Screams in the Dark

	The author is in no way affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment. This story is Copyright of Burgrsch © All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 1: A study in pain

It apperd that she was in blinding pain, the only way to easy her torment was to feed her fel energys. Whatever it was she sufferd from it was not natural, and it was not a pregnancy. Not in the seans of a mother given birth to a new lifeform.

Becose even tho Erina Dreakmore body was a living blood elfs body, her soul was still that of a dead and acursed human. And becose of it, she sould not be abel to become whit child. Yet she had becoma just that...

Her body had been twizted inways the old warlock had only belived possible in nigthmares. Her gut was enurmos even for a female whit child, her once full hair now hands in thin, fat, lifeless locks over her face. A faces that was now a mask of pain and rage, if she had been stronger Burgrsch belived she would have been a danger to him and the rest of the tribe.

As it was now, he could still keep her in his cave not far from Razzor Hill where the rest of his kin lived. The farm his grandchild was building would one day be there homestead. But ontill that day he would liv in this cave. He would study the suffering of his beloved, so that he might cure her...

Or if all ells failed, end her pain in this world.

Chapter 2: Odd Rambleings

The old warlock read the many words and phrases that his love had mutterd, screamed and whisperd whail he had been on bissnis in Northrend. His restless survent Grimthrone had wrigthen down all he had heard his sister say. The undead survent followed Burgrsch vill what ever it might be. And right now that was to record all that his beloved said.

The reson was mainly that even tho she seamed to be oblivius to her surroundings and herself, she spoke. But the words where not in common, orcish or even thalassian. Instead they where in diffrent forms of demonic, draconic and what the old one belived to be a from of elemintal. However the thing that made Burgrsch worrie the most was the fact that the words did not seam to be her own. Rather it seamed that it was another being using her to speak to some unknown listener.

As he studyed the texts the old warlock soon started to see some patterns. The first thing he noted was that one phrases, a titel by the look of it, was repeted again and again. The titel was: "The Face Eater", the whery words seamed to be made to place fear in the heart of any whom spoke or read them. And when speaking them to Haathum, his felguard, the demon flinch in what seamed to be fear.

When confronted by his master the demon only replayed:
"You are misstaken lesser being! I am one of the Mo'arg! I fear noting!"

Giving up on the felguard. The old Warlock turned to his weakest slave. The imp Zeptip, whom tryed to run and hide at the mear mantion of this "Face Eater". When confronted the demon told his master that:
"There are older and more sinister things in the Neathers then we demons... Things that was there long before you mortals even existed... Things that can steal all that you are, whear your soul as if it was a mask and used your powers as if they where there own... Things even the most damed fear..."

Whit that information the old one stad down to study the text more carefully. Hopefully he would find the reson why this thing, that even demons seamed to fear, was mantioned so often by the women he loved.

Chapter 3: Translation and Texts

Studying the words that his beloved had blaberd they made on seans. Tho most of them he could translat, it seamed that the words themselfs where scrambeled. Only the frase "the Face Eater" seamed to be in order. So the old one gave up his atempts to make seans of the words that had been spoken and started to look over the texts he had bougth.

Most of the texts turned out to be of littel or no use. Some dissmised the Face Eater as a demon myth, others clamed it was a form of demon itself, and some insisted that it was a agent of the Ligth. But the information was allways short and vage. Most of it seamed to been gartherd by torture demons or visions from the Nethers.

But two of the texts did aid Burgrsch. One was a study of ancient orcish runes that the Kirin Tor had found in Outland long ago. The other a copy of a note-book that had at some time been used by Helcular, a apprentice of Kel'Thuzad himself.

The study said that long ago the orcs shamans had fougth a being they called "The Spirit Twister". This made the old one feel a pinch of horror. Mostly becose the orcish word "Dae'mon" meant "Twisted Spirit". And he had like most of his kind asumed that the word had it's orgien in some unkown meeting betwen the ancient orcs and the demons of the nethers.

The study whent on to discribe how the shamans of old had imprison this dark being in the far north of Draenor. Accoring to the text the shamans had been forced to bind the monsters spirit to the mind of the grand elder of there ranks. And once the elder had taken the beast whit in himself his breathern had chained his body and soul onto the earth, deep inside a cave. And there they seald the two away, to struggel forever.

This made the old orc feel the horror spread. Becose who was to say this being, whom was also asined the namn: The Face Eater, had not been set free by the Legion? Or had escaped when Draenor shatterd, and the northlands where turned in to the Netherstorm.

The note-book also spoke about this being. But it whent into detail description of creatures that feed on souls, blood and life-force. The Face Eater was classed as a soul eater. It was a short note, but most informative. It described that the Face Eater could steal the minds and souls of it's victims, only the inner most core escaped. Once it had feed it could then used its victims soul as a mask, making it next to impossible to identify.

It could also use the memorys of its victims to creat the illusion of creaturs they had known. It only had one weakness accoring to the notes keeped by Helcular, and that was it's just for power. For even tho it was next to imortal in the nethers, on the mortal plan it's powers where whery small. And if bound to a mortal being it could be imprisoned, or enslaved. It's hunger for power therefor drove it to seak to controll mortals and have them do it's will. But more importantly bind mortals to it, making them in to half-gods under it's controll.

This made Burgsch wonder. Was the spirits of the Shadow Council of Old that had gave him visions realy the true Council? Or had it all been a trick played by this dark being? Had he been taken for a fool all this time? Had the Face Eater been toying whit his mind, and power? Testing how long it would be before it could take his body for it's own?

And then the old orc saw one last note on the mater. It said: "The Face Eater speaks whit three mouths at once. To understand it's words one most take all words of every toung and make them in to one line. Or all you will see is the rambelings of a madman"

Whit this in mind the warlock sorted all the words in Eredun and was rewarded by the following:
"I am the carrier of the Face Eaters seed!
Glory and power to mine greatness!
A new age will soon dawn!
My holy bloodline will rule for thousands of years!
This world shall be mine!"

Then he did the same to all the words said in Abyssal:
"The old one knows noting!
Yet his seed will aid me in creating the king of kings!
In my mask I shall grow, for power and greatness!
All shall be my slaves!
All shall love and fear the Face Eater!"

He Also did the same to the words spoken in Kalimag. But he did not know the toung of the elements. And could there for not tell what they meant. But three things was sure:

He had been played for a fool. The New Shadow Council had been this beings plot to become his master. And somehow creat a line of kings, that it planed to rule Azeroth whit. And the being he had belived to be Erina Dreakmore was not her. And finally, it was now clear to him that he would need to take his revange on this being.

He would find away to bind it to a mortal form. And make it into his slave!

Chapter 4: The womb of darkness

It had been a few days since a team of Mandrakes had retrived Erina Dreakmore for him. Her escape had vex him greatly as it had forced him to ask the Den for aid. The old orc did not know how many survents of Silvermoons mental hospital had been killed. And he did not whise to know, all he did know was that she had asked for him when she had been taken to the Den's laboratory.

At first Burgrsch had tryed to ignor her questions as he examend her. But the Face Eaters ilision was so powerfull that he could not bring himself to hear her beg him. For even tho he knew that Erina was not much more then a mask, he still had feelings for that mask.

There for he used a drug the Den had created to make targets unconscious. His examinations lead him to three conclusion's. And thy all made his skin crawl.

First: the child in Dreakmores womb was not orc nor elven. It was a physique manifestation of the Face Eaters mind. It was her earlier rambelings referd to as "the King of Kings". If let to live in freedom it would spread it's claws to all the places of the planet. Enslaving all in it's path.

Second: the beast was going to be born soon. It was not a metter of mouths as would have been normal. But a matter of days.

And finally: the beast was sucking the life force from it's mother. Giving birth might well kill her. And if it did not her power would be greatly redused for a long period of time. And it would take a enormous power source to chain the monstrum to this plan. In other words, the Den would need to find a relic or place of power to bind the Face Eater to there will. If they could not, they would have to kill it's mortal body and it's power would be lost to them.

Leaving the body in which he had belived to place the soul of his beloved the old orc glanced at the last translation of her rambbelings. They read:
"Once I am born I shall eat the old one!
He will be my crown, through him I shall rule!
Earth, Storm and Fire they shall all be mine!"

Final Chapter: The beast in chains

The Face Eater had been bound. What sould have been it's mortal from had been ripped from Erinas body... Or rather the blood elven body that sould have been Erinas body. Now the old orc could hold the beast and it's prision in his hands. After casting a number of spells ment to harm his hated prisioner Burgrsch started to look for a way to make use of the Face Eater.

His first experiment was a test of the beasts mental powers. On the floor of his cavern laboratory he had created a demonic binding circil. And in it he had nailed a rabbit to the stone floor. Taking the circil of black chains that made up the Face Eaters prison from the tabel where he had cast his spells on it. The old orc put the chain around the neck of the rabbit.

The beast eat the poor tings soul like a starving wolf. When the rabbit was under his control the Face Eater tryed break free of the circil. Sending outs it's mental tenticals, tho the power the beast had even in this minor body astonished the old orc he was preperd. Using a druidic amulet made to shild it's holder from the influenses of the Nightmear, he cast the Face Eaters tenticals aside.

When the beast found no other minds to feed on it turned to bargain. Promising great power, glory and happyness. It even tryed to appeal to Burgrsch love for Erina Dreakmore. But the old one dismissed all of this things as the hollow lies they where!

As it realize that it's attemts on bribing it's jailor it made it's rabbit host chew on the legg the warlock had nailed to the floor. Burgrsch had knew it would come to this and there for cast a spell that whit easy killed the rabbit and burnt it's body to ash.

His prisoner screamed in anger in the mind of the old one. But this was but a minor annoyens. The warlock studyed the Face Eater and it's prison in to the night. And found that most of the powers of the beast held a great risk in it's use.

If the Den where to use it as a enslaver it would need to be keeped under watch every second of the day. Magical binding, wards and other security measures would have to be made. And if feed to many souls it's power might grow to strong and it would break free. Burgrsch feard it was to cuning for this use, it was simply to risky.

Using it as a power source post simulor problems. It might well send suggestions trougth the mental energys taken from it. This suggestions would then probely grow to become a part of the takers will. And whit time it might even spread it's influens and slowly eat the soul of the one that toke power from it. The Den would probely not even notice befor it was to late.

But then it came to him. The Face Eater had something that was power, but not something it could easyly use agaist it's keepers. The Face Eater had immense knowlage. It knew all things the souls it had eaten had known. And knowlage was power, a power to great to cast away.

Using a warlock relic of the old war made to speak to deamons in other planes of existans. It was mainly a kristal orb made from soulshards resting on a golden orc hand cowerd whit demonic runes. The old orc cast a transutation spell that changed the runes so that it would make it's user make the Face Eater to awnser any question asked. Placing the bindings around the orb used to see what ever being you wised to speak whit the old orc mutterd the trasmutation spell that made the Face Eater's faces show in the orb.

Whit the beast's mind forced to obey whomever put his, or her's, hand on the orb it cursed to old one. Ignoring the insults and slander the beast utherd Burgrsch placed his hand on the orb and asked:
"Where are the seven blades of the Burning Blade?"