Once again, Baine Bloodhoof stood in the circular pool of lava. He wasn't a fool, of course; a slab of obsidian floating in the pool kept him out of the intense heat not six inches away from his hooves. There were 4 such rocks, in a rough diamond-like shape, and standing on the one opposite him was a human female. One he'd met several months ago, shortly after his father was murdered by Magatha Grimtotem. One he knew to be a powerful magi, trusted by his former warchief, Thrall. One who held the line against the Burning Legion.

One called Jaina Proudmoore.

"You! Are you the one responsible for what has happened here...?"

Her look of puzzlement only enraged Baine. Seething rage filled him. He had trusted her. Thrall had trusted her. Yet she was the one who desecrated this land. It must have been her. Who else could have done it?

Jaina hopped to the rock adjacent to his, then to his own. She still looked puzzled, and attempted to explain that she had not done anything to the landscape. Lies, of course. Lies. Lies. LIES!

"What dark horrors have you wrought in this place? By my ancestors' honor, I shall take you to task!"

And Baine charged, closing the gap between them in a heartbeat.

To her credit, Jaina reacted fast, instantly summoning a fiery boulder and smashing it into his shoulder. The flames stung, but Baine shrugged it off. His axe glowed red as he pulled it from the lava beside him - a trick he learned from his battle against Peroth'arn. She backstepped, dodging the glowing axe while preparing another flaming orb in her hands. This one caught Baine full in the chest, and he staggered back, pinwheeling at the edge. He grabbed his totem, and hurled it at Jaina, using the same motion to regain his balance. She flew clear of the platforms over the lava pool.

"Perhaps this will cool your head!"

All of a sudden, Jaina was no longer flying over the lava. She stood only a couple feet in front of him, sweeping her arms forward, as if swinging a sword upwards. And blades, made of solid ice, swept forward at Baine. He rolled to the side, enough to dodge the middle blade but not enough to hit the right one. He used this as an excuse to re-ingite his axe, and charged at the mage once again.

Jaina wasn't done it seemed. She hurled an orange ball over to one of the adjacent platforms. A Flarecore, Baine recognised. A potent piece of magic that exploded after a short while, devistating anything caught in the blast (no doubt what caused this landscape's devistation). It was also easily destroyed - if he got to it in time.

Baine lept, landing on the little ball. It shattered. So did the entire platform.

He swam back towards the rock Jaina was still standing on. She smiled, seeing the perfect opportunity. She sent out a frostbolt to slow his swimming, and blinking into position, she unleashed another 3 blades of ice his way.

Which melted upon hitting the lava, as Baine had planned.

Baine could throw his totem nearly as well swimming as he could standing, as Jaina learned a few seconds later. This time, she couldn't blink back to the platform, and Baine crawled up long before Jaina got close. His axe shone with a crimson matched only by the magma around him, as he prepared to strike the finishing blow as the mage reached the edge.

And the pyroblast again caught him full in the chest.

Another flarecore went out, onto the other adjecent platform. Baine slammed Jaina with the flat of his axe and ran to it, jumping the gap between rocks. Squishing the magic, Baine turned around in time to deflect a pyroblast with his axe, and used the heat to melt the frostbolt she followed it up with. Baine threw his totem at the mage again. Jaina reacted faster than she had previously, avoiding the projectile altogether with her Blink and Frost Blades combo. But Baine had wanted her to blink, for now he lept forward, intent on shattering the rocks beneath her feet.

And his own totem slammed him on the head before he landed. His vision blurred, he felt nauseous. He was vaguely aware he was standing there, open for attack. And as Jaina's Pyroblast flew towards his head, he heard her words.

"You forced my hand."

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