User:Khandivya/The End

''((I started writing this before November, and ended it just now because I'm avoiding my NaNo novel >.> <.<. Just a teaser. No one knows what I have planned...no one! bwahahaha!))''

Keishe sat at one of the far back benches of the White Kodo guild hall. When people passed by her on their way to the kitchen or the stairs leading to the upper balcony, they often thought about the bench, wondering if it was developing an imprint of her backside from all the time she had spent sitting there. Friends greeting her had been met with a gruff grunt at best, and had been ignored at worst. Tati had taken to bringing her food and taking the bowls away hours later, half-eaten or untouched.

When asked about what she was working on that grabbed her attention, Keishe would look at the person briefly and then go back to her work. Or she would grunt. Or she would ignore them. Tati promised that the young engineer went to bed at night, but no one other than her had witnessed it, so the “When will Keishe Sleep” pool was still sitting unclaimed.

The story was that Keishe had come back from the gnomish fortress a little different. She had always cared little for the feelings of others, but now she was quiet about it. Instead of the boisterous, obnoxious, annoying red head, she had become reserved and started keeping to herself. Rumours abound said that she had found something at the gnomish engineering headquarters that she had been working on furiously since. Others still said that she had woken up in the night and dreamt of a trinket so powerful it would put all of Azeroth in fear. A small minority said that Keishe had felt so guilty over the kidnapping of Tati that she had shut off from the world. The latter group wasn’t really believed; most people thought Keishe was too uncaring to feel guilt. An even yet smaller minority, made up of exactly zero people, knew that all three were correct.

On the week it all ended Tati walked carefully down the stairs from the upper balcony, trying to suppress a yawn as she watched her step. The yawn forced itself out anyway, born of a sleepless night with the mage, and combined with Keishe constantly turning on the lights to write down something brilliant that had just come to mind. The yawn left as quickly as it had come and Tati rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep from them. Looking around the hall she saw a few people still eating breakfast. Kathek and Ishuna sat on opposite sides of the hall, trying desperately to ignore each other. Bronwyn and Spartan saw next to each other, talking excitedly over some map that the Lady had found. Khandivya sat alone at the table closest to the stairs, and it looked like she had just finished her morning meal.

“Morning Tati, sleep…” Tati yawned again, it came on suddenly without warning. “well? I guess not. Come sit down you poor dear, I’ll get you some food. The porridge is delicious this morning, I think someone found a good crop of berries yesterday!”

Tati nodded sleepily and sat down next to the warrior as Khan stood up to get Tati some food. Moments later she was back with a steaming, lumpy bowl of beige and purple food.

“Seen Keishe this morning? She isn’t at her normal seat.” Khan looked to her right at the spot that Keishe had occupied for the last few weeks.

“Yes…I saw Keishe about three times this morning, each time more annoying than the last!” Tati replied hastily. Khan lurched back a bit at the unexpected outburst from the normally cheery troll.

Tati sighed. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it Khan…it’s just so frustrating some nights.” She looked down at her bowl of oats and spooned the mixture around a bit. “Some days I wish she’d just give up on whatever she’s making, others I wish she’d finish it so we could get back to our life.”

Compassion washed over Khan’s face, and she put her arm around the priestess. “Don’t worry dear, it’ll be ok soon, I’m sure of it. She’s a caring girl, and she’ll soon see your frustration.”

Tati was one of the more naïve people in the guild, but sometimes she thought that Khan might be more so. She always thought the best of Keishe, even when the young mage had done something that others would have sworn would have sent Khan into a murderous rage. She seemed to have blinders on for her sister, insisting that the uncaring, arrogant side of her didn’t exist.

“Yeah…I’m sure you’re right.” Tati took a tentative spoonful towards her mouth, blew on it to cool it down and then sucked it back. “I just wish it was now.”

“I know, dear, I know.”

A small knock at the wide open front door echoed through the room. Khan looked up and saw that everyone else was also looking. At the doorway stood a small creature, a small pink creature with flowing red robes and a bald head. A small pink gnome shaped creature. A collective gasp flowed through the room. Khan felt her muscles tense up, gnomes were high on her list of “aim to kill” creatures, more so if they dared to violate the sanctity of this, her home.

The creature made a tiny sound, like it was clearing its throat and then spoke in a voice, small and squeaky, yet made louder by the force the thing put into it. “I am looking for the one they call Keishe.”

Khan was taken aback. Why would a gnome be looking for Keis—those bastards have came to take her back! I’ll kill every last one of them! She leapt up from her bench at the back of the room and marched forward towards the gnome, rage building in her powerful body.

“Are you her? No, you couldn’t be. There is no magic to you, only anger.” The gnome continued talking, dismissing Khan as she got closer and drew her massive sword. “I am looking for Keishe, she is in terrible danger herself and is putting the rest of the world in danger as well.”

Khan stopped. Barely containing her gut reaction to kill the small thing, she asked “What do you mean, gnome?”

“What does it matter to you, warrior?” The gnome sneered in disgust.

“Keishe is my sister…if you’ve done something to her, you won’t leave here with a head, or arms, or legs.” She stood stock still, providing the gnome with no clues as to how she would strike.

“Ahh. So you haven’t seen her then?” Inquisitiveness.

Khan turned her shoulder and pointed to the back room. “She’s sat there for days. This morning, nothing.”

“Ah.” Just that syllable. “We must talk then.” He nodded at a nearby empty table.

Khan didn’t move. “Talk then. And then get out.”

He reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of paper. “I found this paper this morning. My guild had sensed a massive source of magical energy and I was sent to investigate. When I found the site, I found only this paper. It contains the White Kodo letter head and is signed by Keishe. Near the paper was a small black crater.” He stopped talking, leaving many things unsaid.

Khan’s shoulders dropped, her anger dropped and was replaced with terror and concern for the sister she’d hardly gotten to know. “She’s…dead?” The words choked out of her throat like poison.

The gnome looked at her, his features grave. “I don’t believe so. But she will be soon if we don’t act. And so will everyone else.”

“What’s happened to her?”

“She has discovered how to teleport herself in time.”

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