A Struggle

On his way back to the camp, however, Vergere took him to a mountain peak and dropped him off, leaving him there to think about whatever the hell it was that was distracting him. Lance reached out desperately to grab the reins, but he nearly fell off the peak. He sighed and shut his eyes. He knew she was right. He needed to gather his thoughts. What had happened with Lunadell when she had so suddenly tried to attack him? What had happened to Bal and Ethriall? And most importantly, what the hell was going on with Magdalia? He'd been able to take her to the valley of Shadowmoon and help her kill the wildlife there and harvest the Felfire Spleens from the Diemetradon running around near the volcanic pools, but...she had seemed so...far away, as though she wasn't really there. He worried about her, about how her experience had affected her.

In the plagued lands, he'd confessed to Luna that he had not been seeing very much of Magdalia...and she seemed to spend a most of her time away from him with Alexanderr and Themiss. He was worried that she was drifting away from him like an undocked schooner drifting away from a shore.

He sighed, closing his eyes. He wondered what he could possibly do to help bring them closer, but he worried for both of them, for Magdalia and for Luna. It seemed that there was some dark power affecting many of the things that were close to him. He only hoped he could discover where it came from.

He'd had a fun time taking Meiguoren to the razor fens. It had been a long time since he'd been able to just...be helpful. With Luna and Mags...he didn't really feel anymore like he got to flex his muscles. Usually, he ended up straining himself to a breaking point and endangering himself or her. Mags had even become irate with him in the hold when they'd been trying to get to the communication device, chastising him for being so cocky and taunting out so many demons at one time. He'd apologized...but she seemed bitter, like she had a chip on her shoulder. He'd managed to help her, but it seemed his powers against evil like the undead and demons was waning. He'd kept himself together long enough to keep her alive, though, taking comfort in that her life had been spared even at the expense of his own...but that only seemed to bother her more.

He lied back recumbently and closed his eyes, thinking about everything and just wishing he could make her happy, make Mags happy. Wasn't he enough for her? Wasn't he...the one for her? His breathing grew quiet as he drifted to sleep, dozing on the comfortable grass atop the safety of his peak...

Mags clung back against a stone wall hiding in the shadows. She looked to either side to see groups of enemies. She had been given the task to slay these beings and she knew she would succeed without any trouble. She had grown very arrogant since reaching a skill level that could decimate anything in her path...that wasn't too big. She smirked to herself and stealthed over to the group on her right and quickly slayed them all. She grinned looking over at the group on the side, who were totally oblivious to her actions. She slid the edges of her daggers against each other to make the sound that she enjoyed so much. The group fell swiftly and she stood proudly, looking at her accomplishment. She whistled loudly calling for her mount.

Mags now used a different form of transportation, a horse. She bought him when she reached the skill enough to ride a steed as fast as he, but when she won Thunderbrew she had stabled the horse. The swift palomino, named Brother, wore plate and had the same arrogant attitude that Mags did. She did not get rid of Thunderbrew, but rather found him a nice place to be stabled in Loch Modan.

She kicked at Brother's sides and they raced off back to where she must turn in the proof of her deed. She received more gold to pocket and more experience recognized. She smiled proudly to herself and patted Brother's neck. She visited the blacksmith to get her armor repaired and decided to take Brother for a stroll while she did. She spent her time in Nagrand cautiously. She still did not feel completely safe, but for the time being, she knew how to get away this time. She dismounted her horse and walked beside him, holding his reigns. They walked up to a small pool in a grassy area near Telaar and she sat down. Brother lowered his head to graze while she gazed into the water.

Mags looked around carefully, making sure no one was looking before taking off her mask. She removed it and flinched as her fingers grazed her scars. Her scars had become tender over the last few weeks and she wasn't sure why. She looked into the water to find the scars darker than before, they were almost black now. She frowned as she saw the skin surrounding the scars turning red with irritation. She looked at herself closer..."have my eyes...always been that color?" she thought to herself. She always thought her eyes were brown...but they looked more golden now. She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair, combing it out. She breathed in relaxation and some thoughts of Lance rushed over her.

She thought about how much he irritated her lately. "He had always been protective, but lately he's been a real show-off. I mean, he forgot the skills I had and in doing so...sacrificed his life. I'm so sick of him grabbing everything in sight and expecting to hold it while I kill everything before he dies. It's not always possible...not for him." She sighed in frustration and laid back in the grass. "He's a healer, not a tank...Alex is a tank...and he does his job. I just wish Lance wasn't so jealous and...ugh...why? Why does he have to be this way with me? I know I've been short with him lately, but it just seems to drive me crazier now." Suddenly Mags' face began to feel like it was on fire, like her skin was being seared by a splash of lava. She yelled out, startling Brother, and grabbed for the water beside her in the pool splashing it on her face. It did not quench the pain. She sat on her knees holding her face in her hands gasping at the blinding pain. She breathed a few heavy breaths before the pain subsided and she looked up and around and felt Brother nudge her shoulder.

She looked at the horse and then leaned forward to look at her reflection again, the scars were definitely smaller now. She squinted and looked harder. She was totally confused. She cautiously ungloved her right hand and reached up to touch her face. The scars no longer hurt but they was smaller, shorter, and thinner. She let a smile grow across her face and then dropped it to a frown. It just didn't make sense...

Magdalia sat on the saddle of her horse and looked around over the landscape of Nagrand. She breathed in a deep breath of satisfaction and smiled to herself. It had been days since the occurrence of her scars shrinking. They were still there, just only thin black lines now. The same was not true for the rest of her body. It confused to her but she knew all would show itself in time. She had spent many days out in Nagrand fighting beside her friend Alexanderr. Her competitive nature never ceased. He was doing three times the damage that she was...yes, he was 70 but still, she felt as though she should be at least getting close to what he was dealing.

Alex was her tank, he kept everything's attention while she would slash them from behind and take their lives. She liked questing with Alex because he knew his limits and her limits. True, sometimes he would call out that they were about to be beaten and for Mags to vanish, when really Mags was just holding back and needed to hit more. She would just smile at him and tell him to hold them and that they were fine. It was true, they didn't die often, and when they did it was because they went into the battle ill-prepared.

She sighed as she motioned for Brother to ride toward the entrance to the Aldor Rise of Shattrath. She knew Lance would want to quest with her in Shadowmoon more and she knew the frustration she would feel with him. She knew what it was like to fight with a warrior and Lance just didn't measure up. She thought, "Maybe if he would heal as often as he takes on too much, we wouldn't lose so often...but I suppose that is asking too much." She rode Brother through the rise and down into Lower City to the bar. She only ordered drinks directly from the bartender now and would sit outside with her drink.

She sat outside with her drink in hand, sipping on it as she kept her eyes open and looking around at the city. She no longer felt vulnerable or weak, and she didn't intend on being made a victim again. She knew Lance would always want her protected, even though no threat of Bal or Eth had been seen in months. This thought frustrated her further and she yelled into her drink, "I just want to be his partner, his teammate...!"

As Mags sat there in Lower City talking to herself, a shadow cast over her. Someone was standing in front of her and Mags didn't realize it until she had tilted her mug back to finish it. Mags almost lost her drink, but she just swallowed hard before dropping the mug to speak. "Naj?"

Najila Nightbreeze stood over her, grinning. Najila had gone on from the family of Shadowsong to face the biggest and hardest dungeons of the world...some of the darkest places that Mags was still too inexperienced to face. Najila folded her arms and nodded at Mags before speaking. "Still a drinking fool, Mags?" Mags blushed and lowered her eyes as Najila sat beside her.

Mags was a little confused by the meeting. She had not seen Najila for what seemed like years and never really expected to. "What can I do ya for?" Mags was intimidated, though she didn't show it.

"I'm just glad to see you are alive and well...you seem to be doing well for yourself, and that armor looks great on you." Mags nodded, smiling in agreement. "So what troubles you now?"

Mags was taken back by this. "Troubles me? Nothing ... really..." Najila looked at her in a knowing way and just looked at her waiting for her to answer the question. "I swear...how do you always know? Ugh...my husband."

Najila tilted her head to the side for a moment, "Lance? What about him? Didn't he save your life? Doesn't he love you?"

Mags ran a hand over her head, brushing her hair back. "Yea...sure he did, and ever since then I can't do anything by myself. Not to mention how he acts when we are on a mission together. He's such a pain. I mean, he gets cocky and for some reason feels like he has to show off by trying to hold like eight enemies while I knock them out. Ha! He's not a tank, Naj, and he thinks he is, and he tries to be, but he's just not! He's a healer in tank clothing and it's annoying how he doesn't know his place. I go on quests with Alex all the time, and boy can he tank. He knows his limits though...about six is all we can handle together. Still, if the situation draws too much attention and a few more join the fight, he can still handle it and keep their attention and take the beating. Lance...well he's more squishy than he lets on."

Najila squinted at her before responding, "Really? Wow...how long have you been feeling like this? Mags, he is a paladin, he wears plate and they can threaten others very well. I believe he's even trained somewhat in doing so."

Mags grunted in frustration, "Oh yeah...he's trained alright. His big head always makes me end up vanishing or lose the experience I could have had. I'm not 70 yet, but I hit hard enough to make the enemies lose focus on Lance and come at me. That's not what happens when I'm with Alex...and it shouldn't happen if Lance was really a tank."

Najila nodded, "I'm sure Alexanderr is a fine warrior, but Lance is your husband, you should respect him -- "

"Not if it gets us killed!" Mags interrupted, now facing Najila and leaning towards her. "Lance is reckless, and one day...oh...one day it may just be enough to make me—"

Najila put her finger to Mags' mouth to stop the sentence, "No, don't say that. You're angry, you don't mean it Mags."

Mags grabbed hold Najila's arm and forced it downward so she would speak, "No, I mean it! If he doesn't stop this foolishness, he will push me to stop him myself."

Najila sighed and stood up, "You have a lot of pent up rage there, Mags. You need to deal with it in your own way, but my advice is to cool it before you see your husband again." Najila turned and walked away.

Mags looked around with no sign of him, "Whenever that may be."

Mags saw Najila shift into a bird form and fly away. Suddenly, just as suddenly as it had occurred before, the burning pain was back. This time, though, it was down both of her arms and across her stomach. Her mind was still seething with the thoughts that made her so angry at Lance, but she forgot all about them when the pain began. She fell backwards, hitting her head against the stone ground she sat on. The pain of her head felt numb in comparison to her body.

Her hands gripped at her clothing in an attempt to tear it off. As quickly as she could she removed her gloves, bracers, chest piece...and just as she pulled at her shirt the burning subsided, and her anger returned to her. The anger was not for Lance, but for Bal. She pulled up her shirt to reveal her stomach and saw that the scars there were so faint she could barely see them. She grinned to herself. She pulled up her sleeves and looked at her arms to reveal the same faded and shrunken scars. The wounds were healing...

...or so she thought.

Lance groaned as he started to come to. He moaned with annoyance. He had dozed off on the hill, thinking. It was night time now...and he grunted as he thought about his quest. He was only allowed to perform the task once a day. He figured it was because the stingy dwarf only felt like handing out gold to each person every so often.

His eyes rolled in his head and he sat up. He sighed and yawned. He groaned loudly and then whined her name. "Vergere! I'm DONE! Will you come BACK here now?"

He looked up, one eye open. He felt tired now...strangely tired...as he waited for her to come to him.

She didn't. He yelled and screamed for her...but...she didn't come to him.

Lance looked down over the peak. He winced and jumped off, summoning the power of the light to shield him as he felt down into the river. He scoffed and swam to shore, walking to the skyguard camp to collect his gold. He went and repaired his armor and looked around, sighing. He decided to wait for her near the edge of the cliff, the one that dropped into Terrokar. He shut his eyes, sitting down...but then his eyes opened again and he peered around. He'd heard something...

He stood up and withdrew his sword, staring alertly and calling out. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" He continued to look around...but he didn't see anything. He spun around suddenly and found a Felguard leering down at him. His ax came down hard and fast, but Lance was able to move out of the way, holding up his shield to try and protect himself. He looked around helplessly. He knew Felguards didn't wander around Skettis alone like this, its master had to be close. He cast an exorcism over the demon and used his hammer of justice. It resisted him. He tried to use his seal of justice to daze the servant of darkness. It resisted him.

He started running back into the open, hoping a warp chaser didn't make a quick meal out of his unfortunate circumstances. Then he saw it. The warlock was dressed in garb of blood red and black, deadly spines arching out of its shoulders and a chain arc over its head. The eyes were the most unnerving, staring back at him like empty, red orbs.

He felt a cold chill creep over him and felt himself unable to move. A dark power seized his vocal cords and he was unable to call on the Light to free him from his frozen trap. But who had laid it? Was there a HUNTER after him as well? He tried to look around, tried to find who his attacker was. A circle of light-bending magic swirled in front of him and he saw the gates of Stormwind. Then...all he could see was darkness...

When Lance awoke, he was unable to see. His hands were bound and he felt an unforgiving post or pole behind him, keeping his body pulled back in an uncomfortable position. He groaned softly and tried to find the strength to free himself, to cast the spell that always freed him of any physical inhibitions, but his throat felt constricted and he couldn't manage to put a single syllable together.

"Don't try to speak, paladin, you have been silenced for your own protection. Don't try to move, you'll only hurt yourself more."

Lance looked over in the direction that the voice seemed to come from, wishing he could see. What did they want from him? Why was he alive? Why hadn't he been slaughtered? Why only capture him? To what end? But then he felt a pain in his chest, like a hand seizing his lungs and heart.

"Silence your thoughts! Your pointless conjecturing will only betray you further. You know why you are here..."

Lance shut his eyes and then nodded slowly. Because of Aria. Because of my failure with the blood elf rogue. Because I wasn't there to save them, to save Magdalia and Aria...

"I said STOP! Silence your mind, incompetent disciple. You are here because it is the will of the dragonflight. Your stupidity and blindly obedient case of ignorance has motivated us to intervene and stop you from ineptly pursuing your own demise. Your emotions have clouded your mind in so much that you can't see two paces beyond your decisions and recklessness. Have you even considered what your selfish quest for vengeance might result in? I think if you see what has happened...what you have failed to witness...it will subdue you."

Lance inhaled a deep breath, shaking his head. He wanted to be free...he wanted to confront his attacker...his warden...whoever it was. He just hoped that whatever...or whoever had abducted him...had not taken Magdalia. Then he stopped and realized that the darkness in front of him was beginning to fold into colors.

As his vision focused, he saw Magdalia. His heart leapt as he tried to go to her, but he felt...empty...as though he did not exist.

There she was, resting on a moonlit shore. It was Stranglethorn Vale. She was fishing. The vision made him want to cry out, the sight of her like an anesthesia dulling his discomfort and pain. She seemed troubled...but he did not know by what. She...seemed to be taking it out on her fish though.

He didn't hear anything...but suddenly she turned around, mouthing words...but they were far away. Then he saw him...he saw the blood elf, the one who had caused him so much grief and pain and suffering. Then one who had tried to kill Magdalia. His insides lurched and he felt smothered by helplessness and paralyzed by fear. No...no...not like this...but...he was not attacking her...and...

Lance would have blinked, his mouth would have hit the floor, if he could feel anything. She was talking to him...just making small talk. She...she even let...let him touch her. He felt sick...like he was dying. Mags just...she just stared at him...entranced by...

"You may call me Bal for short."

His voice was like...like needles...like death by a thousand cuts.

"Oh, you're a rogue?"

"And you are...?"

"Mags...just call me Mags..."

Lance was having trouble just...he couldn't believe it...it was like someone had somehow proved to him that Azeroth herself was round. He heard his captor's voice.

"You see, mighty paladin, this elf did not attack your wife...try to kill her...no...he seduced her. You are seeing the past...things that have come to pass. This event happened the night after you were first visited by Ariadne. But look...your beautiful wife doesn't appear very worried for you...does she?"

The visions kept coming, the first encounter apparently having been the first of many. He'd tried to steal from her...and she'd let him live. Let him get...close to her, whispering in her ear. He could see how he was affecting her and it made him sick...it made him was to retch up his insides.