After calming me down to the point where I can talk like a mature adult again, Barghash leads me back toward the others. I still feel residual embarrassment from having run away like that, though my primary consolation is that the enemy humans were laying face down in the snow at the time. Nehekaia witnessed my episode, and I can feel the outer sparks of her magic fighting her necrotic leash the entire time, but apparently revenants can not speak. Purbas and Ihsan witnessed my embarrassment as well, but thankfully say nothing about it. Sweetiepie and Hondakai returned once we arrive, and appear none the wiser. Nor particularly wise in general.

Purbas is busy trying to engage in some sort of discussion with Sweetiepie, thank the Titans. I really do not want to deal with the terrifying pipsqueak right now.

Ihsan hovers in front of Barghash and I and floats backwards as we approach the group. "Finneas fired off the signal while the two of you were gone," the shade tells us, his bizarrely normal sounding voice tinged with worry. "He and Zulgha must be concerned."

"They both know that the signal will attract attention...if they were the ones in trouble, we would have seen more, however. They must have assumed the worst. We need to roll out."

I do not know these people they are discussing, nor do I know what precisely we are to roll, but the insinuation that there are even more people beyond us helps me to relax. Restraining my curiosity, I wait for Barghash to lead us to the center of the group; he appears to be waiting for everybody's attention, but I can not focus when the priest is that close to me. After silencing Sweetiepie, Barghash notices my nervousness and points toward the pointy eared priest.

"Please keep his mana pool as empty as possible, if you could," he asks me quietly, much to the priest's chagrin.

"Devils! Monsters! The power of the Light argh ack hack ack," the priest gurgles as I drag my flail across his back and his bound arms, soaking up his mana with the numerous hard tassels like a mop. A pleasant buzz settles in between my eyes, but this time I do not swoon; I think I can get used to this sensation.

Covering the intact side of her brittle face, Sweetiepie leaves the side that looks like shattered glass open to us and I cringe. "Eye eye, captain!" she cackles, sending even stronger shudders down the spines of the captive humans than the rest of us.

Nodding once he had the attention of us all, Barghash became serious, his mask hiding whatever residual softness I had sensed from him a few minutes ago. "Although this is a bit belated, I think a greeting of our team's newest member is in order. I trust that we'll all do our parts to being her up to speed on who we are and what sort of jobs we do for Dr. Bunsenburger." Intense up and prepare for an unwanted round of applause, but am gladly surprised when I only receive polite salutes. "We've reached the end of our expedition with the recruitment of our newest member; hopefully, we'll be able to board the zeppelin in time and enjoy a smooth ride back to Lordaeron. Is there anything we've forgotten before we leave? Anything at all?"

"To pay for your crimes!" one of the humans hisses before being scratched by one of the ghouls again.

"If that's it, then let's move out. We scattered the rest of Nehekaia's cronies, but I'm sure they're either regrouping or seeking more help for revenge now. We need to move."

Without even needing to be told, the ghouls herd the captive guards and the priest to their feet and force them to march. Being somewhere in between the mental faculties of people and zombies, Sweetiepie and Hondakai actually require a few seconds thought before following suit. Intelligently, Barghash walks behind his shield of ghouls and prisoners of war, chatting with Ihsan about matters I can not hear. I am grateful that they are not looking, for there is one last act I must perform.

When we reach the top of a snowy hill, I stand and turn around, giving the ziggurat one last look. It is damaged from whatever conflict took place previously, huge chunks of stone missing and smashed seige machines littering the snow in front of it. There are iron grates with green stains from some kind of goo, but there is no fresh goo, thankfully. In the early afternoon sun, I can see the details of my former tomb clearly, and I do not know how to feel.

On the one hand, I hate that place. It was my curse. It was my prison. It was a place where I witnessed so much evil, unable to intervene the entire time. That was the place where I deluded myself into believing that nothing else existed and that I dreamt up the entire universe. I should run away and never look back.

On the other hand, that is where my new friends found me. Their path led them there just as mine did, at the same time, like two lines converging at the right moment. Had I not suffered so, I might not have met them; perhaps free will would have been offset and imbalanced had the horrors of that place not occurred, and I would still be there. Or still embalmed and entombed forever. Even if my existence is confusing, I am happy for it. I would not wish myself permanently dead...not now.

I only notice Purbas reaching for my arm at the last second. "As someone who once bid farewell to all she knew, let me advise you...don't linger. You'll gain nothing special, no divine inspiration, and you'll only make the goodbye more difficult."

"I..." One last time, I gaze upon the ziggurat, noticing how drab and plain it is. There is nothing special about it, nothing denoting it as significant, and according to them there was nobody else inside. It was my place of rebirth; now, it has nothing for me. "Thank you. I am ready."

I allow Purbas to pull me away and we catch up with the others. They are a good distance ahead, but we close the gap without rushing over a sizeable period of time. On we all march through the snow, trees surrounding us though growing relatively sparsely and granting a wide area empty of obstructions. Off in the distance, I can see a number of snow capped mountains. I can not see the breath of my companions in the air, however, so I assume that they must not feel too cold.

None of the others say much as we march toward this...destination of ours. Bereft of anything else to distract us, I attempt to learn about the world that exists so long after my mortal death. Even if I retain general knowledge, I am sure that much of it is outdated.

"Purbas...what is a zeppelin?"

She does not laugh at my lack of knowledge, much to my delight. "It's an aerial vehicle. Think of it like a flying boat. Do you remember boats, from your time?"

"I do not retain solid images of anything in my mind, but I remember concepts. A boat is like an upside down, inside out tree that floats on the water."

"Well, that's...an interesting and technically accurate way to describe it. So a zeppelin is like a flying air boat. There's a balloon on the top that helps it to float like Ihsan."

"What is a balloon?"

"It's usually used as a toy for kids. It's like a material stretched into an empty ball and then filled with gas that's lighter than air, so it floats."

"We will fly on the plaything of a child?!" I ask incredulously. "What if more people try to hurt us?"

"This one isn't for children though, it's durable. The hull of the zeppelin is made from steel and the balloon has three layers of leather. It isn't that big - more of a goblin transport ship."

"What is a goblin?"

"They're another race of people, small and green and talented at constructing rickety but usable machines. They're sort of like gnomes, but less refined."

"What is a gnome?"

"Sweetiepie's race when they're alive."

Ew. Well, to be fair, maybe they are less offensive to the eyes when they are alive. I shake the image out of my head and pray that Sweetiepie remains near the front of our formation.

"If the zeppelin is not that big, then how will we ride?"

Giving the question a few moments of thought, Purbas tapped one of her fingers on her mandible. Whatever experiences I had with her kind in the past, I find her pleasant and unmarred by previous negativities. She is almost cute.

"Barghash will probably have the undead among us march; they never get tired and if they encounter any Scourge on our way to the coast, they can blend in with them and simply avoid being attacked. As for the ride back across the ocean...well, we banked on finding an obsidian destroyer since Ihsan insisted that they - you - can fly. Since you also don't get tired, at least according to him, you can carry a few of us next to the zeppelin."

I listen carefully to her words, trying not to visibly balk when I realize that I am expected to perform. So far, I have discovered numerous abilities unknown to me prior to my rescue, but flying is an entire different task. Muscle memory reminds me of my four legs, my two arms, both the horizontal and vertical parts of my body, but not these wings on my horizontal back. I can fold them and flap them like a helpless dove caught between my paws, but to fly?

My silence must have sufficed as an answer, because I feel Purbas take me by the arm again as if we are two girlfriends out for a stroll. "Do you...know...? Or, I guess, remember how to fly?" she asks me skeptically. I shake my head, feeling a bit shy as I do so; their escape plan seems to have depended on me. "Don't worry," she says while patting my arm and somehow reading my thoughts. "It was all Ihsan's fault for assuming you're all automatons who awaken with the same skill set. But it would probably be best to tell the others know."

I rub my knuckles with my hand. "Oh...alright," I mumble.

Despite her arachnid biology, Purbas can move faster than me, and she drags me toward the front of the formation. A bit of nervousness creeps in as we approach the human and the shade, who are still conversing ahead of us.

"Barghash, I think our return plan might need to be revised," she tells him, interrupting their conversation. Ihsan spins around but continues floating in the same direction as all of us, which is really weird.

"For what reason?" he asks, looking halfway toward us as he continues walking.

For a second, Purbas starts to talk before stopping herself. She looks at me as if seeking permission to mitigate the pressure I feel. Although I feel disappointed to tell them the news, I would still rather stand and confess myself than leave her to do so for me.

"I do not know how to fly. In my mind, I retain general knowledge and skills. I feel as if I did not possess wings before. I will try my best, but I can not guarantee that I will be able to fly next to this zeppelin."

Barghash listens to me with a measure of sympathy in his eyes. Then he gives Ihsan an angry look before turning to me and loosening up again. "We dwell on the solution; not the problem. We're less than an hour from the clearing where we parked the zeppelin; once we arrive, I'm sure that the others can help us think of a workable arrangement. Until then, let's just focus on getting there." He gives me a little nod before turning away from us to watch the path ahead again, as does Ihsan, whom he does not speak to for a measure of time.

In silence, I follow them, occasionally chatting with Purbas as we push our way through the snow. Even if I felt embarrassed at my inability to fly, the entire group seem polite enough to each other, and I find myself feeling as if I am one of them so soon after I broke free of my tomb. I become so engrossed in the surprisingly light conversation among trained fighters and explorers that I do not notice the time pass. Only when I see a huge leather ball tied to a metal boat in between the trees do I become distracted.