Chapter 12: Like Skyrim with guns
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The ship and the galleys started to go faster as soon as the blizzard came. Cicero was on the mast and held the railings when the ship's engine roared as it sped up. He looked down and saw the galleys' oars move fast. He could also hear the soldiers inside the galleys shouting rhythmically to the tempo of the rowing. The ship captain was atop the bridge on the wheelhouse.
"60 seconds!" shouted the ship captain as the ship drew closer and closer to the shore. "Look out!" the captain shouted.
As the ship sped up to shore, it hit and pierced through a tall wave. Gallons of water hit the deck then Cicero got drenched in icy cold water. He got knocked down by the force of the wave.
"Get inside, you fool!" shouted the captain who was holding the wheel then laughed at Cicero who was soaking wet and trying to get up.
Cicero hastily opened the door of the ship's bridge then went inside. The ship was still shaking violently as he went down the stairs. He saw everyone hanging on to the poles and support columns of the ship.
"Cicero, grab hold of something before you hurt yourself!" said Arthas who was hugging a wooden pole.
Cicero grabbed hold of a support column. A moment later, they heard a loud bang and the entire ship shook violently.
"Touchdown!" shouted the captain from outside. The ship stabilized but everyone was dizzy and seasick from the unpleasant ride, especially Sylvanas and Captain Falric.
"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick." Said Sylvanas before running to a window to toss her cookies. Captain Falric broke one of the porthole's windows and did the same.
"What the hell just happened?" Asked Arthas.
"Blizzards, and we were hitting large waves." Replied Cicero. "I think we just reached the shore."
"So, are we here then?"
"I guess so."
"Good. I predicted that we would arrive in 1 months-time at least. But with your help, it only took us 18 days." Arthas tapped Cicero on the shoulder then climbed up the stairs and went out. Captain Falric and Marwyn followed him outside.
Cicero was still soaking wet with icewater and wanted to get warm. He tried to remove his shirt but the friction between his wet skin and the soaked clothing was making it hard for him. Sylvanas who was just done puking up her breakfast noticed Cicero struggling with his shirt.
"Sylvanas, can you pull my shirt off for me?"
"Uhhh…" she saw his shirt rolled half way which revealed his shredded abs wet with water. Her long elven ears turned 45 degrees and tingled in arousal.
"Please." Said Cicero whose shirt was now covering his entire face.
Sylvanas approached him and helped him out but not before taking a glance and admire his athletic body. She helped him, then the shirt came off.
"Thank you." Said Cicero then casted Magelight to warm himself and to dry his clothes. "Oh yeah! That feels good." He closed his eyes feeling the warmth.
Sylvanas started to blush. She was a bit aroused and embarrassed at the same time.
"I…I need to get some air outside. My stomach is still turning so…" she said then went out. She didn't want him to see her blush.
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The blizzard subsided.
The Army reached the shores of Daggercap bay. The ship Arthas and Cicero rode on jammed its hull on a large boulder while the 7 galleys were undamaged.
The men unloaded the supply crates from the ship and the galleys into the shore. The siege engines which the prince brought helped pull the supply crates from the ships to the shoreline.
Arthas looked at his map: It was an old one that dated back to the 1st war.
"This must be Daggercap Bay." He said before he crumpled the map and looked at Captain Falric.
"This is a Light-forsaken land, isn't it? You can barely see the sun! This howling wind cuts to the bone and you're not even shaking." Said Falric to Arthas.
He continued. "Milord, are you alright?"
Arthas turned to face him. "Captain, are all my forces accounted for?" he said in a phlegmatic tone.
The Captain was a bit weirded out by Arthas's sudden change in tone: his normal brash and emotional way of talking had just turned into an emotionless one.
"Yes, sire. All the ships survived. Ours almost capsized when we hit that big wave."
"Well and good. Listen, our first priority is to build a basecamp with proper defences. There's no telling what's waiting for us out there in the shadows." He looked at the shoreline and towards the coral reefs that surrounded the vessels. "We can't make an encampment here. We need to find a place less prone and less vulnerable. Rest up a bit and get yourselves organized. I'll give the signal when we move."
"Aye sir."
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Sylvanas was sitting on a supply crate.
Before departing Stratholme, she changed her usual skimpy revealing armour to a fur padded breastplate that covered her whole torso. Her usual revealing armour was not a wise choice for her to wear because she runs the risk of getting disemboweled by a swift slice to the gut. No one has ever been close to doing just that because she was good with evading, but if ever she gets struck, at least she'll have protection.
Cicero once told her that going into battle whilst wearing revealing armour that showed off one's navel and cleavage is not a good idea and that many bandits of Skyrim who did just that were easily killed.
Jaina Proudmoore learned hard when Mal'Ganis was able to almost kill her because he took advantage of her wearing armour that don't fully cover her body. It's not like she's Cicero who can get away with going to battle without armour at all. At least for him, he can cast them from out of nowhere. He can virtually go to battle butt naked if he wanted to and not get a single cut.
"Sylvanas?" a hand touched her left shoulder.
"Gah!" She exclaimed as her thoughts were interrupted by Cicero who appeared behind her. "Anar'alah, By the Light! Cicero." She looked behind her and saw him carrying a wooden crate.
He was still shirtless and had his shirt hung on his neck. He was wearing a white beanie that covered his ears and head. The magelight spell hovered above his head. "Put some clothes on, you'll freeze to death."
"It's okay, I can manage."
"What? We're all freezing here and you're just standing there shirtless and barely shivering."
"I don't see Arthas complaining, and he's not wearing fur." He pointed at the prince who was relaying instructions on some soldiers who were carrying crates, Cicero noticed he looked more pale than ever. "Wait... is he okay? He's not looking so good."
Sylvanas looked at the prince. "He looks really pale." He looked at Cicero. "Not as pale as you though."
Cicero laughed momentarily "I'm pretty sure it's just sea sickness from travelling."
"I hope you're right, but I heard stories that Northrend had been known to make people mad."
"Well, I better help the men get these crates unloaded." He said then left.
Sylvanas can't help but glance at him as he walked away. She thought he had a very aesthetic looking back that was broad and tapered down to his waist. She's feeling a hint of arousal again. She wondered how it would feel to run her fingers on the contours of Cicero's chest muscles and lean abs as he laid down. She wondered how it would feel to massage his chest and back with oil and…
"What am I thinking?" she said to herself and dispelled such idiotic thoughts from her head.
She had to admit it – she was feeling attracted to Cicero, not only because of his bodily aesthetics but because he was strong, self-sufficient, skillful, and most importantly, he's dependable and make good decisions. He's like the ideal type of man that Kings would betroth to their daughters. But unfortunately for him, he's not of noble blood. And if she and him were to marry, then the whole of Quel'Thalas would disapprove of it. Cicero told her during their first heart-to-heart conversation in Andorhal that he's the orphaned son of two Imperial soldiers and that he grew up in serfdom before joining the military.
If she were to marry him…
"Damn it! No!" she said to herself angrily then quickly dispelled the thought. She wanted to do something and keep away from Cicero for some time. She got up then looked for her rangers and saw them gathered around a fire with some mages. They were preparing food for the soldiers.
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It was almost noon. Everyone ate heartily and prepared their weapons and armours. The siege engines were oiled up and ready to go. The supply crates were placed on wagons and carriages for the siege engines to carry.
Arthas approached Cicero who was writing on his journal. He spoke as he wrote.
"… It's just like Skyrim, at least in the northern regions of Winterhold or Dawnstar…"
"Cicero."
"Hello, sir. Are we ready to go?" Cicero said then closed his journal and set aside the quill.
"Nearly, my friend. I need you to locate a suitable area for us to set up a basecamp. Your um… spells can do just that, right?" Said Arthas.
"Of course." Cicero said then prepared Clairvoyance. With both hands, he concentrated on the spell then casted. "We have…" he continued casting. "…one… not far from here to the northeast… wait, there seems to be some fierce resistance within the woods, all over the woods." He stopped casting. "That being said, we need to tread carefully."
"The woods look to have some openings in them." He said then looked towards the blighted canopies of trees. "We can't risk bringing our supplies, they will hinder us."
"Then I may suggest we go the location first with a small group of men, clear out any hostiles, then fetch the rest of your forces."
"A sound plan." Arthas put his hand on his chin and toyed with his thin small beard. "What sort of men do we need."
"I suggest heavy."
"Okay, let's move. I'll gather up about 20 or so men, meet us when you're ready." Said the prince before walking away.
"Yes sir."
Cicero looked at the cover of his journal, he decided to put a title on it. He took the quill and dipped it on the inkpot that was on the ground.
He wrote on the journal's hard cover with bold letters: "Do not read or open (if your name is Sylvanas Windrunner, it's totally fine.)"
After the ink dried, he put the journal inside the knapsack then slung it on right shoulder. His knapsack contained 3 journals and some contents from his satchel which were some gold septims, blue mountain flowers, and a wood carving of a Guar he made during the voyage.
Cicero walked towards the encampment and saw that Sylvanas was with the mages washing some dining and cooking utensils. He saw one of the mages conjure a water elemental from seawater and made it wash some of the utensils for them.
Sylvanas noticed him.
"Hey, Cicero. Finally decided to put a shirt on?" she said jokingly. Some of the female mages giggled.
He chuckled. "Yeah…Hey, um… can you hold on to my bag for me. Please? I need to go with prince Arthas to clear the way for our convoys."
"Of course." She took the knapsack Cicero handed to her.
"Thank you. Well, I must be going now. We'll fetch you guys when we're done." He said before walking towards the gathered knights.
"Cicero…" She said.
He turned his head back. "Yes, what is it?"
"Be careful."
"I will." He replied then smiled at her.
Sylvanas watched him walk towards Arthas and Captain Falric and the gathered Knights. She saw the bow and quiver of Nathanos Marris slung nicely on his back. The Blade of Woe sheathed on the left side of his belt.
There he is - Cicero of Cyrodiil, former assassin and ruthless murderer, now her best ranger who took the place of Nathanos Marris.
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"Wolves!" shouted Arthas who spotted large 9 frost wolves. The Knights extended their halberds and hookbills towards the advancing wolves and met them. As the wolves go too close, 8 of them got skewered. Arthas and Falric came out of the line of knights then hacked and slashed on the wounded wolves. One tried to flee.
Cicero shot his bow up perpendicular to the ground and used his telekinesis to home the arrow. After 2 seconds, the arrow dropped from the air and hit the fleeing wolf in the spine. The large wolf dropped dead.
"Giant wolves? What else is in here?" Said Marwyn.
"I don't know, but whatever they are, as long as we keep hacking and slashing at them, they'll stop moving eventually." Said Arthas.
Arthas, Cicero, and the rest of the 20-man infantry fought as they advanced deeper into the woods. Cicero marked some wood barks on the cleared areas so they will know where to go when they will come back and fetch the bulk of the forces.
"Trolls!" Shouted Falric. Cicero saw 10 long nosed humanoids with long tusks on their mouths just like those of a mammoth. He recognized them - they looked like one of the creatures he killed in the forests of Quel'Thalas. They were armed with axes and stone hammers. Their hairs looked like the warhawk hair of the bandit maurauders in Skyrim.
Arthas prepared his maul and the knights formed a tight line then extended their polearms and charged. The trolls went berserk and started screaming as they charged at the knights.
Cicero saw a large troll far behind the smaller ones holding an oversized war axe. He went to the side of the line of knights and ran towards it then shot the giant troll with a paralysis-infused arrow. The troll got incapacitated immediately as soon as the arrow hit it in the shoulder. Cicero ran closer towards it.
Meanwhile, the lesser trolls who charged got skewered by the knights with their billhooks and halberds then Falric and Arthas finished them off.
Cicero approached the paralyzed troll who was lying on its side. The troll was wearing a helmet but its body was poorly armoured. He then stabbed it repeatedly on its chest and abdomen, piercing its lungs and vital organs. When the paralysis wore off, the troll squirmed and screamed – it was a female troll. Her voice was raspy and deep but still feminine. It had marking all over her body which probably meant it was a high-ranking one.
"Kill me… end my suffering." Hissed the troll. Cicero noticed that the troll had a strange accent similar to that of a Khajiit.
Her guts spilled out from the perforation while still having peristaltic movement. Blood oozed out of the perforations of her chest where she got stabbed.
"By the nine!" Cicero was surprised that the troll can talk. He pulled off her helmet, revealing her face. She wasn't ugly at all compared to the trolls of Skyrim who have many eyes. She had elf-like ears with piercings on them, and her tusks were not as big as the male ones whom Arthas and the knights are fighting at the moment.
"Kill me!" she demanded.
Cicero slashed her throat with the Blade of Woe. The troll stopped moving as it quickly bled to death.
Arthas and the knights finished killing her minions then came and saw the corpse of the large troll.
"By the light! That thing is huge!"
"Well, it's a Her." Said Cicero. "…and it can talk."
"Interesting, there must be hierarchies among the trolls. Well, I think they must be evolving. And maybe they have a culture of their own." Arthas looked at the corpse. "Let's keep moving. How far are we?" he asked.
Cicero casted Clairvoyance again. "Close, just head further north."
As the infantry advanced further and killed more creatures in the process. They encountered some Nerubian spiders which are the native spider inhabitants of Northrend, some more giant frost wolves, more trolls, and wendigos. The wendigos were the hardest among them because it took some time to kill them, Cicero even exhausted all of his arrows on them.
They finally arrived at their destination.
They were expecting just a flat terrain but were surprised when they arrived at a basecamp – A dwarven basecamp. Arthas saw the lion insignia of the Alliance on the tents as well as the coat of arms of House Bronzebeard. The flag of IronForge waved mightily atop the erected scout towers of the encampment.
The dwarves were busy fixing the structures and their siege engines and flying machines. Dwarven riflemen and mortar teams were practicing their shooting on some giant spider corpses and target dummies. Arthas spoke up to get their attention.
"Hello! It is I, Prince Arthas of Lordaeron." He shouted.
The dwarves turned and looked at him and his infantry. One of the dwarven riflemen stopped shooting and approached them.
"Prince Arthas! What are you doing here?"
"We're here to hunt down a Nathrazeim. Who's in charge in here?"
"Here? Well, that would be Muradin Bronzebeard, sir."
"Muradin?"
"Yes sir. Follow me, I'll take you to him."
"Wait just a moment." Arthas turned to his men.
"Cicero, go back to Daggercap bay shore and fetch our forces. Captain Falric and the rest of you, you go with him. You'll never know what creatures might be lurking in the woods."
"I should go alone, Arthas. I'm much faster that way. Don't worry, I can handle myself. I just need some arrows."
Arthas turned to the dwarven rifleman. "Do you have any extra arrows lying around?"
"Arrows? oh no, Prince Arthas. We dwarves don't use arrows." The rifleman went to a weapon rack and took out a rifle and a bag of ammunition then handed it to Cicero. "Here."
He took the rifle and the bag of ammo. "How do I use this?"
"You see that bolt on the top? Slide it back and place a shell inside the compartment."
Cicero cocked the bolt revealing an empty compartment. He reached inside the bag and placed a shell inside.
"Good, now slide it forward, put down the bolt and you're ready to shoot."
He cocked the rifle and put the bolt down. He aimed it in the air and fired.
"When you want to aim, just rest the butt of the rifle on the front of your right shoulder like this."
The dwarf demonstrated and Cicero followed.
"You can aim down your sights by leaning your head down opposite to the sight piece like this." The dwarf demonstrated as he followed.
"I think I got it now. Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
"Can I infuse this with spells?" he asked.
"Spells? I'm not sure. But as far as I know, magical orbs change the colour of the shells when you fire."
"Ah, I see." He said looking at the rifle. He then turned to Arthas and the Knights. "Well, I better get going now."
"Of course, be careful." Said Arthas.
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Cicero arrived at the shore encampment after running through the cleared paths of the forest. He didn't encounter any hostiles while he traversed.
He saw the daggercap encampment already dismantled the tents and loaded them on the wagons. The supply crates were all loaded up on the wagons and carriages. The dwarven siege engines purred as steam came out of their exhausts. The army of the Alliance was now ready to depart.
As soon as they saw Cicero, they all readied themselves.
"Everyone! We have found the basecamp of some dwarves!" he shouted
"We'll build our base there with them!" he continued "So, everyone pack-up and let's move! follow me!"
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Cicero placed the rifle inside the empty quiver while his bow slung on his back. He put the ammunition shells on his satchel for easy access. Sylvanas and Cicero walked side by side while the rest of the army followed them. The siege engines were at the back end and were pulling the wagons containing the supplies. They were now getting close to the dwarven basecamp.
"Is Northrend anything like Skyrim?" Sylvanas asked.
"Surprisingly, yes. The only difference is that Skyrim has people living in it. Unfortunately, most of the population consists of bandits."
"That's horrible."
"It is. From what The Listener told me, it was probably because the Nords rebelled against the Imperialization of their gods. As a result, they refuse to conform to basic laws."
"Where would you rather be in? Skyrim or Northrend?"
"There are some places in Skyrim that are safe and I like, but most of it is hostile: You can't go a mile without getting mugged or getting chased by a dragon. Northrend though…" he inhaled deeply and looked up at the sky. It was now dusk and he could see the stars and moons. "There's just something beautiful in it. But as of now, I'd rather be in Northrend."
"What's so beautiful about Northrend anyway?" she asked.
You, Cicero said in his mind.
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The army arrived at the basecamp at late dusk. They unloaded their supplies then erected tents and built fires to keep warm. They even shared food with the dwarves.
After dinner, they retired to their respective tents. Sylvanas didn't want to be in the same tent as Cicero so she slept alone on a small one.
Cicero slept inside a tent he had to share with the 2 elven rangers. His magelight spell hovered above them to keep them warm as they slept. Because he was tired from fighting, he fell asleep as soon as he laid down on the bedroll. As he slept, he had another nightmare.
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He was inside the Imperial Library sitting beside a table with a small book in front of him.
When he leaned closer at the book, it was blank.
He closed the book to look at it's title, it says: Valenwood Campaign Casualties – 167 4E
He opened the book again and flipped through the first page. What he saw were tabulated names of people that showed their race, appearance, and apparent cause of death. When he went through the names, he saw 2 names that caught his attention:
Name: Marcus Tarquinus. Race: Imperial. Hair color: Black. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Argues-with-Toads. Race: Argonian. Hair color: N/A. COD: Blunt force Trauma
Name: Angof Battleborn. Race: Nord. Hair color: Blonde. COD: Severe Lacerations
Name: Ayrenwe. Race: Altmer. Hair color: Blonde. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Lerisa Graymane. Race: Nord. Hair color: Gray. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Irien Elsinfare. Race: Altmer. Hair color: Blonde. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Little Twig. Race: Bosmer. Hair color: Brown. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Vivienne Corellius. Race: Breton. Hair color: Red. COD: Arrows
Name: Macaius Corellius. Race: Imperial. Hair color: Black. COD: Stab Wounds
Name: Crassius Colto. Race: Imperial. Hair color: Black. COD: Beheading
Name: Nazeem at-Tura. Race: Redguard. Hair color: Black. COD: Burns
Cicero read through all of the remaining names, yet there were only 2 of the dead soldiers who had the same last names, the female having red hair. He held his own hair and held his locks to where his eyes can see. Could it be that these 2 soldiers were his parents?
He first dismissed them as just probably brothers and sisters, but then looked back at their races and the date of the log.
This was during the Great War. While growing up in serfdom, his old master told him that his parents were among the soldiers sent in Valenwood whom were wiped out while covertly aiding the Blades.
There is no more denying that the names of the two he found in the list were his parents.
As he sat on the chair, he noticed the book started to rise from the table and hover above.
"By the nine! What's happening." He said.
All of the sudden, the book opened on its own and large green tentacles came out from the pages. He backed away with haste and grabbed the rifle he had on his back then shot at the tentacle coming out from the book. As he reloaded, the tentacles grabbed a hold of his limbs.
Cicero struggled and tried to blast the thing with paralysis, but to no avail. More green tentacles started to come out and coil themselves around his body and eventually, his face.
In a flash, he was in a forest, no longer in the Imperial Library and the tentacle monster is nowhere to be found.
He looked around his vicinity and saw he was surrounded with dead bodies of Wood Elves. Some have their faces smashed, some had their entrails removed, heads cut off, and all other gruesomeness.
Far beyond the forest, he saw tall wood-elven structures that were burning. He saw fireballs shot from the ground towards the bosmer structures and explode upon impact. Distant screams of panic can be heard after the fireballs hit.
He realized he was in Valenwood, during the Great War.
He wanted to get out so he casted his spell Clairvoyance. As soon as he casted, he saw no clairvoyant paths – no thin smokes to lead him out.
He started to panic then ran into the dense forest. He ran and ran until he saw an imperial Legionnaire camp. He stopped running when he saw 2 imperial soldiers… and one of them was wounded.
The wounded one was a woman who wore a battlemage robe. Her hair was red and her face was pale. She wore a gold and ruby circlet and held a destruction staff.
The other was a man who wore a prefect's armour. He had an ebony sword sheathed and wore his shield on his back. His face was hidden in his helmet.
"Vivienne. Please, don't die on me." The man said as he casted healing on the wounded woman.
"Macaius... Please go… hurry before the Thalmor gets to you... Go home and take care of our son."
"We'll raise him together, Vivienne. I can't just leave you here!"
Cicero, upon hearing their names ran towards them.
"Mother! Father! Don't worry, I can heal!" He shouted then hastily drew out his healing spell. He saw the woman had an arrow embedded through her chest and was struggling to breathe. He casted healing on the woman but it didn't do anything.
"What?" he said in disbelief.
"Father!" he shouted at the armoured man but he didn't respond.
He tried to touch the armoured man but his hand went right through him as if he was a ghost.
"By Sithis!" he exclaimed.
"I love you, Macaius." Vivienne said to the man as her eyes started to close.
"I love you too… Open your eyes! Open your eyes please!" The man said whilst casting healing on her. Cicero joined in by casting a healing spell of his own.
"Vivienne…Vivienne?"
Cicero stood up and watched his father sob as his mother drew her last breath.
Suddenly, Cicero heard the sounds of horses galloping towards them. He casted Detect life and saw hundreds of red figures from the woods advancing.
"Father! Get out of here!" He shouted at the man. "Father!"
The galloping and the stomping of hooves got louder and louder. The moment he saw a Dominion knight wielding a lance, he closed his eyes as he didn't want to see what happens next.
Cicero waited for a few seconds then opened his eyes – he was back in Azeroth. He stood in a throne room with furniture adorned with skulls. He looked around the room and saw statues of grotesques and a statue of him and Sylvanas. He approached his statue and saw that his face was missing half a jaw. He was raising the Blade of Woe with his left hand while his right hand held a weird looking sword that had goat's skull for a crossguard. The blade of the sword was broad and was thick. The statue wore a skull-adorned armour with large pauldrons. All of the armour parts have skulls on them.
"What is this…?" he said.
"Awake so soon?" he heard Sylvanas speak. Her tone was very different: It had a slight smug tone and a hint of sultriness to accompany it.
When he turned around to see her, he was horrified at what he saw – Sylvanas's skin was no longer fair yellow, her blue and white armour was replaced with black and violet ones all adorned with skulls, her sapphire blue eyes were now coloured red.
"Where am I?" he asked. "Sylvanas, what happened to you?... What happened to me?"
"Oh? What do you mean 'what happened?'" Sylvanas approached him and ran her hand on his face. "Come with me outside." She said then took his hand. Cicero noticed that her touch was cold as she was holding his hand.
She led him to a door. "Behold, my love. The world we created." She said before opening it. She took his hand again and led him to the balcony. Atop the citadel where they stood, he looked down and what he saw was more horror: undead creatures numbered in the millions roared and cheered and grunted as they saw him. The mountains were devoid of trees or any trace of life. The sky had no moons nor stars, only a strange looking skull-like sun. Skeletal dragons roared as they glided through the dark red sky.
"By sithis!" he said.
Sylvanas looked at him "The world now belongs… To the Forsaken!"
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"…Cicero! Cicero! Wake up! Wake up! You're dreaming." He opened his eyes and saw the 2 elven rangers gather around him, shaking him up.
Cicero was breathing hard. "By the nine!"
One of the elves offered him some water. "Here."
Cicero drank then gave back the cup. "Thank you, brother elf."
"What was that all about?"
"Bad dream… I need some air." He said then went out of the tent.
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To be continued
