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Second Sight
#61
Theleniel was sitting on the edge of the altar and watching her pupil. The final days were also the critical ones. When he regained consciousness, she grinned a little and nodded. "Good. Welcome back.

I trust you fully understand the extent of the precipice you stand on, and the price of rage. Giving in to it can and will lead to ruin, if it's not in the right circumstances and doses. From now on, you will have to battle your impulses every moment of your waking life, and temper who and what you are with willpower. Each Hunter has their own way of doing so. My personal suggestion is to simply act in a humble manner. I find humility and meekness, regardless of how you are treated is a good way of keeping Rage in check, until you can unleash it in combat against the Legion and its minions.

Take a moment to rest, then try standing up. Once you do, I'll show you what you can do thus far. I have a feeling you'll like it."
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#62
Ceredor nodded to acknowledge the greeting. He listened as his mentor spoke and did just as she recommended; he took a moment, or a few, to rest. The ordeal he had just experienced was extremely taxing, and would be to even the strongest willed. Which, one would think, he was among now.

After his rest, he would push himself up, looking down at his body to see the tattoos painted and etched into his flesh. He remembered the application and snickered. "I think I would rather take the tattoo-etching over the week a thousand times over," looking up at her with a tired expression.

"I'm ready."
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#63
The Demon Hunter nodded, smiling for once. "Most of us figure as much. But more tasks lie ahead. For now, though..." she planted her feet a little more firmly in the crimson dust of the Blasted Lands.

Theleniel stretched for a moment, a few of her joints popping. "Good." her arms lowered to her sides. "Now, since the memory of rage is still burning in your mind, you will find it easy to recall. Draw upon that feeling, and let it engulf you in its searing flames - but remain the eye of the storm, calm at its center. Surround yourself with rage, and its flames will come to cloak you." she explained and exhaled, taking a step back and wreathing herself in a shell of fel-flame for a few moments.

As the fires burnt away and subdued, she reached for a glaive on her back, taking it out. "The same rage can be loosened through your weaponry, to wreathe it in your smoldering anger." she said and coated the warglaive in the same sickly green flame, before letting it die out.

"A final application exists for your newfound anger." she said and slipped out of a pouch a pair of blue-glowing potions, setting both on the ground, a good distance away from one-another. "You may channel your rage into a caster, and create such a resonating impact that their entire mana supply combusts." she grinned, and thrust a hand towards one of the potions, the vessel burning up violently in a little explosion.

"The second mana draught is for you to practice on. Now, understand that with each use of your abilities, you will not only feel a little drain on your strength, but each time you will be tempted to give in to your anger and the demon bound to you. It is why some of our number have fallen to darkness. Our powers come from a corrupting source, and an iron will is needed to overcome such temptation." the Blood Elf explained.

"Now, you try those three skills. When you've proven yourself successful, I will grant you your next task." she nodded.
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#64
Ceredor watched her closely. He nodded to her as he was ordered to do as she had done.

Without a word he straightened himself out, fatigue slowly, very slowly, wearing off. His strength dripped back into him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and remembered the past week.. the longest, most painful week of his entire life. He snarled a bit at remembering, but caught himself and remained calm, but again, remembered the torment.. The torture.. The anger. His body became enveloped in a greenish flame. The flame was dangerously close to his flesh.. He could feel the heat coming from it. And it was easy to tell he was struggling. The flames wisped and crackled around him, growing larger before a hiss came from him and they died down. "What's a few more burns.." He said softly to himself and snickered, still hissing from the searing pain. He didn't take a moment to rest, though. The Elf conjured the wreath of flames once more, this time with more control. It wasn't perfect, but he wasn't scorching his own skin.

With that task complete, he would move on to the next. With whatever weapon he was given, Ceredor would hold his weapon tightly and trigger the sheath of green flame. Again, it showed a slight lack of control over the size of the flames. It took him a few tries to get a flame that wasn't too big but not too puny either.

And now to the last task.. He took another deep breath.. His fatigue was still visible, but it would not hinder his training.. Or he would not let it. Either one. He thrust his hand out at the draught and fired a ball of Fel-Fire that may have been a bit too large for how he was feeling.. And not to mention that it completely flew past the target. He grumbled and would try three more times, draining himself of a good amount of energy in all of his attempts. He growled, irritated, but took a deep breath to calm himself.. Frustration, anger, irritation.. They would be the end of him if he could not control it. After a few moments of resting, he would fire a bolt again, now striking the potion, causing a little explosion, like his mentor's before him.

He gave a tired smile of pride before looking toward Theleniel, awaiting any commentary or, hopefully, his next task.
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#65
Theleniel watched Ceredor silently. In the end, she nodded. "You'll get better, with practice. And... more accurate." her head tipped to the side slightly. "Now, you might want to rest a little - in case your week-long nap wasn't sufficient." she said with a little smirk.

"I'm assuming you still have your two broadswords, hm? Or that strange twin-bladed polearm you used in the past... Well, here's where you get to put your cunning and weaponry to the test..."

Theleniel re-took her seat atop the altar and watched Ceredor. "Your next task is to hunt down a Void Terror, and bring me its eye. That's all. I can't tell you anything about them, nor where they're found. You're to think back to your research on demons from when we began your journey. I think I'll wait for you right here. It's a convenient place, after all." she smiled. "You're to go at it alone. But if you really can't find one, may I suggest asking around your seven-thousand-year-exiled cousins?" she chuckled. "Still, so long as the fight is just you, against a Void Terror, asking for information won't interfere with your test.

Just don't damage the eye, and bring it, and yourself back in one piece. May whatever gods still care for people like us, keep you in their guarding grasp."
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#66
The Elf nodded to his mentor's words and questions. After hearing his trial, and looking confused by her quip about his 'cousins', he nodded once more.

"I'll retrieve it." He said, his voice hoarse and deep, but managing to speak Common much better than he did in the past.

After giving himself some more practice and a bit of rest he would grab his weapons. The twin-broadswords. And with a simple nod to his mentor, he ran off to the north. He had heard that the Dark Portal was at a very southern point on this continent.. So heading north would have to bring him somewhere.. What was on this continent, though, he had no clue..
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#67
Theleniel smiled to herself, leaning back on the altar, surrounded by the indistinct shapes of broken and cracked skulls and she watched him go. Her sightless gaze returned to her lap, both memories and worry weighing on her mind.

Slowly but surely, she shook herself of their grasp. Her own trials were the same, so Ceredor should be able to do it, and that was it. He'd have to do it, and come back with a witty single-sentence joke in that strange Kaldorei humor of his. Though taking up the path of a Demon Hunter changes a person inside and out, she hoped against hope that Ceredor'd keep that side of himself.

The thought left her smirking. She let herself dwell on it for a while because she knew - this would be one long wait...
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#68
Ceredor traveled and traveled.. He wandered here and there, seeing all the different lands had to offer. Some were lush and beautiful, others withered and dying. It made him happy and made him sad.

He had spoken with a number of people in his travels, trying to collect any and all information he could.. And he didn't find much.

The Elf decided he could visit his home lands, as he heard some rumors of a place called Dire Maul.. but he had no luck in any such place. After traveling some more, he managed to find an eager gnome who more than happily disclosed his knowledge of the recent travels to Outland, more specifically an area called Netherstorm.. And after hearing this.. and the description of what sounded like his prey, he dropped any and everything he was doing and began traveling back to the Eastern Continent.. To the Dark Portal.. He still had quite a ways to go.
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#69
Theleniel wasted little time. In span of time since Ceredor's departure, she had managed to contact Andruvinar, her former master, and together they sanitized the area around the altar, making certain that the student would have a place to return to.

"What makes you so certain he'll make it?" Andruvinar asked on their final morning together. "Strength and wit are a poor match for a racing heart. And if he fails, he'll be your responsibility."

Theleniel shook her head. "Have a little more faith in your own kind. He's as stubborn as you and I are, for one. So even if it takes Ceredor centuries to finish his trial, he'll do it. It's either that, or..."

"And if that 'or' comes to fruition, will you have the resolve to do what needs to be done?" Andruvinar's voice was bereft of compassion. The question was blunt.

"Like you had in my case." the Blood Elf answered. If she still had eyes, she'd glare. Thankfully, she didn't.

"Good. Make it stay that way. The worlds have no use for weak Hunters. And though from what you've told me this student of yours seems nothing of the sort, I will continue to have my doubts. I suspect we'll end up meeting again before long." the Kaldorei ended and started pacing towards the Dark Portal.

"See you. Master." Theleniel watched him go with a smirk.

The Night Elf raised a clawed hand and waved it over his shoulder without turning. "I'm not your master anymore." he answered, his voice quiet, drowned out by the wind howling across the Blasted Lands.
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#70
It had been nearly two weeks since he had began headed to the Dark Portal.. And now, he was finally past it.. In the dark, red lands of the Hellfire Peninsula. The Night Elf was sickened at the sights he saw.. The land was corrupted beyond all measure, demons roamed freely, slaughtering any that they saw(which wasn't many). Ceredor huffed to himself and set out away from the Dark Portal, into the demon-infested lands.. He figured this would be a good place to hunt after his trials were complete. But he could not think of that now. No, now he had to focus on his main prey, the Void Terror.

The Night Elf spent his time traveling up and down the Peninsula, hunting the Demons that he could, and evading the ones that were far too powerful for him. He used this time to hone his skills with Felfire, as well as test his control over the demon inside of him. It was a difficult battle, holding control over his body and mind. The second he sensed any type of struggle, he found somewhere quiet and meditated.

It was a painful process, learning to control himself.. But it came with what he had done. And the power he had acquired. The power of the Felguard essence in him; it empowered and enraged him sometimes. For small things, he would find himself swearing and ranting, cursing the heavens above, as well as the earth below. Cursing his family and loved ones, his people and their ways. He was thankful he was in this wasteland.. for none were around to see him this way. But he found that the best way to deal with the demon inside of him was to smirk and be smug with it. Learn to shrug off its threats and wailing. It didn't always do the trick.. but it did enough. Like his master, he too worried that his personality would be lost.. and that is what he wanted to keep about himself the most. It was one of the last things that kept him sane. He could have this thing inside of him, control it, and still be.. himself. And that was proving to be one of the hardest things to keep.. his mind.
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#71
Ceredor wandered the the Hellfire Peninsula for a good week or two before being found by one he did not expect.. Another Demon Hunter! A Kal'dorei woman by the name of Avaria.

While he was taking cover from a passing Fel Orc patrol, he heard a voice from behind him.. It was this woman. She was easily able to pick him out as corrupted in some way and it was a good thing she didn't strike first, ask questions later. The two introduced each other, and Ceredor told her that his prey for his trial was in Netherstorm, but he was lost.. Avaria was happy to help the fledgling Demon Hunter. And the two began their long trek, starting to wander through the swamps of..

Zangarmarsh. Ceredor was amazed at the sudden change in scenery and was asking questions left and right like a curious child in a new store. Avaria found some humor in this and answered his questions. They came to an encampment that was filled with their own kind, and those that were called Tauren, among others. If Ceredor had to, he would say they were of the Cenarion Circle, or at least some sect of it. And what made it all even more odd was that.. they were able to walk through, with Avaria in her full Demon Hunter garb, not hiding it one bit. They were allowed passage.. but they weren't greeted well. They weren't greeted at all. Those who looked at them, or at least at her, watched with disapproval and disdain. Some looked more curious.. Others just ignored their presence, far too busy with other things. After a wrong turn here and there, they would finally reach..

The Blade's Edge Mountains. Again, the younger Kal'dorei was surprised and baffled at how the scenery could so suddenly change between two areas.. This was certainly an odd land. Here, Avaria and Ceredor had to practice more caution, as there were many dangers about. As they went along silently, they entered a cave.. It was empty, but as they came out through the other side.. They saw a large Burning Legion camp. Both of them stared for a moment.. Made a comical quip or two.. then turned tail and ran out of there as fast as they could. Only a fool would run into such a place by choice. Avaria realized she made a wrong turn.. and the pair went on.. After some time, they would eventually make another wrong turn.. right into another Burning Legion camp. And then there was more sprinting away, towards the north. Finally, they reached their goal.. The lovely land of..

Netherstorm. Ceredor was sickened by the sight.. How the land was. It was painful. Avaria warned him to follow close and stay on the path.. and not stray from it at all. Ceredor asked more questions and then it was finally Avaria's turn to ask a question. She asked Ceredor what his quarry was.

"She wants me to get the eye of a Void Terror."

The female stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, a little smirk at her lips?

"Your master must not like you."

She would start walking again then stop, a look of realization coming to her face.

"We're in the wrong place."

Ceredor tilted his head, looking confused, "What..?"

"Remember that first Legion camp we ran into? Yeah.. That's where your prey is." Her lips were still curled into a smirk as she faced the young Kal'dorei.

Ceredor's eyes widened and he turned back to look towards the path they came from. The Elf would sigh, turning back to the other Hunter. "Great.."

"She must really not like you." That little curl becoming stronger, stretching into an entertained grin.

Ceredor hung his head. "Yeah.. I've been getting that feeling.." He snickered.. and the pair would head back the way they came. After some more cautious weaving between demons, odd yet hostile wildlife, and ogres and their keepers, the Hunters finally reached a steep hole filled with massive spines and spikes sticking out. And down below was the very camp Ceredor's target was.

"Have fun with this, Ceredor.. Good luck." Avaria said as she started to walk off.

"Yeah.. Thanks." He sighed again.. and made his way back to the cave..

Only a fool..
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#72
Ceredor had been scouting around the demonic camp for weeks.. He wasn't keeping of how long it had been, because he didn't care. There was one thing on his mind now.. And that was his prey.

It was like his very first trial.. Stuck in the middle of another enemy who would not hesitate to end his life. He needed to be stealthy, be swift, and be deadly. If he was facing this Terror one-on-one, he might have a very slight chance at killing the beast. But now, in a camp filled with demons.. That wasn't happening.

Deep inside of the cave that led to the camp, he stashed one of the broadswords he carried behind some boulders, keeping one on his back. He would need all of the speed he could get for what he had planned. After safely stashing away his weapon and supplies, he headed to the camp, going his usual route. He had found a safe spot to watch and observe the Demons. It was how he came to learn their patrol paths. And there they were, the massive demonic hounds with far too many eyes.. That would be a tricky thing to deal with. How do you sneak up on something that has eyes all over? Well.. He had something in mind. He started making his way toward the area where the Terrors 'grazed'.

Approaching his chosen spot for this, he perched himself on one of the massive spikes sticking out from the sides of the canyon. He looked upward now, many ropes hanging down from various spikes, going in all different directions, all the way up to the top of the canyon. It took him quite a while to get this set up.. And quite a lot of favors owed to the Gnomes nearby. While he was most certainly not a fan of dealing with them, he had to for this. He took a deep breath, hooking a rope to his belt. "Let's hope this actually works." He snickered to himself.. and jumped from the spike.

He swooped down, landing on the back of the very-many-eyed beast. Luckily, none of the eyes were looking upwards. His feet were on its back no longer than five seconds. A swift cleave along the back, taking off many of its eyes, but only managing to snatch three before propelling himself away to a nearby spike that had other ropes hanging down to it. There was an uproar in the camp now, massive demons turning to his direction, flinging their fel-fire balls and other demonic spells at him. The second the Elf landed on the spike, he detached the wire from his belt and started climbing from spike to spike via his web of robes.

He was nearly caught in several explosions of demonic magic, his body getting some nice burns along the way. He went from spike to spike, slowly making his way up the massive canyon wall. Once he was out of range of the demons, he took a small breather to secure his quarry, a pained smirk at his lips, as well as a little twitch. "Time to get off these floating rocks." He said to himself as he begun climbing once more.

After a good while of climbing, he would finally reach the top, a small cache of supplies left there so he could have something to eat and replenish his energy. After a quick break, he started making his way back to the cave.. He needed his other sword, after all.
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#73
It took a while for the elf to return to the cave, as he took his time. Fatigue would not help if with a cave filled with ravenous demons. And he also hoped that eventually it would clear out once more, so he could just retrieve his things with ease. Of course, the journey there was annoying, as he had to dodge the native creatures of the Mountains, as well as avoid Ogres and their giant masters. All tiring itself.

Finally reaching the cave, he took much caution to keep to the cave walls and stay in the shadows. It was finally his lucky day.. The demons were not in the cave. Everything went.. a lot better than he expected. He was able to get his things with ease and was out of the cave quickly before he could try his luck. Of course.. Now it was time to get back to the Blasted Lands.. And so that journey started.

It was weeks until he finally managed to reach the Dark Portal. Between just the distance, getting lost, having to defend against wildlife and whatever else was out there.. The Night Elf was beat. Literally. His clothes, at this point, were ripped and torn, burned and scorched. He had a few new scars scattered about his body, as well.

Finally, he was through the Dark Portal(which was never an enjoyable experience) and he approached the altar where his master and mentor waited. He looked like hell, not gaining much sleep between trying to survive and the beast that resided inside of him. He dropped the knapsack he carried and pulled out carefully wrapped and preserved eyes.. A nice pair, and held them up by the stalks for his master to see, a grin on his lips.

"You asked for one, I got you two."
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#74
Theleniel stood atop the alter, clawed feet curled around the slab atop it and hopped off. She returned the grin. "I was just about to give up and come after you, too - No, that would be a lie. I had a feeling you'd come back. Too stubborn not to." she shrugged and peered at him.

"Two eyes... even better." she nodded. "I suppose you'll want to rest for a moment. But just in case you're oh-so-eager, I'll let you know what the next task consists of: You're to cut out your eyes, Ceredor, with this." she proffered to him an Azsharite knife, wickedly curved and exceedingly sharp. "After which, the Void Terror's eyes will be crushed, and the fiery, eldritch liquid within will coat your eyesockets, granting you the vision of our kind." she paused for a moment. "After that, you'll have a chance to get used to Warglaives and such. They're granted from master to student each time - and you'll have to figure out how to make some yourself, if you ever end up taking another under your..." here the Demon Hunter grinned "Wing."

"About that first part, though. You must not show any signs of weakness as you remove your old eyes. Prove your determination is like undying steel. Hesitation never benefit one of our kind, in all the ages."
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#75
Ceredor nodded, catching his breath. After a moment, he looked up at his master, standing up straight, "I know my limits.. I must rest. I'll push them when I really need to," he snickered, stretching a bit. "Would you shun moment of rest and talk?" His common had gotten much better. His thick Darnassian accent was starting to fade from every word he spoke, as well. The Elf then walked over to take a seat on the ground, placing down whatever he was carrying. Placing his weapons next to him on the ground, well within grabbing range, and whatever little packs and satchels he had.

"I do hope that this doesn't count as weakness. Over-eagerness could also be weak. I like taking my time when I can. Pretty sure a few more minutes won't kill me." He grinned, giggling at his little joke. While he had a tone of cheerfulness, one could most likely tell he wasn't completely.. A weight bore down on him, one that his master would probably understand.

"If possible, I would love to tell you about my quite ingenious, if I do say so, plan to get those eyes. And am curious.. Did you do all of these trials, as well? No wait, don't tell me now. It'll give me something to look forward to." He cracked his neck, pushing himself up, his tone changing, taking on a more serious sound.. "I'm ready." He nodded, another snicker coming from him.

The Night Elf would take the dagger from her, staring at it for a moment, then looking up to gaze at his master. The last person he would ever see with his own eyes again. But it wasn't hesitation, not fear. It was more of.. appreciation. Admiration. One cannot fully understand how lucky they are to have such things until they lose them. Or in this case, about to lose them. No, he was not afraid.. All of this time, all of his training and trials, they prepared him for this. The.. thing inside of him. It was far too late to even think about turning back now. And he would not, even if he could.

Bringing the dagger to his eyes, he would begin the process, hissing and growling at the pain momentarily. It burned and was the second most painful thing he had ever felt in his life. But this pain.. it was nothing, nothing at all, in comparison to the pain he felt when he was Bound. And that pain still lingers inside of him. This was easy, a walk, compared to that..

He took a deep breath as he finished and held the dagger out to his master, blood running down his face from the now empty sockets. In his other hand, his eyeballs, no longer glowing. "Shall we.. get started?" He smiled slightly.
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