The heavy wooden door slammed shut with an almighty bang, ushering in an irate mage whose grey robes were covered in dirt and pebbles. Elariel watched with interest as Neras cast his eyes around the dimly lit hovel, his expression livid as he looked for someone to thrust his frustrations onto.<br/><br/>"Your mission didn't go well, I take it?" Roe'nor asked, amusement clear in his tone, as he looked at Neras with a single eyebrow raised.<br/><br/>"Well? Not at all," Neras said as he took a deep breath, making a visible effort to control his emotions. "I got halfway to the Black Temple before I ran into a patrol. There were four people in that group and I managed blink past them and right into another patrol. There were more of those decrepit bastards out there then there are flies on horse shit!"<br/><br/>"They've been sending out more and more patrols lately," Rae'nor hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We need to find who ever or what ever is culling their numbers. Until they feel that the threat against them has been reduced we'll have no hopes of getting closer to our goal."<br/><br/>The corner of Elariel's mouth tugged down slightly into a frown as she digested this news. This was the tenth day in a row that her colleagues had failed to get close to Illidan's compound. The frustrations were mounting and the tension between their band was becoming palpable. She brushed a strand of long flaxen hair from her deep blue eyes and cleared her throat.<br/><br/>"I'll go," Elariel said, her voice ringing through the hovel clearly. Neras, Roe'nor and the others looked at her.<br/><br/>"No, we need you here," Roe'nor said dismissively.<br/><br/>"I'm the only one that has gotten within stone's throw of the Temple recently, and I can do the work just as well as anyone in this team," Elariel squared  her shoulders and looked at the two males, daring them to disagree.<br/><br/>Elariel was newer to the group of adventurers than the other members, but no less valuable. The recent decimation of Silvermoon City has cast her from her home and her beloved halls of magical study. She had lost most of the family she had and consequently centuries of emotional connection. The undead had been a blight on Silvermoon and brought despair and pestilence to the whole of Azeroth.<br/><br/>With her old purpose and goals turned to ashes before her, Elariel had turned to her remaining colleagues for support. One of her dearest friends had told her of a group of mages who were studying Illidan in hopes to uncover the source of his phenomenal powers. Once they had discovered the seed of his arcane abilities they would aim to replicate it in order to swell their own abilities and then show the Scourge the same courtesy that they had shown Quel'Thalas.<br/><br/><br/>"You really believe that you can reach the Temple again?" Roe'nor asked, a glint in his eyes telling Elariel that he was considering her offer.<br/><br/>"I do." Her response was firm and confident.<br/><br/>"What about Katrin-"<br/><br/>"I am not Katrin!" Elariel cut off Neras' interjection with acid biting her tone.<br/><br/>"He does have a point," Roe'nor said with an apologetic nod in her direction.<br/><br/>"Of course he does, but regardless of what happened to Katrin we all take a risk when we go out there. Illidan's followers have no qualms killing intruders; male, female or mana wyrm."<br/><br/>Despite her adamant tone, Elariel knew that she had a bit more to be wary of when venturing near the compound. She had been part of the group that had discovered Katrin's body and she well knew what Illidan's soldiers had done before giving her the mercy of ending her life. But Elariel also knew that she had an advantage over the others when it came to getting close to the compound, and she also had something in particular that she wanted to follow up on.<br/><br/>~*~<br/><br/>The group of mages that Elariel was travelling with based themselves in an abandoned traveller's hovel nestled in the foothills of the mountain range to the south-east of the Black Temple. As Elariel travelled she tried to imagine what it was like when it was life and nature in place of barren wastelands. It was a game that Elariel played by herself as she whittled away the easy travel time. When she got closer to the temple she did not do this, she needed to travel wisely and keep alert to the possible danger around her.<br/><br/>The environment afforded very little in the way of protection, and Elariel felt increasingly exposed as she approached the temple. On one of her first missions she had discovered a position which afforded her a decent amount of rock cover and a supreme view of the area. To get there though, she had to risk being exposed to seeking eyes, so she had to do it quickly.<br/><br/>With her grey mottled cloak pulled tightly around her form she made several quick blinks across the desolate landscapes before she broke into a run and finally slid into her hiding spot. With breasts heaving and breath coming hard and fast she turned onto her stomach and peered between the pile of rocks around her.<br/><br/>In their earlier discussion, Roe'nor and Neras had once more made mention of the threat that was instilling caution into Illidan's forces. It was true that they had been increasing their patrols lately, and it was equally true that this was disturbing her group's mission. However, Elariel could not truthfully deny knowledge of the source of this threat.<br/><br/>Elariel had seen the Night Elf hunter on one of her earlier escapades. She had seen him stealthily approach his quarry and take them out before they knew he was there. He had skill, and he seemed to have no purpose other than attacking Illidan's followers. After that initial sighting, she didn't think she would catch him again, but she had once more. As her keen eyes scanned the area around the temple she caught a familiar glimpse of those midnight blue braids trailing behind him as he brought death to two more of his former kin. It was, in a disturbing way, a pleasure to watch the masterwork that he displayed in his craft. From this vantage point the Kaldorei would duck in and out of her view, but within minutes she knew that he had finished his grisly task before moving on. He was moving beyond her scope of view, and she was not yet ready to let him go.<br/><br/>With more instinct than logic Elariel decided to track him. It would take her closer to the Temple and allow her to better sense the powers radiating within, and perhaps she would gain some insight into his mission. If she found a way to keep him from killing Illidan's followers then they would reduce patrols and her own task would become much easier.<br/><br/>Using all of the arcane interventions at her disposal, Elariel made her way down into the area beyond, her concentration set on following the Hunter and avoiding enemy patrols. At this stage she just wanted to observe for a while longer to ascertain his purpose and then she would have to make a decision about what to do with him.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>