The Visitor

[Bamm]

A Visitor: Part 1

((Apologies in advance for any missed grammar and spelling, you know i suck at that))

Illuminated by a small single candle on bookcase, off in the corner of his quarters. Arkail sat at his desk staring into a small broken vanity mirror, inspecting a small ring of pustules on his neck. He unscrewed a small tin and dabbed a waxy balm onto them wincing in pain slightly and grumbling to himself, before letting out a thick hacking cough He gripped his desk tightly and gasped for air, drawing in only the fetid miasma that passed for air in Undercity. Living in the undercity isnt easy and the older he got the more he seemed to notice.

"Charming, he said inspecting himself with a wry smile"

He opened up a thick heavy iron bound book and began to read adjusting his monocle reading the foreword.

"For Illrandra your love is all my souls need,  may elune's light and this knowledge forever keep your memory from fading to darkness"

"Elves" Arkail sighed in thought "always the same"

A booming knock at his door stirred him from his thoughts.

" Hargreaves!?!?!"  he hissed in gutterspeak.
"Dont hit the door so hard you know that it will.."

The door let out a creak as if in pain and slammed to the ground scattering dust and small scuttling insects into and around Arkail's poorly illuminated room. Arkail wafted his hand and coughed and said.

"Hargreaves dont you even dare drop them... Hargreaves?"

A slender robed figure stood in the doorway, a pair green eyes looming from underneath a hood.

"No, i am not"

The figure said calmly and coldly, removing their hood and showing his face a young Blood Elf bone white hair with dark sprouting eyebrows with a gaunt almost starved demeanor to his face.
Arkail stroked his chin and adjusted his monocle, every hair on arkail's body stood on end, he felt a basic sense of power and magic coming from him, but he didnt show  any reaction to it. Moving his hand slowly and casually to his belt where his sword should be, of course it wasnt. Arkail got up turning to his visitor with a smile and small salute from his temple,  briefly eyeing his sword safely proped beside his bed.

" Ah welcome, dont worry about the door, its always doing that"  

Arkail said with a chuckle as if to gauge his visitor intentions. The young Elf stood at the door staring, his hands by his side balled into fists, though it was barely visiable, the elf was shaking.

"Riiight, You're not a friend of Hargreaves by any chance?" Arkail smirked

"You stole something that belongs to the royal apothercary, you stole from apothercary for the last t... !" The young elf spat

Arkail responded immeditetly in a calm, flat, mattter cutting the elf off

"I borrowed, my young friend 'borrowed' now i cant exactly remember what, but borrowing, well its an entirely different concept, come in and rest, lets figure this out. I was just about to make some tea, its not the best but it can be quite refreshing"

"You shall pay with your life!"

The elf roared dramatically standing now into an almost heroic pose, the greater light from outside arkail's quarters silhouetting him.

"Indeed Well that's quite a price for a book, my my indeed, yes, it was a book yes?"

Arkail wafted his hands in a mocking gesture mimicking the young grandiose elf's actions and speech. The elf roared and pointed his hand out.

"Kill Xerskak, kill, feed, devour!"

A flashing smile appearing on the elfs lips as a felhound burst past the elf and bounded towards Arkail. Out of instinct, arkails hand and  fingers instantly outstretched and began and small series of movements, releasing a purple blast of energy at the bounding demon, now almost upon him. The blast simply absorbed by the felhound.
Arkail briefly realized how stupid that action was, but didnt have time to contemplate it as the demon snapped and sunk its teeth into arkail's forearm. Electric fire like tendrils of pain shot up arkail gripped arm as its teeth sank in, stopped only by the steel vambraces under his suit. Arkail screamed a guttural howl falling on his side as the demon began to thrash, Arkail punched and struck the demon..

"yes, yes, ha, just like he showed me, yes" the elf let out a mad cackle

Arkail looked for his sword still propped up beside the bed just out of reach still glowing faintly as it always had. Arkail yelped in pain again throwing out his free hand towards his sword, his fingers making movements in the air as if guided by another force, his sword glowed brightly ever so briefly and flew into his free hand, which arkail instinctively drove into the felhounds throat, twisting it before letting out a blast on energy from the blade itself, the front part of the felhound's throat burst out violently

"What have you...." much to the elf's dismay.

Arkail's eyes wide and confused still on one knee, pulled the blade loose to see the elf charging his a hooked dagger glinting in the darkness. In a single action Arkail adjusted his blade downwards. All those endless hours of watching the warriors train and Krogon and his blademaster apprentices doing endless katas and attacks had somehow given arkail at least the basic concept of what type of parry would looks like for this, all of them blurring in a hazy vision in his mind.
Arkail met the dagger in a attempt to move the elves dagger to the side only partially blocking the strike, moving the blade from a killing blow to slicing arkails chest The force of it sending arkail's sword flying off into the corner of his quarters and the dagger to another.

Not giving arkail a second to even comprehend what had happened the elf in a single motion tackled and drove arkail back into his bookcase with a sickening crack, causing the bookcase to partially collapse into itself. the elf raining down fists into Arkails ribs and stomach, blow after blow in frenzied flurry. Arkail fumbled and grabbed the first thing that came to hand, a heavy tome striking the elf across the face, the force of which making a sickening thud, Arkail now hit the elf again with the book, before then following up an upward striking motion causing the elf to stagger back.

There was a brief pause as the elf wiped his now bloody nose and lip, Arkail stepped forward a single step,feeling a rib pop and one of his vertebrae click. With a strained grunt Arkail said

"Quite the price indeed hmm?"

The elf stood motionless his green eyes staring unblinking,
The silence broken as the candlestick slowly rolled off the broken bookcase extinguishing the room's only source of light, drowning the room in darkness.

Arkail  readied himself for what was going to happen, his heart racing, his breathing hard and steady A shot of green flame came flying from the elves location, to which arkail responded sidesteping out of instinct with his own blue purple blast. Blast after blast they exchanged fire in  the small quarter each time briefly filling the room with greens and purples. Till finally the elf yelped  in surprise and shock, his silhouette briefly glowing purple before fading, followed only by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Arkail panted heavily, trying to control his breathing returning control his pulse too fast to count his heart feeling like it would explode there and then, his whole body buzzing. He had always trouble controlling arcane after extended use. He gripped his chest and closed his eyes thinking it though slowing his mind, he was in control, he was the center. Arkail's thoughts only broken by a soft wimpering in the darkness.

"That was...fast...M-m--Mother! i want my m-mother, i dont want to d-d-die" the elf gasping for breath, weaping and begging.

Arkail simply watched the elves darkened silhouette claw at the air before he fell silent.

"Sorry" arkail said, "I am sorry my boy"

Arkail's legs finally went to jelly and gave out from underneath him, he collapsed unto his back and stared at the ceiling, only now becoming aware of his injuries, exhaling loudly in shock. He glanced about his now ruined quarters. the room  was illuminated now by green flame of a old moldy tapestry hanging on his wall slowly burning, his desk upturned his bed partially collapsed, his bookcase cracked perfectly down the center. Arkail stared back at the ceiling, calming himself only to feel as it something was watching him.

Arkail still laying on his back craned his head backwards to look at the doorway and there stood a bony figure lit from behind its jaw at a crooked angle that seemed to make it impossible for it to stay attached.

"Harg....Hargreaves how long have.. you...been standing th..there?" arkail exclaimed

Without any sign of recognition to the question, the forsaken simply stared ahead and said

"Scrrrrrooolllls you wannnnnteeddd"

And with that,dropped the books and papers his was carrying where he stood, spun on his bony heel and left. Arkail swallowed hard, gritting his teeth and stared at his ceiling saying coldly.

"I really, really hate that man"

Arkail sat up with some difficulty, he had to see why exactly he had earned such a 'visitor' and such an young untalented one at that....




.

[Bamm]

The visitor: part 2

Arkail looked around his quarters and began to tidy the mess left by the fight, righting a chair and turning his desk the right way up. He sat down, removed his jacket and pulled back his now tattered and bloodied sleeve, with some difficulty he managed to pull the clasp on his now dented vambrace, removing it. He inspected the damage and was pleasantly surprised to find little damage the vambrace had done its job, though some of the felhounds teeth had found its mark, most of pain he was experiencing was due to the force of the metal vambrace crushing his wrist. He opened a waterskin and cleaned the area before wrapping it in a treated bandage. He re-buttoned his sleeve and put on his jacket buttoning the middle button as he stood. Now to find out who sent this visitor. Arkail stepped over the corpses of the felhound and the young blood elf eyes still wide in shock and horror.

Arkail wafted his hand infront of his face as he stepped out, something fouler than usual was in the air and he nearly gagged. Arkail vision was then drawn instantly to shadow just at the corner of the his eye, ebfore he could react a rythmic 'whump' spell hit Arkail clearly into his chest. It all went dark.

Some time later...

Arkail's vision slowly returned dark shapes and dim light gained focus, he was in a cage just big enough for him. Arkail rubbed his chest, feeling the raw blisters with his fingertips. Once again in a cage deep in undercity, Arkail thought i really should recommend larger cages to them. this thought was broken by a familiar voice. Professor Bartleby.
Welcome again Arkail to the royal apothecary, this time it will be your last visit no talking your way out of it, no escaping. i have you this time! I am not taking any chances.

Arkail hid a small smirk and went to protest, but before he could Professor Bartleby launched a vial at Arkail's cage it shattered against the bars and a thick cloud enveloped Arkail. Arkail gasped and punched the bars in a feudal attempt to escape... It all went dark again.

Some time later again..

Arkail awoke staring at the ceiling a cold chill ran though his body, he realized he couldn't move, he was naked apart from some torn trousers and strapped to an operating table.
He could hear voices somewhere in the room the professor and several others weaker sounding subservient and apologetic. Arkail turned his head left and right, he saw the young blood elf to his left on  a table similar to the one he was on and the dead felhound to his right slumped against a wall.

The Professor leather strapped head came into arkail view, looming over him a sinister smile cracked upon his face.

"Now my dearest boy you have no idea what manner fo delights we have in store for you and now that your friend Pembroke is dead no one will save you."

Arkail arched a brow.
"Pembroke is dead? shame, he owed me some coin. Now, now professor lets talk about this like gentlemen perhaps? No need to do anything drastic, let not argue over who killed whom and who took what"

If the professor heard arkail he didnt make it known. Arkail swallowed hard.
"Hmm professor  a last request for an inquisitive mind, manners maketh the man and all that why did you sent elf, to do an apothecary's job?"

Professor chuckled a long drawn rasping chuckle." Manners are important. The elf?  oh him yes, yessss. He was a mind slave, he came searching for addiction management, odd chap read to many comics i think you know tales of the evil mastermind and some such nonsense"

Arkail followed the professor as he went to the corpse of the elf drumming his bony fingers on the chest of elf.
The professor glanced at its wounds a large burn hole blasted into him. "For one that claims to be a simple scribe and linguist you have become quite proficient in killing and the arcane"

Arkail smirked struggling to crane his head. "Me ? no no i got a lucky hit that's all if you sent a someone who knew what they were doing i wouldn't have stood a chance"

The professor howled an obs entity at arkail spite " Dont give me that nonsense arkail your feigned incompetence hasssss long outlived its welcome"

Just as he spoke a echoing scream howled from somewhere close. followed by sounds of combat.
The professor growled and stormed out, leaving Arkail alone.

"I'll wait here then" Arkail remarked trying to hide his fear and anger.

All went quiet and still in the room, arkail struggled and cursed at the leather bindings keeping him strapped to the table, till he suddenly didnt feel alone anymore, he felt something watching him from the dark.

"Smmaaaaaaaaaaaarttttt orrrrc. Arrrrrrrrrrrk. telll mees a storys?"

A small bony figure loomed from the dark, it was Synthia, Pembrokes sister. Before the plague she had been a teen, in undeath she had been trained as a deathstalker, though the last few years she had began showing signs of mindlessness. Arkail had always tolerated her for Pembrokes sake though had always knew she was dangerous and volatile. He told her stories mainly of her own deeds to help her remember herself and she had been the reason he escaped last time in a game of riddles.

"Arrrrky orrcs? tells a storys me yess"

Synthia leapt upon arkail's chest her dual pony tailed head bobbing a weaving like an animal that had caught scent of blood, in a fluid motion two razor sharp blades appeared in her hands glinting in the dark, she drew them to arkail's eyes.

"Bartlebeees killed brother, brother keep Synthia  safe let her hunt and play, yous  smaaaarrt orrks tell me a story of killing bartlebeeees yes yes!"

Arkail tried to remain calm " Synthia  my dear how are you? A story you want and a story you shall have, but alas my dear i do seem to be in quite a bind at the moment"

"Biiind? Synthia  cackled and clapped her hands, shoving her rotting face mere inches from Arkail bindeded smaaaartt orcc tied to table yes"

"I forgot what a pretty face you had, do you remember our last game perchance?"

"yes i thinks roodles and riddles and funny words, but brother dead tell me a story of killing bartlebees i need to give him a kiss of steel and spite"

"A kiss is what he deserves no doubt, the royal apothecary wont take kindly to his crusade" Arkail replied

"Okay cut my binds and i will tell you a story of the professors death"

Synthia  shook her head and drummed her hands on arkail's balding scalp chuckling at the sound, much to arkail's annoyance.

"If you wouldn't mind not doing that my dear" arkail said hiding his anger
Synthia  merely drummed more chuckling as he crouched on arkail's chest.

At that moment the moment the door flew open and the professor had returned, hissing in anger
"You, you little rat, i should have killed you when i had the chance, you arent freeing him this time!"

Synthia growled a deep guttural growl, now more animal than humanoid, curling into an attack position, she leapt at the Professor but not before he let out a blast of green fire at her, engulfing her in flame. But Synthia had kept the momentum of her lunge and had grabbed hold of the professor now biting and stabbing at him. the howls of the two as they crashed around, now both aflame sending lab equipment flying filled the room.
Arkail struggled against his bindings but to no avail until the table he was laying on was flipped onto its side, knocking the wind out arkail's lungs. Arkail could no longer see what was happening but the sound of two fighting could still be heard, till suddenly at last  the sound a body hitting the floor resonated though the room.

What felt like an eternity passed before a now heavily burnt Synthia  popped her face around at arkail, couching upon the upturned side of the table.

"What doing?" she inquired

"Is the proffessor dead?" arkail said trying his best not ot show any fear or contempt at her, knowing how dangerous she was.

"Barrrtlebees is dead i asssked hims, did you seee the kiss of steels and spites i gave him Brother would be happys i thinks"

"I am happy for you my dear, perchance would you cut these binds so i can tell you a story of the proffessors death" arkail chirped

"yes smartt orrrk yesss i am sleepy i think, sleeeeppy havent sleeps in ages but want a sleepttime story of bartlebees deaths"

In a single motion she cut all the binds cleanly, causing arkail to fall flat onto his face with an "ooof"
Synthia  cackled softly before falling backwards onto the floor. arkail clambered to his feet and now saw what was left of Synthia, she was burnt beyond repair and near her true death.
"Arrrrkail? brother had gift for you owed you coins, i lefts in your room. aaarrrrkail tells me a story i am tired i think dark eyes cant sees"
"Thank you my dear,  i will tell you a story do not worry child."

Arkail told her the story of what just happened, How the "dashing" young maiden had saved the orc and how  she killed her brothers murderer and saved the day, how the orc and her went on to have many adventures and how she killed many things that tried to hurt the orc.
Arkail told the story and stayed with her till she passed. With a slight salute to her, he gathered his things, he clothes and pouches. His sword however had seemingly been lost in the confusion grumbling arkail left the apothecary and headed back to his quarters.

His walk though the undercity was a long one, deep in thought at what had transpired, his though only broken by the dying screams of subjects and chemical explosions in the distance. He returned to his quarters to see it had been cleaned and all evidence of a struggle had been cleaned his bookcase repaired, blood stains removed. The professor had planned it seemed for it to look like arkail had simply left. Scanning the room it was then Arkail noticed something glinting under a cloth, a package. This must be what Synthia had meant, Arkail carefully unwrapped the package to find a beautiful fencing sword,  a rapier and a note from Pembroke.

"Arkail, about that bet we had, fair play old sport it seems you were right. good show hydra venom is tasteless when mixed with honeymead, the dwarf never saw it coming, now i am currently cash poor but asset rich. take this sword it was mine in another life, i was quite the duelist then. I had no need of it and you could do with something other than that ratty old stock iron sword you carry.
Regards your friend
Pembroke

Crudely written underneath was the name " ands Synthias" half backwards and half upside down.

Arkail smirked to himself somewhat sadly he needed a change of scenery all this emotional nonsense was disturbing his thoughts went back to the tribe. Time to seek them out again he chuckled to himself, he gathered some books and scrolls, his traveling cloak and holstered his new sword.
"I wonder what near death situations they have instore for me?"