Argheros would've never thought he would miss the fresh air of the sea. He wasn't a good sailor, one of the reasons Syla and him couldn't fully connect, and he found the naval life to be dull and repetitive. Even though his training as a Paladin required a certain routine and a lot of discipline, Irondawn always found a way to make each day different than the previous one. But sailing... yes, each day was an adventure, but there was a moment when adventures were all the same. Syla thought he couldn't be more wrong, but that was how he felt about sailing.
"Ah, it's so good to be back at the sea", the woman said with a sarcastic taunting voice as she approached him.
"Yes, it is", Irondawn responded, enjoying how confusion and disbelief were imprinted on Syla's face.
"Who are you and what did you do to my Argheros?", she joked, throwing a soft punch to his shoulder.
Immediately after, she looked away, and the Paladin hinted a sad smile. They both had realized she had said my, but they would of course ignore it. They hadn't been so much time together since the Third War, and Argheros hadn't realized about it until a few days ago. Suddenly, he had found himself spending more time with her, laughing and joking as if nothing had ever gone wrong between the two of them. In a way, it frightened him. He didn't want to go through all of that again.
Fortunately, he had several distractions to occupy his mind. The group of Ambassadors had been hiding near Fuselight over ten days, working for the goblins with the utmost stealth and secrecy. Dhondril and his helpers had worked as their liaison with the Cartel, since the Titanguard had no quarrel with the group of dwarves.
While Brogim and Turuk remained as messengers, the Architect had taken a quick trip to Loch Modan. There, in the mountains near Dun Morogh, he had a small lounge he called home. He wanted to get some supplies, all of his remaining blueprints and plans, and a portion of his small fortune. Dhondril returned after a couple of days, with a big smile and a couple of casks of ale. Argheros had always liked dwarven beer, and the Architect's gift hadn't been disappointing.
On that night, after enjoying a small and well deserved feast, Syla had approached him and she had fallen asleep leaning her head on his shoulder. For a few moments, he felt an exciting warmth within his chest, but the memories of their failed relationship crawled to his mind bit by bit. After that episode, Argheros had kept his guard up.
Focusing on the goblins' tasks had been a good way of staying busy with other thoughts. The Cartel had insane jobs available, but few were willing to accept them. They wanted from the simplest trinkets to the most rare and bizarre objects.
Dunris and Orato had climbed the peaks, shattered years ago by Deathwing himself, which were still burning. All because some goblin alchemists wanted sand infused with the dragon's fire. Wolfeye was convinced said reagent would have no properties at all, but the pay was extremely abundant.
Naurosh, Eidil and Eganje had spent most of their time getting food for their group, but on one occasion they had worked together to hunt down a sea monster. The Fuselight-by-the-Sea sailors swore it was the most dangerous creature they had ever seen, making it impossible to set sail. It turned out to be just a big and ugly shark that posed no threat at all.
However, Argheros and Craos had escorted Topijin to copy some weird runes in a Titan vault near the ruins of Uldaman. What seemed to be a simple task turned out to be a nightmare of raging troggs; they barely survived, and they managed to copy only one rune.
The Ambassadors had gone through tasks like these and many more. Wolfeye had tried to keep everyone in a good mood, convincing them that eventually they would be able to get an official endorsement from the Steamwheedle Cartel itself. The sort of political documents they would need to protect the Embassy project.
After long days of hard work, eventually they managed to get enough money to buy them tickets to sail to the Hinterlands. What was worst, there was no ship that traveled regularly to that zone, so the Cartel had demanded more money than the usual.
The only one who was fascinated about the time spent at the Badlands was Ishgo. He was indeed thrilled with the goblins and their ingenuity, and for a moment he had considered staying at Fuselight instead of following the Ambassadors. Fortunately, Wolfeye had changed his mind.
"Damn, I still can't shake the dust off me", Syla complained after a while. "It's a good thing we left when we did... I didn't stand the desert anymore. But, I swear, it would've been more bearable if it weren't for the goblins."
"Don't say it too loud, or Ishgo may hear you", Argheros laughed.
"Yeah... I know. When were you planning on telling me about him?", she asked looking at him straight in the eye, almost without blinking.
"I wasn't planning on telling you", the Paladin admitted and Syla arched her eyebrows. "Can you judge me? Not everyone is fond of dragons, and besides he wishes to be a goblin to our eyes."
"We are supposed to trust each other", she insisted; to her surprise, Irondawn smiled.
"Do you want me to assume that you, among all other people, hide no secrets from me?"
"You know I'm an open book, all you have to do is ask questions."
"Did you ask me about Ishgo?", he inquired, playing her own game.
"Touche...", she admitted, looking away.
"What do you wish to know?", he conceded then.
"There's not much to ask now, actually", she sat down on the ship deck and invited him to sit next to her. "I tried not to freak out when he told me he was a dragon. Shouldn't we be honest with the rest of the group?"
"I had the same argument with Dunris and Ishgo himself. Do you know what the dragon said?", he made a quick pause, but Syla knew it was a rhetorical question. "He just answered: the time of my kind is over; now it's the time for your people to guide the fate of this world... believe me, I know about time."
"Did you? Believe him?"
"Why wouldn't I? After Deathwing was killed years ago, everything changed for us", then he remained silent for some moments, as one of the ship's crewmen passed by. "Now, we aren't certain how our allies would think about traveling with a bronze dragon, but there is one thing we are sure about: he doesn't want to travel as a dragon."
"Why not? I mean, I started believing a lot more in this endeavor after he revealed his true nature. And, c'mon, nothing good has happened to us after I got to know Ishgo's truth... We almost die, we lived in a desert, working for the Cartel, trying to get weapons just in case we are attacked again... because this was supposed to be a pacific mission, we only needed a small army to drive the Syndicate and the Ogres away from Alterac. And still, despite all that, I believe in this like never before. With a dragon by our side, I can only see our chances improving."
"Yes, our cause would benefit greatly from showing off that a dragon is supporting us... just like the Titanguard and that imbecile of a blue dragon", Syla looked at him with surprise, as he wasn't used to cursing. "I can only hope that once we get an Embassy fully operational, he will reveal his true self, and get the Wyrmrest Accord to support us."
"Do you think he will?"
"No", he admitted with a sigh. "But I think Dunris will convince him."
"Well... I guess we shouldn't concern about that now", she said while stretching her arms. "At least, we've been able to finally, finally!, catch a break."
"There's a storm coming our way!", a crewman yelled. "And it's coming fast! Brace yourselves!"
Everyone started to run on the deck, going to their positions. Argheros stood up quickly and stared into the horizon. Indeed, massive black clouds were coming their way from the north, with dense lightnings shattering the sky. He remembered how Wolfeye had used a similar storm to call his attention, but this time the tempest seemed to have formed to sink them down.
Dunris ran past him and started climbing the main mast, in spite of the violent wind that started blowing. Once he reached a higher position, the Shaman began performing a ritual, and then he casted a bright lightning towards the clouds. For a moment, Wolfeye's spell and the storm's own electrical chains were linked, dancing together, fighting each other, competing over supremacy. Until eventually the bond was severed and a deafening thunder echoed in the air.
"It's too strong! I can't force it away!", the orc yelled from above. "I'll stay here and try to delay it!"
"Kraken!", another sailor yelled with overwhelming terror in his voice, as a huge tentacle emerged from the water and hit the ship's starboard.
As everyone run with despair, with Dunris and the storm lighting the place up, Argheros couldn't help but to smile at Syla.
"You were saying?", he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"What? A storm and a sea monster? That's precisely my idea for catching a break, sweetheart", she then rushed towards the rudder and pushed the helmsman away.
"What do you think you are doing?!", the goblin captain asked her with disbelief.
"Saving us. Buy me some time guys!", she asked her allies, and Argheros didn't think it twice.
"Hollowheart! Razorhowl! Topijin! Follow me!", the Paladin commanded, and his allies heeded his call. "Craos, Drahna, Moltenhorns, you too!"
They entered the ship and rushed to the lower storage. Just like Argheros feared, the ship's hull was completely shattered, and the water was pouring in aggressively.
"We have to seal this!"
"Commander, it's impossible!", Craos uttered, and as he finished saying that, a tentacle pierced the hull once again.
"It's not impossible", he contradicted. "Korghan, Evarist, Topijin, use your powers to freeze the water and reinforce the hull with icy walls. I'm counting on you. The rest of us", he said to the Paladins, "go for our supplies, get Dhondril and his helpers and take everyone to safety. I'll get the Whiteclaws to prepare the boats and help with our stuff."
He left his friends to complete their task as he returned to the surface. The situation up there wasn't any better. The thick rain made it impossible for them to see their course, and the roaring wind wouldn't let them hear each other clearly. Syla was yelling some orders and, somehow, she was managing to keep the ship stable. Argheros was certain that she already knew their time was short, so he began commanding the Monks and the others to prepare the boats.
However, the Kraken wouldn't make the task so easy. With one massive thump, the monster destroyed two of the boats, and almost dragged several crew members with him if it weren't for Argheros. He managed to chop the tentacle right before it took the sailors away.
"To hell with this beast! Who does he think he is?", Wildsoul yelled. He took a knife from his boot and grasped it with his teeth; then, all of a sudden, he jumped to the water.
"What is he doing?!", Irondawn shouted, but then Anastriana, Eganje and Tandren followed the Hunter.
"Don't you be worrying about dem!", Valja told him with her crazy smile, grabbing him by the shoulder. "They're going to be fine! Syla has brought us ashore, Wolfeye has slowed the storm and I have cursed and weakened the monster! We should leave da ship before it's too late!"
Argheros wasn't convinced, since he wasn't truly worried about the beast nor the storm. Krakens were usually herded by nagas, lots of nagas. If a group of those hideous serpents were after them, then his allies had jumped to their deaths.
Irondawn followed the troll Warlock, dropped a boat over the surface and jumped to board it. His allies had secured most of the crewmen and their belongings, but they still had to reach the shore. The sea was raging and the waves were merciless, but slowly, despite of the wind and the rain, the surface began to calm down. On one of the boats, Topijin was using his powers to ease the fury of the water.
"Brothers! Sisters! Let's do our part too!", Argheros yelled, and he called forth the power of the Light to shield the boat. The other Paladins and Priests did the same.
Quickly, they reached the shore safely, and strangely enough, there were no signs of the naga. Far from being relieved, he felt even more uneasy. Why would a Kraken show up out of nowhere altogether with a massive storm. Maybe the Titanguard sent those weapons? They had seen that faction wielding all kinds of powers, so it was not crazy to think they also controlled sea monsters. But, was the Titanguard really that influential? Until days ago, Irondawn had never heard of them.
The storm barely allowed them to see how the ship sunk, so they looked for a nearby shelter. Argheros didn't know their position, but after recognizing the coastline he was certain where they were: they got shipwrecked at the shores of Arathi Highlands, his home. Which wasn't good news at all... to the west, the war between Horde and Alliance was at its pinnacle, with constant battles at Stromgarde City.
"Where's Wolfeye?", he asked then when he realized the Shaman wasn't among them.
"I didn't see him boarding any of the boats...", Syla answered, looking at the raging sea with concern.
"He was atop of da main mast while we were fleeing", Valja told them. "He kept fighting with da storm. You be worrying too much, mon", she added with a smile that tried to be comforting. "Dey are goin to be fine! Let's just dry our bodies!", and she snapped her fingers to light a fire.
"You can't save everyone, Argh", Syla told him without looking him in the eye. "Freezing the hull was a smart move, I would've never thought of that. Thanks to that, we managed to get here; all of them," she pointed at the survivors, "are here because of that."
"I'm not worried", he responded, and he meant it. "Dunris has been through worse than this. As for the others... I saw no naga with the Kraken..."
"Yeah, I thought about it too. Weird, isn't it? Few times I've fought against Krakens without them being followed by a swarm of naga..."
"Fine, fine, let's just enjoy your break, then", Irondawn laughed. "I'm tired of having those concerns. If someone wishes to sabotage us, we'll just stop them. Let's prepare the camp until the others return."
Indeed, after some minutes, they saw a spirit wolf running over the waters, soothing them with every step. Many of the sailors were terrified, but when the beast stepped into the land, it took the shape of Dunris right away. Behind him, the others were dragging a huge tentacle altogether.
"We brought dinner!", Wildsoul yelled with a big smile.
"Walking over water? Really?", Argheros asked arching one eyebrow. "Couldn't you just swim?"
"I always carry a small flask of fish oil with me, my friend", Wolfeye answered, shrugging. "You never know when you'll need it. I see you already started a fire, who wants to cook?"
"Not I, I just want to drink to our victory!", his brother answered, and then both orcs headed to the salvaged supplies.
"Some luck, huh?", Razorhowl asked, friendly patting Irondawn's back. "Remind me to never ever listen to your plans, Argheros. They sound pretty well, but things are easier said than done apparently."
"Well, if you think about it, we haven't been that unlucky this time", Irondawn contradicted, removing his gloves and his armor. "Pass me a big knife, I'll prepare the meal. As I was saying, we are at the shores of Arathi, so we can still reach Alterac from here", he explained as he began slicing the meat. "If we don't leave the mountains, we can get to the west without being noticed."
"Provided no faction of crazy fanatics wants to hunt us down," the worgen complained, helping Argheros with his task.
"Of course. Unfortunately, our journey has taught us that no place is safe. But one thing is to antagonize a group of crazy fanatics, and the other is to cross the Horde and the Alliance. We aren't ready to deal with them yet; that's why we need the Embassy and the other factions' support first."
"Fine, but going through the mountains will take us more time than what we expected..."
"We could also travel to the Hinterlands by foot, following the coastline, and then go west. In any case, it'll take us the same amount of time to reach Alterac. We'll see what the group wants", a stream of blood sprayed his arms as he cut a thick vein; it wouldn't be the first time he would feed on a giant squid's tentacle, but he never knew how to cut the meat without making a mess. "We shouldn't worry about this now, though... we should be grateful we managed to survive the shipwreck with all of our stuff."
"Yeah, but what about us?"; the goblin captain interrupted their conversation, approaching them with a bully hobgoblin at his back.
"What about you?", Argheros asked without stopping, spreading blood all over the place.
"We had a ship, and now we don't. All because of your demands", the little greenskin explained in a tone that Irondawn didn't like. He was certain that the Cartel minion would try to charge them for the ship.
"Oh, that. Well, we demanded you took us to the Hinterlands, and we aren't there, are we?", he gave a sarcastic look around, shrugging with fake confusion. "So, the way I see it, you failed to fulfill your part of the contract. We pay, you sail to the Hinterlands, that was our deal, right?"
"No refunds!", the goblin said quickly, with an offended voice.
"Then you are on your own", he wasn't usually that cold, but they had been working for the Cartel for days and Argheros had grown a little unfriendly towards the goblins.
"Wait! Maybe we can come up with a new deal!", the captain added with a hint of despair. "If you pay us for our services, we can be your muscle, we can guide you to where you want to go."
"Listen to me, and listen carefully", Irondawn pinned the knife in the tentacle and turned to look at the sailor from above. "I was born here, I know this land better than any of you. If you want to follow us, be my guest, but you will do everything I say and you'll be at our full service. So far, you failed to deliver the first thing you promised. I don't care we were hit by a storm and a monster; the first thing your men did was to run in circles. If it weren't for us, you'll be dead. Besides, does it look like we need muscle?"
For all answer, the captain looked down and walked away, jabbering. When he was gone, Razorhowl chuckled.
"You don't want him to take advantage on us, right?", the worgen asked with a wide smile.
"You never know when a goblin will trick you...", he answered, giving a quick look to Ishgo, who was having a conversation with Eidil and Anastriana, laughing out loudly. "When we go to sleep, let's take turns to watch the camp... and our belongings. I don't want these Cartel thugs to steal all we have. I want to begin climbing the hills tomorrow, and I don't want any surprises."
* * * * *
"You had to say you wanted no surprises!", Razorhowl yelled to Irondawn as he dodged the massive axe that was swung towards him.
They had spent the night as Argheros wanted, watching the camp and their belongings. Not even one of the sailors had stayed awake, nor had they offered themselves to keep watch. The group woke up early in the morning to get ready for their climb, and their journey uphill had started with no problems. The storm was gone, the sun was shining and the morning air was gentle and fresh.
However, before they could even reach the Highlands, some orcs had assaulted them. Wolfeye had yelled that these enemies called themselves Legion Loyalists, and the Ambassadors had reacted quickly, defending themselves with no trouble at all. They had grown used to being attacked; in fact, they were all fighters, warriors of an endless war. A few skirmishes from time to time wouldn't be anything new.
What was new, however, was the pet these orcs had brought with them. Argheros and the other humans were disgusted, for they had never seen anything like that: a tall, bulky male human, with his pale skin filled with tattoos and scars that could only be vestiges of a long, painful torture. He had chains stitched to his arms and his legs, some platings nailed to his chest and shoulders, his head had been recently shaved and he had a muzzle towards his mouth. He was wielding two gigantic axes, too big for his body, which he whirled around maniacally and fiercely.
But the worst part to look at were his eyes, shining with an unnatural red glimmer. Irondawn had never seen a human in such state. He felt a mix of horror and pity. This man had become a slave, but even worse, he seemed to have lost his sanity and his freewill.
His fighting style was savage. All the Cartel members had ran away after watching such a killing machine, who seemed absolutely undefeatable. No one could get near him without risking death, and for some reason the spells seemed to elude him. Topijin had yelled something about the tattoos protecting him. Naurosh and Eidil had asked for everyone to distract the unfortunate man, so they could aim for an opening and beat him down. But they also had trouble in finding a clean shot.
"There's only one way of stopping him!", Irondawn shouted after dodging an attack himself. "Light, shield me against this aberration!", and he tackled the human slave with all his might.
But instead of forcing the man to the ground, Argheros found himself fighting against an immovable object. The Loyalist's pet began bashing the Paladin's back with the handle of his axes, shattering the protection Irondawn had casted upon himself. He closed his eyes, since he knew that the next hit would end his life... but instead, the weapon bounced violently and the aggressor was suddenly disarmed.
Argheros turned around and he saw the Priestess, Veelah, pointing her hands at him with an angelic gesture. She was shining, infused and blessed by the Light; Irondawn had seen no other draenei as holy as her, not even the lightforged themselves. One by one, the other followers of the Light imitated her, providing the Paladin with a bright, unbreakable shield. He smote his foe with all the might bestowed upon him, forcing the Loyalist's pet to step back.
"Hunters, now!"
Several arrows and an enchanted spear made their impact on the wretched man's chest, and a couple of spells also found their mark. The human slave fell to the ground, weakened, bleeding and defenseless. Argheros was about to give the killing blow, but a loud shout prevented from doing so.
"Stop!", the voice echoed in the cliffs.
Out of several bushes, a group of war painted humans emerged with their weapons held high. Irondawn and his allies turned, ready to fight once more. But, just as they had shown themselves, these warriors dropped their swords, spears and axes and raised their hands.
"We aren't here to attack you", said the one who seemed to be their leader; like the man they had just beaten down, this human was taller than the usual, and he also had several tattoos on his skin. He had a bushy beard and a long braided hair, and he was dressed with clothes that reminded Argheros of the Vrykul. "Please, don't kill Raghek... he is one of our brothers."
"Who are you?", Irondawn inquired with distrust; something about these people seemed so familiar...
"Just like you, brother, we are the last Sons of Arathor."