Private Tales Among The Stars

[Celestia]

She knew she wasn’t supposed to be here, but she didn’t care. She was pacing back and forth impatiently. She was in the main hall of the headquarters of the Overseers. She knew today they had been assigned on a specific mission about a gruesome battle between the orcs and the dwarves that took place dangerous close to the Spine. There had also been reports of humans and other races hiking along the mountains, more than enough activity for the Overseers to grow concerned.

Against her family’s wishes, and even those of her master, she walked into the main chambers of the quarters to try and appeal to one of the Overseers to let her come along. She fully intended to ‘lag behind’ once there and heal whoever she could while she was down there. It would be her chance to make a difference and truly use her skills.

The hall was empty for now, and she knew the men and women would start filing in any moment. This was where they usually convened to get brief on their missions before deploying out. She wanted to catch them before they left, and she was already dressed in armor, helmet tucked under her arm.

Orbit

 

[Tyrael Dracar]

The Overseers had gotten the word of recent trespasses against their borders, now suiting up to deal with the incursions. Tyrael walked side by side with another into the main chambers, the other woman keeping a respectable distance but still by his side. Ever since he had departed from the Spine, the others had viewed him differently, Tyrael able to see it every time he looked at them even though they still acted normally. They would never bring it up verbally in front of him, still a respected Overseer for his previous actions and history as one of them. Their footsteps echoed around the hall before finally entering into the main chambers, the woman beside Tyrael fully armored like Celestia with a helmet under her arm and a sword by her waist.

Tyrael had different apparel, having ornate silver pauldrons on his shoulders and plates that extended down his arms like big scales one after another. His torso and arms were mostly exposed, showing the lean muscle but the tattoos that littered his body, showing the intriguing designs of weapons down his arms and other designs around his sides and stomach. They weren't elvish in design, appearing more tribal then everything and carrying a strange power that seemed to subtly radiate from him. Both of their eyes instantly snapped to Celestia, knowing that whoever the newcomer was, wasn't an Overseer. The woman stepped forward, arching an eyebrow at the other before asking, "And who are you?" Tyrael stared at the newcomer as well, his head tilted slightly as he hadn't seen her before.

Before Celestia could answer, doors from the other side opened loudly, another Avariel stepping into the main chambers. The man was dressed in ceremonial armor, it had a more golden color as it was clear he was the High Overseer. His helmet was already on, golden feathers protruding out the sides of it to show his rank. The man's eye immediately goes to Tyrael and the woman, "Tyrael, Evie, there have been multiple reports of intrusions. The Orcs and Dwarves are dangerously close to our land once more with their usual endless fighting while humans climb the other side." The High Overseer stopped in front of the three, ignoring Celestia at that moment, "Evie, deal with the humans. If you can scare them off, we don't need blood drawn and attract more attention." Evie nodded, casting a glance to Celestia before stepping away, the sound of flapping wings leaving with her. "Tyrael, keep watch on the Orcs and Dwarves. Stay out of it and only intervene if they attempt to escape up the peak."

That's when the High Overseer finally turned to face Celestia, recognization dawning on his face as he sighed softly, "Celestia, you were already on the last patrol. Why are you here again?" She was quite a familiar sight for him as she always wanted to be apart of the patrols.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia stared awkwardly as the room began to fill up. She knew of both of them, though she hadn’t formally met them. The one with the black angels was rumored to have disappeared for some time, and many Avariel whispered behind his back. He had been exceptional as an Overseer before that, so there was too much respect for anyone to mention anything aloud. The woman was known for being fierce in battle, and she had seen several fights with rivaling groups of Avariel rebels.

As she was addressed, she opened her mouth to answer. That opportunity was lost when the High Overseer stormed in, always with a sense of urgency. He wasn’t the type to prattle incessantly, his dialogue always short and succinct. She stared at her feet as he issued the orders to the others before finally turning to face her. She felt as if she were on stage, all three pairs of eyes now looking at her. She could hear the disdain in his voice, and she knew his patience was running thin.

“There is active combat involved in this mission,” She began quietly, “I can offer my services as a healer should they be needed. If the orcs or dwarves make an advance towards the mountains, I’ll be able to use my other abilities to fend them off. Please, let me go with Tyrael,” Celestia uttered his name despite him never having met her before, “I am also trained in martial combat,” She looked at Tyrael then, “Allow me to join you on this mission.”

 

[Tyrael Dracar]

The High Overseer stared at her after she spoke, clearly thinking to himself about whether letting her join on any more of his Overseer's missions. He had already let her in on the last patrol and Celestia would be able to see that a "no" was starting to form on his face. Before he could finish, however, Tyrael spoke up, "I will take her with me." His commander gave him a look, not expecting Tyrael to be so forthcoming about her joining. The Avariel was used to working alone, it somewhat forced upon him after his abandonment and even though he didn't mind it, it was a change of pace to have someone that didn't at least seem to secretly despise him. Tyrael had also grown rather bored of doing these expeditions by himself and the company was welcomed.

The High Overseer stared at Tyrael for a moment, shocked by his answer but eventually nodding, "Very well then. Both of you know our laws, uphold them." He offered a salute to his chest and Tyrael did the same, it mostly a salute just between Overseers but Celestia would be expected to do the same in the presence of the High Overseer. After that, the High Overseer left, returning to his other duties as there would most likely be other small forays onto their mountain by other races. Tyrael glanced to Celestia before nodding, "We should be on our way." He started to walk towards the opening in the wall that led to an open terrace, acting as a landing and take off zone for other Overseers and Avariel. As they made their way towards it, he slipped on his silver helmet, it swallowing most of his black hair underneath as he stared ahead. "So you are the healer, Celestia, I hear about quite frequently." The others spoke amongst themselves and the news spread quickly of the healer that tended to join every one of their patrols when she could. "I know this isn't your first time leaving Azuros with us but this is your first time with me. You will follow my lead, without question." Tyrael didn't mind that she was joining him unless she got in the way of his duties.

When they reached the edge of the terrace, Tyrael stood at the very edge, letting the window blow past him for a few moments. He breathed it in, always enjoying the view that the Overseer's tower provided. They could see the tips of other spires around them, piercing through the crowds as they could see other Avariel soar around. This was Azuros, freedom in it's purest form. Well, "freedom" to some. The sun was slowly starting to dip, causing the clouds to be drowned in a red hue. Without wasting another moment, Tyrael's black wings shot out from his back, stretching them like muscles as they nearly doubled the size of him. The air between flowing through his wings felt nice and he would never be sick of the feeling. He already knew the surrounding area and range like the back of his hand and it was easy to guess where the battle was taking place.

Tyrael's wings slowly folded onto his back and he spread his arms wide, simply falling forward until he completely fell off the terrace. He went into freefall, easily passing through the clouds as he fell through them. When he got through the soft layer, the two of them would be able to see where the spires were coming from, tall and ornate towers of some type of silver protruding from the most top peak of the Spine. As Tyrael approached closer and closer to the rocks, his black wings shot out once more, letting the air get underneath him as he suddenly shot forward, gliding through the warm air before flapping his wings to keep his altitude. He glanced back toward Celestia, seeing how far she was before he nodded his head toward the west, "This way." With another strong flap of his wings, Tyrael shot off towards that direction.

 

[Celestia]

This was a lost cause. She knew it. She could see the look on the High Overseer’s face, his expression growing stern and even bored. In truth, she wasn’t supposed to join them on these expeditions. Normally healers stayed back in the Azuros, awaiting the arrival of any wounded soldiers. The only reason she had been allowed to go was because of her combat training in addition to her magic knowledge. Even then, she had to beg and plead for a case every time. She knew the day would come when the High Overseer’s patience ran out, and apparently it was today.

Her face fell, and she prepared to turn and leave, but it was Tyrael who surprised her. Celestia’s eyes flickered to him, widening in surprise as he offered to take her with him. There was an influx of emotions that went through her, and she had to resist the urge to smile. In the end, the High Overseer conceded, and she was allowed to go down after all. Outwardly, her face remained devoid of emotion, and she gave the formal salute as she had done before as they all parted ways.

She fell into step beside Tyrael as he began to approach the terrace outside. When he mentioned he had heard of her, she had to bite her lip. She knew he heard that she was a nuisance, and tended to overstep her boundaries by wanting to come along every time, “Thank you...for allowing me to come,” She said quietly as she put her helmet on.

“Understood,” She said in response to his words about following his lead. That was a problem area for her, but she knew she couldn’t muck this up. There wouldn’t be another chance with the High Overseer, so she had to build a good rapport with Tyrael if she ever hoped to venture out again.

Celestia’s golden wings spread out as well, glinting beautifully against the last rays of the sun. She expected him to gracefully make his way down, but he instead tucked the wings back in and leaped off the edge, allowing the forces of the surface world below to pull him down in free fall. Her eyes widened at the display - they had been taught as children how dangerous free-falling was, and here he was breaking those rules right in front of her.

She didn’t have the nerve to try such daring maneuvers, instead flapping her wings a few times to pick up speed and soaring down as quickly as she could. As a healer, she didn’t often have chances to fly save for going from one point within Azuros to another. It felt incredible to stretch her wings, and she rapidly tried to gain on him. For a moment, she couldn’t see him at all, his dive having propelled him quickly towards the earth below.

After a moment, she could spot him again, his wings spread out again as he caught himself. She gracefully descended towards him, now finally able to keep up, “Do all Overseers use that trick or just you?” Celestia grinned as she flew next to him, hoping he was not quite as much of a stick in the mud as the High Overseer.

Up ahead, she could see the ridges of the mountain, but also the beginnings of the lands on the surface. The sight excited her greatly, and she didn’t even realize she began to speed up towards there. It had been many months since she had been down here, and the prospect of actually seeing other races fascinated her. The down side was that she didn’t explicitly know every protocol the Overseers followed when it came to involvement with other species.

 

[Tyrael Dracar]

Tyrael had always been a great flyer, his occupation forcing him to be as he regularly scouted the surrounding landscape. Without the extra weight of weapons and his lighter armor, it allowed him a certain mobility that others couldn't match as they chose to be donned in their full armor. A few moments later, he could hear Celestia's wings behind him before she eventually caught up. Hearing her question, Tyrael couldn't help but laugh, "It wounds me you call it a trick." Some of their kind actually quite feared free-falling, other's having previously perished as they didn't account for the weight of their armor or weapons when they did. But Tyrael had done it enough times now that it wasn't even special to him anymore, it a natural occurrence by now for him.

They started to approach the ridges of their mountain and others in the range, Tyrael calmly flying towards it. She would be able to see him vigilantly look around for a few moments before closing his wings once more as he dived toward one of the nearest ridges. When he approached one of the flat rocks, he spread out his wings once more, slowing his descent massively before he landed gracefully on the rock. Tyrael walked towards the edge before getting down on one knee, running one of his hands along the stone as he seemed to just wait there. Before Celestia could ask a question if she did, he would raise his index finger in the air, telling her to be quiet for a moment as he tilted his head slightly. The two of them would only be able to hear the gusts of wind for a few seconds before there was another noise that joined it in the background. Focusing on it, they would be able to hear the distinct battle-cries of Orcs and the clanging of weapons. Tyrael stood back up from his position, looking towards Celestia, "You'll find that once the bloodshed begins, the Orcs can't help but let everyone know." He smirked before shaking his head, wondering how that species has survived so long.

Taking off once more, Tyrael flew through the air, flapping his wings until he reached the altitude of the clouds and skimmed slightly underneath. With his black wings, it was easy for him to blend in the night sky but not Celestia's golden ones. The clouds provided quick cover if needed when they didn't want to spot. As they flew forward, they would be able to hear the shouts and sounds of battle becoming louder and louder, signaling that they were close. Flying over one more ridge, the two would be able to see the carnage below. Columns of black smoke rose into the air, bodies of both Dwarves and Orcs littering the ground as the battle still raged. The Dwarves took a position upon the nearest incline and in between the rocks, using it to their advantage to try and negate the Orcs advantage of numbers as they tried to swarm. It appeared like the Dwarves were in a rough situation but Tyrael knew the people were resourceful.

"Follow me." He told Celestia before flying up and towards the clouds. When they would break through and hover above them, the clouds parted enough that they provided ample cover and also give them windows to view the battle. Tyrael watched silently before exhaling softly, "I have seen these battles play out so many times for nothing, even at this exact spot. One claims victory then months later it was taken back again before the process continues. Hundreds of years of this and you realize the pointless of it." Tyrael stared down as the two species continued to fight, holding a disapproving look upon his sharp face.

 

[Celestia]

She followed his lead, realizing that she had no direction to follow without him. He constantly kept looking over - as if searching for something in specific. Celestia wasn’t so well versed in reading the terrain, and it mostly all looked the same to her. She slowed down on purpose, flapping her wings to cut against the wind and allowing her to coast behind him.

He folded his wings once more and descended towards a flat rock surface, and she smoothly glided down to land next to him. He looked focused on what he was doing, and she took the time to simply observe him. Celestia didn’t say anything, even when he proactively told her not to. She was already on thin ice, and she wouldn’t ruin things by being a nuisance. Instead, she sought to pick up on little habits here and there to prepare herself to do what he did.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He was poised as a statue, unmoving and silent. The only movement was the wind rustling against his hair and wings. After a moment, she heard the noise, her head bolting up to look in the direction. She could hear the battle cries and the clashing of weapons. Her heart began to beat rapidly, not usually exposed to other races involved in disputes like these.

Celestia took off after he did, moving closer to the battle. Excitement bubbled up within her chest, and she could feel her palms growing sweaty. All of her knowledge had been theoretical, and she hadn’t had true combat experience just yet. She could practice for centuries amongst her people, but it’d never teach her how to square off against orcs.

As they landed closer to the battle, she could smell the stench of death and decay. The smoke plumed, and the cries and shouts were louder now. Her eyes widened at the sight, and she saw countless bodies in various states of death and dying. There were dwarves and orcs alike, some still quivering on the ground trying to hold their innards in. Others were groaning in pain with missing limbs, lying in a pool of their own blood. It was a gruesome sight, and it made her feel ill.

Before she could react, Tyrael was already moving back up to the sky. She was slightly numb, but she followed, weakly flapping the wings and taking off. Celestia couldn’t take her eyes off the sight, her stomach twisted up in knots as she saw all of this. Meanwhile, Tyrael spoke in a tone that was almost bored - as if he were lazily watching farmers till their lands. She found it appalling.

“There is always a cause for battle,” She muttered quietly, her gaze still trained on the scene below, “There is something they believe in - a reason they are willing to give their lives. Have you ever wondered what that is?” Celestia was half worried she was stepping out of line, but it was too late now, “Aren’t you curious about why things are the way they are down here? What things are worth dying for?”

 

[Tyrael Dracar]

The battle was indeed gruesome, the Orcs barbaric and the Dwarves trying to hold on with their lives. They were beginning to lose ground as more and more of the green creatures continued to jump on top of them. Tyrael glanced back to Celestia, arching an eyebrow at her as she heard her speak about the ones below. It confused him, she sounded compassionate about them, like she understood their needs and purposes. Tyrael had been alive longer than her, he had seen their true intentions first hand it was nothing like she was dreaming of. Celestia would be able to see Tyrael was giving her a questioning look at her retort but didn't mention it, instead following along with her.

"Do you truly wish to know the cause of for battle?" Tyrael extended his arm out to the mountains and hills below them that the Dwarves were positioned in, their shouts and battle-cries still loud and full of bravery. "These lands are rich with resources, gold, silver, whatever interests the Dwarves or Orcs. They are willing to give their lives for a false sense that they are claiming these lands to support their people. Instead, they just fill the greed of their leaders." Tyrael then directed his gaze to the Orcs, "They are no different, except that they don't need such a reason to battle. They fight for the excitement and rush that it brings, nothing else. The Warlords of their people just claim land to prove they are the strongest ones." Tyrael then directed his gaze to Celestia, "I am much older than you. You have not seen what I have seen through my time as an Overseer. I would assume this is the first battle you have witnessed." He brought his gaze back down to the battle, watching with the disapproved look once more, "I have lost count."

The battle was finally drawing to a close, the Orcs appearing to have won the battle. The Dwarves shield wall broke under the pressure of the assault, it turning into a bloody massacre as the brutes crude weapons cut through and gutted the remaining Dwarves. As they were beginning to be cut down one of the short men actually escaped, slashed across the shoulder before he turned tail and ran as blood leaked from his armor. "AFTER HIM!" One of the Orc leaders shouted as the remaining small party of them went to chase. They were heading directly in the direction of the Spire and Azuros. "Follow me." Tyrael murmured to Celestia before giving a strong flap of his wings to give him a boost and glide after the approaching parties.

As they approached closer and closer, Tyrael offered one more glance to Celestia, "Do not participate until you see you're opening." With that, he gave her a nod before flying into the clouds. The Dwarf continued to run, groaning as he did so while the Orcs gained on him. One of the Orcs armed a spear, ready to throw and find its target but suddenly before he could a black shape dropped from the sky. Tyrael had his wings completely encompassing him as he dropped before he spread them out suddenly as the ground neared, landing with a thud as a cloud of gravel and air exploded from him, sending the Orcs flying back and the Dwarf as he crashed into some rocks.

Tyrael slowly stood up, his black wings extended to their full length as the Orcs eventually got back to their feet and just stared at the sight. While they were still in shock of seeing one of his kind, he lifted his left arm before flipping it over so his forearm was facing upwards and revealing the tattoo that formed a spear. Tyrael slowly waved his hand over it, "Tul- na nin." They would be able to see the tattoos on his arm writhe underneath his skin like snakes, a blinding green light emitting from his hand. They appeared to slither into the light his hand emitted and a moment later, an ornate and silver spear was in Tyrael's right hand. The tattoos on his arm had vanished, leaving only white and unblemished skin. The Orcs just stared in shock, looking amongst themselves before the leader aimed his weapon at Tyrael, "Kill the demon!"

One of the closer Orcs rushed towards Tyrael first, the Avariel smirking beneath his helmet as the wings on his back folded in, lowering their profile. He stepped forward as the Orc did, spinning the spear in his hand as the Orc slashed immediately at his throat. Tyrael simply leaned back, the blade missing by inches before he gracefully ducked under another strike that was aimed for his exposed chest. When he came back up, it was clear that he used his speed for his advantage as he tilted his body diagonally, another blow barely grazing by him. This time Tyrael was at the ready, his spear still waiting in his hand before it launched forward like a viper, piercing through the Orc's shabby armor and exploding out the other side as a geyser of black blood erupted.

He stepped past the now dead Orc, the warrior falling to his knees before Tyrael grabbed the side of the spear that had already pierced through him and pulled the rest of it clean through. He walked calmly forward, meeting the next Orc head on as it rushed to him. Tyrael's years of training and experience were no match for the creatures as he gracefully sidestepped another strike, keeping low to the ground and then on the warrior's flank as his spear shot out like a flash of silver and the tip of it went through the side of the Orc's knee, the green creature shouting out in pain as he dropped to the ground. Tyrael spun around after that, pulling his weapon free as his back faced the warrior before launching the rear end of his spear into the Orc's stomach. Blood poured from the creature's mouth but Tyrael didn't stop, spinning with the warrior's body still attached to the weapon. With the help of his magic, a strong gust of wind ripped through the rocks that all of them stood in, helping Tyrael lift the Orc's body with his spear and launching it in the air and in the direction of where he last saw Celestia.

 

[Celestia]

He was silent after her words, and she was worried she had said something offensive. She knew her words didn’t align entirely with how their people viewed things. Would he report her to the High Overseer? Celestia mentally kicked herself, always overstepping boundaries and opening her big mouth. She remained silent after her blurted words, wanting to see if he had anything to say.

To her surprise, he kept on the subject instead of brushing it entirely aside. His explanation made her eyebrows furrow, but she listened anyway. All of this was for resources like gold or silver? She knew dwarves were known for their greed of gems, but she didn’t realize it had been enough for cause for war. She could hear the hint of disgust in Tyrael’s voice as he explained, and she knew he judged them as petty beings for fighting over such things.

Tyrael bade her to follow again, and she did so, noticing the dwarf that was running away from the orcs. She wanted more than anything to intervene, but she would stay in line and wait till Tyrael gave the word. She followed behind him, clearly seeing them heading towards the mountain ridge that would bleed into their territory.

She saw him burst out into the open and land on the ground, her eyes widening. She gasped under her helmet, shocked at the sight of him revealing himself so easily. Celestia hung back as he engaged the orcs in combat, moving fluidly and with unmatched grace. She had to admit he was exceptionally skilled, moving around as if he barely touched the ground. What followed was a gruesome display of death as he made short work of the orcs. He seemed to be relishing it, the sight making her uneasy.

Tyrael whirled around and tossed the dying orc towards her, and she felt flustered. He was throwing a living, sentient being like a doll. The sight unnerved her, and she shifted slightly and caught the orc in her arms. She crouched down, running her hand over the ugly creature’s face to soothingly ease its pain and allow it to drift into the afterworld without feeling too much agony.

“What’re you doing?” She shouted at Tyrael in their tongue that the orcs wouldn’t understand. The other orcs had no mercy in mind, and one threw an ax towards her. She whirled around and drew her blade, batting it aside mid-air. Meanwhile, the dwarf that ran into the rocks used this opportunity to rush for cover. However, this took him further in the direction of the Avariel ridge.

“Are you going to slaughter him too?” She shouted, clearly disturbed at the turn of events.

 

[Tyrael Dracar]

Tyrael expected Celestia to finish off the orc, ridding the world of another vengeful beast that only knew the language of combat. But instead of cutting him down, she caught the orc, trying to soothe away its pain and let it pass peacefully. Tyrael just stared at her, still holding his spear as it dripped the black blood that flowed through the creatures. "What are you doing?" He asked her with a sneer and in their own tongue, pointing his spear at the orc that she was currently tending before he passed. Another one of the orcs threw an ax at her, Celestia easily dispatching of the attack but to Tyrael's surprise, she did nothing again, not even seeming interested to partake in cutting down the trespassers. His gaze snapped to the orc that threw the ax, twirling his spear before the tip was aimed at the orc before he hurled it with strength, the weapon going through its chest as it took it off its feet and fell on it's back.

Celestia had been on patrols before, had she never seen what the Overseers did when someone actually trespassed? Before he could answer her question about the dwarf, one of the remaining orcs charged at him again, Tyrael already hearing him before he committed. They weren't a quite species so it was quite easy for him. He took a step back, the blade of the creature skimming along his helmet as sparks flew. Before it could step away from Tyrael, he shot his leg out, taking out the orc's from underneath it before the Overseer came up behind him and thrust his spear through the back of its skull. The Avariel's shot towards Celestia afterward, anger clearly flowing through his eyes before his wings expanded out and he suddenly took off into the air and disappearing in the night sky.

A few moments later, Celestia would be able to hear screaming before a dwarf fell from the sky and landed on the ground with a thud. He wheezed for a moment, the air leaving his lungs as he slowly tried to crawl away and just far away from whatever this was. Tyrael landed behind the dwarf afterward, dropping from the sky with the spear still in hand. The dwarf could be heard muttering to himself about demons and it was a common misconception when it came to Tyrael and his black wings. Shaking his spear so most of the blood would come off, he lined along his naked arm afterward and murmured the phrase, "Rinn- na nin." The green light from his other hand emitted once more before the weapon simply disappeared, returned in the form of the tattoo as it moved underneath his skin and returned to its previous spot. Celestia could see Tyrael's jaw tighten, the veins in that arm pronounced as he flexed his fingers for a moment before it returned to normal.

The dwarf had eventually reached a small rock wall, leaning his back against it as he was covered in sweat. His gaze was just locked between the two Avariel, muttering in his own language now that most likely was a repeat of what he was saying before. Tyrael turned towards Celestia, gesturing his hand toward the dwarf, "And what would you like to do? Soothe and heal him until he can go back to his people and reveal all of us? He has already seen us and passed into our territory. These are our laws." The dwarf remained against the wall, just glancing between the two of them crazily as his mind could barely process what was going on. "There is a reason we have remained hidden for so long."

 

[Celestia]

She had been on patrols before, but she had never seen an all out warzone. The others she had gone down with had simply placed inconveniences in the way of the travelers to deter them from going the path of Azuros. Tyrael was much more involved and actively killing other beings. The sight made her freeze, and all her years of martial training meant nothing in the heat of the moment. She was panicking, and she didn’t want to be amidst all this bloodshed.

Celestia saw the orc that had thrown an ax at her begin to charge, but Tyrael made quick work of him. The other Avariel was always fast on his feet, moving with lightning speed to get done what she couldn’t bring herself to do. She felt a lot of shame in herself, and she heard him snap at her. Celestia knew she was ruining everything, but she couldn’t bring herself to simply hack and slash others down - not when she was this close and able to see every little expression and the contortions of pain on their faces.

She looked up to see Tyrael moving in after the dwarf and she quickly rushed in towards them. The dwarf was exhausted, and there was nothing but fear in his eyes as he looked from Tyrael to Celestia. She scowled at Tyrael at his words, “Who will believe him?” She snapped back, “We are nothing but myths and legends to them. Dwarves are the least likely beings to believe in creatures that only show in fairytales,” Celestia looked over at the dwarf again, a single flap of her wings bringing her closer to him.

She held her hands up to show she meant no harm, the dwarf quivering where he was. His eyes were wide, and he had sustained a fair amount of injury. Celestia looked at him but spoke to Tyrael, “Anything he says to his people will be laughed off as a dream. No, Tyrael, he will not utter a word about this if he wants to keep any credibility. But I want him to at least know - in his heart at least - that we are not demons or beasts from the underworld. We can be kind,” She crouched down near him, a glowing hue appearing as she applied her skills to heal his injuries.

It took more effort for him, the dwarf being naturally more resistant to magic. However, in the end, he noticed the pains he had were easing away. Celestia stepped back after she was done, feeling better for what had transpired. The dwarf simply looked at her with a look of deep mistrust, rose to his feet and darted away safely from the orc tribe.

Celestia watched him go and sighed, “I know why we have remained hidden,” She was quieter now, her tone defeated, “But there is so much to the world beyond just Azuros,” She looked up towards Tyrael, “We can go back. I understand you will tell the High Overseer to permanently ban me from coming down. Nevertheless, thank you for allowing me to come. I’m clearly not cut out for the realities of a war I can’t ever take part in.”