A sharp breeze rolled across the frozen plains of Winterspring, cutting through even the thickest clothing and chilling right to the bone. Snow was kicked up in a fine powder whipping around in every direction, making sight impossible in the frozen wasteland. However the snow would have to have been as thick as a dragon's hide to obscure the hulking shape lumbering towards the small cartel town of Everlook. It's massive shadow made more imposing by the snow that circled it, the ice yeti marched purposefully towards the town, knowing of the tasty meat that the goblins would offer. The beast stood almost ten feet tall and two arms lengths wide, its thick white fur blocking most of the cold that was ever present in this icy hell, was blown in the gusts showing its dark blue skin underneath, it's dark sockets containing even darker eyes that had no white, only an iris that spread from lid to lid.
As the yeti lumbered ever closer to the town another shadow intercepted it. Even this figure who must have stood six feet tall and was broad as a boar was dwarfed in size of this colossal shape. The yeti, unimpressed by the figure let off a howl, loud enough to warn the shadow away but not so loud to warn the village of its arrival. Yet the shadow still stood in its path. The yeti stopped walking and howled again at the shadow, louder now but still too quiet to alert any villagers of it's presence. Still the shadow remained, undaunted by the monster. This caused great confusion in the yeti, but it was soon replaced by an anger in it's chest that bubbled like a cauldron of water over an open flame and as if the cauldron had spilt the rage flowed through the yeti's veins. It let out a bellow, so strong it shook the mountains themselves and was heard in the countries beyond Winterspring's large borders. As it howled at the figure a long string of spittle flew from it's mouth towards the shadow and the air filled with a reek that not even the snarling wind would touch it. After almost a minute of howling the yeti stopped, satisfied that the miniature creature before him had learned it's lesson. So it waited for it to leave its path. Instead it heard a low chuckle come from the smaller animal which was snatched up in the breeze. "My turn." The figure stepped forward through the blizzard and stood before the great yeti, looked up into the yetis coal black eyes and bellowed in a deep throaty voice that made the yeti's howl sound no more than a kitten's mewling.
Startled and still enraged the yeti swung down at the figure, still masked by the snow, in an attempt to crush the insolent insect only to see the shadow move as fast as the wind around him. It had only enough time to register this as seconds later a great axe hissed through the air and severed the yeti's spin and head from the rest of its body, killing instantly.
Standing guard at the south entrance to Everlook, two goblins were speaking to each other, their high pitched voices barely audible over the storm. "I'm tellin' ya Fritz, you'll never gonna see Sprocket out here for the graveyard shift!" The goblin on the left complained to his partner "If she wasn't the boss's kid-"
"Quit your complaining Rocko," The taller of the goblin's told her irritating partner "or I'll have you court marshaled and sent back to Rachet to deal with the Barrens war." She smiled as Rocko shuddered.
"Never remind me of those days." He told her while touching the scar on his face, left by a rather angry dwarf while working his old job. "I'll take the frigid cold every day over the chance of being slaughtered by one of them wanna be goblins!" The name had become common between goblins to describe dwarves and gnomes. "The worst we see here is an owl that's strayed too close to the camp!" The two laughed at their fortune, the cruel sound of goblin laughter carried away by the wind.
A crunching noise alerted them to someone's approach. The two raised their shields and unsheathed their blades, the metal screeching loudly because of the poor condition they had been left in. They watched, muscles tensed and blades at the ready as a dark green skinned orc trudged out from the blizzard, his plate armor coated in snow, the white powder obscuring the armor beneath which was dark as a shadow and stronger than Deathwing's metal hide. "Kusok!" Fritz shouted at the orc, putting her blade away and shaking her head disapprovingly. "We've discussed this, in a storm like this you should not be wandering. None of us are going to come and save you if a yeti tries to kill you!" She spoke condescendingly to the warrior, somehow finding a way to look down upon the orc that towered above her.
"I think I can handle myself." His deep gruff voice sounded like an axe grinding on a whetstone. Before the goblin could respond he lugged the giant yeti into the light of the lamps that were fixed on the wall outside of the town. Dragging the corpse a few more feet into the light the orc dropped to his knee and took off his helmet, revealing his bald head and leaving his deep brown eyes unhindered by the helm. Kusok pulled out a thin skinning knife from his belt. It flashed brilliantly for a moment in the light and then it slide underneath the thick hide of the yeti. He peeled off the thick, warm hide and gave it to the goblins, who stared still in shock seeing the giant yeti dead at their feet. "I think that should make amends for going out in a storm." He told them in a nonchalant tone. He left them to divied the hide up between themselves and headed towards the inn.
"I told you he was a good one!" Rocko insisted to Fritz
"Rocko, shut up."
Kusok sat at an empty table within the inn, a large two floor building made with of a dark brick that captured hte heat from the hearth within. The inn had only two floors but was wide enough to house at least a two dozen people. The first floor was made to act as a bar and eatry to keep the patrons warm and fed, it also had hammocks for those who were only staying for a short while. The second floor was for the customers who were paying for a long stay.
Kusok was flipping a silver coin in his right hand and catching it in his left, without needing to look at the coin while it was in the air. It was an old coin, from before the war and was not made by the horde. It was something he scavenged from the ruins of Lorederon on his last visit to the Undercity. One side bore a silvery homage to King Menethil perhaps a year before he died on his son's blade, while the side opposite bore the image of a large tower, supposedly one of the largest in the lost city of Dalaran. As he tossed the coin his mind wandered, flitting from one thought to the other, never settling on any concrete idea. He stared blankly towards the door, luckily so for he may not have seen the two enter.
Two cloaked Humans entered the Everlook inn. They huddled for a moment, a harsh whispering could be heard though none could hear their exact words. The pair parted, one went to pay for a room while the other sat, across the table from Kusok and removed their hood. It was a women, very, very pale and sickly looking. As she glanced around the bar her long auburn hair slid out of her cloak and ran down her back stopping about half way down her body. She shifted in her seat and turned toward the large orc who sat chuckling. The women jumped in her seat and made to move away. "No, no, sit and rest." Kusok told her in perfect Common, though thickly accented.
A look of confusion replaced her look of fear "You speak Common?" she asked him in a soft voice.
"One in my line of work tends to learn these things quickly." He told her, still tossing the coin from hand to hand.
"And that would be?" She questioned the orc, leaning in and talking quietly "Are you a mercenary?" She had an accent that Kusok couldn't place.
"I believe that is the term your people use pink skin." He grunted losing interest quickly.
"Are you for hire now?" She demanded of him. When he didn't answer her she demanded again. "Are you for hire?" She was persistent.
Kusok growled deep in his throat. "Do not think that just because I did not end your pitiful life the moment you entered the town that I am at all interested in your affairs or helping you with them." His voice was a hiss now. He slammed the coin on the table, making it shake violently and splintering one of the boards in the floor.
"I can pay you!" She told him in a whisper, reaching into her cloak's pocket and withdrawing a large bag of gold. "Almost three thousand pieces, real and legal." She assured him, pushing the gold towards him.
Kusok shoved it back and snarled "Do not insult my honor with your cheap pieces!" He shouted at her. "Now leave my sight before remove your foolish head from your shoulders!" Kusok stood now, hefting his double edged great axe in both hands. The women shrunk away from him.
"If you tried you would be dead before your axe rose." Kusok felt cold steal at his throat. He lowered his axe and turned his head slowly towards the voice. The other human stood there with a dagger in his left hand, his hood still up. "Are you alright Kathrynne?"The women nodded at the cloaked figure and sat back up.
"I was trying to speak to this green pig about helping us with our problems" The woman who had been cowering now spoke without any fear of the orc before her. "But he was not in the mood to negotiate." Her eyes shone with a new found courage now. "I can fix that."
"Bah, you will have more luck convincing a wolf to assist you then you will convince me." He snarled at the two, jerking his head towards the dagger. "Slit my throat if you must, I shall never betray my people!"
"Oh I can be very," She paused for a moment to take her hands out of her cloak "convincing when I need to be." With that she lunged forward, placing her thin bony hands on his forehead and gripping tightly. Kusok let out a roar of pain as he felt a presence enter his mind and rush through his memories and thoughts. "You will help us, You will help us, You will help us" The words were whispered in his mind over and over again.
Kathrynne's brow creased with strain and sweat started to roll down her face. Her blue eyes dilated so wide that her iris covered most of the color. "He is strong." Her partner stated. "Stronger than the others."
Without breaking eye contact with Kusok, she replied "Thank you for informing me of this Blain. That is why I keep you around." Blain ground his teeth at the comment, but kept his mouth shut. "I will break him, do not worry brother."
With a final shout of defiance Kusok's mind gave into Kathrynne. She released his head and he sat still in the seat with a vacant expression on his face. "What is your name?" She asked him.
"Kusok Wolfbane." He told her immediately.
"Who do you work for?" She asked sweetly with an evil grin on her face.
"Kathrynne and Blain Stevens." He reported, without emotion or thought.
"Good." Kathrynne's sickly sweet voice assured him. She looked to her brother. "I told you I could break him." The two laughed for a moment at the expense of the orc.
"Ahem." They heard someone clear their throat. The two turned to see a bar full of patrons and an innkeeper staring at the trio. "Mind controlled people are charged to the owner. Extra for a freshly controlled one. An extra deposit is required based on size and armor. That comes out to about three thousand gold pieces." The innkeeper told them.
Kathrynne sighed as she tossed the innkeeper her gold purse "Goblins.." She sighed.