Ae'oleth was right- Elariel did not like what she saw or smelled. She was the first to take his hand and be assisted into the chute. She averted her gaze from the corpses as she did so, knowing what they were but not wanting to process it when she had to concentrate on safety. In the chute the smell was even worse, and Ae'oleth's warning that things beyond the chute would be even more dire did not inspire hope in her. She had been interested to hear that he and Tae'loren were planning to retrieve as many lives within the area as they could. When Elariel had spotted Tae'loren putting his enemies to sleep the day before she had no idea what sort of mission she was on. Now the fact that he hadn't killed them made sense. As her colleagues joined her in the chute her mind flicked back to the pile of corpses on the floor, and how many of the protruding and disfigured limbs had the same evening hue to their cold skin as Tae'loren had to his. He had also mentioned that he had rescued Ae'oleth from the temple.<br/><br/>Their missions, it seemed, were more similar than she had imagined. Even though she and her colleagues had not intended to retrieve or rescue any one for the temple, Elariel's sole purpose in the area was to research Illidan's magical source in order to harness it and use it to save her own people. Both groups were doing what they could to  help their own race; their purposes were complimentary and she was glad of it. It was one more reason to show her she had made the right decision in trusting Tae'loren. She only hoped her colleagues agreed.<br/><br/>Moving through the tunnel inspired an unfounded sense of claustrophobia in the female elf. Her breathing was shallow and through barely parted lips; the offensive smells somewhat better when not inhaled through her nostrils. It was dark in there and the walls were covered by some sort of gore that would have looked as bad as it smelled had the chute been filled with light. Elariel tried as hard as she could to avoid touching those walls, but every now and again she would slip on something grimy beneath her and reach out to steady herself. Each time she wiped her hands on the back of her robes and decided that she wouldn't bother keeping them once they were done.<br/><br/>The silent planning that Tae'loren and Ae'oleth did showed Elariel that they had worked together for some time. They barely needed to motion at all, and their communication was neat and quick. She wondered if they knew each other before the temple, realising that she knew nothing about Tae'loren. After looking at the plan, she decided to have a go at some silent communication herself. She motioned to either her mouth or eyes, tapped the enemies plotted on the map, and then pointed to each of her colleagues. She then paired them up and led them to the edge of the grate. Crouching low in the grate beside Solarius, she looked down into the room and had to stop herself from gasping aloud. Horror sizzled through her body as she saw the discarded bodies lying around and the poor souls who were still alive but barely intact. What ever Illidan and his troops were doing here was beyond evil, and unfortunately the tang of his magic was heavier in this area than she had ever sensed before. Elariel didn't have long to process what she saw; she could feel Solarius preparing his spells beside her. She knew they needed to act together to avoid ruining their element of surprise. So she steeled herself and concentrated on the task at hand. Perhaps they would be able to not only fulfil their mission, but assist Tae'loren and Ae'oleth with theirs.<br/><br/>Elariel's spells hit just a moment after Solarius', effectively silencing their marks a moment after they were blinded. They didn't have enough time to warn the others, and when Solarius and Elariel moved back Aidyn and Roe'nor moved up and cast without delay. There was a scuffle and a bitten-back curse as one of the final two tripped as they made their way to the vent, but they managed to hold their spells and do their bit. The sounds of struggle made Elariel's breath catch in her throat and her heart race, but by that stage enough of their targets had been silenced and blinded that it made no difference. It was pure luck that it happened at the end of their rotation and not the beginning.<br/><br/>Elariel turned to Tae'loren and Ae'oleth and nodded, motioning towards the grate. She watched as they slipped through the crowded chute, showing no sign of the clumsiness that either Neras and Teirn had. Tae'loren slid out of the chute and Ae'oleth motioned for Elariel and the rest to come forward. Elariel, as usual, was the first to comply. Ae'oleth took her hand and guided her towards the edge of the chute to assist her down in a reverse of how they had gotten in. She smiled her thanks to the two Night Elves and then dared to look around. This room, much to Elariel's amazement, was worse than the chute had been. As the youngest in  the party she had the least life experience; her life had been blessed so that she had only just begun to understand the true ravages of war. Her comfortable upbringing and dedication to study had meant that she had been spared from viewing the horrors that other of her kin had seen, but she had no doubt this was only the start. The scene that met her was something that she had only read about in history or law texts; experimentation beyond anything that the High Elve's would ethically approve of in their institutions.<br/><br/>Compounding the horror was the realization that she could feel that familiar magic of Illidan compressing her from all around. It made it difficult for her to breath, and she could already feel her skin trying to absorb the potent power. It was tainted though; wrong. It made her feel dirty, as though a million years of bathing could not clean the filth from inside of her. Somehow, she managed to maintain a level of numbness to the horror that surrounded her, but the fact that the magic seemed connected to it was starting to worry her. Elariel was frozen in place, shocked by the feel of the magic but desperate to help those around them. She could see some of the bodies that looked more like they were sleeping and unconscious, her first instinct to race over and give them a healing potion. She bounced on the balls of her feet, restrained only by the thought that, if she healed them now, they may present a risk for herself and the others. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Aidyn looking at her with a grim frown on his face.<br/><br/>Teirn was the last of her group to drop into the room, and Ae'oleth followed behind. He did a quick scout of the room and then returned to them, informing them that they were safe for the time being. From what Elariel could tell there was only one way in and out of the room (save for the chute they had used). He had paused at the unconscious bodies for longer, but Elariel saw that he made no move to rouse them. She wondered if his thought process was the same as her own.<br/><br/>"There is a lot of power in this room," Roe'nor said, looking around with an appraising gaze, his eyes never faltering over the horror they observed.<br/><br/>"Enough to get the information that we need?" Tiern asked, voice a harsh whisper. Elariel could see that he was more affected by the scene than the older elves; his breathing more shallow and his gaze more uncomfortable.<br/><br/>"We can try," Roe'nor confirmed with a nod he turned to the Night Elves. "How close are we to the heard of this beast? Is this the only place we can have some time without interruption?"<br/><br/>Ae'oleth looked at Tae'loren, Elariel could sense some concern in his eyes.<br/><br/>"The only place closer would be Illidan's chambers itself. Beyond this room any sort of study would be suicide."<br/><br/>"Right, we set up here. I can already feel the magic, there is no doubt we can gain what we need." Neras stepped forward to take charge. He withdrew a heavy looking bag from the pocket of his robes and opened it up.<br/><br/>"Do you need anyone to assist you?" Elariel asked the Night Elves, concerned that they may require more spells beyond the doors at the end of the room.<br/><br/>"We need everyone for the study," Roe'nor's voice was as sharp as his glare. Elariel gritted her teeth and stood fast against him.<br/><br/>"If Ae'oleth and Tae'loren could do with our assistance, it means that at least one of us might be able to get even closer to the heart of the magic. Also, if as anything goes wrong out there or there is danger they can communicate back with the casting group. We don't need all six of us for the main cast." As Elariel spoke it struck her just how wrong it was to say that this magic had any sort of heart. She knew instinctively there was nothing natural or good about it.<br/><br/>"Well you need to remain here," Neras commanded. AS much as his tone rankled Elariel she knew he was right, and she knew they didn't have the luxury of time to argue. The majority of Elariel's career had centred around the sources of magic and her experience was vital to interpreting the results of the spells. She gave him a curt nod and looked to Solarius. He was the quickest caster of them all and his arcane speciality would be of most assistance to the hunters. Not to mention that he did not seem to want to kill them. Elariel also knew that he had served some time in the service of the military, so he would best be able to cope with whatever they would face beyond the door.<br/><br/>"I can go if you need me," Solarius offered, chin held high as he stepped away from the others.<br/><br/>From that point on Elariel wasted no time, she joined the fold of her colleagues and begun to join their cast. The quicker they got it done the quicker they could get out of this forsaken place. As their own magic welled around them she could feel the magic of the temple absorbing it, feeding on it, melding with it and twisting it into something she had never felt before. Her entire body was screaming in protest but she steadied her mind and continued; she needed to concentrate. Her home had been destroyed and this may be the only way to seek revenge upon the Betrayer.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>