She was tired, and thirsty. The sweat dripped off her skin like rain drops, causing her sparse linen shirt to stick to her skin. The sun blazed in the clear blue sky over Kezan, as Roxey staggered to the entrance of the mine. Her over-seer lagging behind as he barked orders to the other goblin slaves in his charge. “Dig fastah! Or it’s da whip ya getting’ ye filtty maggots!” The large troll hulked over them, his large titanium mace hanging menacingly at his hip.

He was in a good mood today, usually he didn’t warn them when he was losing his temper and ready to whip them. She slumped to pick up her pick, and hobbled to her usual spot in the mine, and methodically began to dig. Her muscles ached terribly, and the heat was over-whelming. It was worse today, worse than any of the other days she had been enslaved. She had lost count of the years by now. She vaguely remembered the day she was actually captured, while playing in a nearby clearing at the edge of the jungle. That’s when the trolls invaded and kidnapped her from her family. It was only a blur, but that one memory still lingered. The memory of her capturer snatching her up and tossing her in a netted sack, and being dragged from her home. She had no idea what became of her family or the rest of her town. All she knew was that she had been a slave ever since, and it had been a long time.

She long ago, lost any hope for being rescued. No one had any idea where to even begin looking for her. And it had been too long for them to even care, at this point they probably thought she was dead. And to be fair, she even believed she was. She thought about this as she dug. The pick vibrated with each hit against the mine wall, causing her muscles to spasm. Her hands were callused and blistered, as were her feet. She had dried, caked blood on her lip and forehead from being beat by her slavers. And there was always the thirst…it was unbearable. She dug on, and the more she dug the weaker she became, when finally she succumbed to both heat and fatigue, and collapsed. The world began to fade before her until finally there was nothing but the blackness…

When she finally began to wake she was in a room, a place she had never been before. The walls were straw and wood, as was the patched ceiling above. The floor was carpeted by various pelts and there were carved bones hanging from leather strips from the ceiling. She lay in a large straw bed piled high and, to her surprise, very soft. Her head rested on a feather stuffed pillow and she was clean and dressed in new clothing. Even her wounds had been tended to. The air was thinner here, there was a cool breeze blowing in from the small cut out windows, and she could hear the sound of the ocean close by. As she tried to sit up, her head became fuzzy, and she decided against it. And though she seemed to be safe and comfortable she felt an uneasiness creep up inside her. Where was she? Who had brought her here? When she had finally made up her mind to force herself to get up, the door swung open. And there stood none other than her over-seer. The hulking brute of a troll that had whipped her and the other goblins, who where now her family, countless times. He had beaten them, starved them, deprived them of food, and rest. And here he was, caring for her.

She stared at him, partly in fear but mostly in anger. Then overcome with emotion she mustered up enough courage to ask, “Why have you brought me here? What do you want of me? I’m sorry I fell, I was tired, I promise I won’t fall again!” And she finally lost control and the tears began to fall as she pleaded, “ I WON’T FALL AGAIN, I WON’T! PLEASE DON’T BEAT ME, PLEASE…I’M SORRY, PLEASE..PLEASE, LET ME GO BACK..PLEASE…PLEASE..PLEASE!” She fell to his feet, her head hung as she wailed in fear. The troll looked down at her, his massive shoulders widened as he stretched his back upward. He sighed and bent down to lift the little meek goblin girl and place her back into bed.

“Hush now, gal. Ya go’an sleep child, de spirits be watchin ya…and dey be telling’ ole Kaz’kah dat you bein’ watched by dem who see all. Dey go’an protect’ya now gal. So you go’an an sleep child, in da mawn’in I be explain’in every’ting to ya. Go’an an sleep…” His voice was very soothing, and as he spoke she felt an overwhelming exhaustion rush over her, until she was unable to control her weariness and fell into a deep sleep. And in that sleep she dreamt. In her dreams there were four of them. Shadowed hooded figures, one enveloped in a blanket of earth, one encircled by a tunnel of wind, one stood in flames, and the last appeared to be floating in water. They stared at her. And although they were intimidating to behold, she did not fear them. Instead, she longed to be close to them, to hear them speak to her. And speak to her they did, and she listened very closely.

“Here us my child,” they whispered in perfect unison. “Heed the troll, he is not to harm you anymore. We have asked him to teach you, to hear us and obey. He will be your guide into our world, and in that world you shall become a fearsome thing to behold. We have great power little one, power that we would like to share with you. And one day, you shall have your vengence, but not this day. Not yet, first you must train, learn, learn to listen. And soon you too shall have great power. Stayyyy with…the trolllll…” The figures slowly faded as Roxey fell deeper into sleep.

The next morning Roxey awoke, Kaz’kah was already up. There was a small spread of fruit, honey, and bread on a wooden slab beside the bed. Her eyes widened as she felt the stab of hunger deep within her belly. She groaned at the pain, and grabbed a handful of berries and shoved them into her mouth. She chewed voraciously, as the sweet aromatic juice spread through her mouth and around her tongue. She savored it in delight as she closed her eyes and swallowed. The troll watched her from his cushioned seat on the floor. His back against a wall, and his knees bent. He sat puffing at a long pipe, the smoke curling long and spiraling upward. “Ya ‘ungry gal? Dey be plenty of dat food.”

She jolted and knocked the make-shift table, nearly toppling her feast over. She didn’t realize he had been sitting there that whole time. Why was he watching her? Then the vision of her dream came rushing back to her, and she turned and stared at the troll. “Dey come to ya too, no? In ya dreams…dey visit ya. Dey told’ya what I’m go’in tah’do?”

She hesitated then said, “They…they told me, you would teach me. To listen?” His mouth curved into a wicked smile as if he had some secret he was keeping from her. “Das righ’. Ya go’an learn to listen, tah dem dat visit ya in ya dreams. Ya won’t be needin ya dreams tah speak tah dem when ya learn my ways. Ya go’an speak tah dem al’da times. Dey watchin’ ya, gal. Dey watch us all. But da powah, dey only be given tah dose dat be listenin’. Listenin’ and doin’ dere biddin’. Ya gotta respect dem dat give ya da powah of da elements. Dey be da ones allowin’ da listener’s tah bend dem to dere will.”

As Roxey listened carefully to the Kaz’kah, she began to feel as if she was dreaming again. And an all to familiar feeling began to come over her, that same feeling she had when she passed out. She fought it and pulled herself back to the now. “NO! Keep go’in why ya stop?” She stared at him confused, “What do you mean?”

“Ya be doin’dat a lot ya know? Dat look ya get, I seen it befaw. Dis not da first time ya fall in de’mine. I seen ya fall moah times. Dey all da same. Dey happen to me too. It’s ya soul transcendin’ dis world intah da spirit world. An’when ya break da connection, ya forcin’ ya soul back. Let it go…see what ya can see. Don’t ya ever see tings when ya fall, in visions? Tings dat eventually happ’an? Ya see da tings dat are yet tah pass.”

Realization dawned on her like a lightening blot crashed on her head. She began to understand now why she saw the things she did. Why she so often, as she thought, would “faint” from what she deemed to be exhaustion, but instead was something more. And why in the blackness that followed she would sometimes see images, blurred and distorted, of things she did not understand. But then only to see them again come to pass. Like the time she saw the explosion in her vision. She hadn’t understood, but then a week later there had been an explosion in the mine. They were unclear,, incomplete and undefined. But they were glimpses of what was to be.

Kaz’kah explained that with proper training she would allow herself to go deeper still, and have clearer visions. She could actually project her soul into different places and times, and commune with the spirit world on a new level. He told her that the spirits would grant her the ability to harness the power of the elements to at her will, to heal and protect, and to attack. And the more Roxey heard, the more she wanted this power. And so her training began.

Roxey served Kaz’kah for many years, and learned from him. He instructed her to his fullest extent and taught her all he knew. But soon Roxey became more powerful than even he could have imagined. More powerful than he himself had ever been. Until the day came that the spirits told Roxey she must end Kaz’kah’s life. When she asked why, they simply replied, “Vengence.” And she understood. Kaz’kah had caused the suffering of thousands of souls he had enslaved. And over the years, the spirits had become angered with him, and sought to put an end to his treachery. He used the powers they had bestowed upon him for a cruel purpose and they did not approve of it. They decided that the most just vengence was for him to die at the hands of one of his slaves. And so, one night while Kaz’kah stood knee deep in the ocean waters by his home, the current changed abruptly. And suddenly Kaz’kah was being dragged into the sea, a large wave crashed upon him and engulfed him as he drowned in the black waters. His body, soon washed to shore as Roxey emerged from the jungle. She watched as the earth around his body began to cave in, and Kaz’kah’s body was sucked into the sand. And Roxey was finally free.

The very next day Kezan was destroyed by the aftermath of Deathwing’s arrival on Azeroth. Roxey’s body floated in the waters carrying her safely away from the chaos and finally washed her ashore on the coast of Stranglethorn. She awoke recalling her visions. She knew it was going to happen, she had felt the evil approaching. And she did what she knew she must, she made her way north to Grom’gol. There is where she would be found by someone she had lost long ago. Days went by, as she walked through the wilds. Calling upon the lightening to slay any foe or wild animal that attacked her. Speaking to the air to guide her direction and getting no response, and heeding the words of the spirits. When finally she arrived at the gates of Grom’gol. She asked for food and lodging, and was reluctantly taken in.

After three long days, he finally arrived. As she stepped out into the yard in the center of the town, she saw him ride in on a black worg. He was adorned with blades and throwing knives, and wore a black tabard with a sinister white grin on it. “Speak to him,” she heard and obeyed.

“Excuse me? She called out. The hooded and masked goblin hopped off his mount, and whacked its rear, making the worg jolt, and he headed to the stable master. Roxey called out again, “Excuse me, sir?” He turned slowly, and cocked his head to one side questioningly. He raised his hands to his face and removed his hood and mask. He squinted as the sun gleamed in his eyes, and stepped closer. Then his squinted eyes widened as he sucked in his breath in disbelief. “Roxey?! It can’t be!” She stared at him closely trying to recognize him as he had her. And they stood there for what seemed like minutes, when she finally remembered. “Vinni? Are you, my cousin Vinni?”