Survival Guide: Azeroth

by Servant Ruler

EMIYA was reincarnated into another world. It was a world embroiled in thousands of years of war. Better yet, he was reincarnated in a time just before another war would erupt. Best thing was, his enemies were beings with near god-like powers and with innumerable armies! How fun![Gamer][Semi-Crackish]

4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Warcraft or any Type-Moon concept incorporated into the story.

I'll accept suggestions but not changes to the plot.

Thanks to MarksmanKNG for betareading the story.

Please leave a review or anything really... Read and enjoy...

---

-I-

I am Anna Hopebringer. Inheritor of the mantle of my ancestor's burden. I am the ninth Guardian to answer the call. Anasterian Sunstrider is my father's name. Aurinice Hopebringer was my mothers name, Hopebringer our forefather's title, the First King of Halcyon. Our ancestral line has ruled over Halcyon since its founding during the Age of Chaos. I am a proud bearer of the Hopebringer name.

Grandfather was the last ruler of Halcyon, thus mother kept his name in memory of the glorious past.

Ever since I was a child, I had been considered unusual by my siblings and peers. I played not with my fellow children but with cold sharp steel. I threw away silken dolls and soft constricting clothes. From as far as I could remember, I was able to 'converse' with blades and all kinds of weaponry. Other noble children had called me weird and shunned me, my older siblings stared at me with fear and anger.

I had not cared for their heated glares nor their envious stares. I had friends in the forms of beautiful thin swords to the heavy dangerous glaives. They 'spoke' to me about stories that mother could not. They 'told' me tales of great heroes and villains who overcame impossible odds to forever change Azeroth.

I admired them all. There was no true villain when their intent was for the good of their people or for the sake of their dreams and ideals. But what I admired most were the unsung Heroes, the people who took it upon themselves to fight not for their own but for the greater good. Those whose names were obscured from history and whose sacrifices were understood by the few.

I admired the Heroes who hid behind shadowed veils. I was obsessed with them

But alas, such dreams were not allowed to me. I was a member of the royal family, a princess. I could never truly become an unknown and obscure figure. Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to train and improve my abilities so that when such a time came that I could do good without being known, I would act upon and savor it great joy. I would not be able do that without the strength of arms. The same blades who were my friends were also my teachers.

It would only be when I turned eight that I learned the significance of my ability. I was the inheritor of the my grandfather's bloodline, she who received the revered ability. Those who carried such abilities were immediately deemed the rightful rulers of a nation. My dream was unjustly crushed under reality's heels. As the ruler of a nation, I would be placed upon the pedestal and spotlight. Every movement would be watched and recorded.

It was a nightmare.

That was until I was involved in a plot to reopen a portal to the Twisted Nether realm. I had accidentally been thrown through the portal and was not able to able to return back in time before the portal was closed. I was doomed to die but I would not die a dog's death. My enemies would have to grasp victory through my rotting corpse.

I fought with the creatures for days on end. Without indication of time, I was not sure how long I had struggled. It seemed the ancestors were not blind to my effort because as I fought with my life being drained from me with every breath, I awakened the ability that enabled my predecessors to defeat the evils that had threatened the world. With such a gift, I was able to cut through space and return to Azeroth.

Upon my return, I had learned that I was declared dead. The seat of heir to the throne returned to the hands of the firstborn. One would normally think that would cause me to despair and desperately proclaim my existence to reclaim what was rightfully mine but it did not. Instead... I was overjoyed!

With the ancestor's gifts and my own wit and abilities I had become the Ninth Guardian, a title that I deemed proper as I was the ninth person to inherit and awaken the legendary ability of the bloodline that was appropriately titled 'The Heart of Steel'.

Who could have thought such sequence of events would allow me to fulfill my dream?

I will not let such an opportunity go. I will grasp it with an iron grip. I will become a Hero in the Shadows!

-Excerpt from the journal of Anna Hopebringer, leader of the Shadow Guardian Association. An adult who held delusions of grandeur inflicted with the terrifying illness, an affliction of the mind that would come to be known as 'Chuunibyou', but is an undeniable existence whose power could enable her mere whims to dictate the flow of the world.

-'Princess Anna does not know that her existence was already known to the world and that changing her hair and eye color did not make her unrecognizable. She styles herself as Nana Doombringer and has changed her white themed original appearance to a beauty with black hair and eyes.'

---

-II-

Kael stared down at his opponent, for once. The gnome he had encountered earlier that day was Kethan Battlemaster, a warrior. From the history of his blade, he was fairly skilled enough to acquire the rank of Gold. The duo that the receptionist mentioned were this two, off to the distance was the gnoll mage/shaman? According to his Appraise, the gnoll was some kind of Spirit Summoner.

This fight had started because the gnome wanted to see if he was a 'genuine' Mithril ranker. He had agreed, also to learn about his would be party members.

"Can we start already?" The gnome asked. He looked like a man child with ears the size of his head. His head was bald and he was clad in full metal plate armor. It was a surprise he could move that well with all that weight on him.

Kael stared at the gnome quizzically. Didn't they signal the fight already started?

"Are you sure you want me to beat you up without your weapon?" The gnome remarked.

That was when he realized he wasn't holding his weapons. The weapons he had on him were lethal blades powerful enough to cut through steel. He didn't want to make trouble for his future by destroying the gnome's sword. He ignored the gnomes look as he went off to the side to pick a wooden practice sword, this area was the Adventurer Guild's sparring area. Most adventurers tended to ignore this wooden training weapons in favor of working with real steel during spars.

He run his magic through the wooden sword, altering it further into a blunt weapon.

"Hey! Are you taking this seriously!?" The gnome shouted angrily.

"Yes." Kael replied succinctly.

"Tch. Don't complain if you get injured pretty boy!" The gnome shouted and charged towards him.

He was already used to running magical energy through his body that reinforcing himself now required only a mere thought. He had noticed early on during his training that continuous reinforcing himself didn't deplete his magical energy anymore. Though that was if he didn't reinforce it any further than what he normally did with his body only improved twice passively with magic running in his veins.

He noted with an impassive face as the gnome leapt towards him to cleave him in half. Everything was moving too slowly in with his enhanced perception. With minimum movement, he moved to the side and dodged the blow that showered gravel around the area as the sword hit nothing but ground. With simple motions, he raised the wooden sword and struck.

"Thwack!" The audible sound of wood hard as metal hitting someone's head could be heard. An angry bruise formed on the gnome's little head.

Kael moved back a step as the gnome tried to cut his legs off.

"Thwack!" Another bruise accompanied the first one.

The gnome, now fuming, his face red with rage let out a bellowing war cry.

"ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The gnome shouted, his movements getting faster and swing getting stronger.

"Thwack."

"Swish."

"Thwack."

"BOOOOOOM!"

"Thwack."

"RAAAAAAAH! BOOM!"

"Thwack."

For every attack the gnome attempted, the resounding noise of his head getting hit and his bruises multiplying only resulted in enraging him further.

"Thwack."

The gnome's bald head only further emphasized the red bruises on his head. He could already hear the gnome companion laughing off to the side. Kael dodged every blow with ease. No matter how strong the gnome was, he couldn't hit Kael with any blow. He was like a leaf being blown over by the wind as he drifted through each powered strike.

"STOP! BOOM!"

"Thwack."

"DODGING!"

"Thwanck."

"FUUUUUUUUUUCKKKK!"

"Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack."

The gnome's frustration increased and so did the welts on his head.

Kael didn't stop as the gnome started to tire out. He only lowered his wooden sword when the gnome finally slumped in defeat.

"Thwack."

"Stop damn it!" The gnome shouted as he covered his head.

Kaels stopped when the gnome dropped his weapon. But he could still see the will to fight in his eyes.

The amused receptionist and the snickering gnoll arrived as soon as the gnome gave up.

"That was certainly amusing. May I have your name please?" The gnoll politely asked. It was still surprising how gentlemanly the gnoll looked and acted from no matter what angle.

"It's Kael." After a thought, he added. "Kael Archer. You can call me anything you want."

"I'll call you Leader Kael then. We have heard the Guildmaster's proposition. He has agreed to pardon some of our offences and lighten the requirements for us to reach Gold rank, in exchange for assisting you on a quest. I hope we can work well together Leader. Oh, and before I forget, how impolite of me. My name is Eglef Gnawcrest." The gnoll said with a flourish.

"This guy here is Kethan Battlemaster." The Guildmaster spoke for the angry gnome. "They are both well accomplished adventurers and they should have reached Gold by now if we haven't considered their past actions and reputation during the Guild's deliberation."

Kael nodded and searched through his pockets. He found a small vial containing a red liquid and took it out.

"Here." Kael said as he handed it towards the glaring gnome. "It's a special concoction of mine. You can drink it directly to numb the pain and improve the healing."

"Hrmm." The gnome grunted.

The gnome took the vial suspiciously while grimacing in pain from the bruises on his head. He removed the cork and sniffed at the contents of the vial.

"Wine!" His face suddenly brightened in delight and chugged the contents of the small bottle. "You made shit tasting potion taste like wine!? Alright! I'm joinin' so got more of this?" The gnome said as if forgetting the person he was speaking with spent the better part of a few minutes hitting his head.

"That was one of my experimental brews. I still haven't gotten it right on how to replicate that one. Sorry." Kael said and watched the gnome sulk at being deprived.

"Let us ignore this midget, here. So, what do you say we start travelling while discussing the details of the request. Daylight is burning and it would take an awful lot of time to reach the Greenhill area." The gnoll proposed.

"Sounds good." Kael agreed.

That was how they ended up racing through the grasslands leading to that hilly area.

From an outsider's perspective, an elf and a saddled wolf spirit were racing across the grasslands heading towards the infamous Greenhill. The Greenhills was the only easily traversable location going north from Stratholme. Most of the southern part bordering Quel'thalas is filled with mountainous regions making most trips with caravans near impossible aside from very few locations.

That was why villages such as Windvale would flourish when the trade routes were directed to through them.

The Greenhills trade route that the Far and Wide Company ambitiously wanted to obtains is one of the safer paths. But with the bandit infestation, traversing through the area has been expensive and dangerous. Merchants hired adventurers and mercenaries to guard their trade goods but such requests were costly. That was why instead of hiring adventurers as guards, the Far and Wide Company was offering a generous amount that could equal a small fortune to annually clear out the area of bandits.

The last bandit extermination quest that was accepted by the guild resulted in a disaster for the adventurers. No one had ever expected bandits to cooperate and increase in numbers that fast.

A party of ten Silver Ranks were wiped out because of this assumption. They had assumed it would be like usual. Bandits were too disorganized and undisciplined as a bunch. A group as large as fifty or more required extreme measures to keep together. Unless of course there was a leader charismatic enough to command the respect of the nearby bandit groups. They had gathered together drawn by their greed and ambition.

But that was not the problem that Kael had the most difficulty of dealing with right now. No, it was his companions.

"A woman has to have teats! Boobs are the way to go. If I die, I want to die with a nice pair in between my face as I welcome death." The gnome sat behind his gnoll companion as they rode together on a blue windwolf spirit that the gnoll summoner had call forth.

"I must say you have unsatisfactory taste. I need not repeat myself and I shall not be moved by none but a woman's hips! It is the hips or rather a woman's posterior which determines her sexual beauty. Your inclinations are obviously inferior to mine.

"How could you not understand the loveliness of a woman's wide birthing hips as they shake in front of you! Your aesthetic appreciation is bland as always." The gnoll declared as he argued with his gnome companion over another trivial matter. But if Kael mentioned that, he would be lectured by his current party members.

"You just don't get it do ya. A great pair of breasts are the best! Specially in bed when a woman's tiddies bounce as you fuck her! You're missing half of your life if you haven't experienced that yet!" The gnome answered back.

"This argument will result in nowhere. So as to make a better judgement, let us allow our party leader to declare which one of us is right. What do you say, Kethan?" The Gnoll proposed.

"Heh, I like the sound of that! You say some good things every once in a while, Eglef! Hey party leader! What do you say? Which one's better, teats or asses?" The Gnome prodded.

A question that has confounded many men. But Kael was not just any man, he was a man who stared down monsters that could erase his very existence, Zelretch's grin as he is about to prank someone and hungry Sabers who had not been fed their meals. With that, Kael had a true and tested answer which wouldn't kill him even if women related to him found out somehow.

It was also because Kael could not hold back from deflating their expectations and replied back.

"Thighs. Thicc thighs are the gateways to heaven."

The two went oddly silent at his words. Kael looked beside him at the wolf that he was racing with. The two were looking at him as if he had revealed a great revelation from heaven. Their eyes were shining with admiration.

"You sir, are a true man of culture. A man of culture indeed! I had not expected the quiet and handsome party leader to have such a simple but interesting answer!" Eglef Gnawcrest, the Gnoll, stated.

"I swear I might have been blind for the rest of my life not to have arrived that answer yet. You're good Kael! What do you say we visit the whorehouses together next time? I didn't know what they said about the quiet ones hiding the most was actually true!" Kethan Battlemaster exclaimed in surprise and chortled boisterously.

"You have earned my respect Sir Kael! From now on, you will have my staff and wits at your command." Eglef said as he thumped his chest while holding onto the reins.

"And you got my blade! I say, you're a man amongst men Kael!" Kethan also saluted in respect.

'I don't want to be respected because of that.' Kael kept silent.

Kael had to prevent himself from rolling his eyes at their antics. The odd pair were one of the few Gold ranked who made a living in the village. They were, eccentric that was for sure.

"What do you know about this area?" Kael asked to divert the topic.

"Hrrr. Yes, the Greenhills area hasn't always been this infested with bandits. I have come to the conclusion that the bandits were drawn in because of need or were driven to band together because of fear. The former case is more likely than the latter. When we had passed through this are in the past, the situation has not been as bad as it is now." Eglef replied.

Kael noted that they were entering a forested area of the hilly region. They were travelling fast, he had not been expecting his companions to be able to keep up. He kept his senses on full alert as the bushes and trees grew denser.

He slowed down as his already sensitive ears that were further reinforced heard the sound of people nearby. He halted and signaled his companions to keep quiet. They complied readily showing unexpected professionalism on the job.

He guided them towards where he heard the sound while the two dismounted from the wolf spirit and followed after him. He stopped and turned to face the two.

"I found traces of them. They are up ahead. I want you guys to keep alert while I scout ahead. Try to avoid detection and wait for me to come back." Kael said.

The two nodded solemnly, their hands already on their weapons.

"Don't worry about us party leader. I also have a proposal, I'm able to summon an invisible bird spirit that we can send up to them. Would that not be preferable?" Eglef said.

Kael shook his head.

"It would be better if I can assess them with my own eyes. There's a limit to the vision you can get from summons, right?" Kael asked.

"Yes, you are correct." Eglef answered. "We will be on the look out then, leader. [May the spirits bless your steps, light as wind you shall be. Windsteps.] Good luck leader." Eglef said after giving a small magical blessing.

Kael nodded and made his way to where he was hearing the chatter of humans. He tried to analyze the simple yet complex weave of magic that was lightening his footsteps while further making his nearly audible movements undetectable. Kael had a great deal of experience within forests. His career as an adventurer of Silvermoon had ensured that.

He could make out a clearing about half a kilometer ahead of him. He could see everything so clearly even without reinforcement. His eyes focused zoomed in on the bandit camp. It was a small encampment with twelve bandits visibly out in the open. His face twisted with disgust when he caught sight of two female captives being held in the camp. Their clothes were torn and they had bruises and wounds all over them. Their blank listless eyes stared at nothingness.

This was not the main camp. Kael could be sure that they could not possibly fit all three bandit groups here. Each bandit group had more than twenty members in the past. He knew that they should have grown larger than that. This camp was likely an outpost of sorts. After making sure he had all the bandits counted, he made his way back to his companions.

He resisted the urge to attack the camp and rescue the women held there. It was better to hold off and prepare a plan to deal with them all swiftly. Kael had spotted no mages in the camp. The bandits had other ways to communicate with their main camp, he concluded.

"Hey, you alright, leader?" Kethan asked him when he saw the anger on his face.

"Don't worry. I've located one of their outposts. They had at most about twelve people within the camp. They were about to head out but not sure if that's really all of them." Kael said grimly.

"This is difficult. If that's the size of their outpost... I'm afraid their main camp would have up to a hundred people. We may not be able to take them all down if that's the case. The best plan of action would be for us to sneak in nearby their main camp and attack it with destruction magic, which I'm ashamed to say is not my specialty." Eglef said despondently.

"Can't we just crash into their camp like usual? The Guild's not expecting us to hunt all of them down. We get the request done as long as we hunt down the leaders." The gnome said.

Kael shook his head. If most of the bandits were able to escape, it would be the same again once they found another leader.

"If we want to get to Gold rank you should learn to think about the consequences of your actions." Eglef admonished his long-time friend.

"Eugh, okay geez. So whaddya think leader? You got a plan?" Kethan asked.

Kael was easily able to come up with a plan due to his past experiences. He stared at the Gnoll intellectual and the Gnome hothead.

"Have you both prepared any camping gear?" Kael asked.

"I made sure to always have some prepared on hand." Eglef gestured towards Kethan's pack.

"I want you two to find a good place to make a camp in. Far enough from here for us to remain undetected but not too far so we won't have to travel too far when we attack. I'll scout out their remaining outposts. We'll attack by dawn tomorrow. You can go ahead, I'll track you down later and explain further on the plan." Kael said as he prepared to leave again. He had not expected to camp out today that was why he didn't bring any luggage. He could still survive on his own by finding sustenance from the forest.

"Wait leader, would you consider taking one of my familiars with you? It'll make it easier to find us when you come back." Eglef asked.

Kael considered it and nodded.

"[For you are never within sight, My sight is but within you. Come forth, Airsparrow.]" Eglef finished his incantation and a small glass like bird appeared in his hands. The glassy surface shined with light and it turned invisible, the only indication it was there was its blue bead like eyes. The bird flew to Kael's shoulder with a gesture from Eglef.

"I know I don't need to worry but take care leader. We'll go on ahead." Kethan bid him.

He waved a last time and made his way back into the forest disappearing out of sight.

---

-III-

Several corpses could be seen as a young man and a group of bandits were facing off against each other.

"Drop the sword, boy!" The bandit leader shouted. "Or I swear by the light the little lady gets her throat slit."

The young man grit his teeth in anger. They hadn't seen the ambush coming until the trap was sprung. Though they were able to kill almost half of the bandit group, they were soon overwhelmed by numbers.

Such a situation would normally have never happened but because of the nature of the terrain and the element of surprise, the young man's companion was captured.

The bare edge of the dagger was lightly touching the woman's skin. The young woman could only hold her breath to avoid getting the weapon from touching her throat. It was dangerously close to the throbbing vein in her neck.

The young paladin glared angrily as he was forced to drop his weapon lest the cur in front of him proceed with his threat. He was angry at himself for getting himself and his friend caught up in this situation. When he had heard about bandits attacking caravans on the way to Stratholme, he had been enraged. He took it upon himself to cleanse these bloody criminals from the Kingdom.

"Good boy." The bandit in front of him sneered. His knife still sticking into the young woman's throat. "Don't worry, we won't be hurtin ya. You're too expensive for that!" The bandit leader said while taking their weapons.

The paladin snarled at the bandits who dared to molest the young woman. The bandit leader harshly hit the men and barked orders for them to back off. This relieved him a bit.

"Tie em up. Cadius, I want you to guard em little lady and his knight. We don't want the boys touching em. I recognize the little lady, she's some kinda important nobility who was visiting the area. We don't want em bloody paladins seriously hunting us down." The leader shouted as he ordered some others to strip their dead companions of their valuables.

"Hey boss! How about the boy?" A large dark skinned man asked. The bandit leader had to grimace. He needed to suppress his men's bloodlust. They couldn't take it out on the noble girl who killed their companions with her spells but they could take it out on the young man who did so.

"Just make sure you don't kill the boy." The bandit leader replied. In truth, he wasn't the leader. He was merely the captain of this group. He had been forced to join the large bandit group because of fear. Join or die. That was the ultimatum from the Warlock who was leading the bandit groups.

The young paladin glared at the men who were approaching him menacingly.

What would happen next was something he didn't want to remember. Still, by the end of it, he was still alive. HIs dignity was in tatters, his pride was broken but he was alive.

The young paladin swore by the Light he would castrate this men one by one and hang them by the balls. The young paladin's body was dragged along with his female companion back to the camp.

The main camp was covertly hidden in a valley between two hills. A creek was in the nearby and bandits had been able to build something of a fort over the ruins of a settlement. The paladin carefully noted the details of the camp. Though his body was battered and bruised all over, his mind was still intact.

They were brought to the largest house within the camp. Inside, the bandit group dragged them to the basement. They were chained to the walls and stripped of their belongings. The paladin's armor was stripped from him. He had no weapon nor means of escape. As the bandits left them to their own devices, the female mage leaned over and whispered to the paladin.

"Arthas, are you alright?" The young woman asked.

"I'm fine, luckily, they don't know who we truly are. If they did, they wouldn't even dare touch us." Arthas replied back in a low voice. "I'm sorry Jaina, I got you caught up in this mess. If only I'd paid more attention earlier, the paladin gritted his teeth in anger. He would gauge out their eyes and rip off their tongues for what they had done to him.

He would make sure no one ever learned of it.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll have the chance to escape somehow." His friend whispered optimistically.

Doubtful. But he didn't speak out his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He replied back.

His reputation as a Paladin was at stake. At the back of his mind, he silently blamed himself for thinking himself invincible and rushing headlong into this place. Still, they had luck on their side. The bandits wanted them alive and ransomed. Who knew if they would have an opportunity to escape later. The paladin was sure he would get an earful from his mentor and superior if they ever got back.

At noon, the guards went to check on them and provide them with food. Arthas refused to take any of the food. He didn't know what they were up to and he was suspicious of who could be the leader of this group. The Warlock arrived later when the sun was down.

Arthas glared at the leader of this scum. The gaunt pale man looked at them with disinterest but it lit up when he saw him.

"Hmm, what do we have here... hehehe. It seems you've done a good job Baden! Go tell my assistant to prepare a raven!" The Warlock stared at the two hostages with ill hidden glee. When he was sure that the they were alone, the Warlock spoke again.

Arthas felt dread at the man's next words.

"A little princess and his prince, what fortune has graced you to fall upon my presence. Do not worry, we will take good care of you. With you, we may even be able to take over the Kingdom." The Warlock grinned madly. After those words, the Warlock left but not before doubling their guards.

"Shit!" The paladin cursed silently. Everything seemed to be going worse by the moment. It did get worse after that.

The Warlock returned later carrying a vial containing murky violet liquid. They forced his mouth open as they poured the liquid down his throat. He retched at the horrible taste and smell of the liquid in an attempt to vomit it out. His efforts were in vain.

The paladin heard the warlock muttering about a 'ritual' and the vile potions effects. Arthas could barely hear anything as his head started to throb and his vision grew dizzy.

Later that night, they heard the sounds of muffled screams before a person appeared before them. Arthas stared slack jawed as the person sneaked up on their guards and cut their throats with insane speed. Arthas wasn't sure whether the person was male or female. But their form was beautiful as they cut down the bandits before they could react.

"Are you alright?" The person spoke to them. From the scarce light of the torches, they were able to see the person's face. Their rescuer was an elf, their face and voice was androgynous enough that they could be mistaken for a woman. Arthas wasn't sure but he accepted the assistance.

"Who are you?" Arthas heard himself mutter. His senses still dull from the potion he was fed earlier. He didn't get the answer as a few moments later, he fainted.

---

-IV-

Leader Kael'drin is impressive. His skills were genuine. He had never expected to meet a high elf outside of the High Kingdom. From the hearsays he had overheard from human gossip, the high elves were haughty and arrogant. But they were powerful spell casters. Eglef thought as he turned towards his gnome companion.

Kael was neither a spellcaster nor was he arrogant. From his short conversations with the elf, Eglef was able to get a general feel for his character.

It was a pleasant surprise when he found out that there was a new adventurer qualified to enter the Adventurer Guild's upper floors. He had not expected it to be a Mithril ranked high elf warrior.

He had tried proposing to the leader earlier to summon another wolf spirit mount but he had declined. He had asked how Kael would be able to keep up but was only answered that he would run with them. It would have been a burden on his mana reserves but it was good for the Mithril ranked elf to have a good impression of them. He had to admit it had hurt his pride a bit when he noticed that Kael was controlling his speed for them to keep up instead.

He sniffed the air to try to detect Kael's presence. It was gone as soon as he was out of the area.

Eglef was sure it was because of the runic engravings. Kael'thas was a strange fellow.

"Let's go Kethan. I want to make sure to have our camp prepared before leader returns." Eglef urged his companion.

He muttered a spell to summon two of his bird familiars to keep an eye out in the area.

"Hmmp, don't order me around dog-head." Kethan said as he followed after him.

They were able to quickly find a good location with his familiar's assistance. Kethan grumbled as he unpacked their camping equipment and set up for tonight. But even with all his complaints the gnome was able to set it all up quickly.

Eglef summoned another pair of familiars and sat down to meditate to conserve and regenerate mana while keeping his senses attuned with his familiars. He was keeping a look out for any potential monster or enemies. Luckily there were none. Night fell and Kethan was finished cooking dinner. They ate in silence while waiting for the elf to come back.

It was unusual for them to be quiet like this but because of the stakes with their current job, they didn't want to be detected.

Eglef had proposed to have the first watch while Kethan rested. He accepted the proposal.

Eglef was broken out of his meditation when he detected the bird spirit he had summoned earlier that accompanied Kael. He prepared swiftly and grabbed his staff that was just beside him.

His eyes glowed golden in the dark as he tried to locate the elf. He poked his snoring companion. Eglef signaled to get ready without indicating it was an enemy. He would have yelped in surprise when the elf seemed to appear out of nowhere. His eyes were alert.

"Who's there?" Kethan spoke as he gripped his swords handle.

"It's me, Kael." Eglef relaxed a bit when he heard the elf's voice. He could smell fresh blood on the elf.

The elf's form was illuminated under the light of a half moon. His form in the dark night was hazy.

"Whew, you surprised me there. I could have sworn you appeared from the shadows if Eglef didn't tell me you were coming. So how is it? Are we going with your plan?" Kethan asked with excitement as he detected the bloodlust coming off from Kael in waves.

Even Eglef who was a mage was able to feel it.

Kael's face was set into a cold unreadable expression.

"Have both of you rested?" The elf asked.

They both nodded.

"I'm ready whenever you are." The gnome replied.

"My mana is at full capacity." Eglef answered.

"I was able to locate the main camp. While scouting, I destroyed two of their outposts which are the farthest from their main camps. I think we should strike tonight. I saw some bandits return with hostages to their camp. It seems they're holding a celebration of sorts. A majority of the bandits are indisposed. It's a lucky break for us but the problem are the people they took hostage. It would be problematic if we let those hostages die...or live."

"Who were they?" Eglef hesitantly asked.

"They captured a human paladin and a noble's daughter." Kael said with annoyance.

"What does that have to do with the request?" Kethan asked puzzled.

"I overheard from the bandit leader that the ones supporting the bandits are nobles. If this is true... it would be very annoying." Kael muttered venomously.

Eglef stared at the still clueless gnome. He sighed, it was his duty as the smarter one among them to explain to his dull companion.

"If the bandit group is supported by nobles we may receive retaliation from them if we wipe out these pests. Though we adventurers are considered neutral, that will not stop personal animosity from the human leaders. If they also spared the paladin, that would mean they have an agenda that includes the city of Stratholme nearby or the paladin could be another important person. We might be dealing with a political conspiracy my dear friend. But that is all an assumption. What do you think leader?" Eglef question the elf.

The elf sighed heavily as he placed a hand to his temples.

"Regardless, we have to rescue all those we can from the camp. We need to take care of the last outpost, from there, we'll move quickly. Can you attack the camp and make a distraction? If you can draw away their attention, I should be able to rescue the hostages they have. Are you able to handle them?" The elf asked.

"Have no worries leader, that's our specialty. We can handle even a thousand of these bandits." Eglef answered with pride. But it was not an exaggeration. Most adventurers who reached the rank of Gold could easily defeat a hundred human bandits. The both of them combined who were still considered to be at the peak of Gold rank were good enough to be able to hold off a thousand.

Gold ranks were considered superhumans, people who had reached the strength beyond the reach of normal beings.

"I estimate their numbers at about a hundred. You don't need to hold back. We can't afford to take captives." Kael explained.

"Sounds good. I always liked taking it head on and don't worry, we're not newbies!" Kethan said with his own manic grin.

Eglef nodded. That was the role that fit them best. They weren't fit to be subtle. They were better off charging from the front with their skillset.

"I agree. We will hold them for you leader." Eglef said.

Kael paused and stared at them.

"Let's go." They followed after Kael.

The first location they arrived at was the outpost they encountered earlier. Kael signaled for them to stay back a little. They watched as Kael nimbly climb up a tree and prepare his bow. He took a stance and placed his arrow on the bow.

The light of the moon shining down on him made Kael appear more like a Night elf than a High elf. Eglef waited with bated breath for Kael's arrows to strike before they could attack.

Deadly arrows whistled in the air, their aim perfect. Each swish of an arrow signaled the death of a man.

The gnome let out a war cry and charged. Eglef watched from the back waiting for an opportunity to show his talent but it never came. Before the gnome could reach the bandits, they were all dead from Kael's arrows.

The elf skillfully taken them all down before they could react to his arrows.

"Damn, so that's what it means to be Mithril ranked." Kethan muttered as they assisted Kael in making sure the perimeter was clear. They didn't want to alert their enemies too early.

"Mithril ranks are those whose name are famous enough they can be called heroes. All Mithril ranked adventurers can be considered armies unto themselves. I am surprised I've never heard of leader Kael until now."

Kael came back with two human women who smelled of dirt, blood and rutting. Even Eglef was disgusted by this. The culture that he grew up with in his tribe made them value the rare female members of their own race. They were respected even if they were not warriors. Not like this.

"Hide here for the moment, we will come back for you." The elf explained gently to the two females who were desperately clinging to him. The elf looked at his two party members for a solution.

Eglef stepped forward.

"I can summon a windwolf spirit to send them back to our camp." Eglef offered.

The elf nodded and soothed the two females while explaining what they had to do. The two hesitantly agreed. Eglef call forth one of his summons and had them carry the two away.

They proceeded towards the main camp.

Just as Kael said, the camp was half-asleep. They were not expecting an attack. Eglef could smell the scent of wine as the wind blew towards their direction. There were a few sentries looking out from atop their makeshift towers.

The camp looked like a small wooden fortress. Better than they expected. But it would still not be enough to defend against his summons.

"May fortune be with you." Eglef muttered.

"Take care. If you can't handle it, you can retreat." Kael told them.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Kethan asserted.

The elf disappeared from sight just like before, a silent hunter.

"Shall we? Partner? Let's not disappoint leader's expectations." Eglef asked.

"Hehe, ready whenever you are! COME AT ME YOU TALL FOLK BASTARDS!" Kethan roared out, his war cry temporarily stunning the bandits watching from their towers. The gnome warrior comically charged at the small fortress gates while shouting with all his worth, his small legs made his charge as fast as a normal person's jog. It would have been a hilarious sight, if the gnome didn't blow away the gates along with a portion of the wall from an empowered swing of his sword. The gnome's short fat sword glowed red with a aura.

The gnome let out another war cry and charged at the stunned observers, bits of wood and dirt raining down from the explosive entrance.

"AIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYYI!"

The bandits who heard the strange war cry froze. They felt the fear death coming for them in the form of a yelling gnome.

Eglef smiled at his friend's antics, even in battle the gnome never failed to amuse.

Eglef relaxed his mind, entering the mindset to call forth the spirits. His summons, his family and companions materialized in their berserk forms. Large Bloodwolves with bulging muscles and snarling teeth were let loose upon the gaping entrance.

Your summoned creatures are your strength. Let them loose, direct their fury, and unleash their power on your opponents. Do not let yourself sink too deeply into the bond lest you lose yourself. The stronger your summons get, the greater the burden on your mind. Your summons are your summons, you are yourself. Remember that.

The Alpha of the Bloodwolves materialized last. It kneeled down before him, it's eyes shining with intellect and cunning. He got on top of the greater spirit and urged it to go forward. Already, he could see his gnome companion decimating the bandits who dared to approach him.

The gnome looked like a rabid dog let loose more than his own summons. The gnome's movements were deceptively slow because of his size. But he was actually pretty fast.

Eglef remembered today's earlier spar. Kael had dominated the fight entirely. Eglef shook his head and steadied his mind. They were in a battle right now.

From the distance, a fire was spreading throughout camp. Thick smoke provided his summons opportunities to pounce on the unsuspecting bandits. Eglef took a bit of effort to rein in the wolves' aggressive instincts. According to Kael, there were still hostages within the camp. He needed to hold them back in case they attacked the hostages.

It took great amounts of concentration and will to direct this many summons at once.

Eglef directed his summons to work and surround the camp. It was certain some would escape. But most of them would not see the light of day.

From his summons eyes, he saw Kael being followed by a wounded human warrior wielding a blade. Behind them were women and their rear was guarded by another woman who held a spear? No, it was a staff. Eglef turned half his attention towards his summons who were in the area.

Kael had discarded his bow in favor of his dual swords. He watched as Kael easily dodged a blow that was coming from behind him. He tripped the man and cut off his head with the flick of a finger. Another bandit attempted to attack thinking Kael's guard was down after striking down the bandit.

He failed miserably. Kael used his right hand to parry the bandit's strike and blow his defense open, Kael immediately cut down his unguarded opponent with the blade on his left. With enemies dead, they proceeded to advance forward.

Eglef saw this and committed half of his summons to escort the captives out of the fortress. Through his summon, Eglef saw Kael briefly converse with the paladin. Kael assured the paladin that the wolves were friends and summons.

Once he was sure they would be safe, Kael disappeared in a burst of speed back towards the largest building within this small fortress. Every enemy that he encountered fell swiftly to the ground dead or bleeding. Eglef sighed in admiration at the show of martial might and feline grace.

Eglef's attention was drawn back to their current battlefield because of Kethan's constant yelling.

"Not too tall now are you! Come have a taste of my blade!" Kethan roared as he wreaked havoc among the bandits ranks, some of them already fleeing from the fight they could not win. But many of them still attacked, their courage fueled by the alcohol in their system.

"Kethan! We shall rendezvous with the captives. The leader has gone on ahead to fulfill our primary objective." Eglef shouted at his rampaging companion.

"Stop ordering me around! Where are we going!?" The gnome yelled back.

Eglef lightly pat the Alpha and directed him. It wasn't long before they found the captives fending of the bandits attempt to recapture them with his summons assistance.

"More of them!" A bandit shouted before he was bitten by wolf from behind. The rest of the bandits were quickly dealt with by the cooperation between the two groups.

"Is this the rest of you? Are there others within the camp?" Eglef inquired as he approached the warrior leading the captives.

The human warrior looked at him with surprise but answered all the same.

"We don't know. Your elf companion said she would go take a look and went back but I don't think she can make it back without help. There's a warlock back there." The warrior said.

She? Eglef didn't correct the paladin's assumption. Kael did have an androgynous appearance with his cloak covering his body and enemies were still aplenty. They didn't have time discussing such things at the moment.

"Hahaha, I've only seen fight once but I'm sure that guy is far stronger than you pretty boy!" His gnome companion replied for them. The gnome wiped the blood from his helm that was about to go to his eyes.

"My companion is right, you don't have to worry. I'm sure Kael's just taking the time collecting the bandit's heads. Our leader will be here shortly."

No sooner had he spoken when they heard the sound of an explosion and the roar of a dying beast.

"I suggest we get the rest of the non-combatants out of here." Eglef said indicating towards the defenseless women.

"Roooooooaaaaaaaarrr!" Another sound resounded making some of the women faint in fear.

"Let's go." The young paladin grimaced and directed the people behind him.

"We must get them out of here. The smoke is getting worse. It will only get harder to breath and some of the hostages are already fatigued. "Eglef said as he nodded in agreement at the paladin's words.

The made their way out of the burning valley towards their camp ignoring the sound of battle behind them. Eglef was confident in Kael's skills but he still sent a summon to watch over their party leader.

They encountered no resistance as they escaped from the burning encampment. Eglef saw shadows of monsters lurking just outside the bandit fortress. They had been drawn by the smell of blood and sound of fighting.

Some approached but they were deterred by a few spells from the woman guarding their rear. The woman was an ice mage, Eglef noted.

They were able to successfully make their way to the temporary camp without casualties from the roaming monsters and bandit remnants. The bandit's prisoners had all been women, aside from the paladin. There were twelve of them all in varying ages of teenagers to mature women. One feature he also noticed was that they all had beautiful appearances according to human standards.

They arrived shortly at the temporary camp. Eglef advised the women to take some rest. He would have to wait for Kael's to make a judgement. Should they risk it and march for town to avoid further attacks or hunker down the night and defend? He felt relieved when the decision was taken out of his hands.

Kael was currently heading towards them. Eglef's summon was lagging just behind him.

Kael appeared shortly. He had a bag that was dripping with blood slung over his right shoulder while his left hand was holding on to a girl was clinging to his neck. His face was caked in dried blood, the red liquid stained his dark red cloak. He handed the girl to one of the women in the camp.

"What's the situation?" Kael asked as he wiped the blood from his face with a cloth.

"We have a total of fourteen non-combatants and two warriors, the paladin and the ice mage. Most of the women are tired from this ordeal. What do you think? Should we push ahead back to town?" Eglef asked, his own opinion coming out.

Kael looked around the crowded camp. Eglef directed his eyes towards where one of the women was crying and being comforted by another.

"We rest. We can't push them to such a task. It would be easier to defend ourselves in this position than if we were rushing towards town. We risk the same with a monster attack whether we stay or march. I say we allow the women to rest. We'll take turns keeping watch through the night."

Eglef nodded in agreement. The gnome was already restarting the fire they had left.

"Leader, I would advise you to rest. It will be a long day tomorrow and you've been up all night. We can take care of the situation for now." Eglef offered.

He could see Kael about to deny it but his gnome companion chimed in.

"Get some rest. You look like ya need it. We'll be relying on you on tomorrow, I agree with dog-head here." Kethan said aloud.

Eglef could still see the conflict on the elf's face.

"Please trust us, we can do at least this much." Eglef continued.

"Alright, I'll go take a nap. Wake me up if something happens and thanks." The elf relented.

They watched as the elf looked for a place to sleep. It was amusing when a lot of the women offered to 'look' after him.

"Hehe, that guy's earned my respect. Hey Eglef, wanna ask him if he wants to make a party with us? He's doesn't speak much but he's good." The gnome asked his companion.

"I had considered it. He is undoubtedly someone who will etch his name into history. If we can join him, it would put us closer to our goals." Eglef answered, they trudged through the temporary camp and made their way to a location that would allow them to look over the area. They arrived above, on the top of a protruding piece of rock and earth.

"Your dream was to make your people famous, right?" The gnome inquired to make conversation.

"It is to earn recognition for my people, to remove the prejudice that the rest of world stares us with. There is a clear distinction which you obviously fail to understand. But do not worry, I will not abandon you even if the inside of your head grows emptier by the day." The gnoll answered.

"Bah! You're calling me dumb ain't you! I can understand you, y'know. So, do you want to invite him or not?" The small statured man grumbled.

"But yes. I have deliberated the option. I've received news that the Adventurers Guild will begin the exams for Adamantium rank in the next two coming months. It's about time we increased our rank. We can approach leader Kael'drin with the proposition. If he is to take the Adamantium advancement exams which I am sure he could pass, we would have an Adamantium ranked party if he joins us. Kael'drin is more than just skilled, with his appearance which is considered appealing by most humanoid standards, we can easily acquire fame. But..." Eglef finished his long explanation with his words trailing at the end.

"All your yapping is making my head hurt. I don't even get what you're trying to do. Isn't it good as long as we get famous?" Kethan asked.

"That, my friend, is why I am the brains between the two of us." Eglef chuckled at his companion's replies. Kethan was the very definition of a muscle head.

They both had the same goal but for different reasons. Kethan ran away from home because he didn't want to be an inventor like his father and his father's fathers. He wanted to be acknowledged in the vocation he chose, to be a great warrior, for that he wanted to become so famous that all the naysayers would shut up if he ever came home. That's what he bragged about most of the time. It was a selfish reason, but one that fit the eccentric gnome well.

His own reason for seeking fame was to erase the deeply biased imprint that his people were stigmatized for. Gnolls were considered savages and below most of the humanoid races. Some humans even thought of them as monsters. Though this was true to some extent, gnolls ordinarily worshiped brute strength and savagery. He wanted to prove to the world that his people could become something more. His end goal was to change his people. He begun by changing the world's perception of his people.

If the world did not obliquely consider all of them as nothing but stupid and belligerent creatures they were, maybe some of the future generations would be able to escape the mold that was the stereotypical gnoll. He hoped that in time, some gnoll intellectuals would arise by drawing inspiration from him. If there were such characters in gnoll society, he could stop fearing for the future of his people.

It was proven by history that the wiser sentient races survived and thrived. The less intelligent ones died off.

Eglef's own thoughts returned to Kael'drin. He was sure the elf would become someone famous some day. The elf was the most skilled blade master he had ever seen in his life. If they could become the companions of someone who would be called a future Hero, then it would make his dream nearer and within grasp. The party of a Hero would be as notable as the Hero himself.

The gnoll considered and thought of plans while waiting for dawn. Such was his goal and his pride as the most intelligent gnoll to ever live.

---

-V-

Kael woke up on when the first rays of sunrise peeked over the horizon. He ignored the blue boxes that were at the corner of his eyes and thought of what he had to do at the moment. He'd been forced to disappear last night when some of the women asked him to provide them 'comfort'.

It was not that he considered those women dirty because of the things that happened to them, he was just too tired. It was beyond their control when they were raped and abused by the bandits for amusement. Sylvanas had also allowed (coldly convinced) him to have physical relationship with other women but he was not allowed to form emotional relationships with them.

This was according to her, so that he would never be able to betray her. Kael did not understand it and could not make any sense out of such logic. He just shrugged his shoulders and added it to the collection in his mind about things women did that made no sense.

He made his way through the small camp and spotted some of the women preparing to get up. He looked around and was able to locate his party members looking down on them from a spot nearby that made for an excellent guard post. He waved at them, Kethan saw him and started energetically waving back at him.

Kael moved into action.

He slung his bow and checked his quiver. He needed to hunt some game to feed the people here. The supplies that the adventuring duo had were not enough. They could ask the guild to reimburse them on their costs later but right now he was in need of a direct food supply.

Kael left the camp and made his way through the forest. He sharpened his senses through magical means and lightened his footsteps to avoid alerting his prey. The smell of blood and smoke was still strong even from this far. He made his way to the opposite direction of the previous bandit camp.

He was able to easily locate the critters that were starting to get active with the day. He could not detect any larger prey aside from the horned rabbits and flaming squirrels. He chose the horned rabbits, they were problematic pests to farmers. He was able to get four of the fattest fluffy creatures, their fat a symbol of their crimes against humanity's crops. It would be enough to feed about twenty people for a single meal.

He also collected a few familiar herbs that he could add to the meat.

When he arrived at camp, most the women were awake. He saw the only man they had rescued yesterday awkwardly receiving the attention of the women. He approached two of the women handling the cooking. Fortunately, there was a nearby brook which had also been the bandits water source. He was able to clean and skin the rabbit.

Kael took over the cooking. He skewered the rabbit meat with more fats in them, rubbed them with herbs and spice. He placed the skewers over the fire. He prepared another dish, soup to add balance to the fatty meat. The portion of the meat that contained more bones went into the pot along with all the available ingredients he had at hand.

The drifting smell of barbecued meat drew the attention of the people in the camp. While he waited for the soup to cook, he gathered wood to carve out simple plates and bowls. He sent some of the women to go wash them to at least remove the scent of wood.

"Please form a line." At his words, the crowd of drooling watchers scrambled into the semblance of a line. He distributed the food fairly. At the end of the line was the form of the barely cognizant duo. One of them kept sniffing the air with a trail of saliva already flowing down between his teeth. He provided them their portion and smirked smugly at their over reactions. It was satisfying to watch.

Kethan's large ears which were as big as his head waggled as he devoured his meal. Eglef was barely able to keep himself from outright shoving it into his mouth.

Kael smiled and ate his own food. They mostly ate in silence, a few of them saying praises to him. The pot was cleanly bottomed out at the end of the meal. After they were able to eat and clean out, the small procession formed to head out.

Kael acted as the rearguard, his eyes enabling him to keep an eye out on incoming monsters and shoot them down while also protecting the rear with his sensitive senses.

Kethan and the paladin whose name he didn't know yet lead the party. Eglef was at the middle of the party with his summons at the sides together with the young ice mage. They were able to make it back to Windvale by noon while receiving only three monster attacks which they easily defended against. When they reached town, the guards spotted them and met them halfway. The guards saw the people behind them and readily assisted in handling the wounded and brought them to the town healers.

They said farewell to the women and made their way to the guild.

Kael could feel the fatigue starting to set in as he relaxed his tense nerves. He made his way to the second floor of the guild with his party members following after him. He had to admit they did fairly well. They were competent and had enough combat ability to be promoted to Gold. Unfortunately, this was not Silvermoon where such things were allowed.

The same huge muscled receptionist greeted them when they arrived.

"Good afternoon Guildmaster Fidelius." Eglef politely greeted from behind him.

Kael looked at the man incredulously. Fidelius didn't look like someone who fit the description of Guildmaster, at least in Kael's mind.

"So, you are the Guildmaster, what are you doing handling receptionist work?" Kael asked curiously as the man carefully placed his quill in place. If he thought about it, this man being the Guildmaster of Windvale's Adventurers was not outside the realm of possibility. He knew too much to be a simple receptionist.

"Ah, back so soon? How was the work?" The Guildmaster decided to ignore his question and asked back.

Kael massaged his temples at the headache that was sure to come.

"We annihilated the bandit camp." Kael took the bag from Kethan and placed it in front of the Guildmaster. The man didn't even flinch at the smell of blood coming from the bag.

"We were able to free fourteen women being held captive at the camp. Along with the captives, we had the misfortune of freeing a paladin and a noble woman." Kael grimaced, his discontent at mentioning the latter was obvious. He considered if he should provide the evidence of noble's involvement with the bandits along with the warlock's.

The Guildmaster raised an eyebrow at his words. His mouth set in a line as he waited for him to continue.

"Here." Kael opted to give the evidence and have the guild accept the brunt of the responsibility. He placed a set of papers on top of the counter. These were papers he collected from the warlock's corpse. It contained very incriminating evidence, even the name of some nobles and warlocks working together.

The Guildmaster picked the paper with his fingers and brought up his reading glasses. He squinted and looked through each letter with scrupulous intensity. The lines on the Guildmaster's forehead increased with each letter he read.

After putting down the last letter. The Guildmaster's brows were full of wrinkles making him appear older than usual. He stood up from his creaking chair and beckoned towards them.

"Follow me." The guildmaster announced gravely.

They looked at each other and followed after the hulking man. They made their way to the upper floors until they reached the fourth floor wherein they entered one of the rooms which they assumed was the Guildmaster's office. The man directed them to seat around a table. Once they were all seated, the discussion continued.

"What do you expect us to do?" Kael asked.

"This matter... is not to leave this room." The Guildmaster stared at all their faces.

"You're taking this more seriously than I thought. What's the matter?" Kael asked bluntly.

"Are you all familiar with Dark Cults?" The guildmaster asked.

Kael hesitantly nodded. The two other adventurers sat up straighter at the mention of it.

"Guildmaster... I assume you are thinking this is related to those dangerous demon worshippers, are you?" Eglef asked with a snarl.

"With the evidence you've provided me today, yes. It is related to those guys. I've been having this matter investigated recently by another adventurer but he disappeared and his last known location was the city Stratholme, the headquarters of the Order of the Silver Hand."

Kael tried to remember the contents of the letter he read but he couldn't remember anything that was related to any cult. The Guildmaster didn't seem to be open to revealing more information aside from that.

"What do you expect us to do with that information?" Kael asked unable to hold his curiosity.

"Nothing. For now at least, I'm providing you with the information so that you'll know what you'll get involved with if you want to look further into this. Which I would advise against." The Guildmaster stated. "With that out of the way, here's your reward for the quest."

Kael couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. The guild was taking over both the responsibility and further investigation of this case. He didn't have to get involved. He didn't want to get involved.

Maybe my luck is changing for the better?

Kael lead his companions out of the room and out of the Guild house.

"What do you say we go eat?" Kael said feeling his stomach grumble.

"I am famished and in dire need sustenance. I support the idea." Eglef replied.

"I'm in. Fighting monsters and villains always works up a good appetite." Kethan supported.

He led them towards 'The High Bill', the inn that he was staying at. He proceeded to order food for them while bringing out the pouch that contained their reward. The pouch contained 42 gold coins, twelve gold coins more than their original reward. He divided the coins into three stacks equally.

"Kael'drin, I have a proposal for you." Eglef spoke up seriously.

"What is it?" Kael asked curiously, his first thought was that the gnoll wanted to increase their share of the reward. He was not averse to it, he had selfishly imposed his wishes on his companions going so far as to force them to act as bait during the battle in order for him to rescue the hostages. If they wanted a better part of the reward, he would give it to them. But instead, the gnoll pushed his share back to him.

"I-" Eglef looked at his gnome companion who was about to reach for the coins and slapped his hand away. He then did the same for the gnome's share pushing it to him.

"What?" Kethan stared at the gnoll in annoyance.

Kael watched as a silent conversation seemed to occur between the two.

"We want to join your party permanently." Eglef finally said.

Kael's first reaction was to deny the request. He was used to working alone and he didn't see any need for it. Before he could word his denial. The gnoll spoke.

"We understand you do not want to. You have enough ability to face most enemies alone. I am willing to admit we might even become a burden to you but please hear us out. The main reason that parties are formed are because of lack of ability. However, as you well know, that is no problem to us. The second greatest reason for parties would be when a group of people have the same goal. This is the reason why my diminutive companion and I are together.

"Our current goal is to acquire fame. Kethan, to prove himself to his people and me to prove that our people are not mere beasts. The third reason for parties would be needs. I have noticed you are ignorant to matters that are unrelated to your home. I have deduced that it is your first time outside of Quel'thalas. That is something we can provide you. We are well travelled and I'm proud to say we are one of the few who are as knowledgeable about Lordaeron than even most merchants.

"The fourth reason why parties are formed are because even strength of arms cannot compensate for the need of numbers with certain quests. With the three of us, I dare say that no quest would be beyond us. Would you be willing to form a party with us? You can give us any conditions. We're even willing to receive less than half of the share in any quests we undertake. So... what do you say?" Eglef finished, both of them stared at him expectantly.

Well, not Kethan though. The gnome was wistfully staring at the coins on the table. Not that he could tell since the gnome's height made him appear to be staring right at him.

Kael weighed his options. The gnoll provided him with three good reasons to form a party with them. He was tempted to accept more because of their experience and knowledge as adventurers than the other two reasons.

Wasn't this the perfect opportunity? He thought to himself. There were very few reasons why he couldn't join a party with the two. Most of it was from his habit of working alone and the need for him to hide his abilities. Those reasons were made obsolete in this world.

Eglef was nervously tapping on the table with his claws.

"I don't really have a reason to-" A frown was on Kael's face as he spoke but was interrupted by Eglef.

"We understand. You are not used to us yet so how about taking another quest so that we can prove we are worth your time." Eglef said with determination to see it through the end.

"Wait." Kael raised his hands. "Let me finish first. I accept your proposal. I don't really have a reason to say no and you've raised some good points. I have lesser experience as an adventurer outside of home and in the future I might need others to work with. I might as well start with you two."

Eglef's grin stretched wide enough to reach his ears and the gnome stared at the gold coins sadly.

"So to celebrate! Let's drink enough to get us drunk for a week!" The gnome offered his eyes on the alluring yellow cylindrical metal pieces. Kael smiled at the gnome's blatant desire.

"Ok, let's drink to that." Kael acquired.

The gnome laughed with glee and run towards the innkeeper to ask for a barrel of wine.

"Is that really wise, leader? If you let that wine sink get drunk, we might not be able to go out tomorrow." Eglef asked.

"We're resting tomorrow. I also need to get some arrows. It would also be good if you can look for one more member for our party if possible. A healer would be good, or someone knowledgeable on standard arcane magic. And here," Kael placed all the gold coins back on the pouch," I think it would be better if you hold our team's finances. I'm not really good with managing money." Kael said as he gave the pouch to Eglef.

He was good with earning money and being thrifty but that didn't mean he knew where to find the best deals and how to haggle like a merchant.

"But leader... this is..." Eglef stared at him wide eyed, his palms holding the pouch.

"And stop calling me leader. Call me Kael or Kael'drin. I'm also fine with Archer." Kael stated.

"I will not betray your trust lead- I mean, Kael'drin." Eglef said with sincerity, his head bowed down in deference.

"I'll trust you Eglef. Now let's go join Kethan before he drowns on that barrel." Kael laughed lightly while watching the over the gnome's antics.

The rest of the night was spent drinking while each of them told stories of their own. One thing he learned was that Eglef was a light weight with wine, he got drunk over a single cup. Kethan was able to hold his own better and they ended the drinking session in the middle of the night. Kael was forced to drag his two new party members into their room before he could go to his own.

Kael ignored Xera's prompts with her blue boxes, too tired from the trip to look at them at the moment. He promised to look at them the first thing in the morning.

Kael groggily stepped off his bed that morning expecting a hangover, he looked over himself when he didn't. He could feel the slight changes to his body. It was changing. His muscles were denser, stronger, and more magically attuned. He mused.

[Xera is not happy that Kael is not suffering the consequences of his actions. To amuse Xera, Xera advises Kael to allow Xera control over magical artifact Avalon. Xera should be able to inhibit its healing properties to only cure wounds.]

"Denied. Xera, show me my current progress and anything else I need to know." Kael said without breaking stride. He washed his face from the water filled basin in his room. He grabbed some clothes, put them on and sat down on his bed. Another hand reached out to the hair band on his table. He still hadn't gotten around to cutting his hair. Stray auburn locks trailed down the side of his face, the rest of it caught in the band behind his head.

[Name: Kael'drin Hopebringer

Basic Attributes:

Agility: 61 (+8)

Intellect: 49 (+4)

Strength: 34 (+4)

Stamina: 48 (+4)

Class: None

Level 9

Active Skills:

Reinforcement - Lvl Max

Structural Grasp - Lvl Max

Passive Skills:

Runes - Lvl 5

Magecraft - Lvl 4

Poison Mastery - Lvl 4

Eye of the Mind - Lvl 1

Hawk Eye - Lvl Max

Class Skills:

Intermediate Marksmanship Mastery Lvl 9 (Level Up)

Intermediate Rogue Mastery Lvl 9 (Level Up)

Intermediate Warrior Mastery - Lvl 2 (New)

Sinister Strike - Lvl 2 (Level Up)

Arcane Shot - Lvl 2 (Level Up)

Raptor Strike - Lvl 1 (New)

Concussive Shot - Lvl 1 (New)

Astral Sense - Lvl 1 (New)

Heroic Strike - Lvl 1 (New)

Victory Rush - Lvl 1 (New)

Thunder Clap - Lvl 1 (New)

Stealth - Lvl 4 (New)]

There was a new line that was titled class skills. Kael looked through the list with curiosity. Aside from the Mastery skills being moved, there was a long list of abilities that he 'acquired'.

"What are these class skills?" He asked.

[Class skills works the same way Xera compiled your experiences and information from the system to provide Kael with greater combat ability. In order for Xera to determine Kael's most suitable path, Xera will determine and direct the flow of essences to strengthen Kael's body to his ideal.

With the data gathered before you reach Level 10 or the Foundation Stage, Xera will gather the most appropriate knowledge and fuse it with Kael's current skills and knowledge to create options for Kael's classes. The most probable classes resulting from Kael's recent actions and subconscious desires are the following.

-Rogue

-Hunter

-Warrior]

"So if I'm guessing right, the level of my skills are the indication of what class I'm going to get, is that right?" He asked.

[Affirmative]

Something was missing. He looked at the four classes that were being provided to him.

"Are there more advanced classes than this? You had previously mentioned that Sylvanas has the class of Ranger General, how do I acquire something similar?" He questioned.

[To answer Kael's questions, there are more advanced classes. But the path to them are not open to Kael right now. If Xera forcefully molds Kael's current essence and core into an advanced class prematurely, Kael will cease to exist. Kael's core will lack the essence to create his class, the deficit energy and essence will naturally be taken from Kael's 'soul'. Thus such a method is not viable because it will change Kael irreversibly or kill him.]

Kael shuddered at the explanation. His picture of essence was starting to look more like data and information that made up a creature's existence. Essence might be the concept that living beings were made of. He turned his thoughts towards the more urgent matters.

"Can you tell me more about advancing classes so I can plan ahead then?" He asked.

[Certainly. The possible advanced classes available to Kael in the foreseeable future are the following.

-Ranger - Requires Rogue Lvl 10 and Hunter Lvl 10

-Assassin - Requires Rogue Lvl 20

-Sniper - Requires Hunter Lvl 10 and Intermediate Marksmanship Mastery Lvl 1

-Blademaster - Requires Warrior Lvl 10 and any Intermediate Blade Mastery

-Scout - Requires Rogue Lvl 10, Hunter Lvl 10 and Stealth Lvl Max.

...

...

-Dragonslayer - Requires Total Level of 50 and acquire the title Dragon Slayer

-Demon Hunter - Requires Total Level 90, ? and Astral Sense

-Demon Slayer - Requires Demon Hunter Lvl 50

-? -Requires Lvl 20 in any class, ?, ?, ?, 3 Unique Title and a Unique Skill]

He looked through the long list available to him and noted that the further down he went, the harder the requirements were. The harder requirements also seemed to provide a better classes. There were also a few classes with obscured titles and requirements. He looked towards the last Class in the list. He had an odd feeling that he didn't want that class based solely on its title. But this class had one of the greatest requirements. From his frequent use of Appraise on people, he had learned that Unique Skills were not as common as he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door. He grabbed his cloak out of habit and put it on. He went towards the door and opened it.

The people outside his door were not who he had been expecting. He rudely shut the door and went towards the window. He had earned an appreciation for windows recently. Handy things they were. Windows were openings in the wall or the roof of a building that allow people to see outside and get outside. The latter being more of frequent use than he would have liked.

"Meh. Fuck it." Kael muttered and jumped down from the second floor.

---

-VI-

A man was currently running through the slums. The dingy smell of piss, shit and blood mixed together to create putrid smell that discouraged most people from approaching the area. But it didn't stop the man who was carefully slipping through the slum's shadows.

He stopped at one of the shacks lining the area. He knocked twice on the door, paused and knocked rapidly thrice. The door opened slightly to reveal a face between the cracks.

"What is it?" The raspy voice of a man was heard.

"I'm here for your services." The man shifted uncomfortably on his feet at the stare he was receiving.

"Get in." The door opened to reveal a decrepit old man leaning on a jeweled staff.

The man went in, the door behind him closing automatically.

"Who is your contact? Where are you going?" The old man asked.

"Viscount Thorne's home" The man quickly replied and brought out a pouch. He tossed the coins to the old codger.

The old man merely nodded after weighing the pouch in his hands and directed the man towards the center of the glyph covered floor.

A short while later, the man was within the Viscount's home. He quickly moved to his objective, his message was urgent. He called out towards one of the servants in the house and was brought to Viscount Thorne's library. He found the noble sitting on a chair while enjoying a cup of wine in front of the window.

The man quickly kneeled down.

"What is it Cadius? Since when did Volkmer have any interest in my matters?" The noble said with disinterest.

"M-milord, Sir Volkmer is dead."

The palpable silence that followed made the man very uncomfortable. A cold hand reached down on the back of his neck making him shiver.

"Tell me, Cadius. How are you alive when your master is dead? Who killed my brother?" The noble's voice turned cold and murderous.

The temperature of the room dropped with every second. The man unconsciously shivered as he felt scales touch his cheek. But he dared not look up.

"I-it w-was adventurers milord!" The man replied quickly afraid that a delay in his answer would cost him his life.

"Oh? Mere adventurer's were able to kill him when not even Uther the Lightbringer was able to? What farce is this Cadius? I don't like liars... and you know what I do to liars." The noble's reverberating voice echoed in Cadius' ears.

"Milord! I'm not lying! It was an elf, a gnome and a gnoll!" Cadius burst out.

Instead, a scaled tail wrapped around Cadius neck and strangled him. Cadius stared in fear at the demon in front of him. Massive horns grew out of its head forming a crown of sorts. Its skin was red and its face was twisted into a hideous snarl.

"Do you think this is a joke, Cadius? An elf, a gnome and a gnoll? I am not amused Cadius?" Count Thorne said behind the demon as he ordered it to slowly choke the life out of the man.

"Gukhh! GukH! M-milord! Iz trues!" Cadius choked out in an attempt to appease the noble.

The noble watched with disinterest as the man struggled in his grip. Slowly, the life was choked out of the man. As if in a sign of rebellion, the man's bowels loosened and his bladder was let loose as the last of his life was drained from him.

The demon threw the body as far away from him as possible but the stench remained. The noble ignored the dead man and went back to his position by the window. With a snap of his fingers, the demon disappeared. Instead of reading, the noble sat on his chair with his hands under his chin.

"Pathetic scum have done him in? They are unworthy of my presence but I must avenge that sorry excuse sack of flesh lest the other nobles think me weak. I will make them suffer as I devour their very souls..." The noble's smile combined with his demonic visage to create a terrifying image. The demon acquired the memories that he required, he saw in his mind the faces of those he would have to kill. One in particular interested him, the face of an auburn haired elf.

The noble picked up a bell that was near his reading table and rang it. Moments later the noble heard a knock on the door and a servant entered the room. The servant was mute, a slave who was trained only to obey.

The servant wisely kept his head down while entering the room.

"Get me a messenger for Alterac." The servant bowed his head and complied.

The noble stared idly at the disgusting corpse. There would be more death to come. Cadmius was merely one of those who were trampled before the true conflict began.

---

-VII-

All beings have a 'vessel of essence', potential. I have come to the conclusion that the substance known as essence are the amalgamation of experience, magical energy and soul fragments. This essence exists in all creatures, undead, demons or otherwise. The greater a creature's essence, more powerful they are. Everything and everyone absorbs essence to become stronger. Of course, this also means that there is a limit to what every creature can absorb.

All beings have a limit on the essence they can absorb. I call this the Level Threshold/Limit. Very few creatures have a Level Limit that exceeds the hundreds. Rarer still are the creatures able to increase the size of their vessels or increase their Level Limit through 'natural' means. The Level Limit might be one of the reasons why elves' who are known for their long lives are not impossibly stronger than other races.

Creatures such as dragons have larger vessels in general. Humans have an average Level Limit of fifty in comparison to a dragon's average limit that exceeds a hundred.

Once a creature has filled its vessel to the limit, incredible measures are required to expand their vessels. According to Xera's records, various means are usable to increase a person's essence vessel. Some of such methods are demonification, undeadfication and/or overcoming great obstacles.

The last option though it seems the safest is not the easiest. The total number of people who have been able to expand their essence vessel through this method number no more than a hundred in all the history of Azeroth. All of them have achieved feats worthy of being written down in history.

The method of accepting the energies of the Twisted Nether to expand a person's vessels have been far more common through out history. Most sentient beings who seek power turn to demons who are infected with fel energies from the Twisted Nether. Though a person's vessel may expand in this manner, they also become more susceptible to taking in the negative energies of the world turning them 'evil'.

The other unwelcome method of obtaining 'power' is turning to necromancy. Though results differ, System Xera was able to record beings whose vessels have expanded through this method. One such person would be the famous Arthas Menethil. Mortals who succumb to the lure of power when blocked by the Level Limit barrier have come up with various 'shortcuts' to become more powerful.

But the natural means of breaking through one's limits have always been proven to be the superior method. In recent times, those who have relied on assistance to break the Level Limit have always been weaker than those who obtained power with their own hands.

As the current representative of the holder of Potential, I do not have a limit. That is not quite the full truth. We who have inherited this power from the first Guardian have limits so vast we have not been able to fill even a single percent of our vessels. Nevertheless, we are considered Monsters. Gods. Demonlords. To future Guardians who will take ahold of this power, march onwards. You are the embodiment of Potential. Do not hesitate and take the step. But know this, with great power comes the heaviest of responsibilities. Should you stray from the righteous path... beware of the God that sleeps within the moon of Azeroth.

-Message from the Inheritor of the 'Armory of Heroes' recorded by Xera to be passed on to the generation of to come.

---

Note:

Was suffering from stress when I wrote this... so much of the chapter also suffered, lol. It's much harder trying to rewrite a scene than writing a new one. I was forced to delete Kael's POV on the bandit raid because I didn't find it satisfactory, there was supposed to be a scene when he fought the warlock. But it was scrapped. To make up for this, I've written an action scene on the next chap and the one after that. Sorry 'bout that guys.

For Arthas situation with Kael? I have nothing against bisexuals but I just couldn't pass up on the joke. Lols. Arthas dropping the soap? 😂😂😂

So the class system that the Kael has is based on Final Fantasy, Warcraft and the game elements of a novel I've forgotten the title of. I'm planning on fleshing out each character little by little each chapter. As a bonus to those that read the notes, I'll accept suggestions for party members.

I've already got six members accounted for and need two or maybe four more members for the party. I want them to have a final total of nine or eleven members. Party members that I've planned for to avoid repeatitions are:

-Gnome Warrior (Kethan Battlemaster)

-Gnoll Summoner and kinda Shaman(Eglef Gnawcrest)

-Tauren Rogue (We gotta have one of this!)

-Nightelf Demonhunter

-Dwarf Berserker(If you've been payin' attntion, ya'll know who this is)

-Human Mage(She'll be the most 'normal' member of the party, she's also a canon character, she already made an appearance on this chapter)

So the classes missing are...

Paladin

Warlock

Monk

Priest

Death Knight (I'm hesitant whether to continue with my plans for the death knight so I'm putting this here.)

Now to answer some reviews. (I can't really answer all of 'em cause it would take up a large ratio of the chapter. I hate it when you thought it was more down there but it was fcking lie... there was nothing there but notes, lol)

Nyanmato: One of the betareaders who read through my drafts told me to avoid it and I pretty much don't want it either so the Game Elements will only pretty much show his progress.

Sawtooth44: Thanks for pointing the error, got around to fixing it.

Sganovik: Most of the plans I had for slowly building the romance between them was actually written out but it was scrapped. It supposed to be placed before the time skip but... shit happened and I deleted it. My attempts at building the romance in a small part the chapter was awkward and subpar at best. More of a reason was because I'm honestly rushing it and to make sure it goes according to the plot map I made. I'll 'try' my best on the upcoming chapters to offset this though.

EddyQ: Fixed that too. thanks.

Ragnas Bredvolts: Not to say that Kael/EMIYA fully trusts him. But everything was just adding up he didn't have a reason 'not' to believe it. Well, EMIYA is a pragmatic realist bastard though, so Kael still has some wariness towards it.

DarkElucidator: Trivia(False?): Gnoll language involves a lot of barking and snarling. So they usually observe who they are speaking with and how they move their jaws and teeth. There's a distinct movement on the jaws when saying words and an intonation to words that their ears are able to pick up.

Primordial Inscriptor Z-09: I haven't actually played WoW in a long time so I'd be kinda confused on all the updates and changes but answer your question... I'm not going for a specific build though...

Because I'm updating early, my releases will probably change to Thursdays(PST) instead of Sundays.

Thanks for reading. See you next chapter.