Balthar smiled as he held onto the reins of his horse, Caspian, as he and three dozen knights rode away from Honor Hold. Even though he was riding to battle a band of fel orcs that Finnal reported were heading straight for the stronghold, he could not help but enjoy himself today. Growing up in Westfall, he learned how to ride horses at a young age and because of his skill, he was able to stay around the front rank of knights. Being on a new world was making him homesick, but he was not anymore. Riding horses reminded Balthar of the home he missed. Yet, this was not the main reason on why he was so joyful today.
For the first time ever since coming to this world, Balthar was not under the supervision of Gregory. When Kelvin concluded that the logical course of action would be to send mounted knights against the raiders, the commander decided it would be best for the tactician and Naur to lead the knights together. When questioned, he admitted that he could not fight while riding a horse and would instead prepare a battalion at Honor Hold should the knights failed. After the announcement, Balthar begged his mentor to let him accompany the knights, and Gregory agreed only if he could mount his horse while armored. Secretly, he wished to see the look on the commander's face when he got on top of Caspian with ease. Yet, with the knights just about to leave, he knew he could not waste anytime fooling around and quickly rode off to join the others.
Balthar was proud for being able to stand up to Gregory in such a way. He only wished he could do so again to tell him that he wanted end their training. In the last few weeks since he came upon that decision, he tried finding the perfect time to tell Gregory. Yet, his mentor was more focused on training than he was talking, so there was no perfect time. So, Balthar instead tried to tell Naur he wished to become a priest. He was certain that if the draenei spoke to Gregory, they could come to an arrangement. Yet, each time he tried talking with the vindicator, he became so lost in their deep conversations that he forgot. He prayed that if they both survived this battle, he would finally be able to have that talk with his friend.
Balthar was able to spot Naur leading the pack alongside Kelvin. Although, by looking upon his friend, he realized that even if he was not at the front, it would be easy to spot him. With the vindicator being so big, it proved to be a challenge to ride a horse. The draenei rode rather awkwardly, unable to keep still while seated on the saddle. Kelvin rode his blue mechanostrider next to Naur. Unlike his fellow leader, he was able to ride with ease much like the knights were. As the band of knights continued riding, Balthar overheard a conversation they shouted to each other so they could hear one another.
"I have a bad feeling about this!" Naur commented. "Shouldn't we have come upon the fel orcs by now?"
"By my calculations, we passed the spot where the battle should of took place!" Kelvin informed him.
"Perhaps the caught wind of this and decided to retreat?" Naur suggested.
"That is highly unlikely!" Kelvin told him. "These are orcs we're talking about. They do not run from a challenge like this! Not to mention I ordered Finnal to continue spying upon them after she gave her report! The minute something happened, she would of told us!"
"Then how do you explain Finnal and the raiders being missing?" Naur asked.
"To be honest, I am not sure!" Kelvin admitted.
"And I thought that someone of your intelligence had the answer to everything!" Naur said, chuckling.
"And I thought someone of your age would have learned to ride a horse by now!" Kelvin shot back, unamused.
"Age?" Balthar shouted towards the two. "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"Do not worry about it for now, my friend!" Naur advised. "We shall talk about it when we both return to Honor Hold!"
Balthar smiled warmly as he nodded towards Naur. He was able to arrange for another meeting with the vindicator. Now, he just had to be certain he would remember to ask his question and not get lost in conversation again. By now, Honor Hold was no longer in sight of the knights. There were no landmarks to tell them where they were now. Balthar held tightly onto the reins of Caspian, growing nervous. Perhaps the fel orcs were preparing for an ambush on the knights before beginning an assault on Honor Hold. As much as he loved to ride, he knew that he was not ready for a fight.
Kelvin raised his fist in the air, signalling for the knights to stop and dismount. Balthar pulled back on Caspian's reins, stopping his gallop as he thought about why they were stopping. Had the fel orcs been seen, they would be riding into battle. Yet, as he dismounted his horse and walked towards the gnome with the other knights, his jaw dropped down at the horrific scene that was ahead of them. From top of a hill, they looked down upon the fel orcs. The raiders had been slaughtered.
Dozens of fel orcs were scattered around the ground, their dark red blood standing out from the light orange soil. Even their wolvish mounts did not survive the massacre. Looking at the scene, Balthar started to pick out some of the smaller details of the battle. The fel orcs tried to surround their foe in a circle. The tactic usually worked, but it failed this time around. Yet, he noticed that only those who were part of the inner circle were bleeding. Those towards the edges did not bleed at all. To add to the mystery, there were only corpses of the fel orcs and wolves, but none of their foe. He gulped, unsure of what to think of what he saw.
"By the Light," Balthar whispered to himself.
"Everyone, spread out and search for clues!" Kelvin ordered, still seated atop his mechanostrider.
"Clues on what?" a knight in the background asked. "It's plain to me that this was just a battle."
"It was a battle," Naur confirmed, dismounting his horse clumsily. "Yet, who fought the fel orcs is the question. The Horde was reported to no longer be in this area, and this doesn't seem to be the work of the Burning Legion. If we are dealing with a new faction, we must figure out its motives and determine if they are friend or foe."
"Exactly," Kelvin agreed. "Now, stop standing around and start searching for clues!"
The knights nodded, muttering amongst themselves as they started to walk downhill. Balthar followed them, already knowing what he was going to investigate. The knights were not so focused as to look for clues when they reached the bottom of the hill. They were warriors who were ready for battle and did not believe this to be part of their job. So, they just walked around the scene, occasionally kicking a corpse or two. Balthar was more focused on investigating the corpses of those away from the battle. He knelt down next to a fel orc, his face buried into the ground. Since he did not see any noticeable injuries on his back, the man flipped the corpse over.
Looking upon the fel orc's face, or what was left of it, made it easy to determine what killed the raider. His face was burnt off by fire. Most of the skin was gone, only a few patches of it remaining on the visible skull. Along with the sight, the smell of burnt flesh entered his nostrils. He took a few steps back, taking a deep breath before tripping over something. He fell onto his back, starting to cough as he tried to hold his stomach in. He rolled back onto his chest, pushing himself up to his hands and knees as he tried to control his breathing. Yet, he could not get the sight of that skull out of his head.
"Peace, my friend." Naur tried soothing as he walked up to the young man, offering a hand. "This isn't a place for the weak of stomach. It may be best if you join Kelvin on top of the hill."
"Not yet," Balthar told his friend, taking the draenei's hand. "I may be onto something. It's just so hard to think after what I saw."
"Then allow me to help you," Naur offered, pulling him up from the ground and onto his feet. "It seems that we're the only two taking this investigation seriously, so why not work together?"
"Yes, you're right," Balthar agreed, smiling weakly.
"So, what did you find?" Naur asked.
"That fel orc over there had his face burnt off," Balthar started, pointing his thumb back in its general direction so he would not have to look at it again.
"So, whoever fought the fel orcs knew how to use magic," Naur concluded, his eyes focused on the corpse. "That is the best way to control something as dangerous as fire."
"Agreed, but how does that help us find out who did this?" Balthar asked, uncertain.
"Well, I believe that clue has been underneath us all this time," Naur said, smiling as his eyes glanced towards the ground.
Balthar followed Naur's gaze, staring towards the ground between them. Buried in the dirt, he could see a small spark of metal. He remembered that he tripped over something, and realized that this must of been it. He got down on his knees, slowly uncovering the dirt as he reached for the metal. Pulling it free from the ground, he studied it. It was part of a sword, the tip and edge of it remaining sharp, coated with blackish blood. Yet, the other side of it was more jagged than sharp. The only conclusion to explain it was that it was broken from the hilt during battle.
"The fel orcs do not use swords, right?" Balthar asked as he stood up, holding the metal for Naur to see.
"It is possible, but very unlikely," Naur answered, studying it. "This metal is not one I've seen during my time on this world before it shattered."
"So, the man who did this must of been from Azeroth," Balthar concluded. "Yet, I still find it hard to believe that a single man could do so much damage with only a sword and magic."
"I believe it to be possible," Naur told him. "It just means that whoever did this is incredibly powerful and deadly. Come, let us see if we can find the other half of the sword."
The two walked closer to the center of the battle, now studying the corpses slain by the blade. Most of them were killed with a single slash, and it was hard to find one who was stabbed to death. Eventually, Naur found a raider who was stabbed to death, which was very obvious. A hilt to the sword was buried deep into the left eye of the fel orc. Naur knelt down by the corpse, grasping the hilt as he pulled up, freeing it with a single pull. He wiped some of the wet blood and brain from the broken half, and approached Balthar. They held the jagged edges of their pieces together, connecting the sword. It was a perfect match.
"Well, it's good that we have the full blade, but it still doesn't tell us who did this." Balthar said, looking at the blade.
"Yes, but there are symbols on the hilt of the blade," Naur said, motioning to a symbol on the hilt: a curved blue L with a blade going through it. "Do you recall seeing this symbol anywhere, Balthar?"
"It does look familiar, but I cannot recall where I know it from," Balthar answered, disappointed. "Perhaps Kelvin will know. He would be the type of gnome to know about this, wouldn't he?"
"Perhaps," Naur said, uncertain. "It will not hurt to ask, however. Let us be off."
The two walked uphill again as Balthar studied the shattered blade. Asides from the symbol on the hilt, there was an ornate design sketched upon the blade. He could not find the significance of the design, but he knew that he saw this sword somewhere before. Yet, he could not remember where. Balthar sighed in defeat as they made it to the top of the hill. He smiled lightly as he saw Finnal talking to Kelvin, who was still sitting on top of his mount. After what he witnessed, he feared the worst. As they approached the two, he was able to catch the end of their conversation.
"So, you cannot track down a single man?" Kelvin asked, annoyed.
"I'm sorry, sir, but he is covering his tracks quite well," Finnal informed him. "I did see a man staring at the raiders from the west when I found them, but I thought nothing of it at the time."
"We found a clue," Naur announced as Balthar showed the two pieces of the blade to everyone."
"A broken weapon is a clue?" Finnal asked, confused.
"H-hold on," Kelvin told everyone, staring at the blade in shock as his voice cracked slightly. "I think I know what that is. Let me take a closer look."
"Very well," Naur said, nodding to Balthar to give the pieces away.
Balthar slowly took a few steps forward towards Kelvin, holding the metal out to the gnome. Without hesitating, the gnome quickly grabbed the broken sword, looking at the pieces as his hands shook. He was surprisingly out of character for once. The tactician was alway calm and collected. Even when his composure was broken, he was always quick to resume it and act as if nothing happened. Yet, it seemed that Kelvin was nervous or perhaps afraid of something. Before Balthar could figure it out, the gnome muttered something under his breath, but no one was able to make out any words.
"Are you trying to say something, sir?" Balthar asked. "Is something wrong about the blade?"
"There has to be something wrong with it," Finnal noted. "You've been shaking ever since you saw it."
"That's because only six of its kind exist," Kelvin told them, composing himself as he held back his shaking.
"Only six exist?" Naur asked, uncertain. "What makes you think that?"
"It's a rather long story," Kelvin started. "You see, after the Second War, six soldiers were declared honorary knights of Lordaeron for their service and their feats, which separated them from their fellow soldiers. They were each presented with a blade with the symbol of Lordaeron," he pointed towards the letter on the hilt, "as well as a special, ornate engraving," he then motioned towards the engraving covered in blood. "I took part in the ceremony as I gave the blade to one of the soldiers."
"So, was this the blade you gave away?" Finnal asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"I'm afraid not," Kelvin answered. "I gave Gregory his sword for his outstanding leadership during the war."
"Gregory has a blade like this as well?" Balthar asked as he tried remembering his sparring sessions with his mentor.
"Not only him, but your father also was also awarded with similar honors for his duty of protecting townsfolk and injured soldiers on several occasions," Kelvin told him. "I am honestly surprised that you had to come to me to figure out the origins of the blade."
Balthar took a step back in shock. He was able to clearly remember the blade Gregory used in their sparring sessions, and it was an exact copy of this shattered blade, minus the dried orc blood. Yet, he could not recall seeing such a weapon back home. Perhaps his father was not as boasting of it as he should of been. Still, Balthar realized that maybe his father would be disappointed in the path he was going to take. Yet, he would also be disappointed at his son's progress as a soldier. There was no winning in this situation.
"What of the other four who were awarded?" Naur asked, stroking the tendrils on his chin. "Are they here on Outland or know magic?"
"All of them are on Azeroth last I saw, and they know no magic," Kelvin reported as he pocketed the blade pieces inside of his jacket. "I shall be trying to find out who this blade belongs to when we get back to Honor Hold. For now, we should make our way back now. Finnal, send word to the knights to tell them to mount up. I want us to be gone from here in five minutes."
"I'm on it," Finnal said, walking down the hill.
"Well, I look forward to our conversation once you are done training with Gregory," Naur told Balthar, smiling warmly.
"As do I," Balthar replied, returning the smile.
Balthar walked back to Caspian, pulling himself onto the saddle as he started to think about the events that took place. He turned his head and thoughts away from the massacre, wishing he could wipe his memory clean of that sight. While he was proud that his father was more than just a simple soldier during the Second War, he knew that would not change his mind. He still planned on training as a priest under Naur. He just needed to ask the draenei before he could tell Gregory. Thinking back on the shattered sword, Balthar could not help but think Kelvin was not telling the whole story. He believed it all, but there was something the gnome was hiding. Since he did not have any evidence to support this claim, there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed as the remaining knights mounted their horses, hoping that someone else would be able to solve this mystery. With a wave of his arm, Naur signalled for the knights to return to Honor Hold. The horses galloped away from the battle as Balthar hoped he would not have nightmares over what he saw.
A/N: Hey everyone. This is just an announcement that I shall be leaving on vacation tomorrow. So, my schedule for Broken World will be different. I do plan on trying to post at least one chapter during this time. I may of made a similar progress months ago during Spring Break, but I had no access to the internet at that time. This time, I am returning to a beach I've been to before, and I am staying in the exact same house as I did last year. If things go as they did last year, I will be staying up late at night due to the caffeine that's keeping me awake (For such a wonderful house, the bed I had was small and hard as stone). So I do not disturb the rest of my family during the night, I may be able to find some computer time on a laptop. As for the car ride, it will be a perfect time to write the rough draft for another Warcraft fanfiction.
As always, keep on reading. Until next time.