The room on the other side of the portal was in a flurry of activity. The moment she and her colleagues burst through the portal they were warned to move aside with cries of "gang way". Elariel scrambled to comply, dodging to the side as a flaming cart flew past, the heat of the flames warming her back in an alarming manner. The portal zipped shut behind it and there was a sudden lull in activity. She noticed Tae'loren talking to one of the dwarves and turned back to make sure her allies were safe. That was when she noticed that they were down two in number.<br/><br/>"Where are Roe'nor and Neras?" She asked, concern clutching at her gut.<br/><br/>"I they were still there when I left," Aidyn supplied, puzzlement warring with concern on his face.<br/><br/>"They entered the portal before me," Solarius frowned as his keen eyes took in their surrounding. "However it appears that I was incorrect." He turned to observe the empty space the portal had previously been occupying. "Perhaps they teleported back to base rather than coming here."<br/><br/>It was with a conflicting sense of relief and annoyance plagued Elariel as her bow lips turned into an irritated grimace. She wouldn't be satisfied that the others were safe until they returned to their base, but she had a strong feeling that Solarius was right. Neras and Roe'nor had been against the plan from the beginning and had made it clear in attitude and deed that they didn't trust the Night Elves. Elariel had to squash down a sense of embarassment at the antics of the two as she turned to Tae'loren and joined him beside the Dwarf. She walked up just in time to receive a wink from the dwarf before he turned and walk away.<br/><br/>"Fortunately the majority of our kind have more honour than those two," Elariel sighed, her voice loud enough for only Tae'loren to hear. "We should return. I won't rest until I'm satisfied they arrived safely. If only so I can fire blast their rotten backsides."<br/><br/>If Tiern, Solarius and Aidyn were shocked by the fact they were allowed to exit the Stronghold unchallenged, they did not show it. It wasn't until they were out in the wild nature surrounding the Stronghold that Aidyn approached Elariel. As they picked out their path over fallen branches and thorny brambles she could sense his unease in his posture. Elariel could understand; she felt as though the terror and filfth of the place clung to her like a second skin. It was difficult to traverse the harsh environment when her insisted on sucking her back into the temple and thoughts of the depravities they had found there.<br/><br/>"The cast... what you discovered..." Aidyn's voice was unusually serious, but given the day Elariel understood why. "We can't use it can we? All of this time, the lives of our colleagues... wasted."<br/><br/>Elariel let out a heavy sigh as she looked at Aidyn. She couldn't help the sag in her shoulders or hesitation in her voice.<br/><br/>"I think we need time to process the information before we call it a waste of time," She twisted her words with as much positivity as she could manage even though she knew it was foolish. "Though it doesn't look promising."<br/><br/>Her last comment received a heavy sigh and a nod before Aidyn dropped back and left Elariel to her thoughts. She looked up ahead at Tae'loren, carving a path through the wilderness before them, and was tempted to catch up to him. She craved company of some form, yet the darkness from the Temple was sucking her into her own mind, her thoughts a vortex of despair and disgust. What she had seen earlier was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It went beyond what she had thought to imagine occuring within those walls. And the magic that the depravity had created, it made every iota of her being shudder in horror. Her mind raced, desperate to find something they could use, something good that could come of that horror, but she knew her hope was misplaced. No good could come of that place. There was no hope in these blasted lands for her devastated people.<br/><br/>~*~<br/><br/>When they reached the farm the blood elves all picked up their pace. On the outside all was quiet, but that wasn't unusual. They weren't there to tend to the land, merely to use the buildings for shelter. Elariel's dark thoughts hadn't lessened from the trip, and the distance from the temple meant nothing. The evil of what she'd seen clung to her like tar. It burned at her skin and she wanted to be free of it. As they entered the farm house she could see the others strides lighten visibly, they may have seen horrors but this was their makeshift home and there was some form of relief to be found here.<br/><br/>"So you returned safely." Roe'nor's voice cut through Elariel's thoughts.<br/><br/>Roe'nor and Neras were waiting for them in the main room of the house. The words made Elariel cringe as she looked at the two males. Their gaze fell upon Tae'loren and their eyes hardened.<br/><br/>"You have not yet betrayed us." Neras stated.<br/><br/>Elariel's mouth opened to shoot him a nasty retort, but then she snapped it shut. She didn't have the energy for them right now.<br/><br/>"I'm going to the river," Elariel announced, walking towards the small corridor that led to the bedrooms. "I need to wash away the evil of the day." She turned towards Aidyn, Teirn, Solarius and Tae'loren (pointedly ignoring the other two). "Meet me outside in five minutes if you wish to come with me."<br/><br/>It took much restraint for her to walk away. The only thing keeping her from tearing Roe'nor and Neras to shreds was the thought of soaking the cares of the day away in the shaded river oasis they used to bathe. She made her way to her room to retrieve her soap and a change of clothes. She looked down at the robes she was wearing and decided that the only way to cleanse them would be to feed them to the fire. She could buy more soon, as it appeared they would be returning to Silvermoon soon. This place no longer held anything for them.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>