Day 152
I'm going to keep the dates simple here Journal and it is only partially because I can never keep track of the actual date. Taliaa tells me when I ask, she keeps track due to social and religious importance, but I mostly just tackle the day as it comes. Either way that isn't important but I don't want to get into mixing up my night missions and my normal duties when writing about it. I'm sure you're familiar enough with my nonsense by now anyway.
The trip out was calm and peaceful after waiting two hours past Lieutenant Bladesworn's departure. Taliaa was riding her warhorse despite the limited visibility we would have for quite some time. She laughed at me and gave me a short info dump. Apparently paladins enhance their horses with the Light or they are partially of the Light and thus their senses are increased. Well that threw a bunch of my theories out the window, unless she just gave me a bunch of propaganda to keep the masses ignorant.
Kilgorath was driving the wagon and to my amusement Shatterbang was acting as his lookout. The goblin was perched on the edge of the drivers seat with his crossbow in hand. Shatterbang spent quite a bit of time there quietly regaling Kilgorath with tales of explosives strapped to weapons and I am very glad to have had to walk ahead of the wagon. There are only so many times I can hear an explosion described with over the top enthusiasm before even my appreciation dulls.
Jonjon, Gorrak, and Muscle were scouting ahead of us while Jina and Mugga covered our flanks. Honestly I wanted to be out running the forward patrol but my armor is just heavy enough that it would wear me down at the speed we were going. Don't let the lack of muscle fool you about skeletal horses, the four horses had absolutely no issue with the hilly terrain we traveled through. I'm not even going to pretend to understand the necromantic nonsense going on there after they gave such a strong example and forced me to keep up with them.
It was unfortunate that by the time we tracked down the location of the shipment the light was already quickly fading from the sky. At the bottom of a small hill rested the shattered and bloody example of cannibal ferocity with the cart in more pieces than I wanted to count and only hard to remove armor keeping the yeti from having eaten everything. A yeti that was picking through the ruined cart and containers was swiftly cut off from escape by Taliaa before the rest of us swarmed it and took it down.
I gagged slightly at a dwarven boot with the foot obviously still inside near me. I think it was instinctual or something because it wasn't so much disgusting as horrifying. "Shatterbang, Jonjon, see if you can collect any remaining weapons. Gorrak and Jina on watch. Taliaa, Mugga, and Morba can you handle collecting and disposing of the remains?" The three with healer training had helped more than a few souls pass on and gave me grim nods of understanding. Once everyone else was at work I set to helping Kilgorath and Argan collect what we'd come for.
The crates and chests holding the ore ingots were almost entirely smashed and only one of the original six was in condition for Argan to lift it into our wagon. The rest of them we had to slowly gather by hand and place by the chest. It became progressively more difficult as the sun continued to drop but the light of the fire Mugga had started helped a lot. It wasn't so much about preventing these bodies from becoming undead in the future as it was releasing the spirits that might still be attached to meet with their ancestors. There really wasn't enough left of any dwarven guard for reanimation.
Shatterbang and Jonjon brought several interesting items to the wagon while the healers were dealing with things and we were collecting ingots. Three halberds, two blunderbusses, an axe, two swords, and a large one handed mace were in good enough condition to find a wielder. The rest of the weapon heads, smashed shields, and scraps were tossed into a bag Taliaa kept specifically for blacksmithing orders. The ore salvage was the objective but the weapons would prove useful as well somewhere. Shatterbang remembering to grab ammo for the guns while he was looting coin purses also helped.
An hour and a half after our arrival we departed with the rising moon after forcing the night blind Argan to ride in the wagon. He wasn't very appreciative but I had the easily made excuse of keeping the ore and weapons from banging around and alerting anyone to our presence. We aren't really worried about that right now but it could happen and him walking around unable to see even his own feet is likely to cause quite a bit of chaos. A nighttime stroll through the Barrens is far easier to complete than traveling through hills or forests.
Do I feel guilt from looting the dead? No. We hopefully helped their spirits move on and I suffered a long ass walk for all those materials. Poor Argan may not have been able to see even with the moon guiding him but I could and I have a habit of triple checking the shadows. I swear it is going to save my life one day but for now it mostly gives me a paranoia induced headache. An active imagination being turned against you isn't fun to experience at night.
Everything went smoothly on the way back thankfully even if I did feel like we were being watched on the way back. I'm willing to place money on Syndicate goons spotting us from the highlands but not having the forces to contest us. I was so thankful to get to sleep that after giving a report to a seemingly sleepless High Executor I stumbled my way back into the barracks for sleep. Hence why this wasn't added to yesterdays writings.
Today was entertaining in a different way than most once I finally dunked my head in cold water to wake up. After loaning Shatterbang out to oversee the final crane assembly I gathered the fresh recruits to our practice yard and subjected the poor fools to my crazy ideas of training. So what if they lack full armament? I put them through marching drills for an hour before sending in Argan and Jonjon to test how fast they could switch from marching to fighting.
The answer was not fast at all. Everyone was currently unarmed for this practice but that didn't stop Argan or Jonjon from simply bowling through the undead recruits. The elven warlock, and wasn't that such a disappointment, managed to delay Argan by using his voidwalker to grapple with the tauren but Jonjon simply slipped past the pair and 'captured' him to end the test. We ran the test three more times before they managed to start putting up a mild defense and I put them back into marching drills while I thought things over.
The temptation to form a phalanx unit was strong but the spear design and size limitation of the squad would really make or break that idea. Spears weren't such a bad idea for the physically weaker among us, dark magic enhancement or not, and nobody wanted to charge into eight sharp weapons. Sergeant Brickes will need to be taught spear tactics as well as trained for when to call for melee arms during a battle but it was potentially viable.
Bonus points for spear choice awarded by being able to purchase them cheaply instead of having to make them. Until I can do that however we'll be working under the assumption that all they have are their axes and see how they go from there. At least between Kilgorath, Taliaa, and myself we have plenty of experience and tricks to share. I wonder if we can arrange a three way duel? That would be awesome!
Taliaa and Kilgorath spent the day going over every piece of metal and ore we brought back so they'll likely tell me the situation later tonight. They did give me early estimates of a week or so until they've managed to get shields and helmets onto all of the recruits. That estimate is of course with the both of them focused on smithing and not being interrupted so I'm not keeping my hopes up about it.
Tomorrow I think I'll gather every map I can get my hands on and see where these recruits are on current politics. I'm not expecting much based on the short conversations I've been part of with them. The vast majority of reborn Forsaken are from Lordaeron and the surrounding countries and risen due to the still clinging taint in the land or necromancy so they are mostly unaware of everything since the Third War. As you can guess this causes issues when the recruits still instinctually react to my very presence but they seem to regain control quickly.
A quick rundown of the Horde, the various races aligned to it, short touches of their history, as well as current conflicts is in order. I'll also see about getting as many basic tactics written down and sketched out for them as I can but that will take me a bit of time and several conversations. Brickes at least is enthusiastic about learning all of this because he missed it during his life due to a hasty recruitment and quickly following death. Poor chap.
Let us take a moment to remember our brothers and sisters fighting to halt the Legion's plans in Outland. May the poor unfortunate souls caught by the Fel Reaver or lost to the abyss of the Twister Nether find salvation among the Light or their ancestors. Knowing we're still fighting agents of the same men who killed him, Sergeant Brickes definitely isn't going to like the history lessons after we're done.
Damn it is getting dark out now and I have a few things I need to finish up. I also found a note addressed to me and stuck to the door basically ordering me to report to the High Executor's residence. No clue what that is about but if I hurry I can get back before sunset and get everything else done.
-Borgin
AN: Trying to keep review responses short, I promise! 'drkprince' - It isn't a lack of interest on Borgin's part, and he'll pick up a few actual magic tricks eventually, but simply a matter of math hatred and concept explanations. I don't have the time to write out magical concepts and whatnot and though I don't remember if I explained it earlier another reason is actually meant to show up in the next chapter, so I won't spoil it. 'Barbaric Bob' - Are you talking 40k or Fantasy? All the Ork energy! And wow I remember that meme, heh. Newborn Forsaken aren't as steeped in the Death magic so I figured eh, why not make them noobs too? All that skill but no longer having the reflexes or strength means lots of retraining, if they had any. Also I tried for a GOBBO mech for Shatterbang but couldn't fit anything to that acronym. 'frankieu' Oddly enough I'd managed to blitz the looting scene out before your review, but nothing too shiny.