BEYOND THE STARS [2]

EPHEMERIS

QUEST OBJECTIVE: Take advice from the floating head with a grain of salt. 

— A N   H O U R   L A T E R —

"Compared to the bad breath, this is better."

Eona and Shandris stood before an army of Nightmare creatures, laughing maniacally as the forest withered and grew thorned limbs around them. Elven bodies were shed along the ground.

Shandris shot Eona a condescending look. "No. Keep that big mouth of yours shut. You are not jinxing us."

"Oh, you're worried about MY big mouth? I'd rather take the idiots who decided to have a destructive powwow in the forest over breathing poison!" Eona gestured with a lazy hand at a horned satyr who stabbed flowers with a wooden stake.

Shandris slapped a hand to her forehead. "I shouldn't have let you stand next to her for so long. I think you lost brain matter. Why didn't you say anything to her?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I am not going to insult a dragon aspect!" Shandris snapped. An imp had noticed their conversation and bounced over. Without sparing a glance, Shandris flicked a knife in its direction. It wailed as it flailed across the ground. "Half of your family is made up of dragons, it should've come from you!"

"If my mouth is so big, it should've stayed shut! I'm done with delivering bad news to people. From now on, I will be nice, and suffer in silence!" said Eona. A bat infected with red moss flapped over their heads. Eona slipped a crystal out of her pocket, ran her finger along the edge, and flung it into the air. With a squeak, shattered bits of the bat's corpse splattered to the earth.

Shandris shook her head. "Enough with the dragon breath. Let's focus on the task at hand: the Tear of Elune is up there, in those ruins," she jut her chin up the wilting hill, past sickly trees and cackling satyrs toward marbled ruins. "Think your ass can make it up there?"

Eona shrugged. "My ass has made it in worse places."

"I know. It's kind of hard not to stare at it," said Shandris. "I'll enjoy the view and cover you if you do your sneaky-sneaky thing up the hill."

Eona closed her eyes. For once, she was thankful Anduin wasn't present. She wondered how he would've reacted to Shandris' playful quips.

"All right...just don't stare too much."

Eona crouched into the shadows and sprang forward. Shandris followed from behind. The tall warrior turned into a violet-blue streak as her blade cut through branch and bone.

Eona leapt over massive roots and weaved between corrupted flora and fauna. She fought against the urge to look back and assist Shandris. The night elf's blades hacked into foes with loud snaps and gurgling crunches.

Gnarled roots slithered toward the ruins like a legion of snakes. Eona's ears flattened as she sprinted.

"I have news — oh, my! It looks like you have a weed problem."

Eona swerved. At the sound of Khadgar's voice, her foot slipped and slammed into a chunk of a broken pillar. White-hot pain flashed.

"Ow!" Eona stopped her ascent, jumping as she held her foot. The tendrils of shadow that kept her hidden wafted away like smoke.

Khadgar's head bobbed before her in a bright, violet bubble. "Are you all right? Are you hurt? I'll send reinforcements straight away, let me summon the entire priest ward —!"

"I'm fine! I stubbed my toe!" Eona hissed through gritted teeth.

Behind Khadgar's floating head, Shandris was laughing noiselessly at Eona, holding her stomach. Then a menacing plant approached from behind. Its branches swiped at Shandris. Her attention left Eona.