Commander Pinter Ch. 06

Corneas and Jeezelrod bunched together, breaking their respective spells.

Jarvus collapsed and returned to his human form. Pinter fell flat on her stomach, mostly out of her mind still, but her rational thought slowly returned with the spell finally broken. She forced herself to cough up whatever was left that the Ogre had shot inside her, and she gagged up the last little bit. She was never more pissed off in her life, but she didn't have the strength yet to stand.

The two Ogres advanced on the adventurers, but Fitzzlenoob raised a wall of purple flame around them. Then he snapped his fingers, and his six-armed demoness whinnied a war cry as she spun through the fire, assailing the two Ogres who stopped in shock.

It was enough for the Saberon to leap through the purple flame and attack while they were too distracted. He clung to the gray Ogre's chest, sank his fang's into his neck, and tore the Ogre's throat clean out. He jumped onto the brown Ogre's head as the demoness swung two of her swords into his belly. Soon the brown Ogre was a pile of flesh on the throne room floor.

Corneas and Jeezelrod stood side by side, about to go invisible. But Voren had recovered from casting his spell on the Sorcerer King, and he inhaled deep and quick. The mage exhaled like a dragon. Orange fire swept around the two rogues, who screamed as their flesh charred and cracked. Voren snapped his fingers and blinked out of the ring of purple fire. He stood right in front of the two rogues, and he swept his right arm in an arc, casting a wall of frost over Corneas and Jeezelrod. They were frozen firmly in place. Voren snapped his fingers again, and he was back inside the ring of purple flame.

Balthus saw Pinter lying Prone on the floor. He had no idea what she had just endured, but he sent a clean wave of healing over the exhausted hunter.

Pinter's resilience returned like a charging talbuk. She found her feet, not worrying about her missing leggings or being naked from the waist down. She found the Sorcerer King curled on the floor, howling in agony with the frozen mass of his cock still stuck to his hand. She kicked him once hard in the belly. The Sorcerer King cried out. She kicked him again. And again. She kicked his chest. His ribs. His mangled crotch. She kicked him until blood spurted out of his mouth and his teeth were stained red. She kicked him until he hurt so much he couldn't cry anymore.

"You like to watch?" Pinter asked him. The Sorcerer King's eyes moved up to hers. She met them, and she glared deep into his soul. In that moment, he knew she was the one who would kill him. "You like to watch so much? Watch this."

Pinter rammed her foot down on his hand, shattering the frozen cock. Then she kicked the Sorcerer King square in the eye. He didn't move again.

"Jarvus!"

Anna ran from the purple flame and found her brother lying on the floor in his human form. She picked him up and held him, and he beamed with shock and disbelief. "Anna?"

Anna nodded through her joyous tears. Jarvus laughed, hardly able to contain his own swelling emotions, and they embraced.

Fitzzlenoob lowered his flames. He pointed at the doorway to the throne room. His demoness nodded, and she moved to guard the room's only entrance.

The Saberon ran to Pinter's side, and he hugged her. At any other time she would have loved the feel of his warm, blanket-like fur again, but she was in no mood for male contact. She shoved the Saberon away, and she immediately felt her remorse ignite at the base of her neck. He hadn't done anything to her. She just needed her space. But still, the humanoid cat cowered a few feet from her with eyes so pleading and sorry. Pinter knelt in front of him with her hand extended. "I'm sorry, you," Pinter said. "It's been a rough day."

The Saberon's tail flicked back and forth. He licked his nose, and he bounded away to join the demoness guarding the doorway.

Balthus and Voren walked to her. "In the nick of time," Balthus said. "Excellent work, Commander. I mean it."

Pinter collected her leggings and stood. "Thank you, but, go fuck yourself," she said. "Just...yeah. Go fuck yourself."

Balthus only nodded as Pinter walked off on her own. She stopped, realizing something. "Where's Mandala?"

Silence greeted her. Pinter's heart sank.

* * *

They walked all the way back through the Walled City. It was a ghost town, as if the Ogres of Highmaul knew that their Sorcerer King had been killed and had fled from the heroes who were making their way back. The adventurers walked in silence, Pinter leading the way, the Saberon bringing up the rear, Jarvus and Anna quiet in each other's arms, in Human form.

Pinter wondered what was left for her on Draenor if her best friend was dead, if this was what the dangers that waited for her planned to do with her. Pinter was through. They would find their way back to Khadgar and she would quit. Someone else, maybe Voren, could take up the mantle of Commander and lead the Alliance forces to victory over Grommash and his Iron Horde. Pinter wanted nothing else to do with it. At least she had the satisfaction of ending the monsters who had violated her. She could take that home to Azeroth, along with the trophies she had collected here in Highmaul. She had removed the shoulders of the Twin Ogron and knew she could make a substantial bow from the horned shells. She would only use it to hunt Elwynn Forest wolves. She was through with adventuring. She would settle down, but then just the thought of doing so without searching Frostfire Ridge one more time, or of listening to that wonderful Draenei laugh at dinnertime ruptured a void in Pinter's chest. She was alone. But she was through. That's all that mattered now.

As they neared the gates of the city the clamor of battle and the rattle of armor greeted them. They reached the top of a small rise in the street, and the rest of the way was filled with Sotrmshield soldiers cleaning up whatever scant resistance remained in the Ogres. A platoon of troops jogged steadily past the adventurers, saluting Pinter as they passed. She only nodded, and they continued to the gates in silence.

Yrel was waiting for them, the Draenei paladin who had risen from nothing in Tanaan but who was fast-tracked now for the Exarch trials. She stepped forward to greet Pinter. "Commander," Yrel said. "Well done."

Pinter brushed her off. She found a low wall, and she sat down hard. She buried her face in her hands. And she cried.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. Pinter moved away, and someone sat next to her. She was lost in her sobbing. The entirety of the last few days welled forth, and she couldn't control it. It had to come out. For better or worse, she had to do this.

Pinter heard nothing but her own sobs. She heard nothing of what the others said. She couldn't hear who was sitting next to her. She only felt the person move closer again, and put an arm around her.

Pinter raised up, making to shove away whoever it was.

Two deep blue eyes glowed at her from the purple face of a smiling Draenei. "Pinter," Mandala smiled.

Pinter lunged. She threw her arms around her friend. And she kissed her. She kissed her shamelessly. She kissed her joyously. She kissed Mandala and drank every ounce of sweetness on those soft Draenei lips. Mandala held Pinter tight and kissed her in return, holding her friend close, not letting her get away. Finally they broke apart, and Pinter beamed into those wonderful blue eyes.

"I love you," Pinter said.

"I guess I love you, too," Mandala said, and they laughed, and they embraced once more.

Pinter would fight on. She knew then and there. As long as this world was full of dangers like the ones she had faced in Highmaul, she would carry on and destroy them. She would see it through. What Mandala said the other night rang in Pinter's head. She was not alone. Her friends and allies would help her, and they would cleanse this world of Grommash's tyranny. With Mandala at her side - with her friend at her side - they would be unstoppable. She absorbed Mandala's wonderful body heat, and she kissed her one more time.

"Commander, ma'am?" Jarvus and Anna stood nearby with the others.

"Yes?" Pinter said, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

"We want to join you," Anna said. "All of us do. In your garrison."

"If you will have us," Balthus said, bowing low and subordinate.

Pinter looked behind them. The Saberon was gone, but she knew he would follow her, wherever she went, in his own strange way. "Yes," Pinter said. "I will have you."

The moon peeked through a cloud just then, casting dim light on the seven adventurers. On Pinter's new family.