The ride from Southern Stranglethorn Vale to Northern Stranglethorn Vale was surprisingly uneventful for Adam. He had risen early this morning in order to get to Darkshire by nightfall. The rogue gave his chestnut horse a pat. The stallion had been with him for many years and he wasn't about to leave him in the stables in order to take a faster gryphon. And if things went the way he thought they would, then there was a chance would not be returning to Booty Bay. Although the road in Stranglethorn Vale was the safest way to travel through the jungle, it wasn't always safe. There were the jungle trolls, panthers, tigers, raptors, gorillas, nagas, and the occasional horde traveler. Sometimes the other faction would leave the alliance travelers alone. Sometimes they would attack. Then, of course, there was that huge whirlpool that appeared after the shattering making traversing between the southern and northern jungles dangerous.
Adam had come across none of the usual troubles today and he smiled as he stopped at the Rebel Camp located between Stranglethorn and Duskwood. He bought some apples from the camp vendor and gave one to his horse. "Here ya go, Indy." The horse took the apple gratefully and Adam found a patch of grass to sit down and eat his own apple. The weather here was a little bit cooler than the humid warmth of the jungle and he enjoyed the reprieve as he pulled out a skin of water to wash the snack down. Adam glanced up at the sun. It should set in a couple of hours. That should be just enough time to get to Darkshire.
Once he was rested, he checked Indy's tackle and looked the horse over to make sure nothing was amiss before climbing into the saddle again. He turned east towards the bridge that led into Duskwood. As he entered, the sun disappeared behind the canopy of the trees and dark fog of the area. He traveled north until he hit a T in the road at which point he turned east, nodding to a few humans at a small camp just off the road. He listened to the sounds of the eerie forest and kept an eye on Indy. The horse had a natural uneasiness within this forest and with good reason. The forest was haunted by undead ghouls, ghosts, and skeletons. Wild worgen also roamed the woods. Just as in Stranglethorn, the safest place to travel was the road, but that didn't mean it was completely safe.
When the town of Darkshire finally came into view Adam began to relax, not realizing how tense he had been feeling. The town clock rang once to indicate the time. Adam glanced up to see it was now seven o'clock. His stomach rumbled and he briefly wondered if he had time to grab some dinner before whomever he was supposed to meet with showed up. He passed the town fountain and stopped in front of the Scarlet Raven Tavern. He dismounted and tied Indy's reigns to the hitching post before entering the building. The building was like most taverns and inns within the human kingdoms. A warm fire burned in a large fireplace. Tables and chairs were set up around the room for patrons. And a bar stood towards the back for those just looking for a drink or two. Adam sat down at one of the empty tables as one of the barmaids approached.
He ordered a basic meat and potatoes meal along with a mug of moonberry juice and glanced around at the patrons of the tavern. There were only three patrons in view. He had no idea who he was supposed to meet. All he knew was that he was supposed to come alone. If he was to be alone, then perhaps his contact would not be in the tavern as it's a somewhat public spot. Maybe his contact was waiting for him outside. But if that were so, he may have been stopped before entering the building...unless the contact hadn't arrived yet. He sighed. There was so much he didn't know about this venture.
His food was placed before him by the barmaid. He flashed a winsome smile at her which grew a bit bigger when he saw her blush before turning back to the kitchen. Adam ate his food while keeping an eye out for anyone trying to get his attention. By the time he finished his meal, he started to wonder if he had imagined finding the note. He reached into a pocket and touched the piece of paper to reassure himself as stood up and stretched his muscles. He paid for his meal and stepped outside, once more looking for his contact. One of the Night Watch on patrol passed him without a word.
After waiting around for half an hour or so, Adam decided he may as well check in to a room for the night and stepped back into the inn looking for the innkeeper. After prepaying his room, he followed Innkeeper Trelayne upstairs and into his small room. He looked around the room to check it out before exiting once more so that he could put Indy in the inn's stable. It didn't take long and went back to his room, pulling out the piece of paper to make sure he hadn't misunderstood the message.
A slight noise sounded behind him. Adam's dagger was out in a flash and he spun around to see someone barely noticeable in the shadows between the bed and wall. "Easy, Adam. I'm sure I was expected." The voice was feminine.
He kept his dagger out and moved so that he could see her better. It was better to be on the safe side. "Come out of the shadows." The figure moved forward and he saw a woman dressed all in black. She had short leather gloves, arm bands on her upper arms, a sleeveless tunic and leather legguards. Her short cropped hair matched her outfit. In fact, the only thing not black on her, besides her skin was her dazzling green eyes. He'd never seen such vivid green eyes. Adam looked her up and down appreciatively and slowly lowered his weapon, but did not sheath it. "If you're my contact, how did you contact me?"
She smiled and crossed her arms in front of her. "I left you a note." She then described the note exactly and watched as Adam finally sheathed his weapon. "You know who I represent?"
Adam nodded. "Stormwind Assassins." The guild was well known among rogues. It was initiated by Anduin Wrynn while he was acting king during his father's absence. There were times in which Stormwind needed certain 'problems' to go away quickly and quietly. The Stormwind Assassin's guild was formed with the king's quiet permission to take care of these inconveniences without having to answer to the city guard. They were a separate security measure answerable only to their leader, Mathias Shaw. Mathias Shaw answered only to the king. Many rogues wanted to join, but only those deemed worthy were initiated into the guild. "To get one of those notes means you're interested in recruiting me," he added.
She didn't confirm his assumption, neither did she deny it. "I'm sure you know about us and what we do for Stormwind." After his nod, she continued. "Here's some information you don't know then. We are very strict in who we allow in to our organization and how they conduct themselves. If a steady pay and the perks of stolen goods and a secret kill are not good enough for you, you will not make it in. If your conduct proves unworthy of the guild, there's a chance you will become a target of the guild." She looked him in the eyes to make sure he understood exactly what she meant. He did.
"It's simple. Follow the rules, and follow your orders." She went on to describe how the Stormwind Assassins Guild was set up like the fingers of a hand. The thumb was those in charge and each finger represented each level of the organization , the lowest level being the fourth finger and so on. All initiates start out in the lowest level, no matter how skilled they are. The only one who ever had an entire list of who was in the guild was the king. Not even Mathias Shaw, who ran the organization, knew every single member. "Any questions?"
"Yeah. Why me? And how did you find me?" He leaned back against a table, crossing one ankle over the other.
"I first took notice of you in Westfall when you helped a couple of farmers find their stolen goods." She watched his face as he tried to recall ever noticing her. She would be surprised if he did for she hadn't revealed herself. "After that, I began to research just who you were. I needed background information."
At this news, Adam stiffened and eyed her cautiously. "And?"
She shrugged. "It took a bit of digging, but I found out what I needed to know." His face darkened as he stood straight again. She raised one eyebrow slightly. "I didn't talk to anyone."
Adam paused. He was about to leave and refuse to join until she said that. He glanced back at her.
"Your background merely confirmed to me your character, nothing else." A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "I followed you around for a bit and made my decision to offer you initiation into our guild after I watched you help a night elf escape an undesirable situation."
Adam seemed to relax again and even smiled at the memory. He briefly wondered what happened to her and her brother after he had left them, but quickly returned his attention to the present. "So now what?
"Now, I return to Stormwind and submit your name to my superior. Once he has it, you'll get your answer as to whether you are accepted or not. All you have to do now is say whether or not you accept our terms and offer."
"I do."
"Good. I'll meet you in Stormwind, then."
"Woah! Wait a minute. You never said anything about me going there."
She raised an eyebrow. "We're called the Stormwind Assassins. Where else did you think you would be assigned at the beginning?"
Adam ran a hand down the back of his head and tugged at the small pony tail positioned near his neck. "I didn't think about that." He move forward, then turned back paced back the other way. He hadn't been to Stormwind since... He sighed. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
"I see." She stepped forward. "Perhaps I was wrong to give you this opportunity. Maybe you just like living by the scrape of your pants, constantly having to go to men like MacKinley for loans instead of working for a steady pay doing what you want." She ignored his glare and pointed a finger at his chest. "If you let your past affect important decisions like this, then maybe you're not worthy of this job in the first place."
Adam hated that she was right and pushed her finger away as he moved towards the door, his back stiff. He stopped at the door and stood there silently for a few minutes before turning his head. "Fine. I'll deal with it. Happy?"
"No."
Adam turned around with a growl. "What else to you want from me?"
"I want you to realize this isn't about just you. It's about you and whatever job you are assigned. It's about taking care of whatever is the greater good for the people of Stormwind, whether you like it or not. We all have our own risks in this. We aren't alone. We're a team. A family. If it ever came to it, I don't want to have you backing me up if you are not fully committed to this job."
Adam remained silent as he considered her words. He had a feeling that this is something they would tell him in his basic training for the organization, but the way she spoke of it convinced him she wholeheartedly believed in this organization to take care of each other. He had to admit, it had it's appeal. His back lost it's stiffness. "I'll go to Stormwind. But, I must request that I not be assigned to a certain area."
"That's a reasonable request. I'll include it in my file." The female rogue reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I figured you'd need a place to stay. There's a small residence I've used on occasion, but had to give up due to traveling so much of late." She handed the paper to him.
Adam took the paper and glanced at it and then back at her. "How much?"
She grinned. "You can afford it." She turned towards the window and opened it, sitting in the frame for a moment. "Oh, one more thing...don't be surprised if I show up on occasion. I still need a place to sleep when I'm in Stormwind." When she saw his grin she gave him a hard look. "Don't go getting any ideas, Adam. I can just as easily slit your throat as the next guy." The hard look then melted into a quirky smile as her eyes looked him up and down. "Then again..." She left it at that and disappeared out the window.
...
"Now, look at this here block o' stone." Kristie glanced from her dwarven teacher to the stone as instructed. "Every bit o' stone has it's weak spots and it's strong spots. Ye must study it t' find where to sculpt and where not to sculpt. If ye try t' fit yer sculpture within a block tha' has a weak spot where ye want to cut, then don' use it. Now, I want ye t' take this 'ere block home an' study it. At our next meeting, I want ye t' tell me jus' where the weak spots are...if there are any."
Kristie's first glance at the small block of stone told her nothing. "What does a weak spot look like?"
Gemma Stoneshard smiled at her student. "That's what ye're t' discover. Let's see how well ye do on yer own, first." With that, the stonecutter dismissed her student. Kristie picked up the small block of stone as well as her tools and left the building located in the Dwarven District.
Up to this point, Gemma had just been giving Kristie the stone needed to practice her skills on. But now she's wanting her to learn how to choose the stone for herself. She took a left and followed the pathway between the buildings until she reached the short tunnel that lead to the canals. The Dwarven District was a respected part of the city, but she couldn't stand the heat generated by their forges, nor the smokey air that was a result of those forges. It was good to get out into the fresh air of the canals again.
"Kristie!"
She turned to her left to see Nelson Chantley approach. He was the son of Lord Trevor Chantley. They had met a few months ago during a meeting of the House of Nobles. Although the Alexstons were not nobility themselves, Baros Alexston's job often brought him in contact with the nobles to report on the progress of various works around Stormwind. She had accompanied her father to the meeting out of curiosity of what went on during the meetings.
Kristie gave the young noble a courtesy bow of her head in respect to his rank. "Sir Nelson. How are you today?" The young noble's son was, for the most part, self-centered and snobbish. But he also had his moments of being a perfect gentleman. Today seemed to be the more easy-going side of him.
"I'm doing well." He smiled and indicated for her to keep walking. "You are just coming from your sculpting class?" He moved easily next to her, adjusting his stride to match hers.
"I am." They crossed the bridge from the Dwarven District to the Cathedral District. "Gemma wants me to start learning more about choosing the best stone for the work needed."
"Mmm-hmm" he said as they turned left. "Father wants me to attend another meeting tonight," he said, changing the subject. Kristie was used to this with him. Nelson had a tendency to always bring the conversation around to what was on his mind and not really pay attention to what was on the mind of others around him. She just sighed inwardly and tolerated it for now.
"What is the meeting about tonight?" She shifted the stone block from one arm to the other as they reached the small dock by Stormwind Lake.
"Oh, one of the nobles is proposing something about holding on to some of the lumber from Eastvale for use at some future date."
Kristie stopped and looked at him. "Wait a minute. Lumber is in high demand right now for rebuilding the damaged sections of Stormwind. Why hold onto the lumber now, when we really need it?"
Nelson shrugged. "I'm sure he'll explain his reasons at the meeting." They turned to the left again and now entered the Cathedral District, stopping just outside of Kristie's home. "Listen, I have some free time tomorrow night and would like it if you could join me for dinner?"
"Oh! Ah, well...I...um..." Kristie was taken aback. She hadn't expected this and fumbled about for her own answer as she tried to figure out if it was a good idea to go out with him or not. Unable to come up with a reason to say no right now, she smiled and accepted. "That would be nice." They worked out the details and he gave the back of her hand a kiss before turning and striding off. Kristie blinked wondering if she made the right decision. She turned and entered her home.
Her father had actually come home for lunch today and she waved to her parents as they worked together fixing lunch. She set her things down to wash up for lunch. "Daddy? Did you know there was a meeting tonight?
"Hm? Meeting?" Kristie explained her discussion with Nelson about Eastvale Lumber Camp and the proposal to set aside lumber for later usage. Baros frowned. "No. I didn't know."
"But wouldn't that affect your own plans for rebuilding the towers and other jobs for keeping this city in good repair?" She finished washing up and sat down to eat the salad her father had placed in front of her.
"It could. Or it could not. It depends on how much output the camp has for wood as well as how much they plan to set aside."
Elenor Alexston sat next to her husband eating a small sandwich. "How was class today, Kristie?" She changed the subject before father and daughter got themselves worked up over this meeting.
Kristie shrugged. "I've got some challenging assignments again." She went into detail of her class as they ate. After lunch, she stood to wash the dishes and Baros left to return to work. Elenor came to help dry the dishes so she could spend some time with her daughter before she, too, went off to her volunteer time at the orphanage.
Kristie told her mother about Nelson's sudden invitation to dinner. Elenor remained silent as she listened and dried the dishes. "Kristie, honey. All I ask is that you be very careful. Very few nobles can be trusted."
The younger woman nodded. "I know that. I will be." She gave her mother a smile before getting her block of stone and retired to her room where she could study the stone. A couple of hours later, she thought she could see just where the best places were to cut the stone, and where it would be useless to try. At least, she hoped she was right. She'll find out tomorrow.
Kristie stepped outside her home and walked over to the orphanage, seeking out Amy Masters, her 'little sister'. She had volunteered to help the orphan, acting as a big sister to the girl for the past few months. Amy was sitting on her bed inside the building. The nine-year-old had dark brown hair and eyes. Her face had freckles all over her nose and cheeks. Kristie loved the freckles. Amy hated them. "Hi Amy. What are you doing sitting in here? It's a beautiful day out."
Amy shrugged. "I just finished my chores. I guess I just felt like sitting for a bit."
Kristie smiled and held out her hand. "I was thinking of taking a walk over to the stables in Old Town. Wanna come?"
Amy beamed and jumped off the bed, grabbing Kristie's hand. The two walked towards Old Town as they chatted about school, chores, and some of the other kids in the orphanage. "Bobby and Jerome are bugging me again."
Kristie glanced down at the little girl. "Again? Have you told Shellene yet?" When Amy shook her head, Kristie sighed. "I'm sorry, but if you don't tell her or Matron Nightengale soon, I will. It's not right for them to pick on you." Amy remained silent as they arrived at the stables. A palomino horse recognized them and came over, nudging their pockets for treats. Kristie laughed and pulled out some cut up apples she had stored in her pouch before leaving the house. She gave them to Amy who happily fed the horse.
...
Baros entered the Petitioners Chamber after telling the steward he wanted to speak with one of the nobles. At this point he didn't care who. After waiting for about half an hour, Lord Aron Boxley entered the chamber and headed over to him. "Mr. Alexston. What can the House of Nobles do for you today?"
The city architect gave the expected half bow of respect to the nobleman. "I have concerns about this meeting tonight."
Boxley raised an eyebrow and let out half a sigh. "Just how did you find out about this meeting?"
The question gave Baros pause. Was the meeting supposed to be secret? He didn't want to get Nelson Chantley into trouble. Nor did he really want to reveal his source of information for the time being, though he figured they could figure it out if they really wanted to. "Is the meeting secret?"
Lord Boxley looked down his nose at Alexston. "No, of course not. But it was not general public knowledge."
"Then it should not matter how I came to know about this meeting. That aside, I want to have my say in this."
Now Boxley gave him a disdainful look. "This is a matter for the House of Nobles. It does not concern the City Architect or the Royal Stonecutter's Guild."
"I beg to differ. Why set aside wood now if it is desperately needed for repairs to Stormwind not to mention the populace trying to rebuild their homes."
Apparently, Lord Boxley had had enough of this conversation. "We will take that into consideration, Mr. Alexston. Good day." He gave a sharp turn and exited the chamber. Baros watched him leave and gave a great sigh before heading for home.
When Boxley returned to the Patrician's Chambers he was approached by one of the nobles. "What did he want?"
"He has concerns for his little projects and of course thought we wouldn't take the peasants into consideration."
"Of course we are taking them into consideration. It's part of why we are setting the wood aside. So there is wood available in the future when it is truly needed. Come, let us start the meeting." As Lord Boxley headed to meet with the others, a calculating smile appeared on Baron Bracen Worthington's face.