The Art of the Blade

[Hawk]

The art of the blade,
An ancient path many walk,
An end rare few see.

(( This is Draknir's Blademaster training. I'll post when I can! Comments welcomed.))

[Hawk]

Feared for its fury,
The abusers are destroyed
With merely a breath.

"Sit, Draknir." A hand was raised and gestured to an empty spot on the ground opposite him. The pair were sitting in a simple, yet sturdy yurt atop a peak in The Barrens. There were possessions of very little value inside the small home. Strong herbs, wooden bowls, some trophies from local wildlife, a table and wolf-fur blankets were all that were present. In the centre was a circle of dug up earth with a fire quietly crackling inside. If one were to see the structure from afar, they would see a thin pillar of smoke bellowing from the top and into the endless sky above them. The Orc that spoke first was clad in white leathers and was quietly sipping on a bowl of tea made from various herbs.

The other figure before him was in basic red clothing, and took his seat in front of the flames. Draknir gave a silent nod as he did so, and allowed the stillness of sound to hang in the air. He wasn't quite sure what to say to Lorkosh. The remarkable storm blue eyes seemed to hold the essence of omniscience - as if he knew what his pupil was going to say even before he thought of it. Perhaps it was years of wisdom or it was just Draknir being predictable. It wasn't long until Lorkosh decided to pierce the silence.

"We will start with the basics. Our power is given to us by the elements. Primarily from the Wind, but the others still play a role. If you seek to harness the strength of the Blademaster, you will have to earn the right to do so."

Draknir was listening intently at his words, making sure not to miss anything. "Alright then. How do I do that?"

As the question was asked, items were presented. A rolled up scroll and a small brown pouch was extended. "You will go to each location marked on the map. You take an object from the bag and wait for them to contact you. Should you succeed in their task, they will give you a part of themselves as proof. The Wind will be giving you the hardest challenge."

The pupil nodded and stood, tying the bag to his belt and scanning the map. The first meeting would be with the element of fire, the closest to where he was currently standing. Before Draknir left the door he asked his mentor, "Is there anything else?"

To which he replied, "Yes. Good luck."




Draknir heaved a sigh as he took a seat with his blade by his side the in Charred Vale of Stonetalon Mountains. He did his best to remain out of sight from harpies, but he did leave a few of their corpses in his wake as he perched on the jagged hill. He reached a hand into the bag and took what was needed to get the element's attention. He retrieved a tool and began to carve a rune into the mountain, then poured out oils into the cracks and set them ablaze. Afterwards, his eyes sealed shut as he attempted to make contact.

Eventually, he would be answered. The flames that were burning began to grow and twist, as if becoming alive. The searing heat caused Draknir to immediately open his eyes and take a couple of paces backwards. Soon the flames began to form into a rather large element of Fire, bringing with it a barrier that surrounded them. It rested it's smouldering gaze upon the Orc before him, unamused and impatient.

"WHY HAVE YOU CALLED ME, ORC?" It demanded with a rageful bellow. It seemed whenevever it yelled, the flames intensified.

Draknir bowed in respect, but it didn't seem to care. "I have come to gain your--"

"TO GAIN MY FAVOUR..." It finished Draknir's sentence for him. "YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST, NOR THE LAST. IF IT IS MY BLESSING YOU SEEK... THEN DO WHAT I INSTRUCT AND PERHAPS I WILL BE WILLING." Strangely, after a moment of pause... the element let out a crackling laugh, and though still imposing and loud, it's voice lowered, as did it's burning aura. "I see much fire in your soul young Orc... you and I may be able to get along famously if you prove yourself an ally."

The Orc smiled slightly, glad that he was at least seen as someone relevant to it's interests. But that wasn't even the hard part. "What do you ask of me?"

"Amongst the hills are those who are wishing to bend fire to their own wills... MONGRELS! THEY WILL BE INCINERATED!" The fire's anger was wild and untamed, and was threatening to turn Draknir into ashes. "LET THEIR IGNORANCE BE THEIR UNDOING! UNLEASH OUR FURY!"

Draknir shielded his eyes as the spirit vanished with a bright flash, leaving the mountain with a circle of charred earth from it's presence. Still, he had his task. He trekked to the vague location of where the spirit and pointed and lurked amongst the hills. He had seen signs of life, noting footprints, but he had no idea who they could've belonged to. He also had no idea what the spirit meant by "Unleash our fury". Was it referring to Draknir? Or were there other fire elementals where he was headed? He could only go continue his search until he got some answers.



He came to a bend and peered around the corner. At first he only saw a variation of different races simply loitering around, but when they moved, he caught a glimpse of fire elementals being held in unique cages. The captors didn't look like they were part of an organisation, and they certainly didn't look like Twilight's Hammer cultists. Either they were good at disguises or they were just people wanting to learn new magic. Draknir waited in silence for them to exit the scene before making his move, approaching a bound elemental.

At first it tried to lash out at Draknir, but the attack rebounded. It let out a growl. "What do you want?" It demanded.

"Calm down. I'm here to liberate you and the others." He retorted and attempted to break the cage through physical means, which were unsuccessful against the magical locks. "...okay. How the hell do I get you out?"

"Search for a key. Be wary, they might be returning here soon."

A curt nod was exchanged before the Orc clad in red dashed around the place. Fortunately he was lightly armoured and his steps were quiet. The inhabitants of the various tents must have been out searching for more elementals to enslave, but he was warned to be quick. He ransacked every tent he could find and checked every gap, but there was no key nearby. Suddenly from behind him he heard a brutish grunt of a Night Elf wielding an axe.

"TRESPASSER." Was all it barked before rushing him through, whacking the side of his head with the blunt side of his weapon.

"... YOU... LITTLE!" A roar burst from his lungs as his wicked blade was drawn in a flash. "To the death, Kaldorei! I'll be mounting your head on my wall!" Draknir snarled as blood crawled down the side of his cheek and let loose a flurry of angered swings.

The pair assaulted and evaded each other's attacks with a feral grace, darting from side to side and executing skilled manoeveurs made it look as if they were performing a war dance. Draknir gritted his teeth as he weaved out of the way of the barbaric axe constantly swinging his way and managed to catch a glimpse of a peculiar looking object on the Elf's belt. He then realised that it was in fact the key that he had been looking for this entire time. After a ducking from a horizontal slash he crouched and swiped the key from his person.

Whilst the Elf let out a cry of frustration he was already in front of the Orc, and shortly afterwards kneeling on the floor with the blade skewering his chest. He fell to his face with a yelp of pain and bled out. As promised, Draknir did indeed decide to take his head before moving to the cages and setting the elements free. Like wild animals they launched themselves into the wilderness as they embraced their newfound freedom. A familiar voice was tugging at Draknir's mind shortly aftwards.

"Well done, Orc. Fire should never be used lightly. Never forget that the flames are also a guardian of life as much as they are a destroyer of those who try to take our power for their own. For this treachery, they will burn..." The fleeing elementals from before abruptly came rushing back. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Draknir Bloodcleave of The Horde. I am training to become a Blademaster, and it was my task to receive your blessing. It was an honour to do so."

The spirit opened up a clawed palm and within it contained a small orb. Inside there was a swirling vortex of fire. It had no power within it, but it was what Draknir was waiting for. "If it is my blessing you seek, then let it be so. Take this for your efforts and begone! Run to the others and waste their time...""

As instructed, he took the artifact - hot to the touch - and placed it inside the bag before he went on to do his next task.

(( So many typos. Fixed. ))