Trials of Azeroth

Chapter 13

"Wake up, lads. We're nearly there." Yelled the dwarf. Codin's eyes blinked open as he sat up in his hammock, rocking back and forth steadily. The elf sat up next to him a moment later.
"Morning, Hwinion."
"Good Morning."
"Sleep pleasantly?" Asked the warrior.
"Not particularly, it's been 4 years since I've made the crossing from Kalimdor to the east, and I can't remember it being this choppy." Stated Hwinion, hopping out of the hammock and fastening up his boots.
"Yes, I guess it's just these strong northern winds, then." Replied Codin, climbing out of his bedding and heaving on his mail vest and cloak. The two then made their way up to the top deck of the ship. It had taken them many an hour to cross from Menethil harbour to the island of Northrend, but finally they were now reaching the alliance haven of Howling Fjord and the small port of Valgarde. The two companions met with the rest of their group as they reached the bow of the ship.
"Boys." Greeted Codin, the prevailing wind chilling him to the bone. He was acknowledged with a nod from Fizzbiscuit and a grunt from Belmin.
The vessel made its way through a low hanging ice cave that traversed the fjord, narrowly dodging the sharp, icy corners. After a good five minutes of stomach clenchingly tight corners, the ship broke free of the cave and emerged out into the early morning sunlight, revealing the town of Valgarde and Utgarde Keep in all its glory. The sun felt warm on all of their faces, and the hearty fresh air of the fjord filled their lungs.

The surroundings the group found themselves in were beautiful. The golden rays of light shimmered down onto the water of Daggergap Bay. Scores of small houses with wooden dragon heads mounted on the roofs clung to the towering walls of the fjord, along with dozens of lonesome pine trees dancing in the wind. At the centre of the bay sat the mighty Utgarde Keep, with its terrifying skulls carven into the rock and the towering spikes adorning the peak. Surrounding the keep, multiple small houses, tents and inns lay scattered on the ground floor. Being all of their first times in the northern landscape, the jaws of the adventurers were well and truly dropped at the magnificent vistas.

The ship docked at the old wooden bay and a dozen or so travellers, including Codin and his motley crew, disembarked. The immediate area surrounding the dock was littered with tents and campfires, from the sailors of the many docked alliance ships in the Fjord. Up the dirt path sat the Valgarde Inn, and heading north was the way to the towering keep.
"Right, first stop Valgarde Inn-" Smiled Belmin, smacking his lips and rubbing his hands together.
"No!" Interrupted Codin.
"What?" Asked the mountaineer, surprised at his comrades sudden change of heart.
"We've got to get moving, Master dwarf. There's no time to lose." Explained the Warrior.
"I guess so." Sighed Belmin, solemnly. The group's first objective was to find any figure of authority in the town that could point them in the right direction. Any information was good information to the four intrepid adventurers. They then began to search the encampments, eventually coming across a whiskered man in a white shirt, Stormwind tabard and naval cap, who was busy directing supplies from the ship to the storehouses. They approached him with no delay.

"Excuse me, Sir?" Asked the gnome, tentatively.
"One minute, laddie. Hold this." Replied the man, placing a crate into the minute hands of the gnome, near collapsing him. The group glanced at each other with equal looks of confusion on their faces.
"Oi Cambert, get these crates over to the stockpile, we've got a schedule to keep, y'know!" He yelled.
"Aye aye, sir!" Replied his man. The naval man then took the crate back off of Fizzbiscuit, laid it down at the end of the dock then finally acknowledged the four.
"Sorry gents, we're a bit busy here, as you can tell. Vice Admiral Keller, at your service." Greeted the admiral, tipping his hat and wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Morning, Admiral. We'll introduce ourselves later, but if you've got a minute, we'd like some help." Asked Codin.
"Yes, and a map might be required too." Added the elf. The Vice Admiral gave a confused look.
"What, can we not just sort this now?" He queried. The warrior replied with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Well, uhh... It might take a while to explain." Replied Codin.