“What’s happening to me?” Shastarian sobbed, her head in her hands. “I … I don’t know what’s going on!”
“We don’t know, Shas,” Trixiana said from the kitchen of the Inn, where she was preparing some Thistle Tea. “When did all … this … start happening?”
Shasmo sat across from Shastarian, looking in sorrow at her friend. “It can’t have been happening for long, babe, or we’d have noticed.” She put a hand on Shastarian’s shoulder. “Has anything been bothering you lately? Did you maybe get cursed or somet-”
“GET YOUR HAND OFF ME, WENCH!” Shastarian roared in a deep bass voice that was not her own, as she jumped up and grabbed Shasmo’s outstretched arm. “I’LL SLAUGHTER YOUUUUU!!”
“ARGHH!” Shasmo screamed, feeling a strange, unpleasant heat worming it’s way up her arm from Shastarian’s hand. She grabbed a chair with her other arm and flung it clumsily at Shastarian, who knocked it away effortlessly. Trixiana came out from the kitchen to see what the fuss was, and stood in disbelief at the scene she saw. Shastarian’s eyes were glowing slightly with a orange light as she grimly held onto Shasmo’s arm, and Shasmo was visibly growing weaker and weaker as she attempted to free herself. Shastarian began laughing in the same demonic voice:
“THIS ONE IS MINE, STUPID NIGHT ELF! YOU CANNOT PREVAIL AGAINST MY POWER! SOON, YOU TOO WILL BE IN MY SERVICE! MWUAHAHAHA!”
Shasmo’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her body started trembling and shuddering as the power that was flowing from the Shastarian-thing flowed into her. She began to sink slowly to the floor, all attempts at freedom having ceased.
Trixiana’s tail trembled slightly. Her first thought was to run. ‘Get Out, Get Out Get Out!’ her mind screamed at her, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave her best friend in the entire world at teh mercy of her other best friend, who seemed to be possessed or something.
‘But what can you do?’ her mind panicked at her. ‘You’re just a mage, you’re no match for a Demon! Or a Warlock!’ Her heart fluttered as she began to cry. She was about to lose both her best friends and she was powerless to intervene.
Or was she? She thought back to her days at the training centre, when her class had gone to watch the epic battles being fought at the Arena for Gold and Glory. Her favourite combatant was Peren the Wise, a Human Mage who took on every challenger he could find, and defeated them all. Her dream was that one day she could study under him, and learn his ways, but he had gone into the far reaches of the world to meditate, and had never returned.
She remembered his hardest battle that day. He was facing off against Lakini: an Orc Warlock who was being tipped to win the Championships. Peren used a combination of his most viscious attacks and powerful crowd-controlling techniques to subdue the warlock and emerge victorious. Trixiana struggled to remember what he did. She thought she had it, and decided to give it a try.
‘What?! Are you CRAZY’ her rebellious brain squealed. ‘Get the Hell Out of There! Save Yourself!’ Trixiana forced her mind to clear as she turned back towards Shastarian. She took a deep breath, and began chanting her spells.
“Ow!” Shastarian yelped, almost throwing Shasmo’s arm away from her. “What was that?” She looked in confusion at her arm.
“Counterspell, bitch” Trixiana mustered up her courage to say. Shastarian looked towards her, and the orange glow came back in her eyes. “AH, THE LITTLE MAGE. YOU KNOW, THIS MORTAL CARES FOR YOU. BUT I ONLY CARE ABOUT YOU SERVING ME IN THE UNDERWORLD!” She started to twiddle her fingers as Warlocks do.
Trixiana’s resolve quavered, then steadied. Remembering Peren the Wise’s subtle trick that let him win, she cast Amplify Magic on Shastarian, who chuckled with maniacal glee as her spell neared fruition. Trixiana quickly spat out the words to Polymorph, and when the smoke cleared, Shastarian was nowhere to be found. In her place, however, was a tiny sheep; baaing and stumbling around the floor of the inn. Trixiana ran to Shasmo, who had passed out. She cast her Magic Eyes over her friend’s aura and saw an evil curse. It resisted her first few attempts at removal, but eventually it was dispelled, and Shasmo’s eyes began to flicker as she regained consiousness.
“Wha-, what happened, Trix?”
“Are you OK? Shas has gone crazy! I had to turn her into a sheep and I don’t know whats going on!” Trixiana burst into tears. Shasmo put her arm, the recently-afflicted-but-now-perfectly-fine arm, around her friend, her strength returning to her quickly. “It’s going to be OK, Trix. I don’t know what’s going on either, but it’s going to be OK.”
Shasmo got up off the floor and looked down at Shastarian; still bleating and baaing on the Inn’s rug. “Your magic won’t keep her that way for long, Trix. I think we are going to need some help.” She ran over to the storage closet and pulled out a cat carrier. “Hrm, just big enough, and enchanted to prevent magic. Perfect!”
Trixiana looked at the small sheep with trepidation. “Who do we know that can possibly help?”
Shasmo turned to her with a glint in her eyes. “We take her to Stormwind Cathedral. We’re going to see the Bishop.”
