Here we are, chapter four, we've come a long ways. Okay, so maybe not. Anyway, here's the continuation of both chapter two and chapter three!
As of now, the gnomes and the boys are both caught up in terms of timeline. And don't worry, we'll be seeing more of Vai'sig and Saikai later in the series!
“You have defied orders, Garrosh. You were not supposed to cause a war!” Thrall barked at the brown skinned orc who had pushed past both Vai’sig and Saikai to get into the inner chamber.
The room was bristling with tense energy. Saurfang and the Warchief continued to stare down Garrosh as he watched what happened before him, while and the Twinspark sisters were caught right in the middle of the fighting.
“The humans will be slaughtered! The land shall be bathed in the blood of the pink skinned and their allies! Dragonblight will forevermore be Horde territory!” Garrosh looked down at the gnomes with bloodlust in his eyes; he fingered the axes resting at his belt.
There was not a second warning to his assault, and not another word was spoken as the orc grabbed his weapons and leapt upon the sisters. Aruna was quick to lift her shield as soon as she saw the armored monster coming down upon her. However, there was not force against the Crest of Lordaeron, no familiar jolt in her bones that came when something struck her defenses, and as she lowered the barrier away from her face, she saw the reason.
Saurfang had come to their aid. The old orc had rushed between them and Garrosh, lifting his axe to parry the incoming weapons. “You think you can stand up to me, you old man?!” The brown skinned orc cackled.
“You have pushed your limits, Hellscream, I told you I would not let you bring us down a dark path, and I intend to keep my promise.”
Aruna drew her sword and looked ready to jump into the fray, but a firm hand on her shoulder pad held her back. The gnome glanced behind her, to where Thrall was bent down on one knee, and looked her straight in the eye. “Come with me, Twinsparks, this is not your battle to fight... and you have other places to be going.”
While the warrior nodded, her sister appeared to be paying no attention to the orc leader’s words of wisdom. Instead she had lifted her hands to the air, a bolt of shadow erupting in her palms, which spread and morphed into the shape of an axe... that finally became a true solid object. Black metal formed the handle, which spiraled up and made room for the jagged edges of the black axe-head. A hole was carved in the head, within the hole spun a red gem with the help of necrotic magic, and a twin gem was set into the bottom of the hilt of the weapon. Runes glowed and twisted up the runeaxe, a deadly weapon indeed.
Thrall was about to say something to the death knight, when he caught sight of the weapon in her hands, “... impossible.” He shook his head, and grabbed Anura by one of her arms, the gnome would have cut of his hand right then and there, if it weren’t for the stern glare of her sister who stood beside the Warchief.
“A war has started on the wastes of the Dragons this day, Varok! I plan to be there to lead the Horde to victory against our enemies!” Garrosh brought his axes up to hit Saurfang in the shoulders, the older orc jumped back and countered with a cleave. There was a long gap of silence between the guards stationed across the room. Saurfang’s adversary was on his knees, staring up at Varok, “You have not lost your touch in combat...”
“I never plan to, traitor.”
Aruna looked over her shoulder as Thrall escorted the Twinsparks out of Orgrimmar with a group of Kor’Kron. Varok’s words rang in her head, Garrosh... a traitor.
---o---
Becca and Tektali were right where the gnomes had left them, hiding in the underbrush, out of sight and unsuspicious to anybody who might have found them. Thrall had set Anura down during their retreat out of the Orcish city, and she grudgingly walked up to her raptor and mounted the beast. Aruna stayed to discuss farewells with the orc leader.
“I am sorry our meeting did not go as planned, Thrall, and I am sorry about the decent of Garrosh’s legacy.”
“Little one, that is not your fault... Varok has made me realize I never had a firm hand on the lesser Hellscream’s path. I thought he would make the right choices himself, but his hate for the Alliance has caused many to sway from the path of peace.”
The gnome didn’t say anything for a bit, allowing the words to sink in, and before she could open her mouth, the Warchief continued, “Ratchet, that is where you need to go. It is the closest port, and I believe there is a ship docked there that is headed for Dragonblight. I will have to settle the uproar that has started in Orgrimmar, deliver this news—and our plan for peace—to Alexstrasza.”
Aruna bowed, “I will do it, Thrall. Lok’tar ogar.”
The warrior proceeded to swing herself onto Becca’s saddle, Thrall and the Kor’kron left back to Orgrimmar as soon as she was properly mounted. “Shall we proceed then, sister?” Aruna gave Anura a sly grin.
“Let us ride.” was the death knight’s only reply.
---o---
“I don’t think I can drink another one...”
Jackal shoved the bottle of spicy juice in Phoenix’s face, “Stop being such a sissy and drink it! I have money on you!”
The blood elf reluctantly grabbed the bottle and uncorked it. He held the end of the neck at his mouth for a few moments before Jackal screamed at him again, so Phoenix finally spilled the whole mixture right into his mouth. His face contorted into a look of extreme disgust and that whatever was in his mouth was extremely sour. Jackal looked around, then handed his friend another bottle, “Drink up!”
Around them the Broken Keel Tavern was exploding with events. People from all over Ratchet had arrived that evening to socialize, but a traveler had pulled some mixture from a crate he had brought with him and declared a competition. Soon everyone was placing bets and getting their friends to drink the odd liquid. Jackal had gotten Phoenix to do it; Elayne was shoving it down her throat like it was water; unnamed orcs, goblins, and trolls were slurping it; and the only other person who had stepped up to drink it was the navigator of the Lightning Hawk.
Phoenix downed another bottle before his chair tipped backwards and Jackal found him unconscious. Everyone else was still at it, and almost an hour later did the mysterious man who had brought the juice stepped forward to announce who had drank the most. He made a subtle gesture to the last woman standing, “Lunae Arisray!”
The night elf stepped forward, claiming the large bag of gold and flexing in response. Elayne’s crew was hooting and cheering for the girl who sailed their ship. Jackal’s draw almost dropped to the floor, and Phoenix would’ve been just as surprised... but he wasn’t awake.
“Oi! I don’t mean to cut the celebrations short, but we’re off schedule!” Captain Ironhammer screamed,
“Back to the ship ye sea dogs! And the two landlubbers too!”
---o---
Phoenix had woken up while Jackal was carrying him to the lower deck where their room was. After demanding to be set down, the two plopped onto their makeshift beds and began talking about what they were going to do when they got to the Dragonblight. Part-way through their conversation they started hearing noises of the crates behind them being shifted around, while they ignored it at first, the noises continued until they felt they needed to investigate.
“Do you hear that?” Jackal asked.
“I hear it.” Phoenix looked over his shoulder.
“What is it?”
“A ghost.”
“A ghost? Are you crazy?”
“Maybe.”
This bickering went on for a few minutes before Jackal stood up and searched through the crates and barrels because he refused to believe that whatever was in their room was a ghost. He displaced boxes and bags and continued this until the point of a crude iron blade was shoved inches from his nose.
“Waaaaaaaah!!!!!” Jackal stumbled back away from the sword and Phoenix scrambled to his feet to see what the yelling was about.
Leaping from behind the boxes came two short figures, clad in plate armor and brandishing weapons, one with striking bright pink hair and the other glaring at the boys with misty blue eyes. Phoenix started conjuring fire in his hands as he looked at the gnomes, who began screaming in response. They waved their weapons and it was then the mage and rogue’s turn to begin yelling. The act of hollering continued for a while until the two female midgets calmed down and began loudly shushing Jackal and Phoenix.
“Stop screaming!” The black armored death knight shrieked.
“Waaaah---“ The boys stopped screaming as soon as they saw how angry the little undead gnome was staring at them. “Who are you two!?!” Jackal asked, on the verge of screaming again.
“We can only give you that information if you promise not to tell the captain of this sea vessel!” The gnome with bright pink hair seemed to have more authority in her voice.
“Let me confer with my colleague.” Jackal pulled Phoenix aside and the two began whispering in a conspiring-like fashion.
The two gnomes just stood there with dumb-looking expressions on their faces as the blood elf and the human chattered for the next ten minutes. Every so often one of them would jab a finger in the death knight’s direction until finally the elf approached them, “Okay, we won’t tell Elayne about you two!”
“Alright then, we are the Twinspark sisters, I, Aruna,” The pink pigtailed gnome gestured to herself, “And Anura.” She then gestured to the death knight, “We have hidden on this ship with the information that it is traveling to Dragonblight. This was the closest port to where we were currently located and to the most direct location.”
“Oh.” Phoenix said.
“We’re going to Dragonblight too!” Jackal said with a giant, goofy looking smile.
“I see.” Aruna replied.
“What was all that screaming about you two!?” Jackal and Phoenix heard Elayne’s voice and automatically told the two gnomes to hide for cover; the sisters dived behind some crates and prayed that they wouldn’t be discovered.
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