Stitches

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

"Whew! What a fight, huh?"

There was no possible way Melody was involved in that fight at all. The fact alone that she casually sauntered up after Thalion dealt the killing blow to the Doomguard was more than enough to suggest that she actually sat back and watched instead of getting involved, but that did not explain why she was enveloped in viscera. Deep greenish stains littered her Chi-ji uniform and there were pieces of demon stuck in crevices, tangled in her hair, clinging to those sharpened teeth that were settled into an ecstatic shit-eating grin. She held the self-confidence of someone who had done something during the battle that greatly ameliorated her own situation, and the smugness of someone who wasn't going to tell - even if her life depended on it. She walked with a slow, contented gait and peered across the bloodied and wounded squadron, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Her gaze slipped up to the temple of Elune with the same thoughtfulness before she rather jovially shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I have my orders now...I guess it's time to get to work."

Melody's arrival on the battlefield (or perhaps her decision to make her presence known, given she had clearly fought some demons recently) did not stop the greatly lessened flow of demons out of the portal. For the first time, the Wardens and their mercenaries were able to see what it was that made such an impish and intolerable forsaken actually useful for the team. As her black leathery tongue ran down the length of her felblood-soaked claws, Melody's eyes widened as her coy grin turned into a wide and excited smile. She wheeled around and dashed eagerly into the fray, giggling as she went. Those with a magical inclination would be able to feel the sudden swell of energy, the purity of Chi building to a very dangerous level within the forsaken - to the point where wisps of jade smoke were hissing through her exposed joints and the holes scattered around her face. The first demon she came into contact with received a shoulder tackle that shouldn't have thrown it back as far as it did, considering Melody's size. Her momentum was lessened upon impact and she used this to suddenly change direction and launch herself onto the succubus adjacent to her, teeth sinking in and ripping out her throat in a glut of green blood whilst her talons eagerly dug into the succubus' exposed midriff and disembowelled her. Fists still embedded in the corpse of her first kill, Melody suddenly pulled the body close to her and used it as a meat-shield to stop the blade of the felguard which followed.

She said something to her new foe that couldn't be heard over the battle as she shook the pieces of meat off her arms. The Felguard was quick to try and cleave Melody in twain, but Melody was quicker; she hopped backwards and then sprinted up the edge of the weapon, slicing her own feet to jump-kick the Felguard in the jaw. Her feet were glowing with the same unearthly power that she was oozing from her body, and the observant may note how those deep gashes in her soles were already healing as the foot collided with the Felguard's jaw and sent his head to the side with such vicious force that the neck snapped. Melody cheered with childish joy as she balanced perfectly on the falling body, immediately jumping onto a hungry Felhound which sought to ambush her during the descent. Instead of killing this one though, she grabbed the mana-siphoning suckers and pulled sharply. The beast reared up in pain and was driven into a frenzy as Melody ripped the appendages clean off, clinging onto its horns for dear life as it snapped and ripped into a small pack of imps unfortunate enough to be in the way.

This explained why Melody arrived covered in gore, and her cheery demeanour - the girl was completely bonkers. At least the demons were purely focused on killing the others; Melody was torturing this Felhound, sadistically using it to get rid of other demons. Judging by the peal of elated laughter that could be heard over the roars of the beast, the depraved monk actually revelled in the carnage. Coupled with the augmented strength and speed granted to her by the overpowering aura of Chi energy, it became apparent why Khadgar decided to send Melody into the battle instead of a calmer, saner monk; Melody fought like a demon.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

still here, just busy.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

I am not trying to make my (or anyone else's) characters sound OP, it was merely a threat. I do not expect anyone in the dining room to have the kind of power that can turn an enemy into a pile of ash. I am hoping to go with the "Player Hero" from the game while keeping everything challenging for all of us and the such.

In the current World of Warcraft expansion, the player has met Khadgar and he is working with the Wardens. I am trying to implement some of that.

@Andromedai

Tbh it's not that difficult with Melody, given the crap she pours down her gullet. Yeah, I was getting the feeling that our group is 'above average' when it comes to power level. I'll keep that in mind when I'm writing later on.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

Nice, the wardens don't fuck around! I'll give it a few days before replying but i was expecting that level of smackdown. Plus it was pretty informative in terms of how powerful we are; does that make us the player 'hero' from the actual game, or perhaps a few ranks below old God slaying and the likes?

I love how Melody is buddies with Khadgar, that little shit probably thought it'd be REALLY funny to send Melody out there. Brilliant.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

@Zelosse That's completely up to you, man. Either way I'm getting the reaction I hoped for - a firm and resounding "ew" from anyone with a beating heart. It doesn't really matter which order the posts come in, so long as they react and progress the story. If you've got the hype to post, then get writing!

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

Rina was arguably one of the most tolerant towards Melody’s eccentric greeting; she received glares and looks ranging from outright dislike to plain bewilderment – the only reaction she truly seemed to notice, however, was Thalion’s visible retreat behind Alina. Something changed in Melody’s demeanour; there was a crafty glint in her eye, and the drunken movements seemed a lot more sinister as if she was a poorly controlled marionette, and her unsteady gait was the fault of a poor puppet master. She wheeled around to face Thalion, but not approach him. The grin revealed those strikingly bright set of pointed teeth, and her voice dropped into an affectionate, breathy whisper. “How now,” she crooned, “I didn’t mean to scare you, and I’m afraid disgust is part of the package...” She took two steps forward, completely forgetting about her bottle which hung loosely in her hand, “But do you really think they’d send a member of the undead to work alongside priests and paladins just for the sake of it?” She paused in her approach, her grin settling into a pitying smile as she continued, “Or are you smart enough to consider that maybe, just maybe, they sent an undead with enough tricks up her sleeve to be able to shrug off the obvious and purely accidental smiting she’ll receive in the not-so-distant future?” Melody made an exaggerated, mocking shrug and raised her voice again, idly finishing her thinly-veiled warning with a nonchalant “Food for thought.”

Luckily, a Felbat descended upon the stronghold and rather efficiently replaced the growing tension with outright danger. The Wardens were slow to react, in Melody’s opinion, as the rider managed to get into a dive just as the attacks were called off. This provoked another amused chuckle as she waved her bottle in the brooding demon hunter’s general direction, effortlessly falling back into the ‘silly drunk’ routine (rather conveniently timed with Solares’ approach of the group) and asked “How come SHE doesn’t have to take the main gate? Is that elf privilege?”

Melody became remarkably disinterested in what the Warden Solares had to say the moment she uttered the word ‘rules’. Instead, the Forsaken wandered around the group, inspecting each member closely and smiling to herself. Her opinions on the others remained a mystery, since every time she approached a new member her reaction was simply to smile warmly and walk off again. Once Solares finished talking, Melody raised her hand in the air like a timid schoolgirl. “I never wanted to be a part of this assignment, does this mean I can leave?” she inquired jovially, and kept up that silly grin as Solares vanished into the Stronghold. Curiously enough, Melody seemed more than happy to take the subtle signs and tailed near the back of the group. She clearly and rather politely remained as far away from Thalion as possible without leaving his line of sight; she kept her back turned to him as well in an unspoken gesture of what could be trust but probably isn’t.

Aside from respecting the Blood Elf’s wishes, Melody showed much more interest in her surroundings than her partners. She whipped out a little book from her belt which turned out to be a notepad instead of a prayer book, and wrote down little scratchy notes for each room – including the corridors and stairs. This didn’t stop her from putting in her own two cents every so often, as she interrupted the tour to observe that, “for a bunch of soldiers, you Wardens do seem to be much more spoilt than the rest of the troops.” At least she had rightly figured out that her guide wasn’t going to answer, since she didn’t provoke her any further than that.

As Nesella finished her speech Melody looked surprised, deciding to address her squadmates-to-be. “Did anyone else notice that...oh, nevermind.” At the last minute, Melody changed her mind and shook her head with a smile. “You’ll find out for yourselves soon enough,” she chimed as she skipped into the dining hall, gasping with awe. “Lookit all this food I can’t eat!” she cried cheerily, immediately grabbing a chair and dragging it over to sit right next to Solares like an eager child. Curiously enough, she turned the chair back-to-front to sit on it instead of sitting like a normal person; and even then, she crouched on the seat instead of actually sitting down. Her movements were restless and ironically lively for a corpse as she snatched a fork to play with whilst everyone else ate.

It didn’t take long for Melody to start bombarding Solares with questions. “You know, with this much food and medical supplies you could almost definitely contribute to the war effort in a much better way than you’re doing right now. Why are the Wardens hoarding all of this stuff up instead of distributing the surplus to the front-lines? Do you really need roasted talbuk?” Melody gestured with the fork towards one of the plates assembled across the table. “You’re also being pretty guarded about whatever the mission entails and – by the looks of it – you’re gaining our favour through fancy meals before plunging into the nitty-gritty, which suggests whatever it is you want us to do it’s bound to be incredibly dangerous and difficult. So why risk sending a dysfunctional group of aloof, brooding and possibly incompetent war veterans instead of one of your finest Warden taskforces? Well, I think I know why, we’re expendable right? Light forbid you lose some decent warriors, so let’s just send whatever else Azeroth can muster up to do the hard work for you whilst you sit in your castle and, uh...scheme?” Melody suddenly lobbed the fork across the table and grabbed her hipflask, guzzling the contents greedily. When she stopped she burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, leaning back a little in her seat to make the chair rock precariously on its edge.

“More importantly...” Melody leant forward, putting her face to Solares’ ear. The balance it must take to keep that chair at such an angle is impressive, especially considering how little control Melody exercised over her movements previously. She lowered her voice to barely a whisper, clearly gossiping in front of everyone assembled. “...Why did you pick me, of all people? Do you really think I’m doing this out of love or money? Do you think I will listen to your orders? Don’t answer that question in public; I want you to think it over and tell me the answer privately before you send me out to die again. None of this pre-meditated bullshit about being ‘a brave hero’ that I hear from other generals, since you’re honestly better than that. I want to hear, in your own words, why you thought of ME when you were sending those letters.”

Melody leant forward again and the chair clunked back into place. She raised her voice into a more conversational tone. “After all, I don’t want to disappoint you.” She smiled and gave two thumbs up.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

No offence taken - I don't give two shits about whether or not my character's all upset. Ic =/= OOC, after all! Besides, I doubt she deserves a feast given all the snide remarks I'm writing for this post. xD

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

Hey, cool. I was just about to write a reply when part 2 was posted - it's woefully under-appreciative of the undead in the room though! That's perfectly fine, Melody and Rina can have a food fight in the background.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

Along with this, I think it's important to note that for foresaken or death knights, healing you isn't going to be that pleasant, at least if it's coming from Alina. From what I researched on the light, both can be healed by it, but it'll feel like the wound is being cauterized, meaning it's gonna burn. So f/when the time comes, I think she'll have fun with it.

@MechonRaptor

S'why Melody learnt how to Mistweave. Less of the burning, more of the healing! Just don't inhale the fumes.

I'm not looking forward to Thalions involvement with the monk.. something tells me our difference of opinion, and Thalions ultimate distrust of the Banshee queen, will have disastrous consequences

@Zelosse

'The Monk' - how ominous. Funnily enough, Melody physically can't get pissed off and broody. She will rather cheerily call you an asshole and explain why you are wrong, but she can't sulk.

And let's be honest - anything Melody does will inevitably have disastrous consequences, it's only a matter of time.

Warcraft: Legions Gambit

“You weren’t meant to kill the bird, Miss Hillsborough.”

Tamuk Ironhorn peered up at the figure in the gloom with exasperation, the parchment that the messenger bird carried held loosely in his fist. There was a low, creaking groan and an odd dripping noise; a putrid puddle of liquid was spreading slowly across the stone tiles, mixing with the blood of the dead creature. The room reeked of chemical fumes, embalming fluid and rot. “It is common courtesy to send the bird back to its owner instead of ripping its head off.”

“It’s MORE common courtesy to avoid sending a rat with wings to land on someone’s desk, Tamukie!” trilled a voice in the darkness, somewhere high above his head. There was another groan and more drips fell from above, hitting the puddle with faint plopping noises. Tamuk sighed, pressing a handkerchief to his nose and looking down at the (slightly bloodstained) letter once more.

“Is there anything I can say that will change your mind?”

“Prob’ly not. Now, when do I get back to killing demons?”

“You must finish cleaning yourself, to avoid any fire hazar-“

“PISH POSH!” cried Melody, another flush of chemicals splashing onto the floor. “You just want to rope me into helping the Wardens. It’s not going to work; Lady Windrunner demands me participation in the battle against the Legion. Why should I leave the Dark Lady’s side for a woman I have never heard of, demanding my presence without any context, and a vague reward of payment? Payment? What do I need money for?”

Tamuk rubbed his snout wearily. “Miss Hillsborough, the Wardens play a crucial role in the battle against the Legion. By helping them, you – by extent – are fighting the Legi-“

There were a series of rapid clicks, the sound of iron chains turning and a low whooshing sound. The undead swooped down, hooked onto a heavy-link chain upside-down. Her bony fingers wrapped around Tamuk’s horns, her metal talons clicking against the protrusions as her gaunt, hollowed face and dimmed yellow eyes were so close to the astonished Tauren that he could see every leathery crease of the skin on top of her sunken nose. “I’ll do it,” she breathed reverently, a wash of alcohol fumes invading his nostrils. “Take me to their island.”

The next day, Melody was staring down the receiving end of a longbow and the inscrutable, helmeted gaze of one of the Wardens patrolling the walls of the Stronghold. She grinned sheepishly, revealing row upon row of false fanged teeth. The Warden did not move. Neither did Melody. The silence stretched out for several minutes before an irritated sigh whistled through Melody’s nose and a pout graced her waxy features. “Fiiiine, I’ll take the main gate,” muttered the Forsaken as she began to climb down the castle wall again. She grumbled the whole way. Waving up to the stony guards watching her every move, Melody paced deliberately across the threshold and into the lavish courtyard. She staggered across the pavement, slugging back a hipflask of unknown origin. She was wearing the finest Chi-ji combat armour, a crop of well-washed and neat black hair adorning her greenish face. A big sappy smile was plastered onto her features and her dull yellow eyes slid from the elves, to the Human, and the Draenei. “HOW NOW!” hollered the forsaken, waving her hipflask in the air as she approached the group.

“You all look...far. Too. Grumpy,” announced Melody, pointing first to Rina, then to Alina, and finally Thalion. “And is that demon blood?” she asked, immediately approaching Eantu and swiping a finger across the armour plating. She popped the bony digit – talon and all – into her open mouth and licked her lips, beaming. “Tasty!” Her gaze swept across the group again and she took a moment to swig some more of her drink, giggling to herself. “The looks, the LOOKS on your faces are so precious. S’matter, never seen a drunk zombie monk before? And I thought you were veterans. Come now,” Melody turned around and peered up at Rina, reaching up as if she was heading to stroke her cheek only to swiftly pull her hand away and smile. “We’ll be working very, very closely together indeed. So introductions are in order! I’m Miss Hillsborough, Melody Hillsborough – but you might know me as The Drunken Forsaken.”

The title was certainly well-known in the Horde’s taverns, but it seemed more like a ridiculous myth than a legendary battlesong of a hero. Melody sounded drunk, looked drunk, and certainly smelled like a drunkard but there was no denying that the large majority of these sea shanties and pub songs highlighted the fearsome might, speed and agility of the intrepid protagonist, as if her stupor heightened her ability to lay waste to her foes. But surely it must be exaggerated; the waif of a Forsaken looked absolutely harmless, and if anything a little pathetic. She could barely stand straight, constantly shifting her weight and fidgeting. Melody sniggered to herself again and peered inquisitively at Alina, who was a little ways off from the group. “What’s up with the priest? I think she thinks you smell, deadie,” remarked Melody idly, jerking a thumb towards Rina.