[center]Smor’Gen’Blok

Hi'Wor Hearthstone Site
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	Ju'Kul reached out towards his ally, but the falling debris cut him off from the Chief's son and forced him away. He didn't hesitate when hearing Za'Kul's announcement. He couldn't hesitate. If he made one wrong move, the cracks that snaked their way across the floor of the hearth site would swallow him whole and condemn Ju'Kul to the darkness below. With a heavy heart, and as much precision as he could muster, the man was able to make his away through the hordes of panicked citizens without falling into harm's way.

	The floor beneath the Wor and Za'Kul was beginning to slide deeper into the ground. The earth around them started to rise. Either that, or they were starting to [i]fall.[/i] As the axis that they stood on tilted, the rock that pinned down the elderly Lok'Sha slowly began to roll downwards, crushing his upper body and toppling towards his granddaughter and the Kul interloper.

	As Ju'Kul reached the edge of the cavern, all was calm. The point at which the Wor's totem of chieftans stood was not shaking or crumbling at all. He turned towards Wor's hearth stone, and watched as it cracked and sunk into the ground below. the roof of their cavern seemed to be relatively stable, despite a few large boulders falling to crush those that stood below. On the other hand, the floor and the pathways that once lined their cavern's walls were falling into the abyss below. This was not a natural quake, Ju'Kul knew it almost instantly. But how could this be the work of subterranean monsters with the raw power of Wor's hearthstone keeping them at bay. He glanced up at the mouths of tunnels that lead to different parts of the Wor tribe, where Lok'Sha stood in dismay as the center of their civilization slowly slunk away into the darkness below. The Kul Tribesman grunted and spun away from the scene. He had to make sure that his [i]own[/i] Tribe was in one piece.

[center][h1][color=ed1c24]* * *[/color][/h1]
[i]Earlier in the Day, 5:15 AM[/i]
Smor'Gen'Blok, Lu'Li'Po's Tent atop the Lok'Tri'Sha'Ra[/center]

	Wor'Boa was kneeling before his apparent [i]war-chief[/i], panting heavily while barely able to support his own body weight. Ovor'Pella stood between him and Lu'Li'Po with her partisan muddled in Lok'Sha blood.

	"A pitiful attempt," Lu'Li'Po grunted, "Koal'O taught you nothing of subtlety."

	"Subtlety... Treacherous tool..."

	"A tool that the [b]warlord[/b] could have used to bring the Paladins to shambles. Perhaps it is good that you were an influence on his strategies. The arrogant and archaic traditions of our people may have been the only thing keeping the Lok'Sha from becoming a true plague to the world." Lu'Li'Po nodded to Ovor'Pella. "I had hoped we could reason, but the word the travels through the cracks has rung true. You and your tribe are a problem to be [i]dealt with.[/i]"

	"Wor will crush you... We have many ally..."

	"You do not know of what you speak."

	"Many ally who wish for old way!" Wor'Boa roared, slamming his chest just above where a large red gash ha split his stomach wide open. "Strike down Wor, many follow. You make civil war. You make war with own people. Wor'Boa is... [b]Martyr[/b]." The man smiled and coughed up a copious amount of blood. His voice faltered despite the sudden outburst, growing weaker with each syllable that followed. "Body [i]worn[/i] by curse of Rajaka. I know this. Never win, I never kill you. But I die for Koal'O. I die for Warlord's belief, for the good of Lok'Sha. You kill your own rule by striking me down."

	Lu'Li'Po cringed.

	Wor'Boa smiled.

	"[i]Subtlety[/i]"

	The room was silent for a few moments as Wor'Boa continue to bleed out. Lu'Li'Po walked closer to him and knelt in front of the Wor's chief in his final moments. He rose his eyes to meet hers with the same smile painted across his face. But his expression faded when he noticed that she too wore a smile denoting her [i]victory[/i].

	"If I were to come down to the deeper tunnels and wipe out your tribe myself with a hoard of warriors at my beck and call, then yes. Yes, your tribe's demise would have brought this nation to its knees. My rule would not hold for even a week." She moved a little closer and rose his face with the edge of her right hand. He didn't have the power in him to fight against her motion. "But, Wor'Boa, what if the Dark skins whom you and your people have [i]oppressed for so long,[/i] ended up joining forces to crush your tribe? What if it all took place, [i]naturally?[/i] All without an order from their [b]Queen?[/b]" Her self-purported title and implications made Wor'Boa recoil with the last of his strength.

	"Wuh... Wah...?"

	"[b]Subtlety[/b]"

	Wor'Boa's body went cold quickly. His jaw trembled against Lu'Li'Po's hand and he fell backwards, pulling himself away from the woman as a sudden pang of fear and regret washed over him.

	"You... You are... Demon!" He rasped. Lu'Li'Po stood up and glared at him with her arms crossed as the light left his eyes. "D...D-d-dem...on..." In his final moments, Wor'Boa was nothing more than a cowering bully.

	"No," Lu'Li'Po whispered to herself, "I am a [b]Queen.[/b]"