A/N: Well, sorry it took me so long to update again, but here I am again with the ninth chapter in Trial. Boy did writer's block hit me hard here. Oh well, got over it, and now here we are with the chapter... after review replies, of course.

Matt: We all are, and I'm so glad that Scion came up with our little 'swap-a-story' idea. Without the correspondence we had, the story may not have ever had that twist! Thanks for the review, and I'll pass on the kind words to Scion.

Whim: Wow, you are crazy lately... thanks for the review anyway, and yes, creepiness ensues... I guess. Here's to you, although you probably don't need any more to drink... just kidding.

Trial by Fire

Chapter Nine: Hot on the Trail

The tavern had been as busy as always, its customers taking up tables, ordering, and devouring their food in short order. Aubs took nearly two-hundred orders during her shift alone, not even counting the three other waiters' and waitresses' orders. She had led this hectic existence for almost a week after having left Simonee's group in favor of chasing down an everyday life untouched by the excitement of adventure. The first thing she had done in her search was securing herself a job at the Gilded Rose as a waitress. It paid rather well for the work, and with the regularly-given large tips, she had even been able to pay for a flat in the Old Town.

Aubs had missed the group's company, but in their stead, she had made friends within the Gilded Rose's staff. They were nice people - easy enough to joke around and make acquaintances with - and each had small mannerisms that made them unique. The cook, Petrii, sang everyday at the top of his lungs, making any bad day into a stress-free holiday. Jacob, one of the waiters, brought a airy demeanor and a smile to die for to the tavern everyday. Ellen and Ivory, the two other waitresses, were always slinging harmless insults at each other when they went back into the kitchens to pick up dishes for delivery to the tables. Even the janitors had a great time. For Aubs, work was definitely something new everyday, between her tables and the atmosphere.

After her seven-hour shift, Aubs was walking home after the dinner rush. She was taking the long way to the Old Town; instead of going straight across the bridge into the district, she had gone to the Mage Quarter, wanting to study in the sanctum for a while. She climbed the winding stone slope, after which entering the tower, and climbing up the spiral staircase lining the interior. Once she reached the pinnacle of that, she stepped through the portal into the sanctum proper. There, about a handful of magicians were practicing slinging spells and soaking the information from librams the three times the size of a normal dictionary.

The sanctum could be described as a very large room with bookshelves lining either side; both sets of bookshelves full to capacity. In the small spaces in between the bookshelves, tables had been placed, and on many of the tables, scientific, alchemic, and arcane testing supplies had been strewn. Two swirling green portals sat on opposite ends of each other - on the walls unoccupied by the veritable library - one used as an entrance, while the other was used for incoming teleportations to the city.

Aubs took in the sights for a short moment before walking in and browsing the myriad books. It wasn't long before she found a tome she liked. Sitting in one of the hard wooden seats lining the tables, she set the book on her lap and began reading. She whiled away the hours simply reading and didn't even notice. It seemed like only minutes had passed when she was interrupted by a faint whisper of a voice inside of her head.

"Aubrey…"

"What?" she asked, receiving looks from the other patrons of the sanctum.

"Aubrey… you must come to Dalaran."

Deciding to be more discreet, Aubs whispered, "But why?"

"There is much you must learn here, young child." And with that, the mysterious voice faded away, leaving Aubs completely confused.

"Looks like I'm off to Dalaran tomorrow, then," she whispered. Closing the book and replacing it, she walked back down the decline and to the Old Town. The streets of Stormwind were empty, and only the torches hung on the building walls kept her company. Within a few minutes, she was in the flat, staring at the disorderly mess on the floor. Sighing, she began to take up all of the miscellaneous items littered across the wood planks.

All-in-all, her living quarters were rather large for a single occupant - though would be considered small by conventional standards. Greatly oversized drapes hung over her windowed walls, falling all the way down to the floor, with tassels acting as drawstrings. The floor was comprised of simple, unadorned wooden planks; they were so simple, they had not even been varnished to protect them from day-to-day traffic. There was a small reclining chair resting in front of a similarly small fireplace for chilly winter nights, where Aubs would simply sit and read the night away, much as she had inside the sanctum. Her bed rested against the wall away from the door - draped across which was the Moonkin-hide blankets so generously given to her by Aeriah. The blanket was as disheveled as the floor had been, as Aubs hadn't even decided to tidy up the room before she left for work that morning. Nor would it be cleaned now, so late in the evening. She climbed into the bed and sighed again, taking in the sensations of her new home.

Home.

Such an unfamiliar word ever since she met Simonee.

Simonee watched as the tower burst to life. First the arrival of a group of knights, then a large skirmish, and then the knights dragging away a prisoner. Whatever happened there, he was sure he didn't want to be a part of it. The group of four didn't make it too far towards the building before the action began, and had taken up a small hiding area behind some of the local flora. When the action ended, Simonee stood. Putting his hand up to shade his eyes from whatever sun there was peeking through the tainted green clouds of Tirisfal, Simonee attempted to glean more from the scene. He wasn't able to gain much.

"Nothing," he reported to the others. "Let's go check it out anyway; maybe we'll find something."

Garret, Dagerly, and Aeriah nodded and stood. They followed Simonee across the small field, toward the tower. It stood at nearly twenty feet high, leaning ever so slightly. It was made of stone and mortar, much in the vein of Stormwind - and most of the humans' settlements. Littering the tower grounds were bodies - at least fifteen, at Simonee's count. Each body was similarly dressed with leather cuirass, leggings, bracers and greaves, and cloth pauldrons. They had wielded mostly small daggers with almost no added luxury besides a small engraving showing the wielder's name.

Moving through the mass of dead bodies, Simonee quickly found the entrance to the fortress and walked slowly inside. The corridor was not well-lit, and sconces, chandeliers, and torches were rarely seen hanging from the walls. There had been no windows either, and the darkness had made it a very dreary walk in the tower, with naught but the straightness of the place to keep the four from falling astray. The only break in the path came at a small junction that seemingly led further into the building - and even then, it was the keen eyes of Aeriah that helped to divine the turn. The junction came in the shape of a 'T'; one path where Simonee and his group had come, which led on further down, with a left turn branching off.

Deciding it was best for their luck to break the monotony of the straight-line travel, Simonee led the other three into the turn.

As it turned out, the turn wasn't the best of ideas.

Waiting in the corridor was a battalion of soldiers, simply sneering at the group.

"Oh… hello, guys. Would you mind telling me how to get to the Burning Steppes?" Simonee asked. Behind his back, he primed a Pyroblast. When it was ready, he swung his arm from behind his back and flung the spell at the flabbergasted soldiers. "I seem to be a little LOST!" he shouted, finally loosing the spell.

The men scattered away from the flaming ball of wrath, though not all could escape the immolation. Those that weren't killed immediately by the blast took back their defensive positions, swords poised at Simonee and his now battle-ready group.

"Sorry, guys, no standoff for you!" Garret shouted, rushing into the group. Simonee was shocked for a few moments, but soon resigned to watching the carnage unfold. Garret was swinging his hammer at anything moving inside the group, quite simply cutting a swath of broken bone and pain through the men. It was mere seconds before the skirmish ended.

The group quickly moved on, following the corridor into the tower. It wasn't too long before they came across a mangled body lying on the floor, alongside of which being a medic and two others.

Simonee, feeling bold, stepped forward a bit and asked, "What happened to him?"

The medic looked up at him for a brief moment before answering, "I haven't a clue! All I know is that he's dead, with a hole in the middle of 'im!"

"Right… can I take a look?"

"You're not getting much more outta him than I could get, but sure," the medic said, backing away.

Simonee walked up to the body and kneeled. What the medic said was true; the man had a quite sizable hole blasted through him. A quick check confirmed that it was created by arcane means.

"Krionoso. We're on his trail," he said. He paused a bit, concentrating. "Oh… damn! Those soldiers must've dragged him away! Come on, guys, we've gotta go find them."

Dagerly sighed. "Here we go again…"