A/N: I'd like to thank you all for the very lovely reviews! Every time I read them it makes me grin and inspires me to get at it and write a few more pages! I wish I wasn't such a procrastinator lol. I play WoW probably far too much than is healthy...but oh well. I would say I was sorry for this late update, except that would imply that I would regret not getting it out faster, and I don't regret it because that was time well spent having fun with friends on WoW!
So anyway, it's finally here, and I'm glad to have this chapter done to so I can actually move on to the REAL aspect of the story...what, the past 9 chapters werent the "real" story, you say? Well of course they were all important, but I needed to lay the groundwork, the setting, characters, storyline, plot, etc, before I could just thrust my characters into the unsuspecting perils ahead.
If you, my faithful readers, have followed everything thus far, than I can't say this is a spoiler to say that yes, this story is in response to the unfinished storyline that is started when you pick up the "chained essense of Eranikus" off his body in Sunken Temple. I felt, and I'm sure anyone who also played before Wrath, or even before BC, felt as well, that the questline was very interesting, was quite epic, and had the lamest ending ever. Let me clarify for those who didn't do it...The quest just ENDED. Poof! Fin! In the middle of the chain, the quest was turned in to someone in Winterspring, and the next part of the chain is missing. This is a quite obvious mistake that Blizzard had every intention of fixing later (or so they assured us for years :)), but had never actually gotten around to finishing. For those of you who know of, or participated in, the opening of the gates of AQ, that will also tie in here...Oo. Now that I've nattered on about the hopeful direction my story will take, here comes the boring stuff:
I DO NOT OWN BLIZZARD, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE IN GAME CHARACTERS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED. I MAKE NO MONEY OFF THIS STORY, IT IS PURELY FOR THE ENJOYEMENT OF OTHERS. THE QUOTES THAT ERANIKUS GIVES ANAIYA WHILE IN THE NIGHTMARE ARE ACTUAL WORDS THAT HE SAYS TO THE BEARER OF HIS SOUL TRINKET, AND YOU CAN HEAR THESE BY USING THE TRINKET. ONCE YOU START THE FIRST STEP OF THE CHAIN QUEST, YOU NO LONGER HEAR HIM HOWEVER. AS OF CATACLYSM, THIS QUEST IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
Thank you for your dedication to my story, and your heartfelt reviews! Your responses warm my toes while I write each chapter...or that could just be my fuzzy slippers? I offer you this next chapter for your reading pleasure, and hope to see more wonderful responses. And no matter the time delay between chapters, be assured that I will not give up on this story! I am having fun writing it, and having fun reading others opinions of it. Please forgive spelling errors, I am only one person with no one to proof read, and sometimes spell checker isnt all its cracked up to be. Read on...
Chapter 9: The Fellowship of the...Trinket...?
As awareness finally came back to him, Key felt a strong sense of déjà vu, and irritation.
He was a Paladin damnit! A member of the holy order and all that righteous nonsense. This sort of thing was not supposed to happen to him.
He had a vague memory of leaving the infirmary, looking for someone…yes he was looking for that darn Forsaken priest, Shana. He was ready to leave, and a feeling of kinship, of knowing her out of all these strange druids, had made him want to make sure she came with him. Not to mention that she seemed to be concerned for him. So he wanted to make sure she knew that he was alright and ready to get back to Tranquillien as soon as possible.
That thought in mind, Key tensed his muscles, preparing for the pain of getting up, but determined to not let it deter him from finally getting a hold of that Priest and getting the hell out of this place before something else happened to him.
Someone giggled off to his right, and Key instantly froze in the act of opening his eyes and leaping out bed. Weighing several actions in his mind, he relaxed himself and instead lay quietly, wondering who was nearby. By the sound of the young, feminine voice, he doubted the person intended him ill, but in this day and age you could never be too careful.
Cracking open weighted eyelids, he slanted his head to the right and found to his dismay that his sight was once again foggy and blurred. He squinted and could just make out a female shape sitting in a chair by his bedside. The female, who he had to admit, was very well shaped, gasped when she caught his gaze, and leaned forward with a concerned frown.
She picked up something small in her hand and reached out toward his forehead in what Key assumed was a gesture to check on his health. Key grinned, remembering the maid in the infirmary. Before the shapely female could react, he snaked out a hand and hooked the girl around the shoulders as she leaned over him.
His sudden movement caught her off guard and she stumbled forward, just as he anticipated, and fell awkwardly on top of him, on the bed he was lying in. He grinned in satisfaction and patted her rear. Giving into the impulse, he then gave it a gentle squeeze. The female stiffened abruptly and gasped.
His blurry vision caught her face going red, but missed her expression of outrage, and so was completely unprepared when she gave him a resounding slap across the face.
And by the Sunwell, it hurt.
The girl quickly straightened herself up and jumped off the bed, landing agilely and twisting to give him a black glare. He glared back in response. How dare she lead him on and then behave thus!
The elf tossed odd colored hair behind her ears, and it was then that Key suddenly realized that it was not a Blood Elf that he had tried to grope, but a Night Elf. She had shoulder length green hair of the deepest sea green he'd ever seen, and the tell-tale curving ears that extended behind her head, an obvious trait of the Night Elves.
"What is your problem, you lecherous insensitive jerk!" Her outburst could have skewered him if it was a weapon. As it was, he inwardly winced at her sudden, acidic tone of voice, so different from her earlier giggle. Instantly, her eyes darted left to right, as if seeking something in particular. Fearing that she was looking for some convenient object to throw at him, Key raised placating hands.
"Hey lady, calm down! I just woke up and had a moment of confusion is all. Obviously if I had been more aware of my surroundings and your identity, I wouldn't have done what I did. My apologies. There, now take a deep breath, indignation does nothing for your color."
Despite his inner smirk, he regretted the last sentence as soon as he said it as the elf, who had been visibly relaxing, stiffened again, and glared daggers right through him with narrowed glowing eyes. Key gulped. Just when things would have gotten…tense, another night elf entered the room.
This one he recognized.
"Hey! You're that clumsy fool that tripped me with your polearm, which you so carelessly had lying around on the floor for some poor unsuspecting man to kill himself on! Watch what you're doing next time tree hugger! You're lucky I have more important matters to attend to at the moment."
The night elf, who had a wide grin on her face upon entering, glanced in confusion between Key and the furious girl elf half crouched near the end of the bed. 'Tree hugger?' she plainly mouthed at the other elf.
"Okay, for one thing, how was I to know you were bumbling around behind me? I thought Blood Elves were supposed to be quick on their feet. For another thing, the healer told me your story and says that you should never have left the infirmary! Running around the village like a moron in full plate armor is not the best idea. I've always heard you Sin'dorei were all show and no smarts, now I have proof!"
She waved a hand in Key's general direction, and had the gall to stick her nose in the air. Key felt his face heating up with righteous anger. Dismissing him as something dealt with, the blue haired night elf then turned to the younger green haired one. Key was getting heartily sick of Moonglade and its denizens.
"What's got you in a tizzy Ana? That Horde didn't do anything to you did he? If he did he'll wish he never came to Moonglade!" She gave Key a threatening glance, before turning her attention back to the slight elf before her. Key rolled his eyes. Overprotective much? The young green haired Night Elf that he'd mistakenly groped pulled on the frayed hem of her worn leather tunic and slanted her eyes Key's way.
"It's nothing Aunt Ver, just…a mistake. We handled it." She nodded to emphasize this, and straightened up from her defensive crouch, as if only just then realizing she had looked ready to either attack or bolt for the door.
Her 'Aunt Ver' eyed her askance, the picture of suspicion, but the green haired elf just looked at her. During the exchange between the two, Key glanced around the room, and found that it had the general appearance of Inn rooms everywhere. He realized that the two elves must have brought him up here instead of back to the Infirmary, thankfully. He didn't think he'd be able to stand another lecture from 'Father Tauren'.
There was another bed across the small room from the one he had woken up on. This one was tidily made up with a small white flower he couldn't identify off hand lying innocently on the pillow. A nightstand stood between the two beds, complete with a small wooden lamp carved in the shape of a vine with a glowing ball on the top giving off a soft effervescent white light. Key snorted. He was also getting heartily sick of Night Elf design.
He hopped out of bed, made a mental assessment of his body and found things pretty much the way they were before 'Aunt Ver' had waylaid him with her polearm. Thankfully this time he hadn't been laid up long enough for the crazy tree huggers to strip him of his beloved armor, and therefore he did not have to flounder around looking for it.
The only article of clothing he was not wearing was his boots, which he found sitting quite neatly beside the bed. He pulled both boots on, stomped his feet a few times to get them settled, then stood up. Other then feeling faintly dizzy, with the slightly blurry vision that he was regrettably becoming used to, he was fine. Without a word he brushed past the two night elves, who glared at his back.
"How rude!" Anaiya hissed in fury as the Blood Elf breezed right past them without so much as a 'thank you' for hauling his worthless carcass up here to make sure he was okay. 'That was the last time she helped a member of the Horde! Well,' she amended, thinking of Bessany, 'at least the last time she helped out a stuck up Blood Elf.'
Her aunt was still giving her looks, as if wondering what she had missed when she entered the room. Anaiya almost blushed just thinking about it. To think she had been concerned about the ingrate. She had just bent over to feel his forehead, the lecherous fiend. How dare he do that to her! Feeling herself getting heated up again with fury, Anaiya forced the Blood Elf from her thoughts, and focused on what was more important right now, which was that trinket.
"Have the Archdruids found anything new about the trinket Aunt Ver? Does it react to them like it did to me? Are you going to go on a grand adventure to find out the truth? Can I come with?" She paused for breath, thinking of all the exciting quests she could find herself completing while out to figure out the mystery of the small green artifact.
She was so caught up in her grandiose thoughts that she almost missed what her aunt said next. Quickly she turned her attention to the older elf as she spoke.
"Welllll," her aunt begrudgingly replied, unable to think of a valid reason not to tell Anaiya.
"Archdruid Dendrite Starblaze has determined that for some reason the artifact, or trinket, whatever you want to call the blasted thing, seems to have a special affinity to you, for some reason. We're not sure why it chose you of all people to attach itself to, but that is that. He has also determined that the gem seems to be…impatient, or anxious, about something. Since no one has of yet found a way to communicate with it, they've decided to let you hold it again, in the hopes that you can find more information. I don't agree with them obviously. You're still in training, for Tyrande's sake! They shouldn't be putting such a burden on one so young!" Her aunt clenched her hands and glared at the wall.
"It's okay Ver, I don't mind. I've always wanted to go on a grand adventure like in your stories. This is my chance! Oh but…what will I say to mother? And my training! I can't just leave that…can I?" Anaiya tried thinking up some plausible tale to relate to her mother when she saw her next. She had a feeling her mother would not be impressed by a small mysterious trinket that only she could communicate with that needed some kind of aid.
"Regardless, let's go downstairs and let your friends know that your ungrateful Blood Elf has stormed off." Ver said wryly, glancing at Anaiya. Anaiya blushed again, then felt annoyed at the reaction.
"He's not my Blood Elf! I don't even know him. Besides, you're the one who tripped the moron." She sniffed and walked ahead of her aunt down the stairs and into the Inn's common room.
Of course Meliri and Bessany were both casually leaning against the counter that the Innkeeper was standing behind, helping potential clients.
"He left, without so much as a 'thank you'," Anaiya stated by way of greeting as she walked up to the two. Meliri scowled and crossed her arms.
"We saw." Bessany replied. "There was a Forsaken yelling at him as he was leaving. She ran after him when he ignored her." The bovine girl shrugged, causing her twin braids to fall across her chest. With the absent minded ease of someone long used to this, Bessany flicked the braids back over her shoulder.
"Whatever, I've lost interest in the jerk." Anaiya muttered darkly. She turned to her aunt then, her mind back on the small green gem. "Will they let me touch it now? I'd like to see if it will work again. I know you have all the time in the world Aunt Ver, but Mel and I have to head back to Darnassus soon for our training. We only came to watch the Trial."
She formed her lips into an exaggerated pout and glanced up at her aunt, batting her eyes for effect. Her aunt frowned at her.
"Ugh, you're as bad as I was when I was your age. Always wanting to go explore the lands and get into all manner of danger. Of course I never listened when everyone told me I was too young, not trained, no skill or world knowledge to my name. Did it stop me? No." She chuckled, then sighed. "Your mom is going to kill me, you know that?"
Anaiya grinned. Verfanas made her way to the door, weaving around the patrons of the Inn. Anaiya made a 'come on' motion with her head toward her two friends, and hurried after her aunt. She couldn't wait to hold the gem again.
Partly because she knew that if she was persistent, the druids would let her help when they finally discovered what was up with the small magical device, and partly for some reason she couldn't quite define. Almost a compulsion, a snagging in her mind, that made her want to be near the trinket, to hold it and make sure it was safe. Which was silly, she had no special attachment or feelings for the gem. It was just some artifact her aunt had. But there was the fact that it only seemed to react to Anaiya's touch.
All four of them traipsed over to the large dignified building that Archdruid Dendrite Starblaze usually resided. Inside they found the druid, as well as a few others, gathered around a central circular table with stone benches, upon which sat the small hexagonal shaped box. It glowed brightly and briefly as Anaiya entered the building, then faded back to its normal hue. Archdruid Starblaze glanced toward the door at this reaction, and noted the entourage.
"Ah, greetings Verfanas Cloudchaser. And this must be Anaiya!" He tipped his head slightly in greeting to both of them.
Anaiya glanced at her aunt, then bowed formally. Bessany and Meliri stayed back and hovered by the doorway so as to not get in the way and watched the proceedings from there. Verfanas confidently walked up to the table and seated herself at one of the benches, giving a murmured greeting to the other druids surrounding the table. They nodded back at her distantly. Anaiya hesitantly walked up to the table, feeling sort of like she ought not belong here. She wasn't anyone special or privileged.
Elune knew she wasn't powerful or skilled in her magic. But the small trinket was waiting for her, so she straightened up and walked more calmly. Her aunt smiled at her.
"Strange times these are, what with the Qiraji uprising in the south, and the Scourge running rampant all over the Eastern Kingdoms. Magical and mysterious artifacts are turning up all over the place, and most of them cursed or possessed. This one, we have reason to believe, was created as a magical prison to hold a great and powerful being. I believe that one of our Tauren brethren already gave you a brief explanation of the Emerald Dream and Hakkar?
" He arched a long purple eyebrow at Anaiya, who nodded, even though she barely remembered that conversation. She felt that confessing to her lack of attention wouldn't win her any favors with these druids. The Archdruid nodded back at her, satisfied, then turned his gaze back to the gem.
"I know you are just young and new to your calling, but I'll tell you that this trinket acts similar to a soul gem, in that it has captured the essence, the soul if you will, of the creature bound inside of it. Only an act of great will and strength, and through great risk, could one free the trapped soul within. As we have reason to believe, from your description of the being you encountered while wandering the Nightmare, the being trapped inside is possibly Eranikus, the lost consort of Ysera, the green Dragon Aspect." He paused thoughtfully.
"Which makes this situation even more dire," He continued in grave tones. "We know that Ysera is eternally asleep, watching over the Emerald Dream and the dream realm and battling the ever powerful Nightmare, so we cannot say for sure if she is aware of her consort's predicament, if it is indeed him. If it is, than action must be taken to free him from his imprisonment, or ensure that there is no threat being generated by having this soul gem. I'm still a bit mystified as to how Verfanas here managed to find this soul gem to being with."
He stared down at Verfanas, as if by willing it he could find out everything she knew. Verfanas grinned. "I told you, I was exploring in the Swamp of Sorrows…you know, that big dreary swampy place? Anyway, I was nosing around the water's edge by that old Temple when I saw something shiny wedged between two stone blocks. I pulled it out, cleaned it off, and stuck it in my backpack. That's all there is to it."
She told the story as if she had already said it a dozen times, but Anaiya was curious as to why her Aunt had gone all the way to this Swamp of Sorrows place just to explore. It seemed strange. She shrugged the curiosity off when the Archdruid lifted the gem off the table, gazing at it thoughtfully.
"First, we need to find if there is a way to actually communicate with the dragon trapped inside, and confirm its identity one way or the other. Then we can decide what to do from there. Anaiya child? I would not ask this of you, except that this gem seems to have soul bonded to you alone, and will not react in any way to any of us. There is great personal risk in doing this, I warn you. Do you understand the danger in entering the Nightmare again?"
Everyone was looking at her now. Anaiya fidgeted, not liking the feeling of being the center of everyone's attention. She sighed, then nodded. What was she supposed to say, no? Of course she barely knew any of what was going on, and only had a vague understanding of the Emerald Dream from her studies, but she felt as if she had to help that poor dragon.
The Archdruid gravely held out the small trinket, cupped gently in both hands. It seemed so small and fragile sitting there, as if the slightest movement would shatter it like delicate glass. Anaiya reached out a hand toward it, then pulled back and bit her lip. Did she really want to do this again? Now that she was actually confronted with it, the idea of entering that place again, of being lost and confused, did not appeal to her in the slightest.
She hadn't told them exactly how she had felt in the Nightmare, how she had come so close to losing her sense of 'self', what made her who she was. The Archdruid was still patiently holding the trinket out to her. Anaiya could feel herself start trembling with anxiety.
Taking a deep breath, and blanking her mind, she darted out her hand and picked up the gem before her logical senses told her to stop. The second she touched it, the gem flared bright green and became suddenly very hot. As before, the world fell away and Anaiya slumped to the floor.
This time the small trinket fell from her loosened grasp and rolled awkwardly until it hit Verfanas's foot. The Night Elf reached down and picked the object up. She wrinkled her nose at it, as if exasperated at its foolish antics, than placed it back in her niece's hand. Anaiya, she straightened out so she was lying comfortable, and placed her own cloak under the girl's head.
The other druids silently observed this, and Verfanas scowled at them. That's all they ever did in Moonglade, neutrally observe everything.
Oblivious to all of this, Anaiya once again found herself in a blackness without time, without substance, without footing. She briefly wondered how she was not endlessly falling, than the thought drifted away on the tide of black. This time in the Nightmare she found thinking and keeping a hold of her mind much easier, and was able, with some effort, to remember why she was here.
Thinking was possible, but it was very difficult and required her to concentrate fully on completing each thought as they formed, or her mind would again be lost to drift the darkness. This time it took her very little wandering to find the telltale green glow that signified she was nearing the dragon's prison.
Steeling herself, she drove her small soul wisp forward until she could again see the indistinct shape of the large green dragon. It was lying down in mid air, the black swirling all around its form malignantly. Watching the dragon lying in seeming midair was starting to make Anaiya queasy, so she instead focused on what she had come to learn.
"FOOLISH MORTAL, TO HAVE RETURNED!" Despite being prepared for it, the dragon's booming voice took her by surprise, and she could feel every word reverberate against her psych. Gathering her non existent courage, Anaiya floated closer and tried talking to the dragon. Try as she might, no sound came from her being, and she sighed.
Things were never easy. She took a few moments to think, then wondered if perhaps she could do the same thing as the dragon, project thought speak at another being, instead of trying to 'talk' like she would normally if she had a mouth and lungs. Silly of her to forget that she was nothing but a small soul wisp in this dimension. She frowned. She had no clue how to create mind speak and have it be heard by the dragon. Or what if her attempts at communication just made the large creature angry and it attacked her?
She wasn't sure what would happen if the spirit of the dragon attacked her spirit, but she knew it would have dire consequences for her. Nervously, she gathered up all the magic she possessed, could feel it humming like electric shocks in her mind, hazy and green to signify her ties to the earth and nature. Using her magic as a focal point, she sent out a greeting to the dragon.
"Hello great dragon, I am Anaiya. I come seeking answers. I would know who I was speaking to, and what may I do to help?"
She felt the words leaver her mind, floating on a tide of her nature magic, and gently waft toward the dragon. Startled, the dragon reared back his head, and spines along his neck stood straight up and bristling. Anaiya backed up slightly, glancing around to see if she could spot that white light that she remembered from last time.
She wanted to make sure that if the dragon reacted badly, she had a clear escape route. The dragon froze in his position, arched neck bending gracefully.
His transparent green eyes regarded her impassively for a few moments, then he said "RELEASE ME MORTAL! TORTURE ME NO MORE! IT HURTS! ITHARIUS, BROTHER, HELP ME!" The dragon screamed this into her mind, the pain of the words almost too much to bear.
She could feel her wisp form becoming wearied from withstanding the assault of the dragon's speech. She inwardly sighed. Apparently her words had either been ignored, or not understood by the dragon, who seemed lost to his madness. For a moment there she had hope of reaching him.
Although he had said something about a brother. Itharius? She firmly locked the name away and focused on remembering it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to her thoughts in this realm, and she kept getting this feeling of being coated in an oily darkness each time her wisp stilled.
So she hovered nervously back and forth, wondering if there was anything else she should try to gain a direct answer from the dragon. Obviously he was quite mad, at least in this place, and highly unstable. Suddenly the dragon spread his large webbed wings and whirled around so quickly and unexpectedly that Anaiya only had time to flinch when his long tail snaked around behind him and clouted her wisp form as he turned. Unable to keep balance while in this realm of no time or space, she was sent spinning away.
With relief she noted that the tail had flung her in the direction of that white light she remembered following back to the waking world last time. As she faded toward the light, and the Nightmare dropped away, she caught the sound of the dragon's voice, now full of rage and hatred, shouting something into the inky blackness behind her. With a strange sense of duality, she felt her body, and her soul, as they reunited, and with a gasp, she jerked into a sitting position.
Absently she noted that she was still in that building she had came to with her aunt. Her aunt was kneeling beside her, peering at her with concern, and behind her, Anaiya could see her friends standing, regarding her with shock. Before anyone could say anything, and in fear of forgetting, Anaiya held up a hand and blurted out,
"Itharius, the dragon's brother."
When her aunt and the Archdruids stared at her with blank faces, she sighed and wiped her nose, noting the line of blood that had trickled onto her lip.
"The dragon was begging his brother Itharius to come save him. That was all that I could find out. I tried talking to him but he either couldn't hear me, or was ignoring me. That dragon is mad." Anaiya shivered. Verfanas hugged her and petted her hair, which would have irritated Anaiya at any other time, for she was proud of her self-called maturity, but she was still shaken from her experience in the evil Nightmare.
"Well we have answered a few of our questions at least," Archdruid Starblaze said after a few moments of thoughtfully regarding Anaiya. "If the dragon speaks true, and I have no reason to believe his words to be lies, than he is indeed Eranikus, consort of the Dreamer, for Eranikus's brother was indeed named Itharius."
The Archdruid stooped and swept up the soul gem, then placed it gently inside a royal purple satchel with gold thread along the edge.
"We need to find a way to free the consort, for he would surely be a powerful asset to Ysera's battle with the Nightmare, and he is a risk while trapped in this mad state. I know not where Itharius is right now, but I do know of someone who keeps in touch with him from time to time. His name is Umbranse the Spiritspeaker, and he lives in the wilds of Winterspring, preferring to be as near to Mount Hyjal as he can get."
He didn't speak it, but it was obvious that he expected them to speak up and offer to accept this dangerous quest. Anaiya felt a thrill of excitement run through her. Winterspring! She'd only heard vague references to the land by her mother and other Sentinels in Darnassus.
She knew that it was always cold, being so far into the rocky mountainous terrain that surrounded Mount Hyjal. Before anyone else could say anything, she scrambled to her feet, wavering slightly once on her feet. She frowned. Standing up too fast was obviously not the best of ideas. Still, she concentrated through it, and held out her hand.
"I'll go to Winterspring and talk to this Spritspeaker. I believe this should be my task. I'm the only one the dragon has spoken to so far." The Archdruid arched a long eyebrow at her, than turned his eyes to Verfanas, who was giving Anaiya a firm and negative frown.
"Ana you can't go, that's madness. Winterspring is far away, through dangerous lands, and your barely past your initiation phase. You have no training or experience in combat. Your not ready. Archdruid, tell her she can't go." She folded her arms stubbornly and assumed a defensive stance.
The Archdruid glanced between the two, than shrugged. "The young are ever eager to prove themselves worthy of the praise of their elders. This young one yearns for your approval Verfanas Cloudchaser. I think it would unwise to turn her away. Teach her the ways of the wild, help her learn to survive in dangerous situations. Elune knows that there will come a time that we will ask every maiden and every boy child to help us. I fear that a darkness is coming."
His somber words sucked all the glee out of Anaiya's triumphant expression, and she instead felt a worm of worry inside. Maybe she was making a mistake. What did she actually know about the world? Textbook descriptions? She hardly thought that would be helpful when faced with the real wilderness.
She was going to be a liability, she just knew it, and knowing that made her spirits sink. But this was her first chance to get away from Darnassus! She was finally getting to experience all the things that her aunt always talked about when she came visiting. Quests and dashing heroes and saving the world and all the dangerous battles that went with it. If she backed away now, would she ever be able to forgive herself for losing this chance? And what if another situation came along, and she was too afraid then as well? She couldn't just run away now.
And for some reason she didn't know, the Nightmare had only reacted to her touch so far. She knew this was probably a bad thing, and meant she should stay away from the artifact, but she couldn't quite make herself keep distant. Whatever happened, she was now thoroughly involved.
Her aunt seemed to sense this, because her gaze then turned to a resigned grimace and she sighed. "I don't know Ana, this is a really big responsibility here, your going to leave civilization for quite some time. We'll be out on the trail, traveling at fast paces for most of the trip. We'd have to go through Felwood, a very evil forest, and Winterspring itself is no picnic. This could be bad, and you're so young…I'm not going to persuade you otherwise am I?" The last said in response to Anaiya hardening her expression and giving her aunt big doe eyes at the same time. The face made Verfanas grin.
"Fine. But when we finally get back to Darnassus, I'm telling your mother you followed us on your own after we forbade you to come." She shook her finger threateningly, then grabbed Anaiya around the shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Come on, I'll give ya a crash course in outfitting an expedition."
They headed for the exit, having completely forgotten the Archdruids and Anaiya's watching friends. Archdruid Starblaze cleared his throat and held aloft the satchel containing the soul gem. "Forgetting something?" He asked. Sheepishly, Verfanas walked back and grabbed the bag. She nodded a thanks to him.
"Go with Moonglade's blessing, and Elune watch over you on your quest. Let us hope you are successful in freeing Eranikus, I fear there is more here than meets the eye." His grim parting words chased the two out into the twilight evening of Nighthaven.
Meliri and Bessany quickly followed.
"So you're really going to travel to Winterspring? I hear that they have white bears the size of kodos!" Bessany exclaimed once they were on the path. She glanced around nervously, as if expecting a kodo-sized bear to jump out on her.
"Ana…are you sure you're thinking this through? My grandmother went to Winterspring a decade ago to visit with a skilled Engineer about a schematic. She told me such horrible stories I couldn't sleep for days!" Meliri's soft voice chimed in as well, concerned for her friend.
Her friends continued to regale her and frighten her with stories about the lands she would encounter on her journey to Winterspring, but they did nothing to dampen Anaiya's determination to see this quest through. She felt that she had started something that was on such a grand scale that she had no choice but to be drawn to finish it.
"What are you doing?"
The raspy, demanding voice interrupted Key's explanation of what sort of provisions he'd need for his trek. Turning from the meats merchant that he had been bargaining with, he saw Shana standing behind him, feet planted and hands on her boney hips. Her decayed lips were pursed in irritation. Key frowned at her.
"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm getting some supplies together so we can get out of this mad town. I assume you are coming me, are you not? If not fine, I'll go alone. These druids are driving me crazy. I'm going to take the path through Timbermaw Hold into Felwood, and with luck I'll run across a fellow member of the Horde who can direct me toward a town of some note so that I may have a mage open a portal back to Silvermoon City. I don't intend to just sit here while Tranquillien needs our aid, and I have some…documents of the utmost importance that I need to get to Deathstalker Maltendis."
Shana was shaking her head firmly by the time he was finished, strands of weed-like hair swaying back and forth around her skull.
"No. Didn't you listen to what the druid healers told you? Aren't you the least bit concerned for your health? Even if your not, I am. I didn't just drag you to this continent for nothing! You need to have a druid cleanse that poison out of your system frequently, and you can't do that if your traipsing around the countryside. And you need to start looking for a cure for whatever that poison is. I have some connections with the Rogue quarter in Undercity, I can ask a few friends of mine…"
She trailed off as Key, who had tuned her out, wandered over to peruse a pair of felt boots on sale on one counter. The merchant selling them, sensing he might make a sale, eagerly followed Key's steps, and quickly stepped in to address the fine points of the pair of boots. Shana sent both a black look, then, determined to keep an eye on the paladin, braced herself against the wall by the door where she could watch Key's movements throughout the room.
Key knew she was annoyed with him, but he did his best to ignore her standing behind him as he inspected the items on display in the shop. Eventually he bought several packages of various types of smoked goods that would last longer while traveling, along with some rope, plenty of fresh water, a couple of potions that the merchant swore were extremely strong for their low price, and a few other odds and ends that he thought might be needed on the trip.
After spending a half hour in the shop, he was satisfied with the supplies he had, and ventured outside again. Shana followed after him like a dark shadow. If he was being completely honest, having the Forsaken at his back made him slightly edgy. By this time he was feeling fairly exhausted, and hoped that this was the effect of being unconscious and in danger of losing his life, and not a sustained effect of the poison. That thought brought him back to the problem of the poison itself.
He could feel it inside him, a leech draining his magic and life force away slowly tick by tick. He knew what Shana said was right, and that he needed to face this and find a way to cure himself, but he always knew that he had to get back to the Ghostlands as soon as possible.
He never wanted to be there in the first place, but once he accepted the responsibility of helping the beleaguered outpost, he felt it his duty to see it through to the end. Being trapped here was wearing on his mind. From across two bridges and right outside one building, he caught the flash of brilliant colors and groaned when he recognized the elf who's polearm had caused such vexation earlier. Beside her he saw that little minx he'd groped as well. He grinned; she was a pretty little thing wasn't she, even for a Night Elf.
The taller, blue haired elf was holding up a length of thick bristly rope, and talking in earnest to her companion, who was bobbing her head along in apparent agreement. The younger green haired one was also carrying an armful of what looked like tasteful tanned leather armor, complete with boots and a feathered headdress.
He mused that the armor must be for the young naïve girl, and wondered what the two were up to. Oh well, not his business. He walked back to the Inn, where he had paid the Innkeeper to hold onto his armor for him while he searched for supplies. Shana protested again about his leaving while he donned his armor, but he ignored her.
He placed his packs on a table by the door, and sat down for a rest, seeing as how his head had started pounding soon after he'd entered the Inn. Not long after he'd sat down, the two now-familiar night elves entered as well. He stared at them in shock, then narrowed his eyes.
Were they following him? If so, what were they after? Instantly suspicious, he went over possible reasons for their deliberately stalking him in his mind, only to realize he was being foolish. What plausible reason could they want to follow him? To kill him or cause him harm? They'd already caused problems with that clumsy woman's polearm, and they helped him afterward. They didn't know who he was, and had no idea of the battle he was involved in back in the Ghostlands.
Likely they'd never even been out of Moonglade. That young for sure. He snorted, but strained his ears to catch their conversation anyway. While he was doing that, Shana insisted on pestering him again.
"Keyanomir Sunblade, be sensible! We need to know what kind of threat that poison is. So that we can alert Tranquillien. They need to know how to cure it and how to prevent others from being infected. You need to have it looked at by a Druid! Keyanomir?"
Her sigh was loud and offensive. At the same time, Key was listening in on the fascinating interaction between the two elves, who had conveniently chosen a table near him to put their equipment on and gather up their own supplies. He grinned.
"-to be a few rules when we get out there in the wilderness, okay? First of all, you need to obey me in all things. I can't have to be concerned about you in a fight because you won't listen to my orders." The older elf placed flint and tinder in a belt pouch, all the while explaining and advising her young protégé.
"It will be dangerous, as the others have warned you. I'm afraid they weren't exaggerating. You need to be prepared to take injury, and to deal with it as swiftly as possible. I don't expect you to be a seasoned combatant overnight, or to take to traveling so quickly, but I do expect you to not be a hindrance, and to be honest if you feel you need a rest or if something is too difficult for you. Agreed?" She stopped loading paper wrapped packages into a sack to give the green haired girl a searching look.
The girl nodded in accordance, most of her attention focused on her own task, which was folding up cloth for bandages into neat little squares for her own, smaller, backpack.
"Good. Now here's what I have planned. The Timbermaw know me so we should have no problem going through their territory. Well go through the pass that leads through the mountains at the edge of Moonglade, and enter Winterspring from that point. Hopefully that way we can avoid Felwood altogether. That is a horrid place to be, full of evil tricksome creatures…"
Key lost interest in hearing the rest of their chatter. He swung back around suddenly and leaned toward Shana, who had been pointedly glaring at the tabletop. She startled back at his sudden movement, then eyed him askance.
"What?" She asked in a sharp voice.
"I just solved our problem." Key grinned, displaying well looked after white teeth. Shana stared at him blankly, and he chuckled.
"Those two druids over there are going the same way we are. We'll just go with them. They may be filthy Alliance, despite their physical appeal, but as you keep reminding me, I do need to have this…toxin, kept in check frequently or it will consume me. What better way to achieve both our goals than to travel with our own personal druids?" He jerked his thumb behind him at the two night elves.
Shana raised an eyebrow, glanced over his shoulder, then raised the eyebrow higher.
"That's your solution? Just hook up with a couple of traveling Alliance and hope that they either don't kill us or laugh in our faces the second we leave Moonglade?" She snorted.
"That poison must have addled your wits. Even if they are peaceful Alliance, how are you going to get them to agree to this…foolishness? I hardly think a 'Say, want to be traveling buddies?' will go over well."
He waved away the priest's negative comments, instead already planning how smooth his trip would go if he had a druid with him to keep him from collapsing until he could get back to the Eastern Kingdoms. Once he'd arrived there, he'd seek a Rogue or a Druid that was more world wise than these backwoods Moonglade Druids to help him figure out how to cure the poison.
Hopefully the curing wouldn't take longer than a couple of days, although he feared he was being optimistic in saying that, and then he'd be on his way back to Tranquillien with the documents. Once he was finished with this tangled mess he was in, he was going to drink himself into oblivion for a whole week in Silvermoon before he even looked at another mission text.
The most immediate problem though, at the moment, appeared in getting the Druids to go along with them. Obviously he couldn't threaten or force them, at least not whilst still in Moonglade. He didn't imagine that going over well. He also did not want to appear a weak sniveling coward who couldn't venture out into the wilds of Azeroth alone.
He needed to make it come across as a proposition, something that would be of mutual benefit.
