Rumbles of Thunder: The Tale of Lei Shen and Master Ra
DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT. NOT OFFICIAL LORE. WORLD OF WARCRAFT IS COPYRIGHT OF ACTIVISION BLIZZARD AND ITS AFFILIATES. I AM NOT A REGISTERED AUTHOR OF THE COMPANY.
Chapter 1
The stones shifted uneasily in his grasp. Stone is firm, enduring. It will hold.
That is what we must endeavor to become. A sharp exhale of breath as he climbed on.
It is a pity that only I see it so clearly. No matter. I will make the rest of them open their eyes.
Lei Shen pulled himself up onto the ledge.
The crackling of fires and the smell of smoke filled the air, as the stars shone over Kun-Lai's mountainous peaks once again. We have been climbing for what seems like an eternity... mused Lei Shen as he paced the makeshift campsite back and forth.
Kun-Lai's peaks were visible from all points of the campsite. The vast array of mountains stood out across the landscape like fingers rising to greet the sky, their snow-tipped peaks reaching into the heavens. The other peaks now loomed below; the mogu group had climbed past the last of the peaks several days ago.
A hand startled Lei Shen out of his musings. "My lord." It was one of his guards.
"What is it, Ronquin?" he barked.
"We've gone over our food provisions as you ordered, sir." The guard shifted uneasily as he spoke; armor creaking as he did so. "We have enough to last us perhaps four more weeks at best."
Lei Shen sighed. Four weeks ago, he had departed from his holdings in the eastern part of the Kun-Lai Plains with a party of five. He had, at the insistence of his friend and adviser Vu, taken a small bodyguard troupe with him on the climb. Leading the troupe was Qon, the only mogu that the young warlord trusted his life with.
The reason for this climb was simple – Lei Shen sought The Master; the one from ages past that the Mogu, formerly creatures of stone, had served for uncounted eons. Known as Ra-Den, or "Master Ra" in his tongue, the Master had not been seen or heard from in several millennium.
After the mogu became cursed with flesh; the weak, soft skin that now plagued their race,The Master refused to answer their pleas. No matter how long they waited, no matter how loud they yelled, no matter how many they sacrificed – He remained silent.
As a result of this silence, the once-unified Mogu had descended into chaos. Powerful individuals gathered followers and slaughtered one another for pitiful tracks of land. For thousands of years, the clans had fought for dominance and supremacy over both the land and the other mogu. Lei Shen was born into one such clan; his father, Guo-Lai, was a powerful warlord – a brutal, strong and above all, tactful leader. But his father lacked the vision that Lei Shen possessed.
Delving deep into the historical texts of his people, Lei Shen had found out the last known location of The Master – the Thundering Mountain; a cursed place to mogu clans even to this day. The peaks of the mountain, the tallest in the world, crackled and boomed with thunder, while storm clouds crowded the summit, obscuring it from view. This was His home – and with any hope, He was still there.
Many mogu had asked themselves why. Why had The Master gone silent when he did? Scholars had many theories, from death(those who made that claim in Lei Shen's clan were executed for blasphemy, of course), to His judging of the new mogu as unworthy and weak. Whatever the case, Lei Shen would find out what – and if He still lived, beseech Him to unify the mogu again – with himself at the helm.
The vision of the future – HIS future, was what kept Lei Shen going. He would prove himself worthy to The Master, one way or another.
"I do not care how much food we need, Ronquin. We make it last, no matter what." Huffing, he turned away from the guard and back to the campsite – which consisted of a bonfire, several sleeping bags and backpacks of food.
"Of course, my lord. But, what if we reach the summit and -"
"And nothing. We will find Him. I know it. And I need you to trust me."
Ronquin sighed, and then nodded. "Of...of course, my lord." With that, the guard returned to his sentry duty.
Lei Shen shook his head as the other mogu departed. His own guards did not believe in this quest. No one did – when he told his father Guo-Lai of his plans, the elder mogu had bellowed such laughter that it vibrated the yurt that he sat in.
It matters not, Lei Shen thought to himself, biting his lip as he looked out upon the world below, They can laugh all they like. When I return at the head of a united force lead by The Master himself, as his chosen champion, they will all bow before me.