? Speed might be another question though, an it's no' like I can just walk right out the fron' door, Alexa. If ya' saw me in the ring, then-." She nearly choked on her words, lips pursed before she muttered. "I did wot I had to, to survive."

“Love, We can talk about how much of a badass you are in combat after I get you out of here, alright? I offered to buy you, but I suspect that something is afoul, he caved far too easy, and pirates have no fuckin’ honor. I have men nearby, so if all falls to shit, we may be able to get out of here.” Fingertips deftly felt up the lock, before she closed her eyes fully, a low breath filling her lungs as she called and whispered to the light. Shielding the glow with her body, she pressed the heat to the metal, pinching by a thumb and forefinger at the thin metal before it clipped into the mechanism.

"Ya' mean the monster I am..." Kat muttered quietly before taking a deep inhale, shaking her head and watching the woman work the lock. "He probably assumes, or at the very least hopes, that ya'll end up like the last person who tried to buy me.  He doesn' know who ya' are though, right? And just don' overdo it with the 'I own ya' jokes, yeah? People might get the wron' idea." Though she was joking, or attempting to, her tone was flat and level, like a woman who had been pushed to her breaking point.

“No, I’m just a pirate Captain, that he has not asked the name of, thinks I killed an Admiral, I gave him my jacket.” Eyes closed, as she called out to the comfort of the light in a more desperate manner, its intensity and heat only growing stronger with each half second that passed. “I didn’t give him any money, yet, so I would say that since he hasn’ asked for the fifty thousand, you aren’t yet my property.” Eyes opened then to stare the Director down then, blues touched now and glowing with the power that she channeled through her veins.

"He likes to show me off before he collects, but then ends up keeping me all the same. He ain't the brightest, but he ain't foolish either, just out fer profit. And I can only imagine bein' yer property is as fun as-" She cuts her sentence short though there was a hint of a smirk on her lips as she watched the magical display for a moment before looking up to meet the blue stare head on.

“I’ve been making judgements, but have tried to be kind in each assumption that I make of this Captain. Knowing our timing, and my wit, we do not have much time. How tight are your shackles, can you fight?” The rusted lock gave way and the hinges squeaked as the Admiral pulled the cell door open. "Ya' plan to fight yer way out? Are ya' crazy?" She tugged on the shackles, they only came about six inches apart at the wrist before the chains were tight. "No' ideally, no. I need my hands, yer familiar with how my magic works. Unless ya' happen to have azerite, or sum other form of power I can draw from, I'll be dead in minutes."

“Either fight or sneak, it’s up to you, I’d rather not take the risk of us both being shot to death.” Alexa kept the door open with her shoulder, motioning Kat closer with a fingertip. “Are they enchanted in any way, or will a bullet through the chain break it you think? I’ll pull us into the shadows, it may work….” She spoke quietly, words rolling out with barely a breath in between, as if not to waste a single second as time quickly closed in on when the man would return, most likely with his crew.

"To many to fight, no' that I wouldn', but I ain't worth yer life bein' lost." The Director whispered as she stepped forward, closing the gap between them, rolling her wrists within the iron as she brought them up. "Just heavy iron, no enchantment. He wouldn' risk killin' me and I wusn' foolish enough to try and fight my way out alone, he knew this. Ya' can try a bullet, but...it's a one time shot, they'll come runnin' the moment they hear it." Kat's gaze narrowed slightly in consideration of the Admiral's words. "Ya'? Pull us into the shadows? Since when did ya' learn to do that, or are ya' just takin' a gamble with novice skill? I know first hand how difficult it can be to wield both the Light and Shadow. No, forgive me Alexa, but we both know I'm more adept at such things. I will pull us both into the shadows.” A low chuckle rolled through her lips at the words that Kat offers next, a brow arching in response as fingers found the firearm strapped to her thigh. “I would remind you that there is much we do not know of each other, Director. But more importantly, even the most novice of rogues are taught how to skirt the line between reality and the shadowlands. Add that to a bit of light bending, and they would never be able to tell at all.” She cocked the barrel, admiring the pistol before taking hold, pointer finger wrapping around the trigger.  “If you wish to enter the actual lands, however, that is more of your skill set.” Holding wrists apart, Kat’s gaze dropped to the firearm, mildly admiring the piece in the Admiral's hand but not daring to make a joke about her skill with the weapon, fully aware Alexa bested her there. "True, our focus tended to be elsewhere, though let the record show that I did intend to learn more of ya' at the time before-... Let me move us between realms. I don' dare drag ya' through the shadowlands in full, but I'm no stranger to moving between planes with company." Letting the sudden silence envelope their forms for a moment or two while Alexa steadied her mind, and breath, before shifting her stance in unison to aim and draw back the pistol, Kat’s gaze suddenly shifted to the doorway. Despite her condition, her enhanced senses still remained intact. The Admiral shifted to meet that familiar searching gaze, her own reflecting a certain calamity that resided on her form and momentum before walking or stalking into battle. No vocalization of the enemy nearing needed to be said, understanding the look full heartedly. “Ready?” Kat’s response came within a second, a quick and sudden nod. Without hesitation Alexa fired the shot to clip the chain that bound the Director’s wrists, though directing it ultimately to the wall behind her agile frame. The sound of sudden footsteps in the hallway became loud and clear, quickly closing in on the room where they stood, the Captain shouting orders to the men along the way. Collecting herself from the sharp sound of the gunshot and yanking her wrists apart as the chain broke, Kat reached both hands out and hastily gripped the Admiral's lower arm. "Sorry, luv'." With little time to properly acclimate Alexa's body to how Kat's magic functions, she dragged them both into the shadows, between the plane of reality and the Shadowlands. Kat's left eye glazing over in a void purple-hue, her grip like iron on the other woman as her gaze moved up to meet the other's. The space around them turned to a dark greyscale, the Redtide crew and Captain flooding into the room seconds after they vanished, looking around in confusion. "They're here somewhere, find them!" The large man shouting and drawing steel in frustration.

Alexa held back the scream of anguish that sparked through her form, eye squeezing shut as she simply pushed herself closer to the frame of the Director. She knew they did not have much time, considering how weak Kat must of been, so the recovery was forced and quick. With a slow shake of her head, she offered a small nod in the direction of her companion, a signal that she would not leave her side. Hastily guiding the pistol back into the holster at her hip, before shifting to look at Kat with a look of trust, she would follow where she lead without hesitation or question. After all, they only had each other as of now. Kat's gaze shifted about the room, watching the movement of the crew and captain, her mind quick at work calculating and predicting. So long as they remained a good distance from anyone, they'd remain undetected. Their situation became problematic once the Captain procured a shard of azerite from his coat pocket, taunting as he did so. The Director's hands instantly beginning to tremble like an addict who had gone too long without a fix, her body craving the substance it had become dependant on.

“Kat, don’t, it’s not worth it.” Alexa shifted her gaze to rest on the woman in her company, but lips did not move to utter a sound. Rather, unless halted, the words inserted themselves into the edge of her thoughts, as if brought forth by her own mind and consideration alike. “Focus on me instead, on my breath, my heart, my voice even. We can get through this, and I can get you whatever help that you need. If we step out now, he will most likely find out my identity, and slaughter myself such as a pig for Winter’s Veil.” She reached out then, carefully, to wrap her fingertips around a toned shoulder, gripping lightly at blood stained cloth. Kat's gaze shifted to the Admiral, her hands still shaky as she bit her bottom lip, her eyes holding a silent plea for help. The words the woman spoke caught her attention but also stung like fire, stirring bittersweet feelings, things the Director used to focus on in the past. Without a word she gave a quick nod, moving her own hand to the Admiral's shoulder. Harm to Alexa was still one of the last things she wanted, and the Admiral was right, they wouldn't survive if they stepped out now. The Captain upped the ante with a second small shard from his pocket before asking most of the men in the room to search the rest of the building and the grounds nearby, he and two others remained at the cell. Still fighting against the urge for the substance, Kat shook her head, one hand slipping over Alexa’s shoulder as the other remained at the wrist. Pulling the woman into a tight hug, the Director kept her focus on the woman, attempting to ignore the taunts and thirst for power. "I know I don' deserve this. Thank ya'...."

“You never need to thank me for my aid, it is what comrades are for in such harsh times, yes?” Alexa paused, allowing the thoughts to seep into Kat’s consciousness with precision related only to an affinity of magic and practice. Dark blue hues closed in thought and consideration of the toned form that now resided against her anterior, toned frame to that of its comparison in muscle. It was difficult, to say the least, not to push her back or even hold her closer, emotions teetering on a brink and delicate dance of prior and past. It was certainly one of those moments, one that Alexa knew she would reconsider again and again at later date, how she felt the breath of another against her chest, the meeting of their forms after months apart. For all things considered, each existed in this current thread of time, pulled apart but still together by thin strands of existence. Such thoughts caused a breath of pause, before the Admiral pushed forward, a toned arm dropping to pull Kat closer by the waist. “I just need you to make the call of when we can get past them, or, if you want, we can try to kill the man for what he has done to you, love.” "No. He will get his, in time.” A hand slid slowly across Alexa's back as amber hues scanned the room and those within it, quickly piecing together possible routes and scenarios for escape. Her magic is what kept them here, magic that relied on touch without a spiritual connection between them. The hand that remained on the Admiral’s wrist slowly slipped down into her hand, fingers entangling together in a tight hold, one foot moving to prepare for departure. "C'mon, luv'. Just don' let go or ya'll be ejected from this plane, which will be painful, fer both of us. I don't know much of this place past the ring, ya'll need to tell me where to go from there. We'll make it out alive. Together."

“I am with you, every step of the way, you get us out of this room and I certainly can take care of the rest. It may be difficult, but we will get through this, that much I can promise you.” Lips finally parted to mutter lowly in her direction, softly spoken in a voice that threaded on gentleness not typically expressed in any company more often than not. “You will have to tell me what happened here, and even how you got here… I, am shocked, even though you cannot tell.” Alexa muttered this, keeping her emotions and thoughts in perfect check and harmony due to the inherent instability of this situation.

"Over a drink and just us and I'll give ya' the full story? Every detail. I've had enough with audiences fer a while..." She kept to telepathic communication, almost second nature to the Director. "Honestly, I thought I'd die here." Kat’s feet moved as a crewmen stepped to the other side of the room, pulling the Admiral along and keeping the joined hands low to ensure the woman stayed as close to her as possible. With the precise and lithe movements of a shadow-walker, Kat guided both of them from one end of the room to the other. "And careful wot ya' promise, luv'. No' all can be kept. I still remember the promise I made so many months ago, at a dinner table, overlookin' the ocean from Dun Morogh. Hm?"

“You may have to remind me of that one…” Related back and urged into thought, Alexa remained glued to the side of her companion and matched the pace of one who was harmed both in spirit and physical prowess. Naturally, Alexa pushed herself against the wall as they passed, barely breathing until both bodies stood in the dull sunlight once more. She nodded towards the right, shifting in their pace to take the lead and start the trek towards the nearby ensemble that now waited at the harbor per the instruction of a certain Admiral. Quickening their gait, as if Alexa simply could not wait to be rid of this place. Kat faltered at the quicker speed, Alexa quickly shifting to carry the woman bridal style the rest of the way back to the Arbiter, but the Director refused, taking only a second to recover and carry on beside the other woman.

Alexa paused for a moment, allowing Kat to catch her breath while they stood amass, and not with still, the grouped men that lingered at the start of the harbor. “We are almost there, and the men ought to be ready to sail as soon as I command. Can you make it a few more feet?” She cast a glance over her shoulder once more, observing and calculating how much farther they would need to carry themselves, and equally how exhausted Kat was appearing. Lips pulled at a frown, before settling in a stern line, “Once we are on the ship, can you pull from me? I am not sure of how your magic works, but I understand enough how source works. I, may be able to help you.”

"My magic.... Like ya' said, there are several things we do no' know of each other, how I came to be this way is one. But, yes, I can shift us from this plane and we can part. Wot eva aid ya' think ya' have, I will consider it, but I will no’ pull from yer life energy.." She caught the Admiral's glance back. At this point the Captain was furious, now searching over Freehold with the crew and rallying anyone who was sober enough to understand with promise of reward. Her own lips pushed into a line when Alexa's attention returned to her. "Don' ya' frown at me, I'll be fine, I've been through worse at the cost of my magic. C'mon, keep movin'." She nodded off in the direction they were traveling.

Alexa offered a curt nod in response, reaching out to gently place a hand over her companion’s and holding there for a few slow moments as they pressed onwards. Alexa pulled her in close, and weaved through the men effortlessly, even in the other plane it took some effort to get through the masses. Once at the harbor, and across, Alexa paused and lingered to call out mentally towards her men, the closest dropping a plank for just a second long enough for both to shimmy their way upward onto the boat.

Once both were both across and aboard Kat shifted them back to the physical plane, the space around them gaining color again, the transition appearing seamless from their perspective. "We should go, before sumone sees me."

“Raise anchor, full sails, pull us out broadside. I want the wind at our backs, NOW.” Alexa growled out orders, shifting from a normal voice to raise into a yell, gesturing about with controlled motions. The men complied, not scrambling, but in an effortless shift of bodies to comply. She shifted to grip a nearby rail, breathing out in relief as her own energy returned to her frame, relaxed once off the land. It was not even five minutes before the Arbiter was turned into the wind, headed full sail and speed towards Boralus. “Main the broadside cannons, in case we run into trouble, men on the swivel. Turn command back to Captain Ironedge once he is above deck, we have precious personal on board that I will be moving below.” Alexa watched as the man nodded, listening to her orders with a feverish glint to his eye before running off and barking the said orders that could not simply be heard by Alexa alone. The chain of command shifted effortlessly, with Alexa reaching out to steady Kat.

With one brow raised, Kat scanned over the deck and the crew as Alexa barked out orders and men quickly carried them out. A quick nod was offered at the hand that moved out to steady her, motioning with her own that she was at least able to stand with the aid of the railing. "Impressive. Maybe sum day ya'll get a chance to see me before my people in action, though I don' shout quite as loud as ya' do. But I'm fine, just need time to recover..." Her gaze dropped to the cracks that covered her left arm like a spiderweb from the extensive use of her magic, they receded at a snail's pace compared to how quickly they came. "I assume it is I that ya' are moving below? Lead they way then, I'd rather no' be  in fron' of crowds fer a while." She couldn't help but to glance back towards Freehold. For the time being, there was no sign of the Captain or crew that had held her hostage. Her eyes seemed to fixate on one ship in particular at the port. Kul Tiran in origin, but it flew no colors to signify an allegiance to anyone other then herself. Kat's lips pursed as she pulled her gaze away and focused on the woman in her company.

[ @preyontheweak ]

[pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V]

(Prelude: The Battle Lost in Flames) (Chapter I: The Battle for Lordaeron) (Chapter II: Missing in Action)

[kat-hawke]

The Monster Within

(Immediately following [When the Cage Breaks])

“Forgive me, for preying on the weak.” 

Fingers tightened around a chunk of bark on the tree and eyes slammed shut as the muscles in her body began to lurch and twist. She couldn’t help but double over as the searing pain the contorting bones brought coursed through her body, clenching her jaw and grinding teeth to keep from shouting out.

The fingertips of the gloves burst open as the slender digits stretched several inches and nails turned to claws, boots gave way and tore at the seems when feet expanded into paws. The core parts of the armor put to the test as the woman’s already long legs stretched and her torso morphed, muscles pulling. What appeared to be random seams in the armor actually concealed a synthetic mesh, the seams parting to expand with the body, just as requested. A blue-grey coat of fur quickly sprouted from sun-kissed skin as her skull reformed and teeth cracked into fangs.

Steel grey eyes flew open as it came to an end, a clawed hand raising into few as fingers flexed and the claws clicked against each other. Pushing her self back up to stand fully, an additional foot and few inches added to her height. It was a strange sensation, as if she was watching the world through a window, inhabiting the body but without full control. A deep inhale quickly overwhelmed the sense of smell, ears flicking in all directions as minor sounds became clear as crystal.

After a short moment for the body to adjust, the monster’s gaze shifted to the makeshift field hospital across the field from where she stood. Lips curling in a snarl, ivory fangs barred in a low growl as anger replaced every thought in her mind and feeling in her body. Dropping to stalk around the barren farmland on all fours until there was a clear shot to the enemy.

Claws dug into the soil as the body prepared to launch, the Director’s speed easily doubled as the beast sprinted forward. The distance to the orc who stood guard closed in no time as all four limbs pushed and pulled against the earth. By the time the green skinned foe realized the worgen’s presence it was too late. his shield raised but Kat was already in the air, a heavy hand clamping down along the top of the shield and pushed it down, the second finding the orc’s skull as claws buried into the eyes. The momentum of the leap carrying them both to the ground, the orc shouted in pain, burst eyes oozing from the sockets as his back hit the ground with a heavy thud and the worgen carried on, using him as nothing more then an armored green stepping stone.

The shout drew the attention of the two others who stood guard, the unarmed medics panicking within the tent as they scurried about and attempted to move the wounded who could stand as the monster darted into the tent. Sliding into the center to cut off an elven medic, claws on one hand swinging in an uppercut as she stood again, penetrating the nook where windpipe met jaw, the sound of broken cartilage ringing as the fingers flexed and tips of the claws protruded from the open mouth of the screaming Sin’dorei who was left suspending from the ground as the worgen’s hand rose, choking and blood flowed like a broken faucet.

Both orcish guards arrived just as she jerked the arm away, sending the dead elf flying across the tent, the jaw tearing away and stayed in the curled claws until cast to the ground. Meeting both green skinned opponents with bestial roar from her core, Kat lunged forward, using the wounded who laid on cots between them as stepping platforms, the claws on her feet puncturing their chests in her wake, blooded footprints and spray left behind.

A sword rose, swinging to catch the worgen’s neck but it was just a second too slow. Her head bobbed and jaws snapped around the orc’s thick wrist, using the momentum of the swing and full weight of bestial form to spin and toss the orc to the ground. The second guard, a female orc this time, took the opening to bash the furred monster with the face of her shield. Kat recoiling from the blow, leaning back on a foot before regaining balance and charging the smaller of the two orcs.

Kat dove low, clearing the shield that raised and tackling the orc at the legs, quickly clawing her down to the ground, climbing up the body in the process. Fulling mounting the green skinned woman, a knee was placed against the arm that wielded the sword and claws swiped in a frenzy against the neck, leaving a shower of life fluid in the air. By the time the previously tossed orc got to his feet and kicked the worgen off his guard companion was choking and gasping for air, a free hand trying to cover the would to no avail as the life faded away.

Spinning back around to recover from the kick, the hair along the back of Kat’s mane stood on end as fangs flashed again with a growl. The medics hastily moved about the background, pushing those that could be moved away from the commotion. 

The two tossed about in a heated struggled, a few cots breaking as they pushed each other about. The orc getting a few cuts in with the blade of the sword, but ultimately losing the fight on the ground as fangs closed around the esophagus, separating muscle and tendons as it shattered under the worgen’s jaw force before being ripped free from the rest of the body and spit aside like discarded gum.

A few medics and lesser wounded soldiers attempted to fight back as the carnage carried on through the night as every life was snuffed out and the once white tent left splattered with blood. Bodies littering the sight mangled and torn apart, claw and teeth marks destroying flesh and bone alike.

Grey eyes scanned over the mess as the worgen stood in the center panting, blood dripping from fangs and claw alike, the blood lust sated as the Director chewed at the back of the beasts mind, itching to shift back to a human form. But the damage was done and with a heavy snort through blooded nostrils, the monster dropped to all four and retreated back into the forest.

( [pt.I] [pt.II] [pt.III] [pt.IV] [pt.V] )

[fireinyourmouth]

but I’m not with him. so why does it matter? I feel this deep sense of loyalty to him. why? it could be because I know he’s loyal to me. but there’s no way for me to really know that. so it’s more for this reason, I am subject to him– just because.