That isn't to say that things had not changed with him. Things were different for the sindorei'. He was no longer that bastion of brightness, and his connection with the Light had changed as well. No longer did the Paladin act as a conduit for the healing power of Light's grace. Rather he had harnessed the power of the light as an offensive weapon, sharp and dangerous as any sword. Since the day that Deathwing had cracked the world, and begun to leave swathes of death and destruction behind his massive wings Himni had vowed vengeance, had sworn to seek retribution. For in the sindorei's mind it was the Aspect of Death who'd stolen his friend from him. It was Deathwing who held the key to returning Zuljynn to the world, and so as the combined forces of Azeroth has plunged into the Firelands... Himni had answered the call. That is where the dusk found him. In the smoke filled light of morning he stood atop the hill near Malorne's Sanctuary. Even through the portal the heat was oppressive. The blazing landscape that was the Molten Front would cause even the most sure of heroes to take a deep breath and steel their nerves. Through the portal a blazing elemental collosus was felled by the combined efforts of several heroes, and the hulking behemoth hit the dry dirt with a massive crash. A fresh wave of heat and sulfurous ash flew through the tunnel, and the massive ravasaur on which Himni sat reared slightly.
"Easy Ven," the blood elf murmured softly, "this is the next step. We take the fight to Ragnaros, and Deathwing will be forced to reveal himself. Vengeance will be ours."
The ravasaur raked his claws against the ground, and as the massive bear druid to the left roared, so too did the defenders of Azeroth. As one they charged, into the fiery bowels of Hell itself...
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The massive sword was slippery in his hands. Sweat poured down his face. With a mighty swing he kept the snapping and snarling face of the charhound at bay. He let out a curse as he watched the massive foot of one of the molten behemoths crush the totems of the Tauren shaman who'd been aiding him. Himni lunged, praying that the primal energy summoned up by the totems would not fade instantly, and with a grunt he drove the blade forward, imbuing it with the power of the Light. He felt a surge of exultation as the blade pierced the thick hide of the beast and with a whimper it collapsed. With a howl he wrenched the blade free and spun to cast a blast of holy energy at the massive being of molten lava that bore down on the shaman. Himni watched in amazement as the shaman raised his hand an launched a glove of fire at the being.
"You fool! Fighting fire with fire is an expression!"
But before the sindorei' could even move, chunks of snow and heavy ice balls began to rain down out of the air. The behemoth howled in pain and spun, looking for the offender. Standing atop a outcropping of rock was a small goblin woman, and she grinned with glee as steam erupted from the ground surrounding the behemoth, and slowly, thick lines of ice began to run up the legs of the massive creature. Himni capitalized, running forward and landing a massive blow across the back of the behemoth. Together he and the shaman battered down the elemental. With a chuckle the goblin leapt from the outcropping and with a burst of fire streaming from the boots she was wearing headed back to the budding tree that was the base camp of the strike force. Himni was about to turn and further berate the shaman, but his attention was diverted by the a very strange sight. The massive ravasaur, Veneficus, the mount he'd been responsible for since his friend disappeared beneath the crushing waves of a massive flood, was running down the hill. There was no rider on it's back. Himni raised an eyebrow and began to run, doing everything he could to cut off the beast. The front was swarming with enemies and despite the vicious horn, teeth and spikes... the venomhide ravasaur was incredibly over matched. A Druid of the Flame, wearing a vicious grin stepped forward, hands blazing. Himni pumped his legs harder, sword gripped tightly in his sweaty hands. His concern was unnecesary however. The Druid of the Flame's grin disappeared as the enraged ravasaur stepped right through the blaze and drove its thick horn through the exposed throat of the man staring him down. The druid let out a gurgle and collapsed in a heap. Smiling at the cunning of his mount, Himni rushed up a rock and jumped, landing squarely in the saddle on the back of the beast. Placing a hand on the beasts neck Himni took the reins.
"You shouldn't be down here Ven. It's not safe. That's why we're fighting on foot. Come on, let's get back to the pens."
Himni jerked on the reins, but the ravasaur would not be moved. The reptillian eyes were fixed on the path that led up toward what had been dubbed Forlon Spire. A few days earlier an advance party had been sent up that way to establish a foot hold, and as far as Himni knew no one had come back from that mission.
"There's nothing up there Ven. Come on, let's go bac-"
Veneficus lunged forward, moving purposefully towards the path that led up to Forlorn Spire. Himni with some irritation jerked hard at the reins.
"Ven! Stop it, we're going back to camp. Right now. I... woah!"
The ravasaur craned it's head back and snapped it's jaws. The paladin raised his hands to ward off the bites and then the ravasaur bucked hard. The sindorei' crashed heavily to the ground and watched as the reptillian mount began to hurry up the path.
"Inferal Darkness!" Himni swore, as he hauled himself painfully to his feet and began to trudge up the hill.
At first his pace was slow, his irritation holding him back. But a high pitched reptillian shriek ripped him from his clolud of anger. The ravasaur was in trouble. A sense of duty... duty to an old friend surged within the sindorei's soul, and with a shout he ran forward, wrenching his massive blade from it's scabbard across his back.
"Veneficus!"
The paladin ran, harder than he'd ever run. He rounded a bend and watched as a massive spider, wreathed in flame shot a fiery thread toward the ravasaur, hauling the reptile into the air.
"Ven! No!"
Himni knew there was nothing he could do. No way he could get to the reptile before the spider scurried back up it's pillar and disappeared. Himni began to swear, tears rolling down his face. He'd failed... for the second time. He'd failed that day in Thousand Needles, and now again he failed... Hope was waning, and he stopped watching where he was going. His ankle rolled as it hit a loose rock, and a vicious crack made it clear that the leg was broken. He tried to haul himself to his feet, but the pain kept him low. He blinked away his tears and looked up towards the massive arachnid and the ascending ravasaur.
"Ven... damn it! Zul... I tried... I'm... I'm so sorry. I..."
Then there was a flurry of movement to his right. A figure, dressed in plate armor came leaping through the air, a vicious blade of the finest elementium flashing in the light of the numerous fires that burned throughout the Front. That blade sliced through the fiery fillament, and the ravasaur landed on its feet, skittering away as fast as it could. Himni watched as the arachnid... angered at the loss of it's meal rapidly descended to the ground. The figure in plate mail dipped and darted, and then rolled. The diving roll took the figure underneath the bulbous body of the flame spider, and with a roar the stranger thrust it's blade upwards, rending the spider's abdomen open. Without a second of hesitation the stranger lept clear. The fiery arachnid stumbled around on it's large legs for a moment before collapsing in a heap. Himni, finally able to clear his mind was able to summon a small burst of light's energy to heal his wounded leg. Suddenly a gauntleted hand wrapped around his arm and dragged him to his feet.
"What in the name of Alexstraza are you doing here, elf?" a rasping voice asked from beneath the closed visor of the helmet.
The paladin shook his head to clear the remainder of the tears from his eyes.
"I was chasing that brute. I... he, well... he belonged to a friend, and I--" The blood elf suddenly stopped, and he looked more closely at the armored figure, "what did you call me?"
The stranger didn't respond, but turned to stare out over the Molten Front.
"Damn it! I asked you a question! What is it you just called me! Only one person has ever called me that!"
Still no response from the stranger, and then Himni turned to stare at the ravasaur. The reptiled eyes had not left the back of the stranger. Veneficus knew something. Tears once again filled Himni's eyes and he lunged at the stranger."
"You... bastard!"
The paladin crashed heavily into the other figure, and the pair tumbled off the cliff towards the fiery pools below, landing mere feet from one of the bubbling lava pits. Himni, still weak from his breaking his leg let out an explosive breath, and as he rolled he rolled to stare right at the tip of a sword.
"That, was foolish," was all the rasping voice said.
"To the nether with you, all this time... I saw the flood crush you! I refused to give up hope, for months now I've clung to the idea that you were alive! You bastard! Damn it, you let me believe you were dead!"
"I am dead elf. More than you could ever have imagined."
A hiss as the imposing figure sheathed his blade, and gauntleted hands reached up to remove the helmet. Beneath that helmet was not the face of the proud orc warrior Himni had known. Beneath was a bleached white skull, where eyes should be a gleaming blue flame.
"By the light...."
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