Author's Note
This was my entry for Blizzard's writing contest. I didn't win anything this year, but knowing that my work was read by Metzen & co. is good enough for now. This one-shot features my characters Vaala and Noski (a.k.a. The Archmage) from my story Shadow of Shadowmoon. Half the credit for the idea goes to my guildie Archmagenos / Hottsforu, because he is awesome.
Disclaimer
World of Warcraft is the sole property of Blizzard Entertainment. This story is written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.
Trust
Life in Shattrath City was fairly interesting. In fact, it was so interesting that some people actually bemoaned the relative monotony of years past. Heroes came and went. Refugees came and stayed. The only relevant bit of news was that there were more than enough news to go around, and keeping track of all of them at once was next to impossible. There was a silent consensus among those who traded in information that that any task involving something or someone in Shattrath was bound to end with several shots of a fairly strong beverage, and possibly a headache afterward.
It was hard to find things or even people on the bustling streets of the Lower City, and it was harder still to follow anything amidst the chaos. This is why nobody paid any attention to the cowled figure casually making his way along a crowded street. A careful observer might have noticed the strange way in which the figure appeared to glide over the cobbled road rather than walk on it, or the fiery robes that showed occasionally from underneath a long, dark cloak. However, the few careful observers that were present in the Lower City at the time were currently busying themselves with other things.
The World's End Tavern was bustling with activity even though it was barely past noon. The man's arrival seemed to spark a sudden interest which died down almost straight away. He knew exactly what most had been thinking in those few moments: Oh, look. Another one. In fact, Noski had been mistaken for yet another adventurer many times. He'd even played along every now and then. After all, a magister of the sin'dorei had to keep up the reputation of their kind.
With a quick glance around the tavern, Noski spotted the person he was looking for. There was nothing remarkable about her. She wore dark leather armor with hardly any distinctive marks, save for the few gashes here and there that appeared to have been mended on the spot and with little concern for aesthetics. Her long, dark hair was bound back in a careless ponytail.
"You're late!" Vaala noted with carefully-studied detachment as the magister took a seat across the table.
Noski pulled back his cowl to reveal a broad grin. "You know I'm always on time," he answered without missing a beat.
"My pocket watch would like to have a word with you."
"No."
"But-"
"'But' nothing. I'm right. You know it"
Vaala shook her head with a long, dramatic sigh. Truth be told, she was barely keeping from bursting into a very uncharacteristic fit of laughter. Noski was being annoying precisely for the sake of being annoying... but without actually being that particular kind of annoying that made Vaala see red and stab things. Come to think of it, their conversations were fairly enjoyable as of late.
Noski had spent enough time around the other races of Azeroth to pick up a vast array of mannerisms that any other sin'dorei would have deemed unfitting. For one, his way of speaking had changed to a combination of self-boasting, sarcasm, and jokes that anyone in their right mind would have pretended not to hear in a mixture of Orcish, Thalassian, and even a few scattered Common words every here and there, though Vaala had never been able to figure out exatly what "bur" was supposed to mean.
A barmaid came by and placed a pitcher and two mugs on the table with the standard smile of barmaids everywhere. The kind of smile that said, "Have a good time and come again!". Vaala checked the contents of the pitcher and arched an eyebrow.
"Did you order this?" she asked when Noski gave no indication that he had noticed her apprehension.
"Oh," Noski replied at length. "Can't say I did, no."
"Did I order this?" Vaala scratched the back of her neck. "No, I don't think I di—what are you doing?"
Noski finished pouring himself a mug of the mysterious liquid and shrugged. "Looks like wine to me," he said. "Could be that mysterious Brightsong wine I keep hearing about."
"Or, it could be poisoned."
"What makes you think it is?"
"What makes you think it isn't?"
Several seconds trickled by.
"I'm sure that somewhere, out there, someone is cooking up a very elaborate plot to kill us as we speak. And I'm equally sure that whatever he or she might be on about, this particular wine has no part in it." Before Vaala could think of a reply, Noski raised the mug in a mock toast and drank. "Quite remarkable," he concluded. "You should really try this, too."
"I – uh." Vaala bit her lower lip. "Hell."
The wine did taste remarkable, she'd give it that. After a few sips, Vaala was inclined to believe that this was, indeed, the famed Brightsong wine, a rare beverage that certain smugglers placed a very high value on. One bottle could rake in a small fortune, if one was crafty enough.
"So, what have you been doing lately?"
There was no-one else at the table, but it took Vaala several seconds to realize that the question was directed at her. She shook her head to clear out the sudden tingling in her ears. "Oh," she said distractedly. "A rogue's deeds are best left unspoken of. You know that." She eyed her mug suspiciously. "And this is some strong stuff." Belatedly, she seemed to remember something. "How about yourself?"
"Not much, really." Noski finished the contents of the mug and poured himself another one. "Things have been oddly quiet lately. You'd think anyone would have a field day out there-" he made a vague encompassing gesture "-cleaning up whatever mess Illidan and the Burning Legion left behind. Instead, everyone seems hell-bent on going back home."
Vaala shrugged. "If I had a home to go back to, I'd be more than glad to do the same."
"Home is where the heart is," Noski said quizzically when she didn't add anything else.
A shadow passed over Vaala's features. "I rest my case then," she said quietly before taking a long sip out of her mug.
Noski said nothing. He knew the reason for her sudden silence. Vaala hardly ever spoke of her former life, but Noski had been able to pick up a few scattered details from here and there. He knew that she had been a ranger-in-training some years before the Second war, and that she had found love in a young captain of the Farstriders around that time. The Scourge had claimed him in the end, and shortly after, Vaala had left Silvermoon City to pursue the far less honorable path of a rogue. If she still had a heart after her trials and tribulations, then she was exceptionally skilled at concealing it.
"If you're going to look at me like that, you might as well spirit me away on your silvery horse and give me my happily ever after."
Noski raised his eyebrows slightly. Then, a devious thought crossed his mind. Vaala grinned, unaware, and raised the mug to her lips again...
The world turned upside-down.
Vaala staggered and barely caught herself from falling down face-first. One moment, she was sitting in the World's End Tavern, enjoying a mug of harmless and rather tasty wine... the next, she was clinging on to Noski's robes and fighting to stay upright as the last remnants of the spell wore off.
They were no longer in the World's End Tavern. In fact, they weren't even in Shattrath City anymore. Noski's spell had taken them atop an enchanted isle floating high above a lush, green landscape that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"We're in Nagrand!" Vaala gasped, impressed despite herself.
"I thought you'd like it up here."
"I didn't say..." Vaala hung her head in defeat. "It is beautiful," she admitted. "But what in the world possessed you to-"
"Well, you did ask me to 'spirit you away'. Apologies for the rough ride, by the way," he went on when she pinned him with an icy glare. "There are so many different currents running amok on this piece of rock that my own magic tends to be a little... wild."
Vaala straightened up and brushed a few strands of hair behind her long ear. "I hate you so much."
Noski graciously chose not to reply.
Nagrand had been largely spared by whatever cataclysm had wrecked Draenor in ages past. The land here still retained a kind of savage beauty that easily took one's breath away. The floating isle that the spell had taken them to was slightly larger than the others. The grass here was almost knee-deep, and a lone tree grew in the middle. Vaala walked over to it and sat down, leaning her back against the aged trunk. She closed her eyes.
"It's so peaceful up here," she said after a while.
When Noski didn't reply, Vaala opened her eyes and peered around. There was no sign of him anywhere.
"Noski...?" she called out softly. "Where'd you go, you sneaky mage..."
It quickly became obvious that wherever he'd gone, he was no longer on the isle. The ground was a fair distance away, too far to jump and hope for a safe fall. By all accounts, Vaala was stranded here. "Lovely," she muttered, covering her eyes with her palm.
Several minutes dragged by with no sign of the mage. Vaala tapped her foot. Wise men said patience was one's greatest virtue. Then again, it was doubtful that any of them had been stranded on a piece of rock floating several hundred feet above a wild stretch of land on another world.
To top it off, the sun was already setting. Vaala had to admit that the sight was glorious. She turned towards the blood-red horizon and closed her eyes.
The wind picked up suddenly. Vaala paid no mind. The reddish light flickered against her eyelids and she stretched her back, her earlier annoyance replaced by a pleasant calmness the likes of which she had never felt since stepping through the Dark Portal.
"...And they say you can't sneak on a rogue."
Years of practice had taught Vaala that jumping up in surprise usually amounted to a waste of several precious moments in which whatever had startled her would probably gain an upper hand. "All right, you..." she began, turning around slowly, half-expecting to find that Noski had vanished again. Instead, the sight that met her eyes made her eyes widen in awe.
Noski had brought back a dragon.
The giant beast appeared to flicker in the quickly-fading light, its wings almost transparent despite the fact that they kept both mount and rider aloft. It seemed to change colors at a whim, from black to purple, azure, and then a vivid shade of green.
"What is..." Vaala chocked, cleared her throat and tried again. "Who... where did you..."
The dragon landed in an elegant crouch and Noski jumped off its back. He beamed at the dragon, then at Vaala. "This is Falthria."
Vaala arched an eyebrow. "You named it-"
"Her," Noski cut in petulantly.
"-her after Falthrien Academy?"
Noski shrugged. "She liked it."
"You mean she – er."
Nether drakes were an uncommon sight in Outland. Few had seen the elusive creatures, and fewer still could boast that they had tamed one. But somehow, the fact that Noski was one of those few came as no surprise. Vaala knew he was powerful, and she also knew that he was stubborn enough to try anything once, even if it meant risking life and limb. On the rare occasions where he failed, he was usually quick to dust himself off and either try again, or – far more rarely – lament his rotten luck in the World's End Tavern for a while before moving on to other things.
"Where did you find her?" Vaala finally asked when she found her voice again.
"I bought her egg from an ethereal merchant. I do believe it was in Netherstorm... or Blade's Edge Mountains, maybe. I was going to sell her off once she hatched–" Noski gave Falthria an apologetic pat on the neck when she gave an outraged huff "–but then I thought better of it. After all, teleporting all over the place would be draining even for me. This way, I can be wherever I'm supposed to be quickly enough, and I get to enjoy the scenery. Would you like to ride her?"
Vaala's mind took a moment to catch up. "Huh," she said. "What's that now?"
"I said, would you like to ride her? She wouldn't mind, I'm sure." Falthria flapped her wings idly as if agreeing.
Vaala eyed the dragon with open reluctance. "I haven't so much as mounted a wyvern since coming here," she said slowly, "and you want me to–"
"Uh-huh."
"I've never even trained–"
"And how do you suppose a trainer would teach you, then? You didn't think you'd read a book and then magically be able to do it all of a sudden, did you?"
Vaala rolled her eyes. "There's no saddle."
"She'll see to it that you won't fall off."
"Er."
'You know, I would rather enjoy the company. It's been a while since I've flown with anyone else.'
This time, Vaala quite literally jumped and whirled around. There was no-one else there, but she had heard the words as clearly as though someone had spoken directly into her mind...
"Oh."
It was rumored that some dragons could talk. Vaala had never believed it herself, because common sense dictated that something that lacked both vocal chords and an appropriately-shaped mouth could never hope to accomplish that.
Noski folded his arms across his chest. "Well?"
"You promise me I won't fall off." The question was directed at Falthria rather than the mage, but Noski gave a quick nod nonetheless.
Still hesitating, Vaala approached the dragon slowly, finding without much surprise that her knees felt weak all of a sudden. Falthria lowered her back enough for her to climb on, and she did so with obvious reluctance. "Just... just don't fly too high up, all right?" she muttered, making sure that only her mount could hear. She had never been too fond of high places, especially when the only thing standing between her and a deadly drop was a dragon that looked like it was made from nothing but pure shadow.
'Don't worry, little one. I will be careful.'
Before Vaala could say anything in response, Falthria rose in the air. The dragon circled the isle a few times, beating her wings steadily, and Vaala allowed herself to relax a little. Noski grinned and waved at her. Just as she was about to do the same, Falthria soared.
Vaala bent down and locked her arms around the dragon's powerful neck, holding on for dear life as they picked up speed. The isle quickly disappeared behind them. Falthria lowered herself near the ground, so close that the flourishing hills of Nagrand became a dazzling blur of shape and color. Vaala risked a quick glance over the dragon's neck, then quickly closed her eyes against the strong wind caused by their passing.
Shortly after, Falthria rose once again. This time, they pierced the clouds. Vaala felt her mount slow down and dared to peer around through half-closed eyelids. A moment later, her eyes were wide open, taking in a sight that she had never dreamed she would see.
"Wow," was all Vaala could say before she was lost in the beauty of it all.
The sky of Outland was fascinating enough when seen from the ground; up here, it was incredible. One moon was already high up in the sky, much larger and brighter than its counterpart on Azeroth, while the other was just starting to rise above the horizon. The stars were aligned in strange constellations, alien yet beautiful in their own way. Silvery clouds rolled far below.
'I never understood why you little ones are so taken with the sky. I find the ground to be far more fascinating. There's trees, and grass, and all those small things that run away when they see me.'
"It's... not that hard to explain, come to think of it," Vaala said politely. "You have wings. We don't. I guess we always want what we can't have..." She sighed as an unwanted memory surfaced and disappeared just as quick.
Falthria seemed to ponder this. 'You make an interesting point', she said finally. 'Though I suppose I could always take on the guise of an elf and wander around to my heart's content.'
Vaala nodded, then, realizing the uselessness of the gesture, added, "Guess so."
They flew in silence for a while. At some point, Vaala realized that she was shivering slightly. The air was much colder that high up, even for someone who was used to sleeping out in the open in almost any kind of weather. She sneezed abruptly, and for a mortifying second, her grip on the dragon's neck felt like it would slip.
'You are cold.'
"Y-yes." Vaala felt her teeth clatter, though she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from the near-fatal mistake she had just been about to make. "I would very much like us to go down now, if you don't mind."
'As you wish.'
Falthria banked sharply, then began to spiral down in a lazy glide. As they passed through the clouds, Vaala felt almost tempted to reach out and touch them. She smiled without knowing very well why.
'What is your name, little one?' Falthria asked suddenly.
"Oh. It's Vaala. Vaala Dawnstrike."
It is a pretty name... I still like mine better though.
This time, Vaala tossed back her head and laughed. Truthfully, she felt better than she'd been in a long time, and she had Noski to thank for it. Of course, it was easy to think that the windbag was just eager to show off his unusual 'friend', but maybe... still, she would have to find a way to get back at him for leaving off like that.
The floating isle was fast approaching, and Vaala could even make out Noski's silhouette against the bright sky. He was leaning against the tree, looking the other way. A devious thought struck her.
"Falthria," she said quietly.
'Yes?'
"Do you think we could maybe head for Garadar instead? I'm dying for some Garadar Sharp right now."
'What is this 'Garadar Sharp'?'
"It's a kind of cheese. It goes down well with some wine. Maybe you can try it, too."
'I suppose I can.' A pause. 'What about Noski?'
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine. We can always come back and pick him up later." Unless he gets bored and 'ports away, in which case he'll probably pop up where I least expect him and give me hell for it. Vaala shook her head with a mixture of irritation and... was it fondness she felt? Nah, I wouldn't trust that windbag to... She paused, prodding at the thought.
As Falthria veered away from the isle and towards the bright lights of Garadar showing in the distance, Vaala came to a sudden realization. She did trust him. But rogues shouldn't trust anyone! her mind yelled, and that lesson had been drilled into her mind time and again during her training and then later on throughout her journeys. Then again, what was the point in having rules if you didn't break at least some of them?
Back on the isle, Noski watch both rogue and dragon disappear into the distance. "Evil, evil woman," he muttered, his tone more amused than anything. Then, he chanted a quick spell and teleported away.