Elduin soared among the clouds. The air he breathed was clean and the fresh, salty smell of the blue sea below invigorated him, which made a nice change from the orc-infested and demon-tainted woods of Ashenvale. Weeks had passed with almost no sign of the fleet he was supposed to find. Elduin was beginning to fear the storm caused by the Shattering had swallowed them all, like it had drowned the Kul Tiras marines at Tiragarde Keep, the keep Ishrien had claimed to have first heard of this fleet. Tiragarde 'Keep' he thought bitterly. Tiragarde Ruin would be a more fitting name.
The Theramore garrison that had taken command of the empty ruin had been helpful enough, but the information they had given hadn't been to his liking either way. Elduin hadn't stayed long enough to allow them to ask him questions about his business with Lieutenant Alverold's fleet or further crush his hopes of ever finding them into the ground. This, this task, was the last thing he had left. It was Ishrien's final wish, and the reason he hadn't stood by her side in her final moments. Against such numbers the only alternative would have been death, but that thought didn't soothe his conscience one bit.
Ishrien. Angry whispers made the name echo in his head, each resonance pounding into his skull like a hammer. He hadn't looked back, not even once, and had allowed the spirits to scream inside his mind to drown out any sound as he flew up against the hillside, but the haunting image of Ishrien's face moments before her death which his mind had formed of its own accord was still etched into his brain, and it wouldn't let go. It probably never would.
He reached out for the spirits again, but they, who were supposed to act as his eyes and ears when he had need of knowledge beyond his own reach, again refused to answer. It was highly unusual for the spirits to be so quiet, but he didn't let it dampen his conviction. Just as Elduin was considering changing his approach and start looking for any settlements Alverold's men may have built on the shores rather than look for ships in the vastness of the ocean he spotted a cove on the horizon.
The tiny patch of land was probably too small to appear on any but the most detailed of maps, but to the druid, it would suffice. It was about time to rest and he probably wouldn't find anywhere else to land any time soon, so Elduin let his wings carry him to it.
As soon as he reached it Elduin descended sharply, landing heavily on his outstretched talons. Threads of magic swirled around him violently as he returned to his night elf shape, that of a weary and troubled, but determined druid. He was standing on a tiny patch of land, which quickly gave way to the large overhanging rock that formed the entrance of the cove. Now that he'd gotten closer he noticed the cove was actually huge, large enough to fit a giant. His amber eyes looked into the darkness, and he slowly stepped into it. Like every other night elf, Elduin did not fear the darkness. The Goddess had made it their home, and his eyes pierced the black veil effortlessly. A black cloak seemed to wrap itself around him as he stepped forward.
If only it'd been this dark when we tried to make our escape… We must have missed nightfall by a few minutes at most Elduin thought regretfully. This thought had only come to him the night after he had lost Ishrien: he'd been too busy minding the orcs to pay attention to the time of day.
As he walked deeper into the pitch black darkness, Elduin quickly found himself knee deep in the water once again. There must be another entrance that allows the sea in he concluded. As he waded forward slowly, Elduin let his eyes stray over the walls, eyeing the rocky surface closely. This cove must have been much higher above the sea level before the Shattering Elduin thought. All he wanted was to find a dry spot to rest, away from the wind and any prying eyes.
When he noticed the cove expanded in two directions Elduin chose the right path, which seemed the most promising to him. It was brighter than the left path, and he was soon proven right as he saw the second cave opening at the far end of the path he was taking. He smelled something, and quickened his pace. It couldn't be. Here, of all places? As he walked into the water up to his middle he noticed there was flotsam all around him. Oh no Elduin thought. There was a large hollow outcropping in the rock to his left that ascended slightly, meaning it might very well lead to a dry spot. He believed this was also the place the smell he thought he'd recognized came from.
The corridor was narrower than the main ones had been, and as he looked up, he noticed there were small plateaus that looked like they had been dug out by giant hands. Elduin could only hope they were the result of natural erosion. Faint groans coming from above broke him out of his thoughts. He'd been right after all. Unless his ears betrayed him, those were human voices. Elduin briefly transformed to fly up to the ledge, and as he landed he was met with a surprising sight.
Marines! Elduin thought as he transformed back, unable to tell whether he should be happy he had finally found some of them or be appalled by the state they were in. The description he'd been given by the soldiers at Tiragarde Keep fitted the men well. Though many uniforms were ripped and torn and all were dirty, the green colour he'd been told to look for and the anchor sigils on their tabards were unmistakable. As surprising as the marine's presence alone was, the guy who jumped up and ran at him with a raised fist and a crazed look in his eyes was even more surprising. Too late did Elduin consider these men might have never seen a shape shifter before. He would have stepped back, but there was no space. A void was all that awaited him if he retreated.
Of course, there was no need for that. Like his companions, the human was in bad shape, which made him slow and clumsy. Elduin caught the marine's fist in his hand, forced it down and shifted his body while moving out of the way of the man's charge. He gripped his staff more tightly as he raised it up at the marine. The crazed man's momentum caused him to crash face first into the staff, and he quickly slumped down, unconscious. Elduin sighed aggravatedly and stepped over the fallen marine, checking for a moment to see if he hadn't hit the man too hard. Elduin was relieved to find the man was still alive. He didn't exactly consider restraint among his major talents.
"Listen to me if you want to survive" the druid commanded, aware of their possible reluctance to trust an unknown race. His eyes passed from the one man to the other. There were about a dozen of them, and many of them were on the ground. All were looking exhausted and sick. Their skin was pale, their eyes hollow, and most were unhealthily thin.
"All you have to know is that I am Elduin of the Night Elves, and I carry no ill will towards you. Answer my questions and you may get out of here alive. Were you men part of Lieutenant Alverold's expedition?"
No one answered. It was only then that he realized a couple of the men were either asleep or dead, and some looked as crazed as the one who had attacked him and didn't seem to be seeing the same thing he was. He frowned at the sight of a man who was oblivious to his presence, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chin and rocking back and forth while giggling to himself madly. Elduin sighed and knelt down by the most healthy-looking marine. His patience spent, he grabbed the man by the collar and shook him a little. When that didn't help he reached for the flask on his hip, unscrewed the top and put it to the man's lips. Elduin felt bad wasting even a drop of the precious potion on someone who was likely to die anyway, but he had no other choice.
"Well? Answer me!" Elduin insisted.
The marine nodded weakly.
"What happened to you men? Or the fleet?"
"Storm… the storm… We took a sloop… Didn't get far…" The marine's eyes strayed towards the bottle. "Please…"
Elduin let him have another sip. He hoped he wasn't wasting precious supplies. He sighed. Even if he could somehow find help for these men, they would probably not make it long enough for him to return with aid. Considering how much time had passed since the Shattering, they could have been here for weeks. Elduin rose to his feet and raised his staff, beginning to channel one of his most powerful spells: Tranquility. The direct area around the druid began to glitter, streaks of green seemingly falling out of thin air like waves of minuscule leaves in autumn. Injuries gradually began to disappear and eyes opened as men were suddenly rejuvenated. Elduin hoped none of the men would attack him right now, as he couldn't possibly channel this spell while at the same time protecting himself.
Only a few moments into the spell, the cavern suddenly shook however, violently, and briefly. Loose rocks and debris plummeted down into the water below. Elduin looked down, and saw the surface of the water begin to ripple. There was another shock, and the ripples became more violent. The marines began to shake with fear.
"He's coming" the closest man said, pressing his eyes shut and writhing on the ground.
"Who's coming?" Elduin inquired. He had a vague idea of what it might be, but he'd rather not take any chances.
"The… the…" the man stammered, apparently too scared to speak.
"Stay here, I will return" Elduin promised the marine, transforming back into his Storm Crow form.
He sped out of the side cave, because he didn't want whatever it was his magic had attracted to cut off his escape route. Below him the water was beginning to splash more and more violently against the sides of the cave with each step the approaching being took. Then he passed the exit of the cave and he saw it. A huge creature was taking lumbering steps towards him. The creature looked drowsy, but he wasn't sure whether that was because he had just woken up or whether it was just his normal expression. Elduin hadn't seen a Sea Giant for too long to tell. What he did remember was that they were savage-looking, and that hadn't changed in the long years since he had witnessed them for the last time. His thick teal scales glimmered even in the faint light that seeped into this part of the cavern. Seaweed hung from the creature's body and had become entangled in the giant's rough green beard. He walked on humongous three-toed, webbed feet, and his hands possessed webs as well. Though he looked slow now, Elduin knew better than to underestimate the creature.
The druid stopped at the edge of the cave and revealed his human form, hoping the Sea Giant was of the type that still spoke Darnassian, the language of the Night Elves, or at least some form of Low Common. He was wary, however. In Ancient times the Titans had called upon these Giants to aid in the creation of Azeroth, and the Sea Giants had mostly done the task of creating the Surface World. If the corruption the demonic Burning Legion had put on Ashenvale had turned so many of the local creatures feral, who could tell what the Shattering had done to these Giants? For all Elduin knew, the sea giant may have very well been driven mad.
"Ishnu-dal-dieb, friend of the Titans" Elduin called out, his powerful voice echoing through the cave.
To his relief, the Sea Giant stopped, only now seeming to notice him for the first time. His nose was comparatively big for his face and he made a strange gurgling sound as he sniffed up the air, while his yellow eyes – which were small compared to the rest of his head – looked at Elduin warily. The Giant blinked several times, as if he was trying to remember the meaning of Elduin's words. Deciding not to wait out the giant's reaction, Elduin called out again.
"I am a Druid of the Talon the Kaldorei, the Night Elves, I mean you no harm. I have business with the humans you captured. They are my allies, friends I need to rally against a common enemy."
The Sea Giant frowned and remained silent for a short while, but then his face twisted and he rapidly produced several low grunting sounds. It took Elduin a few moments to realize the giant was laughing. The creature's impossibly deep voice rose up from his belly like a brewing storm.
"They no friends" he told Elduin in a demeaning voice.
"I assure you, friend, if you knew what I did you would want them set free was well" Elduin tried.
The giant seemed unimpressed and kept drawing closer.
"And what you have to offer me?"
When Elduin failed to answer that immediately the Sea Giant took a violent step forward, one faster than the previous.
"They defile seas!" the Giant bellowed, his hands striking through the water. The cavern shook as his foot came down again, sending a wave rippling away from him.
"They build on shores, drive Giants away!"
His powerful hand broke a rock out of the soil and threw it at Elduin, who used an added burst of air to jump to the side, evading the rock narrowly. The turbulent waters splashed up high as the Sea Giant broke into a charge. He gurgled roaringly as he drew closer. Elduin's patience had ended. He transformed into his Storm Crow form and flew straight for the Giant, who stopped at the sight of Elduin coming towards him. Flying past grasping hands, the druid avoided being squashed like a bug, and flew out of the caves.
"They call wrath Sea King!" the monster's booming voice followed him out of the caves, but Elduin paid no heed to such nonsense. This discovery meant he was getting close to his goal, and he wasn't going to let some lumbering oaf's primitive beliefs stop him.
Even if I can defeat him, I'll never get those men out of there on my own. There must be more of them around, somewhere, or ships sent out to look for them… Elduin thought, but it was only shallow hope. If a member of his now deceased party had gone missing, the troop would do everything in their power to find them back. He didn't know for what sinister purpose the Sea Giant could have possibly kept the men alive so far eluded him, but he only hoped in his anger, the Giant wouldn't take to squashing them all before he could return.
Spirits, guide me Elduin thought, and for the first time in months, his call was answered.
