[[[[The following was mostly uploaded for friends given i’m pretty sure most of you have no idea who my WoW OCs are]]]]
The clear skies of Tanaris were like home to the young gnome. She’d
spent the entire morning on the back of her cloud serpent, spinning and weaving
midair, pulling off near acrobatic flight techniques. Widget couldn’t be
happier to bond with his rider, to have the opportunity to stretch and flex his
aerial prowess. He’d spend too long cooped up on that Barge, starved for
attention while Tamy tended to her duties in the clinic. Neither of them were
meant to stay in one place for so long, having grown so accustomed to travel
and adventure.
Widget would bank sharply left, and Tamy would lean with him. He’d loop around
and dive, and Tamy would flatten herself against his back. He’d twist and fly
upside down, and Tamy would laugh at the sheer thrill. The wind howling at
their ears, the chill of the altitude, the adrenaline, they relished it
together. Tamy needed this. They both needed this.
Eventually, the gnome guided her serpent to a steady glide, taking in the
scenery below as Gadgetzan came into view. She patted her dragon at the side of
his neck.
“Atta boy. What do you say we get you some water? You must be thirsty.”
Widget rumbled in response. Just as they began to dip toward the desert city, a
shadow suddenly crept over them, darkening their vision. Tamy blinked in
surprise. Clouds? In Tanaris?
Widget slowed to a hover, and the two of them stopped to observe what was going
on. The sky darkened as black clouds began to materialize seemingly out of
nowhere. They swirled together in a massive spiral that blocked out the sun.
Green lightning cracked, nearly deafening the gnome as it lit up the sky.
A deep, sinking feeling gripped Tamy from the inside. It couldn’t be…
Then the clouds opened up, clearing the way for a pitch black ship to pass
through, what could only be described as a portal.
“…Widget we have to go. Now.”
The serpent dove as his rider commanded in a mad rush toward the Speedbarge.
Her vision lit up with flicking green light, and Tamy glanced back only to be
greeted by a fel crater careening straight toward them. She shrieked, “WATCH
OUT!” and roughly yanked Widgets reigns to the left, sending the serpent
spinning off to the side with a high-pitched roar. The meteor barely missed the
two; Tamy could feel the heat of felfire buffeting her face as it screamed past
them. She watched as it violently slammed into the dunes below, sending a wave
of sand into the air. From the crater it left, an infernal rose, rearing its
ugly head at them as it steadied itself on two legs.
Tamy paled at the sight, looking back and watching it shrink from her view as
Widget gained more and more distance between themselves and the demon.
“Oh no.”
~
Widget spiraled downward toward the Speedbarge’s landing port. As Tamy
descended, she caught view of a sizable crowd of gnomes and goblins stepping
out onto the deck to stare at the sky over Gadgetzan, her aunt and uncle
amongst those in the crowd
She hopped down from her serpent and rushed toward them. “Uncle Elmac! Aunt
Mina!”
“We see it, child,” her aunt said as Tamy ran into their embrace.
Tamy stared up at the sky with them. “So it -is- true. The Legion’s returned.”
Elmac’s fingers tightened into fists when he spoke. “Yes.”
The confused chatter amongst the crowd was disrupted by the raspy voice of a
male goblin, “Alrigh’! Fortify th’ Barge! I want every able bruiser on th’ deck
NOW!”
The bruisers of the Speedbarge were Steamweedle. If Gadgetzan was under attack,
they were required to defend the capital of their cartel.
A gnome barked after him, “Peackeepers! Defensive positions!”
Civilians rushed inside their homes and shops, the entire Barge was in a frenzy
to get to their appropriate positions.
In the rush Mina grabbed Tamy’s arm. “Come along, it’s dangerous out here.”
Tamy took her arm away “Aunt Mina, I have to join them.”
Mina sputtered in outrage in shock. “Are you out of your mind, girl?”
“Absolutely not! I forbid it!” Elmac snapped.
“Listen to me!” Tamy had to shout over both them and the chaos around the
barge, “All of our menders are civilians! I’m the only onboard medic with any
martial experience! The bruisers need a healer!”
“You’re not a goblin, Tamy!” Her uncle shouted, “You’re under no obligation
to—“
“Tanaris is every bit my home, too!” Tamy snapped. “And if we don’t stop it
there, they’ll attack the barge, too!”
“Tamantha, how many more of these fiascos do you think you can pull before one
of them kills you?” said Elmac.
“Well, I’ve gotten this far, haven’t I?”
“Tamantha. Get. Inside. Now.”
Tamy met her uncle’s eyes with the very same resolve and frustration. After a
moment of frigid silence, she said, “I’ve made up my mind. You can’t stop me,
uncle.”
Elmac’s eyes wavered slightly. She was right and he knew it. Tamy wasn’t a
little girl anymore. He had no more control over her than any other grown
woman. He hissed in frustration, “Dammit girl, if you don’t make it back in one
piece…”
Tamy said nothing, only hugged him tight.
“We’re just letting her go?” Mina said, eyes watering.
“What can we do, Mina? Tie her up and lock her in the cellar?” Elmac shook his
head. “It’s out of our hands.”
Tears rolled freely down Mina’s cheeks as she looked to her niece helplessly.
Tamy could only step away from her uncle and draw Mina into a tight hug as
well.
“Come back to me,” Mina said. “Promise me you’ll come back.”
Tamy hesitated. Just when she was about to speak, she heard the heavy boots of
the Steamweedle Bruisers as they organized to fly out. Tamy parted from them
and left to mount up on Widget again. She spared one last glance at her aunt
and uncle before she took off.
~
The invasion had to be stopped here. If the Legion took Tanaris, the Barge
would be next. Tamy wasn’t about to sit idly by and lose yet another home.
Meteors wreathed in felflame bombarded the desert city. She watched as bruisers
and adventurers alike fought in the streets she grew up in, meeting devastating
blows from the hail of fel fire that threatened to wipe Gadgetzan out of
existence. There was no damn end to these demons.
Tamy struggled to keep soldiers on the ground, shielding them from mortal
blows, mending wounds, and reviving those she could save. She was strained to
her limits; any and all energy that she had was poured into maintaining her
spells and support.
She stood behind the lines of her party, bruisers taking care to protect their
mender from harm as she fortified their bodies and fueled their assault.
That was when she spotted it. An eredar spellcaster had flanked Tamy and her team.
Their eyes met; the caster regarded Tamy with her own wicked grin. The gnome
knew the bruisers wouldn’t be able to scatter in time. She bolted between the
caster and her squad. Before she could give the warning, a violet bolt of
twisted magic was screaming toward them. There was no time to think. Tamy raised
her hand to counter it.
It was a trap.
Instead of dissipating from her counterspell, it surged into her hand, sending
searing pain up her arm as it made its way into her heart. She felt a piercing
scream tearing at her throat, but couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t even see. She
could only feel the searing pain of the corruptive hex surging through her
body, filling her mind with nothing but agony and the desire for it to end. She
focused all her energy into protecting her vitals, tasting metallic blood as
she struggled to keep the magic from tearing her apart from the inside out.
Then, the world around her seemed to fade from existence. Tamy wondered briefly
if she was dying before all as dark, and still, and cold.
��P/f
Wolfytot 