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Fallen Children Book I: Legacy of Ruin

My first novel, set in the Warcraft universe. I wish I'll be able to publish it some day... This folder will be updated each Friday. If you like the story, feel free to share it to people you think that might also like it, you'd be doing me a tremendous favour!

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Fallen Children Prologue: Hunter and PreyThe monotone beating of the axes resounded through the woods. Elduin could hear it well. The sounds of steel on bark and splintering wood seemed to enter his ears and seep through to his inner being. He endured it like physical pain, like the axes were striking into him instead. The Greenskins who had killed Cenarius, they still had the audacity to come into their woods and cause even more mayhem. Elduin slowly gnashed his teeth and the grip on his staff tightened. The pain was slowly becoming unbearable. The druid's amber eyes searched the trees and he tried to concentrate on something different than the woodcutting Orcs in the distance. He Fallen Children Prologue: Hunter and Prey

Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 1)The Orcduster's tattered sail waved weakly in the soft sea breeze. The previously bright yellow anchor emblem emblazoned on the torn dark green canvas of the sail had gone dull. Stained. It was a sight unfit to represent the proud nation of Kul Tiras. The sorry state of the sail and the battleship it belonged to mirrored the condition of its crew well. The men were working to get supplies from the ship ashore, but there was no true determination in their actions, no joy. They toiled in silence.

Weeks spent drifting aimlessly at sea had made the men weary.

A large part of the crew was already ashore, struggling with crates and supplies and sFallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 1)

Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 2)The treck through the desert was as hard on the footmen as Llorrin had thought it would be. The light ocean breeze was refreshing to most, but did little to cool off the armoured men. What he hadn't estimated was that he would suffer a lot under the heat as well. They'd only been going for about an hour or two, but the young marine already felt he was going to have trouble holding up if the rest of the day was going to carry on like this. The desolate, barren land provided almost no shade at all. This made even the many stops and pauses they had to make to allow Carekon to study something closely or catch up on the map he was drawing unbearabFallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 2)

Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 3)"He must have slipped during the fighting!" Wheann called out, looking around for any signs of the chaplain in the water. He found none.

"Are you filling in for Carekon already?" Irewyth said, raising an eyebrow.

Wheann was visibly shocked at her careless demeanour, but Irewyth disregarded him and thrust her staff in the air. The water started drifting back into the sea as the ice block somehow went against the stream and floated them onto the mainland. The shore was littered with drowned Reavers, and the pits they had appeared from had all been filled up with sea water.

"Good" Chuth growled as he jumped off of the iceblock. "I was gettin'Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 3)

Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 4)The orc was clearly well past his best years. Time had engraved deep lines into his skin, and his imprisonment had only made it more rough and withered. His attire wasn't that of a warrior: no doubt his fighting days were over. The orc's long, wild hair had gone white. It made him look more like some sort of wild beast, which was little more than Llorrin regarded him as. Llorrin was surprised he hadn't noticed the beast's vile stench before. An angry frown appeared on his face as he stepped forward, the men who were still tied up momentarily forgotten. The knife dropped absently from Llorrin's hand for any of the freed men to claim.

"You're Fallen Children Chapter I: Shattered (Part 4)

Fallen Children Chapter II: DeniedLlorrin stared at the half-empty bottle of rum in his hand. He had to remind himself he was sitting in the sand and not the deck of a ship, as the bottle constantly seemed to be enlarging and then shrinking back again before his eyes. The singing of the men around him seemed distant for more than one reason. How could he sit here, pretending to be having fun, when Daelin might very well be dead? He looked over the merry faces of the other marines gathered around the campfire. They had no idea what was going on in his mind. Many men had come to congratulate him and force him to recite versions of his fight against the warlock, which grew shortFallen Children Chapter II: Denied

Fallen Children Chapter III: Shallow HopeElduin soared among the clouds. The air he breathed was clean and the fresh, salty smell of the blue sea below invigorated him, which made a nice change from the orc-infested and demon-tainted woods of Ashenvale. Weeks had passed with almost no sign of the fleet he was supposed to find. Elduin was beginning to fear the storm caused by the Shattering had swallowed them all, like it had drowned the Kul Tiras marines at Tiragarde Keep, the keep Ishrien had claimed to have first heard of this fleet. Tiragarde 'Keep' he thought bitterly. Tiragarde Ruin would be a more fitting name.

The Theramore garrison that had taken command of the empty ruin hFallen Children Chapter III: Shallow Hope

Fallen Children Chapter IV: Total Annihilation (1)The quarterdeck was easily the loneliest place on the ship at this time of day. Hardly anyone ever came there, unless you chose to count the strange company he found himself in. Llorrin stared back into the eyes of the unusually large crow sitting on the railing, only a few feet away from him. He had the impression he caught a certain intelligence in the bird's eyes. Llorrin shook his head. He was likely simply imagining things. He felt if nothing happened soon, he would probably go insane.

They had picked up a lot of survivors in the desert over the course of the last couple of weeks and half a dozen ships had even found their way to CaptaiFallen Children Chapter IV: Total Annihilation (1)

Fallen Children Chapter IV-(2) Total AnnihilationElduin stared back into the eyes of the Sea Giant. Even in the darkness of the cove, the creature's eyes shone bright. Elduin felt his heart pounding in his throat. Even though he was confident in his abilities, this was going to be a hard fight, and his allies' capabilities were doubtful at best.

I have to make this right Elduin thought, gripping his staff more tightly. I may not get another chance at winning their trust.
"You return" the Giant said slowly. He made the grunting noise from before which Elduin now recognized as a laugh. "Druid not wise. This time you no escape."

Elduin's eyes pierced the darkness as easily as they did the lFallen Children Chapter IV-(2) Total Annihilation

Fallen Children Chapter V - DestinyIf captain Adane was happy to see Llorrin, he didn't show it. He looked up from his map –which, in the meantime, had become somewhat closer to being finished- and folded it slowly, taking him in with his dark, almost black eyes.

"Llorrin" he said, with little warmth in his voice. The captain sighed as he looked the lad over. Adane's eyes then strayed briefly to the addled painting on the wall. Llorrin tried hard not to look as well.

"You are late."

"My apologies, captain."

"You have exceeded the time you got for your mission by two weeks. The fact you brought back more ships and survivors than any of the other captains changes littlFallen Children Chapter V - Destiny

Fallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 1)Llorrin returned to his frigate a short time later. Upon reaching his captain's cabin, he didn't even bother to try catching any sleep. He was far too pumped up on adrenaline at the prospect of this new task to even consider it. His frigate, his captain's cabin. Even simply being able to think in such terms was amazing. It felt like all his endeavours over all these years, all the hard work, all the challenges, fights and other hardships had been leading up to this moment. He'd not been able to take this ship to sea yet, but it was said to be the fastest in the modest fleet they'd assembled. Llorrin counted himself lucky the ship had been witFallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 1)

Fallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 2)Looking over his newly assembled crew from the quarterdeck felt amazing. The men were packed closely together, and there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in the mass, which pulled Llorrin's attention to those he knew. Irewyth didn't seem to be looking forward to his upcoming speech. Well, at least it didn't surprise him. The hydromancess was talking to Wheann, who seemed rather uncomfortable. Llorrin guessed Wheann was trying to tell the hydromancess to quiet down because he could start any minute, but the half-elf clearly wasn't having much success.

Chuth was at the front of the pack. The sniper had his fists clenched and was keeping a wary eFallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 2)

Fallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 3)The frigates sailed out of sight of the shore for many miles. By Carekon's estimates the journey back was going to be indefinitely shorter. Not only did they have maps at their disposal, this time the frigates weren't being slowed down by battleships and didn't have to stop at every patch of land or island they came across to explore and stock up on supplies either. Supplies were one thing the crew wouldn't have to worry about, at least, if it hadn't been up to Llorrin. They'd had little reserves to start with, and Llorrin didn't want to waste any time sailing to the small island outposts the expedition had left in their trail.

He'd already Fallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 3)

Fallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 4)All around him, the deck had erupted into chaos. The bodies of several attackers and defenders alike were already strewn across the surface of the Lady Irewyth. Many Naga were climbing aboard, spilling onto the ship's deck from all possible sides. A quick look told Llorrin the other frigate was facing the same problem. The scaly Mur'guls used their sharp little hands and feet to climb the side of the ship while the reptilian Myrmidons and female Sirens pulled themselves onto the deck more slowly, like giant, scaly slugs. Steel clashed against coral blades as gunshots filled the air like the sound of a raging thunderstorm. The cries of man andFallen Children Chapter VI - Cold as Ice (Part 4)

Fallen Children Chapter VII - Scars Are Forever P1"I want to know who fired that shot, and I want to know it now!"

Shouting was painful. Llorrin could feel blood tickling out of his wounds, making his bandages wet and sticky. Their irritating touch only served to rile his anger further.

Llorrin paced back and forth behind his desk, staring his subjects down. He couldn't recall having ever been this beside himself. The looks he was given told him his companions were as alienated by his anger as he was, but there was nothing he could do to help it. Chuth, Irewyth and Wheann all stared at him as though they no longer recognized him, and he was certain Carekon would have done the same if he weFallen Children Chapter VII - Scars Are Forever P1

Fallen Children Chapter VII - Scars Are Forever P2Llorrin didn't sleep very well over the course of the next few days, so he wasn't surprised to find himself lying awake at night yet again. Llorrin could feel his heart beating all the way through to his eardrums, beating, and hurting like he'd been running through the Tanarian desert with a pack of Silithids on his heels for miles. He simply couldn't get himself to relax, and getting frustrated with it only made it worse. His restlessness reminded him of the night before he went on his first sea journey, but he could only wish something as innocent as excitement was the cause of it right now. Deep breaths, trying to think of other things, fFallen Children Chapter VII - Scars Are Forever P2

Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P1The mist was so thick Llorrin could scarcely see the ship's bow from the quarterdeck. The wind was fierce and it had started to rain. It wasn't quite bad enough to be called a storm, but Llorrin had nevertheless gotten soaked within half an hour. He wished he could retreat and put on some dry clothes, but there was no way he was going to give any members of the crew an opportunity of claiming he was 'afraid of a little water' or something along those lines. Under normal circumstances he'd be lenient enough to accept friendly jabs, but, knowing what he knew, there was no way he was going to let anything undermine his already shaky leadership.
Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P1

Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P2Llorrin almost forgot to breathe. After the initial shock had passed, the deck erupted into chaos. Soon, the boats were close enough together to cross, and Llorrin’s bewildered crew quickly began to seek out their mates among the other crew, too impatient to wait for anyone to speak up and give an explanation. Llorrin didn’t try to stop them. From this distance, it was difficult to even tell who had been hung. No doubt everyone feared they’d lost close friends.

Pushing through the mobs, Llorrin quickly found Irewyth, grabbing her rather roughly by the arm and pulling her away from the men, afraid even more chaos could breakFallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P2

Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P3'Do anything that threathens the well-being of our mission, and I swear I’ll kill you myself.’ Is that really me? Did I truly say that? Llorrin thought. Every word he’d spoken to the men still passed through his mind, reminding him of the men’s reactions, the shocked looks on their disillusioned faces. He feared his words might actually incite more mutiny. He’d thought everyone was as zealous as he was when it came to fighting the Horde, but now he feared many of his men would rather stay in denial rather than reach keep Tiragarde and find Elduin’s words to be true. Their loyalty to admiral Daelin was greatFallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P3

Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P4"Could you kill him?"

Irewyth nearly coughed up her food.

“What?” she asked, looking at him.

Llorrin sighed. His heart had skipped a beat. He’d almost dropped the bowl he was feeding her from, and these were his last pair of sheets. She’d smothered the others when trying to eat from a bowl with one hand, forcing Llorrin to help her. It was awkward, but he couldn’t say he minded it. She was still weak and couldn’t hold anything in her right hand, or so she said. Seeing her like this made him reconsider posing the question he was about to ask, but it passed his lips either way.

“Jeredan. Could you kFallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P4

Fallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P5Llorrin watched the corpses hanging from the yardarm, swaying gently in the wind. By this time they had become so badly decomposed that the men’s faces were almost completely unrecognizable, yet he remembered every name. Llorrin had forced himself to learn the names of the mutineers and look at them every day. He muttered them softly at the beginning of the day while most of the crew was still asleep. The wind blew the stench of the corpses in his direction, but he didn’t even flinch. Several of the men were begging for the mutineers to be cut down and thrown into the sea, but Llorrin had refused every request. The grisly reminderFallen Children Chapter VIII - Fading Visions P5

Fallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P1The sun that scorched the quarterdeck was as unforgiving as Llorrin’s conscience. He’d realized too late no one had kept Carekon up to speed on everything that had happened on deck while he was ill. When Llorrin had seen the chaplain’s face as he witnessed the corpses strung up from Jeredan’s ship's mast, he’d made it his task to tell Carekon everything about the mutiny personally… everything except how he’d failed to stand up to Jeredan and had denied Carekon the crusader’s help as a result. That his negligence hadn’t killed Carekon in the end did little to make Llorrin feel better. CareFallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P1

Fallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P2The first to notice the hydromancess' fall was Eryck, an eager marine who’s place was at the wheel of the ship during battle, or whenever Llorrin and Flynt were needed elsewhere. While Eryck lacked the leadership qualities and experience required to truly become his first mate, he had a reputation for being fearless almost to the point of stupidity, and Llorrin trusted him to steer the ship in battle more than Flynt, who didn't have much of a stomach for battle. Llorrin knew this was actually supposed to be his own responsibility as a captain, but since he was almost entirely new to directing a ship in battle he preferred to leave it toFallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P2

Fallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P3Llorrin frowned as he put the ice against his bruised ankle. He’d called for Bors to get him some ice from the hold. Those ships that had a hydromancer on board to make it for them tended to keep some ice on board to quell bruises or conserve food. If they encountered another ship, it could even serve as a valuable trade resource. The ice was put in barrels that was filled with sawdust so it could keep its shape and kept in the darkest and coolest place in the ship. The barrels were enclosed in a way to prevent warm air from reaching it, but even that didn’t stop a lot of it from melting after a while. As soon as the adrenaline haFallen Children Chapter IX - Red Horizon P3

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