Voices drifted through his mind, they seemed to be arguing... I am telling you, it's impossible! No one should be able to survive something like that! One said.
And I am telling you, this young man just did! See for yourself. He doesn't have a scratch on him!
What? How...?
I'm not sure... what could we find on his family?
Nothing of note. A seamstress mother, and a father who died on the front lines of the Second War.
Hmm... I'll keep an eye on him...
Darkness pressed in around him, comforting him and beckoning him to sleep once more. But something else pushed the comfort back. A single thought pierced through him, along with a vision of lightning. I should be dead!
Joseph Rebain awoke, his scream echoing through the small room, and out across Lion's Landing. As he threw himself forward, small, strong, gentle hands caught his shoulders, pushing him back.
"Be calm young one." A soft musical voice spoke to his side, "You are safe."
Slowly his vision came back into focus. Looking around, he found himself in the infirmary of Lion's Landing, with lady Mishka the medic standing over him. Then his memory flooded back to him, and his hands flew to his chest. However, he found nothing. No scars, no wounds, nothing to suggest what had happened to him.
"Wh..." He began to speak, but came up short, instead a choking cough crackled from him. His throat was bone dry. Seeing this, Mishka reached to the table beside his small cot and grabbed a small mug of water.
"Here, drink this."
The young human grabbed the mug, and almost desperately drank. After a few more coughs, he attempted to speak again. "Wh...what happened to me? How am I not dead?" His voice croaked out, still rough from lack of use.
"You remember?" The Draenei blinked in minor surprise. At Rebain's nod, she sat down in the chair beside his cot with a sigh. "Honestly, I'm not sure. No one is. By all accounts there was only one lightning strike, and if the Shaman I spoke to is to be believed, it was powerful enough to split a warship in two. And yet... there's nothing wrong with you. In fact, you seem to be in peak physical health."
Glancing down at his unscathed chest once more, another though suddenly struck him, "The others? There were several other workers near me. Are they all right?"
Mishka nodded, smiling. "Yes, no one else was hurt. By all the accounts, it seems that you saved them." As Joseph let out a small sigh of relief, the medic chuckled lightly. "You are a strange young man. You should be dead by all accounts, and yet your primary concern is whether your fellow workers are safe?"
Rebain smiled, "The work team is like an extended family. We watch out for each other. After all," His gaze dropped, "Hardly anyone else seems to. All you adventurers and soldiers are too busy with the latest monster, or ruin, or war. We workers have to watch out for ourselves."
Mishka winced, "I'm sorry, I never looked at it that way."
Rebain looked up once again, his smile returned. "It's ok. The guys are all safe, so there's no harm done." He lay back in the cot once more, wrapping his hands around behind his head. "It's alright if I spend the rest of the night in hear right?"
The medic smiled. "Of cou..." She began, but was suddenly cut off by the door slamming open.
"Rebain!" Foreman Stills' harsh voice cut across the infirmary. "If you're healthy enough to scream like that, then you'd better be ready to get your lazy ass back to work!" The noble-born Foreman stomped across the room towards the cot.
"See what I mean?" Rebain muttered under his breath. Raising his voice and straining to sound pleasant, he continued, "Ah, Foreman Stills... I was wondering how long it would take you to stomp up here."
"Don't you dare try to give me lip Rebain. Not after the stunt you pulled."
"Oh forgive me, I had no idea that getting struck by lightning counted as a stunt these days. After all, it's only a fucking natural phenominon that I have no control over."
"Why you little..."
"Foreman Stills." Mishka's voice cut the Foreman's reply off sharply. "I must insist that you leave. Now. My patient has had a trying experience, and has only just now regained consciousness."
Stills looked like he had been slapped. Blinking in surprise, as if he was just now noticing that the Draenei was present, he began stammering. "Ah, um... Miss Mishka, you see... I was just..."
"I know full well what you were just trying to do. And I will not have any more of it in my infirmary. Now, out!" Her tone brooked no argument, and something in her eyes caused all the colour to drain from the nobleman's face.
Recovering his composure after several seconds, Stills glanced down at Rebain. "I expect to see you back on the work teams as soon as you're able Rebain." Turning on his heel, Stills made his way out of the infirmary, perhaps a little more swiftly than he normally would have.
Rebain managed to keep a strait face for only a few seconds more. Bursting out laughing, he almost choked. "Oh my god... that was perfect." Sighing with more laughter, he laied back in the bed once more. "Remind me to never get on your bad side Mam. I've never seen Stills so close to shitting himself before."
Sitting back down in her chair, Mishka let out a huffing breath. "Honestly, the nerve of that boorish... I had heard rumours that he was an insufferable ass, but no one ever really seemed to complain. But really... of all the nerve, he comes storming into my infirmary shouting orders like he owns everything in sight. How can you stand to work for someone so... repulsive?"
Still chuckling, Rebain shook his head. "It's not a matter of 'standing' him. His precious daddy is some kind of big-wig back in Stormwind. Knows all the right people to complain to, and all the right pockets to line. So, any complaints aimed at the inoble/i Stills family, get shut down right quick." He shrugged, "So we learn to live with it. That's the ugly truth of being from a family of 'low birth'" He rolled over, closing his eyes, "Bastard's right though, it's late, and I should probably get back out there tomorrow. He's probably been taking it out on my friends."
Mishka looked as if she was about to say something, then stopped, nodded, and rose to leave. As she reached the door, she paused. "Wait... how did you know it was night?" She asked, looking over at the boarded closed window.
Rebain's eyes snapped open at that. Sitting up, he looked over at the window as well, a worried expression on his face. "I... I don't know..." He shook his head.
Mishka stepped out into the hall, her expression mirroring that of her patient.
Rebain found himself unable to sleep that night. Too many questions plaguing his mind.
The oddities continued to grow in number over the next several days. He quickly discovered that regardless of how little he slept at night, he never seemed to grow tired. His thoughts began to quicken. Even his strength, while he had certainly been a strong man before, now, he felt as though he could rip through steel with his bare hands.
A week after he had first woken up, he returned to the work crews. However, it became quickly clear that his absence had been felt sorely. The men looked practically broken. "What the hell happened to you guys?"
"Stills has been working us with almost no break, every day." Said one of the men, "He says it's to 'boost production quotas', but we all know it's because he's trying to get back at you for talking back to him."
Rebain's eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm going to..."
"Ah, Rebain. So good to have you back." Rebain looked up to see Stills approaching from the fort, a cruel grin on his face. "I hope you had a wonderful rest. After all, these poor peasants seem to be tired, they'll need your help to keep up with our quota this week. Now all of you, get to work." With his final word, Stills unhooked his whip from its place on his belt.
However, Rebain didn't move. "This is just pathetic Stills. You are really so petty that you'd take your frustrations with me out on my friends?"
Stills' smile widened even further. "Oh how arrogant. You seem to be under the impression that you are special, just because you were hit by lightning. Well let me tell you something," He raised his whip, preparing to strike, "You are no more 'special' than any other low born insect. Now, get. To. Work." The whip cracked out, faster than the eye could follow.
Rebain's hand moved seemingly on it's own, snapping up and forward. Everyone present, himself included, blinked in surprise as his grip closed around the lash, stopping it. Recovering from the shock of his own sudden movement, Rebain pulled, hard.
Stills stumbled forward, pulled off balance from the unexpected turn of events. However, he was brought up short by Rebain's fist colliding with his stomach. The Foreman collapsed in a gasping heap at the worker's feet.
Joseph turned to the closest worker, "Max, can you run up to the fort and find Dr Mishka? Tell her that I sent you, and what Stills has been up to this past week. She can at least help the rest of the boys."
Max nodded, still shocked by what had just happened. "Wh...What about you?"
"I'm going to have a word with our honourable Foreman." Something in his gaze seemed to scare the other workers. They all backed away from him. Rebain turned, and used his foot to flip Stills onto his back. "Get up Stills, I'm not done with you."
"How dare you!" The nobleman spat, struggling to get up. "I'll see you hanged for that you worthless..." He never managed to finish his threat, as Rebain's fist jabbed forward, knocking his head backwards, a spray of blood erupting from his nose.
"It'll be worth it to teach you some fucking humility Stills. I am done letting you lord your father's money and influence over us like some kind of executioner's axe. Now get up, and prove that you aren't all talk."
Stills lunged forward, grabbing for his fallen whip and coming up in a crouch. With a roar of fury, he snapped the whip out towards Rebain's feet. However, as the strike came close, there suddenly was nothing to close around. Stills blinked in surprise as Rebain leapt towards him, his shock wore off at about the same moment the large worker collided with him.
Rebain's anger had reached a boiling point, grabbing Stills by the front of his shirt, he hauled the nobleman up and clear off the ground. Stills screamed in fear as he dangled helplessly in the large man's grasp. "Now then Stills, I think it's time that you learn what it feels like to be hit by that damned whip of yours. But since I don't want to even touch that thing after your slimy hands were on it, this will have to do." Clenching his fist, Rebain lashed out with a brutal punch.
The blow connected with the Foreman's chest with enough force to literally rip him out of Rebain's grip. Stills' body sailed through the air as if shot from a cannon, coming to a stop only when it collided with a tree several yards away before crumpling into a motionless pile. Joseph blinked in shock, looking down at his hands, "I... what did I... how...?"
As he was staring in shocked horror at what he'd done, a group of soldiers arrived from the fort, swords drawn, Mishka was among them. Everyone was silent for several seconds, before a hacking cough sounded from Stills' body. One of the soldiers rushed over to the Foreman to check him, after several seconds he returned and nodded to Mishka, "Doctor, the Foreman needs immediate medical attention, he looks pretty bad." He then turned to Rebain. "I heard that Stills was abusing his workers, so I can't say that I'm surprised by this. But I have to arrest you. You did just assault a nobleman after all. I'm sorry."
There were several shouts of protest from the other workers. One even stooped to pick up a rock, however, they were all cut short by a gesture from Rebain, who nodded. "I understand Captain. Make sure that my friends get treated as well, and I'll come quietly. Stills was working them to death, they need rest and a decent meal or two before they'll be ready to work again."
The captain sheathed his sword and nodded, "I'll see to it that they're treated right. And thanks. I saw what you just did to Stills, I don't think trying to take you in by force would have been fun." Turning, he shouted orders to his men, ordering several of them to get food for the workers, and assigning an escort detail to take Rebain back to Lion's Landing. Turning back to Rebain, he shrugged, pulling out a set of manacles. "Sorry, but I have to do this." He said, closing the cuffs around Rebain's wrists.
The prisoner only nodded, and began walking towards the fort, followed by the cries of protest from his friends.
Joseph was locked up in the barracks prison. After the guards escorting him had left, he sat down on the small cot, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his thoughts. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He'd always been fast, but nowhere near fast enough to catch a whip mid-strike. He'd always been strong, it came with the work he did, but he had never been strong enough to do what he'd just done to Stills. "What the hell is happening to me?" He asked quietly after a long while.
"It would seem, that the lightning actually did do something, wouldn't it?" Looking up, he saw Mishka step into view. "Stills is alive, but I do not believe he will be waking any time soon."
"What do you mean 'The lightning did this'?" Rebain asked, rising and stepping towards the cell door.
Mishka shrugged, "It is the only explanation that makes any logical sense. Humans do not just randomly grow stronger and faster at the rate which you have. Especially not humans who have been in an infirmary for a week." The Draenei smiled, "I spoke to several of your work crew friends, and they all vouch that Stills struck first, you should be released within a day or so. After that, I want you to report to the infirmary, I intend to find out just what that lightning strike actually did to you."
Joseph sighed, before nodding. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Good," Mishka said, turning and walking back out of the dungeon. "Now get some rest, we have a lot of work to do once you're free."
A short ways away from Lion's Landing, General Xiao Liu sat on a felled tree, concealed from the Alliance fortifications by the dense jungle. Looking up at the sound of an approaching being, the General's hand moved smoothly to the hilt of his sword, but stopped as Liang, the scout he'd sent out that morning came into view. "You made too much noise Liang. Any enemy within a mile could have detected you." He murmured.
"Apologies my lord, however, I bring news that warrants my hasty mistake." The scout pulled a small cloth map of the area from his belt pouch. "Your visions were correct. The lesser beings calling themselves 'The Alliance' have what we seek. Although I doubt any of them realize it's value yet, they likely will discover it soon." He indicated on the map where the fort sat, "It seems that the mark of the Emperors has chosen one of the humans as it's bearer."
"You are certain of this?" Asked Xiao Liu, "Why would the glory of the Emperors degrade itself by going anywhere near such a lesser being?"
"I was within a spear's cast of the bearer, not two hours ago. However, there were a great many soldiers around it, so I failed to capture it. But I assure you, there is no mistake. It... The human, carries the Mark."
Xiao Liu rose, nodding. "Well done Liang. Inform the others, we move out at dusk. I want this to be as fast and as quiet as possible."
"As you command." The scout saluted, before melding back into the foliage as if he'd never existed.
Xiao Liu turned toward the human fortress, his gaze burning with purpose. "Soon, my Emperor. Soon."
Rebain's eyes snapped open. Something was wrong, he could tell. Rolling off his cot, he crept to the door of his cell, and looked out into the shadow filled hallway. "Hey, guard? Mishka? Who's there?"
A few moments later, the sounds of clashing steel echoed down the hallway. Suddenly shouts of alarm rose up all across the fort and sounds of battle quickly followed.
As he listened, trying to figure out what was happening, a screeching sound tore through his concentration. Turning, he gasped in shock as a massive creature, seemingly carved from stone, physically tore its way through the wall to his cell. He'd never seen anything like it, it stood easily seven feet tall, with legs that seemed to bend backwards at the knee like that of a Draenei. It's eyes burned with an unspoken hatred as it gazed down at him, and in its hand, it held a massive spear.
The creature stepped forward, it's gaze never once wavering from him. "You are the Bearer?" It spat in a heavy voice, dripping with contempt. "This must be a joke."
Rebain set his feet, ready to go down fighting if that was what it took. "I have no idea what you're talking about monster. But you're attacking my home, that means you need to be taken down in my books."
The creature paused, a look of surprise crossing it's face. "You understand my words? Even more... you reply in kind."
"What's so surprising about me talking?" Rebain bent his knees, getting ready to lunge.
"It is surprising, when a human answers in flawless Mogu without even realising." That stopped Rebain in his tracks. The creature continued, "Hmm... Perhaps the stones told more truth than I first believed."
Joseph's mind reeled. He was speaking a language he'd never even heard of before, and apperanly, speaking it perfectly. That shouldn't have been possible. And yet... "What do you want?" He asked, cautiously.
The creature eyed him for a second, before it's hands seemed to blur with speed. The butt of the massive spear collided with the side of Rebain's head with enough force to knock him across the room. As his vision blurred and began to darken, the creature re-entered his field of view and knelt before him. "I am here for you." It said. Then everything went black.