Wildfire Riders

((Also viewable at Totems and Idols! Credit can be given to Fallah, Windstar, and Tartdarling/Tiovia for editing and tossing Ideas at me. Thanks! Happy reading.))

Takani stood just a few feet from his home, he was hidden behind the large oak trees that littered his lawn. His father stood in a garden, plowing the land as he did every morning. Takani leaned against one of the oaks and watched for a few moments. Faintly he could hear his father humming, it sounded like a old Kaldorei song that his sisters had used to put him to sleep when he was young and Takani scowled. He watched for a few more moments before wandering from his wooded hiding spot, making his way to the edge of the garden. "Hey old man!" Takani yelled, Keran stopped plowing and turned to face him "Takani? What are you doing here? Have you come to see your mother?"
"I came to talk to you..." Takani said his voice low
Keran raised an eyebrow "What about son?"
Takani looked at him and scowled. "Why....?"
Keran blinked at his son. "Why what?"
Takani growled under his breath. "Why did you do those things to me!? Why!?"
Keran blinked "Calm down, son..."
"I'M NOT YOUR SON!" Takani yelled, both his fists clenched.
Keran sighed. "I did it to toughen you up, boy." A small hint of guilt was in his voice as he spoke.
"Toughen me up!? Don't you think you could have done it a better way than that?!" Takani's voice was rising with each second.
"Takani! Quiet down! Your mother is asleep. And yes I thought of other ways, but the one I used on you....well...." Keran paused a moment, studying his third-born "..I believe it did a good job."
Takani looked at his father, disgust in his eyes "So....you beat me and tortured me...to....to ruin my life?! I've been called a coward and a wimp because I won't fight back! I don't fight because I don't wish to hurt anyone..." he paused studying Keran "...you tried to teach me to be a killer..."
Keran looked on at his son, waiting for the right moment to say what he needed. "Takani...I did what I did to toughen you up for this world...I can't take back your scar....and I can't take back the wounds I gave you. I wish I never had given them to you, but....you need to be tough in this world, Takani. If you go through life with that No-kill demeanor then you'll be dead in a matter of minutes. I gave you what you needed to survive and I've tried to make amends." Keran paused to catch his breath "I know you'll never trust me. If you want to kill me that's fine....but promise me this, Takani."
Takani stood there listening to each word that would babble out of Keran's lips. "What? That I'll pass this on to my kin? Teach them to become killers too?!"
Keran shook his head. "Just promise me that you'll take care of your sisters and your mother."
Takani stood there for a good long moment staring at his father. His emotions were tearing him apart. On one hand he wanted it to work out, to be able to spend time with both of them. On the other he wanted to end it now and remove his father from his life.
"Keran.....why couldn't you have just used another method?" a voice said from the house. Takani blinked up towards the house to see his mother standing next to a banister. Her stomach was showing. Takani knew it wouldn't be long before it was time for her to deliver.
"Tala: go back inside...you need your rest, dear."
Tala smiled. "I wanted to see my baby boy," she said looking at Takani. "Oh, Takani....you've grown so much....I know you must be angry at what we did...."
Takani looked down at the ground then back towards Tala. "Mother......why? Why did you let him do what he did?"

Tala's eyes couldn't face him "...I...don't know Takani....we agreed that you needed toughening up...but..." she looked at her husband.
Keran ran a hand through his hair and laughed. Takani eyed his father. "What in Elune are you laughing at?"
Keran's expression suddenly turned serious, "You let your guard down, just like you did before!" Keran then charged at Takani with a pitchfork in hand. Takani grabbed just below the pitchfork spear and tossed Keran into the dirt behind him.
"You heartless bastard...." Keran jumped to his feet, charging him again "...you really don't care," Takani said, dodging his next move. Keran would throw blows away and Takani would merely dodge them. "What is this....? He's a better fighter than this..." Takani thought. Keran stumbled and fell to his knees, the pitchfork sliding away from his grip. He looked up at Takani and started laughing."What the hell are you doing..." Takani snarled, looking down a him.
"I'll tell you what boy..." Keran smirked "...you've sparked our interest..."
"Our...? What are you talking about, old man?" Takani said, his brow furrowing.
"The Cult of the Damned, boy! That's who! Do you really think I'm your father?" He laughed, his voice sounding distant. "I've played you a fool this whole time...."
"Wha...." Takani's words were cut short by a sharp pain on his right shoulder.
"Now you work for us!" Keran laughed, blood pouring from his lips. Takani turned to look at his mother, disbelief plain on his face.
"He's right, Takani. With this mark? You're one of us," Tala smirked, showing her teeth. Takani stared at her, his eyes wide, his gaze slowly moving to the small symbol on his shoulder.
Takani grabbed his shoulder and knelt down as the pain came all at once, as if a thousand needles had pierced his skin.
"Stop fighting boy, it's easier to just surrender!" Tala laughed and watched as Takani flinched under the pain. She seemed to enjoy seeing him in pain. Suddenly Takani stopped flinching and slowly rose to his feet.
"Oh good...you've finally seen the power of the cultists, have you?!" Tala sneered. Takani took a deep breath and clenched his fist. "Good! Now grab little Broll's hand and..." her words were cut short by a sharp right punch. She fell to the ground.
"To hell with you and your rune. I'll never join your ranks, you sick fucks!" Takani shouted, glaring at both of them. "You've used me....beat me....well guess what? That training of yours? Has paid off." He paused, chest heaving with anger and pain. "But tell me this: what did you do with my real parents?"
Tala stood rubbing her chin and eyeing Takani. "They're dead boy. Been dead for a few good years. They were up north with the humans: some of the few to be turned into mindless minions." She laughed, shadow flowing around her hands "I tried boy...I tried to take you peacefully..."
Takani snarled, "Peacefully? What's your definition of peaceful?"
Tala grinned, the shadow around her hands began to spin. "I've killed easier prey than you boy..."
In a flash, faster than even he thought possible, Takani grabbed the woman by her throat and had her dangling in mid air. Her eyes widened in surprise, the shadow around her hands dissipating. "Not...what I wanted to hear," Takani growled. Almost without thought he snapped her neck with one quick motion, instinct driving him. Out of the corner of his eye, Takani could see the landscape shifting. He dropped the woman and turned to see certain features of the farm melting away: the crops, the curtains in the windows of the house, even the pitchfork Broll had been holding was revealed to be simply a long branch. Illusion, all of it. Takani looked back down at the woman who had impersonated his mother and discovered that she wasn't even kaldorei, but human.
Broll, the other impersonator, looked up at him. "You can't fight that rune forever....you'll convert....sooner or later," he whimpered "It's turned even the strongest warriors....."
Takani knelt down to look Broll in the face. "I know a few friends who are quite good at runes." Takani shook his head as Broll coughed up another large amount of blood. Takani clenched his fists. "You know...all this time I've wondered what this feeling was..." he smirked. "I know what it is now. I lied to a good friend because I didn't want to hurt him...but now..all I feel when I clench my fist is anger and hate. I'm sick of people pushing me around..." Takani raised himself to his full height and stared at the elf, "I'm sick of not fighting when I'm needed most...."
"I do thank you," Broll smirked, coughing up a small amount of blood, "you've saved me from a lot of pain you know..."
Takani blinked at him. "What? How did I save you...?"
Broll turned up to face him, his expression sorrowful. "She...would use spells....to keep me in line...to torture me..to make sure I did what I was suppose to do..." Broll's face was a ruin of blood and bruises. "You're lucky...but..that rune on your shoulder...they want you for that strength Takani...they need all the power they can get..." Takani's eyes widened returning to the runic spider on his shoulder "..I've done my time for them...just..make sure...that rune...gets removed..." Broll's last words as he fell to the ground.

Takani looked at the runic symbol on his shoulder and sighed. He clenched his teeth and put his arm on top of it, the pain coming and going. He walked to where he had placed Snow and looked at his trusted companion. "Let's go buddy....I need to see a few people about some runes..." he looked back at his home "...I also have someone I need to apologize to..."

((I've noticed how busy people are lately and decide to finish this with an NPC. I probably should have thought this through a little better than I did so I'll have the post up soon. Sorry to those that I whispered asking to remove it. I'm not that great in starting an event as you can tell. Have fun folks!))

((Takes place after The Confrontation))

Takani stood over his freshly killed prey, his eyes were narrowed into slits and his breathing was heavy. He eyed the corpse, its frame covered in a black cloth. His claws and mouth dripped with blood and his teeth shone red in the midnight moonlight. He grinned at the success of his kill, he was precise and thorough making sure it wouldn’t move when he went to inspect it. He pushed back the hood with his right paw. The blond hair he knew so well shone in the moonlight. His eyes widened and his heart sank.
Fallah’s eyes stared back at him, he could feel his heart in his throat as he shifted and fell to his knees. He cradled her head in his lap and began to cry; his tears struck her forehead and slowly rolled down her cheek. “We….help…..you” He heard faintly looking around to see no one near him. “We…can…help…you.” He heard again louder this time. His tears continued to fall as he looked around then finally he saw three hooded people turn the corner and stop mere feet from where he was. The first was tall and skinny; his hands looked bare under the hooded cloak. The other two were identical, they were both females and their hands were scared, one on the right and the other on the left. “We can help you.” The tallest one said his hand slowly reaching out, his palm open toward Takani. Takani stood his eyes still moist as he reached for the hand. Upon taking it he heard a voice in his head “We shall show you salvation, welcome child, to the Cult of the Damned…” Takani’s eyes widened as the rune on his shoulder burned.
Takani woke with a start, the rune on his shoulder burned. His heart raced and sweat poured from his pores. He looked around his room breathing heavily. He was in his apartment. He could tell by the four poster bed and the closet that sat in the corner. He wiped his forehead and looked at the rune on his shoulder “I’m glad…we decided to have me stay away for a few days…” he thought, massaging his shoulder and gritting his teeth. He clicked his buzzbox on, “Fallah? You there?” he asked not expecting to get an answer this late at night. “…Tak? What are you doing up?” Fallah groaned from the other side of the box. Takani sighed in relief “Sorry, love….I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” “I’m fine, love…” Fallah yawned “…go back to sleep.” Takani smiled and looked at his buzzbox “…I love you Fallah…sweet dreams.” He said as he clicked his buzzbox off. He laid wide awake the rest of the night, not wishing to return to his nightmare once again.

Hellfire Peninsula, a barren wasteland of death, demons, and fel magic. It's where the demons gather to form an invasion upon the humble citizens of Azeroth. Many want to return it to its former glory, others wish for it to be destroyed along with the demonic infestation. Takani was here once before, he had helped the humans of Honor Hold and the draenei of the Temple of Telhamat. He killed his share of demon, felboars, buzzards, ghosts, and voidwalkers. Takani had made his way to a small hill on the outskirts of the Mag'har tribe encampment. This is where a friend told him to seek help. "He'll be easy to find. Just walk or fly up to the northern-most ridge, and there you should see a small tent. That's where you need to be," Takani thought over and over again. He found the tent just past the largest structure of the Mag'har tribe here and landed, shifting from his bird form. He eyed the small tent, its cloth seeming to be torn and worn. Leathers hung on a line outside to dry, on the right side of the tent he could see small pins, some with runic symbols engraved on them.

Takani walked closer to the tent. "H-hello? Is anyone here?" he asked, his voice low as to not warn the other Mag'har of his presence. He got closer to the door flap of the tent when a large green orcish hand reached out and grabbed Takani around the throat and dragged him inside. Takani coughed and slowly raised himself from the ground. "What the...?" He looked around the tent, its contents were mostly bare besides the numerous runes that covered the walls. His eyes widened as he saw one he knew all too well. "What do you want, elf? I don't like visitors..." snarled the orc, speaking common as if it was second nature to him, "...state your business and leave!" Takani turned to face the speaker, and noted his green skin was worn with age, his hair was white, and numerous runes covered both of his arms.

Takani blinked. "Are you...Garnok?" he asked, his throat dry. Garnok glared at him. "If I am? You'd not be the first to try and kill me elf." Takani shook his head. "No, I don't seek to kill you. I merely need your help." Garnok raised an eyebrow at him and moved in so close to his face that his nose almost touched Takani's. "What for? Not many people seek a half-crazed orc." Takani gulped. "One of my friends said you knew about runes....knew...how to remove them..." Garnok snorted. "That I do, elf. Now tell me....who needs one removed?" Takani looked up at him and then glanced at his shoulder. He moved his shirt to the side showing the rune of a black widow on his shoulder. Garnok's eyes widened and he burst into a fit of laughing. "A Cult of the Damned rune then? Fine, I'll remove it." Garnok laughed his eyes moving across the rune. "Y-you will? Thank you!" Takani smiled and he could feel relief slowly coming back to him. Garnok eyed him up and down. "For a price. Like, that necklace you have there, elf..."

Takani's eyes widened. "My necklace? It was given to me by my father-"
"I don't care! Either give the necklace or I leave that rune upon your skin! I've seen people crumble under that rune, elf." He paused, eyeing Takani. "Have you ever seen a person who fought a rune for longer than a few weeks?" Garnok laughed. "It's not a pretty sight." Takani looked at his necklace longingly. Finally he sighed and said, "Alright Garnok. Here." He handed the small wooden bear necklace to the orc. He could see the orc's face light up as he grasped it, before he quickly pocketed the necklace. "Now then....let's begin. Lay down." Garnok said motioning with his hands.

Takani could hear him chanting word he couldn't understand. Demonic or Eredar, he couldn't tell. He saw bolts of shadow spew from Garnok's hands which hovered over him like vultures after a fresh kill. He watched as more and more shadows began to form until finally they stopped moving. Garnok uttered a few more words and just as the bolts had appeared they were gone. Takani looked around, expecting to see a creature or a person but he saw nothing. Garnok continued to utter words and Takani could feel a searing pain on his right shoulder. He eyed his shoulder and clenched his teeth, the pain searing and burning at his flesh. To his horror, the runic symbol on his shoulder started to move and become real. First the legs came up from Takani's flesh, then the body and the head. It backed up and began to hiss and spit poison at him but the poison would dissipate before it reached him. Takani eyed the spider as it changed tactics, fangs trying to dig back into his shoulder. Garnok paid no heed and continued his rambling in the foreign words. Then he reached high into the air and pulled his hand down quickly. The spider fell to the ground shivering, and its body slowly began disappearing, as a black ooze poured from Takani's right shoulder onto the ground. The ooze was like pitch and it seeped into the ground as it struck the runes that littered the tent floor.

Garnok stopped his chanting and looked down at Takani. Takani was unsure how much time had passed. It could have been hours or days. "It's done, elf. Now forget I'm here! I seek no contact with the outside!" Takani rose slowly. His head ached and his shoulder felt as though it was broken. He looked at his surroundings and noticed lush green trees and a vibrant lake. "Where am I?" he mumbled to himself, and looked around to see no one, not even Garnok. As he got to his feet he looked at his right shoulder. No trace of the spider was left but the burning sensation remained. He sighed and shifted into his bird form and rose into the air. "...I'm in Nagrand...but I don't remember how I got here..." he sighed "...I need to get back to Stormwind..." with that he flew through Outlands trying to remember all that he could about Garnok.