"Alright, let's see, what did we manage to get?" Nick bent down over the pile of books on the cracked, red earth, sorting through each tome. Allidar stepped through the portal just as it closed, quickly gaining his footing before he could slip on the slick pages of a book. "Alli! Watch where you step, please!"
The death knight blinked down at the ground, nudging the book away with his foot. He stared at the red dust seeping between the cracks of drought-scarred earth, lifting his gaze to the surrounding landscape. Curling lashes of dust raced across the ground, billowing before either dispersing in scrubby bushes and cacti or stopping abruptly upon striking tall rock formations. "Nick… Where the hell did you bring us?"
"Nevermind that! We need to get these books out of the elements!"
"Please tell me we're still on Azeroth."
"Of course we are." Nick pulled up a stack of books and shoved them into Allidar's arms, patting the one on top before whirling around to grab another stack, his colleagues doing the same. "Now, come on. Can't have a library out in the wind!" The other students lifted their own stacks of books, struggling to carry the heavy tomes of dark knowledge. "Onwards and upwards!" The junior necromancer stared out into the vacant landscape for a moment, his enthusiasm fading slightly as he began to realize the situation he had put his fellow students in. There were no structures in sight. No signs of civilization to greet them, much less any of their Scourge brethren. Allidar's previous concern echoed in his head. Truly, the only way he knew they were still on Azeroth-well, aside from knowing his own abilities-was by the looks of the scant flora of the desert. He swallowed hard, shifting the weight of his stack of books to one hand in order to fasten his scarf in place, pulling his hood up as well.
"Nick," one of the female students called worriedly, "maybe we should head back. I don't think-"
"No." He shook his head. "Jen, if we go back, we'll likely get a face full of holy hammers and swords and whatever other holy artifacts they brought with them."
"Then what are we doing here?"
"We are -escaping-, of course!" He turned around, careful to adjust to keep from dropping the tall stack of books in his arms onto the ground. "We'll stay away while the others clean up the rest of the Argent Dawn forces, then we'll make our way back!" Alli glanced down at the ground, spotting the mage he had grabbed during the escape. Red dust spattered her light blue robe, patted across her face like a lady's powder. He frowned, realizing she would need to be carried as well. The elf bent down, reaching to take hold of her robe's collar. The stack of books in his arm toppled, spilling across the ground. "Aw, Allidar, what's the matter with you?!"
"You want them? You carry them." He dropped the books completely, picking up the mage and carrying her on his back.
"But you're the strongest one here," Jen noted. "I mean, if anyone should be carrying them, it's you."
He sighed, dropping the mage carelessly to the ground. "Fine. But only if there's some sort of destination in mind." Alli looked to Nick, raising a brow at the necromancer. "So… Do we have one yet?"
Nick bit his lip for a moment behind his scarf, nodding. "Yes. Yes, we're going to… Uh… Back up." The other students blinked and backed up, watching behind Allidar with worry. Allidar blinked a few times before he felt a rough grab for his ponytail yanking him back, fire blazing inches from his face.
"You there. Necromancers. Drop the books." The students glanced between themselves, carefully placing the books on the ground. "Tell me where I am or I torch all your hard work, death knight." The mage's voice was low and threatening, but strained and tired. Alli quickly analyzed the situation. She didn't seem to have much physical prowess, but he assumed she could more than make up for it in magical destruction. The students and books were in her sights and would be easy to immolate with a twitch of her wrist.
Alli slowly raised his hands in surrender. "Take it easy. You appreciate knowledge, right?"
"You mean guides on the subjugation of the innocent?" Her words struck out like angry sparks. "I think I'll make an exception."
The students watched, frozen in place. Alli nodded slightly to them. "Alright… Give up. She's got us." He grinned.
"That's right. Now tell me-" The death knight swiftly struck back with his elbows, shoving the mage back and breaking her concentration on the fire in her hands. While the fire huffed angrily as it dispersed, he spun around, backhanding her with a plated fist. A sigh of relief spread through the group of students as the mage fell to the ground, dazed. She weakly lifted a hand, attempting to conjure her fire again, but suddenly froze, her eyes going wide. Slim tendrils of shadow slid around her head, entering her eyes and disappearing, shifting her glowing green eyes to a purple hue. Alli looked back to the group. Jen, a girl of shining blond hair and brown eyes narrowed in concentration, channeled a spell on the mage, apparently binding her in place.
Nick chuckled, softly applauding. "Great work, Jennifer! An excellent solution!" The students watched as the mage slowly pushed herself to her feet, turned to the books, and carefully wove a spell around the piles of books, halving their weight through the world-altering power of the arcane. Nick raised his brows, grinning wide behind his scarf. "Ooh! And an excellent plan, to boot!" The students gathered up the lightweight books, murmuring their pleasure at the ease at which they could now carry them. Nick pulled his scarf down, yanked off one of his gloves, and licked his finger, holding it to the wind. After a moment's thought, he pointed in a direction. "Alright! Onwards and upwards, everyone!"