Of Fire, Stone, and Shadow

[Xaos]

Durotar was never much a land for rain. Even so, the rain didn't seem to notice that as it assaulted the new Orcish Homeland. In a deep valley, not far from the mighty city of Orgrimmar sat a dark, lonely figure. A small, spitting fire, sat in front of the hulking frame hunched over it. Any passerby's would have only seen the shimmer of a metallic blade and the two red glowing orbs staring intently on the flame in front of them.

The old warlock, Xaos, let out an almost inaudible sigh, his foglike breath billowing out from underneath his hood. He had never been much for talking, try as he would. Lately, it had become even worse. As his powers had increased, so had the memories of his life before Clan Skullcrusher. The dark part of his heart had been making more and more sense as time went on.

The flames of the fire seemed to respond to his ever deepening despair, or was it madness. The red and orange tendrils of fire reached out and wrapped themselves around the dagger blade he had been holding. Echoes from the past, screams of the fallen, lamentations of the dead. The two red orbs in his skull suddenly went black as the warlock was sucked away...

The claw of the leviathan, as big as a catapault, came crashing down on the fleeing orcs, immediately extinguishing their lives. They were the lucky ones. The enormous red dragon roared with fury as she slew without abandon. Her tormentors, her keepers, were no longer holding the reigns to her anger. She would incinerate every last one of them with glee, and so she did.

In one day that could have been a sweeping victory for the Horde, the last remaining Orc clan, The Dragonmaw clan, was eradicated. The tainted halls of Grim Batol had been cleansed with fire. Orc, goblin, and misguided dragonkin alike were burned into ash before the might of the Red Dragonqueen. After her wok had finished, she let loose a powerful roar that echoed from the ruined forests of Silvermoon, down to the pirate infested coast of Stranglethorn Vale.

From across the Wetlands, a lone Orc, what he presumed to be the only survivor of his once mighty clan, stared at the flaming mountain fortress of Grim Batol. A bloody, grime encrusted tear ran down the side of his face.

"Nekros, lat wuz a big, tupid pushdog fer keepin dat dragun." Xaos attempted to say with defiance through his sobbing. Everything he had ever known had just been destroyed. The remaining power of the Horde had just been snuffed out of existence.

Xaos sat in the wet, green grassy hills on the edge of the wetlands and cried. Orcs were not known for their emotions outside of angry and extremely angry, these were rare circumstances indeed. He cried for his comrades, his fallen leader, and for the Horde itself. He did not cry for himself though. Xaos was a powerful warlock, taught by his father, once a member of the Shadow Council, and trained by Nekros Skullcrusher himself. He would find his own way in the world of Azeroth, that he was sure of. The Void had always been good to him, and it would continue to be as long as Xaos remained it's faithfull servant.

Xaos wiped the salty tears from his greenskin face and stood up. His black and red robes flowed in the wind that now swept down over him, carrying the stench of burning flesh. He reached into one of his many pockets and fished out a small, glowing, purple shard. A toothy grin reached nearly ear to ear as he tossed the shard into the air. Arcs of fire and glowing etheral runes streamed out of the shard as it suspended in mid air.

"Frum da Void, heer my summon. Ub fyr agh shaduw, yuuz bound tu me!" Xaos chanted as the shard exploded into a beastly form.

Flames cracked and sizzled and took shape. Smokey-red, webbed wings spread out into the air as hoofed feet dug into the ground. Yellow, gleaming eyes pierced out from a truly demonic face. The Daemon's clawed hands were clamped at the wrist by magical shackles that bound it's essence to Xaos. The Daemon brandished a sword of flame and took several steps so that it would stand next to its master.

"You have summoned me, my lord?" The Daemon requested, sulpherous fumes pouring from its mouth and nostrils.

"Yes, ib tym fer uz tu luuk in udder landz fer help. Ib be a long jurney north, many humiez tu clomp agh burn, many tu hyd frum. Yuuz bound tu me now, agh yuuz gunna stay wit Xaos till da end." Xaos commanded as he began to walk North, towards the rolling hills of Arathi and whatever lay beyond.

"Yes, my master." The Daemon replied as he was pulled along by an invisible leash.

A crack of thunder and a pinpoint of red appeared in the black lifeless eyes of the warlock in the valley. Darkness now consumned everything as the rain had extinguished the fire while in his trance. Slowly the glow returned to his orbs as Xaos exhaled, then inhaled deeply. The Void was returning his memories to him, fragment by fragment. He let loose a wry grin and glanced at the fire pit. It immediately erupted into flame again, bathing the valley wall in a warm glow.

Xaos turned his head back and forth and stretched his arms. He then peered to his left, into the fading light and growing darkness of the stretching valley.

"Me nub know how yuuz kin jus popin agh owt lyk dat, but me kin mak it so lat neber kin agin." Xaos said with a chuckle.

A frustrated cackle from the darkness and a sharp pop later, the flaming green visage of an imp came sprinting into the light.

"Blah, blah, blah. That's all you ever do anymore! I swear!" Zilqua, the imp was irate, as usual, " Did you remember where a secret treasure is this time? Or maybe a good place toss Paladin's off bridges? Or did you just remember more of that wishy washy junk?"

"Nub, me did 'membur how tu send agh imp tu a Pit Lurd as a pet t'oh." Xaos replied with an evil smirk.

"Okay, okay. Honestly, I was just joking around, you know I'-" Zilqua was cut off as Xaos snapped his fingers and sent the little demon back to the twisting nether to await his next summon.

"He nub be muh Daemon ub old, but dat big pushdog nebur kuud mak me laff lyk dat liddul green ash."

Xaos packed up his things, in a much better mood than he had been when he had started this night. Even with memories of sorrow and loss, it was making him more aware of who he had been. Now that he was with Clan Skullcrusher, this was more important than ever. He had found a new home, a new Clan to embrace, and through Volonazra, a new Chieftain. He would do everything in his power, and more to succeed here.

Xaos walked off into the darkness, towards the faint glow of the Skullcrusher Stronghold, a smile on his face for the first time, in a long while.

Much further behind, in the darkness, two mischievious yellow eyes popped into existence and bobbled back and forth as they followed Xaos back home.....

Edited February 28, 2006 by Xaos