I hate griffons.
I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.
They are nothing but evil, smelly, dirty flying death traps! And people try to complain about airplanes? I'd rather ride on a plane that was missing three of its four engines than ever touch a griffon again. They try to lull you into thinking they're nice with those big eyes and then they buck and shake the whole time you're on them, like they want to throw you off and skewer you on the trees below.
And when you try to make them slow down, they peck at your hands. And their beaks are huge.
I didn't know a world using magic meant it had to be stuck in the dark ages. The whole lot of those stupid birds need to be put down. It would be a mercy for this world. I'm amazed they aren't leading the Burning Legion, themselves!
Okay, maybe that's a little too far. But I can totally see them getting along with demons and giving them rides.
Stupid bird-lion things.
...
My life sucks right now.
At first, I was all happy, right? Because those heroes were so good at killing the demons. So after the meeting with the captain, Fizz ran home to get my infrared goggles—that was my one, earthly possession not on my person at the moment—and I decided that that moment was as good a time as any to recruit for my cause.
Drizzle was behind the bar, serving drinks and apparently demon slaying makes people really thirsty. I tried to get him to tell me if there were any of those drain-things around that fight the Burning Legion on a regular basis, but he just shrugged and said he'd help me later. He hadn't heard about my ultimatum to get out of town yet.
So I sort of wandered the room. When I saw that woman who'd tried to help me, I tried to put on my best smile and walked over to her. At first I waited because I didn't want to interrupt her conversation, but again, the clock was ticking. And she and her friends were just ignoring me.
"Excuse me," I made sure to smile and look grateful as I thanked her for her earlier help. She gave me this withering look, but at least she looked at me at all. I mean, I know she wanted me to go away, but I couldn't just leave. I needed her help. "Um...I noticed you guys are really good with killing demons and I was wondering if I could get your help."
Greg would have said it so much better. He would have probably launched into a whole assessment of our world's dilemma and they would have been shouldering their weapons and heading out the door in moments. Instead, the woman just kept staring at me.
Then she gave me an icy smile. "Why not get your Horde friends to help you?"
Horde? I didn't really get it at the time, but I kind of figured that I did need a sort of horde of people to help. She must have thought I was stupid or something, because she clarified.
"You speak gutterspeak so well."
Gutterspeak? Is that what they called English? Was that the goblin language? What did that have to do with anything?
I stared at her blankly. I didn't know what I'd done, but whatever it was, it must have been bad. I ran my fingers behind my neck as I realized that they were all watching me with these cold stares. "Um...I'm sorry if I offended you—" one of her friends scoffed, "but my home's being attacked and I need—"
"Where's your home?" One of the men across from her interrupted me. Even though he seemed like he wasn't too fond of me either, he had a sort of responsible look about him. Like he couldn't let innocents die, even if he thought they were morons. I guess I took too long to respond, because he asked, "How far is it from here?"
I hadn't thought about that. "I don't really know..."
A few of them got these cruelly amused looks. Another of the men spoke up. "Is there a general direction we should head?"
I floundered.
"How about a name?"
"Charlotte," I straightened up. "Charlotte, North Carolina. Um, it's—" What was I gonna do? Give them a geography lesson for a world they'd never been to? I felt like I was drowning. Greg should have been the one here, not me. I don't know the sort of stuff that I could reference to get them on my side. I thought about complimenting their armor or fighting skills, but I didn't really know what to say. You swing an axe well? I think it's awesome you can use magic?
"Never heard of it," the second guy said, grinning all smug like. He shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
"If I don't get help soon..." I wanted to cry. Why were they being so cruel? Wasn't saving people more important that petty things like gutterspeak? I think my lower lip quivered or something, because the woman's face flickered for a moment toward compassion.
"You said demons attacked your town?"
"Yes."
"How long ago?"
"Two weeks. Maybe a little while longer."
The second man seemed to lose interest almost immediately. I could see the others' attention waning, too. "No point in us going then."
"What?" I couldn't believe him.
He stared at me blankly. "If demons attacked two weeks ago then either they were repelled by now by someone else, or the town's gone. There's no point in us going there."
"Or maybe," I had to pause to keep myself from crying. I wouldn't burst into tears in front of them. I couldn't. "Maybe they're holding out. And they need help."
"It doesn't matter if we can't find them."
I couldn't listen to any more and my eyes were burning with tears, so I turned away from them and walked outside. I heard one of them mutter something about tact to the one who had been so mean, but none of them tried to apologize. They just went back to their drinking. I think Drizzle called out to me as I left, but I didn't look toward him. I couldn't look anyone in the eyes or I would have just started sobbing.
Not like it mattered much. The second the warm night air hit my face and I saw the way those infernals had damaged the town, I just kind of slumped against the wall and started bawling. They were right. My friends were dead by now because I hadn't tried hard enough. I hadn't been smart enough to figure something out sooner.
I wanted to just give up. Maybe throw myself to those angry fish. But then, just because my friends were gone, didn't mean my whole world was. Maybe the demons had reached the equator by now, or maybe they'd finally gotten held up on their march. Maybe with the infrared technology, we were finally repelling them.
And even at the rate they'd been going, there still had to be some of my world to save.
I didn't know what to do and I wasn't even going to be allowed to stay in Booty Bay until I did.
I didn't hear Fizz come up, but at some point I realized that I wasn't alone anymore and looked over to see him sitting beside me. He must think that I'm pitiful. That all I do is cry. I guess it's all I've done.
When I finally managed to rein in my sniffles, he handed me my goggles and then a small backpack. "Look, kid. I know it ain't much, but...this should help ya while ya look for help in Stormwind, yeah?"
I felt myself pale. "You aren't coming with me?"
"I already told ya," he patted my hand. "Before today, I never fought a demon in my life. I'm no hero, kid."
"But I don't know what to do," I whispered. "I'm not a hero, either."
Fizz gave me this half-hearted smile and patted my shoulder. "Ya done more for ya world than half the people in this one have done for theirs already. That seems pretty heroic to me."
"How have I done anything?" I couldn't take it. I didn't want to be coddled, I wanted promises that would be kept of people storming through the portals to fight back the Legion. "Even if I get help, how do I get back home?" I thought I might start crying again, but I was too tired to. "It was dumb luck that I got here to begin with."
"Talk to the draenei," Fizz said, nodding firmly. "They've been to several worlds, themselves, so I bet they can figure something out for you." As soon as he said it, for a split second, he looked like he'd regretted it. Like he was worried he'd just given me false hope. But he plastered a reassuring look onto his face quickly and rose to his feet. "Come on, I'll see if I can't talk the flight master into givin' ya free ride."
As we walked to the griffon post, I asked him about gutterspeak and he filled me in on the war between the Alliance and the Horde. He said that his translation spell must translate everything and let me respond in whatever language I need to, without me realizing it. I suppose it was well enough. Even if they are fighting, the more help I can get the better, so I might need to go to the Horde eventually.
I was kind of hurt that Fizz just sent me off, though. He waved to me as I got on the griffon and wished me all the luck I would need, but when I looked back, not even out of the city yet, he had already left, headed back into the routine that was his life. The routine that I'd interrupted.
I guess he forgave my debt.
