<4> Rainier and Vivine rushed out into the hallway, finding a half dozen void elves laying unconscious on the floor, with a seventh completely paralyzed, and an eighth wandering around as a tiny sheep. “That escalated quickly,” Athilis remarked and tugged on one of his gauntlets. “I don’t think any of them got to fire off any alert spells, and there were only about twenty or so members of the order before I left, so we might have some time.” “Not enough to explore this whole damn place,” Rainier spat. “We won’t need to,” Athilis added and stepped to one side, presenting the paralyzed void elf. Only his eyes were able to move. Vivine smiled darkly and drew her daggers. “Give me two minutes with him.” Both Athilis and Gianna arched their brows, but neither of them stopped their mother as she grabbed the void elf by the collar, ending his paralysis before pricking his throat with the tip of one of her daggers. The look in her eyes told him well enough not to make a sound as she dragged him back through the door into the guardhouse and slammed it behind them. Both elves looked at Rainier awkwardly, then flinched as a muffled, masculine scream split the silence. The warrior gestured his thumb at the door. “She always this scary?” Another scream, and Gianna let out a nervous giggle. “Um… only when she’s on a mission I guess.” The screams went quiet, then about thirty seconds later Vivine emerged, flicking blood off of her daggers. “Second room to the right down that hall. There’s a stabilized portal that will take us to Summer.” Athilis watched his mother stride right past him. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” “I was about to,” she admitted. “He squealed just in time to spare his life.” “Think he was telling the truth?” asked Rainier. “Positive.” “Works for me,” he added, the four of them rushing down the hall. Reaching the mentioned door, Vivine grabbed the handle first… but it wouldn’t open. “Locked,” she spat and reached for a pouch on her belt. “No time,” Rainier rumbled, gently nudging her to one side before wedging both swords into the stone floor on either side of them, then using all of his leverage and weight to pour a massive amount of force into a single kick. The wooden door blew clean off of its hinges and sailed into the room, followed by a cry of shock. Athilis dived into the room first, only to find a robed void elf half-crushed on the floor by the broken door. “Two birds with one stone, nice going,” he remarked, grabbing the male void elf’s upper arm and yanking his half-conscious form out from under the door. “Master Drethko, it’s been a while.” Drethko shook his head. “Huh… wha… Athilis…?” “Aww you remembered me. You’re not gonna forget me after this though, I guarantee it.” Athilis looked across the plain room at a drawn circle on the ground, and at its center stood a dark, void-like portal. “Did he do this?” Rainier said, his voice dripping with venom. “He leads this sect, so I imagine so.” Rainier hefted one of his swords, but Athilis stepped backwards. “Not yet. We might need him.” The warrior growled, but stayed his hand. Drethko gradually regained consciousness, only to find himself being dragged toward the portal. “No! No, stop! It’s not time yet! She’s not ready! STOP!” His pleas fell on deaf ears as Athilis dragged him through, stepping out into the shattered room hovering in the void. Vivine, Rainier, and Gianna all followed, and were immediately accosted by an almost deafening thrum. The swirling mass of void energy at the room’s center pulsed like a heartbeat, and was gradually growing larger and larger in size. “DAD!” a familiar shriek just barely cut through the noise. Rainier immediately caught sight of the naked summer, who had freed both of her hands and was struggling to try and tug free her ankles. “SUMMER!” he cried, breaking from the group to sprint across the room… and felt his feet start leaving the ground. A hand suddenly caught him by the wrist, and he looked to see Vivine next to him, pulling him just far enough from the growing mass to allow him to touch the ground again. “Its pull is getting stronger!” the rogue cautioned. “Keep away from it!” Rainier nodded, and alongside Vivine they circled the outer rim of the room, then made a beeline for the stone Summer was tied to. A slice with dagger and sword severed her remaining bonds, and the young blood elf cried out happily as she fell into her father’s arms, plastering him with kisses of gratitude. “We need to get outta here, [i]now[/i],” Rainier said regretfully, but kept her clutched tightly in his arms as he and Vivine started to circle around the room again. All the while, Vivine’s gaze fixated on Summer. The blood elf warrior took note of it, but this was hardly the time to question it. By the entrance, Drethko had begun a fierce struggle against Athilis and Gianna. “NO! STOP! PUT HER BACK! SHE’LL TEAR US APART!” “Oh shut [i]up[/i]!” Gianna barked and shamelessly struck him across the face. Athilis, however, hesitated, sensing genuine fear in the void elf’s voice. “Speak plainly. What the hell did you do?!” Drethko ceased his flailing, breathing heavily. “Our mistress… she’s a being without name who has been granting us knowledge of the void. In exchange, once a year, she requires a sacrifice… and she’s very picky about it.” “WHAT!? Since when!? I was never told of this!” Athilis barked angrily. “You were never deemed trustworthy enough for our darkest knowledge,” Drethko hissed. “Whatever. Why the hell is the portal [i]growing[/i]?” Drethko looked around. “It would appear she’s consumed someone far less to her liking and far too soon. She’s angry… and her portal will only grow until it leeches into our sanctum. She could very easily tear Stormwind apart.