'An effort to better himself' (Ledgic)

‘An effort to better himself’

The starlit sky was unlike anything he’d even seen before, and in a strange way it matched his thoughts and feelings in a way he could hardly describe. In the middle of a war torn stretch of Kalimdor, the ancient and history covered Mount Hyjal, Ledgic had rested his head against his hand. He had fought in countless battles over the few weeks he had spent, after offering his services to the armies of the king he had spent years defying with a large grin on his face.

His nightmares hadn’t plagued him in this place, for he hadn’t had time to experience them. He forced himself to think it was entirely due to the nature of the land he was in, the state of the on-going fight against Deathwing and his forces. In the back of his mind he knew there was some fear, a fear of closing eyes for so long that his mind and heart might have the chance to plague him.

He turned his head at the sound of light shuffling beside him and stared at Aniane as she slept. She deserved every minute of sleep she could get, after fighting at his side for the time he’d been in Hyjal. There had been quite a few moments of sighing on Ledgic’s part, but he had never held it against her. She was not like him, she could fight but she hadn’t been to the places he had, seen the things he had seen, or been trained the way he had. He smirked at the thought as he turned his head to stare up at the night sky once again. She wasn’t a soldier, like he was. It was a laughable thought, Ledgic Caan… a soldier?

He was a soldier when it suited him, and the only time it ever seemed like the right thing to do, was when he couldn’t make sense of everything else. The very basis of his essence was that of a fighter, it was all he had been bred for and all he had ever been any good at. Ledgic Caan the fighter, the brawler and the killer, it was a description that stuck to almost every Caan that ever came before him. And yet what brought him to the battlefield was his difference, his never-ending attempt to separate himself from the clan that tugged at his limbs from the afterlife.

‘Feck it’ he mumbled quietly as he sat up and scratched the back of his head. Tonight, like many others before it, he had found himself unable to sleep. As he carefully stood up and looked down at the woman that had followed him to war, for no reason he could understand beyond wanting to be by his side, he couldn’t help but think there was a bitter taste in his mouth. She had wanted to be with him, he hadn’t said no, but he was left knowing that he’d have been fighting more, involved in more if he’d come alone.

He turned and walked away from Aniane, stepping lightly and quietly up to the soldier on watch. As the battle-scarred warrior turned to face him, Ledgic took one final look at the sky.

‘Star gazing, that sort of thing’ll get ya killed here kid’ said the soldier, he spoke quietly but he spoke with a gruff accent, one anyone would expect of a warrior.

‘Yer on watch yeh? Make sure nothin’ gets near tha’ lass, beast or bloke. If I ‘ear anythin’s ‘appened t’er, I’ll come back n’ rip out yer throat’ said Ledgic coldly, before walking away from the warrior and into the dense and dark forest just beyond the encampment.

He steadily made his way through the dense woodland, grunting and cursing at each scratch of a twig against his skin. Still, he thought, he had no reason to be complaining. The twigs of the woodland in Hyjal were far softer than the twisted branches and thorns of the wood he had always called home. He narrowed his eyes as he pushed his way between two trees and out into a clearing. He peered from left to right, in an effort to get a better understanding of his surroundings, but he discovered that he had entered a clearing where even the moon barely dared to shine. He stopped and knelt down, sighing as he dug his fingers into the pile of ash beneath his feet.

So much had been destroyed in this place; there had been so much fighting that he could hardly tell whether it was the ashes of a tree or those of a person. The casualties in the unit he was serving with were many, let alone those of the entire Alliance force.

Ledgic took a handful of ash as he heard faint footsteps heading toward him. He closed his eyes as he opened his hand, letting the ash simply fall through his fingers. He smirked faintly as the sound of the footsteps ceased, to be replaced with light breathing. He stood up slowly and opened his eyes and simply stared at the man that had appeared before him.

‘You are something different’ said the man, speaking with a low and twisted voice. If Ledgic didn’t know any better, he would have assumed he was talking to a six-foot snake. He raised an eyebrow, as he slowly looked the man over. He wore a robe, over which was a large cloth overcoat, a hood over his head and a strange looking chain hanging from his neck.

‘Y’realise I’m ‘ere t’kill cultists such as yerself, right? Seems a bit stupid t’jes walk up t’me’ muttered Ledgic as he lifted his arms to rest his hands on the hilts of his daggers. The man simply smirked, and despite the low visibility, Ledgic could tell just how sinister that smirk was.

‘Coming to you was a very smart idea, actually. We are, thanks to our master, heavily attuned to the feeling of the shadow arts. As I said, you are different’. Said the man, his words still seeming to slither off the tip of his tongue. Shortly after speaking, the man made an attempt at stepping forward, only to stop dead in his tracks with a wider smirk on his face.

He peered down at the glinting tip of Ledgic’s dagger, which was now pointed at his neck. ‘Is there any real need for that? Can you not sense that I too wield the shadow?’ said the man as he lifted a hand, placing the end of his index finger against the blade.

‘I don’ really know wha’ yer on fella, an’ I don’t feckin’ care. Ye’ve got th’wrong bloke, I don’ go aroun’ wieldin’ that shit’ said Ledgic bluntly as he pressed the blade into the finger of the cultist.

The cultist breathed in deeply through his nose, the smirk on his face returning after a moment. ‘You don’t wield it… yet I can sense it, I can even smell it’. Ledgic hesitantly lowered his dagger at the man’s words, letting the blade hang with his arm at his side.

Some yards away, a man quietly rested against a tree. He always found it incredibly difficult to be sneaky in his line of work, let alone the armour it forced him to wear. He breathed quietly to ensure his own breath didn’t prevent him from hearing the conversation between the two men. He rested his hand on the tome that he always kept chained to his belt.

‘Ledgic…’ he muttered quietly as he edged his head as far along the tree trunk as he could, just about poking out from behind it in an attempt to see what was going on. He raised his eyebrows as he watched the cultist lift a hand to rest it on Ledgic’s shoulder.

‘Two different sources of shadow lie within you, that much I can tell just by being near you. One that very much belongs and one that does not’ said the cultist. Each word that escaped his mouth sent a chill up the young paladin’s spine. His hand clutched around the tome as he tore himself between two decisions; remain where he was and continue to listen, or jump out and stop whatever might happen between the two men.

‘You’re lyin’. Give me one good reason t’not ram this dagger through yer ‘eart’ said Ledgic as his face contorted in rage. ‘Just the one reason, you say? I think I might have quite a few of them’ said the cultist as his hand began to burn dimly with shadow flame. ‘Allow me to prove my theory, this might feel a little uncomfortable’

Before Ledgic had time to react, the cultist clamped down on his shoulder with a surprising grip. Ledgic could feel the shadow flame burning into his skin and he clenched his fists, while letting out a faint groan of pain. ‘Close your eyes and see the truth!’ yelled the man, the slithering nature of his words having faded.

As Ledgic closed his eyes and fell to his knees, the paladin gritted his teeth. ‘He’s in pain, now is the time! But… what if this means something to him?’ he thought as he continued to wrestle between the two decisions that had popped into his mind since he had come across the pair of men.

----

Ledgic found himself stood in the corner of a dark and dusty looking home. As he peered around it he could tell that it was falling apart and as he looked up at the cobwebs that littered the ceiling, it was evident that even the spiders avoided this place. He turned his head to see the cultist stood beside him, no sign of a smirk on his face, but a look of interest. ‘You know where we are, don’t you?’ he whispered as Ledgic looked up at a decaying staircase.

‘Home’ he muttered.

‘We are in your buried thoughts, only accessible due to the shadow energy that dwells within you. This is where you and I will learn all that there is to learn’

Ledgic closed his eyes at the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. With each stomp of a thick boot, Ledgic became further aware of who it was. He didn’t need to open his eyes and had no desire to do so. The cultist leaned to his side, whispering in his ear with the same slithering voice that he had for so much of their conversation.

‘You must see’

Ledgic opened his eyes to see his mother and father stood at either side of the large table that stood in the middle of the room. Kaden lowered a bundle of cloth onto it and seemed to growl as the bundle began to cry into the night. Ledgic’s eyes widened as Kaden unwrapped the cloth from around the child and simply watched it cry and squirm.

‘Shut up!’ he yelled as he slammed his fist against the wooden table, the faintest of cracks being heard beneath it. ‘Oi, we need t’name ‘im befer Delzen gets ‘ere’ said Kaden as he looked up at the mother of the child. ‘Feck y’askin’ me fer? It ain’t like y’ever listen t’a word I feckin’ say’ replied the woman. Kaden snarled and peered back down at the now sniffling child. ‘Ledgic, s’what we’ll call ‘im. Reckon that’s a strong name, an’ ‘e’s gonna ‘ave t’be the toughest of us. ‘e’s th’one that’ll ‘ave t’track Iriden down and break ‘is neck’.

‘They wan’ed me t’kill Iriden? The feck is goin’ on?’ said Ledgic as he continued to stare at the scene, wide eyed. So many thoughts were shooting through his head; who was Delzen? Did they only have him to make sure Iriden was killed by his blood? What were they doing with him on a table like that?

‘Be patient, Caan. Continue to watch and all will be revealed’ said the cultist, his grip on Ledgic’s shoulder still painfully tight.

Kaden turned his head at the knock on his door, before stomping over to it and opening it quickly. He stepped to the side to allow an old man to enter the room, he wore dark brown robes, those you might expect of a religious man.

‘Delzen, glad t’see ye didn’t chicken out’ said Kaden as he pushed the old man towards the table. Delzen looked down at the squirming and sniffling child with a faint smile, followed by a look of sadness. ‘This isn’t right, you make a monster of me, and a monster out of your son’ said Delzen as he looked up at Kaden. He simply stared back for a brief moment before lifting his large hand to grasp Delzen’s head and slam it into the table. The sound of the collision and Delzen’s gasp in pain caused the child to begin crying loudly once again.

‘We ‘ad a deal old man, me n’ my clan got your daughter back fer ye and we foun’ what y’need to perform what I’ve asked of ye. Now, yer gonna do it or I promise I’ll tear ye apart n’ find someone else’ said Kaden as he pressed Delzen’s now bloody face into the table.

‘Okay, okay! Let go of me!’ shouted Delzen, the only noise louder than his shouting was that of the child’s crying. Kaden looked down at the source of the noise and grinned wickedly. ‘’least ‘e’s got a good set o’ lungs’

Delzen lifted an arm to wipe some blood from his nose with his sleeve, before reaching into his robes to pull out a tome and a small crystal, setting them both on the table beside the child. He coughed lightly and looked at Kaden, a look of hatred in his eyes. ‘The rune?’ he spat as he turned back to open the tome. As Kaden walked out of the room to retrieve the rune he had mentioned, Delzen’s eyes continuously flicked from the tome’s pages to the crying child.

‘I am sorry, child’ he thought as he closed his eyes. Kaden set the rune on the table and slapped Delzen’s shoulder. ‘Get t’work, or I’ll make sure both ye n’ yer daughter wind up in a ditch wit’out yer ‘eads’

Delzen sighed and picked up the crystal he had placed on the table, he rested it on the chest of the child and flicked a few pages through the tome. He set his finger on the desired page and began chanting.

‘A shadow ritual, he is awakening your shadow potential. The natural shadow that I sensed within you, will have grown from this’ said the cultist as Ledgic began shaking where he stood.

The crystal began to shine a deep violet before shattering across the child’s chest, only producing even louder wailing from him. Delzen carefully swiped the crystal shards away and peered at baby’s chest. ‘That part is done… the shadow energy will grow as he does’ he muttered before returning to his tome. He peered briefly at the rune that Kaden had given him and he began to shudder, his breathing following suit.

‘Get it done, old man’ said Kaden as he towered above Delzen.

Delzen grunted as he took lifted a small blade from his robes and sliced his finger. He looked at the rune and began drawing it on the child’s chest in his blood. Once he had finished he rested a hand on the child’s forehead to ease it, before looking to the tome. Yet again he began chanting as the rune on the baby’s chest began to glow a similar shade of violet, before turning black and seeming to sink into the flesh.

‘Oh, now I see. A secondary shadow ritual to enhance the first, using a blood rune. I can sense two forms of shadow within you because there is infact… two. This old man was once a shadow user, I believe he just chanted the transfer ritual, or at least… a partial one. Shadow that does not belong in the host simply tries to twist them’ said the cultist as Ledgic continued to shake, his eyes slowly welling up with tears.

‘There… it is done. Your son will be the killing machine you so desire’ said Delzen quietly as he closed the tome and buried it beneath his robes again. ‘Y’did good old man, but I’ve got a question’ said Kaden as Delzen turned to face him.

‘How is ‘e gonna know ‘ow t’use it? Feck that, ‘ow is ‘e even gonna realise it? An’ no feckin’ lyin’ said Kaden as he pushed Delzen toward the door. Delzen stayed silent for a moment as he slowly opened the door and took a step outside.

‘Break his spirit, nothing will hold it back then’ said Delzen as he slammed the door behind him.

Kaden smirked and peered back at the child, whose screaming still filled the room as though it were on fire. ‘Sorry kid, looks like ye n’ me ain’t gonna get on’

---

Ledgic opened his eyes as the cultist removed his hand and smirked. ‘So, now you know. Perhaps now I might be able to sway you ever to our way of thinking, hm?’

Ledgic’s face contorted in rage once again as a quick flash of shadow flame appeared around his fist, he stood and rammed the fist forcefully into the gut of the cultist, watching with a look that almost resembled pleasure. ‘Got me’ own way o’ thinkin’’ he said as he knelt over the cultist and began to ram his fist continuously into the yelling man’s face.

The paladin looked on with wide eyes as the screams of the man died away, yet Ledgic did not stop punching him. He narrowed his eyes and stepped out and began walking towards the scene.

‘Ledgic, that’s enough!’

Ledgic stood up and turned around, his stance hiding the undoubtedly bloody mess of the cultist’s corpse. ‘Omanos, th’feck ye doin’ ‘ere? Go ‘ome’ he said immediately as he knelt down again to wipe the blood from his glove.

‘I don’t know what went on there, Ledgic, but I saw that shadow energy. You need to come with me and let me help’ said Omanos as Ledgic stood up again, looking at him with his head tilted to the right.

‘Help? What makes ye think I can’t ‘andle this all by m’self? I’ve done it wit’ everythin’ else, ain’t I?’ muttered Ledgic as he walked towards Omanos.

‘You helped me when nobody else would, Ledgic. You showed kindness that I didn’t think possible of a man like you. Let me show you that same kindness-‘ said Omanos, before being interrupted by Ledgic’s tight grip around his throat.

‘Stop treatin’ me like some sorta saviour, stop lookin’ up to me and start seein’ me for wha’ I really am. A criminal, a murderer and a Caan’ said Ledgic, through gritted teeth.

A few moments later, Omanos awoke on the ground, his body and face aching like they’d not ached in many years. He peered up to see nothing but the corpse of the cultist.

‘This… is not good’.